
DATE: Wednesday, October 22, 1997           TAG: 9710220542

SECTION: LOCAL                   PAGE: B1   EDITION: NORTH CAROLINA 

SOURCE: BY CHERYL RICHARDSON, CORRESPONDENT 

                                            LENGTH:  117 lines

COLD-WARY MARINERS FLOCK TO WATERWAY COINJOCK REMAINS BIG WITH BOATERS WHO SEEK PRIVACY AND GOOD TIMES

Traffic on the roads might have eased up now that the summer's over, but it's near peak time for Coinjock as mariners navigate the Intracoastal Waterway, many heading south for the winter.

Three full-service marinas are within a stone's throw of one another along the Coinjock cut of the waterway, and business has been picking up in recent weeks.

The section of the waterway that passes through Coinjock actually creates an island of the lower portion of Currituck County, which not only accommodates migrating boaters but benefits from them as well.

``The marinas in Coinjock are developing at a new and much more progressive scale than ever before, and they add to the tax coffers that provide the schools and other facilities from which all citizens of Currituck benefit,'' Economic Development Director John Mulvey said.

To the boating population, Coinjock has long been known as a major stop to find inexpensive diesel fuel and a safe haven during inclement weather.

But it's becoming more than that, said Terry Miles of Midway Marina.

``We've created a business which serves jet skis to the largest yachts,'' Miles said. ``We treat a 16-foot boat exactly the same way we treat a 60-foot boat.''

Service is the name of the game, agrees Carl David, proprietor of Coinjock Marina and Restaurant.

``The thing about these boaters is that they're out here to have a good time. Over the years, we've built our facility on service and trying to go the extra mile,'' Davis said. ``Marinas are everywhere, and the only way you really stand out as a place to stop is to give them a reason to stop. And we try to give them that reason.''

The waterway is busy with a variety of vessels, some big enough to carry aircraft and motor boats on deck. Most are sailboats and pleasure craft, with a sprinkling of working vessels navigating the waterway's rivers, canals, bays and inlets.

All three marinas have entertained numerous celebrities. Just recently, Phil Donahue, Walter Cronkite and Sen. John Glenn came through Coinjock, as well as football and basketball stars, concert performers and recording artists. One principle all marinasshare is respect for visitors' privacy. Only after-the-fact will a celebrity's presence be known. But one look in the marina log books shows who's traveled through this quaint community.

Recently, members of the Rappahannock Yacht Club were among the visitors to the Coinjock area.

``As a club, we enjoy cruising with comrades and going to places we've never been before,'' said Dick Paul, who traveled with his wife, Bobbie, on the ``Barbara Anne``, a 34-foot Irwin sloop. ``It's always more fun to travel in a group.''

The club settled at Midway Marina during its 18-day fall cruise, which took them from the Rappahannock River to as far as Newbern, then back through Oriental, Bath, Belhaven, to Coinjock - their turnaround point before heading back home.

Traveling from Long Island, N.Y., was Spiro Pavlakis on the ``What's Next?'' a 1997, 45-foot SeaRay Sundancer, destination Florida. Pavlakis, a general contractor, left his business in his son's hands while taking his vessel to Florida.

Tom Archer, a plumber, stayed in Coinjock aboard the ``Overflow``, a 40-foot Trojan Express. Traveling with his wife, Teresa, and two friends, they motored from Silver Spring, Md., to Coinjock - over 160 miles - in one day.

``This is the longest and hardest day of the whole trip,'' he said. ``I've always wanted to travel the ICW, and I'm finally getting around to doing it. This has been a long-standing dream for me.''

Not all recreational boaters stopping at Coinjock travel so far. Peter Cimmino, on board the ``4:22,'' lives in Virginia Beach and was returning from a short, southward cruise.

``I'm on board a 25-foot Grady White Sail Fish,'' he said, ``But after sailing the Pamlico Sound, I'm not sure it's still 25 feet. I think Coinjock is a summer place for boys; anytime you go into an area where it says, `cigarettes, fireworks and bloodworms,' you know you're going to have a good time!''

Why name a vessel the ``4:22''?

``It was named after a train at Grand Central, which I spent half my life taking,'' he explained. ``When I moved back to Virginia with my wife, Betty, we set up an office in Virginia Beach; but all my clients are still in New York. Now, when clients call and I'm not there, my sales assistant can still say, `He's on the 4:22,' and they all think I'm on a train.''

Both Miles and Davis say the community of Coinjock is recognized more in the boaters' world than by mainland travelers.

``I can call California and speak with someone in boating and they know where Coinjock, N.C., is; but I can call someone in Gates County and tell them I'm in Coinjock, and they have no idea where it is,'' Miles said.

One mariner who frequents Coinjock Marina, while visiting a restaurant in Israel, heard an entertainer singing about the ICW and mentioned the marina in the lyrics of his song.

``He couldn't wait to come back and tell me about it,'' said Davis. ILLUSTRATION: [Color Photo]

DREW C. WILSON/The Virginian-Pilot

Above, Snowbirds head south along the Intracoastal Waterway at

Coinjock under the Joseph Knapp Bridge on Monday. At right, Sue Cobb

of the Midway Marina waves to passing mariners. This time of year,

the waterway is busy with a variety of vessels, some big enough to

carry aircraft and motor boats on deck.

MARINA UPDATE

Midway Marina, the newest wharf on the waterfront, has added two

basins, which extends its dockage along the ICW. An in-ground pool

is under construction and will be operational next spring. Expansive

decking will be added, featuring a hot tub and cabana bar. Midway