Back To Wanchese

HEADING BACK TO WANCHESE FROM WASHINGTON, NC:

Arrived back in Washington on Wednesday about midnight after driving 7 hours from our home. The marina in Washington does not offer fuel service and I was afraid I was running low on diesel and might not make the 40 minute trip to the nearest marina that has diesel. The dock masters usually frown on hauling in your own fuel so under the cover of darkness using three five gallon tanks, I made several trips to the nearest stop and rob to haul in 50 gallons of diesel. I finally made it to bed after 1 am. Thursday we spent the day with John and Cheri Vaughn and preparing the boat for departure. John took care of Ring of Fire while we were away and now he thinks he wants to start another business called Johnny Boat Check. He signed me up for his Platinum Service Level. He will get with me on pricing later.

For lunch on Thursday I had a hot-dog from the county famous Bill’s Hot Dogs. It is a red dye #3 hot dog, deep fried and then it sits in a water bath waiting to be constructed to the customer’s wants which might include a light brown, secret recipe chili. I don't think the color of the chili is on any of the color charts at the Home Depot paint section. That’s all I’ll say about the hot dogs but you must walk into this nostalgic business if you come to Washington. The front screen door reminds me of the screen door that used to be on Oak’s Grocery in downtown Jonesboro. The hinges must be original because of the loud creaking when opened. It also had an old Camel cigarette sticker on it.

Once inside, you must order from the 8” hole that is cut out in a large piece of ¼” Plexiglass. I stood to the side of it and the three old women looked at me like I was a tourist and from one of the ladies demeanor and expressions demanded that I step one step to the left and speak into the 8” hole. Evidentially, she could not take my order as I stood in front of her. I did notice the “Cash Only” sign so I knew not to get my credit card out so as not to receive another frustrated look.

Thursday afternoon, Johnny Gripp came over to our boat because I had heard he was a preacher years ago. I wanted him to bless the boat and put it under God’s care rather than submitting to traditional mythology and Gods of the sea. He read us a few verses from the book of Habakkuk and shared some of his thoughts and wishes. Thanks to Johnny for doing that for us.

That night, John and Cheri came over to the boat and we had a dinner on the fly bridge as the sun set on the city. What a wonderful view!

Friday morning John Kim and I left for Washington Yacht and Country Club to top off the tanks. It is always good to have a few good dock hands when shoving off.

Then Kim and I left for Alligator River Marina which was 5 hour trip through the Alligator River. About 2 hours was through a narrow channel or “ditch” as the locals call it. Most of the way, Kim sat on the bow of the boat as I navigated from inside. There are some really good views and sights to see along the way.

 After going through a swing bridge at the Alligator Marina, we made it to the marina which was about to close. Kim had called ahead and spoke to Anna who said that the restaurant was about to close but she would fix us 2 of her well known double, bacon, cheese burgers and fries. What a nice lady and what a good, fresh, hand patted burger. She also threw in 2 small cups of cookie dough ice cream.

Now Alligator Marina is not your typical marina. It is really a Shell gas station on the main road going to Roanoke Island. It was a beautiful sight to see the sun going down over the Shell station with its yellow and red signage, behind the cellphone tower. The green diesel price sign also blended well with the other lighting. Yet, the burgers were quite good on the fly bridge.

Saturday morning we departed to Manteo for lunch and arrived about noon where we had sandwiches at Poor Richards. The clam chowder is worth eating. Then back to the boat after getting a couple of bottles of local scuppernog wine- Jack Ass Red.

Back to the ship yard from Manteo to dock Ring of Fire before the next adventure. 

We are trying to go to Virginia Beach at the end of October to get with Jan Holloman and her husband along with Sherry Swint, who I hope is able to make it.

If we make the trip to VA Beach and back, Ring of Fire will be in storage for the winter. The next departure is set for the end of April 2018. We will keep everyone informed.

I want to thank everyone for your prayers as we travel and it is so good to hear from those that I haven’t talked to in a long time.

Getting Started

Kim and I arrived in Wanchese, NC on September 19 and took the next couple of days preparing the boat and outfitting it with supplies and equipment. The boat was in the working boat slip in Wanchese. We would go into the town of Manteo, which is the historic end of the island, and Nags Head to eat and see the sites.

Our maiden voyage was a trip to Manteo Waterfront Marina, left of the gazebo according to the dock master, which was to pump out our sewage! Everything came out just fine. It was a 1 hour round trip adventure past some beautiful homes and condos. 

First Test Run:

Left Wanchese, NC on the 22nd heading to Washington, NC for a weekend stay to see our good friends, John and Cheri Vaughn. John is a retired North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation agent that I met in 1994. About 3 hours into the 6.5 hour trip, the generator stopped running and left me with no AC. Kim kept cool on the fly bridge. A small adjustment to the generator that evening and it was back in order.

Coming into the city of Washington by way of the Pamlico River is just beautiful. The quaint city sits right on the river with many restaurants and shops that stretches down the river for about a half of a mile. John and the dock master met us and assisted is in tying down to the dock. In the picture below, John is on the right.

In the slip next to us, a man introduced himself as Johnny, the inventor of “Johnny Grip”. He developed a mopping, cleaning solution for restaurant floors to make them a non-slip surface. He has since turned the business over to his brother-in-law. He was in a hurry and said he could not talk long because he was on his way to church. He was dressed very nice and wished us a good day. About 15 minutes he returned and admitted that he just remembered it was Saturday and not Sunday. Johnny said that since he is retired, every day is a weekend and he can’t keep up with the days. He was so nice that only after knowing him for 30 minutes, he offered his car for us to use anytime we needed it.

During dinner at the Bank Bistro, we decided to leave Ring of Fire in Washington due to the upcoming hurricane Maria. This turned out to be a good decision since they were evacuating some of the outer banks.

We plan to get Ring of Fire back to Wanchese in a couple of weeks which will probably be the first part of October.

Will continue the adventure then.

EATERY REVIEWS:

Nags Head, North Carolina:

Blue Moon Beach Grill

 We drove by the first night and I said, “NO”. It was in a strip mall off of the main highway. Kim said it’s rated online as a 4.5. The next night we came back. On a Wednesday night it was about a 30 minute wait. There was a couple playing a guitar and singing outside while we waited. Once inside, I had the filet that came with mashed potatoes and fresh grilled vegetables. Everything was fresh and delicious. The filet came with a brown sauce that complimented the meat. While the steak was not as tender as some filets' I have had, the taste was fantastic. Kim had the sauteed scallops and sea weed salad. No grit whatsoever and very good. Wait staff excellent and the owner, who is from Aiken, SC, came by and sincerely wanted to know if everything was good.

Miller’s Waterfront Restaurant

On the marsh with a great sunset. Appetizer of crab dip with three cheeses and real, fresh crab. Fried shrimp- excellent, beaded lightly with red mashed potatoes. The mashed potatoes were some of the best I had, but I guess Castor Oil would taste good with enough butter. Our waitress got a huge tip because of two of my requirements: when I first order unsweetened tea with lemon and need another refill, she brought it without asking and brought the tea with a lemon.

  

Nags Head Pizza Company:

Don’t bother going there if you were raised in the country. Too fancy of a pizza for me with all kinds of oils and cheeses I don’t eat or have never heard of. You have to order at the bar, go sit down and some unobscured waiter brings it to you and you have to fend for yourself with refills and napkins. Great location though, on the water.

Manteo, NC:

Lost Colony Brewery and Café

I ordered the “Dreaded, Shredded Something Similar to a Chicken Sandwich”. The topping of cheese and bacon looked like the fake throw-up my friend in high school had. Just keep walking by, don’t pay attention to the cute outdoor seating. 

Washington, NC:

The Bank Bistro

Prime Rib Night- Excellent! Very good crème Brule for desert. As we were about to leave, the restaurant began playing a Johnny Cash song and I asked if they could play “Ring of Fire” since that was our boat’s name. The manager then turned up the volume for all to hear.

Racheal’s Bakery

Cheese Danish was very flaky and moist, not dry.