10.4- Red Drum

Sandy shows off the Red Drum she and husband Robby caught today

As I was pedaling past her house, my neighbor flagged me down to get me to take some pictures of two Red Drum (sciaenops ocellatus) she and her husband caught this morning from their Mako (background).

They were caught in a local creek, though of course I can't reveal exactly where... The largest measured 25 inches, the smaller 23. Not sure which one was hers and which was Robby's, but both were pleased with the morning's catch!

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9.30- Fishing the ditch

Fishing in the ICW at the Hobucken Bridge
(click image to enlarge)

This couple was fishing from a dock at the R.E. Mayo & Co. fish-house, just across the Atlantic Intracoastal Waterway from the community of Hobucken (see map below)

The bridge on the left side of the photo crosses the ICW from the Pamlico County "mainland" to Goose Creek Island (also in Pamlico County)

This modern bridge was completed about eleven years ago, replacing an old 1920's vintage steel truss swing-span bridge... you can see the old swing-bridge abutment on the other side of the ICW, also with a couple of fishers on it.

The new Hobucken fixed-span bridge was constructed by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, and was completed under-budget and ahead of schedule.

In order to avoid interfering with the heavy traffic on the ICW (or having the traffic interfere with it), the bridge was designed to span the ICW with no piers in the water, resulting in the longest bridge span in North Carolina.

Here is a USACE photo of the bridge nearing completion (you can see the Mayo docks, lower right of the bridge, and the U.S. Coast Guard Hobucken Station in the clearing to the left of the bridge... click image to enlarge), followed by a map of the location:

(Click image to enlarge)

Hobucken bridge over ICW, and R.E. Mayo & Co. fish-house locations:

View R.E. Mayo & Co. fish house, Hobucken NC in a larger map

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9.22- Candidate Forum

Owner/Editor of the local far-right "County Compass" newspaper keeps time during the Oriental town commissioners "candidates forum" at the historic town theater

Local MC celebre Jeff Aydellete hosted the only scheduled forum for candidates seeking election to the Oriental Board of Commissioners.

Jeff Aydellette recently started the "County Compass" weekly newspaper, and personally participated in and "reported on" the local anti-President Obama "Juggernut" group that was part of the "tea-party" protest in DC on Sept. 12 (a-la Fox News)

Mr. Aydellete and the "County Compass" have been heavy promoters of (and participants in) the anti-President Obama "Jugernut" campaign, with weekly "articles" and editorials promoting the group... here is (one of the many promotionals published by the paper) See the "Juggernut" anti-universal-health-care campaign web-site (with Uncle Sam telling you that not everyone should get health care.)

If you are not familiar with what the "tea party" movement stands for, you are not alone... the "tea party" folks seem to have the same problem:

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6.30- South Ave. Utility Work

Old Glory is secured to the bucket

Utility workers blocked off South Avenue between Wall St. and King St. for a while today while replacing a utility pole.

I arrived just as the worker in the bucket finished lashing the flag to the bucket... the flag was placed on the pole along with thousands of others throughout town and Pamlico County in anticipation of Independence Day.

The utility work caused severe traffic tie-ups in the downtown Oriental area...

I stood and watched for about ten minutes, and there must have been at least four or five cars in that time that had to turn around in the Oriental Inn parking lot in order to bypass the blockage (since Wall St. [off to the left in the picture] was the only way in or out) at this heavily-traveled intersection leading from greater downtown Oriental to the sprawling suburb of Neuse River Heights and to such popular tourist destinations as Lou-Mac Park, the fishing pier, the South Avenue waterfront (visible dead ahead in the photo), and Miniscule Beach.

The levels of driver frustration were palpable... as one fed-up driver rashly exclaimed in a fit of violent rage: "Well, I s'pose ah'll jes turn 'round 'bout hair, and go on back 'round t'other way." Really, that's about as accurate a quote as I can give him... that guy clearly needs to chill a bit, take a little BP med and relax ... ONC stylee! We don't appreciate that kind of reactionary threat around here...

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6.23- "Buoy Maker"

"Buoy Maker" sails down Raccoon Creek into Oriental Harbor

"Buoy Maker" is a beaut of a boat I regularly spot sailing around local waters. Here she is on a run out of Raccoon Creek into the anchorage of Oriental harbor after buzzing the Town Dock.

Now, I would call Buoy Maker a "gaff-rigged catboat," but certain people I know insist that that is a redundancy...

One of those people is this really really really old dude (and for you folks who live outside of Oriental, add another two or three "really"s) who thinks he can sail, tells me that if it has any other sail rig, it is not, by definition, a catboat of any sort whatsoever.

This nameless person insists, for instance, that the boat I called a "catboat" in my May 5 2009 DP is not a catboat at all, but a "non-such."

Well, the nameless critic may be from one of our Yankee states wherefrom catboats originate (state remains nameless to protect identity), and he may have owned a catboat or two (gaff-rigged, of course), but I maintain that a catboat can have ANY sail rig at all provided it is only one sail, there is no standing rigging (the mast is free-standing), and the mast sets way forward near the bow.

In any case, my critic and I can certainly agree that "Buoy Maker" is 100% "Catboat."

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4.26- Crab and Shrimp Boil

Eating crabs by lamp-light
(Click on images for full size)

I went to a crab and shrimp boil & party at a friend's house here in Oriental tonight.

There were no nutcrackers or wooden mallets, so everyone improvised to get the crab meat out. The crab was delicious, and worth the struggle.

The shrimp were much easier to eat, and were also delicious.

The locally-caught (fewer food-miles and much more flavor) crabs (live) and local shrimp (de-headed) came fresh from Endurance Seafood, just across Smith't Creek from Oriental.

Both were cooked up in the same pot by our host, and seasoned with plenty of Old Bay (see pic at right... click to enlarge.)

As you can see, cooking live crabs is a matter of who has the bigger claws.


Yum.

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4.25- Tai Chi at Lou-Mac Park

Tai Chi in Lou-Mac Park, Oriental, NC, on the banks of the River Neuse

Found these folks this morning doing some peaceful exercise at the beginning of what proved to be a beautiful day.

Later on (about 6:00 this evening) I went sailing in the 10' Bauer Classic dinghy... I sailed upwind out of Raccoon Creek, then up into Smith's Creek, then out back under the briodge, into the River Neuse


I reached Oriental Marker No. 1 in the Neuse, then tacked onto a course towards Oriental No. 3...

On the way back towards the harbor and Raccoon Creek I was able to set long tacks on beam- and close-reaches towards Pecan Grove, then run wing-and-wing ROARING (3.8 knots?) into Oriental Harbor, then jibe through the four or five anchored sailboats, while avoiding running over kayakers and being run over by larger sports-fisher power-boats coming in and out of Raccoon Creek/Oriental Harbor.

I passed downwind of the OYC berth and buzzed Town Dock with an almost-but-not-quite-too-late jibe, then patiently tacked back up into "the teeth of the wind," as they say, back to the OYC finger-pier...

I can definitely confirm my respectful comments about the Capt. and crew of "Red Baron" in my prior posting. I had a great time mimicking their maneuvers, but can't say my efforts were quite so tight as "Red Baron."

... Now I have been reading a bit on-line about the philosophy of Tai-Chi related arts, I was struck by the parallelism of some of the core beliefs with my personal experiences on my short sailing journey today...

... yin-yang ... movement leads to tranquility... tranquility leads to movement, etc... water, fire, wood, metal and earth result, then become diffused ... Creating Harmony...

OR, AS WE SAY AROUND HERE: "ANY DAY ON THE WATER..."

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4.20- Bud

Bud overboard

Yesterday Bill was laid to rest in the waters of the River Neuse near Oriental.

We'll miss you, Bob.

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4.14- Foul-Weather Gear

Commercial fishing crew working the River Neuse

Local commercial fisherman, Capt. Keith Bruno, sets gill-nets along the banks of the River Neuse between Windmill Point and Wiggins Point. (See map below)

Helping the Capt. are his two sons, Zack and Ben. Ben is on the bow tossing over the gill-net as Capt. Bruno backs away from the anchor buoy at the end of the net (yellow object in water, left side of photo.)

It was a rainy day in the area... I was lucky to see the Bruno crew cruising the river during a lull in the rainfall. Of course I got to get back in the car when the rain started pouring, while the Brunos motored off into the rain to set five more nets before the day was done.

Make sure to drop by Capt. Bruno's "Endurance Seafood" fish-house (and chicken-house, peacock-house, duck-house, dog-house and people-house) next to Pecan Grove Marina during the Oriental Boat Show this weekend (see boat show web site here)...

You will be able to tour Bruno's other commercial fishing vessels (they are quite a bit bigger than the above Carolina Skiff), and it's a

great place to get some local "Fish so fresh it bites!"

...as the motto on the Endurance Seafood sign along Hwy 55 (just over the bridge from Oriental, see red marker on map below) proclaims.

You can read more about Capt. Bruno at my Oct. 14, 2008 posting, "Endurance - Part One." (Part two is still in pre-production)

View Windmill and Wiggins points in a larger map

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2.01- Superbowl oysters

Fresh steamed oysters
(Click on image or here for full size)

Superbowl Sunday... I was invited to a pre-game oyster-bake out near Dawson's Creek today. The event featured two giant burlap sacks full of fresh live oysters, which were eaten after steaming.

Friends, family, relatives, and regular readers will know that I am not a huge seafood fan, to say the least, and oysters are near the bottom of my "edibles" list...

Nonetheless, I did eat a few, and they pretty much tasted like the garlic-butter-worsteshire sauce or horseradish-ketchup-tobasco sauce I dipped them in. I did eat one without sauce, but quickly washed it down with plenty of Pepsi-cola while repeating to myself "I did not just eat a slimy mucous from a shell" over and over again.

The other folks at the pre-game party thoroughly enjoyed the oysters... the host's father told me he had eaten somewhere between 30 and 40 of the bivalve mollusks, the very thought of which made me feel a little green.

As one of my favorite authors, Jonathan Swift, once said "He was a bold man that first ate an oyster."

I struggled with the oysters, but enjoyed the company, the other available edibles and drinkables, and the accompanying pool tournament in the back shed before heading back to Oriental and the local pub for the Superbowl. My favorite part was the guy hitting the Koala.

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1.16- Frozen Collard Greens

Collards for sale - $ 0.75 per lb.

Fresh collards for sale on the roadside in Grantsboro, Pamlico Co.

The collards risk becoming frozen, however, as temperatures did not rise above freezing today... A traditional Southern staple for sale in decidedly un-Southern weather!

One often sees collards for sale along Pamlico Co. roadways (and, I suppose, across the North Carolina and the South in general) , particularly in the fall and winter.

Collard greens are typically boiled with some part of a pig (hog-jaw, ham-hock, fat-back etc.) and seasoned with a little vinegar, salt and "secret" ingredients according to the cook.

Personally, I have a hard time eating the durn things... But since they are a staple offering to guests at pot-lucks and dinner parties, I regularly have to gulp down at least a token amount in respect to my hosts.

Collard greens are also required eating on New Years day. I grew up eating black-eyed peas on New Years because they bring good luck for the new year, but at least around here one must also eat collards, which bring good fortune (in the monetary sense) in the new year.

Brrrrrr, it's COLD today!

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1.11- Flute making

(Click on image or here for full size)
Capt. Robbie chisels out a Native American flute he is building

Capt. Robbie took advantage of a rainy Sunday to work on a Native American style flute he is building. With winter weather cramping Capt. Robbie's sailing time, he has undertaken a woodworking project for his spare time.

Robbie is seen here in the workshop of Gil Fontes, a local artist and furniture designer/maker, at the Hodges Street Studio of Gil Fontes and Laura Turgeon, another local artist who does sketches drawings and paintings.

Here Robbie found all the right woodworking tools to begin carving his flute from walnut wood. Robbie works with a lot of wood, but his tools are mainly for hardwood floors, which he installs and refinishes as the owner of Olde South Hardwood Flooring.

See additional photos of Robbie at work here on "The Dinghy Dock."

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1.06- "The Noise is Back in Town (Hall, that is)"

An exodus of "pro-live-music / Tiki Bar" supporters towards the Exit after Town Board of Commissioners voted to kill a previously-approved "Stakeholders" group

[This posting has been edited since it was first posted... see note at bottom]

This evening the Oriental Board of Commissioners held their monthly board meeting.

A significant part of the public audience was there to hear an agenda item concerning the Town's "noise ordinance." (See my prior posting regarding the noise issue before the Board's meeting last month)

After other town business, the Board got to the seemingly controversial "noise ordinance" issue... whether the Town should adopt a more modern decibel-level-based ordinance in place of its ancient "nuisance" ordinance.

There was some discussion among the Mayor and Board members about the fact that at last month's meeting the Board had unanimously voted to appoint a "stakeholders' group"...

The Mayor started off the discussion by bringing up the lack of any definition of how such a group would be selected to tackle this "cumbersome issue," and Commissioner David Cox added that indeed the Board had not even defined the tasks or time-frame for any treatment of the noise issue by such a group.

Cox then moved to rescind the "stakeholders group" concept, noting that he had a "hard time seeing how this tack might help." Commissioner Nancy Inger seconded Cox' motion, and the Board then held a discussion of the motion.

Mayor Bill Sage opined that "[Cox] is right," regarding deficiencies in the stakeholder concept... Sage explained that he had initially resisted the idea of a stakeholder committee because the public has had opportunities for input on the matter and because such groups are not very efficient methods for developing policy, he had nonetheless accepted the idea as a way to give at least 6 persons a chance to contribute to the process through a stakeholder committee.

Cox explained that he was not "trying to ram something through," but that an ill-defined "citizens advisory committee" would not be an ideal engine for drafting policy decisions... "we were elected to do this stuff," Cox said, implying that relegating responsibility on the issue to an ill-defined committee was something of a cop-out.

A majority of the Board members present (Commissioner Candy Bohmert was absent) expressed reservations about the efficiency of such a group for reaching any decision regarding the Town's noise ordinance...

Mayor Sage offered "If you want efficiency, I can draft [a noise ordinance proposal] and get it to you next week," to which Commissioner Cathy Kellam noted "I've already done that," adding that she now believes a "[stakeholders group] would increase divisiveness" in the community over the issue of noise regulation.

Commissioner Inger noted that a "complicated committee only detracts, is inefficient... [and] we have the resources we can call upon to come up with a proposal," referring to sound experts and musicians who have offered to help the Board determine reasonable noise levels.

Cox' motion to eliminate the "stakeholders" concept was unanimously adopted by the Board members who were present, and it seemed to me that the Mayor (who votes only in cases of tie votes among Board members) had also come to favor the rescission...(though the Mayor has since informed me I am mistaken)

Whether for good or ill, clearly a case of "We voted for it before we voted against it" ...

Later in the meeting, Cox moved to adopt a proposed noise ordinance he had drafted. Cox stressed that this was a procedural step that would put the issue officially "on the table" for discussion and consideration (strictly speaking, parliamentary procedure under Robert's Rules requires adoption of such a motion before discussion can begin on a proposed ordinance)... The motion was not seconded.

More "live music vs. noise" drama is expected in the coming month or months... I'll try to cover it here, but be sure to check out additional coverage at (in alphabetical order):

Pamlico Ink,
Pamlico News, and
Town Dock.Net

[Note: I have edited this posting since I first posted it.

It seems I misread some of the subtler aspects of the issues discussed at the meeting, and even misread some of my own notes when I first attempted to describe the action. I'm not a journalist, and I don't pretend to have any standard of accuracy in any of my blog depictions of life in and around this town and county, or in general.

My blogs are primarily about pictures of my beautiful and interesting surroundings here in Oriental, Pamlico County and down-east NC.

But I decided I had to include the noise ordinance as a topic in my blog because the blog is really about life in this town, and believe me there is no avoiding this topic living in this town right now.

And always remember: I WELCOME ANYONE TO POST NON-ABUSIVE AND NON-CURSING COMMENTS TO ANY POST, BY NAME OR ANONYMOUSLY to correct any mistakes of fact or to denounce, reject, disown or explain away any opinions I may express.]

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12.19- SkyWatch Friday - Scow-Schooner "Nina"

Capt. Dayton Trubee of the "Nina," a gaff-rigged scow-shooner, climbs the mizzen-mast ratlines with First Mate Ingrid Code at the helm as they cruised Oriental Harbor looking for a good spot to drop the hook

This beauty ("Nina," homeport Baltimore MD) came into Oriental Harbor near sunset this evening.


I was going to do a bit of research and write something up discussing this type of boat here on ONCDP, but my first Google revealed that the story of this very boat herself (including an explanation of the Australian flag atop her mainmast) is already online:


I highly recommend reading the TownDock.Net "Shipping News" article about "Nina" when she was here in Oriental almost four years ago... very interesting story... Read the 2005 TownDock.Net story here

Since then, in 2007, Nina had some work done at the de Rouville Boat Shop in NJ.

Also in 2007, the Nina's First Mate, Ingrid Code, has also written this article in Wooden Boat about another schooneer, "Steadfast."

Also, SEE SOME MORE OF MY PICTURES OF "NINA" at my other blog, "The Dinghy Dock."

HAPPY SWF EVERYONE!
I look forward to seeing the other Skywatch pictures from around the world on the other SWF sites listed at:


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12.11- Luminary assembly, Part Two

A few of the 3000+ fully assembled luminaries lining the floors of the Town Hall

Volunteers this afternoon assembled the 3000+ luminaries that will line Oriental streets for the Spirit of Christmas Parade coming up on Saturday.

I was not able to get pictures of the assembly in progress today, but all afternoon volunteers filled little plastic bags with sand from a 4 ton pile, placed the sandbags in the pre-folded luminary bags, and inserted the pre-lighted candles. (See Luminary Assembly, Part One in second prior post below, or click here)

Below you can see the meeting room at Town Hall filled with the assembled luminaries (undergoing final inspection by three young volunteers who helped make them)... The bags also overflowed into the Town Hall garage:

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12.09- Luminary assembly, Part One

Candles for luminaries are "pre-lighted" on the lawn of the Toucan Bar in preparation for the "Spirit of Christmas" parade

Oriental's annual "Spirit of Christmas" parade is coming up on December 13. That means it's time to assemble the 3000 luminaries (little paper bag lanterns) that will line Oriental's streets for the parade.


Parade Elf Lori Wagoner supervised the process, which this year took place at the Toucan Bar on the grounds of Oriental Marina & Inn.

The first step in the assembly process was to fold 3000 bags and "pre-light" 3000 candles.

The candles were each lit and allowed to burn a few minutes before being blown out and put back in their boxes.

This makes it easier to light the thousands of candles once they are in their bags and in place along the streets.

While the candle lighting took place out on the lawn, other volunteers folded the bags on the deck and inside the Toucan bar.

Parade Elf Lori Wagoner displays the "Bag Folding 101" instructional poster
(Click on picture or here for full size)

Folding the tops of the bags down provides some structural rigidity to the luminaries. The army of volunteer bag folders enjoyed some beverages and fun company during the arduous task:

The next steps will be performed another day... filling little sandbags, placing the sandbags in the paper bags, placing the candles in the bags, and lining up the finished luminaries for delivery.

You can follow the whole process right here over the next few days.

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12.03- Otter vs. Boxer

A dog faces off with a North American River Otter in a drainage ditch along Kershaw Road

As I was driving along Kershaw Road between Arapahoe and Oriental, I saw two dogs running into the middle of the road ahead... as I slowed down and got closer, I saw a North American River Otter leaping around in the road between the dogs.

The otter ran off the road into the drainage ditch, with the two dogs on its' tail.

As I pulled over, a man came walking across the road from his home (obviously where the dogs and otter had come from) carrying a seven-foot long metal pole.

I got out of the car with my camera and started shooting... by this time the otter was in its' element, while the boxer and another dog were hesitant to step in the water, not knowing where the submerged otter was exactly.

The dogs would run back and forth along the water until the submerged otter lunged up from a hiding place under the water, snapping at the dogs faces... The dogs would jump back, the otter re-submerge, and the whole thing repeated. It kinda reminded me of the Trash Monster in Star Wars. (See posting on my other blog, "The Dinghy Dock" for additional photographs)

At one point, the boxer was scanning the water for the otter, with its front paw in the water... The dog gave a sudden yelp and leaped back, obviously having been bitten on the paw.

The man with the pole came up, and I thought he might use the pole to nudge his dogs away so the otter could escape... It would certainly have been foolish to try to get in between the animals.

Instead of using the pole to break up the dogs, however, the man raised it above his head and brought the pole down full force towards the otter's head! He missed, but I was flabbergasted, and a little fearful for myself and the nearby parked car.

The man tried a second time to hit the otter with the pole, but he slipped and landed rump-first in the mud next to the water... A little divine justice?

At that point the man's wife came walking across the road with a shotgun, saying "what do you want me to do with this? I don't know how to use this, you better come get it."

OK, I thought, time to move the car and get a little removed from the shotgun.

I jumped in the car, drove about 50 feet along the shoulder, then looked back to see the man shooting into the woods. His wife handed him a second shell, he loaded and fired again towards the woods, this time farther away...

(See posting on my other blog, "The Dinghy Dock" for additional photographs)

His wife handed the man a third shell, but he did not shoot again...

The dogs meanwhile were running around the ditch and edge of the woods looking for the otter, apparently with no luck. Hopefully the otter escaped unharmed.

I'm not sure why the man wanted to kill that otter... He had a shotgun and a tracheotomy, though, so I decided against trying to ask him anything about it.

Otters do not seem to be known as farm pests, though they will eat small birds (including, I suppose, small chickens) and their cousins the weasels are widely regarded as farm pests.

Could be he wanted the otter pelt, which might explain why he tried braining the creature before shooting at it.

Maybe it was just afternoon entertainment.

Anyway, I was glad to see that the otter at least made it off into the woods.

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12.01- Look Out for Dog in Road!

An Oriental resident takes his dog for a walk along South Avenue

Golf carts and unleashed dogs are both common sights here in Oriental.

Dogs are not required to be leashed (unless they become "nuissance dogs" under a new ordinance passed this past year), and golf carts have been accepted street vehicles for a long time (and are now "legal" under recent state law and local Oriental ordinance, also passed this past year.)

I'm pretty sure I know who this guy is... I see him often with his golf cart and his dog... but since I am not 100% positive of his name, I'm not gonna say.

[Update... It is John Bond, one of the hosts of the annual Watermelon Feast, featured in this post here From August 11, 2008]

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11.21- Cheap Gas

A man rides his bicycle up Broad Street (NC Hwy. 55) past the "Town and Country" grocery store, where gasoline has just dropped below $2.00 per gallon

I rode my bike up to Town and Country to buy a Coke from the machines outside when an employee came out to change the price sign.

As she was flipping the numbers, several folks asked what the new price was going to be, and cheered when they learned it was just now breaking the $2.00 level.

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11.15- Tow time

A newly-anchored itinerant sailor with a motor-dinghy gives a tow to another itinerant in her two-armstrong powered "Dink"

I met this young woman at the Dinghy Dock today as I was riding by.

She had come ashore to go grocery shopping, leaving her "old man" on their sailboat at anchor out in the harbor (not in camera shot above).

She had rowed ashore in a "Dink" dinghy.

When she returned to the Dinghy Dock after a couple of hours, she found the winds had grown fairly stiff... about 15 to 20 knots... out of the Southwest.

(Notice two of the anchored sailboats in the picture are pointing straight into the fresh breeze... the third/middle sailboat, flying Netherlands flag, is not pointing into the wind only because she is aground)

Finding it impossible to row the light dinghy straight into the wind far enough to reach her boat, the woman had been embayed for at least an hour before I showed up.

As we were chatting, another sailboat came into the harbor and began trying to anchor.

We watched as her captain dropped anchor, hoping he would dinghy ashore soon and maybe be able to help the woman return to her boat. The anchor dragged, and the sailboat drifted towards another anchored boat. The guy weighed anchor, motored around, and tried again. Anchor dragged again. Guy weighed, moved and dropped the hook yet again.

By this time, another woman had walked up to the Dinghy Dock, introduced herself, and explained she was waiting for the guy out there trying to anchor to come pick her up.

By this time there were four of us watching this guy try to anchor... Watching someone struggle with anchoring, particularly in a Southerly or Southwesterly blow, is considered better-than-TV entertainment in Oriental.

After the guy dropped anchor again, we saw him finally lowering his dinghy from the stern davits into the water. Great, we all thought... one woman was waiting for the guy to come take her to his boat, the other woman was hoping the guy could tow her dinghy back to her boat, and myself and another guy were watching all the drama with great interest.

The guy got in his dinghy, hauled in the painter, and started motoring... away from the dinghy dock! Where is he going, the watching crowd wondered in chorus, while at the same time noticing that the guy's sailboat was swinging awfully near it's anchored neighbor.

The guy motored his dinghy about a hundred feet ahead of his sailboat on the starboard side, then stood up in the dinghy.

"He's dropping a second hook" we all said, again in chorus.

So the guy dropped his second anchor from the dinghy, motored back to his sailboat, went aboard and hauled in his hawsers to satisfaction, neatly pulling his sailboat away from the threatened neighbor.

He then came ashore, and happily gave the stranded rower a tow back to her "old man" just as the sun set.

Another exciting 90 minute drama at Oriental anchorage!

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