• Day Two
  By about 0530 my eyes were open. I turned on my bedside light and read for 30 minutes so that Buck could catch a last bit of shuteye. He claims to have been awake, but his snores told me differently. About 0600, I turned on the kettle and we started to move about. After breaking our fast with cereal, fruit, banana bread (home-baked by Chris) and coffee, we upped anchor and were underway by 0715.
  
  As I input this we’re on the Intercoastal Waterway’s (ICW) Pungo River canal cut which runs for about 25 miles between the Alligator and Pungo Rivers. I’m sitting on top of the cabin roof in a lounge chair with my laptop as Buck drives the boat. A northbound sailboat skipper just told me that I looked “way too relaxed!”
  
  
  We arrived at Belhaven’s River Forest Marina at noon, and had barely tied up and taken on fuel (12-14 gallons for 2 days cruising) when the skies really opened up. This was not a wind event like yesterday, simply a downpour that lasted about 1.5 hours and seemed to drop over an inch of rain. As I look at the local weather radar on my computer this squall seems to be quite localized. The Albemarle Sound and Alligator River are still sunny. As the rain stops, Buck and I are going to walk into town.
  
  We headed into the town of Belhaven around1:30 PM and walked for almost 2 hours. There is not a lot to do in Belhaven, but we could work off a few calories. The restaurant here at the River Forest is said to be but a shadow of what it used to be and it appears to be primarily fried, fried and fried. The best place to eat in town looks to be the Back Bay Café which is associated with the Wine and Words wine shop and bookstore on Pamlico Ave. Unfortunately, it is only open for dinner Fri and Sat so we shall have to eat at Chez 2 TAC E again tonight. The menu will be seared sesame-crusted tuna, Southwestern rice (with black beans, corn and chipotle peppers) and salad.
  
  There are pros and cons to staying at River Forest compared to Dowry Creek marina. Dowry Creek is much newer and more efficiently run. It also has a large clubhouse for get-togethers. River Forest is much older and much less efficiently run, but it does have some advantages:
• Fairways are much wider than Dowry so it’s easier to get into your slip
• You can get fuel and pumpout from your slip rather than having to go to a fuel dock
• You are downtown so that you can easily walk to a couple of restaurants
• They will loan you a golf cart to go to the grocery store
• There are rooms available at the Inn for those who prefer to sleep ashore
• You have access to wireless internet from your boat