Day 16 was Monday November 27, Ken came down to the dock around 0700 and we took Veranda down to one of his favorite marinas for a short haul. The trip down Whitaker Creek was just another opportunity for me to ooh and ahh at the plethora of awesome sailboats lining both banks.

We backed Veranda into the lifting well and in a couple of minutes she was up in the air. The bottom looked as if we put it in yesterday with no growth on the bottom or propeller. That was the good news. At the widest part of the boat on the Port side 3 inches below the water line there’s a scratch about 2 feet long. Its not as bad as I imagined that it would look but it will need to be addressed. The problem is that the yard doesn’t have any room to put us down to do the repair until Thursday of this week. We decide to keep moving south for another week and then put into a yard to have the repair done, no use just sitting here in the water waiting for half a week.
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So its back to Ken and Carol’s dock for the day. We spend the day on a bicycle tour of Oriental with our hosts. We stop at all the local stores and shops in town even the West Marine. Carol seems to know everyone in town and we meet a lot of very friendly people. Its amazing how many people are a block or 2 away that the Small’s knew from 20 years ago here and there. Now sailing is the common thread that has brought them all back together again and to this area. The town really has a very cool feel to it, I think Ken & Carol found their nirvana.

Carol made dinner for us, a new favorite of hers, Shrimp & Grits. Carol says whenever they try a new restaurant she orders the shrimp & grits and its always different. Sometimes its in a red sauce, sometimes there vegetables mixed in, anything goes. Her version was really good with the shrimp having been sautéed in a very good homemade sauce. It was definitely a big hit. The evening was really good and we went to bed fat and happy.