Being in no hurry Mischief went west. On a Chesapeake Facebook group there was a reference to the Albemarle Loop. This is where several marinas around the Albemarle Sound will allow you to dock for free for a couple of days to see their towns.
The first town on the Southside is Columbia, NC. This a neat little small town with a thriving art community. There is a small museum about the history of the area, 1 restaurant open during the week and a coffee/gift shop during the day. There are other small businesses, hardware stores, welcome center, clothing store, pharmacy, etc too. A nature preserve is close by to hike through and enjoy. We spent a pleasant couple of days there.
The next stop going counterclockwise around would have been Mackey’s Marina. It looked like a nice stop with a restaurant but we gave it a pass. Plymouth, NC is next but our mast was too tall to go there. Continuing around is Edentown, NC a town with a lot of history and things to do. Unfortunately we would have had to go under a 65′ bridge that boats with 63′ masts reported losing their wind instruments and stuff on top of their masts. Since we conservatively say we are 62′, according to our best guess and the user group for our boat, we decided not to risk it. Later that day locals told us the water level can vary several feet depending on the wind. Without local knowledge we made the right choice. But we still would like to go visit Edenton someday.
Our final stop on the loop was Albemarle Plantation, a golfing and marina community. This was the perfect place to stop for 4th of July celebrations. For almost nothing we rented a golf cart for our 5 days there. This allowed us to tour the community, go to the pool, restaurants, carry laundry, etc. Everyone was so friendly and helpful. The grounds were beautiful.
There was a spectacular firework display on the 4th. Even though it lasted later than our normal turn in time we rose early the next morning to continue on our way.
Adventures of Mischief 