Wanchese, NC

Our last day of cruising in 2021 was Sunday, October 24. How sad! We had to leave early since we wanted to get to our destination soon so Archie could do his business on land.  He seemed a little less depressed this morning than he was the night before.  We pulled up anchor by 8:10 and headed out on a beautiful clear day.

We cruised for four hours on dead flat seas on the Albermarle Sound and arrived at Roanoke Island, part of the outer banks of North Carolina by 12:30. 

We headed for Wanchese which is on the south end of the island. Manteo, which is more widely known, is on the north of the island. We learned that Wanchese differs tremendously from Manteo.  The former is really a working town focusing on fishing and boat-building and is much more low-key.  Manteo is more oriented towards tourism and is very popular with boaters and beach-goers.

We were headed for Spencer’s Yachts where we would keep Zendo for the winter.  Spencer’s had been highly recommended to us by a fellow boater who has had a lot of work done there.  When Jonny called he discovered that their rates are 40% less than rates on the Chesapeake. So that’s why we’re here! 

As we made our way through the channel that leads to Spencer’s we passed some beautiful homes along the way. 

When we arrived at Spencer’s it was clear why they are so highly regarded as boat builders.  Their yachts, which are high end sport fishing boats, are practically works of art - sleek, streamlined and beautiful! Our little trawler was dwarfed by them.  Fortunately, for us they also work on boats that belong to mere mortals like us.

Once we arrived we switched into high gear packing and preparing Zendo to be hauled out for the winter. This is the first time that Jonny hasn’t winterized the boat himself and the first time that it will be hauled out of the water for the winter.  

We took Archie for a walk and discovered that this high end boat yard was in the middle of a very modest neighborhood.  There were dilapidated mobile homes nearby just a few blocks in from the waterfront.  The people we met were friendly and most had dogs so Archie was in heaven.

That evening we celebrated the last night of our cruise with one of Jonny’s delicious perfect manhattans followed by a cozy dinner of Chicken Nonna.  This has been a wonderful five months.  We visited family and friends all along the way and several of them came to stay on Zendo with us. We enjoyed visiting vibrant cities like Philadelphia, New York and Washington, D.C.  We traveled as far as Montauk on Long Island and spent lots of time on both shores of Long Island Sound and the Chesapeake Bay.  We also had lots of quiet time to ourselves in beautiful peaceful anchorages.  It’s been a wonderful trip and we are very grateful to be able to do it! Now we’ll be heading back home to Miami to our family and friends there and we are looking forward to that too.