A nagging albeit minor plumbing issue on our 46-year-old Canadian-made sailboat, Tranquilo, sent me to Mitchell’s Hardware in downtown New Bern. It’s one of those throwback hardware stores, brass doorknobs, endless bins of screws and washers and plumbing fittings, creaky hardwood floors and friendly employees to help you locate what you need. The woman who rang me up told me to have a good day and then asked where I was from.