Belhaven, North Carolina … Tuesday 23rd October 2012
Before we left the anchorage in the Alligator River, we had seen a stunning sunrise above flat water with wisps of mist. We motored through the Alligator River/Pungo River canal. The trip through the canal to the Pungo River was really quite beautiful changing from cypress swamp to an area of marsh and finally to tangled woodlands. We spotted many bald eagles (we think eight) and saw two deer standing in the water. We carried on along the Pungo River to enter the breakwater at Belhaven. We are now anchored just opposite the town. The cruising guide suggests that Belhaven has a number of shops, restaurants and cafes. We thought we would walk around the town and stop off somewhere for a coffee. As it turned out the only café closes in the afternoon. A real estate guy outside the now defunct ‘Wine and Words’ told us of a restaurant that is open Wednesday to Saturday….Today being Tuesday this seemed of limited interest. Surprisingly, we managed to buy a cold drink and some tamales in the Mexican shop. A trip to the library, where we got eight paperbacks for free, completed our tour of Belhaven. While the real estate chap described it as the last undeveloped town on the eastern seaboard, it seemed to me like a small town in Maine without the snow and cold weather.
Gloria
35 31 55.3 N, 76 37 24.5 W
I just wanted to add that the Tamales were excellent and we also enjoyed pork filet in a cherry and port reduction (a la Bruce Aidells pork book). I mention this simply to reinforce my brothers observation that this trip seems to be all about watching the Patriots and eating fine food. Spot on Mart … I can't argue with that!
We are closely watching how the weather develops over the next few days and planning where to be to ride out the high winds that are forecast (30+ mph). At the minute we have a booking for a slip at a well protected dock in Beaufort, NC.
Mike
Sunrise on the Alligator River
Our neighbors in the early morning
The Pungo Canal - you need to keep a keen eye open for stumps and floating logs. You can also just see a road bridge in the distance - it was mandated to be a minimum 65ft clearance as are all fixed bridges on the ICW, but was built to 64ft ... our mast plus electronics is 62ft so this was even closer than usual
Views of marsh lands and forest along the banks
Our neighbors in the early morning
The Pungo Canal - you need to keep a keen eye open for stumps and floating logs. You can also just see a road bridge in the distance - it was mandated to be a minimum 65ft clearance as are all fixed bridges on the ICW, but was built to 64ft ... our mast plus electronics is 62ft so this was even closer than usual
Views of marsh lands and forest along the banks
One of the older buildings in Belhaven - a sleepy little town
Beaufort will be lovely! We would expect you here 2 days after that?? SUV awaits your travel for provisions (beer!) and whatever else.
ReplyDeleteWe're so glad that you are enjoying the NC coast - our favorite, of course.