We arrived in Belhaven after calling River Forest boatyard. They service yanmar motors and told us to come over once we got to town. We called the River Forest marina and they had enough water at the dock to take us even though the guidebook suggested otherwise. We had to pull into a slip that was short but had some back posts that we could tie to. David is getting really good at docking. The wind was against us pulling in and there was no current so it worked well. It took us a while to get all of our lines straight but we got settled in the middle of the slip.
The happiest and most friendly boaters were at the marina. Many are making the great loop. They are now working their way north to get to the Great Lakes in the summer.
We made our way to the boatyard. The marina has golf carts that you can just take but we needed a walk. It was only a half mile away through a beautiful neighborhood. The boatyard was full of boats and very busy. Axson helped us. He felt that both our alternators were bad. The new one had not been charging and the old one seemed to have a short in it as it sparked when we turned on the power after connecting it. The first time it sparked, it burned the connector. David replaced the connector and it sparked again. We all agreed that we either had a wiring problem or we had two bad alternators. He could order a new alternator that could arrive tomorrow. He would come by the boat around 2, he said. He asked us to try and trace the positive wire from the alternator.
We waited but no one called or showed up at our boat. We considered our options. We could keep moving as our engine does not need an alternator. We could keep our batteries charged by going to a marina at night and using solar during the day. We did not need our refrigerator and could get by using it as an ice box. We could get water with our foot pump. We really could use very little power. The only problem with the plan was that there is no marina between Bellehaven and Coinjock. The alligator river marina is closed. We still thought we would be ok, even if we had to anchor one night. The other option would be to stay and see if we could fix this problem.
We had decided to stay another night but were still not satisfied. We thought of another test. If we put the other alternator back on and it sparked with power, we felt we definitely had an electrical problem which was not going to be fixed with a new alternator. If it did not spark, a new alternator may solve the problem. We decided to try it.
Very carefully, we replaced the alternator again. We tightened the belt. We were nervous but we turned on the power from the battery. No sparks! We decided to start the engine. We got a charge! We watched it for a while, no issues. It is a little worrisome because we do not know what fixed the problem. Could it have been the connector? The belt was tighter now but seemed plenty tight before. It’s funny because if we hadn’t put the old alternator on, we would not have had the sparks and would not have replaced the connector. Dumb luck.
We walked around Belhaven for a bit. The streets were quiet and lovely. We visited the ICW Brewery. I liked their floor.
We planned for departure in the morning. We enjoyed our time at the River Forest Marina. They were so nice and helpful there. The grounds were beautiful and they took great care of the facility. The marina and manor were family owned for 66 years by the Smith family, Axson Smith. A few years ago, they sold the marina and the Manor which is a house. They kept the River Forest boatyard. Then about a year ago, a grandaughter bought it back.They rent rooms in the manor and rent the whole house for meetings, weddings and other events. The front room is a restaurant.
We decided to support the restaurant. It was prime rib night but we hadn’t made a reservation. We got the last one and shared it which was good because two would have been way too much.
While we were eating, Axson came over to our table. He was there with the family of owners. He is certainly related. He apologized for not coming by. He also runs the tow boat service in the area and had to rescue a motor boat that ran aground. The rescue was successful but it put him behind on boat work. He had ordered a new alternator for us and can ship it to us. Always good to have a spare.
After our meal, one of the restaurant managers offered to give us a tour of the manor. We saw the bridal suite and the parlor. On the top floor they are renovating a room that used to be a speakeasy. The house was completed in 1904 and and built by John Wilkinson, who made his fortune in lumber. The wood in the house is amazing, especially the staircase and the mantels. The dining room has very ornate painted frescoes on the ceiling. Some had water damage and the art department at ECU had helped them match the paint colors to restore the damaged areas. The other decoration in the dining room was a large elk head.
There is a small store in the manor selling jar goods like pickle relish and jam. The jars have a River Forest label. We learned that there is a company that will make your family recipes. NC State has a program that will analyze it and make a nutrition label. They also sell honey from two hives they keep on the grounds. They built two pickle ball courts and a putting green. By the water is a large pavilion with old church pews for seating for speakers,events or sunrise Easter service. Quite the facility.
Planning to head to the Alligator river tomorrow.