Belhaven to Deep Point Anchorage

It rained most of the night and into the morning.  Additionally, it was cold and windy.  So, we decided to delay our departure until the weather improved.  We weighed anchor at noon.  With such a late start, we knew we would not be able to cross Albemarle Sound before dark.  The best anchorage to prepare for our crossing the next day was at Deep Point which is where the Alligator River-Pungo River Canal meets the Alligator River.  It is a popular anchorage for north bound boats as they stage to cross the Albemarle or for south bound boats to stop after completing their Albemarle passage. Deep Point Anchorage was our destination for the day. Janet and Dwayne stayed in this anchorage on their way south in October.  It is a somewhat exposed anchorage surrounded by marsh-grass but has good holding.

Deep Point Anchorage

The Pungo River and Alligator River are connected by the Alligator River - Pungo River Canal which runs a distance of about 19 miles.  The canal is wide and deep but bordered by bald cypress swamps and marsh-grass.  The rivers are the color of dark tea or coffee due to the tannin released by the decaying leaves and roots of the bald cypress and juniper trees which line the banks of the rivers. The canal is wide, deep and there are many bald cypress stumps along the shoreline, Trees often fall into the canal as a result of the shoreline erosion. This presents a hazard to navigation.  More than once we had to alter course to avoid hitting a snag.  We did bump once most likely on a submerged log. Our surroundings were beautiful; however, watching for snags was a annoying distraction.

We made it to Deep Point Anchorage well before dark and anchored in about 10 feet of water.  The Rocna anchor dug in right away and we set our 100 feet of chain to ensure a quiet night.  Several other both northbound and southbound boats joined us.  Surprisingly, the barge traffic continued through the night.

There is no cellphone coverage here.  This is our second day of no cell phone coverage.  Posting the blog will have to wait until later.