Albemarle Sound was placid and the sun was warm for the cruise of Belle of Washington to the Albemarle Plantation Marina on May 11. On board the Belle were 60 people touring the Albemarle region to celebrate its founding 350 years ago. The cruise originated in Elizabeth City. The tourists were headed from the Plantation Marina to Newbold-White House by bus, and then to Edenton and Plymouth on their three day journey.
It was an impressive sight to have an 80-foot boat docked at our Marina with a long row of golf carts waiting to transport the visitors. Thanks to volunteers from Osprey Yacht Club, the tourists were escorted from the dock to their bus via 25 golf carts. The folks getting off the boat said they were so surprised to see such a welcoming group waiting for them!
The enthusiastic crowd arrived at the Newbold-White House site and enjoyed a lunch in the Visitors Center catered by Louise Ward, of Southern Lady. Then they were divided into four groups for their intimate tour of the Newbold-White House (NWH) Quaker Homestead. The Perquimans County Restoration Association is the caretaker of NWH and provided the volunteers for the various sites. Docents included Chuck White for the cemetery, Lyn Winslow in the brick house, Phil McMullan for the smoke house, root cellar and vineyard, Geoff Byrd and Trevor Wilsmer for the Periauger, and John Ernst for the Visitors Center exhibits and documentary films. Miki Levine, Darla Mathews, Rose Burrafato, Dee Ponte, Jeri Oltman, and Sandy and Bobbie Stevenson escorted the groups from one site to the next to keep them on schedule. Suitably exhausted, the tour group boarded the bus for Edenton in the late afternoon. The Belle continued to the Edenton Marina without the passengers and joined up with the tour group there.