One of the things we enjoy about traveling in our slow trawler, is that we get to see things that others speed past. It’s a bit like riding a bike along a rural road vs speeding down the road in a fast automobile. Sure, your car will get you to your destination a lot quicker, but if you travel by bike (or slow boat), you get to experience the trip in nature’s 3D!

For example, last week, we spent several nights at Homer Smith’s Marina in Beaufort, NC. First of all, the marina lives up to its name in so many ways: small, quirky, comfortable, and welcoming. But beyond the confines of the marina, Beaufort is a true North Carolina treasure. We thought we’d spend a night there and move on, but we felt we needed another day to soak up a bit more of the essence of the town (we could have stayed a month). Here are a few pics from our stay:

Beauford, North Carolina

We left Beaufort and Homer Smith’s this morning via the Intracoastal Waterway (ICW) and ran 60 miles north to Belhaven, NC another wonderful small town with its own unique personality. It feels a bit like Mayberry, NC – but on the water. There’s a barbershop, a mercantile, a couple of restaurants, and a bar or two. People stop to say hello and take the time to chat. Pics from a short walk around Belhaven:

Belhaven, North Carolina

Now, here’s the rub in this story. If the weather had been good for a 5 day offshore passage, we would have left Fort Pierce last week, jumped in the Gulf Stream (the Atlantic Ocean’s I95) and powered all the way up to Block Island. Last week we were cursing the weather Gods for making us to take the slower coastal route north. Today we’re thanking those same Gods for giving us the opportunity to experience a few of the small and wonderful ports along our path. Thank you, Neptune, for slowing us down!