October 28- November 3, 2011
We left Beaufort but it was a very tense day. We circled for
an hour in front of the Atlantic Beach/Moorehead City Bridge because the water
was too high and choppy for safe passage. We spent a rainy day bouncing on the
ICW with plans to anchor out, but two attempted coves later, we ended up at
Dudley’s Marina for the night. There we met John on Star4, hailing from Montreal. We traveled the next few days
together, plotting those 65 foot bridges.
In the morning we maneuvered a tall bridge and then a swing
bridge; again the day was blustery and we put all of our foul weather gear to
good use. We knew in advance that we would need to anchor in Mile Hammock Bay
for a few hours in order to clear the next bridge, a great plan if there are no
winds. But since it is the season of 35 knot winds, our anchor dragged and our
generator wouldn’t start. By noon Rick found a one slip marina at New River
Marina and we pulled up our anchor and headed down the ICW for safety and
warmth. We learned later that four other boats were in there that night, all
dragging into each other. Good call, Rick.Staying at New River was a cultural experience! There is an RV park at the water’s edge and the other two slips are reserved for the gas dock and sand dredge, not exactly Osprey Point. Well, the good people of North Carolina helped us dock in those strong winds and invited us to dinner- they had been roasting a pig all day. We learned it is not a pig roast but a pig pickin’ party, complete with homemade barbeque sauce, hush puppies and birthday cake. We froze around the bon fire but took in what the locals had to say.
We were off on Sunday before first light to complete a plan
with John. Good planning prevailed; we cleared all of our bridges safely. We went
into Seapath Yacht Club at Wrightsville Beach for three days, got some rest and
networked on our generator problem. John moved on to keep a schedule. We’ll see
him again, we see everyone again!
On Wednesday morning,
we left Seapath for Southport, home of St. James Plantation and Marina. Bridges
were not a problem today and seas were calm until we hit the Cape Fear River,
aptly named by the way. We had a following sea until we got back into the ICW.
It felt great to tie up early. Happy Birthday, Rick! We celebrated quietly and
prepared for the morning when we have a fifty mile day ahead of us.
Lest you think we are discouraged by winds, tides, bridges
and repairs, we are not in the least. First of all, Rick sets the tone that
this is an adventure, not an ordeal. He always says boating is repairs in
exotic places. Second, every day’s scenery is better than the last. Even on our
worst days in the past month we have traveled with dolphins and pelicans, and
those shrimp! This morning we were treated to a flock of terns whose wings
sparkled like snowflakes in the sun. We have heard people say the Intercoastal
Waterway is boring, but we think it has been absolutely gorgeous. Sunrise and
sunset on the ICW and the ocean are breathtaking and the evolving architecture fascinates
us both. We wouldn’t miss this for anything, and besides, this is a journey,
not a destination.
