Tuesday October 26th 2010

The thunderstorms have subsided, so we decided to move on down the waterway, to Southport, North Carolina. This is a town just off the Atlantic ocean, that was one of the states earliest seaports.

First on our list of things to do? Take a shower! After that, we walked into town to see what they had to offer. It was pretty sleepy. We did find a few stores to look through, then we found ourselves down at the beach, where we found an outside bar for a quick drink. We were then introduced to the “Back Porch Gang”, a group of locals who inhabit the back porch during happy hour. They were very friendly and we talked for quite awhile.

Another friendly entity in town were the mosquitoes! They were huge!! After the recent thunderstorms, there was a lot of standing water in the area, which, of course, they loved! They wasted no time feasting on my body, even through my clothing!!!

On the way back to the boat, we stopped at a dockside restaurant called “The Provisioning Co.”. It was highly recommended to us by one of the locals. It was very unique. As soon as you walk in the door, you are in the kitchen, where you enter your dinner selections with the hostess, and then pick out the drinks you want from the coolers opposite the kitchen. Then just seat yourself in the outside eating area, where they will bring your dinner to you. It was delicious! I had “Thee Special”, which consisted of one half pound of peel and eat shrimp, plus a crab cake. Dave had a ceasar salad topped with Ahi tuna. While we dined, we enjoyed a beautiful sunset, thanks to the clouds left over from the storms.

Wednesday October 27th 2010

The weather conditions will not allow us to leave Southport, so we opted to stay another night. Today was laundry day! While doing the laundry, we met another sailor from Canada. They arrived on their boat, just about the same time we did. They were planning to take a cab to Walmart and invited us to go along. BONUS! So, after lunch we got together and went grocery shopping.

After returning to the marina, we decided to all have dinner together in town. We met again at the head of the dock and walked to the “Cape Fear Restaurant”. It is the home for the bar we visited yesterday. Although it was after happy hour, we were able to see some of the Back Porch Gang. We had another fabulous meal, and had time to get to know Bob and Gracie from “Gratia”. They are also headed for the Bahamas, so we may meet up with them again.

Thursday October 28th 2010

Once again, the weather is not cooperating! It should be better tomorrow. We spent the day doing errands, then decided to go back to happy hour and see our new friends on the back porch. We were the first to arrive, but soon they started to trickle in. Our friend Peter, really wanted us to stay a couple more days so we could participate in a sailboat race they were having on Saturday, but we are anxious to be on our way.

On our way back to the marina, we stopped at another waterfront restaurant called “Fishy Fishy”. They had some really different salads on their menu that we decided to try. They were awesome!! You’ll have to take my word for it, ‘cause I can’t remember what they had in them. I know Dave’s had steak bites and mine had strawberries on greens, but I can’t remember the details. Must be getting old!

Friday October 29th 2010

We were finally able to leave Southport today, and crossed the line into South Carolina. It was a beautiful day as we motored down the ICW. As we did, we passed by a catamaran that we had seen anchored in Southport. It’s name was “Oh Be Joyful”, and there were three young persons aboard, all from Colorado. They too, are headed to the Bahamas.

When we arrived in North Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, we pulled into Dock Holiday Marina. It is just off the main highway that runs through this resort town. We walked up into town and found a hair salon next to the grocery store and the local West Marine store. My hair had become quite long and was hanging in my eyes! So, I had them cut quite a bit off. Yeah!!!! In the meantime, Dave hit the marine store and the liquor store.

On the way back to the boat, we passed by a restaurant that was having some kind of big shin dig on their back patio. We decided to investigate! They were having a grand opening celebration, for “Boom Boom’s Raw Bar”, so we joined right in. The local radio station was there, broadcasting live, and there were free appetizers. It was really fun to sit and people watch. Most of those in attendance were our age or older, and the music was good!

Saturday October 30th 2010

Another beautiful day, so we headed on down the waterway to South Myrtle Beach and a place we visited on the way north, Wacca Wache Marina. Remember our lunch at “Anna Bananas”? We had another nice lunch and talked with another couple who were new to boating and heading back to North Carolina after a few days in Charleston. Needless to say, they were on a small power boat.

That evening we turned on the TV to watch Oregon and USC battle it out, and were surprised to find ourselves looking at Husky stadium on the screen. We were so excited!!......until…..it was apparent that this was to be the worst game ever. Poor Huskies! It really could not have been any worse. Even the weather was terrible! Seattle looked very wet and soggy. We switched back and forth from the Huskies to the Oregon/USC game. At least they both started at a decent time. Our misery was short lived!

Sunday October 31st 2010

Happy Halloween! Not too many scary monsters near the water! We sailed a wee bit farther south and ended up in Georgetown, South Carolina. This is another old seaport. We had fun looking at the old town and having a great lunch at “Buzz’s Roost”. Afterwards we treated ourselves to some yummy ice cream.

As we pulled into Georgetown, we saw “the kids” on the catamaran. We have passed them nearly every day since we first saw them, but they are usually staying in other anchorages. It will be fun to see how often we run into them.

We spent a quiet Halloween, just checking in with Austin and Matt, and I had a great time chatting with my friend Kathy. No, we didn’t have a single trick or treater, but I did have some candy, just in case. Not too many kids on the docks. Like none!

Monday November 1st 2010

We had a long day today, but it was beautiful and just the right temperature, so we kept going ‘til the sun was nearly gone. We even had a chance to raise a sail for awhile!!

We decided to anchor out, so we chose a little creek right off the main waterway, called Whiteside Creek. We were all alone, so spent a very quiet night. Even in what seemed like the middle of nowhere, we were still able to watch “Dancing with the Stars”.

Tomorrow we will arrive in Charleston, SC. Just in time! The weather is starting to deteriorate, and rain and cold nights are in the forecast. It’s a good thing we’ll be in one place for awhile. We will have a new dodger made for the cockpit, and spend some time preparing for some offshore sailing. We plan to leave the ICW and go out into the Atlantic for a coastal sail down to Fernandina Beach, Florida. It will take us about two and a half days of 24-7 sailing, if we go offshore. If we continue down the ICW, it will take us 10 days! We’ve already seen the Georgia waterway, so we are ready for something new. Don’t worry, if the weather will not allow it, we will opt for plan B and continue down the ICW. Safety first!!

We are still waiting to hear from all of you. My thanks to cousin Carolyn for sending an email! I’m anxiously awaiting some news from my former coworkers. Kathy doesn’t count, she’s like a sister.

In the meantime, I’ve decided I’ll share with you some of the funny boat names that we have encountered:

Fishful Thinking

Reel McCoy

Yachta Yachta

The Other Woman

Stay happy and healthy, and I’ll check back in next week!

Love & Hugs,

The Admiral