Topsail Beach to Morehead City and on to Oriental

5/2/10 We left Harbor Village in the morning with winds forecast to be strong. The route was protected until Bogue Sound. On our way to Bogue Sound we had to travel the ICW past Camp Lejeune where the marines have a training base. They are large signs and if they are practicing shooting, they will have boats on the ICW to stop all boat traffic - sometimes for hours - as they train. They actually shoot across the ICW into targets. Luckily they must have had Sunday off and we had no issues. Bogue is a large sound with some protection, we had small rollers but not bad at all. We stayed on the north side of Morehead City in the Morehead City Yacht Basis, full protected from the strong SW winds, no current and right next to Floyd's Restaurant where we enjoyed our 35th Anniversary. Morehead is a small quaint area with many charter sport fishing boats and commercial traffic.

The next morning we left around 6:30 a.m. trying to make our way to Oriental before the winds built too much. We were in protected waters until the Neuse River which had strong winds against a strong current and a rolling chopping sea. It was not an issue for our tug but a nasty crossing. We arrived in Oriental around 10 am and got settled in our dock. John had to dock the boat sideways to 25 knots of wind and did a fabulous job. Oriental is a beautiful little village with great restaurants, gift shops, art, crafts and fresh seafood! The Marina Inn has a restaurant, pool and right downtown...with great folks to greet you.

Southport to Topsail Beach

We left Southport around 7 a.m. with slack tide and began our trek up the Cape Fear River. We only met one large barge and tug and traveled past the large Ammunition Terminal. Cape Fear was kind with flat seas and a current going with us. The winds were forecast to be 20+ so we decided to have a short day to Topsail Beach area and stayed at a small marina, Harbor Village. It is amazing that 17 years ago when we brought our sailboat down the intercoastal, we are retracing our route staying at the same exact marinas as then. Only, the marinas are more modern with much better docks and facilities. We enjoyed a quite night at the dock in this protected harbor while the wind blew all night!

Myrtle Beach to Southport

And on to Southport and a visit to Bald Head Island. We left Myrtle Beach with calm seas at 7:45 a.m. We had to make the top of the hour opening of the Sunset Pontoon Bridge at 10 a.m. and made it just on time! The trip north from here had many shallow areas and pass by two inlets, Lockwoods Folly and Shallotte River Inlet, notorious for shallow areas. Strong currents near the Lockwoods Folly inlet affected the intercoastal waterway for several miles. Fortunately no problems- John just gave more power to the wee tug engine and we continued on our journey. We arrived in Southport around mid day and enjoyed cocktails with other boaters we've met along the way and topped it off with a great steak dinnner on board. The next day we took a ferry out to Bald Head Island. Bald Head has alot of history and very expensive homes. On the way out on the Ferry we met Col. Mark Hagan, the Commander of the Military Munitions Terminal in Southport. He explained that when we left we would be passing his terminal which is the largest Ammunition Depot/Terminal for the Armed Forces in the World. He gave us his card in case 'any of his guys' gave us any trouble. You can imagine there are security boats everywhere keeping a great distance between them and other travellers. He was kind enough to take a photo of us at the ferry. At Bald Head we rented a golf cart and travelled around the island to see homes, Old Baldy, their historic lighthouse, and of course a nice lunch! That night we visited the locals restaurant "Yacht Basin Provision Co." (last photo)and enjoyed a Low Country Boil. This is the south's version of our clam bakes, which includes, shrimp, corn on the cob, Andouille sausage, and potatoes. Back to WinterHawk to ready for the next day's voyage....

Charleston to Myrtle Beach

We left Charleston with calm winds and little current in the marina and begain our trek North. Charleston Harbor was calm as we proceeded out a secondary channel to avoid a hugh tanker coming into port. We passed Ft. Sumpter and then took a left into the ICW to pass through a narrow shallow area along the Isle of Palms. We arrived in Georgetown around 3 p.m., took on fuel and settled down to a great dinner. Georgetown is a lovely small restored town with a harbor full of anchored boats and commercial shrimp boats. The sunset photo was a must! The next day, April 23, we left early for Myrtle Beach and our American Great Loop Rendezvous. We then traveld up the Wacama River, a beutiful natural river with birds chirping and ospreys and eagles flying overhead. The trip brought us through many man-made cuts lined with houses on both sides for most of the trip. We arrived in Myrtle Beach Barefoot Landing at the Grand Strand Resort around 2 p.m. We tied up and settled down for a five day stay as we attended seminars about the Great Loop. We again met many of the folks that we have been seeing throughout our trip north. It seems a 'click' of boats that go about the same speed keep visiting the same marinas...and everyone is friendly and always willing to help. While in Mytle Beach we enjoyed "Flying Fish Restaurant", a similarly themed restaurant as the famous fish market in Seattle, Humburtos a wonderful Italian restaurant in Barefoot Landing and enjoyed seeing George Jones at the Alabama Theatre. And, did we mention The House of Blues - where they had a day of on-going blues and jazz to raise money for the local animal shelter.