North Carolina Cruising

Southport is home to the Provision Company, a marshside restaurant that operates on the honor system for drinks. You help yourself at the refridgerator and tell the cashier what you've had when you leave.



Interesting scenery along the 20 mile intercoastal run from Southport to Wrightsville Beach. You can really see the change from the lowland marshes to the pine flats further north.


The ride from Wrightsville Beach to Beaufort,NC was against us again, 15-20 knots of wind, exactly behind us. Do the winds only come from the NE or SW on the east coast? We were able to motor sail and again watch a dolphin show along side the boat.









In Beaufort and Oriental, we spent time with Ryan and Sabrina. They joined us Friday and we toured Beaufort, NC, with its charming old homes on the waterfront. The city docks are on the main street of the town and provide a great view of town and the still wild island opposite. There we took self-guided tour of a nautical museum and an old burying ground.
Rick and I celebrated our 44th anniversary there. Saturday, Rick, Ryan, and Sabrina motored up the intercoastal to Oriental. Not much happening in Oriental, despite the presence of over 1,000 sailboats, so we drove to New Bern, which offers a great variety of places to tour, a replica of the Royal Governors home,Tryon Palace; beautiful shaded streets, with old homes, and interesting history presentations given by costumed docents. Unfortunately, we were too late for the tours, but enjoyed the general ambiance of the town, cocktails at agreat bar/restaurant in an old warehouse called Morgan's Tavern and Grill and dinner at MJ's Raw Bar with wonderful seafood and a unique customer. A mallard regularly appears at the door, peeking in, until the waitstaff bring him crackers and water. After he has eaten his fill, he flies home.