Day 208, "on the loop", 5/5/2023

Saturday, 4/29 - We had planned to stay in New Bern for 3 nights; however, based on weather reports, decided on 2 nights instead. Had we left Monday, as originally planned, we would have been in 2 - 3 ft seas with winds and after the Gulf experience ... never want to do that again!

We passed Oriental, NC - It is known as the Sailing Capital of North Carolina. There were several sailboats out on this day! Some loopers stopped in at Oriental, we chose Grace Harbor Marina @ River Dunes.

The sail on the boat below looked broken but apparently it is designed that way! The sailors on this boat were dressed in all white, appeared to be wind/waterproof type clothing. When we left New Bern it was muggy. About 2 hours into our journey, it turned cool and windy.

We arrived at Grace Harbor Marina @ River Dunes early enough for Joel to use the hot tub. We had dinner at the Yacht Club and boy was it delicious... one of the best meals we have had in a while. Enjoyed dinner with Long Gone 2 (Dan & Chris). This place is gorgeous (as Grammy use to say).

Map of Trip: New Bern Grand Yacht Club (New Bern, NC) to Grace Harbor Marina @ River Dunes (Oriental, NC)

Pic 2: Study @ the Yacht Club

Pic 3: The dining area at Yacht Club

Sunday, 4/30 - It rained most of the morning at Grace Harbor. I washed sheets and cleaned boat while Joel planned the next leg(s) of our trip. The sun came out just in time for a quick bike ride, see pictures below of this beautiful marina. Side note: It reminds me of the community the Weavil's live in (at Southport). There are still some lots available should anyone be looking for a retirement home or get away place!

Pic 5: Yawl's - a lunch place

Pic 6: Nice laundry room

Pic 9 & 11: The showers / bathroom - super nice!

Monday, 5/1 - First off, Happy Birthday, Kathy Jarvis! We hope you & Denny have a wonderful day celebrating you!

Map of Trip: Grace Harbor Marina @ River Dunes (Oriental, NC) to Belhaven Marina (NC)

See the area above (in red), where it looks like a zig zag (middle of the map)? That is where Joel changed course to get a better ride. When a wave hits the boat, that determines how the boat reacts, rolling, bouncy or smooth. With the waves approx. 2 - 3 feet, if they hit on the side of the boat (known as the beam), it makes for a rough (rolly) ride.

The winds picked up as we prepared to dock the boat (at the Belhaven marina). I was nervous (but Joel wasn't). We opened all the windows on the boat to allow wind to flow threw. With the high winds, we were being pushed away from the dock, the dock hand was amazing! He grabbed the lines, pulled us in close, walked the boat up the dock and secured it.

Side note: in the picture, can you see the uneven docks? This is what we call a marina with character.

Tuesday, 5/2 - Don't want to start this day off without a shoutout to Keyla Walker (aka KEY LIME), it's her birthday. I hope she is somewhere fun, kicking it up and celebrating! Happy Birthday, Keyla!

One crazy thing happened, a dock hand mistakingly untied our stern line, causing our boat to drift from the dock. Luckily, the bow and mid lines remained tied (and tight) holding the boat on the dock. Nothing horrible happened; however, it did change our strategy for exiting the boat. The dock is uneven; therefore, making it difficult for getting on / off of the boat.

This was a great day, Megan Delaney scheduled a call with us ladies (Danielle B., Doris D., Maria M., and me). Side note: The picture is small because I didn't ask for permission to take the picture to post. Plus, I wasn't looking my best! I was supposed to get a hair cut that morning. The hair salon was closed due to the stomach bug, Everyone else had a beautiful glow of happiness! It was great to connect and hear about what everyone has been up to these past few months. I really miss these ladies!

Joel assisted Long Gone 2 (Dan & Chris) with charts and loading some applications on iPads, etc.

Wednesday, 5/3 - Mid-morning, Arabella arrived in Belhaven. Before docking, they needed a pump out which was a bit challenging. Long story, short.... Arabella pulled in for the pump out when the winds picked up. Greg, the dock hand is a "pro" at moving boats. He turned Arabella around by pivoting them on the dock directed them to move over to the dock we are on. At first, the plan was to put Arabella in a 52 ft space (on the dock); but, Captain Capal wasn't comfortable wedging between two boats, so the dockhand (with the help of Dan (Long Gone 2), Doug (Soul Shine) and Joel assisted in docking Arabella (on a pivot) at the end of the dock with about 100ft of space.

Several people came to help!

Karen (Arabella) and I took the golf cart a mile into town to pick up a few groceries. Also stopped by the post office. We had a blast taking a little tour of Belhaven. We later walked by a couple of Boutiques and the Fancy Ace Hardware store. Side note: Fancy Ace Hardware store's (in our opinion) are stores with clothing, cookware, trinkets for the house and other fun decorative items.

Chris joined in on the fun, we grabbed a couple of pictures. Belhaven has crab figures all around their town (like St. Louis, MO has the b'day cakes, Fernandina, FL has shrimp figures and New Bern, NC had the bears, etc).

We had planned to have dinner at River Spoon; however, we learned it was closed on Wednesday's. We changed plans and went along with Long Gone 2 and Arabella to dinner at The Tavern at Jack's Neck.

Belhaven is the waterfront town in Beaufort County, North Carolina, and has had several names. Belhaven was originally called Matcha Pungo, the "river of many fish" by the Native American inhabitants. The town was known at various times as Jack's Neck and Belle Port (for beautiful door or harbor). In 1899, the town of Belhaven was officially incorporated.

A new Looper pulled in behind us at Belhaven. Their boat name is: Love on the Locks (Tim & Francie). They are on week 1 of their loop, started at Beaufort, NC. I think they will be on our path for the next couple of weeks. We look forward to traveling with them!

Thursday, 5/4 - Happy Birthday, Allison Marder Stickrod. I hope your travels have taken you to a wonderful place to celebrate your day!

There is a hole in the wall restaurant called The Farm Boy (in Belhaven), we tried to get biscuits for 2 days (they sell out quickly). The cook told us to arrive by 7 to get the biscuits! On our last day, we arrived with Arabella and Long Gone at the time the cook suggested and Guess what! The cook overslept and it would take 30 - 45 minutes to make the biscuits. We wanted to reach our next destination early because the winds were scheduled to pick up in the afternoon. So, we did not get the great biscuits that EVERYONE talks about. Arabella & Long Gone 2 departed at 7:30 am.

We had planned to depart with Arabella and Long Gone 2; however, we were blocked by another boat. We waited about 45 minutes; then, Dockhand Greg jumped into action, Greg & Joel walked the boat that blocked us back about 10 or so feet from us. Note: For non boaters, this is where dockhands grab the boat lines, and just move the boat using the lines only. This allowed a little room for Joel to maneuver, but not much as we had pilings on both sides and the end of a dock on our starboard (right) side. Greg held our stern line tight and pivoted us around. Boy, was I nervous! Our dinghy was basically touching the boat behind us and our bow was only a foot or so from the dock (to our right side). Captain Joel (w/ the help of Greg) turned the boat 180 degrees (in a tight space) and we went out bow first. Crazy, huh? Fellow loopers, if you plan to stop at Belhaven, NC - Greg is AMAZING! We saw him get people in and out of slips in some of the worst wind conditions we have seen, yet!

Pic 1 & 2 show the bow and obstacles. Pic 3 was Love on the Locks (before it was moved by 10 feet)

Map of Trip: Belhaven Marina (NC) to Alligator River Marina (NC)

*the area you see the large open water space is where we get concerned with winds and waves*

We made it to Alligator landing with no trouble. It was an easy day even with our late start. We traveled at a slower pace than we are use to and were the last of our group to arrive at Alligator marina. It ended up working out for us because Capal (Arabella) and Dan (Long Gone 2) assisted as dockhands since Alligator's dockhand was out due to a family emergency. The marina appeared to be in the middle of nowhere. We had to check in at the nearby gas station, also known for their friend chicken.

Picture below is the gas station and check in point for Alligator River Marina.

Yes!, You guessed it, that was dinner. Fried Chicken. All the loopers joined at the picnic tables and had a good ole southern fried chicken dinner.

Bama Breeze: Darlene & Rusty

Gennie Lou II: Cindy, Scott and Genna

Arabella: Karen & Capel

Long Gone 2: Chris & Dan

Summer Place: Us

Lioness (non loopers, just stopped in to say hi - Jo took the picture)

Interesting information about the area:

Alligator River wasn't named "Alligator" because of the alligators in the river, but because of the shape of the river itself.

A lighthouse is located on the marina property and is a replica of the Cape Hatteras lighthouse, on Hatteras Island, south east of Alligator River marina. The lighthouse was gifted to the previous owner who opted to have it put on the marina grounds instead of her home.

Friday, 5/5 - HAPPY CINCO de MAYO! A yearly celebration which commemorates the anniversary of Mexico's victory over the Second French Empire at the Battle of Puebla in 1862, led by General Ignacio Zaragoza.

What a week of celebrations!

Our front air conditioner unit went out, ugh! I will report on this next week; however, Joel is on it and has ordered a new unit. It will be shipped to Tim Stephan's house in Williamsburg. I bet Tim wished he had never gave out his home address. Our apologies in advance for all the packages!

Picture is something Joel is checking out related to the air conditioner.

Next stop: Lamb's Marina - Camden, NC.

Random Stuff & Other Information

New Bern, NC History

Founded in 1710 by the Palatines and Swiss under the leadership of Christoph von Graffenried. The colonist named their settlement after Bern, the Swiss region from which many of the colonist and their patron had emigrated.

The second oldest European settled colonial town in North Carolina, after Bath. It served as the capital of North Carolina from 1770 - 1792. After the American Revolution (1775 - 1783), New Bern became wealthy and quickly developed a rich cultural life. At one time New Bern was called "the Athens of the South," renowned for its Masonic Temple and Athens Theater which are still active today.

New Bern is the first state capital, home to Tryon Palace and birthplace of Pepsi Cola.

Pepsi was first known as the not-as-eloquent "Brad's drink," a local carbonated beverage concocted and sold in 1893 by Caleb Bradham in his downtown New Bern Drug Store. Despite growing the business to record levels. Bradham himself, however, enjoyed limited success. Bradham declared bankruptcy in 1923 due to a drastic drop in sugar prices. The company was sold to Craven Holding Company for $35K. Caleb Bradham returned to operating the New Bern drug store.

Tryon Palace, formerly called Governor's Palace. Served as the official residence and administrative headquarters of the British Governors of North Carolina from 1770 - 1775. Tryon Palace burned in February of 1798 due to a cellar fire (where hay was stored). The fire destroyed the main building, which collapsed; but, the Skitch and stable offices were saved. Today, Tryon Palace is available for tours and weddings.

Bears flags EVERYWHERE in New Bern!

We were curious about the bear statues and flags around Bern... well, here you have it:

In 1710, New Bern was founded by a group of settlers from Bern, Switzerland which was a city named after the first animal a group of hunters first came upon -- a bear. New Bern adopted the animal as a mascot and placed about 58 fiberglass, ceramic bears throughout the city during its 300th anniversary in 2010.

French 75 / Italian 75 - Who knew? In New Bern, we stopped in Bites & Barrels for a quick drink before dinner. Personally, I prefer the French 75, I like the champagne better!

• French 75 is made with gin, lemon juice, simple syrup and Champagne

• Italian 75 is made with Lemon juice (or limoncello), gin, agave syrup and Italian Prosecco

I forgot to mention Shackleford Banks when we were in Beaufort, NC. Shackleford Banks, the southern-most barrier island in Cape Lookout National Seashore is the home to more than 100 wild horses. They are feral or wild and smaller than an average horse, so almost like ponies. According to some legends, the Shackleford Banks herd is descended from Spanish Mustangs; horses that escaped from shipwrecks hundreds of years ago.

During our travels from River Dunes (NC) to Belhaven (NC), we passed some oyster beds. Using the binoculars, the markers in the water were marked with OYS (and some numbers), so we assume these are Oyster beds. In the pictures below, you can see someone on a boat near these beds. Assume he is managing the oyster beds.

Belhaven, NC has had their share of flooding:

The patio area at Belhaven marina was pretty cool, bar tables are made from crab pots. There was also a surf board table (not pictured). Side note: These are the pots, we work to avoid when boating!

During travels or various stops we (1st mates) communicate and keep in touch with other Loopers. You can see here my text w/ Long Gong 2 (checking on how far behind they are). Arabella is checking in with us, asking about the marina we just left (they decided due to winds / weather, they will not make Belhaven and looking for a closer marina). Captains communicate via the radio on a designated channel.

Whale Alert Application (free)

If you are on the East coast, or vacationing near the ocean, you can track movement of Whales. I haven't spotted one yet; however, it is really cool to see where they are passing through.

The blue dot is where I am (or your location if you have the app) and the "green" whale tale symbol indicates where a whale sighting occurred.

Closing with GREAT news!

Remember a while back, I shared that Donna Lynn had a boat fire in Bahamas. They were not hurt (thankfully), they have been home, in Canada, and working out all the details for that... they are doing well and just met their buddy boat: Anna Dee in Hilton Head. I was so happy to see their smiling faces!

From front left: Patti, Corbin, M.E. & Tommy :-)