Reflections of Day III
20 June 2011 | Elizabeth City to Bellhaven, NC
Sudzy
Father’s Day Sunday we left the marina with a bang... literally. A rogue nail on a piling punched a hole in our dinghy. She hung on but became somewhat deflated. We encouraged her to hang on.
We continued down the Elizabeth River playing pinball with the numerous crab pots. It's amazing how nimble a 34-ft boat can be!
We entered Albemarle Sound to beautifully capped waves. We anticipated the swells to subside after the confluence of the waters but they continued to escort us across the sound. The aptly named Chaparral bucked over the 3-4 foot swells like a bucking bronco in a bad John Travolta movie. It turned out to be a double feature... the waves breaking over the bow was the Poseidon Adventure.
We endured the crossing to enter the placid Alligator River where All Hanz were On Deck watching for floating logs and snags. It was slow going through the cypress swamp. The southern end billowed huge clouds of smoke from a forest fire.
Days end blew us into Belhaven Marina. With high winds Capt Don managed to back us in in time for cocktail hour. The marina has a huge Southern home on the grounds which is now a b&b. We met a young sailing couple from the Netherlands. Every five years they take a sabbatical for a year and sail somewhere. Once across the Atlantic, this time from Florida to RI, where they load the boat and themselves on a freighter and voyage home.
Our dock master, Eric, spun many tales or were they fish stories? Hmmm.