Belhaven to Coinjock

—Blogpost written by Bob

After our unplanned stop in Belhaven due to the breakage and repair of our propeller shaft, we were anxious to get moving again.  This blogpost covers our last day and a half in Belhaven and our first full day heading northward on the ICW.

Sunday, June 7

The boatyard manager promised that they would come in this morning at 9 AM despite it being a Sunday, get the power boat blocking our way moved by 10 AM, our boat splashed by 11 AM, and the final engine alignment done within an hour after splashing.

The hauled out power boat 
that was blocking our
boat's way out.

Yesterday, we got a 1-day extension (until tomorrow morning) on our cottage rental because check out time was 11 AM and we didn't trust the word of the boatyard manager that our boat would be ready before noon today (and we didn't tell the boatyard that we got an additional 1-day extension!).

They moved the travel lift to
pick up our boat at
about 1 PM.

Our boat was finally launched
at about 1:30 PM!

The in-the-water engine alignment had to be done before we could put the boat back together on the inside.  I turned off the fridge so that we could defrost it later tonight and I turned on the A/C--it was 90 degrees inside the boat just before I turned it on!  We planned to return to the boat around 5 PM with a load of our stuff, even though we stayed in the cottage tonight.  (On account of all my complaining about missing their promised times and dates, they didn't charge us for any labor expended today.)  Having the boat back in the water was a big relief for me!

Belhaven to Alligator River

By 9 AM (on Monday, June 8), we had moved out of the cottage, completed our grocery shopping, and stowed all the groceries onboard. (Do you think we were anxious to leave?)

We washed down the boat and filled our fresh water tanks, being careful to use the only faucet (the one in the outdoor shower) that was dedicated to city water. (All the other hose connections were well water, which in this area is brownish and a little salty.) While preparing to fill the water tanks, Maggie dropped the boatyard’s fancy heavy-duty hose nozzle overboard.

Before leaving I checked the transmission fluid level and it was fine, maybe a tad overfilled. However, I did notice a drop or two of (pinkish) transmission fluid on the new white engine diaper I installed yesterday. (I hope this was not leakage and merely drops off the dipstick! The engine had not even been started yet. I will continue to check for leakage from the transmission every couple of days on our way north.)

At 9:45 AM Maggie drove to Washington NC (about 30 miles away) to return our rental car. This has been an expensive two weeks! The total cost of the boat repair was $8,000 (which we thought was reasonable, considering that we got the bottom painted and the hull cleaned/waxed too), our lodging cost was $2,400, and our car rental was $650 (rather expensive in small town NC) for a grand total cost of over $11,000! However, a lot of this money would have been spent during our summer haulout, even the lodging cost.

By 12:30 PM we were out of the boatyard and just entering the ICW near MM 133. About an hour thereafter, we entered the 20+ mile long Alligator River-Pungo River Canal.  About an hour into the canal, a black bear swam across the canal in front of us—this was the second time we saw a bear in this general area.

At 5 PM we anchored at the head of the Alligator River near MM 105 in 12-feet of water. We’ve anchored here almost every trip we’ve made up and down the ICW, a total of six times.

There are two anchor symbols
beneath the boat symbol for
a total of six times we've
anchored here.

My observations about the boat’s performance today were: (1) at our old cruising RPM (2300) the boat’s speed was a couple tenths of a knot slower than before, (2) I could easily achieve 6.8 knots at 2500 RPM, (3) at first, we had more engine vibration/noise but this could have been due to our absence from the boat for so long, and (4) the boat seemed to move slowly (but the GPS doesn’t lie--it wasn't slow, except when compared to a car!).

We celebrated getting out of Belhaven with some Barefoot Bubbly at anchor.

Alligator River to North River

Weighing anchor at 6:30 AM on Tuesday, June 9, we followed the day marks to the east to get further into the Alligator River.  There was barely a breath of wind and the sea state was flat calm.

This dragonfly hitched a ride with
us for a couple miles. Several
others joined in for a while.

It was a long slog just to get to get to the Alligator River Bridge—21 miles from our anchorage! We were moving along at 6.7+ knots at 2400 RPM through an area surrounded by the Alligator River Game Refuge.

Only the fly swatter was
truly essential today.

The Albemarle Sound was very tame today—it was the easiest two-hour crossing of the Sound that we have ever experienced.  A light (5 to 10 knot) breeze was blowing out of the south all day.

We made good time today, traveling 55 miles in just 7 hours for an average boat speed of 7.85 miles per hour (or 6.83 knots)!  We were doing 7 knots for a large portion of the day due to a favorable current caused by the southerly wind and no bridges that required openings, except for the Alligator River Swing Bridge which opened right as we approached.

We docked at Coinjock Marina at 1:30 PM, much sooner that I thought.  Once the boat was secured we had lunch at the on-site restaurant--Maggie had the prime rib sandwich and I had the (princess cut) 6-ounce prime rib.  (Maggie made the better choice today!)

Our onboard A/C felt really good in the afternoon!

S/V Rainy Days tied to the dock
at Coinjock Marina.

Stay tuned for the remainder of our trip northward...

Stay healthy and thanks for following our blog!