posted by Ardys
We took a few days break away from the plodding ICW for some relaxation time in Oriental, NC. I think we would be hard pressed to find a more welcoming little port! 900 residents and 3000+ boats! Oriental is known as the “Sailboat Capital of North Carolina.” (Hmmm, first we were in Annapolis, the Sailboat Capital of the country and now this capital. Will we stumble across the sailboat capital of each coastal state as we go?) In addition to sailboats, there are huge shrimping boats and other fishing boats and trawlers that work the waters here. Blackbeard is said to have died in this area. I actually did find Blackbeard’s Treasure in a little old house a couple blocks from the waterfront. It’s not that hard to find--it's even on the map! And we found dragons. Dragons everywhere, in keeping with the town's name. If Oriental had a professional ball team, it would most certainly be the “Dragons.”
Oriental is 45 miles inland from the Atlantic Ocean. The Pamlico Sound and some other cities (Morehead City, Beaufort) separate Oriental from the Outer Banks which takes the brunt of any big storms off the ocean. The ICW channels tend to be narrow for sailing and so we once again, motored to get here. I counted 11 marinas on the little map that I picked up in the provisioning store by the waterfront in Oriental. Eleven! Plus, the town dock offers free dockage for up to 6 boats for 48 hours. There’s no power or water hook-up there, but the free dock right in the heart of the little town is very nice. The marine store offered to loan us bicycles so we could get groceries, a mile away from the harbor. Everywhere we turned, we met very friendly, helpful people who provided us with great directions or ideas about things we might enjoy seeing in the village. Clearly, this is a town that appreciates the business of the cruising community. 
We anticipated that we would run into some of the same sailors over and over as we go down the coast and Oriental proved that in spades. A sailing couple that we met in Annapolis this summer, saw us motor into the harbor and came by to welcome us. We enjoyed dinner with them at M & M’s Restaurant where the baby back ribs were marvelous. The next day, another couple that we met at Port Annapolis pulled in for an overnight and when we went over to say ‘hi’ we were invited to have dinner with them and a group of their friends. Today, we were visited at our boat by a couple who recognized our boat as having belonged to old sailing friends of theirs. While talking with them, another gentleman was lingering nearby to introduce himself. He’d been told there was a boat from Duluth, MN on the dock, and he had to come right over. His wife is from Duluth and ours was the first Duluth boat he’s seen here.
While in Oriental we decided to post our blog on some sailing Facebook groups that we belong to. Why had we not thought of taking advantage of this fantastic means to meet other sailors before this? Immediately, we heard from another sailor saying she was in Oriental at the coffee shop, The Bean. just across the water from our boat at the city dock. We already visited this coffee shop a few times previously, but popped in again to introduce ourselves to her.
The Bean coffee cafe has to be the Cheers bar of the sailing world, “where everybody knows your name.” Great conversations happen at The Bean, both inside and out on its' broad front porch--civil discussions about politics, inquiries about the health of community residents and, as one would expect, lapses into boat talk. A popular past time at The Bean is to take note of the parade of sailors coming into port. The more elegant boats may be subjected to a bit more scrutiny, particularly when carrying a dinghy large enough to qualify as a power boat complete with bucket seats and steering wheel. I was privy to the following thoughtful commentary by two long-time sailors on just such an occasion—“But you know, if I had a wheel on my dinghy I’d feel like a pussy.” His companion contributed a chuckle and a head nod of affirmation. You don’t hear these kind of discussions just anywhere, you know. 
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