Sunday night. The caller told me
about the boat. We made plans for me
to go out with photographer Allison
Potter and meet the captain.
The story of the Mara Noka
and her captain, Kiana Weltzien,
is fascinating, almost too incredible
to believe, but it is a true story. It’s a
story with high seas drama playing
out right now. As I’m writing, the
50-year-old wooden catamaran,
with a crew of three women, is out
in the wild North Atlantic Ocean
headed for the Azores, nine volcanic
islands 870 miles west of Lisbon,
Portugal, 930 miles northwest of
Morocco, to raise awareness of
plastics in the oceans.
We are happy to also bring you
the continuation of the Laura Goodwin
story. Goodwin successfully swam the English Channel, making it to shore on July 11, 2022. Writer
Simon Gonzalez caught up with her to bring us her thoughts post-swim.
Other great reads are two fish stories, one introducing young people to fishing and life on the water
through two camps, the second a Fish Tale of marlin fishing in the Bimini Islands. This story is part
fiction, as best I can tell the names and hometown location were changed to hide identities.
We also have artistic duck stamps. Plus, the incredible still lifes of Wilmington artist Virginia
Wright-Frierson.
There is also an adaptive use story of an out-of-date industrial building, the calibration station at the
Port of Wilmington, now the modern headquarters for a decades-old development company.
I’ve also got a short piece on the June 30 signed-into-law legislation permanently legalizing hemp
production in the state, as well as the stalling out of the medical marijuana bill. I became a big believer in
plant-based pain management over pharmacology after using locally produced hemp flower CBD oil to
kick the doctor-prescribed opioids during my long recovery from injury throughout 2020-2021, as well as
during a neighbor’s long battle with cancer.
We top it all off with Beach House Eats, which includes a recipe for homemade peach ice cream.
Bless someone with your random act of kindness today.
Senior Editor/Publisher
www.wrightsvillebeachmagazine.com 13
WBM
IN late May/early June an unusual
craft was anchored in the waters
in and around Wrightsville
Beach. My phone rang one
Pat’s hair by Frank Potter, styled by Emily Wade, makeup styled by Regan Daughtry, all of Bangz Hair Salon.
up front
Sharing the stories of summer.
Pat Bradford has long
enjoyed rope swings. For it
to be out over clear, pretty
water on a hot summer day,
what could be better?
ALLISON POTTER
Just before going to press, we heard the sad news of Thalian Hall’s Executive and Artistic Director Tony
Rivenbark’s passing. We join the region in mourning his loss. Look for a tribute to Tony in our next issue.