In The Inner Banks, Life Is Lived On The Water

By Miles Layton Albemarle Magazine

Seemed like an ordinary day at first.

Light wind, sunny but not hot and the water was calm in Edenton Bay and maybe even the Albemarle Sound. Seemed to be a perfect day to test a new sunfish, well, new to me, that was purchased online via Facebook Marketplace from a seller in northern Virginia. I couldn’t wait to get on the water.

District Court Judge Meador Harriss and his sons were about to set sail too in their sunfish. We talked as I was setting the rigging on my sunfish about losing boats from time to time when the water gods need a sacrifice. Looking back, the conversation was an omen. Perhaps God was speaking through the good judge to warn me. But I wanted to go sailing. Twas a small boat, light and easy enough to fit into an SUV. I popped in the sail, and used a kayak oar to paddle a small bit past the bulkhead and let the wind take over.

Sailing is transformative because there is a point when the wind picks up, the boat starts to move as if by magic and you feel God’s power and grace. Watching the water pass by as you move across the bay can be relaxing, even hypnotic. When I was out, there was a very large barge crossing the bay en route to repair work for a dock that had been damaged in the recent Hurricane Isaias.

Also, moored by the Penelope Barker House is a $6 million yacht “Murphy’s Law,” a 124-foot, 9-inch luxury motor yacht. Murphy’s Law is powered by Detroit Diesel engines giving her a maximum speed of 16 knots. The motor yacht can accommodate guests in cabins with an interior design by A La Mer.

Yacht is so big that it needs a trolling boat, Murphy’s Law 2 that’s as big as some of the Regulator or Albemarle boats that Edenton is famous for. In fact, it was an Albemarle Boat, built a few miles down the shoreline from where it was parked.

For a few minutes, sailing my small craft was awesome. At a certain point past the channel markers, you can pick up a strong south wind to carry you back to friendly shores that feature the Roanoke River Lighthouse. But… but… not every trip on the bay ends with dinner at Waterman's Grill on South Broad Street. Purchased and tested a few days earlier, my small craft – which didn’t as yet have a name – started taking on water. Small boats always take on a bit of water as they are being launched, so I was not too worried at first. Wind hit the sail, things seemed fine for a time.

Then I began to hear a slight whistling sound coming out the stern which was beginning to dip below the water’s shiny surface. At first, I attributed that dip to too many Taco Bell tasty treats, burritos that have an effect on my bottom line.

But it soon became apparent that no amount of dieting was going to save me and keep the water from leaking into the boat. I admit that when I started to sail and even paddle a bit to aid the wind, I became a little more optimistic that things would turn out OK when really, I should’ve been more hasty in my retreat to shore.

About a half mile out or so, I knew I was going to get wet. The only question was when. Though you mentally prepare to take a dip, you’re never completely prepared. Like the Titanic, my sunfish filled with water and upended with the bow in the air,

Miles Layton goes out on a test run of a oneperson sailboat.

Nicole BowmanLayton/Albemarle Magazine

me in the water.

Judge Harriss’ words came back to me about how these things happen to everybody from time to time, so I was not too embarrassed.

I had some swimming to do and a boat to drag to shore. Sunfish don’t sink, but ones that are filled with water don’t exactly float either. Ordinarily, if you tip over – called turtling – you just crawl up, grab one side, pull your boat back over topside. That movement is not easy, but it’s not hard either.

However, my boat was so filled with water, so that maneuver was not an option. I couldn’t leave the boat in the bay so near the channel, so I sucked it up, started swimming to shore with the sunfish in tow.

Because it was around lunchtime, I had an audience – groups of tourists and others who were walking the promenade by the lighthouse overlooking the bay. I later learned that I was photographed for Facebook, my watery fate shared near and far.

Fortunately, my wife Nicole, who was on the promenade enjoying a brief respite from work, saw the sunfish tipped over in the water. She didn’t see me at first, so I waved to her as I continued my long swim to shore.

I confess the water felt great and it was an energetic swim. I’m used to swimming a mile or so in open water, so despite everything, it wasn’t too bad. A boater traveling by asked if I needed help. I was enjoying myself, so I answered “no” and gave him a thumbs up. In retrospect, I should’ve taken his offer, but I didn’t want to trouble him because I was so close to the finish line.

Nicole paddled out with a kayak which she used to help push our boat closer to the marina. Trust me, this made a huge difference, otherwise I’d still be swimming to shore.

Rather than swim around the promenade, I swam under the concrete pier with the sunfish in tow. Soon after, I got the boat to the launch area known to many as Sunfish Park. Miles Coxe and Nelson Spear, both prominent men of Edenton, along with a few kind strangers and my wife, helped pull the water logged sailboat out of the water. Thanks!

Moral to the story. Never buy a cheap sunfish from a stranger on Facebook! Just because it’s a deal doesn’t mean it’s a good deal.

Moreover at the Inner Banks, we’re surrounded by water and places to hunt, so we need a freaking outdoor place in our neck of the woods that sells kayaks, sunfish along with stuff to fish and hunt with. Why should I have to drive to Norfolk or Greenville to buy a decent kayak, maybe a sunfish?

No matter – I’m going back to the water as soon as I can. Bought a sailing dinghy off Facebook. It’ll be better this time. It’ll be better this time. Better be – still sore from the swim ...

That aside, life in the Inner Banks is a life spent on the water – we are very fortunate. Whether you’re casting a line in a quiet cove, sailing in the sound, dipping your feet in the water at Bertie Beach or swimming to shore, embrace the day!

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Albemarle Magazine Fall 2020

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