Where in the world is Done Diggin’?

New Bern, North Carolina, that’s where, a scenic little port town a bit off the Intracoastal Waterway on The Neuse River.  We wanted to visit New Bern on our first trip down the coast in 2018, but the town was recovering from Hurricane Florence at the time.  As is the case with other towns we’ve stopped at, most of the restaurants and shops are closed now because of COVID-19, but the closures don’t take away from the charm of this historic town.

There are some restaurants doing take out and a few shops are starting to open (if they sell wine, they’re considered “essential” we’re told), and our friends Bruce & Grace on Seas Today live here at the marina, so we’ve been here relaxing and visiting for a week now.  The marina is just outside town so it’s easy to walk and bike around the town and adjacent park, it’s as good place to be as any as we wait for restrictions to decrease and temperatures to rise as we move north. Our plan was to leave today, but there are big winds predicted out on the rivers we’ll need to travel tomorrow, so we decided to sit until Sunday when the winds die down.

Before this pause we moved north enjoying mostly sunny days and smooth waters.  We’ve stayed in marinas all except one night, we anchored out in Mile Hammock Bay which is pretty much in Camp Lejeune; boaters need to check the firing schedule for the marines in training before committing to anchoring there – for obvious reasons!  We get off the boat to walk or bike and take trips to grocery stores when transportation is available, careful to wear masks and gloves, and there’s not much more to do!  Other boaters at the docks are always friendly and respect each other’s space and we’ve run into a few loopers along the way.  At a stop in Morehead City, we were introduced to “little beers”; which is a Looper thing.  We’d heard of them but never tried them before.  They look like little beers and taste like vanilla ice cream.  Yummy.  And one is enough.

So, not much more to say really.  We still hope to be home around Memorial Day or shortly thereafter; I talked with the people that manage our mooring and they’ll get it ready for us soon.  I hope all our friends and family are staying healthy and as happy as possible in this strange time we’re living in.

Until next time,

Captain Dan & Cruise Director Jodi