Sailing

 4/24- Cedar Creek to Belhaven

   I dragged Alayne out of bed before sunrise this morning so we could get an early start. Once we got the anchor on deck and headed out into the river I think she was awake. She was once we hit the Neuse River for sure. It was blowing good and there were white caps and rolling seas. We ran out the yankee just to see if it still worked and away we went. 

    We turned off Mr Perkins and enjoyed our first engine free miles in months. It wasn’t easy as the wind piped up and we rocked and rolled all over the place running down wind in the surf. It had been so long that we forgotten what it was like to sail heeled over.  We had all kinds of stuff sliding around in the cabin that had not been properly stored. The boat handles much better under sail even in rough weather so it was nice getting back to it. 

    We then crossed through a canal cut and the across the Plimico River and up the Pungo River.  These rivers are big and wide sometimes as wide as 4 or 5 miles. They are mostly navigable except for a few shallow spots though they are only 10-15 feet deep. I think this is to help us get ready for the Chesapeake and big water. 

   We pulled into a slip at Grand Manor Marina in Belhaven. This was an old mansion that some guy bought and is really fixing it up nice. He is working hard at renovating the building and grounds. They have very nice bathrooms and showers. They even provide towels and soap. They also have golf carts you can borrow to drive around town. 

    Town isn’t much to speak of but it is cute. There is just one stop light and a bunch of stores. We will explore some more tomorrow. For now everyone on the dock is very friendly and we met several interesting people. 

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