I'm back at the Tidewater Marina in Norfolk.  Said goodbye to Bonnie and to our great friends the Bierys this morning.  Wally was my sailing buddy back in Cleveland, and we chartered together on the Nantucket Sound some twenty-plus years ago.  The four of us have had a great time boating down to North Carolina and the Ablemarle Sound.  Edenton was a high point; a wonderful community.

We had some engine problems approaching Edenton.  Actually, I miscalculated and we ran out of  fuel about a mile from port.  With a diesel engine, running out of fuel is a pretty big deal.  You have to bleed the entire engine of air before it will run again.  I made an attempt at it, but fell short, and this is where the cool part of the story begins.

A neighboring boater spent the entire morning making various contacts and working with us.  As a result of his efforts: 1) we got a loaner car to go and get five gallons of diesel; and 2) after the engine still didn't start and in spite of my best efforts at diesel mechanics, a technician showed up (this was a Saturday) and got our engine running.  And then he charged us next to nothing.  Jack and Bill are my new heroes.  Along the way, the people of Edenton were just plain great.