Sailing and Red Wolves

10/17/11
At sunrise we quietly weighed anchor and were the first of 2 boats leaving to go directly into the Alligator Pungo Canal. This is a 22 mile passage that is lined with submerged stumps and bank erosion, so mid channel is the safest course. This requires attention from the helm. Some parts are lined with woods and then it thins out to swamps and patches of marsh grass. It was a beautiful day so the marsh grass looked golden in the afternoon sun.
Once we were into the Pungo River we sailed close hauled and beam reaching all the way to the Pamlico River. It was nice to give the engine a rest.We decided to drop the hook off Bay River instead of going on to Oriental that night. The Captain did a great job taking us through a tricky unmarked channel to a protected spit off Bonner Bay.
It was a quiet and calm evening, but we were driven below by an onslaught of flies. During the night I'm pretty certain that I heard the cries of the Red Wolf which has been reintroduced into this area.It's a rather eerie musical series of howls. Never heard it before, fascinating!