On Monday, May 2, we left Marina Grande Dunes in Myrtle Beach, SC and headed north arriving at Sailcraft Service in Oriental on Wednesday, May 4. Yes, we traveled 180 miles in three long days and the captain was thrilled to be back at the helm! Jim wanted to check the bottom paint -- remember we were doing that project in frigid December. Yes, it was OK; however, we added another coat for extra protection. We actually did some other chores when we weren't socializing with Jim and Laurie on S/V Kismet; they were really working like dogs. As you can see, Alex thought napping was the sensible way to cope with sitting on jack stands out of the water.

On Wednesday, May 18, we cruised from one creek in Oriental to another and checked into the Oriental Marina where we relaxed for five days. On Monday, May 23, we cruised about 26 miles up the Neuse River to New Bern, NC. We had been there by car many times; however, we thought docking there would fun.

On Wednesday, May 25, Jim drove to the condo to attend his grandson's high school graduation. Su shopped and lunched with Brenda who drove over from Morehead City Su toured Tryon Palace, shown above, which was the North Carolina government house, built between 1767 and 1770. Royal Governor William Tryon represented the British crown; it later became NC's home to its elected governors and site of the state legislature's first meetings. The Palace was destroyed by a fire in 1798 and was reconstructed in the 1950s using the original architect's drawings and extensive documentation and archaelogical evidence.

On Sunday, May 29, we cruised back down the river with a 2-day stop in Oriental to visit with Jim and Laurie and our friends from Australia, Peter and Gail, who had just arrived from FL. On Monday, May 31, we left Oriental on our trek north to the Chesapeake Bay for the summer. And as we headed further north, the temperature rose into the high 90s with a heat index of 110!!!