The Great Dismal Swamp Canal And Welcome Center.

When we tell other boaters that we plan to travel the Great Dismal Swamp Canal, many respond that they would love to do it but are afraid to try. I already know the answer but I still have to ask, why? The answer is always the same. They are afraid that they will hit a log and damage the keel of the boat or their props or rudders. The canal has a reputation for debris floating in the water and, especially, lurking under the surface. The question then becomes, is that reputation and fear justified? The answer isn't that simple; it's yes and no. Is that fear and reputation enough to avoid a wonderful experience. It wasn't for us. After several trips up and down this stretch of the ICW, we vowed that this time we would do the Dismal Swamp, no matter what.

Heading northbound, a small detour to Elizabeth City is required, the perfect place to prepare for the canal transit. As we pulled off the town dock in Elizabeth City, it was necessary to time the trip from the drawbridge to the first lock at South Mills. There are two locks that need to be negotiated, each with their own drawbridge. The normal lock schedules for both locks are at 8:30, 11:00, 1:30 and 3:30 seven days a week. (from Donna Stewart, Director of the Welcome Center, "A quick note on the lockings…..there may be a slight delay if boats are coming from both directions, because boats coming into the canal are typically locked “up” first. But, the ACOE’s locking schedule is 8:30, 11am and 1:30, 3:30pm, no matter which direction you come from. So please be there at the appointed hour so you won’t miss your locking. We love to see your boats on our waterway.") The distance from the bridge at Elizabeth City to the South Mills Lock is about 18 miles. We cleared the bridge at 8:30 AM and adjusted our speed to make our arrival just before the 11:00 AM lock through. Taking the trip along the Pasquotank River in the early morning reminded us of the Waccamaw River, one of our favorites. This isn't an area you want to hurry through, rather it should be enjoyed at a slow pace. If you're in a hurry, take the standard Albemarle and Chesapeake Canal route.

Arriving at the South Mills lock about ten minutes ahead of schedule, there were two other boats already waiting. One was a trawler we had met at the town docks in Elizabeth City. The lock opened promptly at 11:00, and we slowly pulled into the lock as the Lockmaster picked up a bow and stern line from each boat so we could tie to the wall. Northbound boats are raised about 8 feet, depending on water levels on the river and in the canal. The controlling depth for the canal is 6 feet, but can vary depending on rainfall, or lack of rainfall, and other environmental factors. We found the shallowest water to be 6.8 feet and the average depths to be 8 feet. There have been some years in droughts when the canal was closed and years when storms have closed the canal. The lock transit went smoothly and took about 20 minutes. As the gates opened for us to exit the lock, the Lockmaster had to drive quickly up to the drawbridge to open it for the boats. There is a free tie up at the seawall (page 6, The Great Book of Anchorages, Norfolk to Key West) just before the drawbridge at South Mills if you want to stop for groceries or a bite to eat.

The entire canal is a no-wake zone with a maximum speed limit of 6 miles per hour. Traveling along the canal is almost a surreal experience. The channel is very narrow with overhanging trees, and water the color of a good cup of coffee, minus the cream. There are possibilities of hitting flotsam in the canal, but keeping a sharp eye forward, staying in the center of the channel and going slowly minimizes that possibility. Staying in the center of the canal also keeps the boat away from stumps, logs and fallen trees along the banks. Be watchful of critters swimming across the canal. We found several places where trees had fallen into the canal and blocked sections out to the center. These were all easy to see and avoid. Boat wakes often increase the problem by dislodging logs and branches that would normally be secure along the banks. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers does an excellent job of clearing debris from the canal. They encourage boaters to report any problems to the Corps, the Lockmasters or the folks at the Welcome Center. Be sure and give exact locations with your report as they relate to the mile marker posts along the canal. They will promptly send a small boat to try and correct the problem immediately and if the job is too large, a barge is sent down the canal with equipment to handle just about anything.

The Great Dismal Swamp Welcome Center is at about mile 28. If coming from the south, the first thing you see is a pedestrian bridge across the canal that seems to be blocking your path. This bridge was built to get folks from the highway, across the canal, to the state park on the other side. The Park Rangers are always watchful of boats approaching and almost always have the bridge open well before you arrive. If they happen to be busy and don't see you coming, a short toot of the horn will get their attention and the bridge will quickly open. Once immediately north of the pedestrian bridge on the east side of the canal, is the Welcome Center and a free face dock (page 6, The Great Book of Anchorages, Norfolk to Key West)  long enough to tie up 4 or 5 boats, depending on size. Depths alongside the docks when we were there were 5.5 feet with a soft mud bottom. When docking, be sure and keep the space between your boat and the next as close as possible to make room for others. During the busy transit season, you will be expected to raft up with others. The dock can be busy and crowded in season. When we visited in July, we were one of two boats at the dock.

The Visitor and Welcome Center is both a rest stop for the busy highway and for the Canal. The staff at the Welcome Center has earned a reputation for being friendly and extremely helpful to boaters over the years. The Welcome Center provides 24 hour restrooms, free Wifi, free loaner bikes to ride the bike trails and if boats are delayed in transit for whatever reason, they have provided transportation to South Mills for groceries if needed. There is also a water bib at the north end of the dock. The State of North Carolina has put a sign on the faucet that says "non-potable water," but this is the same water that is piped into the restrooms and water fountains at the center. We put it in our tanks and found no problem. It is the same water provided to the residents of South Mills. There is also a lounge in the air-conditioned Welcome Center with a TV, book exchange, and a desktop computer connected to a printer if needed. Internet access is available at the lounge computer for those that don't use one on their boat. On the park-like grounds there are many shaded areas with picnic tables and outdoor grills. The staff at the Welcome Center can often provide charcoal.

Across the pedestrian bridge is the State Park, where you will find extensive hiking trails, bike rentals, and canoe and kayak rentals to paddle the canal. If you explore the hiking trails, be sure and use a good insecticide. During certain times of the year, the biting yellow flies can be brutal (June/July), and of course, there is the always present mosquito. Another concern for hikers are ticks, and precautions need to be taken. It's best to wear light, long sleeve shirts, hats and long pants. Check often for the little critters while on the trails. This is a wildlife sanctuary and the state does not allow for pesticide spraying at any time. When you cross the pedestrian bridge, be sure and register with the Park Ranger before going on the trails in case you get lost or have a problem, they will know to come and look for you. The State Park has its own Welcome Center where their bikes can be rented and a fabulous exhibit on the history of the area and the canal. There is also a nice display of animals native to the swamp that have been mounted by a good taxidermist. You feel like your eye ball to eye ball with the real animals.

There is no set limit on your stay but there is no long-term docking. Once you have enjoyed all the Welcome Center has to offer, it will be time to continue on. We headed north and one stop often overlooked is the tie up and dinghy ride over to Lake Drummond. Lake Drummond is the largest lake in Virginia and has a major affect on the water levels in the Dismal Swamp Canal. About 7 miles north of the Welcome Center there is a small dock to which you can tie your large boat. To the west is Drummond Feeder Ditch Canal that will take you to a spot where you will find a small trolley to put your dinghy on and haul it a short distance overland to Lake Drummond. The lake is large and flat and the shoreline all looks the same. It is best to take a handheld GPS with you to find you way back to your starting point when your day of exploration is over. It might also be helpful to tie a bright ribbon to a high tree branch near where you enter the lake. If the wind is up, the lake can be uncomfortable, so be aware of the weather. It can be very calm in the canal and very windy on the lake. Continuing northbound, you will come to the drawbridge at the Deep Creek Lock. You will need to call the Lockmaster and wait for him to drive down from the lock. If he is locking boats southbound, you will have to wait a bit longer. (There is also a seawall there on the east side before the bridge to which you can tie directly across from a grocery store.) Once the bridge is open and then closed again, he will then have to drive back to the Lock and open the gates for you to enter. There is a free dock on the west side between the drawbridge and the lock called Elizabeth's Dock. It has about 8 feet of water alongside and is about a half-mile walk to the town of Deep Creek. In Deep Creek you will find groceries, marine and auto parts, a hardware store and a few restaurants. If you're proceeding into the lock, have large fenders out for the lock walls and long lines at the bow and stern to pass up to the Lockmaster.

Robert Peek is the Lockmaster and he will keep you thoroughly entertained through the entire  locking process. Robert can tell you anything you want to know about the history of the canal and the current conditions. If you don't ask, he's going to tell you anyway. Don't be surprised to have Robert offer a fresh cup of coffee to anyone on board. If you have been to the Bahamas, Robert is always looking for replacement conch shells for his conch blowing lessons. You will get a lesson and demonstration whether you want it or not, and why wouldn't you want it? We found Robert to be a pleasant surprise and he makes transiting a lock a truly enjoyable experience. The locking process can take 20 to 30 minutes, but sometimes Robert gets really involved, so be prepared to take a little longer. It will be worth it. The Deep Creek Lock dropped us down 8 feet, and as the gates opened for us to exit, we got a big, "see you next time" from Robert.

The Dismal Swamp route connects to the ICW route just south of Norfolk. If you turn left at the intersection, you can proceed to the Norfolk/Portsmouth area. But for us, we weren't quite finished with locks for the day. We had plans to visit with friends in the Great Bridge area, so we turned right instead. We needed to transit the Steel Bridge, which only opens on the hour, so we topped off our fuel at Top Rack Marina. They usually have the best diesel prices on the waterway. Once topped off with fuel and through Steel Bridge, we proceeded through the Great Bridge Lock to the free tie up on the wall between the lock and the bridge. But that's a story for another time.

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Elizabeth City, North Carolina, The Harbor of Hospitality

Any boater that has transited the Atlantic Intracoastal Waterway more than once has at least heard of the hospitality offered to boaters in this sleepy North Carolina town perched on the Pasquotank River. Most boaters are also familiar with the tradition of the Rose Buddies, but alas, the Rose Buddies have all passed on and the tradition is all but gone. A short detour off the traditional waterway on the Albemarle Sound will bring you to this friendly harbor, and you will still be met at the town docks by a fellow named Gus that has made himself the unofficial greeter, Dockmaster and historian at Mariner's Wharf. Gus will help you tie up in one of the 14 slips at Mariners Park (page 7, The Great Book Of Anchorages, Norfolk to Key West), give you the latest on the town and direct you to wherever you might need to go. It seems that many boaters don't know that the 14 slips at the park are not the only free facilities offered by the town.

Just off to port from the slips at Mariner's Wharf is a long bulkhead at Waterfront Park. The bulkhead is available for tie up also, but neither has power or water. At Mariners Wharf, there is a faucet hook up for a hose under a blue cover just behind the water fountain. There is another bulkhead just on the other side of the bridge, northbound, with a sign that says "Dock and Dine" where boaters can tie if everything else is full. At the Mariner's Wharf slips, the town provides free Wifi; we aren't sure if it is attainable at the other docks. There are no restroom facilities other than a Port-A-Potty at Mariner's Wharf, but there is some good news for the future. The town plans to put restrooms and a laundry for boaters in an existing building just off the slips. It should be completed by next season.

The grocery store and coin laundry is about a mile and a half from the town docks. A taxi or a bike is the best way to resupply or do laundry. The Post Office is about a half mile away. In the downtown area you will find small shops, boutiques, a book store and restaurants. The Cypress Creek Grill is across the street from the docks and is a local favorite. A short walk of a few blocks and you will find Quality Seafood, a restaurant and market. Have a great seafood lunch and buy some fresh fish to take back to the boat. After lunch, stop in the Museum of the Albemarle and experience the history and culture of the Albemarle region either by self or full guided tours. If you happen to be lucky enough, as we were, to be at the docks on a Saturday, you can enjoy the fresh produce, vegetables, baked goods and homemade wares of the open air market from 8:00 AM to 1:00 PM. This is not your average Farmers Market.

Elizabeth City holds several Festivals and Events each year. July is full of activities beginning with Mariner's Wharf Film Festival, a Fourth of July Celebration, Music and Arts Festivals, First Friday, and many more, just in July. During other months try the Coast Guard Harbor Nights Concert, First Friday Artwalk, Music on the Green with Classic Country Bands, and even a tractor pull. There is so much more to Elizabeth City than free dockage. You will meet some of the most friendly people found anywhere along the waterfront. If you are a dog person, this is a very popular place for the local dog-walkers. The dogs are as friendly as their owners. So often someone would stop by the boat and strike up a conversation. We felt like we had lived here for a long time and everyone did their utmost to make us feel welcome.

There is a downside, and that is the weather, if it happens to be blowing strongly from the south or southeast. Heavy winds can create a strong surge, and waves coming up the river cannot only make the water levels rise, but make the docks uncomfortable to downright dangerous under severe conditions. This also doesn't appear to be a no-wake zone and boats speeding up and down the river do create a lot of wakes on occasion. A nearby boat ramps adds to the problem. Under strong conditions from the south, the bulkhead on the other side of the bridge or anchoring beyond the bridge would be preferable. There is a boatyard in town with haul-out facilities, but service is very basic. There are no real services for boaters in the area, so major repairs will need to be done elsewhere. The boatyard does have a surveyor onsite.

If you might be looking for a marina, there are two in the area. Pelican Marina has dockage with a pump out and a restaurant onsite. It is across the harbor from town. Just a little farther north on the river is Lambs Marina, in a very protected basin. The channel to Lambs has been recently dredged to make access easy. It is some distance from town. There is plenty of space to anchor, but keep in mind that the harbor itself is deep. Dinghy access is available at any space along the town bulkheads or at the boat ramp near Waterfront Park, next to the small highway bridge.

The Visitor Center offers free loaner bikes to boaters for those long trips for groceries or laundry. The Visitor Center is open Monday through Friday from 9:00 AM to 7:00 PM. The gym in the Waterworks Building offers showers to boaters for a fee of $5.00, if a long hot soak is needed. Gus has a small pick-up truck that is a two-seater, but he will often offer lifts to the store if you might need lots of supplies. Don't be tempted to tie up for the night and move on. Stay awhile and enjoy true southern hospitality and a town that prides itself in welcoming boaters and cruisers. You won't see 24-hour limit signs on the pilings. Elizabeth City wants you to come, visit and enjoy. We sure did and we can't wait to go back. From Elizabeth City, we headed north to explore the Dismal Swamp and all it has to offer.

Manteo, North Carolina

The locals pronounce it Man-e-o. This jewel, located on the northern end of Roanoke Island just about 22 miles east of where the ICW channel exits the north end of the Alligator River, is often passed by boaters as they rush north or south to get to their seasonal destination. How unfortunate for them. During our current cruise north, we have encountered weeks of lousy weather and delays, and we were looking and hoping to find a good spot to relax and spend some quality time. Did we ever find it in Manteo. It all began while anchored in the Little Alligator River. We called Carl Jordan, Dockmaster at Manteo Waterfront Marina. Being cruisers, we often lose track of time including days or even months. Just as we called Carl, we came to the realization that the next day was July 3rd and we would be asking for last minute accommodations during the 4th of July Holiday. To our delight and surprise, Carl told us to “come on ahead and we’ll find room for you.” And that’s exactly what they did despite a full marina with reservations for the holiday.

Manteo is most famous for, and celebrates, the first settlement in the new colonies and the now famous “Lost Colony.” The town was named after an American Indian Chief named Manteo that acted as a liaison between the colonists and the local Indian tribe. In 1584, English settlers established a fort and settlement on the northern end of the island. In 1587, Capt. John White returned to England for supplies, and upon his return to the New World, all of the colonists were gone with only one word carved on a tree as a clue, Croatoan. The fate of the colony is still a mystery today. But the town of Manteo does an excellent tribute to those hardy souls that established the first foothold on the Outer banks. Known as Festival Island, a small island on the northeast corner of Manteo is dedicated to the celebration of those settlers. Visit the Settlement Site and step back in time to 1585. See how the settlers dressed, worked and lived their daily lives, all in authentic costumes.  Explore the Coastal Algonquian Indian village and sample the culture and discover how their community functioned. Board the replica of the Elizabeth II and help the 16th century costumed crew raise sails, plan navigation and even swab the decks. The Park’s Performance Series offers young entertainers presenting year-round music, dramas, dance, operas and children’s shows. Many concerts and events are held in the open-air pavilion with seats on the grass.

We were fortunate to be in Manteo during the 4th of July celebration which is held every year. And does the town know how to celebrate. Flags and red, white and blue bunting flutters in the breeze all over town. Street vendors are set up on the streets and parking lots selling everything from pizza and flavored smoothies, to chocolate covered bananas, cotton candy and lots more. Music can be enjoyed from the bandstand and bleachers set up in front of town hall. The shops and restaurants are full of locals and visitors alike, having a great time and enjoying the festive atmosphere. And then there are the fireworks. From our slip in the marina, we had ringside seats on our flybridge. This was the fun and relaxation we desperately needed. But you don’t have to wait for the 4th of July to celebrate in Manteo. The town celebrates First Friday, every month on ….the first Friday. The celebration is the same, minus a few flags and the fireworks. The restaurants stay open late, the street vendors are set up and music can be heard everywhere. And just to be sure Saturday doesn’t get jealous, they have a Farmer’s Market each Saturday from 8:00 am to noon. Dare Day is the first Saturday in June, celebrating the birth of Virginia Dare, the first baby to be born in the new colony, and the people and history of Dare County. The event features live music and street dancing. In August, there is the Arts festival, in October, the Bluegrass Festival at the Amphitheater, and on the first Friday in December, the Christmas tree lighting, followed by the Christmas parade the next day. And these are only the bigger events. There is also now a brand new Wildlife Museum and a popular aquarium.

To get to Manteo, you must first negotiate Shallowbag Bay. Just from the name, do we need to say more? We found it’s not as difficult as some of the guide books might have you believe. The channel off Roatan Sound is well-marked. Follow the markers, keeping the reds to port, and make no turns until you have nosed up to red 30A. Turn to starboard and keep to the green side until past greens 3 and 5, then move back toward center channel. Turn to starboard again at red marker 8, depending on which marina you plan to visit or if you might be anchoring.

Manteo is still a boater’s destination. If the conditions are good, the alternate route through Croatan Sound can cut off 17 miles from the ICW route and for sailboats it can mean a good sail all the way. Strong winds can make the Sounds very uncomfortable, so you will need to watch the weather. Strong southeasterly winds can make the harbor uncomfortable and pile in water. If the winds are blowing from the northeast for a time, the water levels can be lowered quite a bit, but when they switch to the west and northwest, the levels return to normal almost immediately. Prevailing winds in the summer are southwest and in the winter, northeast. The town tends to get busy shortly after the Annapolis Boat Show, as soon as many insurance companies allow the boats to go south of Cape Hatteras. During those times, it may be best to make reservations at one of the marinas in advance. There are three marinas in the harbor proper. Shallowbag Bay Marina, Marshes Light Marina and Manteo Waterfront Marina. Manteo waterfront is probably the most well-known and Carl Jordan, the Dockmaster, is one the most helpful and knowledgeable folks you will meet in the Outer Banks. The marina has 23 transient slips and is pretty flexible, as we found out. Carl is also the Dockmaster for the free town docks. These marinas are some of the closest to the Outer Banks. Transportation is available via rental cars from the local Ford Dealership. They will bring a car to you right at the marina.

Manteo has a very extensive town dock system for the use of boaters. Upon approaching the harbor from the channel, a long dock with a gazebo on the end is visible. There are docks with finger piers on one side and side ties on the other.  These are all part of the town dock and are free for 24 hours. The town docks extend farther into the small basin near the Maritime Museum. Water depths for the first 50 feet on the docks near the gazebo are 5 ½ feet. Beyond that, the water shallows to about 4 feet. There is no power or water on the town docks and registration with Manteo Waterfront Marina is required. If in the anchorage, any of these docks can be used to land the dinghy. Use of the marina showers, restrooms and laundry for boats at anchor can be had for a fee of $10.00 per day. Since the City owns all of the seawalls in the harbor, tying a dinghy up just about anywhere that won’t interfere with other boats is okay.

For supplies, the Food-A-Rama and Piggly Wiggly grocery stores are out on the main highway, about a half-mile from the waterfront. The laundry, pharmacy, post office and several fast food places are all in the same few blocks. The downtown area is a delight, with many shops and restaurants to enjoy.  A small general store just off the waterfront offers basic grocery items, beer, wine and soft drinks if the walk to the grocery isn’t needed. Just a few of the popular and excellent restaurants are right on the water or one block over. For lunch, try The Hungry Pelican or Poor Richards. For dinner, we really liked The Avenue Grille. You will have additional choices of The Full Moon Café and Brewery and, for a real treat, but a bit on the expensive side, 1587 is located in the Tranquil Inn. The staff is dressed in period costumes. The Coffee House offers many varieties of coffee, pastries and smoothies in a relaxing atmosphere. A visit to Mabel’s Scoop Shop for ice cream was one of our favorites.  A stop at the Wanchese Pottery shop is a don’t miss with a small gallery of hand crafted items, and you can watch the owner create on her pottery wheel. One of the best known attractions is The Lost Colony stage production. For 19 days each May, over 200 actors, technicians, designers and volunteers rehearse to bring The Lost Colony to life for another summer season. The production is enormous. The stage itself is over three times larger than most Broadway stages in New York. You will be seated in the center of the stage area with action happening on three sides of you and even sometimes right next to you in the aisle with epic battles and Indian dances. Experience the sorrow and heartbreak of tragedy and loss. Witness the pageantry of the Queen and her court and celebrate the birth of Virginia Dare. There is music, laughter, romance and dance. The Lost Colony is widely acknowledged as the precursor to the modern American Broadway Musical.

What more can we say. Our time in Manteo has been one of the most interesting stops we have made along the east coast on this cruise. There’s something going on all the time and something for everyone. If you’re looking for a true cruising destination, look no further. Take that 22-mile detour and you will not regret it. Rather you’ll wonder why you haven’t done it before, over and over.

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Belhaven, North Carolina

On September 21, 2013 the town of Belhaven, North Carolina will hold the 1^st annual Birthplace of the Inland Waterway Celebration. You might ask yourself, what is the Inland Waterway and why are they celebrating? The Inland Waterway is the original name for what is today called the Atlantic Intracoastal Waterway. The reason Belhaven plans a celebration is because in August of 1928, 20,000 people, politicians, dignitaries, Coast Guard contingents, Corps of Engineers, Naval airplanes and powerboat racers converged on Belhaven to celebrate the completion of a 22-mile canal linking the Alligator and Pungo Rivers. This canal was the final component to complete the Inland Waterway and allow commerce to flow from the northern ports as far as Boston to Beaufort without having to go out into the Atlantic around Cape Hatteras. Belhaven officially became a seaport and also became known for its lumber industry, with 13 sawmills, 2-world renown, a growing seafood industry and a reputation for hospitality, second to none. 

The Belhaven of today is still a welcome port to recreational boaters traveling north and south along the Intracoastal Waterway. Not only does the city welcome boaters, they have made improvements not found in any other stops along the ICW. While many other towns are enacting restrictions, crowding out anchorages with moorings and pulling up the welcome mat, Belhaven is spending time and money to encourage boaters to stop by, visit and stay awhile to experience true southern hospitality. Would you believe they have completed a large town dock that is free and that the town dock provides power and water on the docks for free? And there is a pump-out (for a fee, sorry), at the town dock. Would you believe, there is another free town dock under construction, with free power and water? Well believe it. I asked the Town Manager, Guinn Leverett, why the town of Belhaven would go to such lengths for boaters at no charge and the answer was simple. To encourage boaters to come to Belhaven and enjoy what it has to offer.

The town received matching funds through the Boating Infrastructure Grant program for the docks and from the Public Health Services for the pump-out. The pump-out fees must remain at $5.00 for 4 years. To use the pump-out, the boater needs to purchase a token at the hardware store across the street and insert it in a slot at the pump near the head of the dock. The current dock is accessed by turning into the canal, known as Wynn’s Gut, next to the hospital. A row of pilings will be on your port and the remains of an old dock on your starboard. There is a railing around the end of the dock with an open gateway about halfway along. This is where the pump-out hose is located. A little farther along, the dock opens up and has tall pilings along the deck with sturdy cleats on which to tie. There are six power outlets with 30-amp service and hose bibs for water. There is even a water hose on the dock for boaters to use. It just doesn’t get any better than this. The canal is narrow and best suited for small to medium size boats. We would consider about 40 feet to be near the limit. Larger boats will not be able to turn around in the canal, but if backing up is not a problem, other than very large vessels, size may not be that important. We found 7 feet at the dock, but less on the opposite side of the canal. At this writing, there is bridge construction going on farther up the canal, but it was not disturbing and will be completed soon.

Belhaven is a small town with all of the same issues of any small town in today’s economy. There are some empty storefronts in the downtown area, but the town is working to make improvements. Three of the storefronts are under contract and should have tenants in short order. A new restaurant, Tavern at Jack’s Neck, is scheduled to open on Pamlico Street, a very short walk from the dock. Across the street from the dock on Pamlico is Farm Boys and the Front Porch, selling sandwiches and other fast foods and offering music and entertainment on weekends. For finer dining, the menu and cuisine at Spoon River is not to be missed. If a quick lunch menu or early meal is your choice, there is Fish Hooks Café or Gingerbread Bakery and O’Neal’s Café over on Main Street.

Rudlick and Whitley Hardware is across the street from Jack’s on Pamlico. This is a full-service hardware with “more stainless steel fasteners than most shipyards.” They also carry some basic boating supplies and have a very nice gift center. A coin-operated laundry is about 4 blocks from the waterfront on Pamlico next to the car wash. O’Neal’s Drug Store has moved a mile up the road to Main and 264, and the Food Lion Supermarket is out on Highway 264, about 1 ½ miles from the town dock. A ride or a bicycle will be needed to get to the supermarket unless you’re really into walking. Don’t miss a visit to the old City Hall, listed on the National Register of Historic Buildings. The Belhaven Museum, on the second floor, is open from 1:00 to 5:00 PM, but closed on Wednesday and Sunday. Guinn Leverett, the town manager, describes some of the exhibits as “many, many grandmother’s attics.” Many of the items on exhibit were from donations and estates from local citizens reflecting the people and their history. The Post Office and town library are within walking distance of the waterfront.

The stay at the town dock is limited, and like us, most boaters may want to spend some additional time relaxing, enjoying leisure activities or just doing some fishing. If you happen to be visiting during one of the annual festivals put on each year, like the Pirates on the Pungo Festival or the 4^th of July festivities, the free town dock will probably be full. In the past, Riverforest Marina was the crown jewel of Belhaven. The stately manor with its excellent food and well-known buffet was the place to dine for boaters and land cruisers alike. You could fuel up, dock your boat, enjoy fine food and the pool and sauna in a true southern setting. But alas, the jewels have fallen from the crown. The restaurant has been closed for some time, however, the marina is sort of accepting boats for dockage. The property owner lives in a house on the grounds. If you pull in to the docks and tie up, don’t expect any dockhands or Dockmaster, and if the owner happens to see you there, he will probably come down the dock and charge you something to tie up. The docks are getting tired and the property is showing its age. Belhaven Waterway Marina provides dockage and is located in the downtown area. Many boaters  stay at Dowry Creek Marina on, yes, Dowry Creek. It is a distance from town but provides a courtesy car for transportation and has a club house, pool, ships store, wifi and tennis courts.

 Belhaven also has a very large anchorage for boaters that prefer the solitude. Just behind the town dock is a new floating dinghy dock, well-protected inside the canal. Be sure and have a current chart of the area and beware of the shallow area just off the waterfront that must be negotiated around to get to the deeper anchorage. The holding is good in the harbor and Belhaven has just rebuilt the seawall separating the harbor from the Pungo River. Strong southerly winds can make the anchorage uncomfortable. 

 

A second Town dock is under construction and at this time needs only the power, water, cleats and safety equipment installed and it will be available to the boating public. The second dock is farther north toward the bridge in the harbor between the grain silos and the old brick chimney from the original cooperage mill. This second dock is about ¾ mile from the center of downtown, but is much closer to Highway 264, where one finds the grocery store, Dollar General and O’Neals Pharmacy. This is a well-constructed, sturdy dock with concrete decks, slips with finger piers and outer pilings for four boats, and an alongside tie opposite the slips. There is an end tee that a smaller boat could use. It’s in a quiet and beautiful setting, but there is some noise occasionally from the grainery. The second dock is just a further commitment by the city to make Belhaven inviting to the transient boater. 

If you haven’t been to Belhaven before, we highly recommend you stop and visit. If you haven’t been to Belhaven for a while, like us, we highly recommend you stop by and see what’s new. We believe you won’t be disappointed.

We Really Like Oriental North Carolina

From Carolina Beach, our next stop would be Mile Hammock Bay. Mile Hammock is another one of our frequent stops because it's one of the few anchorages in the Swan Point area, plus it's well protected and offers good holding. This is right in the Camp Lejeune Marine Base and although you can't go ashore, it's a beautiful anchorage. We're often treated to the Marines doing all sorts of maneuvers in all manner of vessels and even some helicopter exercises. It can get noisy, but it sure is fun to watch. The total distance from Carolina Beach to Mile Hammock is 58 miles. We left Carolina Beach at 8:00 AM and had the anchor down in Mile Hammock at 3:25 PM. By the time we arrived, the winds had picked up to 15 to 25 with gusts to 28. It was good to be settled in. We hadn't seen very many cruising boats in weeks, but as it got later in the afternoon, we had about a dozen boats keeping us company. We wondered where they all came from. The winds blew steadily all night and the rains finally caught up with us. The anchorage was snug and secure.

From Mile Hammock, we first planned to stop in Beaufort/Morehead City, but as we got closer and looked at the weather that was chasing us all day, Beach House pushed on to our next regular stop in Cedar Creek off Adams Creek, about 15 miles past Morehead City. Secure in Cedar Creek, we sat out the next two windy, rainy days doing boat chores and Susan worked on the Bahamas Edition of the anchorage book. We have transited this section of the ICW so many times we have lost count and have bypassed Oriental, North Carolina for years. We don't really know why. This time we promised ourselves we would visit Oriental and spend some time. We have heard from many boaters how friendly and hospitable Oriental is to boaters. It's only a few miles across the Neuse River, but the winds were up, it was raining, and boats were reporting to us on the radio that it was, "not bad, but pretty rolly and a few waves were breaking over the bow." In boat speak, that means it's pretty lousy. That's why we hung out in Cedar Creek another day.

After 2 days, we woke up to flat seas, still overcast and drizzling, but we headed across the river anyway. Our plan was to tie up at the town dock if space was available. The dock is free for 48 hours but only has room for two boats. As we entered the harbor, we saw immediately that the dock was full and the harbor was crowded, too. The harbor is small and a few boats have taken up residence with multiple anchors spread out over the anchorage. This doesn't leave much room for anyone else. It's unfortunate and we have seen this happening all along the waterway. We tied to a commercial shrimpers dock for a few minutes to regroup and decide what we would do. There are a couple of anchorages farther up the two creeks that are beyond the highrise bridge, but we didn't want to be that far away. The two boats on the town dock were leaving the next day so we wanted to be close in order to get in to the dock after they left. Cruising around the harbor, we finally squeezed in just outside the channel and next to another trawler that had moved off the dock and anchored that day. The weather was still lousy and it rained off and on all day. The winds picked up to over 20 knots, but since we were anchored behind the breakwater in the harbor, it was breezy but flat.

Early the next morning one of the boats pulled away from the town dock and we pulled in. The other boat that was still tied to the dock was a couple we had seen in the Bahamas, but had never met so we got acquainted. They also pulled off the dock and we found ourselves alone for a while. The sun came out for a short period and the small boats started coming in and filling the dock. It stayed fairly busy until the rains started again. While we were at anchor, Ben Matthews, a frequent visitor on our blog and Facebook Page, paddleboarded over to the boat, from the marina across the creek where he keeps his boat, to say hi and introduce himself. We had a short visit and planned to get together again after we tied up at the town dock. Sure enough, shortly after we were in and tied up, Ben and his wife Debbie showed up on their paddleboards for coffee at The Bean, the coffee house right in front of the town dock. Great coffee by the way. We had a nice visit and the sun stayed out long enough for coffee on the flybridge. Later, Ben and Debbie were kind enough to drive over from their marina to take us to the local grocery store and to give us a tour of the town. The rest of the day it rained off and on, so we took a short walk and had dinner at one of the local restaurants. We would soon see just how hospitable Oriental can be to boaters. But there are some underlying problems that may have an impact on future visitors.

Oriental, like many waterfront communities in the south, is finding itself having to deal with the question of what to do with boaters that overstay their visits and take up permanent residence in the harbor. They are also finding boat owners using the harbor for free storage of boats and leaving them unattended at anchor. The city is considering a few different options to deal with these issues, including the possibility of adding a mooring field or setting a time limit on how long a boat can stay anchored in the harbor. It's unfortunate that the actions of a few will change things for the rest of us. The city is trying to find the best solution without seeming to be over restrictive or unfriendly to boaters. There are plans in the future to build at least one more free town dock and possibly a visitor center at the new dock with restrooms for boaters and land visitors. The town dock does not have electric or water and has a 48-hour time limit. Trash and recycling bins are right next to the dock. Space is on a first come, first served basis.

We really enjoyed our time here and are sorry we missed this stop over the years. The townsfolk are very friendly and welcome transient boaters. The Inland Waterway Provision Company, a marine supply store 1/2 block from the town dock, offers complimentary bicycles to boaters and also rents kayaks. Across the street from the town dock is The Bean, an excellent coffee shop that also sells bagels, muffins and other goodies, including ice cream. And we do like our ice cream. The Oriental Marina and Inn is next door to the town dock and for a fee will allow boaters to use their restrooms, showers and laundry facilities. The marina sells fuel, and if you rent one of their slips, you have access to the pool and all of the hotel facilities. They have an excellent restaurant and tiki bar for dining and refreshments. We also found a very good restaurant with great food at good prices called M&M's Cafe just a few blocks from the waterfront. The grocery store is about a mile and a half away, but it's just a short bike ride or a good walk. There is also a well stocked hardware store near the grocery and a small West Marine just a little farther down the street. It's a small, compact town with everything a boater could need or want and many of the locals stopped by the boat for a chat. They were all curious as to where we came from and where we were going. This is just a really neat town and now on our "don't miss" list.

The weather has not been cooperating at all. It has rained every day, most of the day and the wind has stayed in the 10- to 15-knot range with higher gusts out of the southwest. These are the winds that will lower the water levels in this area, since there are no real tides. The forecast is more of the same every day with winds to increase to 15 to 20 and then 20 to 25 in the next few days. This is NOT the weather that anyone wants to travel on the Neuse River or Pamlico Sound. It can get very, very nasty and uncomfortable. We wanted to go up the Neuse to New Bern, but it is looking more and more like that isn't going to happen anytime soon. We also had another engine issue to deal with. Over the last week, we discovered that the fresh water side of the engine coolant was adding water to the system. This wasn't a good sign and we quickly diagnosed the problem as a failed heat exchanger. A quick call to American Diesel and Brian Smith had a new heat exchanger on the way to us. We really didn't want to do the repairs at anchor in case we needed to get to a store for parts or there was a problem. Add the building winds and our need to get off the town dock after 48 hours and we decided to move into a slip at Oriental Harbor Marina. It was time to do laundry and top off the water tanks so a marina stop was due anyway.

What our next move will be is up in the air. It's going to have to be a day to day decision and we will have to get up in the morning, look at the current conditions, get the latest guess from the weather service and decide what we will do. It's all part of the adventure. We will get to the Chesapeake eventually, but in the meantime, we still have a lot of exploration to do and new places to see. This week we may be weathered in at a marina or sitting in an anchorage somewhere relaxing and doing chores. The heat exchanger was an all day job; the old one came out, the new one went in, the cooling system was drained, flushed with clean water and new coolant and water added. The boat is ready to travel again and we'll see what tomorrow brings. The horizon at sunset did not look promising. We will let you know, so be sure and stop back from time to time. We hope everyone is enjoying traveling along with us. I know we enjoy your company.

You can read out report and Claiborne Young's editorial on Oriental Harbor by visiting Cruiser's Net here.

Rolling on the River

The weather turned out to be another non-event. It sure would be nice if the National Weather Service could get it right, good or bad. Usually we wouldn't head out in winds forecast to be 20 knots, but since the forecasts have not even been close lately, and the conditions were light in the morning, we planned to leave, so off the docks we went. North of Georgetown, SC is the Waccamaw River. Every time we transit the Waccamaw, we remark how it has an almost primeval feel to it. You can imagine that it looked the same hundreds of years ago when the first explorers poked into the many tributaries and creeks that branch off the main river. This has to be one of our favorite stretches of the waterway. Just past Georgetown at the northern end of Winyah Bay, the 65-foot bridge that crosses the southern end of the Wacammaw begins the most spectacular section of the Atlantic Intracoastal Waterway. The waters of the Waccamaw are a dark coffee color due to the tannins leached from vegetation. To us, this adds to the beauty of the area.

The river is wide and deep, and depending on wind direction, there are many places where a boat can pull off to the side and anchor for the evening, or a day or two. In addition, there are many smaller creeks, rivers and "oxbows" that are deep enough for almost any craft to drop the hook and spend as much time as you would like. Our preferred anchorage after Georgetown is behind a small island near Enterprise Landing, but this evening we planned to anchor either in Enterprise Creek or the turn that continues the Waccamaw leading to Conway (page 21, The Great Book of Anchorages, Norfolk to Key West). In the end, we chose the anchorage off the ICW in the river. There can be some small boat traffic here, but after the sun goes down, it gets quiet and peaceful. We shared the anchorage with a pair of osprey who had a nest full of young ones. You may also see bald eagles and even bears along the river.

Anchoring along the river can offer some challenges. The banks are lined with beautiful cypress and oak trees. Visible along the banks are many very large tree stumps, both above and below the water surface. It's not unusual to see entire massive trees floating down stream in the currents all the way to lower Winyah Bay. It is possible to get your anchor snared by one of these stumps or trees, making retrieval impossible without a trip over the side and into the water. Many advocate the use of a trip line and float that allows the anchor to be pulled up backward and hopefully pulled loose from whatever has it entrapped. This will usually work, but there is a downside to using these lines and floats. Quite often the winds and currents will be opposed, and the boat will find itself sitting directly over the anchor. If a line and float are attached, they can become fouled in the propeller, rudder, keel or stabilizer fins if the boat is outfitted with them. This can be a serious problem if the entangled line pulls the anchor loose. Now you have no anchor and the whole mess has to be corrected quickly before the boat drifts into shallows and the entanglement gets worse. You get the picture. We avoid using a trip line by NOT anchoring close to the banks, anchoring in areas we know well and avoiding the small, shallow oxbows. Even then there are no guarantees. We haven't had this problem...so far.

We hate to have a schedule since it makes us do things that we might not want to. But we did have friends to meet in Myrtle Beach, so we passed on the opportunity to visit Conway and left the anchorage the next morning. A fuel stop at Osprey Marina delayed us for a couple of hours. The marina doesn't open until 8:00 AM and when we arrived, there was an 80-foot power boat at the fuel dock filling up. Osprey usually has the best fuel prices in the area and we were getting low. The next fuel docks farther north were considerably more, and filling up with 200 or more gallons can be expensive. We use both Marinalife and Cruisers Net fuel price pages to find the best deals on diesel. The information from both sites seem to be the most up-to-date. After fueling, we began the trek to Myrtle Beach. One thing we try to do, but often don't, is to stay put on weekends, especially when traveling through tourist areas. This was a Saturday and the tourists were out on the water en masse. The hoards of jet skis and rental boats almost drove us nuts, but we made the marina where we planned to meet our friends by just after 1:00 PM. We tied up at the Myrtle Beach Yacht Club for a couple of days while we visited MV "Diamond Girl" and also celebrated our own anniversary. The visit went very well and the marina even became a new vendor for our anchorage books.

The visit went well and we had a delicious anniversary dinner at the Officer's Club. Boating is a weather driven lifestyle. The day we departed from the marina was forecast to be a little breezy with a slight chance of rain, but the wind and rain would pick up overnight and into the next day. Our plan was to make some distance and try to get up the Cape Fear River before the winds increased and while we would have a favorable current with wind and current from the same direction. Two inlets north of Myrtle Beach that are always problem spots are Shallotte Inlet and Lockwoods Folly. Shallow water and strong currents make these inlets challenging to say the least. At Shallotte Inlet, we found one area that was 8.5 feet deep. In Lockwoods Folly, the lowest depth we saw was 6.5 feet deep. Both inlets were transited near low tide. It is very important to stay in the marked channel, especially in the areas where floating buoys are constantly being moved to show the shifting channel, so we don't blindly follow the chartplotter. It's easy to get swept out of the channel in the strong currents at the inlets. Keep an eye out fore and aft to make sure you are still the channel.

The Cape Fear can be a very slow and very, very uncomfortable ride in the wrong conditions. We have made some sloppy transits in the past and wrote about it in a previous post. Other than a couple of rude and inconsiderate boaters that even the commercial barges were complaining about, this may have been one of our easiest passages on the Cape Fear. We had a quick ride in the northbound incoming tide, and the southwest winds on the stern made the afternoon comfortable and kept the seas flat. There is always a lot of activity on the Cape Fear--tugs and tows, ferries, large ships and pleasure craft--coming and going continuously. A sharp lookout is needed at all times. We generally run just outside the ship channel buoys to stay away from the larger vessels while staying in deep water. Going up river, we stay just outside of the red buoys. Turning off the Cape Fear and heading up the channel to Snows Cut requires paying close attention to the cross current and not getting swept out of the channel. The depths out of the channel are very shallow, and the range markers that helped keep boaters in the channel are long gone. You will have to spend as much time looking behind the boat as looking forward to judge the boats position in the well-marked channel. The cross current is the strongest at the entrance to Snows Cut. Once in the cut, the going will either be very fast or very slow depending on whether the tides are incoming or outgoing from Carolina Beach Inlet.

Shortly after passing under the 65-foot bridge that crosses Snows Cut, the entrance to Carolina Beach is to starboard. The city of Carolina Beach has installed moorings in the area where we usually anchor. The moorings are $20.00 per night and since we only planned to anchor overnight and leave very early, we didn't see the sense in paying for a mooring. Once inside the harbor, we found there was still plenty of room to anchor. To port, there is a small island covered with saw grass. North of the small island the charts show 30 feet of water, but about halfway in, the depths are actually about 10 to 12 feet. It does shoal up quicky close to shore on the eastern side. We found a spot in about 11 feet and dropped the anchor near the small island. The holding is very good here. The island gave us perfect protection from the building southwest winds. Carolina Beach is a busy beach resort town with all of the attractions and boating activity that come along with that. There is a public dinghy dock for boats using the moorings or at anchor, but it's a long ride to the head of the harbor from the anchorage or moorings. We have heard that the city plans to build another dinghy dock near the moorings. This location would be very near the beach. The winds did pick up overnight, but the rains passed to the north and south of us, so we were spared. The next morning we would head out for Mile Hammock Bay, about 65 miles up the ICW.

Coast Guard Rescues Four Off The Coast Of Charleston.

Reported at www.postandcourier.com...

Four men on a disabled sailboat trapped in Tropical Storm Andrea were plucked from the ocean 65 miles offshore from Charleston on Friday morning.

“We spent all night just getting pummeled by the storm,” said Joel Kreider, 55, of Pittsburgh, the captain of the vessel.

The U.S. Coast Guard dispatched two helicopters carrying rescue swimmers. The crews hoisted to safety Kreider; Daniel Kelley, 23, of Huntsville, Ala.; and Clay Stevens, 25, and Josh Straitiff, 19, of Buffalo, N.Y.

They were delivering a 35-foot sailboat from the British Virgin Islands to Norfolk, Va., when the storm hit.

“Some of the swells were huge,” Kelley said. Kreider said one thing after another went wrong on the trip that began May 27. Drained batteries and a lifeless engine were the most serious problems. They could sail, but at night they were without lights, even for a compass.

“We were really in an unsafe situation where no one could see us,” he said. “Finally, Andrea hit us and that was the last straw. We were dead in the water against the wind and waves.” The storm shredded sails, leaving the vessel helpless against 20-foot swells and winds up to 50 knots. An anchor was deployed but the storm ripped it away, he said.

“Last night was brutal. You are doing a whole lot of bobbing,” Stevens said. The vessel contacted the Coast Guard using a satellite phone charged by a wind generator, he said. An Elizabeth City, N.C.,-based HC-130 Hercules plane spotted the disabled vessel. The Charleston-based Coast Guard Cutter Yellowfin arrived on the scene. Helicopter crews from Air Station Savannah were dispatched.

One-by-one, the men jumped from the sailboat into the churning seas. Rescue swimmers guided them into a basket that was hoisted aboard a helicopter. They arrived at about 5:15 p.m. Friday at Charleston Executive Airport on Johns Island.

“We’re no longer shark bait!” one of the men shouted after climbing from a chopper. The sailors gratefully shook hands with the Coast Guard crews who had pulled them to safety. They posed for a photo with their rescuers in front of a helicopter.

The sailboat crew first contacted the Coast Guard at about 6:22 p.m. Thursday. The Yellowfin was dispatched from Charleston at about 8:20 p.m. and reached the boat at midday Friday, officials said.

The rescue effort was slowed by a combination of the weather and the distance from shore, officials said.

None of the men were injured. Kreider said the sailboat was still afloat and would be salvaged.