After a good nights sleep on Thursday night, having enjoyed the fresh provisions acquired in Ocracoke, we took the dinghy into town and enjoyed a nice little walking tour around town. The island has a nice little web app designed for the mobile phone (http://www.ocracokenavigator.com) that we used to check out some high points of the island while we walked around in search of breakfast. Unfortunately, many of the businesses were still closed because of the flooding, however we wandered into the Ocracoke Coffee Co and got a good cup to fortify us until we found a gas station/convenience store with a grill in back were we enjoyed a nice breakfast.
I was bummed that Teach's Hole was closed. I had hoped to be able to peruse the Blackbeard exhibit, and maybe get a new jolly roger for the Black Dog. It was not to be though, and I will need to save that for another trip. After a late breakfast (probably more like lunch), it was back to the boat and anchors up and back out to Pamlico Sound. After our struggles with the channel the evening before we decided to do what we found that other sailors do. we sat back and watched what the ferry did, and then followed that course. The channel in does not seem to follow the fixed markers (we saw waves breaking on a shoal in the middle of the "marked" channel), so caution is always advised there, and one should keep an eye out for floating markers, which seemed to get moved and placed as appropriate.
It was a good day for sailing in the sound, and we had a nice one on our way to Oriental for three or four hours. Eventually the wind shifted though, and we had to motor on to Sea Harbor Marina, where we were to leave the boat for the time being. Lisa, the dock master, was very nice, and she helped us out a lot, from advice on a vent problem to a ride into town later on. The facilities in the marina are also very nice, and I has able to enjoy a nice, hot, "Hollywood" shower before we went into town for dinner. After dinner, we had a brief walk around Oriental, and then Lisa was kind enough to pick us up and drive us back to the marina.
We were up early on Saturday, and did a three hour field day on the boat, both topside and below decks. Additionally, the fuel was topped off, along with the water, so things will be ready to go when Bob and Ronda go back up to move her a little farther down south.
It was another great trip, and a learning one for me as well. I got practice docking, as well as anchoring. As always, I am looking forward to the next adventure on the finest Island Packet to terrorize the Carolina Coast.
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