Over the July 4 weekend, we traveled to Beaufort, NC to see 14 tall ships at North Carolina’s Crystal Coast. Arriving to the area a bit too late to see the ships just off shore at Atlantic Beach, we ventured to downtown Beaufort to see a few as they came in from from their sail. We were able to see Meka II — a ship commanded by Captain Horatio Sinbad — and ultimately the reason that the tall ships visited NC as Beaufort is his home.
Also at Beaufort, we were able to see Compass Rose, a beautiful ship with rust-colored sails. And other smaller ships, as well.
We then traveled by bus to another port to see other tall ships before heading to the state port at Morehead City — temporary home to the Cisne Branco (a Brazilian ship, owned and operated by the Brazilian Navy) and the Virginia.
There were many pirates to greet us at the event — some to entertain the kids — and lots of small cannons (Allan–we have photos for you!). Most puzzling was a pirate who made reference to Raven Knob as we were passing by (a camp that G worked during summers while at school). We think he may have been teasing a child with a haunting tale about ye old knob, but I suppose we’ll never know.
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After a bit of exploring about the largest ships, we headed to the beach and enjoyed the calm, placid, crystal waters that are the Crystal Coast’s namesake.