Oriental to Beaufort, NC

We finally left lovely Oriental, NC on Saturday, December 20. After such great hospitality, including a Christmas town parade and party, a party with the WINOS and a Wine Tasting event, we thought we should leave now or just stay permanently.

Oriental officially has more boats than people (3 to 1). Slightly less than 900 residents, Oriental boasts a lengthy number of social events and activities. Great restaurants, excellent shopping, art galleries, outdoor excursions -a great destination. Many of the retirees share their experience of visiting by boat (some by car) and liking the area so much that they decided to retire here.

The name of this nautical town is unusual, and the unusual story behind it is fitting. While fishing one day in 1870, Lou Midyette found shelter from a storm at the center of five creeks. He liked the area so much that he and his family settled there and the town of Smith's Creek began. A few years later, Rebecca Midyette, Lou's wife, was visiting a friend in Manteo when she spotted the name board for the USS Oriental, which sunk in a storm off the Outer Banks in 1862. She considered it a great name for her home town, and residents agreed. The town of Oriental was formed in 1899.

Befitting its name, Oriental also has the Oriental Dragon. Each New Year's Eve, the dragon becomes active, leading a parade and appearing at activities throughout the day and evening. Permanently, this beautiful dragon lives in the Duck Pond by the Town Docks.

We enjoyed our time in Oriental, but we needed to resolve several boat issues and prepare the boat to go off shore. Pete, owner of Seacoast Marine Electronics, has our chart plotter functioning properly (well, mostly) and installed Sirius Weather and Radio. Deaton's Boat Yard arrived promptly both times we called them. We really appreciate Joe Valinoti, an experienced sailor and delivery captain, for spending time with us and with Lapidus, sharing his knowledge and skills. He and his wife Paula graciously involved us in Oriental's activities.

Now that we are in Beaufort (Bo-furt), we are taking care of some smaller projects ourselves as well as rearranging items and supplies to make room for two crew members. Seasoned sailors Patrick Gould and Jim Scheer will be joining us as we sail to the Bahamas. Patrick, a retired scientist from the west coast, sailed the Pacific for mnay years and has ocean crossing experience. Jim, retired from R&D in radar and now teaching radar for Georgia Tech, also has extensive sailing experience. We found them through networking in Oriental. They live close by in the New Bern area and we're glad for them to join us. Our plan is to sail off shore as the weather permits. Four of us to share watches and chores will add safety and enjoyment to this adventure. We're looking for a weather window on or soon after December 30.

Beaufort, an historic seaport established in 1722, has its own charm. We'll share more after we have a chance to check it out.