Beaufort/Moorhead City, N.C.

White Pepper left Charleston on a beautiful Sunday morning of July 6, 2008. The weather was excellent so we headed offshore to the Moorhead City inlet 200 n. miles to the NE. Fair winds and a following sea pushed us right along. The only problem was a few thunder storms as we approached Cape Fear.

After that the weather was gorgeous. This was to be White Pepper's last day at sea for several years. The winds were 10-15 knots on the starboard quarter. The waves were gentle 2-3 foot smooth rollers. It was almost as if the ocean was try to seduce us back. "Have I been so bad? See how beautiful I can be? Those bays and rivers you are going to will never make you happy. I never meant to hurt you. Please don't leave me." As dawn broke on the 8th we entered the Moorhead City inlet with very mixed emotions.

We skipped Moorhead City which is actually quite industrial and immediately turned into Beafort just a mile to the north. Beafort is for sailors. There are mooring balls and anchorage in Taylor Creek. The town itself is quite historic. It is the third oldest town in NC. It also has a dynamite nautical museum that boasts of being the most visited museum in North Carolina. I can see why. There is a restoration shop that you can visit and an extensive nautical library. Entry is donations only.

The historic district is nice. Most of the old home are made of wood. With a fresh coat of white paint I can not tell the difference between a house built in 1750 and one built in 1840. By the way James Taylor owns one of the old homes and is said to actually live in Beaufort. We did not see him.

We met lots of characters on the water front. One fellow, Marty, drove us to the Piggly Wiggly and was quite gracious. Thanks. We hiked in the Rachael Carson nature preserve. Older reader will member Rachael Carson as THE founding member of the green movement from her book "The Silent Spring." She did some of her early work in the dunes here.

Finally, we pulled up anchor and turned into the ICW. I was determined not to let Cape Hatteras have a shot at us. Oriental, on the Neuse River, was next.