Woke up early for an early start before bad weather. Beautiful red dawn sky as all the boats left the quiet anchorage. Entered the canal for a fairly straight twenty some mile trek. Very wild swamp and marsh, then some camps and compounds. We were able to use the auto pilot and just correct a few degrees at a time to stay on track. Courteous boaters in the canal.
The canal opened into the pungo river where we experienced the confused waterway markers. A red marker with a square placed on it is really a green marker. A green marker with a small triangle is really a red. Some large motor boats were also annoying here, passing without a call at full speed not caring how their wake would affect others in a Trumpian way.
We arrived at Dowry creek marina where Jeff and his Dad are dockhands at this family run marina that is so nice. Unfortunately, the matriarch of the family died in March from cancer. Tributes to her throughout the Marina. There is a beautiful pool in summer. They have a large black hose coiled on the roof? Pool heater?
Took the courtesy van to the town of Bellhaven. You can sign up for 90 minutes to drive a rather dilapidated van with all the warning lights on. Bellhaven struggling. Lots of shops and restaurants but not many people. Nice little ice cream shop. Heather working there, owner, talked about the town. Used to have seafood packing houses, crabs and fish. Was very segregated with a black side and a white side with duplicate small businesses in each sector. Desegregation 1967. Now there is Food Lion , Dollar General and Dollar Tree outside of town with a downtown struggling. Many homes and stores already decorating for Christmas or maybe they are like Jer and just have the decorations up year round. Reminds me a lot of Cape Charles 20 years ago. It is hopefully busier in the summer.
Went to the Marina restaurant to have a beer and some tacos and to hear razz and brass, a keyboarding, karyoke style trumpet player who plays on Thursday nights. My favorite numbers were the medley of all the armed forces songs and the pink panther theme song played on the trumpet. Also liked the wig he put on when playing an Elvis tune. The other neat thing there was a screen of photos of the Marina including one where the water was almost over the pool fence. Light rain and mild winds as we head to bed.