Beaufort, NC

(That's "Beaufort" that rhymes with "knowfrt" not "Beaufort" that rhymes with "youfrt" which is in SC.)
Finally I'm getting up to date.  We had an uneventful motor to Beaufort on Sunday, leaving Oriental in the afternoon so as to time the two 65-foot bridges at low tides.  We anchored in Beaufort just before sunset.  Hard to believe that we've already been here for five days.  The anchorage here is convenient to town and an easy row to the dinghy.  Spent a couple of afternoons looking for and mailing the kids' Christmas presents.  (When they see them, they'll probably wonder what took so long.) 

Visited the North Carolina Maritime Museum where we watched a video about that notorious pirate, Blackbeard, who terrorized the local waters and towns 300 years ago.  His flagship, Queen Anne's Revenge, went aground and sank off of the Beaufort inlet.  Researchers have found what they believe are the remains of the ship.  Originally hired by the British government as a "privateer" (outsourcing military jobs?) to rob French ships during Queen Ann's War, he turned to pirating for his own profit after the war.  One of his most notable tirades was the blockading of the the Charleston Harbor where he plundered ships in the harbor for gold, silver and slaves as well as medicine from the city.  Here is a link that tells more:  http://www.vleonica.com/blkbeard.htm  Fascinating history! 

Though not glitzy, Beaufort is mostly a tourist town.  It was hoppin' in the summer, but is oh-so quiet in the winter with only the Beaufort Docks and a few restaurants and shops open.  I'm wondering if the town will shut down completely after Christmas.  Greater Beaufort stretches north of town and right across the bridge is Moorhead City, both with many amenities.  We taxied to Moorhead City yesterday to West Marine to purchase some needed items.

Something that happened a week or so back while sailing was that our halyard for the jib (small forward sail) broke probably due to chafe, so we bought a replacement halyard.  The diesel filter is again showing some "gunk," so we bought some tank cleaner and will change filters.  While motoring in the Dismal Swamp, we bounced off a few unseen logs so the stuffing box along the drive shaft was dripping more than it should.  We adjusted that yesterday.  The day before yesterday, we turned on the generator and it immediately shut down.  Suspecting it was a blown fuse, we were determined to fix it ourselves.  Unfortunately the control box is in an inconvenient place.  If we open the refrigerator motor compartment located above the generator, we can roll out the motor on its sliding shelf making space above the generator.  Then we open the generator door below and put a towel on top of the generator.  I put my hands above my head and "dive" forward into the compartment and lay atop the generator to access the control box at the rear.  It took over an hour to find the culprit, a tiny 2-amp fuse in a green plastic holder, but we changed it, and it runs like a champ now. 

An Inconvenient Fuse

Our buddy, Jeff, is in the midst of a job repairing and delivering a boat and has a family visit at the holidays so won't be able to meet us until after Christmas.  At first a little disappointed in having to delay agian, we now realize that we have many tasks to keep us busy until then.  Also unlimited hot-water $4 showers are just a short dinghy ride away!   And though it's turned cold the last couple of days, earlier in the week it was a delightful 71 degrees.  Beaufort's location benefits from warm breezes coming off of the Gulf Stream that passes not far offshore.  Dave is itchin' to continue south, so we may travel to Charleston, SC, where Jeff can meet us to make the hop to the Bahamas.   We're weighing the options.  Meanwhile we're safe and sound in sunny Beaufort.