Originally known as Smith Creek, until Louis Midyette, ended up here after seeking shelter from a storm, and became the village postmaster; his wife Rebecca found a nameplate of a sunken ship “Oriental” on the beaches of the Outer Banks and thought that name was more suitable and was able to convince Louis and the village to change its name to “Oriental” in 1899.

After a great night of sleep at a peaceful anchorage, we weigh anchor on the southern end of the Pamlico River head for Oriental, NC, a short 20 miles away.

Every once in a while we cruise to a place where we have thoughts of retiring to. Oriental is such a place. With 900 residents & 2,700 boats, it’s known as “The Sailing Capital of the Carolinas”. Oriental is a small, quiet town located on the Neuse River off Pamlico Sound, a large estuary second in size to the Chesapeake Bay. Cruising, sailing and fishing are an integral part of the area’s culture.

Claudia was delighted when we docked at the marina with a pool next to a Tiki bar. She gave me a big hug and thanked me for picking this marina instead of a cheaper one next door. I felt like a big deal.

We visited the local chandlery stocked up some Portuguese wine, bought some shrimps and crab-pie from a hole-in-the-wall seafood shack, then spent some time walking around town and finding dragons. Dragons seem to be Oriental’s unofficial mascot with an annual New Year’s Eve parade with a Chinese dragon, and other dragons hiding around town. It was actually quite a bit of fun seeing how many we could spot.

Our stroll along the river’s Lou Mac Park is followed by ice cream and Latte at The Bean, where locals gather to discuss sports and politics, all with a dash of good ‘ol boy, Southern humor. After dinner we stopped by the Toucan Tiki bar, their version of our Cheers for a nightcap, where we met a couple, from the family of the iconic cosmetic firm Max Factor, telling us fascinating history of the makeup company and how it eventually was bought out by Revlon. What better way to end our visit to this little charming seaside community than to have a glass of wine, celebrate a warm October night and connect with the locals at the seaside Tiki bar.