Oriental, NC

As we were routing around the anchorage looking for a cozy spot, the depth sounder suddenly read 3.5 feet.  Just then a friendly voice from the nearby Sunrise came on the radio to tell us that there was a hump right where we were, so farther out we went, waving our thanks to the folks on Sunrise, and dropping the hook in a fine spot.  Soon afterwards the young couple and their bundled-up little girl rowed over in their dinghy saying they were the welcoming committee.  So sweet.  They told us that this weekend there were big doings in Oriental as it celebrates "The Spirit of Christmas" with a parade and hot food along the route, Christmas music and more.  Niiiice!

We continued settling in and saw a familiar schooner in full sail approaching the harbor -- our new friends on Ask For!   After dousing their sails, they motored by us and shouted, "What took you so long?"  The Canadians have a fun sense of humor AND they always laugh at our jokes, no matter how silly.

We watched the small town parade while munching on hot roasted chestnuts then ran into our Ask For friends.  They'd left her at the diesel dock during the parade then motored over to the town dock a hundred feet away.  Many people were still lined up on the street after the parade so turned to watch Ask For pull in.  One of the crew members, Paige was on the dock to catch the bow line, and Dave and another gentleman caught the stern line.  It was a bit of a squeeze so made for good entertainment which the onlookers seemed to enjoy.  In fact, one local gentleman said that this was better than the parade.  The townsfolk asked Tam many questions.  One man shook Tam's hand when he found out that Tam had built most of the boat himself.  It is quite a remarkable boat. 

Captain Tam surrounded by Lys, Mark and Paige (John not in photo)



Ask For's red spruce booms and masts



Paige climbs down the ladder after hanging the sleeping bags to air out

Ask For bow with sleeping bags

 That night we joined up with the Ask For crew for dinner at M & M's Cafe.  Judging by the crowd, it was popular with the locals.  I had Cajun catfish and Dave had crab-stuffed flounder.  Both were delicious.  It was wonderful to hear everyone's stories, especially the twenty-somethings, who are really just starting out on their larger journey.

After our savory meal, as we waddled to our boats, I asked Tam how he named his boat.  He said that a long time ago, a friend asked him if you could have any boat, what would it be like.  Tam described the features of the boat he'd like.  Soon after, a woman contacted him saying that her husband had passed away, but before he died, he'd built a skipjack hull, a favorite of Tam's.  At the time, Tam had a boat, and he knew it would cost a lot of money to finish building this boat, but something told him that this was meant to be.  He said that all along the way, even though he didn't know how he'd get it done or finance it, things continued to fall into place.  In a way, he says, he asked for this boat, and it came into his life.   Another influence was that Tam had read a book about a woman who wanted to have (and asked for) a baby for many years.  Finally she had the baby and named her "Ask For."  So Tam decided this would be a good name for his boat.

Seafood Marked Sign

The next morning we ran into them again at our favorite coffee cafe, The Bean, where we said our good-byes.  We headed south later that day, but they decided to do a little more provisioning in town and rest as they would go straight through Beaufort and head down the coast to Charleston where they were planning to cross the Gulf Stream to the Bahamas.  Fair winds, Ask For.  We hope to see you again.