We left the dock as planned. There was no current and just a bit of wind. A fellow boater was walking by with a cup of coffee and gave us a hand. He gave our bow a little push as David pulled out of the slip and it was just enough to get us turned forward in the right direction.
The day was cloudy and we passed out of the coastal area into more marsh. We went along the Neuse River and then the Pungo River. We had an early thunderstorm but then it passed and was just cloudy. There were sporadic homes but mostly quiet wild marsh. We passed the shrimp boats at Hobucken. We saw a lot of boats traversing the waterway north but not a lot of local boat traffic. Everyone was courteous when passing.
We made good time and decided to go a little further than our plan and anchor in Pungo Creek, near Windmill Point. Perry and Cathy also anchored there and invited us to dinner on their boat. They had had an encounter with a crab pot on the journey but managed to get loose. There were numerous crab pots in or near the channel and we were all on watch for them.
We got our anchor set easily and were getting ready to go to dinner when David checked our batteries. They were 69% after motoring all day. We tested the power coming from our alternator and it was low. We went to Panacea and had a quick dinner but were anxious to return to work on our latest problem. Cathy and Perry were very supportive and understanding.
We decided to go to Bellehaven in the morning, about a mile north to a marina and boat yard. We can travel without the alternator, we are just unable to charge our batteries with the motor. With the solar in the daytime and power from the marina at night, we should be able to keep them up. if the boatyard can help, however, we would welcome a real solution.