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Josh Kali left Oriental Jan 28, 2025, bound for Antigua. That’s where the Mini Globe Round The World Race began February 23, 2025. Josh successfully completed his round the world voyage just a month ago, on March 10.
Now, he’s coming “home” to Oriental, onboard SV Skookum, a 19 ft boat Josh hand built himself.
Tuesday morning Josh is mid-Atlantic, about 665 nautical miles from Beaufort NC. We’ll be tracking Josh’s return voyage on TownDock. Guesstimate arival, April 20 Beaufort, April 22 Oriental. Actual arrival subject to the whims of the sea.

Sad news to share on a Sunday morning: Sherrill Styron has passed, age 83. A true village icon, Sherrill served his town in multiple roles. Styron is a past Oriental mayor and town commissioner, and the long time owner of Garland Fulcher Seafood on Oriental’s harbor.

Bundles of line, and cheeky signs. Available at the Oriental In-Water Boat Show. (click for the big view and more)

Azaleas are in bloom around Oriental. A spicebush swallowtail butterfly is visiting this one. (Pat Stockwell photo)

Stand up sailors: crew of the San Diego Tritons. They were one of 19 collegiate sailing teams in Oriental for the 2026 SailPack Regatta. Here’s the story & photos.

At the Sailpack Regatta, sailors from the William & Mary Tribe round the windward mark.

SailPack sailors get windward hair from Saturday afternoon’s brisk air.

This morning’s Sunday Sunrise Service at Lou Mac Park, with a perfect sunrise over the Neuse. (Joe Clark photo)

Burghees of the sailing teams coming to the Sailpack Regatta. Sailpack coach Dana Magliola writes in about this weekend’s racing.

On the Wednesday Night Sail, SV Blue Moon underway. The Wednesday Night Sail, tonight @ 5p. You’re invited. (click pic for more views. Allison DeWeese photos.)

The 2026 Sailpack Regatta… it’s coming this weekend to Oriental.

Judge Jimmy Ragan, spinning a yarn with animated passion. His memorial service is Tuesday March 31, 11a, at OUMC.

Over 40 dogs braved high winds for the 19th Annual PAWS Pete Parade Saturday. Best In Show: Bella, Hawaiian Pineapple Queen.

It’s big. It’s gonna burn Saturday night. The annual Dragon Burn is Pamlico Arts key membership drive. To attend, all you have to do is sign up to be a Pamlico Arts Council member. (TownDock file photo)

Underway on Adams Creek, trawler Jane Carolyn, hailing port Lowland, NC. (click photo for more Jane Carolyn views)

Why is yellow dust on everything? Here’s the guilty party. Pine pollen. Learn more about pines & pollen, here. (Ben Casey photos)

Acrylic painting by artist Paula Rozov, Where I Belong. See it in person at Broad Strokes Gallery on Broad Street, open 10a-5p Friday & Saturday, 11a-4p Sunday.

She’s a cool cat that lives among catamarans. Luna, the March Pet of the Month.

Luna the cat lounges on a step at Marine Craft Marina and Boatworks in Whortonsville. She calls the marina housing Antares Catamarans home. She’s the TownDock Pet of the Month.

Somewhere in there, is a clover for you.

Sometimes, you can get too much weather. Today might be one of those days… more info below:

It’s the view from across the creek: A foggy morning at Whittaker Pointe Marina. (Ann Frederick photo)

Russ Stevenson was born in Cape Town, South Africa. He made his home in Oriental, North Carolina for the last quarter-century. He sailed, he made people smile. Celebrate his life at the Oriental United Methodist Church on Saturday at 2p. Read about his life here.

A tornado touched down in Pamlico County near Florence Thursday afternoon. There was damage to homes, but Pamlico County Emergency Services says nobody was hurt. At 7:45p Thursday night, Tideland Power has thousands of locations without power. Friday morning, almost all power was restored. More info below…

Closeup view of Lyne Lassen’s glass work Go With The Flow at Broad Strokes Gallery. The gallery is open Wed, Thurs, Sun 11a-4p and Fri & Sat 10a-5p. (Click for the bigger view)

Josh Kali completed the MiniGlobe round-the-world race Tuesday, finishing in Antigua (where the race started) just over a year ago. He sailed 24,000 miles on his 19 ft boat, Skookum.
Josh is now on top of the world. (click image for the big view, Laura Turgeon drawing)

Dog and UFO by Tommy Midyette. It hangs near Midyette’s more traditional portraits at Broad Strokes Gallery. Click for the full view

Is life like a Slinky on a treadmill?
March on, dear reader. Clocks spring forward Sunday morning. Somehow, we lose an hour.

Josh Kali, mid Atlantic, sailing downwind onboard “Skookum”, his 19 ft vessel competing in the Mini Globe race. Read more below:

Fishing vessel Boden Michael, homeport Bayboro, NC. Out on the Neuse Sunday morning.

Marker 6 is supposed to look like this. It’s gone. Just a stub remains. Something big must have hit it – the piling is (was) a large metal pipe. Click photo for more views… of the stub… and where it is on a nautical chart.

No Brain, No Pain. For you suave & erudite readers, there may be a life lesson there.
No Brain No Pain is a fishing vessel in the harbor at Atlantic (population 458), on the Core Sound. The photo is by Ben Casey – from his book Core Sound People.

Some wore their costumes with glee… but there was at least one reluctant dragon. Chinese New Year was celebrated Sat Feb 21 in Oriental.

Russ Stevenson passed away early Monday morning. He was 93.

This is Mads Dahlke. He’s a YouTube creator with over 150,000 followers… his channel is called Sail Life. Mads is in Oriental, bringing a 44 ft catamaran back to life.

Sunrise on the Neuse, onboard MV Liz.

Tuesday Feb 17 marks the 2026 Chinese New Year, celebrating the year of the Fire Horse. Artist Laura Turgeon marks the new year with this drawing. The year of the Fire Horse symbolizes energy, freedom, and rapid, forward momentum. In Oriental, celebrations for Chinese New Year include a Dragon Run on Hodges Street – it’s this Saturday Feb 21 at 2p.

At least it does have some primary colors. It’s a thinly populated harbor in February. (Joe Clark photo)

A valentine in the sand of Styrontown Beach, where trees once grew next to the Neuse.

Yesterday’s sunshine has given way to rain. From the archives: a couple enjoys the rain from a bench overlooking the Neuse River.

How warm will it be today? High low 60s (almost this warm).
This seemed a needed warming view, and the photo was actually taken on a warm February day in Beaufort NC (file photo from. February 2022).

The weekend sun is feelin’ more than fine. This is the Neuse view from the Lou Mac park pier.

Though the ice is now melting, here’s a view of Lady Deborah at the height of the snow storm. (Joe Clark photo) More views of snow in Oriental here.