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.