We enjoyed our very short stay at the Oriental Marina.

The timing and weather kept us from seeing more of the town but there certainly was a lot to see right around here.

This hot spot is one of the few places that have shrimp boats where you can walk down and see them up close without a fence.

OK, there is a metal wall, but this is the closest that we have ever been to one.

I didn’t even know what a shrimp boat was before we started this trip!

We left on this beautiful day and headed for Belhaven.

We are planning to stay at Dowry Creek Marina.

Why?

Because Bob 423 did and we want to be like Bob.

The sights in our rear view mirror leaving were so cool as we said goodbye to all those shrimp boats.

As we left, we passed a couple of sailboats that were anchored and in the distance there is another marina.

Sam turned left at the marina and we went back out to the big water.

The water today was calm.

Usually, it starts out calm and then the wind will pick up and the waves will get messy.

But not today,

As we went further along, the waters continued to be flat.

The entire way.

What a great day to be on the Loop!

Now, let me give you a little warning here.

As you know, Sam follows Bob 423’s route and has it programmed into the Garmin.

As we approached this fuel dock, things started going wacky.

That’s when Sam discovered that Bob stopped here for fuel and the autopilot was taking us at cruising speed right toward this dock.

Gulp!

Fortunately, Sam caught it early and disconnected from the autopilot and quickly made the adjustment.

Crisis averted.

Moving on down the road.

I went downstairs to make some lunch because food and drink service is part of my first mate duties.

I opened the blinds so I could enjoy the show.

Once the narrow river opened up and we got into big water, Sam pushed it up to 18+ mph.

Check out the RPMs.

Nice.

It’s late in the day and we have the marina in sight.

Look at the water.

What did I tell you?

Calm waters all day.

As we near Dowry Marina, we are trying to spot the fuel dock because we are going to be right behind it.

Dowry Creek Marina has a well-packed store including fresh, local seafood, a pool, showers, free laundry and even though they are about 3 miles from town, they are happy to shuttle you anytime you want.

And they even have art.

Sam and I decided to go into Belhaven and check it out.

On the ride in, we learned that there were only two restaurants open.

Google said that The Tavern was open but our driver said it wasn’t.

In fact, only one restaurant was actually open because lightening the night before knocked out the Internet for half of the town.

So, we ended up at Spoon River.

What a treat!

Imagine our surprise finding the only open restaurant rivals any 5-star establishment.

We started with a soft shell crab appetizer.

Moved on to steaks.

Ended with the Neiman Marcus dessert.

Wow.

Just wow.

If you are a foodie on the loop, this is a must stop.

We spent a couple of nights here at Dowry Creek and even ran into a few loopers who had already discovered this incredible place.

But we are getting anxious to finish so we make plans to continue our journey toward crossing our wake.

Our Thoughts