Oriental, NC

We had a short, uneventful cruise from Beaufort to Oriental on Tuesday, May 15. We traveled, once again, in beautiful warm weather primarily along Adams Creek, a fairly undeveloped area, until we arrived at the FREE town dock in Oriental at about 12:30.  At first we tied up next to the pump-out station but we found a better place and moved. With the help of sailors on a beautiful Island Packet, we tied up in a perfect spot. 

Silly Lynn was wearing flip flops and slammed her pinkie toe twice scrambling during the tricky docking process. Looks like another broken or at least a badly bruised little toe, but she just bound it to the next toe and carried on.

We immediately set out to show Robbie one of our favorite small towns.

We were hungry so we walked a few blocks to the closest restaurant where we all ordered soft shell crab sandwiches ( Rob’s first)! They were very good and we’re looking to eat a lot more soft shell crabs while they remain in season.  Along the way we passed these charming sights. Kackleberries??

Just down the street from the dock is the marina Provisioning Store.  They have an eclectic selection of goods and this time we discovered that they have free loaner bicycles.  We were looking to buy fresh fish for dinner and the friendly proprietress suggested a fishmonger located over the bridge (the only hill around) because the tiny fish market near the town dock was closed.  We ventured out and over the bridge with stunning views of Oriental Harbor.

We arrived at the obscure little fish “market” which became one of the the highlights of our day.

The owner of Endurance Seafood looked like a guy out of Duck Dynasty. He was a very sweet and knowledgeable Long Island transplant.  He sold us a gorgeous 6 lb red drum fish which after he cleaned, yielded us 3 pounds of fabulous fresh fish.

As he cleaned, we chatted away and he told us about his operation particularly his crabbing process. 

 He gave us a tour of his aerated crab tanks.  We had a fascinating lesson in how crabs molt and become soft shells. He actually showed us the crabs that were undergoing this process. It was so interesting. He and his wife have to keep a 24/7 watch to catch them at the point that they emerge from their shells and while doing so almost double in size. Within about 25 minutes of shedding their shell, they must be plucked from the tanks and refrigerated. If they are plucked too soon, they become mushy. If plucked too late they are either consumed by the other crabs in the tank or their shells start to harden again.  See how the crab in the foreground of the photo is emerging from its shell.

Unfortunately, he only had 2 crabs available for sale so we decided to delay our purchase of soft shells for the day and satisfy ourselves with the red drum.  We spent the rest of the afternoon biking around the lovely little town of Oriental whose symbol is an Oriental dragon that is portrayed in many interesting ways including a fanciful mailbox.

Lynn couldn’t resist picking sweet lilacs that were in bloom everywhere as we rode through pretty residential areas.  Rob bought a fishing license at the local hardware store and we biked along the peaceful shore line where Rob found the small and quiet public beach.  

After returning the bikes and repaying the store by buying an array of the local North Carolina micro brews, we returned to Zendo.  There, Lynn nursed her injured toe while Rob returned for a swim at the beach and Jonny did his usual futzing about (always very productive)! 

That evening the team went into gear preparing dinner.  Rob used his secret spice mix to create a rub for the redfish, Jonny cooked it on the grill and Lynn made mashed sweet potatoes and green beans. We had a terrfic feast on the aft deck. There’s nothing so delicious as a grilled  fresh fish dinner! Is it any wonder that Oriental is one of our favorite places?

Beaufort, NC

The morning of Monday, May 14 started with Robbie swabbing the decks because the anchor was mired in mud. His presence is making the job of the regular first mate much easier!

We left our anchorage earlier than usual in order to make the 7 a.m. opening of the swing bridge in Camp LeJeune. Unfortunately, our planning was off a bit and the bridge tender was not willing to stretch the rules. We hovered with another unlucky soul for a half hour waiting for the next opening.

Another day of pleasant weather for cruising brought us past some lovely shoreline areas that were not overly developed.  

As we passed by the busier Morehead City area we saw lots more shops, barges and fishing boats. Particularly interesting were two large cargo ships loaded with windmill propellers. It was a cool sight!

When we arrived at the Beaufort Docks, a private marina, we tied up next to some beautiful vessels. 

Then we each set to work on the many boat chores that always need to get done.  Washing down the boat, doing laundry and working our way through the endless “to do” list kept us busy for a few hours.  We picked up a number of items that we had shipped to this marina including large hand-me-down fenders from an MTOA friend that will be very helpful as we go through the many locks during this voyage.

 We also got our new Zendo sign which we hung on the rear transom.  Now that we are using our davits to carry the  new dinghy, our boat name is obscured which is a problem when other boats want to hail us on the radio. Problem solved!

Afterwards, it was time for a reward so we used the wooden nickels provided by our marina to get free beers at a local bar.  From there we strolled around town where we visited the historic cemetery (which wasn’t quite as pretty as the last time we visited when all the azaleas were in bloom).  The cemetery is interesting because it goes back to pre-revolutionary times.  The gravestones look as if they have been cleaned and well-maintained and we could easily read the inscriptions. Many civil war soldiers were buried here and particularly noteworthy is the fact that both blacks and whites have found their final resting place here. 

From there, we strolled through some of the neighborhoods where there were several homes with interesting gingerbread trim and historic plaques. 

Returning to Zendo by way of the shoreline road, we passed some very gracious homes that had beautiful waterfront views.

That evening we had a typical seafood dinner at Clawson’s, a popular local restaurant located on the main drag across from the marina. Robbie had his first taste of that Southern favorite, shrimp and grits. He liked it!

Camp LeJuene, NC

On Robbie’s first full day with us he got to experience the same perfectly sunny and warm weather that we’ve been enjoying. On this Mother’s Day, May 13, we left Joiner Marina bound for an anchorage in Camp LeJeune. 

Jonny and Rob took turns at the helm throughout the day while Lynn celebrated Mother’s Day talking on the phone to her favorite mothers and, of course, her number one daughter, Stephanie.

There was a lot of boat traffic on the waterway since it was a Sunday, but nothing like what we see on the ICW in South Florida.  

We passed through beautiful, undeveloped areas with marshlands and even some sand dunes and a beach with swimmers.  We also passed some tasteful homes lining the waterway in areas that were not at all overdeveloped.

We anchored at Camp LeJeune just as our depth gauge started to fritz.  There were enough other boats in the anchorage that we were able to estimate our depth and let out the appropriate length of rode (anchor line).  Lynn contacted our “neighbor” to confirm our depth.

It was time for some adult beverages so Jonny broke out a bottle of champagne and we celebrated Mother’s Day and Rob’s arrival. Afterwards, Rob took his obligatory daily swim and Jonny was lubricated enough to follow!

As the sun started its descent, it was time for dinner. Lynn had prepared a delicious recipe of paprika chicken in her new SmartPot and  and served it with egg noodles and  salad a la Robbie. We enjoyed a leisurely dinner on the aft deck after a fine day. Even Georgio felt comfortable enough to grace us with his presence on deck.

Carolina Beach, NC

Jonny went for a paddle first thing in the morning on Saturday, May 12.  

Afterwards, he untangled a crab pot that had floated under Zendo in the night. We didn’t want it to get caught in our prop as we left the anchorage.  After we did our morning “chores” we took off for the short cruise to Carolina Beach, just south of Wrightsville.

On yet another beautiful, sunny day we cruised up the Cape Fear River passing ferries and an oil tanker. 

The lower Cape Fear area was not heavily developed but as we got closer to the Wrightsville area, more houses lined the western shore while the eastern shore remained relatively pristine.

We  had a reservation at Joyner Marina where we waited for Jonny’s cousin Robbie who was flying in from Maine. When we arrived at the marina they first tried to put us on an outside dock. But that berth was too rolly due to boat traffic and we requested a different slip which they were able to accommodate. However, we arrived at dead low tide and got stuck in the mud inside the slip.  We were unable to bring the boat close to the finger pier (until the tide came in) so we put the ladder by the bow in order to get on and off.  A local live-aboard was very helpful as we docked and tied up, as was the young deckhand (to a certain extent).  

Joyner Marina is in Carolina Beach, a fairly attractive town with many new houses, just south of Wrightsville. The marina has new owners and they are renovating the marina office so it should be quite nice when they are done.

We took an Uber to the grocery store to stock up on groceries in preparation for Robbie’s arrival later that evening. 

Lynn made meatloaf and salad for dinner and wrapped up the leftover meatloaf to freeze for future meals.  Robbie arrived shortly afterwards and after feeding him and chatting for a couple of hours, we all hit the sack a bit later than our usual “early to bed, early to rise” routine.

South Harbor Cove, Southport, NC

We had a long cruise on Friday, May 11 on another gorgeous day - sunny, warm, and with little wind.  Perfect!  We traveled largely along a canal lined with homes and what seemed like scores of three deckers with very little landscaping. Their saving grace, besides being on the waterfront, is that they had lovely views of the undeveloped eastern side of the ICW.

Passing an open cut to the ocean, there was a pretty little beach with people enjoying the beautiful day.

A picturesque lighthouse was located in a curious area on the western shore of the ICW. Not sure of  its purpose, but it made for a nice landmark.

Today we had the current with us and at one point we were “flying” at 9 knots.  A portion of the cruise took us through a notoriously “skinny” area of extensive shoaling. Fortunately, between the excellent notes on our Active Captain website from recent travelers and the fact that significant dredging had occurred, we made it through with no problems.

There was frequent evidence of hurricane damage as we passed docks and a couple of boats that were heavily damaged and partially sunk.

Also, because we are traveling in a more populated area, we are passing through a greater number of bridges. We are 17 feet high so we can get under many of those that bigger vessels cannot. There are some from which we must request an opening such as this swing bridge. 

By 5:15, we were ready to call it a day and we found a perfect little anchorage on South Harbor Cove in Southport. We passed the night in a lovely, calm and peaceful setting.

Osprey Marina, Myrtle Beach, SC

Thursday, May 10 was another beautiful day of cruising. After Jonny cleaned the bugs off of Zendo (the only down side of the gorgeous Minim Creek anchorage) we pulled up the anchor at 9 a.m.  We spent most of the day on the stunning Waccamaw River, one of our favorite passages from our last trip north.  This winding waterway is mostly undeveloped with pristine wooded areas on the east and low lying scrublands to the west.

Our weather couldn’t be better (lucky us as the forecast for the following week doesn’t look nearly as good).  We are traveling longer days in order to have more time in Canadian waters.  We also need to “make hay” to be in Wilmington, NC on Saturday where Jonny’s cousin Robbie is flying in from Maine to spend some time with us.

We couldn’t help but capturing a photo of this magnificent vessel.

We decided to stay at Osprey Marina instead of anchoring out because it is such a pleasant place to stay.

 It is one of our favorite marinas for several reasons:  it’s conveniently located off of the ICW; it has a lovely entry through a long wooded passage; it has friendly and competent staff; it has a very attractive marina office with a cafe’ area offering free continental breakfast, a comfortable cruising lounge and spacious and clean restrooms and showers; and best of all the price is right - only $1.00 per foot!