October 28th- Belhaven, NC to Jordan Creek, NC

We located a gas station (this morning) that fills propane tanks. We have two small aluminum tanks that we alternate between. I bought the second tank before we left Dartmouth and am glad I did. We generally go through a tank a month. We emptied one tank and were 2 weeks into the second one. It’s hard to find propane filling stations within walking distance, so this was a big event. Belhaven is a good place to restock. All prices were much less than up north.

After grabbing more ice (it’s pretty hot here), we disembarked for a short sail over to Jordan Creek (home of the River Rat Yacht Club). The charted depths are 3 feet or less (we draw 4 feet) but I was assured by another cruiser that we could get Catalpa up the creek. It has easy access to get Ollie to shore and is well protected. We found the depth to be around 6 feet.

October 29th- Jordan Creek, NC to Burton Creek, NC

We continued on down the Pungo River. The Intracoastal Waterway is a bunch of interconnected bodies of water. Bays, rivers, creeks, and canals. The charts have a magenta line that represents the path. Most boats are headed south, following the magenta line.

Today’s list.

• Pungo River
• Pamlico River
• Goose Creek
• Upper Spring Creek
• Canal ?
• Bay River
• Neuse River
• Broad Creek
• Burton Creek

The Canal before Bay River has R.E Mayo seafood at the end of it. It’s a big pier that shrimp boats tie up to. They rent space to transient boats also. We tied up to the pier for some fresh seafood. We bought some shrimp, scallops, and crab cakes (flash frozen) for our next few dinners. Grilled scallops over pasta tonight.

Our eventual goal was Oriental but we started getting some dark clouds on the horizon. There are many places to drop the hook around the Neuse River. Broad Creek is a popular spot. A little further up is Burton Creek. The depths are not charted but I had read you can expect 6 feet in the middle. Up yet another small canal is the (now closed) Paradise Cove Marina. There is a boat ramp. A good place to get Ollie to shore. We encountered some local dogs on our walk. Everything stayed friendly.

Many houses are elevated on stilts.

October 30th- Burton Creek to Beaufort, NC

We had a nice breeze in the morning and were able to sail down the rest of the Neuse river. We passed Oriental. Maybe we’ll stop there on the return trip.

Shrimp boat with a flotilla of birds.

We were fighting a tidal current for most of the rest of the day. Adams Creek and the canal that follows it is mostly forested on one side with houses on the other.

Houses

We also saw several wrecks along the way.

The approach I took to Beaufort was a bit confusing. To make matters more interesting our speed more than doubled due to a now favorable current. Luckily, I had layed out a course before getting into the thick of it. We quickly passed a number of boat yards, piers, derelict boats, and yachts.

We Anchored in Taylor Creek. There were a lot of boats in the anchorage but we managed to find a spot for Catalpa. There is also a lot of current. The boats all swing in different directions as the tidal current reverses itself.

On one side of the creek is Carrot Island. It is a wildlife refuge. There are wild horses on it. We haven’t seen the horses yet but hope to soon. Ollie likes the island’s beach. We’ve seen a ton of dolphins in here. I’ve seen a few on the coast of NJ and near Norfolk. Lynne hadn’t seen any yet (on this trip). We saw around a dozen in the evening. We had some swim around the boat late at night. Oliver’s low growl alerted us.

On the other side of the anchorage is Beaufort (pronounced Bo-fort, not to be confused with Beaufort SC). We went into town and explored a little. We wound up at a brewery and had a good porter. More exploration tomorrow.

A note about this log.

When I started this I didn’t intend for it to be a daily log of each place. I’ve grown to enjoy the process of keeping track of the trip. Occasionally, I’ll upload a post using phone data (which we pay for). Last month we ran out of data so I’m trying to conserve. The other option is free WiFi which we find at cafes and some marinas. Some of this log is written in present tense and some past tense (an editor’s nightmare). This is because I try to keep up with it each day (present) but tend to fall behind when we are moving each day (then it turns past tense). I then upload multiple days when we get to a place with good WiFi.

October 31st- Beaufort, NC. Halloween in Black Beard’s backyard.

A few boats left this morning so we repositioned Catalpa away from other boats. Today we’re going to explore. The market has a laundromat. Fish Towne Brewery is around the corner. There is Turners Deli next door for a Reuben sandwich (and WiFi). There is also the well stocked Beaufort Pet Provisions. Oliver plans on a trick or treat stop. Rain was forcasted but the day is sunny and warm. HAPPY HOLLOWEEN.

Wooden boat shop. I love this kind of stuff.

More of Beaufort.

The schooner is from Fairhaven. I don’t think I’ve ever seen it (I’d remember).