Rainy Day

We awoke to rain. Kelly and Karol had to head home today, but first we made a morning visit to the local maritime museum, which focuses on North Carolina's cultural maritime heritage, coastal environment and natural history.  Exhibit displays include shells from over 100 countries, fish models, shipwrecks, ship equipment, types of watercraft historically used in North Carolina, whaling, oyster catching, waterfowl hunting equipment and duck decoys which was quite good.  There was a fascinating contraption on display; it was like a 10 foot elongated iron clam that was used in the 1800’s as a rescue vessel.  When a ship was wrecked in a storm and close enough to port for the ‘coast guard’ to see, they would shoot a harpoon with a rope on it out to the ship, drag this contraption under surface out to the boat with a guy in it! He would pop out the little top door, get 8-10 people in it lying length wise on their backs, arms trapped at their sides, and they’d all get stacked in there, then he would hop back in and the guys on shore would pull the rope in.  OMG.  That sounds so awful to be pinned like that getting tossed around by wild seas. I guess it’s a lot better than drowning though.  The museum included access to a wooden boat restoration shop which smelled of the lovely from all the fresh wood.

Then we had to say good bye to Kelly and Karol and spent (a lonely) day doing laundry and catching up with ‘chores’.  We had dinner at a super charming restaurant in the historic district called Beaufort Grocery Store then had a good night’s sleep for an early morning departure.