A Few more Pictures of Belhaven, North Carolina

                                                 Drone shot of Belhaven City and Marina                                             

                                                    Belhaven marina from Drone

April 27-28

Salty in the Gazebo

Check out these tables made from crab traps!  Very clever!

Bed and Breakfast

   

Relaxing in the Gazebo

Beautiful Sunset 

Choppy Crossing back to the Inner Banks, NC!

Belhaven , North Carolina

Sunset at Ocracoke the night before we left

April  26-27
     We woke up before dawn to see if we would have a good weather window to cross the Pamlico Sound (open Atlantic ocean) for about 50 miles to Belhaven, our next stop.  It had been very windy for the last few days and we were concerned if we did not have a break, we  could be stuck here for several more  days.  After much  deliberation, Karl said it is a go!  We left at 6:30 am right when  the sun started to come up, out of the cloudy sky.  Winds were 15-20 knots from the SW and  the waves were very choppy over the shallow water.  They were a good 3-5 feet, hitting us on the beam.  Fortunately our boat handles waves very well and we we not too uncomfortable, but we went fast to plow through  it.  We got to the marina a few hours later, just in time to settle in before the really bad weather set in!  The winds picked up to 30-40 knots with  rain!  We are so surprised at how windy it has been!

Dinner at Spoon River Artworks and Market
We got to take this lovely flower arrangement home!

      Belhhaven is a very small town  on  the Pungo River.  The marina is small and very clean and nice.  There is a great grassy lawn right off our boat, which Salty is loving!  We met several new couples who are doing the Loop  and we got together in  the gazebo for docktails and conversation.

Hurricane water levels 

Karl and I went out to dinner in town at Spoon River Restaurant, which had a great reputation of being one of the finer dining experiences in NC!  It lived up to its rep! We had a fabulous meal and the caramel dessert was heavenly. The owner (the chef's wife) came over to talk to us and gave us the flower arrangement that was on the table to take home!  More Southern hospitality!
 

Nice grassy area in  the marina
You can play croquet or horseshoes on the lawn!

   
   

Outer Banks, North Carolina and Tales of Pirates!

Ocracoke Lighthoouse

4/23-4/25

     We traveled on the Pamlico Sound for 42 miles to our next destination, Okracoke, NC, which is a remote island on the outer banks, only accessible by boat, ferry or small private plane.  The village is small, having a population of about 1000 people.  It has become a popular vacation spot with houses to rent or buy and a few inns, so the population must swell in the summer.  Our trip over was beautiful with calm seas and warm weather.  The ferry comes and goes several times a day.  The harbor is a large protected circular shape.

    The main question we struggled with was how to pronounce the name of this place and how to remember the pronunciation!  We found out it is pronounced like the vegetable and soft drink!  Easy enough, just like it is spelled! Okra-Coke! It was actually named after the Woccon tribe, early Native Indians inhabitants.

Novelty License Plate

     We met a very nice couple, Bill and Jill from Washington, NC, after we got settled in the Anchorage Inn and Marina.  They were staying on their boat, Serenity, and they have a house on the island that they are renovating.  They graciously asked us to join them for drinks on the beach.  The beach is part of the Cape Hatteras National Seashore, so it is protected and free of development. People can enjoy swimming and playing on the beach, but can not build houses or any structures on them.  We brought our chairs and drinks and enjoyed the sounds of the surf and natural beauty of the secluded area. The wide stretch of beach was so clean and gorgeous! Some brave kids were even swimming!

View in the Marina

     One infamous inhabitant of the island was the dreaded and feared pirate, Blackbeard!  He had long black hair and wore his long beard in braids. He roamed the area in his pirate ship and was known for terrorizing people and stealing gold, silver and other goods.  His real name was Edward Teach and he was finally captured in 1718 behind the coast of  Okracoke.   He was beheaded and his headless body thrown overboard.  Legend says that his headless body swam around the boat 3 times before he disappeared into the deep sea!  People rested easier after he was gone!

The Real Blackbeard Pirate!

     Bill helped Karl trouble shoot the inverter on our boat.  Bill had just replaced the inverter on his boat, so he knew all about inverters.  The purpose of an inverter on a boat, is that it allows you to use electricity when you are offshore without starting your generator.  In other words, you can watch TV, keep the refrigerator running, cook, etc.  without being plugged in to shore power or using the generator.  Our inverter has not worked well for a while, so we have not used it, which makes it harder to anchor out.  I think they concluded that we needed to replace a battery or two, and we have a mechanic lined up to look at it during one of our stops coming up.

     We had a nice dinner with Keith and Gail Mackey,(yes, that is their last name!) some friends who we met in Charleston.  Ocracoke is their home port. They had just completed the Loop on their boat, Southern Style, a Marlow 57 Explorer.  It was fun talking to them . Along with giving us valuable information, they gave us confidence that we could accomplish the journey and that it is all worth the trials and tribulations that come along with it!
   

Blackbeard

Flags of Terror

Oriental, NC

Oriental, NC

April 22

     We  traveled 22 miles on the ICW to our next stop, the Oriental Inn and Marina.  It is a very nice, quaint small fishing town.  My daughter asked how the town got its name, so I did some research.  It was named after the Oriental, a sailing vessel that sunk in 1862 close to the area. The ship's nameplate washed on shore and from then on the town was called Oriental.  The town claims they are  the sailing capital of North Carolina, having more boats than people!

Old home that is now an art gallery

     They have a fun tradition on New Year's Eve when someone dresses up like a dragon and parades down the street at night, similar to a Chinese New Year celebration.  People come out and beat on drums, making all kinds of noise.  The town has adopted the Asian Dragon as its symbol.  It is fun to look around the town and find dragons in all shapes and forms!

Dragon Rock

Mailbox Dragon

Dragon Sculpture

Dragon made out of spare  parts!

Looks Inviting!  Peaceful passage!

Coffee shop with yummy scones and muffins

Tiki Bar at our marina

Small Town!

Fish and Seafood Market

Shrimp boats!

   

Southern Hospitality and Happy Easter

April 19-21
     We stayed in Beaufort, NC throughout the weekend.  The marina is family owned and they were so helpful and friendly.  We really appreciated their hospitality, letting us borrow a car to run errands. We experienced bad weather Friday night when a front came through sending high winds, lightening, thunder and rain to our area and all up the eastern coastline.  Winds were gusting up to 30-45 mph.  I know Tallahassee had some bad weather that morning, too!  We were glad to be secured in a marina.

Town Creek Marina, Beaufort, NC

     The town is charming with a small town atmosphere, yet full of history.  I stumbled upon a Farmers Market Saturday morning while walking into town.  Karl and I got on a double decker bus for a tour to learn about the town's history and folklore.  The city is the third oldest city in North Carolina.   We got to visit an upper class colonial house with nice furniture, and a very rustic, primitive house that was owned by the school master in 1778!  What a contrast!  You had to go outside in the elements to climb the stairs to get to the loft in the teacher's house!  They also had rope beds, with mattresses stuffed with pine straw, which looked very lumpy and uncomfortable.

      Our favorite stop was the old Apothecary shop that had a doctor's office in the back room.  It was fully stocked with old medical equipment and jars of "medicines."  It was truly a one stop for sick folks.  The doctor could examine you, patch you up, pull teeth, set bones, write a prescription, then fill the prescription and send you on your way!

A  cure for anything and everything!

     

Doctor's Desk

Eye Chart
Many people  could not read then

Apothecary Shop built in 1859

Medical Instruments from the 1800's!

This cures just about everything!

   

This was probably prescribed a lot back then!

Daily dose!

Water Globes with colored water to warn people of disease outbreak

   

These globes were full of colored water, warning people if there was a disease outbreak was in the town.

Captain is in Trouble!

Exam  table

Day 105 in Beaufort, North Carolina!

Beaufort, North Carolina

April 18-19

      We traveled 60 miles on  the ICW to Beaufort, NC where we are staying at Town Creek Marina.  Karl had arranged for a diesel engine mechanic to check the starboard engine which had a slow oil leak.  The mechanic worked on it for several hours and we think he fixed it.  Things like that are annoying, but it is best to deal with it as soon as possible.

Harbor Walk

     We have hit the 105th day of our trip!  We have been to 33 marinas!  It is remarkable that we are still happily married after being together 24-7 all this time!  Today we had a discussion about our feelings so far about the trip.  Overall it has been really fantastic, but there are times when we second guess things.  For me, it is sometimes unsettling to not have a routine.  Everyday is different and everywhere we go, we try to fit so much in!  On top of that, it is the uncertainty of where we are going next!  We have a general plan, but things can change.  Life on a boat is an  adventure!  We agreed to make adjustments along the way when necessary and to take each day as it comes.  We realize how very fortunate we are to be able to be on this adventure.  And we are definitely having fun!