Day Three
Buck and I awoke about 0600 to a very foggy landscape. I started the kettle for coffee, slipped on shorts and running shoes and headed out for a morning jog while Buck had the task of preparing breakfast. I got back about 45 minutes later and we sat down to a light repast of fresh strawberries, lox, cream cheese, capers, hard-boiled eggs and whole grain toast, washed down with a liter or so of strong coffee.
After a quick shower and pumpout, we got underway about 0900 for Bath. This will be a short day and we hope to sail up the Pamlico River. Unfortunately, this turns out to be a power-boater’s dream day – there isn’t a breath of wind and the water’s like glass, so the sails remain covered and Buck and I meander up the river at a leisurely 7 knots under power. I try to stay relatively close to the starboard shore so that we can observe the development. The shoreline is quite developed with a combination of older, smaller homes and newer, much larger ones.
We passed a ferry crossing enroute and also a very large phosphate mining operation on the port shore that had a couple of huge spoil mounds.
We turned into Bath Creek about noon. As we cruised up the creek I began to look for the Bath Town Dock. I noticed an information symbol on my chartplotter which indicated the dock. It was in a slightly different location than that discussed in the Cruising Guide, but we decided to check it out. It turned out to be the town launch ramp. It does have 2 slips next door associated with a small convenience store. We briefly tied up and asked the marine patrol to direct us to the Bath Town Docks. They said we were at them and that there were no others. Buck started to panic, but I calmed him down and we decided to cruise up the creek a little further and check things out. Just before the bridge, we found a small, but well-equipped marina as discussed in the guide.
Buck and I awoke about 0600 to a very foggy landscape. I started the kettle for coffee, slipped on shorts and running shoes and headed out for a morning jog while Buck had the task of preparing breakfast. I got back about 45 minutes later and we sat down to a light repast of fresh strawberries, lox, cream cheese, capers, hard-boiled eggs and whole grain toast, washed down with a liter or so of strong coffee.
After a quick shower and pumpout, we got underway about 0900 for Bath. This will be a short day and we hope to sail up the Pamlico River. Unfortunately, this turns out to be a power-boater’s dream day – there isn’t a breath of wind and the water’s like glass, so the sails remain covered and Buck and I meander up the river at a leisurely 7 knots under power. I try to stay relatively close to the starboard shore so that we can observe the development. The shoreline is quite developed with a combination of older, smaller homes and newer, much larger ones.We passed a ferry crossing enroute and also a very large phosphate mining operation on the port shore that had a couple of huge spoil mounds.
We turned into Bath Creek about noon. As we cruised up the creek I began to look for the Bath Town Dock. I noticed an information symbol on my chartplotter which indicated the dock. It was in a slightly different location than that discussed in the Cruising Guide, but we decided to check it out. It turned out to be the town launch ramp. It does have 2 slips next door associated with a small convenience store. We briefly tied up and asked the marine patrol to direct us to the Bath Town Docks. They said we were at them and that there were no others. Buck started to panic, but I calmed him down and we decided to cruise up the creek a little further and check things out. Just before the bridge, we found a small, but well-equipped marina as discussed in the guide.
Right before the marina was a pier with a small sign saying Bath “State” Dock. This turned out to be our destination. So if you cruise to Bath, look for the State rather than the city dock. The pier is quite sturdy and has room for about 4 boats on each side and one on the end. There were 2 boats there when we arrived and one large sailboat came in later and tied off at the end of the dock. There is no Dockmaster and you simply complete a form that’s available in a mailbox at the shore end of the dock. There are also maps and walking tour information for Bath available at the same spot. The marina next door has shore power, water and showers for those who need a bit more civilization. (Those who don’t simply walk through a couple of back yards in the early morning hours and use the marina facilities….). I was also able to connect to the marina’s wireless network with my laptop.
Bath is very small (pop. 300 in town with many more in the township), but is very well kept and I’d recommend it as a cruise destination. There is a nice pizzeria within 2 minutes walk. Also within a couple of minutes walk is the Historic Bath Visitor’s Center. Buck and I availed ourselves of their 15 minute video (it’s amazing how quickly I can fall asleep in those things) and then took guided tours of 2 historic homes. The tours cost $1.00 each so we were out $4.00 for the afternoon’s entertainment.Back at the boat we chatted with some of the other cruisers then prepared a simple dinner of portabella mushroom and chicken sausages, baked beans and cole slaw washed down with Belgian white ale. We then read in the cockpit and also had the opportunity to chat with 2 very cute young sisters (ages 3 and 5) who were visiting and out for an evening stroll with their parents.
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