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BELHAVEN, NC
Knotty Dog left first and we headed out the small protected anchorage and through the marked channel out into the Neuse River heading towards marker #7, marking Garbacon Shoal. The Neuse River is a wide open stretch for a change and pretty deep water, averaging 15 feet underneath us, depending on the tide. We still followed the path of the ICW though as it is clearly marked on the chart. We could visualize what a good area this must be for sailing and racing with its wide stretches. The Neuse River has the reputation for being some of the “meanest water on the ICW”. Today it was calm as a baby. We were just becoming acquainted with the unusual phenomenon of winds affecting the depth of the waters. I had never heard of such a thing and hearing it was amazing. Fortunately it was nothing that was effecting us as we had calm weather but the locals say that if the winds are blowing strong for a few days it “can raise or lower the depth of the water” by several feet. Winds from the NE will raise the depth and winds from the W will lower it! When the conditions are just right (or should I say, “just wrong”), you can actually go aground while you thought you were in a safe anchorage or comfortably tied to a dock. How could such a peaceful place be subject to such conditions? It water was so innocent today as we traveled along.
About 11:00, still in the Neuse River, we passed the markers for Gum Thicket Shoal and Piney Point. We gave them a wide berth as the guide recommended, noticing a few sunken ships on the chart. Guess they encountered some of those conditions that the guide described. Off to our starboard was an area called Rattan Bay. It was clearly marked with large circles identifying a “restricted area”. I wondered what was there and soon found out as jet fighters broke the silence and serenity of the cruise. They sped across the sky and swooped low over the area. The whole boat vibrated with their noise and power. Guess it’s a firing range. Ziggy was alerted by the noise and ran about the deck giving them a piece of his mind.
We entered Bay River and into a small land protected stretch of the ICW again about noon time. We were keeping red markers to our left all morning. It always seems odd when we are entering a place like this to keep the red on the left (not the familiar “red right returning”. We did not go up Bay River to the small village of Vandermere. It was a recommended nice anchorage but we had another destination. The town according to the cruising guide said it once boasted having a courthouse, hotel, railroad depot and the first jail in the county. All is pretty much in ruins now and some taken over for private homes. The most interesting comment was about their overgrown cemetery which locals say “runs blood” when it rains. How curious these people must be. Instead we took the ICW cut through what they call Goose Creek Island. We proceeded up the cut and passed Gale Creek whose dangerous shoals are continually building and changing. We passed a curious sign for a boat yard appropriately at times called Hurricane Boat Yard. We gave Gale Creek a wide berth and then passed under the Hobuken Bridge where the Coast Guard is located. I guess it’s located there for a good reason with the treacherous weather they have been known to have. They are available to provide boaters with information on the conditions of Maw Point and Neuse River before you become a victim, giving you the opportunity to hunker into a safe anchorage until the blow is over. Luckily today we passed on by. Double Click small photos to enlarge
As we came out the cut, just beginning to enter the Palmico River, we encountered some very shallow water and confusing markers. We slowed down to a crawl and could feel a slight touch on the bottom, most likely soft mud. We maneuvered around and then continued on out the long stretch of markers into Palmico River.
At this point Palmico River is another wide open stretch but it can be deceiving. We kept close to the magenta line on our charts marking the ICW and ran our compass course to make sure any winds or currents weren’t deceiving us and taking us off course. Again, a few powerful jets flew over head like the speed of lightening. They were magnificent and a bit overwhelming. As we reach mile marker 146, we made a note on the chart to remind us that now the markers switch to “red right returning”. We repeated the saying in our heads a couple times so it stuck after just getting used to the opposite for the last hour or so. It was nearing 2:00 in the afternoon and though it was an easy day we were getting tired and anxious to get to our port. This was our last waterway and we should reach BELHAVEN by 3:00.
BELHAVEN, NC
As we approached the man-made breakwater to BELHAVEN, we hailed River Forest
Manor Marina. The dock master asked us to wait a few minutes outside until he
was able to get another boat tied up and then we should go in. We were again
reassured that the depths would accommodate both boats. He told us to follow
the markers in and turn quickly to starboard immediately after passing the
breakwater. We followed his instructions exactly and entered their protected
docks. The docks were again old fixed docks, very tall and had an old Texaco
sign to mark the end of the docks and the fuel station.
We easily pulled up to the dock and the dock master secured our lines and then immediately went to help Ocean Bear tie up on the opposite side. There were a few other boats there and some we recognized from our travels, in particular R&R, the trawler that scraped our swim step on their way out of Beaufort. Larry intended on saying “hello” and telling them they left something on our boat (like some paint from their hull as it scraped our boat). We weren’t mad or upset and merely were trying to kid him.
RIVER FOREST MANSION MARINA The dock master was a character in himself. Said he was filling in for the regular guy. He was a talkative and a friendly sort. Said he had an old antique house in town that he was restoring but usually was gone as he was a delivery captain most of the time. Both Ocean Bear and Knotty Dog filled up on fuel. The hose was slow and the weather was hot and it was fun to just sit around a talk on the dock while the hose was filling the tanks. I gave the dock master one of the many Costa Rican beers that we still had from our trip. He was glad to get it. This was the most unusual marina yet. The docks were very old and the “marina” was anchored by a huge mansion called the River Forest Mansion. It was completed in 1904 for John Aaron Wilkinson, President of J.L. Roper Lumber and Vice President of Norfolk and Southern Railroad. Wilkinson and his New Yorker wife lived there for many years. In 1947 it was converted to a hotel and locals told us that in the 50’s it was a hunting lodge and the upper floors functioned as a brothel for the guests. Not sure if this story is true but it made for some lively conversation. We were also amused that another duty of the dock master was to find out from the boaters how many were planning to come to dinner. The dock master said the cook gets kind of grouchy and always wants to know how many to plan for. There wasn’t anything else around as far as restaurants and we all wanted to see inside the huge mansion so we said we’d be joining them for dinner about 7:00. Before dinner, I walked around the mansion grounds with Ziggy and was amazed at it’s size and grandeur way out here in the middle of no where. It was very unique on this trip. It was now serving as a bed and breakfast. I walked some of the neighborhood. The homes were modest and all American. Most still had decorations on their doorsteps left over from four of July.
The water by the docks was black as ink. The reflections in this jet black water were something to behold. This part of the trip was the beginning of the ducks. They were all over and they made wonder patterns on the black reflective water as they paddled around. They swam by all the boats looking for hand outs and when they didn’t get any would make their way to the edge of the shore, nibbling for bugs and things in the wet mud and moss covered rocks and piers along the shore line. It was a truly beautiful place even though it was old and slightly run down. I admired the owners and their determination to keep this place functioning.
DINNER AT RIVER FOREST MANSION Dinner was a kick. We all showered and put fresh clean clothes on and planned to meet in the dining room. We were looking forward to a wonderful meal and evening in this gracious old manor. The dinning room was big and not elegantly appointed but you could get a slight hint of the old days by exploring the rest of the main floor. The check-in desk look liked it hadn’t changed since the building was erected with its dark paneling and wooden desk with old fashioned cubby holes and key slots. The parlor had Victorian furniture and lace curtains. The paneled walls were adorned with old photographs of history gone by. You could get the picture of what it was like in the old days.
We ordered another round of drinks and placed our order. Larry, Steve and I had steak and Joann decided to have the shrimp. We then inquired about what the dinners came with. The waitress said we got an iceberg salad on the plate with the fish or steak and we had a choice of boiled green beans, boiled cabbage, or coleslaw. Joann asked how can all the choices be green and it wasn’t even St. Patrick’s Day? We just all started laughing again and the waitress did too. We got the uncontrollable giggles. I guess the cook must be cleaning out the pantry or something and that’s what we get. It was like going to a bad summer camp. It’s certainly different than what I read in the cruising guide later. They boasted a “renowned smorgasbord of Southern specialties (such as Oyster fritters and crabmeat casserole) or a continental menu of char-broiled steak, fish and seafood” and “always a complete salad bar”. We couldn’t complain about the price though as it was the least expensive dinner we’ve had on the trip so far and the funniest. I think the dinners were $9-$12 each. When we got our meals and they were indeed green except for the steaks and shrimp. The steak was huge. It covered the plate. I have no idea what cut of steak it was as I’d never seen one like it before, but it was good and tasty. We all ate our greens and laughed all through dinner. Now we know why no one else was in there that evening. As the evening went on at the docks, the dock master stayed for hours talking to the boaters and helping other boats as they just kept coming in even way into the dark evening. This was a major stop for boats going north and south and usually you hit it going north in spring and south in fall. It has some history and we loved it.
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We
didn’t rise and leave early, whether it be for the tides or currents, but mostly
o that Ocean Bear is not an early riser. It was OK with us because we had a
short trip up to BELHAVEN. We calculated that if we left by 10:00 or so we’d
get in to BELHAVEN about 3:00. Larry had made reservations at a new marina just
East of BELHAVEN in Upper Dowry Creek. It boasted a new swimming pool and
restaurant but it was isolated. As we cruised during the day, I decided I
wanted to stay in BELHAVEN proper so we could at least see the town of
BELHAVEN. So we called on the radio and cancelled our first reservation and
made a new one at the River Forest Marina and Shipyard. On the charts it looked
shallow and narrow but the dock master assured us that we’d have “no problem”.
This
is not a heavily settled area. We passed some houses at a distance and some
inlets with a few anchored boats but you definitely felt you were in an isolated
world here. 
Larry
and I borrowed their loaner car to make a run to the Food Lion about 2 miles
away. It was an old junker and the windows didn’t roll down and the air
conditioning didn’t work. In this heat it was a real claustrophobic experience
riding around in this heap. It did the job though and we also got to get a
glimpse of the town which was small and not too prosperous looking. We didn’t
really expect any more because it was such a remote destination. Joann and
Steve off Ocean Bear, decided to relax in the mansion’s basic swimming pool out
back. There were several other people there doing their best to cool off too.
