Adams Creek Canal - Sea Gate Marina

2004-06-05

June 5, 2004 - June 7, 2004

The land on this trip is beautiful with a soft and vibrant character. Houses are everywhere - probably vacation houses, but many are occupied. All manner of birds are calling and diving into the creeks, rivers and canals, crabs wheel by, fish jump - for joy? I do, I love this place.... I had originally planned to stay at the Oriental Marina, but seeing where they were going to try to put Doublewide - I backed out of there in a hurry! There was no way that I could back this boat into that space. I am not sure anybody could! Too dangerous. Too many boats in the way. So I continued on, although I was dead tired - another 2 hours down the ICW... until I came to the Adams Creek Canal...

Along that canal is the Sea Gate Marina. Mostly powerboats,and a few working boats, but many sailboat masts can be seen in there as well. The jetty is somewhat shallow (3-4 feet at low tide - beware those who have deep keels and wait for the tide and you should glide right in - but call ahead to make sure of the depth!). The interior is a 'manufactured' inlet. Here's the story as it was told to me:

The man who owns Sea Gate had quite a lot of land along the canal - in fact had a great deal of land on both sides of the canal. He decided a marina would be a nice little business, so he dug out a spot - a big spot. When it came time for him to open the inlet to the canal, the Corps of Engineers said "No way!". Well, he said "Oh yeah, Way!". Got a bunch of dynamite and blew open the entrance... The COE did not consider this a friendly gesture, so they took him to court. The settlement was that he gave the COE all of his land on the East side of the Canal to shut them up. So now there is this very protected and 'safe' little marina. I recommend it highly!

In addition to it being a pretty place, surrounded by houses, the sounds of kids and dogs playing, it is a 'hang out' for a bunch of retired men, some have boats some just live in the area. They came down and helped me dock, invited me to join their party (there is an ad hoc party on the dock every Saturday nite), looked out for me, checked up on me (and Doublewide) and offered rides when I needed one, in fact, treated me like a daughter. Having recently lost my father, I slid right into the part and accepted the advice and protection offered by these fine men - and will always think of them with respect and fondness.

Gene and Jimmy, in particular, both you guys have a place in my heart... Thank you for everything.

Click an image to see a larger version.

Pamlico River - Green Water 140 KB	Hobucken Canal Entrance 85 KB	Hobucken Canal 102 KB
Hobucken Canal Working Dock 108 KB	Hobucken Canal Working Boat 143 KB	Hobucken Canal Bald Eagle Nest 360 KB
Bay River - Bird On Marker 53 KB	Rigging In The Clouds 64 KB	Sea Gate Marina 139 KB
View Off Port Side Of Doublewide 80 KB	Goodbye Sea Gate Marina 103 KB

Getting Ready

The Chesapeake Bay

The Great Dismal Swamp

Sea Tales and Other Stories

Pictures of Doublewide

Mayaca Railroad Bridge