We found ourselves stranded in Oriental, NC, with our motor on the fritz for an extended period of time in a harbor that is not "sailable." Thanksgivings was approaching and we wanted to spend the holiday with family that live about 5 hours away. The problem was there were no car rental places in Oriental, and the closest rental center is in the neighboring town, much too far to walk or bike to.
We found ourselves in this dilemma, one of the locals asked if he would be able to help. He offered to drive us to the rental center so that we could get a car and get to family for the holiday. He even offered to keep our dinghy in his garage while we were away so that it wouldn't get damaged against the pier while we were away.
Someone that we just met connected the dots so that we could spend the holidays with our family! Before this moment, we had never known each other, and yet, being kind to strangers will make everyone's life grander.
He has many friends that are cruising and understands the troubles with transportation in a new port, and he was also going to the town that had the car rental to run some errands.
While cruising, we have found that the smaller the town is, the more friendly and welcoming the people there are. They will help you connect the dots in your plans that way you can have a more pleasant experience in their town. This will leave you with happy memories of their town and a fuller experience while cruising.
