It was a beautiful morning with temps in the high 70's when we left Oriental. The wind built back up and swung around to the east. We got out into the Neuse River and had wind and waves in our face with four footers hitting us at 1 second intervals. It became uncomfortable quickly.
We put our harnesses on, wrapped the line once around our hand like a bull rider and held on. The rough ride went on for 15 miles or 2.5 hours. There was a point when we each wondered if we should turn back but neither of us spoke of this until later. Once we got through the remaining section of the Neuse, we tacked to the left to go up the Pamlico River toward Belhaven. We were prepared for things to get worse but the conditions actually settled a bit. We worked our way up the Pantego Creek, toward the grain elevator then made a sharp right at red marker 12. We could see the free city docks; they are empty, just waiting for us to arrive.
Sometimes you just don't know what you are getting into. It was like that in Belhaven, North Carolina. We slipped into the first dock and tied off. We saw a man fishing at the far other end of the dock. We've been in Belhaven before when we helped deliver a friend's boat. It's one of many small North Carolina towns that offer free docks to transient cruisers. We decided to walk into town for provisions. It's Sunday so we find that nothing is open.
 |
| Mystic at Belhaven free dock |
 |
| Long pier at Belhaven Free Dock |
 |
| Mystic at the end of the long pier |
 |
| Cute Belhaven Cafe CLOSED |
 |
| Crabs are a theme here |
The free docks are in the middle of nowhere, behind a lot of reeds at the end of town. It's very private, remote and isolated. We felt uncomfortable leaving
Mystic for any length of time so we headed back to the docks. A group of kids were sitting near
Mystic. We said hello when we arrived. They were courteous, well mannered and very much into their own world. They seemed surprised that we even spoke to them.
 |
| Teens crabbing near Mystic on Belhaven feee dock |
As we walked up the dock, Dave noticed a snake sunning itself on the ledge of a piling. I called to the teens and asked if they knew what kind of snake it was. They didn't, but they offered to catch it for me with their crab net. I rejected the offer but I opened up a conversation with them. I ask them about life in Belhaven. They told me that they are all incoming high school juniors except Malik who is a "super" senior and his cousin "AK" who is a sophomore. Malik aspires to be an emergency medic. He is from nearby Washington, North Carolina, here visiting his girlfriend, Citlaly, (which means Goddess of the Stars). She wants to study Psychology. Jose is a sweet gentleman. He and Citlaly are brother and sister only not in the biological way. They have grown up together. AK is only 15 but he's already 6'2". He reminds us that he is hungry and tired the entire afternoon. Eventually, he takes a nap on the dock bench. Growing is exhausting work!
 |
| Big, Beautiful Crab |
 |
| Beth using a jerry-rigged net |
 |
| It didn't work very well |
 |
| How do we get them out of the crab pot? |
 |
| The crab pots were full |
 |
| AK taking a nap |
 |
| Jose taking charge |
 |
| Citlaly, Beth and Malik watching Jose work |
 |
| Dump and grab |
 |
| Be careful of those claws |
 |
| Malik's crock method of holding onto the crabs |
 |
| Taking a close look |
 |
| Gently inhibiting escape |
 |
| Jose using a line to crab |
 |
| Hanging at the end of the dock |
 |
| Having so much fun! |
We weren't having success catching crabs with the net they had so Citlaly called her mom, Vickie who brought a better net and a half dozen hot, homemade Tamales. She explained that she made this batch using dried corn husks to wrap ground sweet corn maze and cheese. We were overwhelmed by her generosity. I grabbed a crocheted dish fish and a star fish washcloth to give in return. "CC" as her mom calls her, was delighted with them. We showed Vickie the snake and she informed us that it's a cottonmouth, and very dangerous. I'm so glad we convinced the teens to leave it alone.
 |
| Cottonmouth sunning on dock ledge |
 |
| Cottonmouth reflection |
 |
| Vickie and Malik |
 |
| Citlaly joined mom and Malik |
 |
| Tamales by Vickie |
We crabbed with the Belhaven teens all evening, catching about 30 crabs. As the sun set, our new friends posed for me, laughing and joking with each other. This group of young adults was the highlight of our stay in Belhaven, just by being kids and sharing their life with us. This is what our journey is about. Exploring new places and meeting the people who call each town we visit 'home'. This time it just happened to be a lovely group of teenagers, who were very proud of their tiny town!
 |
| Jose, Citlaly, Malik and AK |
 |
| Jose, AK, Citlaly and Malik |
 |
| Jose, AK, Malik and Citlaly |
 |
| Citlaly and AK (finally awake) |
 |
| A happy Dave at sunset in Belhaven |
We have visited a lot of free docks on the Great Loop. We've heard stories about the kind of people who frequent them; reports of vagrants and unsurely characters are not uncommon. We have not experienced this on our Loop Adventure. By far, this visit to Belhaven will be our most endearing "free dock" stop.
Thank you to Malik, Citlaly, Jose, AK and Vickie! You are what Americana is all about! We cherish our memories of meeting you and crabbing in Bellhaven.
No comments:
Post a Comment