Belhaven, North Carolina to Morehead City, North Carolina

Sunday, October 25, 2009

Fishermen on the Waterway

Island Hopper departed the dock at 8:oo AM headed to Morehead City, North Carolina. Temperatures were only in the high 60's, Winds NE 15 -20 and Seas 2 -3. Today was a 70 mile trip. Island Hopper crossed two sounds, Pamlico River and Neuse River before arriving at Morehead City Yacht Basin in Morehead City, NC at 1:15 PM. After fuel and a boat wash, the crew ventured on foot into the town. There were numerous restaurants, antique shops and a few specialty gift stores.

Morehead City Yacht Basin

Morehead City and its sister city Beaufort, NC are two of the most popular stopovers between Norfolk, NC and Florida. This commercial and sportfishing center operates a large fishing center fleet year round. This seaport is also a port of entry, with Custom inspections available. While other towns boast of their "Cute and Quaint" coastal charm, Morehead city serves as a major port of entry, but its not the freighters that draw boaters to town. It's the fish: king mackerel, yellowfin tuna, blue marlin, sailfish and amber jack. HISTORY... The area was originally called Shepherd's Point and marked the confluence of Newport River, Bogue Sound and Beaufort Inlet. However, Govenor John Motley Morehead envisioned a great commercial hub, so he designed a town built arounf city blocks with a system of alleys between each block in the form of an H. In this way all houses and businesses could be serviced from the alleys. Each block contained 16 lots and much of the "Philadelphia plan" remains today. Lots were sold to the public. Around the same time, rail service reached Shepherd's Point, and soon the town had grown to more than 300 citizens. The war interrupted Morehead's grand vision and his project faltered, but after the war the railroad allowed local fishermen to provide fresh seafood to markets in the Piedmont and the state capital. The hurricane of 1899 drove the residents in Diamond City off Shackleford Banks, and many found their way to Morehead City. These fishermen became the nucleus of a fishing industry that continues to thrive, shipping to retaurants throughout the country. Morehead City Today.... With its famous boat-to-table seafood restaurants, one of North Carolina's two state ports, and a charter fishing fleet that brings the waterfront to life each afternoon, Morehead City is a true demonstrator of coastal flair. Morehead City is an ever-growing community with the busy state port as its cornerstone, where military ships and freighters from all over the world can be seen coming and going on any given day. Downtown, visitors and residents enjoy fresh seafood and other fine fareat well-knownrestaurants. Art galleries, gift shops and other offerings make downtown Morehead City as residents' and visitors' paradise, however recent pushes to breathe more life into the downtown district have set an even higher horizon for this burgeoning coastal town.

Thanks to Sirius Radio the crew listened to the Bengals game and had a glass of wine prior to dinner. GO BENGALS!!

Kevin and Debbie chose a small chef owned restaurant, "Chefs 105" for dinner. (http://www.chefs105.com/) Andy Hopper (no relation), the chef/co-owner, was previously a chef in Chicago and Greenville, NC. The food was wonderful. All fresh and local ingredients. Kevin said the Rockfish was superb. A nice brisk walk back to the boat ended a wonderful boating day on the North Carolina Coast. LIFE IS GOOD!