34:42.146N 076.41.009W

Round to the town dock/marina today where the Customs and Border Patrol guys were waiting to board us.  Actually, this had all been planned and expected and they were charming.  One did all the paperwork while the other went through our fridge and cupboards.  A rather nice salami we had carried with us from Spain was duly removed along with two pears, the remains of a pint of milk and a piece of chicken.  All in the interests of keeping pests and diseases out of the States.  He asked me if we had any tins of meat because he needed to check the country of origin to decide whether it needed to be destroyed or not.  I fessed up to some lamb curry which I then couldn’t find and had to turn over most of the locker before I located it.  He studiously ignored all the milk and other tins that were in there which I thought was pretty game of him.  The sacrificial tin of lamb curry was eventually found, label missing, so he had to take it as ‘of unknown origin’.  The guy doing the paperwork started making suggestions that we must have eaten it but the food man wasn’t going to be put off that easily and seemed happy to wait until it was found. 

We had a nice chat about the hazards of CJD before he took his leave saying “you can get the rest of it back out now”.  Fantastic, what a player. 

Now we were officially in the United States and free to go ashore it was time to raise the American flag which we felt was an honour that should fall to Ross, he having completed his first (476nm) ocean crossing.

The town quay was a delight with the most professional dockmaster we have experienced. 

We plugged in, filled the water tanks and stepped into the town for a leg stretch on dry land and our first ice cream for months.

We visited the excellent Maritime Museum where they had the artefacts from the famous pirate ship captained by ‘Blackbeard’ that had been sunk just off Beaufort. 

The town small and elegant with plenty of quality stores but not of the variety where you can buy a chicken leg and some mince.  For this Carol and Mike walked a couple of miles to Piggly Wigglys.  Yes really.  This was a supermarket of some considerable size and they are apparently something of a vanishing institution in these parts.  Once we were away from the waterfront we hit America proper with busy roads, trucks and fast food outlets.  Another world.

The Dockmaster had recommended a fish restaurant which turned out to be closed on Tuesdays but we had plenty of other options and settled on the Spouter Inn where Ross and Lauren later treated us to a superb meal on their terrace over the water.