Oriental NC

A couple of weeks ago, the captain decided it was time to untie Sun Daze from the dock and head somewhere.  Since we only had the weekend, we decided to make the trip to Oriental.  If we leave early am, we can usually be at the Oriental Marina there by 1 or 2 pm.  So that's what we did.  Left around 6am on Saturday and headed out of the Pungo River on the ICW.

I enjoyed my morning coffee while watching the sun peek over the horizon.  To me, this is the most wonderful time of day on the water... quiet, peaceful and such a joy.

The winds were very light, so no sailing.  Had to motor all the way, but that's okay.  We headed out of the Pungo, towards the Pamlico Sound and into the Pamlico River.  Then followed the ICW and entered Goose Creek.

Here we are passing Hobucken Coast Guard Station and the small fleet of shrimp boats docked there. 

Next was the Bay River, and then onto the Neuse River.   

Oriental is situated on the Neuse, and is known as the "Sailing Capital of NC". 

It's a small community with lots of charm, and laid back feel.  We pulled into Oriental Marina around 1:30pm.  It was a beautiful but hot! day, so after Sun Daze was secured, we headed over to The Bean (coffee/ice cream shop) for mango ice cream!!

We had dinner at the Toucan Bar and Grill, which is to the left of the shrimp boats in the pic above.  Enjoyed grouper and tuna, delicious!  After a walk around the town, we headed back to Sun Daze.  

This was a quick trip, so before sunrise the next day, we left the dock to head back home.  There was a lightning storm in the distance, and try as I might, I just could not capture the light show Mother Nature was providing for us.

I was using my tablet to take pictures (forgot my camera!), so only got one shot that captured the lightning.  

Even though the town is small, there are several huge shrimp boats here, and they were getting ready to head out as well. 

Once again, even with the early morning storms, the water was calm, so no sailing heading back home, but look at that stillness...absolutely beautiful.

This trip was short and sweet, with two goals.  One was relaxation, and the other...see what else we need to do on Sun Daze. We wanted to test out the boat for any snags, and Sun Daze performed wonderfully.  Only a few minor things are needed before it is time to take off again.  It was good to be back on her after all these months.  A beautiful relaxing weekend!  Can't wait until the next trip!

Until next time...

Enjoy!