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Tag Archives: Wrightsville Beach

In Memory of Bruce Fredrick Allcorn ~ December 23, 1945 – October 18, 2020

15 Sunday Nov 2020

Posted by “Oh Captain My Captain” in From the helm

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Always with you, Austin-Healey 3000, Bonaire, Calamari dipped in Orange Marmalade, Cats, Cats are family too, Chris Craft, Class of 1964, Coffee, Coffee 1820, Cold beer, CruisingTheICW, Extended family, Family, Fellow boater, Friends, In memory of a friend, Jaguar, Memories, Pipe tobacco, Rest in Peace, RIP, Southwest High School, Tribute to a friend, US Navy, Vintage Jag, Whole fried flounder, Wilmington NC, Winston-Salem, Wrightsville Beach

Thanks to mutual friend, Alan York for sharing a favorite pic of Bruce.

Sunday, November 15, 2020. Some posts are hard to write. This one has been the hardest. On Sunday, October 18, 2020, our good friend, my former high school classmate, fellow boater, and all-around great guy, Bruce Allcorn passed away unexpectedly. I learned about it when his niece called after hearing my messages on his phone.

I once wrote a poem to my children that started, “There’s so much I want to tell you, so much I want to say…” That’s how I feel in writing about Bruce.

Our friendship began at Southwest High School in the early 1960s. After graduation, we left our hometown to attend different colleges, but a pair of Austin-Healey 3000s “reconnected” us after our freshman year. His was a black 1962, mine a blue 1961. Until the day that I sold mine, nearly every weekend during the summer of 1966, wherever you saw one Healey, you saw the other.

Our marriages and career moves “disconnected” us again in the late 1960s, but friendships that are meant to be, will be.  In 2014, the 50-year reunion of the Southwest High Class of 1964 reunited us. Our love of cars had never changed, but in a way, it was a love of boats that may have brought us closer together.

In the fall of 2016, Carolyn and I bought “Slow Dance” to cruise into retirement. In the summer of 2017, our first long cruise was to the North Carolina communities that were near and dear to us. When I told Bruce that we would be coming his way, he insisted we spend a couple of days in Wrightsville Beach. It took no effort to convince us. When we arrived at Bridge Tender Marina, he was on the dock to greet us. The trip began a tradition of spending two or three nights in Wrightsville Beach on every trip north and return trip south. In return, Bruce made trips to Charleston for British Car Club and Austin-Healey car shows, and to attend our annual chicken stew. When we were together, it was just like old times.

Though Bruce was an independent person, he was also the kind of person that never met a stranger, and would do anything for a friend. When we reconnected at our class reunion, he had been divorced for years. He was enjoying retirement and a lifestyle of focusing on family, a wide circle of friends he considered extended family, and his cats — which were as much his family as any of his friends! I think he recognized some of us friends were about as feral as some of his cats, but he loved us anyway!

And then, there were his toys — beautiful 1962 and 1967 Austin-Healeys, an equally beautiful, vintage Jag sedan — none of which had been driven in the rain in all the years he owned them, and of course, his classic Chris Craft, center console boat. Equally important to Bruce was time spent each year in Bonaire. There, he’d established another circle of friends that had evolved into even more extended family. Someday we’ll visit, just to understand his love of the beautiful place and wonderful people that he often spoke of.

Memories. So many memories.

The summer of 1966, Bruce’s mom rented a beach house at Emerald Isle, NC, and invited Bruce and me to spend a weekend with her, there. As we prepared for the trip, we had to make a choice — do we take luggage, or the top to my Austin-Healey that we would be driving? We chose luggage. Before we left Winston-Salem, and seemingly the entire trip Bruce reminded me that, “Emerald Isle is nothing like Myrtle Beach. It’s laid back and pretty quiet. I don’t want you to be disappointed.” After enjoying a shrimp dinner his mom prepared, Bruce suggested we drive to Atlantic Beach, and ‘check it out.’ As we left the beach house, I was told that Atlantic Beach was where nightlife could be found in Carteret County, but still, it was ‘nothing like Myrtle Beach.‘

Before we got to Atlantic Beach, we had witnessed a bleeding, cursing drunk, tightly strapped to a gurney, and being placed in an ambulance, after running his fist through a number of window panes at the bar/pool hall that had kicked him out. Less than a mile later, we came across an overturned VW camper (no injuries, thank goodness.) And then we arrived at the Atlantic Beach circle, to the sound of a man’s voice screaming, “Shoot me, go ahead and shoot me, you f*^*ing coward!” I moved the Healey to the far side of the street, and we found a cop as quickly as possible! Bruce was right, so far, this visit had been nothing like any of my trips to Myrtle Beach! In defense of Emerald Isle, Atlantic Beach, and Morehead City, I’ve never witnessed such excitement there since! The beautiful coastal communities of The Crystal Coast remain among my all-time favorite destinations, whether by boat or car.

After our exciting Saturday night, we left quiet Emerald Isle on Sunday. When we crossed over the Morehead City bridge, we were looking up at a very, very dark sky. We glanced at each other, realizing we could be in for a wet ride home in the topless Healey. Leaving the Morehead City limits, the rainstorm hit us! But as we often experienced in our young and crazy lives, an angel — in the form of a Lincoln Continental — came flying around us. We pulled so close in behind that Lincoln that it felt like we were drafting the leader of the Daytona 500! Amazingly, at the speeds we ran, the windshield deflected the rain right over us — and equally amazing, that Lincoln leading us, perfectly timed every green light from Morehead City to Garner, NC! We were completely dry as passed through Raleigh! It was another one of those ‘you can’t make this stuff up’ moments!

Fast Forward 50 Years

Carolyn and I are blessed with many wonderful memories of good times spent with Bruce after he and I reconnected. His voice. Mannerisms. Infectious laugh. Dry wit. Sense of humor. His kindness, generosity, sincerity, and loyalty. His love of family first, including at least annual visits to his parents’ gravesite. His love of his friends — the kind of love that brought him to a marina to greet them upon arrival, or bring them hot bagels at 6:30AM on the morning they were leaving.

There are memories of the aroma of his favorite pipe tobacco, his love of a cold beer, whole fried flounder, or fried calamari with orange marmalade. More than once he took a small jar of marmalade into a restaurant, and after dinner left it for the chef to try. He could never understand why every restaurant with calamari on the menu, didn’t serve it with orange marmalade. Go figure!

Coffee. Bruce loved his coffee, specifically Cafe 1820 Clasico, harvested and distributed in Costa Rico. He ordered it by the case, not by the bag. On his first visit to see us in Mount Pleasant, he brought a bag for us to try. When a man orders his coffee by the case, you can be pretty sure he’s shared a bag or two with friends that shared his love of coffee.

Due to COVID-19, we didn’t make our usual, annual journey north this year. But in 2019, as we cruised north past Carolina Beach, Bruce called to check on our progress. A half hour later, from the upper helm I saw a fellow in a center console boat waving as he approached us from the north. Waving at passing boats is not unusual, but as we waved back, Carolyn said, “That’s Bruce!” When I turned to look, he was turning around to approach on our starboard side. Sure enough, he’d raced down the waterway to greet us by boat!

Our next stop after Wrightsville Beach was at Beaufort Docks Marina, in historic Beaufort, NC. As we idled toward our assigned slip, I saw a beautiful, antique, wooden motoryacht on the dock behind us. Later, when I walked over to take pictures of it, the owner invited me aboard. When he asked where we had traveled from, I replied that we had just come up from visiting a friend in Wrightsville Beach. He asked my friend’s name. When I said, “Bruce Allcorn,” he laughed, and proceeded to tell me that he and Bruce were part of a group of friends that met daily for coffee! I took John’s picture, texted it to Bruce, and immediately received a return text that read, “Don’t believe a word his says about me!”

As I write this, I’m enjoying a cup of Coffee 1820. Last night when I was putting the beans for this morning’s brew into the grinder, I read something that I had never noticed on the front of the bag, “Always with you.” I can’t help but wonder if it was one of the reasons Bruce enjoyed sharing bags of that coffee with friends. Two things are certain — Bruce’s friends will forever remember him fondly, and as Carolyn said, “Cruising through Wrightsville Beach will never be the same without seeing Bruce standing on the dock waiting to greet us.”

Some might say Bruce Allcorn was one of a kind. They would be right. This old world would be a better place if inhabited by more folks like him. Rest In Peace, Brother. You are loved, missed, and will never be forgotten.

Oh Captain, My Captain

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DETAILING…It’s all in the details.

02 Tuesday Jul 2019

Posted by “Oh Captain My Captain” in From the helm, Marine Services

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America's Great Loop Cruisers' Association, Atlantic Yacht Basin, Beaufort Docks Marina, Beaufort NC, Belhaven NC, BoatUS, Bridge Marinas Urbana, Bridge Tender Marina, Cape Charles Town Docks, Cape Charles VA, Chesapeake VA, Coinjock Marina & Restaurant, Coinjock NC, Cruising the Chesapeake, CruisingTheICW, Detailing, Details, Dowry Creek Marina, Eastern Shore, Georgetown SC, Hampton Municipal Piers Marina, Hampton VA, Harborwalk Marina, Life, Myrtle Beach Yacht Club, North Carolina, Onancock VA, Onancock Wharf and Town Docks, Portside Grill Urbana, Preparation, Reflections, Slow Dance, Southport Marina, Truth, Urbana VA, Waxing, Wrightsville Beach

July, 2 2019.  Urbana, VA.  The most serious part of cruising is in the details — the preparation to be on the water for weeks, not hours.  Each spring since we got Slow Dance, we’ve done our “due deligence” and prepped the old girl to take us port to port safely and securely.  But this year we were in for a surprise.

Each year, Aaron Vickers, of Oil In A Day’s Work, services the main engine, transmission, and generator including new zincs and impellers.  Our motto is, “If it’s needed or questionable, do it.” Last year it was time for new electronics, so electronics guru, Jeff Sechrest of Tidal Marine Electronics outfitted Slow Dance with new Garmins and radar at the upper and lower helms.  “Admiral” Carolyn gets the credit for details related to provisioning.  If not for her, I’d be eating beans and living in the same clothes the entire trip!  Never underestimate the importance of the “Admiral’s” cruising details!

In marinas and along the waterways, people never see Aaron, Jeff, or the “Admiral’s” work, but they sure see the work of the person that “details” the exterior — and salt water, air, and sand take a toll on fiberglass, gelcoat, and paint.  Enter David Vickers, owner and operator of NAVY Details, Hollywood, FL.

Three weeks before leaving on this summer’s cruise I stopped by the boat to drop off a few things.  Walking down the dock I noticed a man and woman detailing a big Navigator a few slips down from ours.  When I came out of the cabin to start home, the man approached me.

“I love your boat.  I used to maintain one identical to it in Fort Lauderdale,” he said.

“Really,” I replied.  “Who owned it?”

“A fellow named Patrick O’Brien.”

I smiled, pointed to the name, Slow Dance and said, “Meet Slow Dance, formerly known as Irish Rover.”

He pulled his phone from his pocket and said, “I’ve got to send Patrick a picture of you and the boat.”

A few minutes later Patrick called me.  “Dick, are you going to let David detail the boat?  He’s the best there is!  Honest!  He was the only one I’d let detail Irish Rover and the only one I’ll trust to detail my new boat.”

Needless to say, David agreed to stay in Charleston another week to detail Slow Dance. One week turned into about ten days as a couple of other owners in the marina wanted him to do their boats.  That is a testament to his beautiful work and attention to detail.

What separates David from the vast majority of other detailers?  He’s the consummate professional.  He hired a local young woman to polish the bright work, but David personally compounded, polished, and then waxed the boat — a time consuming three part process that left Slow Dance looking like it just came off a showroom floor.  And he literally detailed every square inch of the exterior, minus the canvas and Eisenglas, which are in need of replacement.  He cleaned and polished everything on the upper helm — which other detailers have ignored.  The biggest shock came when he called to ask about turning off power to the boat.  When I asked why, I was told he needed to defrost the large freezer on the upper helm so that he could clean and wax it — not done by previous detailers.  On a visit to the boat, his helper was cleaning shore power cords, the freshwater hose, all eight large fenders — again, not done by previous detailers.  After he finally finished detailing Slow Dance, he thoroughly washed and dried her.

I’m writing this post from Bridge Marina, in Urbana, VA.  So far we have overnighted in Georgetown, Little River, Southport, Wrightsville Beach, Beaufort, Belhaven, Coinjock, Hampton, Cape Charles, Onancock, and Urbana.  In every port people in the marina have been amazed Slow Dance is a thirteen year old boat.  For that I give full credit to master detailer, David Vickers, owner of NAVY Details.

Even calm water reflects off Slow Dance’s sparkling hull.

Slow Dance illuminated by an Onancock sunset

Slow Dance and the “Admiral” enjoy a Cape Charles sunset.

When David left Charleston with his camper, he was taking a slow journey up the east coast to Connecticut, where he will spend the summer — detailing boats of snowbirds that are among his Florida clients.  As he says, Connecticut is much cooler than Florida in the summer, and he has an established client base awaiting him there.  In late September he will start back south, and sometime in October he will put another coat of wax on Slow Dance, and that should hold her until he next spring when he will again detail her during his 2020 northern journey.

David Vickers is a detailer extraordinaire.

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“Follow In My Wake”

Sullivans Island skyJPG
An early sunset casts a warm light on the "Next Chapter," a beautiful 130 ft Westport, at the popular Southport (NC) Marina.
An early sunset casts a warm light on the “Next Chapter,” a beautiful 130 ft Westport, at the popular Southport (NC) Marina.
Bridge Tender Marina
Bridge Tender Marina
Captain Buck's Port Chef James Kohler
Captain Buck’s Port Chef James Kohler
Myrtle Beach Yacht Club
Myrtle Beach Yacht Club
Big Tuna, Georgetown, SC
Big Tuna, Georgetown, SC
The Admiral enjoys reading, while Kate the Mate stands by the captain.
The Admiral enjoys reading, while Kate the Mate stands by the captain.
Southport Marina
Southport Marina
Starboard sunset
Lanes Ferry Dock and Grill features the best hot dog on the planet!
Lanes Ferry Dock and Grill features the best hot dog on the planet!

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Memories, so many memories! Found this while decluttering and organizing the writing room. Ralph Emery’s May 28, 1993 “Nashville Now” show focusing on the great State of North Carolina! Honored to join George Hamilton IV, Doc Watson, and Charlie Daniels to talk about our home state! My apologies to the bearded fellow standing between George and Ralph, but I cannot remember his name! #memories #nashvillenow #ralphemery #georgehamiltoniv #docwatson #charliedaniels #me #northcarolina #tarheel #northcarolinaismyhome #nctravelandtourism #oldtimesnotforgotten
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