May 19 – June 2, 2020 – As we began moving north in April, the big question was how hard was it going to be to get necessary services (like fuel, water and pumpouts) amid the uncertainty and restrictions of the coronavirus response, as we transited the states that comprise the Atlantic Intracoastal Waterway. Overlay on that the impending hurricane season, and wanting to have at least a little bit of certainty. Where would we stop (or could we stop) and for how long? And then what?
So, we’d made arrangements to pull 25 miles off the ICW in New Bern, NC, as a secure, and pleasant (in normal times, anyway) place to pause, while the Virginia and Maryland stances on COVID-19 boating restrictions relaxed. We wound up staying at the New Bern Grand Marina for two weeks, that coincided with the State’s progression to Phase 2 of their return to normalcy.
New Bern, North Carolina’s second oldest town, was founded in 1710 by a Swiss nobleman who named it after his native city of Berne, Switzerland. Bern means “bear” and the “Bern Bear” symbol is seen on the flag. Commemorative cast-iron bear heads decorate the historic City Hall and Central Fire Station, and all around town (see photo)
Stores open, restaurants serving, farmers market operational. Ahhh!
Good friends Bill and Geni, on Patriot, joined us early in our first week, and it was nice to catch up and plan our respective summers, over docktails. We even helped Bill celebrate a momentous birthday, at a local waterfront restaurant!
We decided to defer retrieval of our car from storage in Ft Lauderdale, so we took the bikes down and made a grocery run, and walked the town for exercise.
When we leave New Bern on June 2, we’ll be on the final leg of our Loop journey, with just a couple hundred miles to Norfolk.
