Thursday, April 22, 2021. Day 137.
It was very cold and windy last night, and the anchor chain banged against the boat, sounding like fireworks to me; it was loud and, needless to say, interrupted my sleep.
As predicted, the morning was cold
(39°), and Roland turned on the heat; I did yoga and we had coffee.
We were anchored minutes from River Forest Marina in Belhaven, North
Carolina, where we were to spend the next 2 days, so there was no
rush in the morning.
Our plan was to dine in the evenings,
at the two restaurants we had visited going south; one we ate
outside, the other, we had takeout. Oysters outside and take out
from Spoon River, known as the best restaurant on the AICW. We
planned (all of us vaccinated), to dine in (they do not have out side
space), as soon as they opened, when no one else was there. The
tables were really far apart, and we reserved one tucked into a bay
window slightly separated from the rest of the room. We were really
looking forward to both those opportunities.
Although it
was cold, the sun was strong and bright and we hoped it would warm up
a bit during the day. Unfortunately, the boat was covered with teeny
bugs; really unpleasant.
Roland made blueberry pancakes
for all, our first breakfast altogether. They were great, a little
uneven, as usual due to the electric stove top (sometimes I think
Roland is serving uneven pancakes as a lobbying effort – he wants
the a gas stove in lieu of the electric stove top). My sister said,
if he is doing the cooking, he should have a replacement stove.
Thank you, Gail; more nautical units! Unfortunately, she had a
point.
We arrived at River Forest Marina at 12pm, and
Henry, the dockmaster, was there waiting for us. It was really windy
and we needed his strength and experience to help us tie up to
minimize the movement of MM on the dock.
As usual, as soon
as we docked: the laundry. Gail and I used the marina's free
machines; they were large and made the task much simpler. And we
were the only ones using the machines.
Henry arranged a tour of the turn of the century (the 19th to 20th), estate house that had fallen into ruin, and then, some years ago, restored by a group of local residents, several of them, skilled craftsmen. It was stunning in every way: the woodwork, the floors, the leaded glass windows, the plaster decorated ceilings; all of it was magnificent. The mansion is available for weddings, family reunions and other celebrations; along with the common areas, the 5-7 bedrooms are spacious, welcoming and worth the trip. Because of the pandemic, there had been no events since December 2020, but a wedding was scheduled for the first week in May, and everybody was sprucing it up and very excited. By the way the estate and the marina are for sale. There is a great area for a restaurant, bar and commercial kitchen, and the marina for fishing charters...... a good retirement project for the right folks!
We walked around Belhaven, and after finishing the laundry, got ready for our 5:30pm dinner. One of the fun parts about River Forest Marina is the golf carts we can use for transportation. Captain Roland loves driving the golf court around town and to the supermarket.
We had dinner at Spoon River in a private room with just the four of us (the owner, apologizing, had inadvertently seated the wrong four folks at our reserved table, but the private room was just fine). It was my first planned indoor dining experience and although it was fun, the owner was challenged. She couldn’t get the help she needed to properly operate her restaurant, and it showed in the quality of the food. The service was still excellent, although the bartender was extremely slow. Not being able to properly staff the restaurant was consistent with what we experienced in Beaufort, South Carolina and, the complaint we heard the following evening at the outside oyster bar. Workers, during the pandemic, are leaving small towns or making more on unemployment. Business was beginning to pick up; hopefully the workers will return.
Gail and Michael took the golf cart back, and Roland and I walked back to the boat. When we arrived, the boat was covered with the little black insects that Henry called “blind mosquitoes” because they don’t bite. The air was thick with them; it was overwhelming!
After dinner, the crew and the captain watched old Star Trek shows on television and I worked on my blog, happy to skip vintage TV.
Friday, April 23, 2021. Day 138.
It was
cold again this morning but I enjoyed my 3 mile run around Belhaven.
Roland and I had poached eggs for breakfast. Roland and Mike
prepared to change the engine oil after trying to rid the boat of
the insects. Henry lent Roland a big blower to blow them off first,
before washing them off. I don’t think anything worked very
well.
Changing the engine oil did not work out. One of
the major reasons for staying in Belhaven for 2 days (other than the
food), was to change the engine oil: it was time (the oil has to be
changed every so many engine hours). Roland couldn't get the
built-in pump to remove and replace the oil, to work. Not only was
this a disappointment and a waste of time, but we were now talking
additional nautical units ($$). The Captain now had to figure out
how to fix or replace the pump, order the pump or parts, online, and
find a place to install it and change the oil, which is something
that really can’t wait too much longer, based on engine hours. It
is highly likely that it would have to wait until we are back in
Philadelphia.....and Mike won't be there to help....a loss!
We
put our disappointment aside, and took a golf cart to Food Lion,
which is a bit further than the center of Belhaven, going on the back
roads. It was kind of crazy, but fun, and I was amazed that we were
able to get all the groceries and the four of us on the golf cart.
I
reached out to the Kadey Krogen Norfolk Harbor Host. Unfortunately
they would not be around for the weekend when we arrived but they
sent a detailed email with tons of suggestions and information. So
cool.
At 5:30m, we took the golf cart the Tavern at Jack’s
Neck, for oysters, shrimp, wings and ribs, topped off by apple pie
with ice cream. The owner and her staff were terrific, we sampled a
lot of her Bourbons and rum and had a great time. She was only
serving outside; she had to defer the inside renovations until
business picked up.
We were to leave Belhaven tomorrow,
and Henry assured us he would be there early in the morning to help
us off the dock.
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