Miscellaneous Ramblings

We left Oriental with very mixed emotions. It was as terrific place to spend a couple of days, but we were very anxious to continue going south. Next stop would be Beaufort (pronounced Bo-fort, not to be confused with Bew-fort which is in South Carolina). It was an uneventful meander until we reached the confluence of the Beaufort and Morehead City channels. What a mess. So many channels and rivers coming together along with a million buoys and a bridge that had a very poorly marked passageway which was partially obscured by construction barges. Predictably, I missed a buoy and ran aground. Fortunately, it was sand and we bounced a couple of times and were free. After winding around Radio Island, we entered Turner Creek which took us to the Beaufort docks. This place was as good as Oriental. Expensive but beautiful. By the way, if you think you have a big boat, don’t go to Beaufort. We were the smallest boat on the docks.

A Harrier jet hovering. Interesting.

Also saw an Osprey aircraft. Also cool.

All good things must come to an end. We left Beaufort the next morning and headed down to Swansboro, NC.  From Morehead City to Swansboro we had a 20 knot wind on our nose and had to navigate the narrowest channels we have seen to date.  Stray just a little bit and you’re in very shallow water.  On the way, we passed a naval air station where they trained Harrier jet pilots. Fascinating to see those jets hover over the water then take off like a bat out of hell.  Swansboro was a pleasant surprise. We didn’t expect much but the place was terrific. Great marina, great owner, great little town. Everything you needed was within walking distance. Plus, we met a guy on the docks cleaning fish. He asked if we would like some and I said, “Sure, what kind of fish is this?” He told us they were Spot fish. Each one was about 8” long and very meaty. He said, soak them in milk, dredge them in a fish coating, and then pan sauté in peanut oil. We did and they were even better than perch. I never heard of Spot fish but if I ever see them again, I’m buyin’.

A white Herron we saw along the way

Next stop was Surf City in NC. Interesting trip. We needed to contact the Range Safety Officer at Camp Lajeune to find out if the ICW was open or closed for live fire exercises.  There were none scheduled so we journeyed forth.  We got to Surf City early enough to enjoy an 80 degree day, took a walk on the beach and ate some ice cream. Pretty cool. But as I said, all good things must end. The following day we departed Surf City and headed to Carolina Beach. Big change in weather. High winds, cloudy skies and a 20 degree drop in temperature. We went to the Federal Point Yacht Club. Pretty neat place. We are here for two days because it is too damn cold to proceed. Sunday will be better and we will head down to near Myrtle Beach. I’m getting excited about going south and seeing places like Charleston, Savannah, and St. Augustine. Stay tuned for more developments.