Three Sons got a face lift! She has been good to us and deserved some spa days, so we had a planned stop in Belhaven, NC. She was hauled out and we lived “on the hard” for 16 days while she was pampered. It was the first time she was hoisted using a travel lift and the whole process was interesting to watch.
We chose the town of Belhaven, NC because we thought it was far enough south to get some good weather and we had stopped here prior and liked the town. Also, we heard rave reviews about TJ’s Boatyard and Marina. It is a DIY boatyard with support and we were able to complete all our projects and find folks to come in and do the stuff we couldn’t or didn’t want to. On all accounts our stop was 100% success. During our time in Belhaven, we came to truly enjoy this very small town. We got to know the bartender at Jack’s Tavern, the waitresses at Gingerbread’s Bakery, every single clerk at ACE Hardware and memorized the daily specials at El Mariachi’s. We borrowed the golf cart from the marina to get to Food Lion and the other hardware stores. Walking around town, I keep thinking Andy Griffin was gonna walk right by and Aunt Bee would be joining the “Golden Girls” at Gingerbreads. Belhaven could really be Mayberry, NC. We did learn they only had 4 policeman in town.
Our project list included: sanding and painting the bottom of the boat, replacing the swim platform with a custom built new and improved model, did all the Teak brightwork (a true labor of love: stripped, sanded, stained and many coats of gloss). We had the hull and topside washed, compounded and waxed. The engine got some lovin’ with all new engine hoses, fixed a leaky stabilizer piston, rebuilt the macerator pump, replaced the bilge pump, completed some small plumbing repairs, and removed the engine coolers for a deep clean and leak fix. Big Mike fixed our AC’s and the whole boat got reorganized when we found a huge storage container under the bed. We completed lots of projects but still had time for many walks, Taco Tuesday night at El Mariachi’s with other boaters from the marina, some day trips with Mark and Beth, and dinner with Second Best at Jack’s.
