Two pelicans
08 June 2008 | Belhaven, NC
Mike
June 4th... Long Creek to Belhaven
We left Long Creek at 7:30 with "Solitaire" and crossed the Bay River to the mouth of Gale Creek which shortly turned into a canal. We passed some moored shrimp boats at Hobucken and wished we could stop for some fresh shrimp.
It was a short day arriving in Belhaven before noon. We did have some trouble anchoring however. All boats have different anchoring techniques. On Sapphire, once we get into the anchorage we discuss possible sites and I go forward with Kathy at the helm. She brings the boat to a stop into the wind while I release the anchor. I let our about 50 feet of chain while slowly backs the boat down laying the chain in a straight line on the bottom. At fifty feet we let the chain snug up and then I let our another 50 feet of chain while Kathy shifts from reverse to neutral. With 100 feet of chain on the bottom, I attach our snubber, let out another 5 feet and then bring about 3 feet back in to put all pressure on the snubber. I cleat the snubber and Kathy puts the boat in reverse to take up all slack. She then increases the rpm in reverse while watching the GPS for movement. On the foredeck, I am also watching for drag. When we are convinced that we are staying in one spot, the engine is shut down and we're there for the night.
Yesterday, we backed down four times before we were able to get the anchor to set which is a pain because every time I bring the anchor up, I have to wash sticky, greasy mud off 100 feet of chain
Tomorrow I am going to switch anchors which I should have done weeks ago. Our Delta anchor works well in hard bottoms like the Abacos but not as well in the mud of the ICW. I'm not sure if I will switch to our Bruce anchor or a Danforth. We used the Bruce on the way south and didn't have any problems, but the Danforth is usually better in mud.
In the afternoon the four of us went to town and wandered the streets for a couple of hours. There isn't much to the old downtown area of Belhaven. Many of the stores are empty. There is a good hardware store that sells ice, snacks and beer as well as the regular stuff. There is a combination Book shop / Wine store/ Caf� that was interesting and a good Drug Store. We bought a used book and bag of ice and then hurried back to the boat in 93 degree heat.
We spent the remainder of the afternoon reading. Jim and Nancy motored for a short planning session and then we grilled some brats for dinner. By then it was time to listen to the Red Wings win the final game of the season.