April 24, 2015

We left Calabash Creek at 0830 as planned. Our destination was Southport. There was a tricky area along the ICW called Lockwood's Folley where we ran aground pretty hard on our travels south. We were prepared this time. We hit the area at high tide and thankfully there had been some dredging going on so the lowest water we saw was some 9 feet. We sailed through without any problems! (ok we motored through). Unfortunately there was no room at the anchorage we wanted in Southport, it was only a small basin, and there were already three boats anchored there so we kept going for another mile or so and anchored in the Cape Fear River. It was a Class A Inlet so a few large cargo ships passed and it was quite busy with smaller boats. Did I say how calm most of our anchorages had been? Well this certainly wasn't the case but we have been in worse!

April 25, 2015

It was a relatively short day today, distance-wise, so we left our anchorage in Cape Fear River at 0945. We had to do another tricky area known as Snow's Cut, but again we had no problems. We arrived in Wrightsville Beach and after the third try we set anchor. In the shallower water the bottom was known to be hard so we eventually opted for deeper water where the anchor grabbed and held us nicely.

We walked around and enjoyed Wrightsville for a few days. Jorge pulled the dinghy out of the water and gave it a good cleaning. I took the cart and tank and went in search of propane. We also filled up with diesel and water. Boat jobs done, we were prepared to leave the next day. Shawn and Leanne had caught up with us and the plan was to sail on the outside to Beaufort. After discussing the weather with them over happy hour, it was decided the ICW was the route to take.

Local paddle boarders' race.

We had front row seats to the race.

April 28, 2015

We weighed anchor at 0820 and made it through the first bridge at 0900. We were 7 minutes late for the next bridge we came to at 1300 so we had to wait an hour for the next opening (this bridge only opened on the hour). Well just before 1400 emergency vehicles crossed the bridge meaning the bridge had to get clearance from them before opening. Another half hour passed before the bridge was able to open so we lost 1-1/2 hours! What was supposed to be an average travelling day turned out longer than expected. However we made it to Mile Hammock Bay and set anchor by 1720, still with lots of daylight. This is a bay surrounded by military property so lots of maneuvers going on.

The military has some weird looking flying machines!

 

We have had some cool weather in the last few days but hey we are still able to wear bathing suits - just have the layered look. Who says you can't wear bathing suits in N.C. in April?

Jorge's new fashion statement.

April 29, 2015

We left Mile Hammock Bay at 0800. We had to pass through Camp LeJeune, another military area, where they conduct "live firing" exercises and shut the ICW down to traffic at times. Luckily this was not one of those times and we travelled uninterrupted the whole day. We set anchor in Spooner's Creek just south of Morehead City. We went ashore with Shawn, Leanne and Daeyten, did some shopping and ordered a pizza for supper. Gotta love pizza shops!

Sign indicating the entrance to Spooner's Creek.

April 30, 2015

We decided rather than stay another day in Spooner's Creek (it was not very transient boat friendly) we would press on to Oriental. We encountered a minor hiccup going through Morehead City as a tug and barge were travelling through one of the bridges and needed the clearance. He was mostly out of our way by the time we got to the bridge but care was still taken as he was still in the harbour. We encountered some rain and rough water as we crossed the Neuse River from Adam's Creek to Oriental but the distance was less than 3 miles. We arrived at the free town dock of Oriental and tied up. We hung out with Shawn, Leanne and Daeyten for the next couple of days.

 

Jorge bought a new pair of sunglasses (which he gladly shares). Courtesy bikes for cruisers supplied by of one of the local stores.

Jorge and Daeyten.

Jorge and Kim.

Approaching storm.

 

CS'ta Time at anchor in Oriental, N.C.

Oriental in spring bloom.

May 3, 2015

We had a bit of an electrical problem. Ok whenever there is an electrical problem, it is never "a bit". The batteries were not taking a charge from the engine during overcast days, the solar panels were still doing their thing when there was sunshine. After spending more than half a day on the problem, Jorge discovered a corroded fuse prong. After cleaning it, viola . . . batteries accepted the charge from the engine and problem was solved.

We overstayed our time on the free dock, 48 hours maximum but as the docks weren't busy we stayed an extra night before heading to the harbour to anchor. Shawn and Leanne left today as they would like to be in Canada much earlier than us.

We are waiting for friends (Annie and Tom) we met in the Bahamas on the way south and again on the way north, to arrive in Oriental. They live and keep their boat here. They are about a week behind us, so hopefully they can catch up before we have to move on. This is a great little town to wait in. They are so boater friendly. We're loving it here!