We ended up staying a few nights; the sun protection on the jib sail was coming loose, and when Susan and JP took it down to stitch it, they found a lot more of the thread gone than they expected. On Thursday, we checked with the sail loft on site and they were fully booked (read: already behind on existing commitments) but we found Inner Banks Sail Loft not far away, and they agreed to give it a go. Knute at WCYH took us and the sail over to them, and indeed by noon on Friday they had it out, dried, fixed and beautifully folded, and JP caught a ride with another marina denizen to pick it up.
Thursday night we ate a really good meal at Broad Street Grill (they also picked us up and brought us back to the marina), got dropped off in town in the pouring rain on Friday, had lunch, and when the sun came out, took a rather hot walk back to Whittaker Creek. The deck light had also died, so Knute ordered a new one and a spare from NAPA (it's a tractor light, as it turns out) and JP climbed the mast yet again on Friday to install it.
We borrowed bikes from the marina Friday afternoon and made another trip into town, stopped at "The Bean" for cappucinos (JP and Susan) and mint chip ice cream (Leigh);
another restaurant, the Oriental Steamer, picked us up for dinner on Friday night.
Susan and JP re-installed the jib on Saturday morning, and we headed off for Beaufort.
Whittaker Creek caution: we grounded BOTH entering and leaving the VERY narrow Whittaker Creek channel. We got off both times pretty easily, but that place is a bit of an adventure.
We returned to Beaufort Docks yesterday, our first repeat from our 2008 trip; loving it every bit as much this time.
"Dined" at the local wine bar (mostly enjoyed two nice Pinots and had a small pizza and some NC artisanal chocolate to accompany it) and had fun looking at some wild and crazy Halloween costumes and listening to a band called The New Familials (I think).
JP took our port bike off to the Food Lion for a little light re-provisioning - we will cook jambalaya on board tonight - as we looked at 25+ kts of wind on the nose today and decided to hang here until tomorrow morning, when the speed and direction look a bit more favorable.
We are keeping an eye on Tomas - will hole up in Wilmington, up the Cape Fear River, if need be - and heading to Swan Point (about 45 nauticals away) tomorrow.
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