mile 102 to 132
The Alligator River Pungo River Canal is about a 22 mile canal between the two rivers that was the last section of the ICW to be completed in 1928. It was built by the Corps of Engineers who did the surveying and clearing of the path. Then a steam powered dredge cut the canal, 90 feet wide and 12 feet deep. The dredge was called the Currituck and had a rotary piece at its front end that drilled and sucked up the land, water and anything else into pipes that loaded it on barges or transferred it to spoil areas. Local people made up most of the workforce for the project and spent weeks at a time on the dredge but earned good money for the times.
The canal is surrounded mostly by marshland and some of it is a designated wilderness area. As you get further, the banks become more sandy and there are some camps along the shore.
Our favorite camps from last year are still there.
The canal is very straight, so it is easy to stay on track. We let our auto-pilot steer for us, making minor adjustments and watching the track closely. Several times we felt the stumps on the side were much too close for comfort.
The canal ends at the Pungo River near the town of Belhaven which is known as the birthplace of the ICW because of its proximity to the canal that became the last link. The 100 year anniversary is coming up in 2028.
We decided to head for Dowry Creek Marina. Our friends from last year, Jeff and Deb, were there for another night and we decided to meet up with them. Dowry Creek is a lovely marina, a little more sheltered than Belhaven and a little north of Belhaven. It is family owned.
Nicole and her young daughter (soon to be 3), met us on the dock and helped with lines as did Jeff and Deb. Docking was fairly easy there with the wind against us.
We quickly cleaned up the boat, had some lunch and borrowed the courtesy car for a quick trip to town with Jeff and Deb. The minivan courtesy car was as we remembered it, fairly dilapidated with every warning light on. Deb convinced the marina to let us borrow it for 2 hours since we had two boats.
We spent 1pm to 3 pm in Belhaven, visiting the hardware store, the ice cream shop, taking a driving tour past the River Forest Manor and Marina and then on to Food Lion. It was very successful and the car made it back to the marina. It was warm and beautiful in the afternoon.
We returned for more boatwork, shower, a little laundry before dinner at the Salty Crab which is the marina restaurant. It got chilly again toward evening. We met a sailor named Fred who keeps his boat at Dowry Creek and lives aboard at 84. We would have liked to hear more stories of his travels and circumnavigations. He was injured last year in a squall when the winch slipped with the handle attached and trapped his arm. He had two fractures and lost a lot of skin on his forearm. He had to travel about 2 days to get to care. He is healed now and contemplating his next step.
The Salty Crab offered some tasty food and we enjoyed catching up with Jeff and Deb. They are off to River Dunes tomorrow and we are headed to Hobuken and then Oriental.
