1.10- Two+ years of Lou-Mac fishing pier

A piling being placed to support the fishing pier

Today's feature photo comes from November of 2007, as Broad Creek Construction continued work on the town's fishing pier at Lou-Mac Park in Oriental.

Construction began in October of 2007 - at right and below left, and was completed around the end of November.

For over two years, Oriental residents and visitors have been drawn to the pier, whether to fish or to gaze at the broad expanse of the River Neuse from the vantage point 120 feet from the shore.

The pier has proven to be a popular addition to the Oriental's list of public water access points... a list I certainly hope will grow in the future.

Here are a couple more shots of the pier under construction, followed by some links to my prior postings with pictures taken of or from the pier.

(click any image to enlarge)

6.10- washing the fish guts

Jun 10, 2009

10.15- great blue heron at sunset
Oct 15, 2008
7.15- flying fish lure

Jul 15, 2009

11.19- snow flurries

Nov 19, 2008

10.16- "skywatch friday" - sunrise and moonrise

Oct 16, 2008

6.30- Fresh Croaker
Tuesday July 1, 2008


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1.07- ... on a river far, far away...

Commercial trawler coming up the Neuse from Pamlico Sound

Today's ODP Classic comes from December or January of 2007.

The "X-wing" effect is caused by refraction of the trawler's extended outriggers.


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1.04- Free-climbing the mast

Oriental Daily Photo - Classics & Out-takes Series

(read more about this series here)

Free-climbing the newly-stepped mast
(click on any image to enlarge)

Two years ago this past November, this French Captain and his crew arrived in Oriental after acquiring an impressive Wharram-designed but never-completed catamaran (at right) in Canada.

Mission: pick up boat, find a mast to fit it, and sail back to France.

They ended up at Sailcraft Service boatyard here in the ONC to re-furbish, re-rig and step a suitable mast they had located.


While this was the first sailing adventure for the crew (the Capt.'s wife, young toddler son, baby daughter and a complete lubber friend), the Captain was a salty fellow, indeed.

Sailcraft's professional riggers used a crane mounted on the Travel-lift to raise the impressive spar (at left) and gently lower it into position (at right), with active assistance by the Capt. and the usual crowd of Oriental's un-paid but very expert volunteers watching from the dock with appropriate advice.

Once the mast was stepped and its rake properly adjusted, some of the crane rigging became fouled in the shrouds... The Sailcraft riggers had a ladder on hand, and climbed to its top to try and un-foul the line, but alas it was too short to reach.

(click on any image to enlarge)

There was some discussion of fetching a taller ladder, but the Capt. merely "oh-lah-lah"'ed, then leapt onto the mast and shimmied up a good twenty feet to free the line (left).



A couple weeks later, Capt. and crew were out in a fresh breeze on the River Neuse for a brief shake-down (below) and by January they sailed off for the rest of their adventure. Godspeed.





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1.03- Hate it when that happens

Oriental Daily Photo - Classics & Out-takes Series

(read more about this series here)

Dock-side sinking

This ODP classic disaster shot comes from fall of 2007... I'm pretty sure I was the first person to notice this submarine Catalina at the Oriental Yacht Club that day, but others quickly followed.


OYC dockmaster and "Girlfriend" Captain Les Evans (grasping the port shrouds, above) and crew were quickly on-site, and got to work fothering the open transom and pumping out the distressed vessel, whose captain was away in Croatia at the time.



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1.01- Avec les Bons Voeux

My traditional New Years meal

Black-eyed peas for good luck; collard greens for prosperity; ham-hocks, corn-bread, Texas Pete (from NC) and vinegars of choice for added flavor; and "Avec Les Bons Voeux" ("With Good Wishes") from Brasserie Dupont to wash it all down.

Happy 2010 to all!

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