Alligator River

 TRAVEL DAY 36 - Belhaven to Alligator River

April 24, 2023

5.22 Hours/36.4 Miles

    We had run our fuel down to as low as I wanted to comfortably go. I am still trying to nail down our fuel burn. We left the municipal dock in Belhaven and proceeded to the fuel dock at Belhaven Marina. The dockmaster hadn't arrived yet so we tied up and waited 10 minutes. The fuel pump is a good 100' from where we were docked. They have long delivery hoses that extend to the end of the docks so they can fuel at virtually any spot in the marina. Beth went to the pump and using the handheld radio called out the gallons as they ticked by "...30, 31, 32...". This is a great way for me to get a handle on what I am putting in each tank. We put in 70 gallons of diesel even though our gauge showed near empty we still had 28 gallons left. I am pretty confident now that my fuel burn at our 2000 rpm's/8 mph is right at 1.9 gph.

Clearing the Breakwater at Belhaven

   It was slightly overcast and cool. At 57 degrees and with a 12 kt. wind, operating the boat from the lower helm was the warm and cozy option as my navigator took the time to plan our next few stops.

Navigation "War Room"

   It was an uneventful trip as we traveled east on the Pungo River and into the long Pungo River Cut to the Alligator River. 

Pungo River Cut

    As we rounded the first corner of the Alligator River and to the broadest portion we could see that the wind was whipping up the water and there were 5' waves white capping. We turned the boat back the way we had come and tucked in behind the land to dodge the northeast wind that was causing the mayhem. We did not want to travel an hour getting pummeled. This was as good a stop as any for the night in 8' of water.

Game time

    A few board games and some hamburgers for dinner. There's a term called "Looper Midnight" where you turn in at 8:30 pm as if it was midnight! 

Alligator River Sunset

We planned an early departure in the morning to beat any wind across Albermarle Sound and make it to our next stop.

Belhaven to Alligator River

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