Beez Neez now Chy Whella

To Deep Pit

Big Bear and Pepe Millard

Sat 18 Jun 2011 22:24

To Deep Pit and the Attack of the Horseflies

Today began very nicely, up, breakfast and away at eight thirty. A usual start you may think, osprey about their daily routine. Today it is the Alligator River, Pungo River and Canal - nothing too shallow - so little threat of raising the tally for 'sailing on the spot'. Bear's knee is still hot, swollen, painful but there is something quite pleasant having him sat (make that sprawled) out next / facing me in the cockpit reading out instructions from Skipper Bob, all very pleasing. He spells me while I get lunch and the afternoon follows the pattern of the morning until Bear "leaps" up to attend to dropping the anchor, supper, a game of backgammon as the sun sets, a dvd and zed time. Not a bad way to spend a day travelling the planned forty four miles. Marvelous in fact, watching the miles go by - along with beautiful scenery and the peace and quiet.

Soon after we left Snode Creek we entered a big area of water and watched fisherman about their daily work

Mile markers and the occasional house in the haze of the morning

The first time we have seen a 'Danger' sign - this to keep us away from the edges and all the tree stumps. Mile marker 110 (miles to Norfolk and mile 0) passed at five past three

The Pungo River is a river in eastern North Carolina. It originally began in the Great Dismal Swamp in Washington County, North Carolina; the upper part of the river has since been supplanted by the Pungo River Canal, dug in the 1950’s to improve drainage of local farmland. The river flows southeast and forms part of the boundary between Beaufort County and Hyde County. The river then widens dramatically, turns west and flows past Belhaven, North Carolina before joining the Pamlico River near Pamlico Sound. A twenty one mile canal connects the Pungo River with the Alligator River to its east. As we were puttering along the canal we heard "Beez Neez, Beez Neez" The chap above with his back to us hailed us just for a chat during a BBQ with a few friends. He wished us well, all very friendly and lots of "wows" at our At-Venture. On we went passing just a few houses and next thing a roar from ahead.

This Muppet coming at us at full tilt.

The wake they made was like something cute out in the middle of the Atlantic. I gave them my best 'stop a speeding train' look. The figurehead should have worn more clothes, preferably with a sack over her head

All quiet again, but we did hear our new radio friends giving them a 'real talking to' about wake, damage, photographing them and the report that would be submitted by them to the Coastguard - to issue their fine. Apparently our new happy friends, not so happy now they were shouting at the Muppet and his ugly wife - were indeed wardens - at work, watching out for the law breaking wake folk we occasionally suffer. Yepee.

Hundreds more tree stumps each side

Trees mean our new friends - this one having late lunch

Just before we left the canal we saw an advert for the Dismal Swamp - we will do it going south

We had entered the canal at midday and left the tree lined waterway at four o'clock, just a few miles out in open water until we drop the hook to the left side of the ICW in an area big enough for a few boats. One local yacht up ahead marked the spot and there we headed. Bear did his "active leap", hook down, surveying our surroundings and then ALL HELL BROKE LOOSE. Horseflies. Now we have had a picture on the blog of mammoth horseflies doing rudies, just two of the visitors we saw by the hundred over the last couple of weeks. They have only ever settled on the pram hood to lick salt for nest building, rest awhile and in the one case mentioned 'a quick bit of the other' before going on their way - never a bite or snarl passing their lips.

These little buggers were half their size and came at us like Messerschmitts, bearing a blunt cocktail stick stabbers and VERY eager to use their weaponry to the max. We dropped the hook at four thirty and by four thirty five Beez had turned a shade of black with all these glowy-green eyed monsters from the sky. I watched in horror as thirty or so moved downstairs. Bear said if I passed up the animal-proof conservatory sides - he would deal with that if I went off to dispose of the bedroom-breachers. After passing up said zip-in mesh sides - Baygon at the ready - I braved being shut in with these evil creatures. A few bites later; one in particular took quite a bit of 'dispatching to the other side', I emerged ten minutes later in triumph. Now I know you should never mock the afflicted or anyone with even the slightest disability BUT........

To see Bear (mission to put up mesh, tick) dancing on his one good foot, his dodgy left knee raised was too much for me. Wet eyed from laughing I raced to his side to dispatch ten or twelve per foot as they stabbed as fast as they could reload their weapons. Those few that were brave enough to venture up into his fur, realised they were caught and went for a kamikaze departure from their mortal coils.

Utter bloody chaos, bodies everywhere, BUT we had succeeded. A stiff drink to calm the nerves and all was quiet once again on the Western Front.

Another yacht appeared - as soon as they had anchored they went below, closed all windows and assumed a lock-in procedure, not to be seen again until they left before the enemy awoke at around half five. Meantime back on Beez over supper and a subdued game of backgammon we heard what sounded like someone keep banging into us with a teaspoon. The little blighters kept up the attack until they found all the nooks and crannies around the girl to sleep, gaining strength for the morrow. I had a cunning plan - as soon as they were snoring - a few quick blasts with the Baygon (must write to the company and tell them what a sterling product they manufacture). Must remember in the morning to keep a sharp look out in case reinforcements have gathered overnight.

ALL IN ALL WHAT A FINALE

VERY OFFENSIVE BUSINESS