day sixteen - "baby, that's a hard no"

Calm night, all the storms seemed to disappear.  Sail off anchor 6:30, 3.0 down Bear Creek to the Bay River.  

7:15 main and jib down to motor north on the ICW / Goose Creek Canal.  I pass the little cut to Jones Bay to starboard.  Just beyond that to port is R.E. Mayo company with the shrimp boats tied up alongside.  I ofter see bigger sailboats tied up there, both to get fuel and supplies, I guess there is a little shop in there.  And they sell the shrimp that comes in right off the boats.  I ought to pick up some shrimp sometime.

Easy, peaceful motoring on the calm canal.  

8:45 green marker "15" where the canal goes from being a canal to the lower reaches of Goose Creek.  A nice breeze and the water opens up wide, so sails up.  

Making 2.3.  Crabbers working their pots on the little creeks on both side of the marked channel.

9:45 passing red marker "2", the ICW curves to the east to bend around some shallow.  I turn north before green marker "1" and slip over the shallows on to the Pamlico River.  9:55 making 2.6 with wind over the port quarter.  Waves, rolling down the Pamlico River, on the beam, making for an uncomfortable ride.  10:35 better wind, 3.0 headed across the Pamlico towards Wades Point.  Catch a crab pot float with the rudder, bring up the blade and reset the rudder.  

Making 4.4 with some good wind that comes in puffs.  11:30 good wind on the beam and making 5.0 to the north up the Pungo River.  Start looking for the entrance channel markers into Pantego Creek and Belhaven.  1:30 sail through the wooden breakwater.  1:50 tied up at the small floating dock on Wyn's gut.  

Walk next door to the marina and pay for the overnight dock.  I run into some "loopers," trawler folks that are doing the Great Loop that I had met in Oriental.  I would like to get a cold drink at the marina but all they have is beer and it is too early in the day for me.

Every visit to Belhaven, a quiet town with empty buildings that is well off the beaten path, I shake my head at the parking signs downtown that limit parking to two hours.  I think they ought to say "please stay with us a while, two hours, four hours, stay as long as you like."

The ICW Brewery is in an old building just across the street from my dock.  I enjoy a nice pale ale while talking with a couple who are passing through on a very high end trawler that was anchored out in the river.  

Dinner is at the Tavern at Jack's Neck, a nice burger and fries in the quiet restaurant.

I'm under the boom tent setting up my sleeping gear when a power boat comes in with two couples aboard.  I can see them, they can't see me. I hear a brief exchange.

"Hey baby, how would like to be on that boat over there, the one with the Virginia numbers?"

Brief pause.

"Uh, baby, that's a hard no"