home

Welcome to June. Today is the first day of the Atlantic hurricane season, which will be with us until November 30. TownDock will track the storms of 2023, and report during a storm should one visit our town.

NOAA/NHC has predicted a “near-normal” hurricane season.

Normally (normally may have become an obsolete word re hurricane season) this is just the first official day. Nothing would be out there on the Atlantic.

However, there is a disturbance out there:

The disturbance marked in orange is likely to rain on the Gulf & maybe Florida this weekend.

The TownDock Hurricane Center keeps track of what is brewing in the Atlantic.

Here are the 2023 storm names and their pro-NUNC-eee-ayyy-SHUNS:

Arlene ar-LEEN, Lee lee, Bret bret, Margot MAR-go, Cindy SIN-dee, Don dahn, Emily EH-mih-lee, Franklin FRANK-lin, Gert gert, Harold HAIR-uld, Idalia ee-DAL-ya, Jose ho-Zay, Katia KAH-tya, Lee lee, Margo mar-goh, Nigel NY-juhl, Ophelia o-FEEL-ya, Philippe fee-LEEP, Rina REE-nuh, Sean shawn, Tammy TAM-ee, Vince vinss and Whitney WHIT-nee.

Oriental was fortunate not to get a significant storm visit in 2022 (or 2021 or 2020). The last hurricane to visit our town was Dorian in 2019. Here’s a high water view from Hurricane Dorian, Sept 6 at 7a:

Dorian delivered a 6ft 2 inch surge to Oriental. That’s a lot of water, but still 3 feet less than the waters from Hurricanes Florence (2018) and Irene (2011).

11:01a Every Memorial Day, Mildred hangs out by the tennis and Pickleball courts. She’s made it a yearly tradition.

Meet Mildred Pickles, Dragon.

8:47a Pamlico County Arts Council’s Taming of the Shrew event, slated for this Saturday, has been postponed.

Saturday still has a few things going for it: Sailing vessels over 20’ compete in The Dragon’s Breath Regatta. The Clean Sweep Extravaganza – with cash prizes for most trash collected – is all day Saturday. Saturday night, The Children’s Theater hosts the Prom Do-Over at the Brewery (tickets required).

Find out more in What’s Happening.

Clouds are a little stormy looking this morning – but there’s only a slight chance of rain today. High today mid 70s, near 80 by the weekend.

Windy with north winds at 10-15 mph, and gusts up to 25 mph.

On the Neuse, north winds at 15-20 knots and gusts up to 25 knots.

• Oriental NC Forecast
• Neuse River Marine Forecast
• Pamlico Sound Marine Forecast
• Weather Radar
• HarborCam

1:12p Many sailors know firsthand what it’s like to weather stormy waters. Passengers on a cruise ship? Not so much.

Last weekend, several hundred Carnival Cruise passengers got to experience a key part of the sailing life. Take a look:

8:58a The national news has daily blah-blah-blah about the 2024 elections. Meanwhile, back in Otown, a key post has been filled.

Running on a platform of Make Oriental Parade Again (MOPA), Paul Fairbank has been unanimously elected (re-installed may be the better word) as the Croaker Festival Parade Master.

With decades of experience in this key role, TownDock is able to bring back a Paul classic:

The 2023 Croaker Festival is set for June 30 & July 1. You might look good in that parade.

11:38a If you’re by Oriental Harbor Marina around noon, look up at Oriental Bridge.

Chris Mele will be there with her trumpet. She (sometimes with others, sometimes on her own) plays Taps from the center span in honor of Memorial Day.

If you miss the noon event, you have a second chance: Echo Taps will be played from the bridge & the marina at 3p.

9:01a Partly sunny and a high near 80… and rain unlikely. It’s a civilized day.

On the water, easy winds today and for the next few days. South winds 5-10 knots today, northeast 5-10 Tuesday.

5:05a It’s Memorial Day – a federal holiday. Many of you may have the day off.

If you’re one of the lucky ones heading to work this morning – and you take waterway commute – you may need to adjust your routine; they’re on a one-boat schedule. From the Minnesott Beach – Cherry Branch ferry:

1:05p There’s no food truck at the Brewery tonight, but there might be music. Lili Bacon writes in:

In January, Tim Sussmann visited Oriental aboard SV Pepita. He was in town making repairs and readying his boat to travel to across the Atlantic, while doing handyman work for residents. He and his 1985 Reinke Taranga 33 were featured in the March Shipping News.

This morning, Pepita and crew arrived safely in Bermuda.

Revisit Tim and Pepita’s story – and goal to travel to Africa – here.

7:07a The Bean is open. The ferry is running.

Be brave… it’s safe to come outside.

6:34a Water levels are still high, but much lower than Saturday evening. Water is now just below the sidewalk by the harbor.

Winds are forecast to switch to southeast at or just before noon, which will further bring levels back to normal.

6:55p Winds reached 37mph earlier this afternoon in Oriental.. It’s likely that was the peak from this weather event’s visit.

4:18p High wind so far today 34mph at 2:46p. A Gale Warning is in effect until 10p tonight.

Water levels are up… with waters almost reaching the seafood shack on Hodges St. Tonight more 25 To 30 knot northeast winds forecast (water levels could rise a bit more), becoming east 15-20 late. Sunday water levels should head down, with southeast winds 10-15.

7:32a High waters have The Bean closed today. With a wind shift (and waters expected lower), The Bean should be back Sunday.

High waters & winds have the Cherry Branch ferry suspended this morning.

6:50a It’s breezy, but so far not quite as windy as forecast. From the Oriental Weather Station:

We’ve received 0.3 inches of rain since midnight. The rain forecast has lowered – now expected just to see 2-3 inches.

• Oriental NC Forecast
• Oriental Weather Station
• Neuse River Marine Forecast
• Pamlico Sound Marine Forecast
• Weather Radar
• HarborCam

The system almost looks tropical – Southeast Weather Radar shows we are the place to get wet:

click the radar image for the big animated view

1:02p How high will water levels get this weekend? NOAA predicts 3-4 feet above normal (potentially another 1-2 feet higher than the high water levels now):

The rainfall prediction has trended down – we are now in a 3-4 inch zone:

The Neuse River forecast is for 25-30 knots tonight & Saturday (with gusts to 40) – all from the northeast. Northeast and east winds cause the most “wind tide” in and near Oriental.

Sunday promises southeast winds, then Monday west. Water levels should be back near normal sometime Sunday.

• Oriental NC Forecast
• Neuse River Marine Forecast
• Pamlico Sound Marine Forecast
• Weather Radar
• HarborCam

11:25a Tom Lathrop writes in about his friend, Graham Byrnes.

9:16a Hodges Street is providing free salt baths for willing automobiles today:

7:07a Despite high waters on Hodges Street, The Bean is open… from Eric Kindle:

Pamlico Nikes are the appropriate fashion.

7:03a The ferry is on a one boat schedule today (as announced yesterday). That means the schedule is reduced 50%.

9:09a Mom Nature is bringing wind and rain this weekend. So much so that planned events are getting re-scheduled.

The guitar playing Red Rooster is disappointed: SilosPalooza has been rescheduled for August 12.

We are forecast to see up to 4-6 inches of rain:

And winds up to near 30mph:

The winds will be from the northeast. On the Neuse 20-25 knots Friday, 25-30 knots Friday night and Saturday. This will bring in high water levels in and near Oriental.

• Oriental NC Forecast
• Neuse River Marine Forecast
• Pamlico Sound Marine Forecast
• Weather Radar
• HarborCam

The Oriental water level gauge is not operating, awaiting repairs.

8:40a If you take the Cherry Branch / Minnesott Beach Ferry, no worries – they’re on a regular schedule today. But Friday, you’ll need to plan accordingly: they will be on a one boat schedule.

11:33a Local naval architect Graham Byrnes was in Oriental Monday (his 80th birthday was Sunday). He sailed in on SV Carlita on the first leg of his circumnavigation of the Pamlico Sound.

That cruise around the sound is about more than turning 80; Graham has Parkinson’s Disease, and is making the 500 nautical mile sail to benefit Rock Steady Boxing – a program designed to slow the progression of Parkinson’s.

Read about Graham’s cruise and fundraiser here.

Oriental’s town board has been reviewing the town budget. Commissioner Frank Roe writes in.

10:22a Johnson outboards. They used to be a common sight, but they are becoming rarer to spot on the water. Johnson started building motors in 1903… it all ended in 2007.

In the 1980’s Johnson was still a major force in boating. They ran a TV commercial, which one might say has not aged well:

11:07a Breezy and partly sunny today, high in the mid 70s. But there’s rain forecast for the week ahead. Take a look:

Don’t scrap your weekend plans just yet.

That 50% chance you’re seeing – it means there’s a 50% chance a drop of rain will fall at some point in the day. It does not mean it will rain 50% of the day.

That said, Saturday’s Silospalooza will go on, rain or shine.

The day long music event features four bands on the Red Rooster stage, a pizza eating contest, a cash bar, and lots of dancing. The music starts at 2p.

9:35a Oriental resident Lou Ostendorf is the village’s walking knowledge base on the steamer Oriental (for which our town was named).

Lou is giving a talk tonight at the Pamlico Heritage Center in Grantsboro.

Today at 11a you can learn about the dark web (that’s the part of the internet where TownDock isn’t). More info here.

8:46a It dipped down to 55 overnight, just so you could sleep comfy. A sunny and near 80 day is ahead.

8:32a Hurricane season doesn’t officially start til June 1, but there’s an early reminder out on the Atlantic:

This won’t become a storm system, but the season is upon us. From the National Hurricane Center:

• Hurricane Center

The GOES East satellite view:

7:45a Nice morning for lobster fishing.

After the fog lifts, a partly sunny mostly cloudy day ahead, high near 80.

2:42 Fess up. Who made the sky mad?

Over 3 inches of rain have fallen today.

12:52p It’s wet. It’s windy. Another day in Oriental.

Almost 2.5 inches of rain since midnight. More coming this afternoon. Saturday promises a drier & sunny day, highs near 80.

A Small Craft Advisory on the Neuse til 3p: Northeast winds 20-25 knots, becoming east 15-25 later this afternoon. The high northeast winds have water levels high. How high? Unfortunately, the Oriental water level gauge isn’t working. It has been offline since late April.

Tonight, calmer: 5-10 knots.

• Oriental NC Forecast
• Neuse River Marine Forecast
• Pamlico Sound Marine Forecast
• Weather Radar
• HarborCam

1:53p A lot of cruisers drop anchor in Oriental. Some stick around for a while. And some, like the Litzenbergers, go all in.

Meet Breena and Spencer, owners of Inner Banks Canvas.

7:41a Been keeping up with the NC Legislature Bills for Pamlico County School Boards possibly becoming partisan? The newest legislation – House Bill 66 – where the motion to make county school board elections partisan was added as an amendment at the last minute – has been scheduled to be heard in Committee this morning at 9:30a.

If you’re concerned about the outcome, you can contact your senator and representative this morning.
Senator Sanderson’s office can be reached at 919-733-5706. Representative Kidwell’s office can be reached at 919-733-5881.

Need more context? Partisan Voting Bill Was Tabled; Now it’s Back.

2:00p Roads are getting repaired in Oriental this week. Add to that, paving action at The Piggly Wiggly today. Piglet shoppers will have to pick their parking spot carefully for a day:

10:21a Walk by the harbor and you’ll see Plein Air painters along the rail with easels set up, paint palettes out. They’ve also been spotted at Oriental Harbor Marina, along the boardwalk at Oriental Marina & Inn, and in Lou Mac Park.

It’s all part of the week-long New Bern Plein Air Arts Festival. And they’re in Oriental just for today.

The Village Gallery, across from Oriental’s harbor, is hosting the artists and their work. At 4p, you can see their work at a pop-up exhibition and wet canvas sale.

On this day in Oriental history: the steamship Oriental ran aground off Bodie Island on the Outer Banks. A few decades later, a town across the Sound was in need of a name. The name of the wrecked steamer would do.

Some take issue with the town’s name, not knowing the story. It could have gone differently – there were a few other wrecks off the coast in 1862.

We could have been the Town of Fanny.

• CSS Appomattox, scuttled, Feb 1862
• CSS Curlew, sunk in battle, Feb 1862
• CSS Ellis, grounded, Nov 1862
• CSS Fanny, grounded, Feb 1862
• CSS Forrest, burned, Feb 1862
• SS Modern Greece, sunk, 1862
• USS Monitor, lost while under tow, Dec 1862
• SS Oriental, grounded, May 1862
• CSS Sea Bird, rammed & sunk, Feb 1862