Elizabeth City
AJAYA'S CRUISE
Phil & Nikki Hoskins
Mon 14 Jun 2010 13:46
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36:17.94N, 76:13.09W
Having battled our way up river against an
increasingly stronger wind we heard on the VHF about the harbour being closed
because of a race taking place. Boats ahead of us were advised to speak with
coastguard officials who were maintaining security at the entrance and we
heard a friend of ours call one of the boats ahead to advise that
there may be a way through as the racing had been temporarily halted due to the
high winds. We contacted them to advise of our imminent arrival
and they kindly arranged some dock space for us should we arrive in time
before the wind dropped and the racing re-commenced.
Fortunately they held up the racing for an hour
which gave us enough time to step up the speed and get through the spectator
boats and secure alongside the town dock wall. Shortly after the racing
restarted. Tiny powerboats capable of 80 mph shot out of the pits and careered
round a buoyed course at startling speeds especially on the corners. The noise
was deafening.
  They certainly didn't want us bumbling
our way through this little
lot! The
park area in the foreground was used as a movie theatre with the screen under
the canopy to the left
We were met by Sam Vanderslice (wonderful
name!) the self-appointed harbourmaster who ran us through all the
available services he could offer - propane top-up, diesel, gasoline etc. One
small problem in the communication was that Sam is stone deaf so it was a real
challenge holding any conversation with him but with a veteran's heart of gold
he chaperones his visitors ensuring everything they needs is on hand, even
driving us off to get propane and diesel in the back of his pick-up truck. We
also went to the local Farm Fresh supermarket, being collected by the store's
courtesy car and delivered back a few hours later with yet more shopping to stow
onboard.
.
Chuck from "Soul Mates" with
Phil (unseen) in the back of Sam's pick-up truck
We attended a wine and cheese welcoming party
hosted by the Rose Buddies of Elizabeth City. The story is told on a plaque
sited in a rose garden on the dockside. Two residents of Elizabeth City, Fred
Fearing and Joe Kramer, hosted a cheese and wine welcoming party for visiting
yachts in 1983, presenting the ladies with roses from one of their gardens.
Despite the passing of both of these kind folk the tradition continues on and
anytime five new visiting craft moor at the city dock (it's free for 48
hours) the cheese and wine celebration is hosted in a marquee close by. One
of the current Rose Buddies attends to tell of the story of Fred and Joe and
then to offers their experience of the surrounding waters and the passage
through the Dismal Swamp Canal to Norfolk, a route we had not previously
taken.
  The rose garden now replanted by the
city
dock
and the memorial dedicated to the first Rose Buddies of Elizabeth
City
  David - a current Rose Buddy talking to
the cruisers about the
area Cheese
and wine treats - not much left at the end as cruisers are like
locusts!
Elizabeth City has some great sightseeing away from
the dock and we started with the museum which details how the entire area came
to be developed all the way back to Indian and colonial times. This kept us
amused for a couple of hours then we came across a real find in one of the
older buildings down town. We were given a guided tour of an old vaudeville
theatre which had been completely refurbished from local business and private
donations. It's still used for dances and grand dining events as the seating in
the lower section can be removed. Downstairs there is an art gallery with local
artists exhibits. Just across the road Nikki spotted the perfect shop for those
whose pates are becoming sparsely populated with hair! And across from
there a department store dating back well into the last century displayed
an interesting range of crimpleen and polyester suits with a wide range of
patent leather spats and shoes for the natty dresser.
  The restored Vaudeville theatre sits on
the first and second
floors. Good
to know it's a 'friendly' wig shop!
Elizabeth City proved to be a great stop - one of
the friendliest places you could wish to be. The final evening we were treated
to a showing of the Philadelphia Story staring Cary Grant, James Stuart
and Kate Hepburn. This was in the open air on a temporary screen.
About 200 people from town plus the yachties sat back and 'enjoyed' this
classic comedy film from the archives. Nobody even left when the sound broke
down for five minutes which was soon fixed. It was surreal looking across the
park area at the screen and a little to the right sat Ajaya at the dock. It was
time to move on and tackle the Dismal Swamp Canal or 'the ditch' as many
cruisers refer to it as. This would lead directly to Norfolk with just the one
stop somewhere along the way.
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