We carefully checked the weather before departing Belhaven. Our goal was the Alligator River Marina, which would put us on the edge of the Albemarle Sound for a continued trip to Elizabeth City the following day. The conditions were much better than the previous day and we had an enjoyable ride. We continued along the Pungo River to the Alligator River. The water started to get a bit choppy near the end, but nothing compared to the conditions on the Neuse. We had to ask for an opening when we got to the Alligator River Bridge, but other than that we had no issues.

The Alligator River Marina is located on the Alligator River just past the Alligator River swing bridge. The facility is just a gas station with a marina in the back. It was easy to get into our slip, and it was very quiet. The gas station serves fried chicken, but we had our own food. The marina grounds are well manicured and there are picnic tables.

Our stay was uneventful until early in the evening when Melissa went out to take some sunset pictures and saw a black bear rummaging through the dumpster! After snapping a photo, Melissa quickly got back on the boat. We would not have thought about bears being in this area but there he was, plain as day. He retreated to the woods, but then reappeared a few more times until one of the workers scared him off.