Morehead to Belhaven

Morehead City Yacht Basin

April 6-13^th

Rainy & Windy

Sunrise in Morehead City Yacht Club

We are not in a hurry, so we decided to stay here awhile to relax and watch it rain. And of course do boat chores. Someone asked me how we get exercise on a boat. While we may not get as much cardio vascular, we are active most all the time. Just getting on and off of Sea Jamm sometimes is a challenge. And balancing while at sea, going up and down 3 sets of stairs a hundred times a day.

And we walk everywhere. Sometimes the docks are very long, just like the mega dock in Charleston, where we had to walk a quarter of a mile just to get to shore. And bike. The day after the rain let up we biked inland to a local hardware store to get a vacuum part.

April 14^th

Pungo Creek Anchorage

We had to cross a couple of large bodies of water on our way north to anchor for the evening. First, the Neuse River and then north of there, the Pamlico River. It is always little rough even on the best days. Or it is to me. When we reached Pungo, our destination for the night, the wind gusts were up to 20mph. There were a lot a crab pots. So, you have to be careful. One would not want to get one of those wrapped around one's propeller. It took a while to find a spot without a crab pot and then it took a while to get the anchor to hold on the muddy bottom. But anchoring is always worth it. We celebrated our daily accomplishment with fresh asparagus and a grilled ribeye and a glass of Cabernet. The wind didn't die until around 9, when we decided to head for bed where we slept soundly to sunrise.

Sunrise on Pungo.  

We had the whole creek to ourselves.

Belhaven Marina

Belhaven, NC

April14-16

Pungo creek is near Belhaven Marina. We were up early after such a restful night and made it to the marina soon after 10. What a pleasant surprise this historical little village was tucked into forest, farmland, and the wide Pungo. The marina and town are small, but not their spirit. They have large colorfully painted crabs like the cows in Chicago. You follow crab paintings on the sidewalks down the Pamlico and Main streets where rugs, sofas, and chairs are placed on the sidewalk for one to stop and be social.

Colorful houses adorned with azaleas and dogwoods.

This part of the ICW was the last to be completed and opened in 1928. And it was designated as “The Birthplace of the ICW in 2013.

Dinner with our friend Herb (2016 AGLCA Harbor Host of the year from Tarpon Springs)  This is his 2nd time around and he cruises his 50 foot yacht named Phantom solo.  

My new friend Lezlie from Texas.

Once again, we stayed a couple of days waiting out rain and wind storms. On Sunday night around 3 a.m., a cold front came through and with it the roughest rain and winds we have experienced to date. We were docked. We were prepared. Before going to bed the captain had secured Sea Jamm with extra lines and fenders. It was a good thing, because once the storm set in, there was nothing you could do. Just like a fair ride. In the dark. We survived. No scares.

The winds were still strong this morning. Greg from the marina, our new best friend, helped us get turned around in the right direction in order to depart. Exciting!