Coastal North Carolina is an incredibly beautiful and accessible place... and when we finally arrived back at the boatyard in May and climbed onto the Wind-Lass, I was so glad to be back.
When we'd first arrived in Beaufort in late March, the weather had been colder than average and spring had not yet sprung. The landscape and the town center had a sort of deserted feel. Buds had just begun to appear on the trees and temperatures hovered in the fifties and even forties at night.
Rental car parked at Croatan National Forest near Beaufort, March 2013
After we'd arrived at the boatyard after four days on the ICW, our on-board heater quit working for good. At least it had happened then, we said, rather than while cruising down the still chilly waterway. I promptly drove to the nearest Dollar General and purchased a $15 electric space heater since we were now hooked up to shore power.
The next time we made the trip to the boat, the weather was perfect. Not too hot, not too cold, in the 70s during the day and high 60s at night. From our perch "on the hard", we could see the water of the ICW canal and enjoy the light coastal breeze.
Most importantly, though, the Wind-Lass was in great shape: dry and secure just as we had left her.
We spent the first day cleaning and doing maintenance, and then relaxing, our biggest outing a drive to the Harris Teeter in neighboring Morehead City to pick up groceries. And on the drive down from Richmond, we'd stopped in nearby New Bern to pick up some fresh fish for grilling on the back of the deck. I love that even on a sailboat, we can grill on our "deck".
The results did not disappoint: these were the best sheepshead (fish) tacos ever. I even whipped up some homemade fish taco sauce with this yummy recipe. Plus the avocados were definitely in season and the tortillas came from a tiny Mexican grocery store in New Bern. I could go on and on...
The next day we decided to take a drive and check out the nearest beaches. We headed for the barrier island which hosts the towns of Atlantic Beach to the north and Emerald Isle to the south, via a bridge across the Bogue Sound from Morehead City. This twelve-mile stretch of sand and surf has a number of public beach access points, such as this one.
On the island commercial development has been limited over the past decades so that although popularity grew, the height of the buildings did not. Private residences and vacation condos dominate, along with limited smaller hotels and a few mobile home parks.
The result is a beautiful and unspoiled beach, lightly strewn with seashells. We'd skipped the beach on Memorial Day after getting a taste of the traffic over the bridge, but when we returned the next day on Tuesday, we practically had miles of beach to ourselves.
I jokingly told Scotty he could just leave me there to write, read, and sun myself, and meet me back there in September. It really was that nice of a beach.
We also drove to the north end of the island to check out Fort Macon State Park, the second most visited state park in North Carolina (after Jockey's Ridge State Park in Nags Head). The beaches and sand dunes there appeared even more gloriously untouched and wild. And if you like learning about history, this old fort has quite a bit of it.
By late afternoon, the salty air had stoked our appetites and an inviting sign just before the bridge off the island caught our view: the Channel Marker Restaurant. This is the view of the Bogue Sound from their back deck.
We were still intending to eat later, so we settled on a beer each and appetizers: oyster chowder and coconut shrimp. The service was great and the food was simply amazing, if not cheap (our ticket came to $26, before tip). But I would go to the Channel Marker Restaurant again in a heartbeat, both for the food and the view.
Later that evening we had a totally different kind of dinner...
... at Eli's Drive-In restaurant!
The only other place I've been to like this is... well, I was going to say Sonic, but a fast food chain can't compare to a local institution like Eli's. This place was the real deal. A very pregnant waitress came out to the car, smiling politely as she took our meal order and returned fifteen minutes later with the food.
I didn't get any shots of the deliciousness because we chowed down right away, but it was really, really good. Scotty got the barbecue plate with pulled pork, baked beans and hush puppies while I had a fish sandwich and french fries. The perfect meal after a full day of sun and walking.
The third day in town, Scotty tackled the job of putting the boat's head (bathroom) back together while we waited for a good friend of mine from college to arrive for a visit. Though we talk on the phone every couple of months, I hadn't seen E in over two years since she flew to Juneau. It was so good to see her and catch up. Missing friends and family is without a doubt the hardest part of living in Alaska.
And before wrapping this thing up, here are some of the sights around historic downtown Beaufort:
Scotty and I actually went to this place with my mom back in March.
Scotty and me and the Backstreet Pub, March 2013
They don't serve hard liquor, only beer and wine. It seems to be a real local hangout... everyone knew everyone, except for us. They were friendly and one guy stopped to talk to us and find out what we were doing in town. But of course, they're used to seeing newbies like us since Beaufort is right on the ICW.
And we met one more friend before it was time to head out of town...
... a sulcata tortoise!
We were driving down the main road in Morehead City, when I spotted the unmistakeable shape of his shell in a grassy field and the small crowd that had gathered to admire him. "Scotty, STOP! A TURTLE!!" I exclaimed. Knowing full well about my turtle obsession, he just laughed and pulled over.
It turns out Franklin, the 60 year-old tortoise, weighs 100 pounds and is owned by local resident, Randy Gallagher. I lightly petted Franklin's head as he continued to munch clover in contented concentration. I may even have given him a little kiss... Here are more photos if you care to see and articles here and here about Gallagher and his tortoises.
After only four days in Beaufort it was time to fly back to Richmond to return the rental car and then hop on our respective flights with Scotty on his way home while I headed to Minnesota for a few days.
It's hard to believe we've been back from our trip to the East Coast for over a month now! While the time has flown by so far this summer, not a day goes by that I don't think about getting back to the boat and doing some more cruising.
I have a good feeling that this next year is going to bring us many more adventures...
¡Buen viaje!
