DAYS 281-282 : Beaufort NC to Oriental

Beaufort NC to Oriental: 6.8 mph; 23.2 miles; 3:25 hours


MM 181: Oriental NC

Two FREE 48 hour docks with a self-pump-out-station. It was around 30 degrees last night (glad to have Heater Jim with me). 


Zimmerman’s Marina is a hop away, literally .07 miles from the free dock, with transient slips ($1.25/ft), a maintenance/repairs facility, and courtesy car.


Sweet little town, population around 800, friendly, and very quiet. The tourism board does a lot to coax people in for weddings, outdoor movies/concerts, seasonal celebrations, and art festivals. I bet there's a little more happening on the weekends in the warmer months. March is NOT one of those months. The town is about a square mile so everything is within walking distance. 


We met Sailor Pete from Austria on the dock and he caught up with us for dinner. He's part of a sailing group called SOS: Singles On Sailboats which I find pretty cool - like minded people having fun and helping each other out. Two more SOS members met up with us as well. Great folks and fun conversation. One SOS member, Heidi, I had run into earlier in the day at Art Works. Over dinner, we talked about a lot of different art techniques and I learned a few things about fiber art. 


Around Town

M&M’s Cafe was the only restaurant open when we arrived on a Monday. The food was decent and your glass is filled to the brim. 


We also spent time in Art Works; the ultimate she shed! We met Carla and she showed us around the gallery offering a detailed background of the artists. There is a QR code next to each piece of art so you can learn even more about each artist and his/her creation. This would be classified as a fine arts studio with resident artists at work. Like I said, the ultimate She Shed! Carla is a fiber artist and her work is crazy good. Art Works also sells art supplies. 


The Bean is a little coffee and ice cream shop at the end of one of the free docks - great Americano!


The Inland Waterway Treasure Company is another art gallery of local artists at the end of the dock; closed Monday and Tuesday - a story thread for this trip. 


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