Swansboro

It rained much of the night which was good because Carla had washed the decks using our anchor wash-down pump to draw water from the river which is brackish. The fresh rainwater was a great rinse and Foreign Affair sparkled in the late morning sunlight. It was still raining when we woke and it looked like it would continue raining or another hour or so. We decided to just stay put and wait for better weather tomorrow. We had a number of chores to do and with the temperatures forecast to reach the high 60s with sunshine, this was as good a place as any to do them.

Cleaning the Dodger

Carla worked in the galley cleaning and arranging things while it rained. We watched a movie while waiting for the temperature to rise. After lunch, Carla began cleaning and polishing the dodger which really needed some TLC. Dwayne took a nap in the cockpit.

Peace and Quiet, a Canadian sloop, dropped anchor near us and we got to briefly visit with them. They are headed to the British Virgin Islands for the winter. We'll probably travel together some tomorrow. There are a couple of trouble spots due to shoaling  which we have to negotiate. A lead boat can give soundings to one following which really helps. Like us, they have no place they have to be in the next week or so.

Peace and Quiet - Canadians Heading to the British Virgin Islands

We eventually launched the dinghy and headed into Swansboro to explore a little. We discovered the older houses had placards on them listing the date of construction and original owner's name. We enjoy towns that do this as it helps us get a sense of their history and growth.

James Thomas Bartley House Privy - 1890

At 3:58 p.m. we stopped at Dairy Queen for their $5 lunch special which ran until 4 p.m. Carla had the chicken strips, fries, drink and sundae. Dwayne had the burger, fries, drink and sundae. After DQ we went to Piggly Wiggly to get some provisions: milk, beer, lettuce, tomatoes and apples. We returned to Foreign Affair just before dark and ran the generator for an hour to charge up our house batteries and electronic gear. Dwayne did another Rosetta Stone German lesson. We spent the rest of the evening reading. The forecast for tomorrow is sunny and a high of 68. Sounds good to us.