Saturday, May 6 - Belhaven & Derby Watching

Saturday, May 6 - Belhaven & Derby Watching

The wind was still whipping, but we were ready to move so left anyway.  The boat behind us decided not to leave, hoping for smoother sailing tomorrow.

I was fascinated by these clouds.  They looked like dangling balls. The pictures don't do them justice. 

Danny was fascinated by this boat that flew past us!  Look at his wake. 

This is Hobuken, NC.  (Spell check didn't like that.)  There is nothing special about the pictures, I just like to take pictures along our route.

There were lots of fisherman along this stretch.  We finally saw someone catching a fish but didn't get his picture.

Waterway Guide described Belhaven as a popular stop for the ICW traveler because it sits in the middle of one of the most sparsely populated regions on the whole waterway.  That would be about the only reason to stop.  And there was a nice looking farm-to-table restaurant.

It's claim to fame is "Birthplace of the ICW."  Birthplace is not quite the right word.  It is actually home to the final watercourse connection, the cut between the Pungo River and the Alligator River, that completed the 1,090-mile Atlantic Intracoastal Waterway in 1928.

We pulled up at the Belhaven Waterway Marina and found a welcoming committee!  Deb and Gil, our friends from the rookie group at Fall Rendezvous, their grandson Alex and another looper were all on the walkway waiting for us.  We had run into Deb and Gil at St. Augustine, too.  It's always great to see them.  They invited us to join them at the local restaurant to watch the Kentucky Derby with two other Looper couples.  Since we couldn't go to David and Jane's house, our favorite Derby-watching venue, we told them we would be there.

We walked around the town of Belhaven, all two blocks of it!  I did love the downtown Ace Hardware.  This one had a very nice gift shop in the front, hardware in the back.  Doesn't this look like Main Street, USA? 

Walking back into the marina we got the full view.  Small but nice.

Derby watching was at the Tavern at Jack's Neck.  (Jack's Neck was the original name of the settlement.)   There were nine of us, and we had to look through the blinds into the bar to see the race.  Not ideal, and we didn't have Mint Juleps, but we had a good time anyway.

Mike, a new Looper friend, gave each of us at dinner a macrame zipper pull.  He makes them to give to every boater he meets.  Deb and I loved them, and asked him to show us how to make them.  He was willing, so we went to his boat for a lesson. 

I was pretty smug because I had down macrame, even though it was years ago.  I figured I could ace this challenge.  WRONG!  Those were some crazy loops.  I gave up but Deb kept going and made two by herself.  I will look for an easier design.