Danny got a surprise when he took the helm to relieve me for a "potty break". Sitting down on the throne, I began to rock back and forth as the boat began to wallow from side to side. Beth began hammering on the door so I quickly finished my business and rushed up to the upper helm to see a rather pale faced Danny struggling with the ships wheel.
"What' going on buddy? I grinned
"Damn, I can't keep it in a straight line. It's so responsive in the channel and I'm afraid its going to go outside the channel into the shallow water!"
"It's easy to over steer in "the channel," I responded as I took over the helm. "You just have to anticipate where the wind is pushing the boat and slowly compensate. It helps if you look two markers ahead and check your wake. This keeps you in the channel."
We laughed as I described the considerable consequences of my possibly sliding off the throne. Danny, however was not eager to take the helm over again and we just sat back and enjoyed the scenery. Being a hunter and a woodsman, Danny marveled at the vast areas of wetlands and pine forest that lined the Virginia ICW.
Danny's first lock.
Great Bridge
As the rain approached we glided into Mid Way Marina in Coinjock, North Carolina. A great spot with a helpful attendant to get us tied up to the wooden dock, lots of space for the dogs to run free, a clean swimming pool and a fantastic place to eat. (Crabbies Bar and Grill). This marina was practically wiped out in Hurricane Sandy and is struggling to make a come back. Its owned by locals so we decided to help out and give them a try.
Lots of grass at Mid Way Marina. The dogs loved running without a leash.
Entering the restaurant, we became somewhat concerned to see that we were the only patrons. Beth usually insists that we dine only where there are lots of cars because, "It means the food is good!" insinuating the corollary that it must be bad if there are no customers. Not So at Crabbies!
We were warmly welcomed by two waitresses, Cindy and Jerrika and by the chef, Rich Cowan.
The decor was light hearted and reflected the seafood orientation with paintings done by the owner. The restrooms were exceptionally clean and decorative and the atmosphere festive.
Starting with an appetizer of barbecued chicken wings for me, crab corn chowder for Danny and a cold beer for Beth we took the chef's advice to try the Maryland Crab Cakes. Wow! Delicious!
Most crab cakes are 50% filler with crab. These were 90% crab and just a little filler. We could have them with Bay seasoning or Key West Style citrus. I took one of each. They came with a creamed corn, baked potato and I added a side of apple sauce. This was one of the best restaurant meals so far on the trip. We waddled back to the boat exclaiming our good fortune to have found this place.
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