Memorial Day Weekend Cruise 2008
Lt/C Lorraine B. Ryan, S, Administrative Officer

The rainy weather on Saturday 24 May didn’t dampen the spirits of the RMPS members during their Captain’s Briefing; it only delayed the start of their trip. The first order of the day was a Vessel Safety Inspection of the Swamp Bear, Suzanne & Greg’s boat.  It passed with flying colors although a suggestion was made by Inspector Payne to mount the fire extinguisher in the bridge area instead of keeping it in the hold. We set out across the Albemarle Sound to Columbia and the Walter B. Jones, Sr. Center for the Sounds at the Pocosin Lakes National Wildlife Refuge.  On the way, we made a brief stop at the Cyprus Creek Marina so Chris could renew his boat registration.  Mike Mullen from the marina supervises the boat building of the Laurel Point boats, and they are now producing 36’ fiberglass sport fishing boats from a recent acquisition of the company. They have twin diesel inboards, a flybridge convertible, with a 2’9” draft.  It was interesting to see both the molds used in fabrication and several of the pieces in the infancy stage of building.

After lunch on the banks of the Scuppernong, we walked down quiet Main Street where we discovered a geodetic marker close to the waterfront.  We looked in the store windows, viewed the monuments around town, saw the Tyrell Country Court House and visited the Columbia Theater Cultural Resource Center which is housed in the former movie palace (1930-1960).  Wilbert Simmons, a Tyrell County native of 76 years, who was manning the museum, flipped the museum charge sign, didn’t charge us, and welcomed us to the museum.  He walked around the entire museum with us pointing out the various displays.  Mr. Simmons also has a photo on display since he is know for his creative floral/ vegetable arrangements.  The photo was a Thanksgiving turkey made from various gourds, dry grasses and fruit.   We viewed a short film which showed the history of Tyrell County and the farming, fishing and forestry. We viewed the exhibits in the Walter B. Jones, Sr. Center for the Sounds and then walked on the boardwalk through the wetlands.  Clay had just returned from the walk and told us to look out for the water moccasins that were mating alongside the boardwalk by the lookout on the river.  We saw the two snakes intertwined without a movement between them.  The male was so much larger than the female, or so I thought, until I was told that female snakes are the larger of the species. Dinner at Waterman’s Café in Edenton was exceptionally delicious and a walk to the soon to be renovated lighthouse at the town park brought an inquiry from Chris.  He and Cathy just purchased an old cast iron bell from a recent auction.  It appeared to fit perfectly in the bell holder (which was missing its bell) on the side of the light house. Who knows, if it does fit, and the Payne’s decide to part with it in the future, there might be a plaque on the lighthouse describing the gift from the Paynes. 

Sunday was full of sunshine and only two boats set out for Elizabeth City.  Clay & Wilma spent time with their guests from Illinois as the girls wanted to go to the swim beach and then onto Edenton and the park.Friends of the Paynes from Virginia Beach, Anita and Mark Hodgin joined us in the boat and once we arrived in Elizabeth City, friends of the Zolas’s were there with their children and spent time in the museum with us.  The new exhibit in the Museum of the Albemarle is “Our Story”. It is the history of the Albemarle area. The 6,200 square foot exhibit is a showcase of over 700 artifacts that depict the story of the Albemarle regions watermen, farmers, lifesavers and soldiers. The exhibit takes the visitor on a journey through time beginning with the Maritime Era, when the European explorers encountered the American Indians. As more and more settlers arrived, 'Our Story" leads the visitor through the Canal Era. Tracks then lead through the Railroad Era and the Automotive Era, to bring the visitor up to date for the Tourism Era.  Featured among the artifacts are such finds as the cannon recovered from the ship purported to be Blackbeard's Queen Anne's Revenge; a Charles Wilson Peale miniature portrait broach of Joseph Hewes, a North Carolina signer of the "Declaration of Independence"; a miniature replica of the James Adams Floating Theatre, the inspiration for author Edna Ferber's popular novel, "Show Boat"; U.S. Lifesaving Service and Coast Guard displays; and the re-appearance of "Inez" a horse-drawn "steam pumper" fire engine that was used in Elizabeth City through the 1920's. 

You were also able to enjoy learning how early farming families lived by exploring the furnished Jackson House, a ca. 1755 farmhouse that spanned both the Colonial and Federal time periods. The farmhouse and nearby ca. 1840's Proctor smokehouse are original structures from the Albemarle area. I found the Moth Boats the most interesting since they are a class of small fast single handed racing sailboats that originated in the US in 1929 by Joel Van Sant.  He was traveling from Atlantic City to Florida & stopped to overhaul his yacht.  During his stay, he joined forces with Ernest Sanders of Elizabeth City Shipyard to design a small sailboat that could easily be easily raced on inland rivers and lakes.  The sporty little craft, called the moth because of its ability to fit across the waves, caught the imagination of sailors and boat builders seeking an in inexpensive vessel which could be built by non-professional boat builders from inexpensive materials.  They had a Moth Trophy on display from a past Moth Regatta.

The three women, Cathy, Anita and Lorraine took the easy way back to Holiday Island with Beverly and Joe Payne who were also visiting from Charlotte.  Beverly and Joe had been biking in the Elizabeth City area and no, the women did not become bike passengers but passengers in their SUV.  Chris and Mark and Suzanne and Greg took the long way on the water. Meanwhile, back in Holiday Island, the chicken had been cooking in the smoker grill all day so we had delicious smoked chicken, hot dogs, home made salads, and yummy “Wilma Made” desserts for dinner. Another successful Memorial Day adventure.