2.23 - Olympics at the Orietnal Steamer

Olympics at the Oriental Steamer

Winter Olympics means it is the slow times for the local visitor-oriented businesses, including this one, the Oriental Steamer Restaurant and Bar.

Like the B&Bs, hotels, other restaurants etc., the Steamer depends on the visitor-heavy summer months to support staying open during the slow off-season. If you do visit hear in the off-season, the Steamer is pretty much the only place you will find people outside of their homes past 10:00 pm.

"The Steamer" as it is universally called, is pretty much the only bar in town that remains open nightly until the NC state law 2:00 am closing time (others close at nine, ten or midnight). It has a fully stocked bar, a selection of decent wines, and a mediocre standard selection of draft and bottled beers. Three TVs behind the bar make it perfect for viewing sporting events.

After the restaurant closes at 10:00 the Steamer continues to serve a small but tasty bar menu... This is your only choice for prepared food without driving 45 minutes to New Bern. Chef Jeff serves up pizza, buffalo wings, nachos etc. pretty much up till 2:00 am if you ask him real nice.


... but if you are headed to ONC and want a post-midnight beer, drink and/or knosh at the Steamer, you may want to call them ahead and let them know you're coming, cuz they will close earlier if it looks like nobody is.

The draft Yeungling is a good deal at $2.00, and is my drink of choice when there.

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2.22- Oxyura jamaicensis

Rainy day and Ruddy Duck on Oriental harbor

Today's pic brings yet another avian migratory sign of springtime on its way.

The blue bill of the Ruddy Duck indicate that it is a breeding male on his migration to breeding grounds up north or out west.


Ruddy Ducks winter across the South, Southeast and Mid-Atlantic U.S. States, and they live year-round in the Southwest.

Breeding primarily takes place out on western planes, sierras and mountains along a great swath from the Texas panhandle to the Canadian border with Alaska.

Some populations also breed along the St. Lawrence waterways between New England and Canada, but apparently chances are good this particular bird is taking the longer migration out west.


That's one new bird for my list, and two birds in a row with "jamaicensis" in their scientific nomenclature.

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2.18- Buteo jamaicensis

Juvenile Red-Tailed Hawk perched on the small boat pier on Smith's Creek
(click image to enlarge)

Right next to the NC Wildlife Resources Commission public boat ramp at the end of Midyette Street.

A lot of kayakers and dinghy sailors prefer to avoid the traffic of the bigger boats putting in and hauling out at the Wildlife ramp, and instead use this Town-owned small boat pier 30 yards across the parking lot.

The hawk tolerated me from a distance while it (and I) awaited some prey to scurry across the parking lot ... unfortunately the first mammal to happen along was a dog, and the bird apparently had not enough taste for dog to attempt any violence, and instead took flight.

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2.15- Breakwater repairs

Boulders being dropped at the end of the Oriental harbor breakwater

The Army Corps of Engineers has begun repairs to Oriental harbor's breakwater.

I knew they were scheduled to build up a subsided length of the breakwater (which disappears in high water) but was surprised to find them apparently lengthening the structure.

The gap between the end of the breakwater and Oriental Marker No. 8 (beyond the crane you can see the red light attached to the marker) is known to many locals as "Ralph's Channel," owing to Capt. Ralph's propensity for sailing boats between the two unforgiving obstacles rather than rounding outside the marker.

When he returns from his current sea voyage, Capt. Ralph will find a little less room for error in his channel.

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2.14- Snowmelt

Icicles form as snow melts from a roof of the Oriental Yacht Club

Unfortunately I missed the big snow day here in Oriental yesterday.

But there was still plenty of snow around today, though it was quickly reverting to a liquid state as the day progressed.

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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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