Late yesterday afternoon, we were over in Beaufort, NC to pick up a survey from the register of deeds.
After we finished our business, we decided to take our Beaufort boardwalk that we usually do when we visit.
It was a particularly nice day, and one of the first in memory when
the boat tours were operating. The Cape Lookout catamaran came in as
were getting to the end of our walk.
I was wearing shorts, and I was not surprised to see kids wearing shorts also.
We had walked by the Water Bug on the way to the boardwalk. They unloaded a few passengers minutes before we got there.
The Water Bug reminds me of a boat we took to a sheep station in New Zealand.
Yesterday was a great day to be outside and on the water. I ended up getting a little sun on my face. I took our boat out on the White Oak River around two o'clock. I was actually making a virtual tour of part of the river.
As is often the case, the word "river" means different things to different people. I grew up in NC's Piedmont region near the Yadkin River which is a mere trickle compared to the New River in Virginia or the Saint John River in New Brunswick, Canada.
I can imagine someone from the western parts of Virginia or North Carolina being mystified about my love for the White Oak River. It is hard to appreciate the scale of the river and the beauty if you have not seen anything like it.
Yesterday I mounted a camera on the windshield of our 21 ft skiff and took pictures from our dock out to the White Oak and back. I then posted a slide show done from the pictures. You can easily appreciate the White Oak after seeing those pictures.
I often put together slide shows of our boating trips. I did one last year on father's day when we wandered down by Swansboro and over to Hammocks Beach State Park. I had not figured out the mounting of the camera then so I was fortunate to have another captain on board so I could man the camera.
April is a great time of year to visit the beach if you can catch the warm weather like today and yesterday.
Our local beach area is Emerald Isle, the beaches are some of the best on the east coast. It is still a little cool over at the beach, but it is perfect beach walk weather, and the water will warm up in May and June. For more information check out my Emerald Isle or Swansboro travel guides.
I have a map of area services, but I am always glad to respond to requests for more information. This time of the year (April) almost all services are up and running in our beach area so it is not too early to visit as long as swimming isn't at the top of your list. June is the earliest I like to swim in the ocean, but some people don't mind the cooler water.
My most recent slide show of a boat trip started in the area marked on the map as Bluewater Cove. If you want some of the best water access on the Crystal Coast, we have found it to be a great place. Last week I also did a slide show of some Beaufort photos, both from this year and earlier.
One thing you learn on the coast is that there is plenty of water, but getting access to it is the challenge. That is one reason we live where do. The water access is exceptional. I can be on the beach in ten minutes by car or down to the Intracoastal Waterway by boat also in ten minutes.
That is not a bad choice to agonize over. It is almost as tough as picking grouper or flounder for dinner.
