10/26/14
Bellhaven, NC, ICW
Position: 35 32.023N, 76 37.370W
Posted by Bill

From the Aligator River, we entered the Aligator-Pungo River Canal. It is really remote, and they tell you in the cruising guide that you had better stay in the channel because the edges are fraught with obstructions, both seen and unseen. It was pretty damn boring for the most part, but because it was protected, we had a break from the NW winds that were blowing like snot (still). It got up to 78 degrees today…shorts and T-shirts baby!!

When we left the canal and entered the Pungo River, the wind protection ended and we got our asses kicked again by 25+ knot winds. I gotta tell you…I am getting tired of that!

We anchored in Bellhaven with some minor protection from the wind and anchored. Most everyone else went somewhere else with more protection, but I believed that the winds were going to die down in the late afternoon as forecasted. Besides, after 2 days in “Deliverance County” we needed to see the town…all 2 streets. It is actually a nice waterfront and the town is trying to appeal to the cruising community. We ate at Jack’s and the foot was very very good. A bit of news for the other people wanting to cruise here: The free dock is not free anymore, but they are thinking of making it free again; and, you can in fact get to the docks if you draw 6 feet or less.

For people that don’t know, the ICW is maintained by the Army Core of Engineers. It was originally developed for military travel via the water, but has become a major waterway for commercial and pleasure craft as an alternative to traversing open ocean waters. The most traveled portion is from Norfolk VA to Key West FL. The waterway is measured in statute miles and everyone refers to locations along the way by mile marker. Here is a pic of a mile marker:

Pictures along the Aligator-Pungo River Canal:



(yes that is a deer, and they swim across the canal)

(the edges are sand…yea! that means close to the beach!)

This was how high all of the bridges were today.

Pics of Bellhaven and today’s sunset:




Notice that it did calm down as forecasted and we had a beautiful, secluded anchorage to view the sunset. Now to get some sleep!