I called the Alligator River Bridge this morning at 6:30. The bridge tender said the winds were down to 25mph and that the bridge was open and operating on demand as usual. I prepped the boat, fired off the engines and got underway at 7:00. Just as I got ready to go out onto the Albemarle Sound, the Coast Guard announced that the Alligator Bridge was closed due to high winds.
Well, I had already come this far, I might as well keep going and hope the winds improve. I cross the sound with seas 3-4 feet on the stern. I had to slow the boat down to about 10kts, but handled the seas well at that speed. I arrived at the bridge around 9:45 and called the bridge tender. He said the winds were 40mph and that he could not open the bridge. So I circled at the bridge hoping that the wind would die down enough for him to let me slip through. About 11:00 a 65-foot Fleming came up and was also waiting at the bridge. After 30 minutes, he gave up, said it was too rough, that his stabilizers couldn't keep up and he came into the Alligator River Marina.
Right at noon, after circling at the bridge for over 2 hours, the bridge tender finally called me on the radio and said that it was very unlikely that he would be able to open today. So reluctantly, I too came into the marina.
Tomorrow will be a big day. I will try and go 217 miles all the way to Carolina Beach where the owner is waiting for his new boat. The weather is supposed to be a lot better tomorrow, so I have high hopes that I will get to complete the trip.
65- foot Fleming
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