As reported here earlier on the Salty Southeast Cruisers’ Net (see /?p=125276), the controversy over at least one long-time resident of the Oriental anchorage took a bizarre turn when one of the managers at the nearby Inland Waterway Provision Company, Captain Pat Stockwell, out of the goodness of his heart, cashed a check for the “boat owner” in question for $2,980.42. The check turned out to be bad.
SSECN strategic partners, Captains Diana and Mark Doyle, founders and owners of “On The Water ChartGuides” (http://www.onthewaterchartguides.com/), hatched the commendable plan of “passing the hat” during the recent Hampton Snowbird Rendezvous, to help defray Captain Stockwell’s loss.
WE THINK THIS IS A GREAT IDEA, AND THE SSECN HAS KICKED IN $50.00. We urge other members of the cruising community to contribute whatever might be within their abilities (see below)!

The Hampton Snowbird Rendezvous passed the sea boot around this week and collected $400 for Pat.
That’s what rendezvous are all about, cruisers helping cruisers. Whether sharing information, matching up buddy boats, leveraging the intelligence and expertise of the group to inspect rigs, repair refrigeration, or shake down SSBs … it’s great to make sure that the innocent aren’t punished and the kind taken advantage of and forgotten.
Pat Stockwell is everyone on the ICW’s buddy and shouldn’t feel embarrassed about trying to help out one of the cruising family. We’re all in that family also.
Folks, please consider sending $5 or $10 to: Pat Stockwell, Inland Waterway Provision Company, 305 Hodges Street, POB 466, Oriental, NC 28571.
Stay in the deep water,
Mark