Oriental

It was a beautiful day in Oriental. The sun shone bright and kept the temperature comfortable all day. We did some more shopping. Our first stop was the farmer's market where we bought a bunch of bakery: pumpkin and cream cheese roll, bread, cookies, jam and a shrimp quiche. Next stop, the fish market for shrimp and haddock. A little further down the block, we stopped for post cards. Then the bank to use the ATM. Lastly, the hardware store for propane and rat poison.

Foreign Affair at Oriental Town Dock

We aren't sure, but we think we might have picked up a stowaway yesterday as we heard some unusual noises under our bed last night. The fish processing plant and shrimp boats are right next to us and it is possible rats are in the area. We've known others who have found rats on their boat around fishing vessels or restaurants. The trash cans for the city dock are only a few feet from our boat. So, we set a rat trap and laid out some rat poison below the cabin sole. We'll see what happens.

We invited our neighbors over for dinner. Doug and Sandy are on a Mainship trawler, D & S Adventures. They are retired and have been actively cruising but aren't headed south. Their boat is new to them and they are taking shakedown cruises in the area. They are from North Carolina and are headed for New Bern for a few days before heading home. Doug was a life -long sailor until he recently had knee replacements and decided to switch over to power boats. He has been to the Bahamas and gave us some good tips on anchoring. They plan to head north next summer and do the Northern Triangle: Albany - Lake Ontario - Montreal. We suggested they join the America's Great Loop Cruisers' Association to get more information on the route and helpful contacts. They are already members of the Marine Trawler Owners Association (MTOA),

The weather looks good tomorrow. So, we'll try to get about 50 miles in before we drop anchor.