Going to Indiana; watching Tyler was a surprise to him, he did not know we were coming. As Tyler drove into his driveway and saw us he raised his hands up and said, “No way!” Over the next few days we were in awe of the determination, skill and poise that he showed in the tournament. We were excited to watch the competition, it was fun to watch Tyler with his friends and doing something; wakeboarding that he loves.When all was said and done Tyler came in 6th in the WORLD.

After being with Tyler and his family we headed for Texas. Ron has had some consulting work at the fiberglass plant he retired from. We heard and started watching the weather in anticipation of Hurricane Irene hitting the East Coast, not just anyplace, somewhere about 14 miles from where Pale Moon was sitting at the dock. We felt confident in how we had left Pale Moon at the dock but as time passed and reports came in and we heard about the possibility of Irene being a category 3 or 4 that confidence started to wane. Our neighbor and the staff at the marina doubled up the lines on the dock did what they could to help her be safe and we all waited. Ron was feeling that sick feeling in his stomach and we both felt helpless, we could do nothing but wait. Irene did bring alot of rain and wind. The towns around where Pale Moon is had about a 9.5 water surge and wind gusts of up to 115. We were not able to hear for a couple of days if Pale Moon had survived or not and then a friend of a friend went to the dock to give us a report. We are so grateful, Pale Moon does not seem to have suffered any damage from the hurricane. We will be traveling back to NC in the next week or so and we will both be smiling as we open up and air her out. We were safe in Texas during Hurricane Irene, I bet Pale Moon has a story to tell all her own.

The only way to reach Ocracoke Island is by ferry, boat or private plane. The lack of a bridge gives the island a remote feel. Most of the island is un-developed and part of Cape Hatteras National Seashore. The island has beautiful beaches, a maritime forest, campgrounds and a population of wild ponies. Most people ride around town on bicycles, golf carts or walk. We had our bikes on board Pale Moon and we bike all over town and to the beaches. The island has many rental places, there are water sports, a historic museum and a hiking trail.

I was not disappointed, the island was well worth the wait. We stayed at the National State Park Docks. Many of Ocracoke’s attractions are simple and unfettered, not so many of the usual tourist trappings. We took walks on the beach looking for sea shells, we visited the working Ocracoke Lighthouse, bike to the coffee shop in the mornings, walked to the center of town in the evenings and listened to the different genres of music coming from the different restaurants. You get the idea…. Now I am thinking about when we can plan our next trip to Ocracoke…..

Ocracoke is called the “Pearl” of the Outer Banks and we can see why.

We have been by car to Oriental a few times this month, Oriental is one of our favorite places to visit. We went with friends from New Bern to Atlantic Beach the Thursday before July 4th. We are planning a trip to Ocracoke weather permitting next week. My birthday has come and gone for another year, Ron makes the whole month of July special for me and the day of my birthday was fun. We spent part of the day going to some flea market shops. I found two flute books and spent 53 cents. I was happy. We took a sunset cruise on the water in the dinghy, we bought fresh shrimp from the shrimp boats in Oriental and stopped by a farmer’s market on the way back to Pale Moon. The evening meal was fresh shrimp and fresh corn cooked on the grill. Mmmm so good, eating on the upper helm, conversation; knowing we are so blessed!

Tomorrow we will go shopping and provision the boat for our trip next week. We are both excited to be traveling again for a few days.

We have moved to a different marina, Northwest Creek Marina about 6-7 miles from New Bern. Since we will be here during hurricane season it is important to make a plan. Northwest Creek is a natural hurricane hole and if there is a named storm we do not have to move Pale Moon off the dock. The staff at Northwest Creek has been very friendly and professional. We put our name on a waiting list because the marina is usually full. What was great is that the staff actually moved some boats around in the marina to accommodate the fact that we needed a starboard bow in slip. We can drive into New Bern within 15 minutes to go to church, shop or just walk around downtown. It is easier to leave Pale Moon here and have her looked after if we have to plan a quick trip.

I have a cousin, Sandy that travels for her job on the East Coast at times.  Last Thursday Sandy drove 2 hours to come and see us and meet for dinner. We so enjoyed the visit and getting caught up on some family conversation. We both found ourselves smiling as we had some things in common that can only be inherited. Thanks Sandy for the visit! Someday we hope you will bring your family and we can take you out on Pale Moon for the day.

The pictures are of random shots over the past two weeks. The full moon one night was so beautiful! It is hard to believe that another month is coming to an end.

Coinjock is also known as Church’s Island by locals because of a decayed church that was once a landmark of the tiny community. Coinjock is bordered by Currituck Sound to the east; the North River lies to the west. Residents suggest the name Coinjock is of Native American origin referring to mulberries, which might have been prevalent in the area many years ago. There are no mulberry trees there now.

Coinjock Marina Restaurant has been a favorite of locals and traveling yachtsmen alike since 1978.

Serving only the freshest local seafood available, the Coinjock Marina Restaurant is also known as “Home of the 32oz prime rib”. While sitting on the upper helm we hear a helicopter noise and there on the back lawn of the restaurant the helicopter landed. You never know what we might see next.

We crossed the Albemarle Sound the next day and settled in at Alligator River Marina. We stayed there two days, the first day we started out and were greeted on the radio by some fellow boaters(friends from New Bern) coming from the south telling us that the smoke coming in from Stumpy Point was too thick on the water to navigate through. We turned around and delayed our trip south for a day. Vicarious hailed us on the radio as they were coming through Alligator River Bridge and we chatted for a few minutes and walked down to the edge of the sound spotting their sail boat and watched them as they started their trip north across the sound. Always great to hear from good friends!

While we were in Great Bridge, Va at Atlantic Yacht Basin last month I noticed and took a picture of an older wooden boat called a Trumpy. The boat was out of the water and restoration work was being completed. Yesterday when we arrived at Atlantic Yacht Basin we noticed that the Trumpy was in the water, the Coast Guard was there for an inspection. Ron talked to the dock-master and he said that this boat’s name was actually Sequoia and was at one time the Presidential Yacht. I was able to take a few pictures and then we walked along the dock to get a closer look. Presidents from Herbert Hoover , Franklin D Roosevelt, J F Kennedy and Ronald Regan to name a few were on and used the Yacht. The boat is now owned by a private company.

http://www.sequoiayacht.com/

Today was just on of those days we so enjoyed being out on the water. Hope you enjoy the pictures!