#115 Belhaven, North Carolina to Columbia, North Carolina

Written by The Crew

Rev writes all the posts as "The Crew" at What Yacht To Do. It's just part of the First Mate duties. That list just keeps growing...

August 22, 2020

We spent a couple of nights in Belhaven at Dowry Creek Marina.

It was a nice surprise.

A fancy dinner.

A pool.

A store.

They are even building a restaurant onsite.

We are already looking forward to going back.

We took off right before 8 a.m. and the water was great.

We are now on the Alligator River so I am keeping a watch out.

I need to see some gators!

This particular cruise was relaxing and surprisingly cooler than the days before.

In the middle of July that is rare and welcome.

No alligator siting yet but I did notice that the water is a beautiful coffee brown.

I did not expect when we started the loop, just how many different water colors we would see.

Or just how many different bridges we would be traveling under.

It has truly been incredible passing through all these different parts of the country.

We are getting close to finishing and I think I’m getting a little nostalgic.

After traveling slowly down the narrow part of the Alligator River, when it opened up, so did we.

I enjoy going slow in some areas so I can get a good look.

But I really like going fast.

I prefer getting to our destination quicker.

We finally reach the Alligator River Swing Bridge and it is quite windy and the water a bit choppy.

We have heard horror stories of Loopers getting caught here because the bridge won’t open if the wind is too strong.

We were fortunate and the bridge operator opened it right up for us.

Also, a warning.

If you have programmed in the Bob 423 track, it includes a circle pattern while he was waiting for the bride to open.

Fortunately, Sam caught it early and took those waypoints out.

Then we made an immediate left turn and headed to our destination, Alligator River Marina.

The water was skinny coming in here between the rocks but Sam took it slow and soon we were docked and powered.

Saltie, who we met in Fernandina Beach, was also there.

When it was time for sunset, the water calmed down.

Alligator River Marina was a welcome stop.

They have fuel, a store, a restaurant, a boaters’ lounge and showers.

Crab pot boats come in and out of here and it was fascinating to see their operation.

We enjoyed a quiet night and a beautiful sunset.

Our Thoughts

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4 Comments

  1. What type of cameras are you using to document the trip. Movie and still cameras. Thank you.

    Reply
    • I mostly use my cell phone for videos and an iPad for pictures. I upload the videos to my laptop and use Camtasia to edit. I have the WordPress app on my iPad so I can put the pictures on the blog right away. It’s a pain sometimes to switch back and forth with the devices but it makes for quicker videos and blog posts.

      Reply
  2. Just finished binging your entire series. Very informative, enjoyable, and inspirational. I’m a little sad I’m all caught up and now have to wait for the next installment. It’s like reading a great book where you care about the characters and can’t wait to get back to it.

    I know you use your phones and iPad for filming a lot, but I’m wondering if you might share some info on other technical details about your production. Any other filming devices? Types of mics? What site did you use to create your webpage and blog?

    Thanks and happy trails!

    Reply
    • Well thank you very much! So glad you found us. I use WordPress for blogging and use the Divi Theme from Elegant Themes for the look of it. We have a few lavaliere lapel mics for filming but mostly use a Rode mic with a dead cat filter for wind noise. I should probably do a video about what we use. Thanks for asking.

      Reply

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