Breaking Free: Leaving Oriental (Eventually)
"Come for a day, a week, or... FOREVER."
Okay, okay, so that's not quite how the town of Oriental's tagline goes. It's really this:
“Come for a day, a night, or for a lifetime!”
For us, it felt like forever. Once we finally installed our new air conditioner and spent a glorious week basking in the luxury of shore power, we knew our time in Oriental was ticking down. The breeze of adventure was calling, but let's be honest—air conditioning makes it hard to say goodbye.
Our slip contract was up on August 1. The night before, we toasted our final "Wet Your Whistle Wednesday" with the other liveaboards at the marina. The next morning, armed with a to-do list as long as our stay in Oriental, we tried to rally ourselves to leave. But Oriental wasn't ready to let us go, and neither were we. Another day wouldn't hurt, right? So we stayed.
The dock cats became a highlight during our time in Oriental. Dock cats are feral, like barn cats, but the town is working to capture, spay/neuter, give proper vaccinations, and either adopt out social cats or put the non-social cats back to work on the docks. We brought cat treats to say goodbye to these feral cuties.
With an extra 24 hours, we indulged in one last visit to The Bean, fed the dock cats, and tackled the stragglers on our checklist. August 2 dawned with us humming Hotel California—because, let's face it, "you can check out any time you like, but you can never leave."
We finally pulled away from the dock and made our way upriver to Broad Creek, where some new friends had kindly offered us a spot at their dock. There, we reunited with our buddies on SV Ada, who had been chilling there for a month.
After a wonderful dinner together in Jerry and Donna’s home, we cleared the table to play 4-Card Golf, a card game. Chris won with an impressive score of -6!
Our plan was simple: stay the night and head north on August 3. But then, the siren song of The Bean's Black Cherry ice cream called out to us. What's one more indulgence? So, we piled into our friends' van, made a beeline for The Bean, and savored every last bite of that sweet, sweet cherry goodness. By the time we returned, the weather had shifted, and so had our plans. Just one more day, we thought.
Ewan and Donna share a love for The Bean’s Black Cherry ice cream. One last ice cream cone before we leave!
August 4 arrived with even more ominous skies. But with Tropical Storm Debby on the horizon, we knew we had to make a break for it. So, on that day, we finally cast off the lines and broke free from Oriental's quirky, magnetic pull. The weather held up—mostly—until the heavens opened up, and Chris found himself at the helm in the middle of a downpour. He powered through, and we eventually reached our anchorage, drenched but free.
We had hoped to stay just outside the edge of the rain, but the clouds caught up and we got WET! Good thing Alison’s foul weather gear was handy for Chris to keep his torso dry in the downpour.
This is to say that we really enjoyed our time in Oriental, and we plan to visit again. We’ll likely visit many more times in the future. We all had a hard time saying goodbye to the town and the people. It’s a great place to find so many sailors and cruisers and is a very boat-friendly area!
Where to next? Elizabeth City, then crossing our wake in Norfolk by way of the Dismal Swamp!