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This is a close-up view of Mildred Pickles… a dragon that comes out once or twice a year and decorates the fence by the village tennis/pickleball courts. Meet Mildred Pickles, Dragon.

In scientific books this is called Lilium longiflorum… but regular folk call it an Easter Lily. (Ben Casey photo)

Whittaker Point sunrise (Jennifer Smart photo)

Powerboats, sailboats, dinghies… and most every manner of boat stuff. It was all at the 2025 Oriental Boat Show. Among the vendors was B&B Yachts. At the show they built a model of a new power vessel design called “The Looper”. The story on the boat show is here.

At the PAWS Pet Parade, a determined dog named “Georgia” (named after the Georgia football team). We call her “Miss Determination”. The 2025 Pet Parade story is here. (photo by Mr. B. Casey)

At the PAWS Pet Parade Saturday, pets paraded. One dog declined to parade in the traditional all fours manner. Tug got tugged on a wagon by his human, Alexis. Tug won “Best Easter Theme”.

At the boat show, Bow To Stern is showing a 48’ Offshore Yachtfisher Trawler. The shown continues Saturday 10-6p, Sunday 10a-3p.

Part of this weekend’s boat show: the Nautical Fleamarket, where the ol’ boat bits of your dreams may lurk.

The indignity of it all. As well as a the boat show, this weekend has another only-in-Oriental event: The PAWS Pet Parade Saturday @ 11a.

This is the Oriental Community Garden… it is on land provided by OUMC. You can join as a volunteer (you don’t need to be a member of the church), put in a little help, and enjoy part of the harvest. More info below…

Whittaker Creek Channel is going to get dredged, and moved into deeper water at the end of this year (existing route marked in red, new route in green). Most of the money has been raised to make this happen, but a little more is needed. The story is here.

On Adams Creek, near marker #6, SV Satori appears to have gotten a little off course. Photos taken Thursday afternoon, April 3. (click pic for more aground views)

A seasoned mariner wants an anchor to set well. This anchor has held firm for decades. Off Camp Creek, anchor in a tree. (Ben Casey photos)

Tight quarters @ the Sailpack Regatta. Here Clemson leads, with Central Florida and Texas A & M close behind. Of the 20 teams competing in the regatta, five were from Florida, three from Texas, three from Virginia, two from both North and South Carolina, two from Michigan, one from Maryland, Arizona… and California. Christopher Newport University out of Newport News, Virginia took first place.

Collegiate sailors turn at the mark Saturday, in the Sailpack Regatta this past weekend. Brisk winds made it interesting. Here’s the story…

Bend over? Trawler Perseverance may be getting its annual physical.

Collegiate sailors will be rigging their boats again this morning… the Sailpack Regatta has another day of sailing ahead. The regatta has become part of Oriental life. It’s this weekend, bringing 20 collegiate teams to town… over 150 sailors.

What does one wear to a rain dance? Village empresario Chris Daniels shows off appropriate sailor attire. The rain dance is Saturday.

It happens every morning.

The 2025 Sailpack regatta is just a few days away… March 29-30 in Oriental. 18 Now 20 collegiate teams are coming to town.

By the harbor, pickup truck rear window philosophy.

Pamlico Gothic? It’s Martha & Pete Newman, owners of Casa Que Pasa (aka the Taco Truck on Hodges St). We talked to Pete & Martha about their organic gardens & changes coming to the Hodges Street property. See below:

On a gut just off Broad Creek, a barge stands by for the Lighthouse Shoal Oyster Co. (click pic for the wide oyster conveyance view)

It’s an instruction that probably should be heeded, especially on the side of a freighter. (click for more freighter views)

You might want an umbrella this morning.

On Styron Town Beach, a lonely crab trap stands watch.

Thursday morning new signs went up on Hodges Street. On a street where folks (and dogs) walk, there’s a new speed limit.

Cormorants rest on Oriental Channel Marker #1

Heron liftoff on Camp Creek (Allison DeWeese photo)

A mermaid (and flotsam) rest on top of a tree stump on Blackwell Point Loop Rd. (Ben Casey photo)

Stop. Stop. Stop. Stop. There is now a Four Way (or “All Way”) stop at North Street and Midyette Street (it used to only have stop signs for drivers on Midyette). Click pic for more views.

Sean Kennedy is the owner and operator of a century-old 122 ft vessel. No, he’s not of the Cape Cod Kennedys… Sean is from the Kennedys of Biloxi, Mississippi. Meet Sean and motor yacht Mariner 3 in The Shipping News.

MV Mariner III, anchored off Oriental. She was launched in 1926. She visited Oriental last fall. Here’s her story.

Wooden trawlers docked at Radio Island (between Beaufort & Morehead City).

February harbor sunset (Eric Mastrodonato photo)

This is a survey of Whittaker Creek channel. The red lines are where the channel is now. The yellow lines show where the channel will be moved, into more reliably deeper water. Part of the move will include dredging… see below.

On Smith Creek, SV Pinky.

On the pilings under the Oriental bridge, the boundary of where Coastal Fishing Waters begin.

A pelican poses on a piling near Clancy’s Marina. (Allison DeWeese photos)

Snow covered FJ sailboats at Bow To Stern Boating on Smith Creek. This is not today – it’s from the January 23 storm. Today’s dose of winter will have much less snow locally, but plenty of cold. Lows in the 20s tonight, Thursday and Friday nights. (Ben Casey photo)

“I go where you go ‘cause I’m stuck on you!”
It’s some Valentine gumshoe love, from the hand of artist Laura Turgeon.

Rainy day rain drops out on a limb. (Ben Casey photo)

This was SV Skookum and skipper Josh Kali, heading out Beaufort channel on January 28, bound for Antigua and the beginning of the round-the-world Mini Globe race. As of Monday, Skookum has traveled over 1,000 nautical miles, with just over 400 to go. You can track Skookum’s progress here.