next day south….

We left Oriental and headed to Swansboro around 8:00. Our friend Mervin left about an hour ahead of us as he was attempting to set up to go offshore the next day. The day was present but chilly. As we approached Morehead City, I received a radio call from Mervin. He had run aground on a flat where several channels converged. It was a very confusing area to attempt to read. Lots of ship traffic.

The tide was coming in and he was able to get off before we reached him. He decided to follow us for awhile.

The ride down the coast was pleasant. Sun shining and temps were beginning to go up.

When we reached Swansboro we approached our chosen Marina for the evening, Caspers Marina and Melvin headed further south to find an anchorage.

Swansboro is another water town. Nice restaurants and shops along the waterfront. Visited the Icehouse Bar and Grille and one other one but we stayed too long at the first bar for me to remember the second bars name…..Susan was the first to the bar….ok she had stepped away for a moment…..

And she found a friend when we were leaving…

Nice town to visit. You can walk everywhere.

When we returned to the boat, we met a new arrival on a sailboat headed to a warm area to do some maintenance on his boat. He was sharing a radio conversation he was listening to between the Coast Guard and a boater who had run aground and was taking on water. It was a single handed fellow traveling with his dog……. we knew immediately who it was. It was Mervin. He struck something underwater that ripped a hole in the bottom of the boat. He was working with TowBoat to try to get it into the marina so he could make repairs. He would keep us informed. The best news is that he and his dog were rescued safely.