Sailing to Belhaven

7/5/07 – I had to get up early because there was a charter fishing boat right next to the restaurant who was leaving at six o’clock. I had to move my boat over in the slip so he had room to get out. I put the boat back after he left and went back to sleep for a short time. I got up at about 7:30 and ate breakfast and cast off. I immediately regretted not going for a morning swim because I could feel that it was going to be a warm day. I stopped at a marina in Beaufort to get some fuel. As I was pulling in, I heard my name shouted and I looked over to the opposite bank and saw the guitar player from the night before waving at me. I waved back and wished him a good day. I got my fuel and began my way north. There were some narrow canals for the first five or ten miles so I motored through those but then they opened up into huge rivers and sounds. Tonie and Gary passed me early in the day so we all waved at each other as they went by. I had a south wind at 10-15 knots…absolutely perfect for sailing. I turned off my motor at about 10:30am and never turned it on again for the rest of the day. This was the best sailing day I have had this whole trip by far, I averaged over 6mph which is absolutely amazing for my boat. I got to the place where I had planned to anchor at around 5:00pm but I was having such a great time sailing and making such good progress that I decided to go until sunset. I made it to Belhaven, a record 70 miles in one day. I dropped my jib right inside the town’s breakwater and sailed under my mainsail across the town’s waterfront and threaded a needle through some shoals before heading up into the wind and dropping the hook. I felt like a true sailor.