Our First Boondock -May 20, 2024, Washington, North Carolina

We drove down to Washington, North Carolina to visit one of our friends we had met sailing – Ben Sr. He had arranged for us to park at the marina where he was staying and boondock for the first real time.  It was expected to be a chilly 50-60 degrees overnight, so we weren’t sure how this was going to work.  After a few beers we all turned in and it was surprisingly warm overnight which was a relief since we were staying here the next night. We didn’t have an “RV Adaptor” cord but knew we could get one at Walmart if necessary.  Another good lesson learned.

It was great to catch up with Ben and we had a nice time chatting with him all evening.  The next morning, he had arranged for us to take the Marina’s courtesy car.  Ben single hand sails a 37’ Pacific Seacraft to the Bahamas each year.  Ben had chosen to bring his boat here because it was the headquarters of Pacific Seacraft, and he was going to have them replace his engine in addition to do a minor refit.  He had an appointment with the owner to review his project and for us to take a tour through their facility!

It was a short 10-minute drive from the Marina and the owner Steve was waiting to meet us when we got there.  He and a member from his team – Kate – walked us all though their current projects which range from refits to new boat builds, to restoration of a historic boat for a local museum.  He has a team of only 15 people, and we couldn’t believe the sheer volume and variety of projects he was currently managing.  I am sure he will fit Ben’s in somewhere!

To give you an idea of what we saw here is a video Steve did and one of the boats we walked through.  It is a 61’ Perry Pacific Seacraft.  It was absolutely stunning and merely one example of the quality of his team’s work.  Other than the Grenada Ferry this is the largest cruising boat Ron and I had ever been on.  We were amazed and it is currently for sale (just outside our pocketbook).

Perry 61 descriptive walkthrough with Steve Brodie/Owner of Pacific Seacraft. (youtube.com)

Thank you to Ben, Steve, and Kate for the opportunity to see your operation.  It was a great afternoon for us.

It was time the next morning for us to start to head west.  Our first stop was about 4 hours west at Arrowhead Campground in Troy, North Carolina.  It had beautiful trails, sat directly in the middle of Uwharrie National Forest.  So, the first afternoon we took a nice 5-mile hike around Badin Lake.  Note to self-next time – wear bug spray.  The gnats this time of year are no joke, and the hum of the HUGE cicada’s was deafening.  Apparently, this year there is a “double brood” of them, and they are here in droves.  We are going to hang out here for the next few days.