Motoring into Belhaven
Provisioning Adventure: Some marinas have courtesy car services, some give you the number for a taxi, others have what you need nearby; the River Forest Marina has not one, but a fleet of dilapidated golf carts exclusively for their marina guests. Now these golf carts all go forward and hold a charge for at least an hour according to the dock master. They are outfitted with license plates (expired tags), turn signals (that don't work), and headlights (that I am pretty sure aren't even wired to the battery). We got the nice one...yeah it goes reverse too. We received a short safety briefing before venturing into town with the pride of his fleet. He informed us that the golf cart we would be taking did not have brakes, but would stop quickly if you put it in reverse and stepped on the accelerator. He then demonstrated the skill for both of us. He informed us that the grocery store was through town and down highway 264 "a little bit". As we drove through town, Chris developed a few techniques for slowing the vehicle:
1. Driving up a hill
2. Driving in circles
3. Weaving "like a Nascar driving warming up the tires"
After Chris felt he had a feel for our cart we headed out on the highway. So there we were, driving down highway 264 on our golf cart with no brakes and wondering how badly we wanted to eat dinner. In true mariner form we used the Privateer Boat Builders parking lot to cut off the highway and get to the grocery. We utilized the art of turning in circles to stop as we pulled into the Food Lion Parking lot to get dinner.
Special Thanks to the Privateer Boat Co. for letting us drive a golf cart through their facility today.
The storm hit on our way back from town and visibility dropped significantly. We were glad to be in port safely and not out in the narrow canal. We returned to the boat, checked the tarps and lines and ducked under some cover at the marina to cook dinner. We are now sitting on the porch with Wayne who has grown up in Belhaven and is illustrating quality fluctuations in the River Forest Manor and Marina while we watch the next set of storms roll in. They are supposed to come through all night tonight and begin subsiding in the morning. Our plan is to wake up early, check the weather and leave as soon as we can safely leave port to head south to the Pamlico Sound.
The owner of the River Forest Marina gave us both free ice and some social commentary that can only be described as unbelievable. Interested parties can inquire further in person with one of the Lundy Charters Delivery Crew.
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