june 20, 2016 Oriental, N.C. to Belhaven, N.C.

June 20 Monday, Oriental to Belhaven anchorage            

Departed eight 0830 and enjoyed a ride on the Neuse river, which is long and wide.   With a one foot chop on the river it reminded us of easy traveling on Lake Michigan. In our travels, we have the opportunity to observe everything, like the trees which stand tall, erect and straight as a board with greenery only at the very top, so you can definitely see the forest through the trees. We watch seagulls fly close to the water wings flapping in unison.  A new one goes to the lead and the others quickly fall in line. The ride is comfortable as Tom does business with the computer and Colletta watches the autopilot run its course. We pull into Belhaven and decide to anchor after the free dock looks unmanageable. Tom puts the dingy down, runs the 5 hp motor, and he and John and Pam head into town. Colletta remains on the boat to do her own thing.

The Belhaven town docks. $ 1.00 per foot per night. No showers, bathrooms,
only 30 amp electric. Better to anchor out. The dinghy dock we used
is right in front of the sailboat to the left.

Pictures of Belhaven. Not much to see.

A private condo development in Belhaven

June 17-19, 2016 Beaufort to Oriental, N.C.

June 17 Beaufort North Carolina to Oriental. 

After a final thank you to Matt,we departed the marina.  Before we left Matt shared local knowledge with us as to which channels to use to get safely back to the ICW. Traveling on the Adams Creek canal on the ICW was very pretty and scenic.  We made it to the Neuse River, which upon approach look more like a lake than a river. The river is very wide. We made it across and got close to Whitaker Point marina. Henry, the owner, was at the dock. He brought us in safely with instructions to follow. We tied the boat and relaxed on board,. Pam had personal business in town, so she was doing that and the three of us explored the small, quaint town of Oriental. Five restaurants, three shops for boat stores, and three churches. Headed back to the boat in time for the wind and the rain and the rock 'n' roll evening. By 10 PM the water had rose about 3 feet, we were high off the dock, and still rocking in the wind. We doubled our lines, secured the boat safely, and went to bed with our seatbelts on. Tom was up 3-4 times during the night to check the lines but all is good.  New record, 9 lines to secure the boat!

View from the Whittaker Pointe Clubhouse out into the
Neuse River in the background

The view from our boat, It really wasn't that far to the clubhouse although
it sure looks that way in the photo

 

Quality time in the pool at the end of the day. Not bad for a
buck a foot per night.

June 18 and 19th.  Whitaker Point marina, Oriental NC

The marina provided a courtesy car. This Marina is small and very private. The boaters are all from the area and have their own car, so we felt as if we had our own personal set of wheels. We decided to head into New Bern about 25 miles away.  We enjoyed the ride through the rural area and small towns. New Bern is a considerably larger town. It is the birthplace of PepsiCola with many shops, a farmers market, a delicious restaurant- Bakery Kitchen, and even a Lowes.  Once back at the marina we took a nap or lounged in the pool and enjoyed the rockers on the large porch of the clubhouse.  The wind died down and the evening on the boat was very relaxing.

We awoke the next morning to see the mast of the sailboat leaning and not moving. After a quick glance we saw the boat had sunk and was being held up by its lines. Not a good way to start a day. We went to a morning church service that was held in the park. A beautiful view. The minister preached on Jonah and the whale when a member yelled "dolphin alert"as a pod of dolphin swam by in the river.  God always lets his presence be known.  The remainder of the day was productive for all. Tom and John worked on electric outlets on the flybridge  of Greeks Folly and Colletta and Pam did some travel planning and miscellaneous boat work. After a dip in the pool, a beautiful sunset and a delicious steak dinner - shared with Robert" the dock master- we enjoyed a good nights sleep with calm waters.

Took the courtesy van 26 miles to New Bern which is the birthplace
of Pepsi Cola.

This what we awoke to on Fathers Day. The boat behind had sunk.
It was funny it made it thru the storm on Friday ok but during the
calm last night it sunk.

Turns out the guy didn't have any insurance on
the boat. go figure. It is probably a total loss
because of the salt water will corrode everything.
A shame.

 

June 17-19, 2016 Beaufort to Oriental, N.C.

June 17 Beaufort North Carolina to Oriental. 

After a final thank you to Matt, we departed the marina.  Before we left Matt shared local knowledge with us as to which channels to use to get safely back to the ICW. Traveling on the Adams Creek canal on the ICW was very pretty and scenic.  We made it to the Neuse River, which upon approach look more like a lake than a river. The river is very wide. We made it across and got close to Whitaker Point marina. Henry, the owner, was at the dock. He brought us in safely with instructions to follow. We tied the boat and relaxed on board,. Pam had personal business in town, so she was doing that and the three of us explored the small, quaint town of Oriental. Five restaurants, three shops for boat stores, and three churches. Headed back to the boat in time for the wind and the rain and the rock 'n' roll evening. By 10 PM the water had rose about 3 feet, we were high off the dock, and still rocking in the wind. We doubled our lines, secured the boat safely, and went to bed with our seatbelts on. Tom was up 3-4 times during the night to check the lines but all is good.  New record, 9 lines to secure the boat!

View from the Whittaker Pointe Clubhouse out into the
Neuse River in the background

The view from our boat, It really wasn't that far to the clubhouse although
it sure looks that way in the photo

 

Quality time in the pool at the end of the day. Not bad for a
buck a foot per night.

June 18 and 19th.  Whitaker Point marina, Oriental NC

The marina provided a courtesy car. This Marina is small and very private. The boaters are all from the area and have their own car, so we felt as if we had our own personal set of wheels. We decided to head into New Bern about 25 miles away.  We enjoyed the ride through the rural area and small towns. New Bern is a considerably larger town. It is the birthplace of PepsiCola with many shops, a farmers market, a delicious restaurant- Bakery Kitchen, and even a Lowes.  Once back at the marina we took a nap or lounged in the pool and enjoyed the rockers on the large porch of the clubhouse.  The wind died down and the evening on the boat was very relaxing.

We awoke the next morning to see the mast of the sailboat leaning and not moving. After a quick glance we saw the boat had sunk and was being held up by its lines. Not a good way to start a day. We went to a morning church service that was held in the park. A beautiful view. The minister preached on Jonah and the whale when a member yelled "dolphin alert"as a pod of dolphin swam by in the river.  God always lets his presence be known.  The remainder of the day was productive for all. Tom and John worked on electric outlets on the flybridge  of Greeks Folly and Colletta and Pam did some travel planning and miscellaneous boat work. After a dip in the pool, a beautiful sunset and a delicious steak dinner - shared with Robert" the dock master- we enjoyed a good nights sleep with calm waters.

Took the courtesy van 26 miles to New Bern which is the birthplace
of Pepsi Cola.

This what we awoke to on Fathers Day. The boat behind had sunk.
It was funny it made it thru the storm on Friday ok but during the
calm last night it sunk.

Turns out the guy didn't have any insurance on
the boat. go figure. It is probably a total loss
because of the salt water will corrode everything.
A shame.

 

June 14-16, 2016 Dudley Marina to Beaufort, N.C.

June 14, Dudley marina to Beaufort NC, Homer Smith marina.

Due to current, tide and winds, some assistance from the dock hands was needed to remove us from the dock. We pulled away at 10:15.  Short Vacation lead the way on a comfortable cruise to Morehead city where confusion broke out for the next hour. So many makers, so many channels, which way do we go.  We received some misinformation from a fellow boater  which added to the confusion, which prompted us to call the Marina and ask for additional clarification on the route. After many turns and slow approaches we spotted the marina and arrived at 1415. We traveled 28.4miles.  We bike into town, four blocks away, and walked through some downtown shops. We were pleasantly surprised to be observers of the Big Rock fishing tournament. This tournament is a Marlin tournament and involves 174 boats.  It is the largest blue Marlin tournament on the East Coast. By 5 PM the boats were returning from the ocean so we sat on a patio deck and enjoy the maneuvering used to park the big yachts. They back into the slips at a high rate of speed totally unconcerned of currents and wind. Fun to watch. Glad it isn't me.

One of the Big Rock boats backing into the slip. Notice the wall
of water he is pushing. He is movin' fast.

Some pf the wild horses we saw on Shackleford Island

on the beach at Shackleford island. A little rough in the ocean
today.

The long beach at Shackleford Island

Pm and John from Short Vacation on the beach

June 15 and 16, Beaufort NC, Homer Smith marina

A rainy morning is best spent sleeping in, so that's what we did. Pam and Colletta took the car and headed to Morehead City  and did some reprovisioning.  When they returned Tom and John took the car and did some provisioning that men need to do.  In-between the afternoon raindrops, I rode into town and enjoyed a leisurely walk through the shops.  Tom joined me later in the afternoon and then we enjoyed a beer, on a porch in rocking chairs, while watching the fishing boats from the tournament return to the dock. All four of us then rode to  No Name Pizza and Subs for pizza.  Good dinner with leftovers for breakfast in the morning.  

Today we took a boat ferry over to Shackleford Island.  We strolled the beach, hunted for shells, saw wild horses, and watched the wild waves on the ocean with awe.  Our ferry boat driver gave us a tour of the area and some history of the town as he took us back to the mainland.  Our lunch was at Royall James cafe.  Cheap burgers and cold beer. A good lunch by our standards.  We took advantage of the free maritime museum which was dedicated to the legend of Blackbeard, the pirate, and his ship Queen Anne's Revenge. It also shared the history of the town in relationship to sea.

Three days is just long enough in a town like this.  We get to see what we want, explore and do new things, as well as take care of any boating business.   Homer Smith Marina is a new Marina undergoing continuous development as well as being a working fish market.  We purchased fresh tuna and enjoyed tuna steaks one night.  Another evening we enjoyed fresh shrimp during docktails. The owner Tony, and son Matt were gracious hosts, right down to lending us their own personal Ford truck ( leather interior and great stereo).

one of the shrimp boats at Homer Smith's Marina

Matt, a great guy who with his dad own's the marina and
fish processing facility.

More of the shrimp fleet

June 13, 2016 Mile Hammock Anchorage to Dudley's Marina

Monday June 13, 2016  Mile Hammock Anchorage to Dudley’s Marina.

 

Anchor up at 0900 with a little mud, nothing that a spray of water wouldn't fix and then headed in to the Camp Lejeune security zone. After a little maneuvering around markers we continued through the security zone and came out safely on the other side arriving at the marina in Swansboro.  This is a good Marina for 75 cents a foot, a little rock and rally during the day but hopefully will calm down at night.  Rode our bikes to lunch at the Swansboro Yacht club. It's not what you think-an adventure in dining. Food was excellent, beers were cheap, service was entertaining, and Sammy Joe, the waitress, wants to be a fighter pilot in the Marines. After a short cruise through town, we enjoyed a peaceful evening dockside.

 

 

This is the sign that welcomes you to the Camp Lejeune range.
Makes you want to keep your head down.

There were a number of these shot up vehicles across the
the ICW. We think they must be targets to give them
something to shoot at?

Some of our charming staff at the Yacht Club after I tapped
there keg of beer for them. You got to do, what you got to
do to keep the beer flowing

A beautiful sunset at Dudley's Marina, Swansboro, North Carolina

Dudley's is primarily a dry stack storage facility for smaller boats.
This building is stuffed with 3 levels of smaller boat put on racks with a fork lift.

Most marinas that do dry stack storage have a huge fork lift to
lift the boats out of the water. Dudley's has a different take on
it. They use this lift to get the boats up to dock level and that
allows them to use a much smaller fork lift. Different but works
just as well. That is our favorite dock hand, Cameron working on
the lift.

Dudley's was a marina on the water and a gas station on the
street. Very efficient. Great ships store with lots of fishing gear
and boat parts.

Coming off the docks with our friends and cruising buddies,
Pam and John from Short Vacation

A picture of historic Swansboro

 

 

 

June 10-12 Carolina Beach to Mile Hammock Anchorages

Friday, June 10- Barefoot Resort Marina to Carolina beach anchorage.

Left the dock at 0800 and headed into the Rock Pile.  This is a narrow channel with rock bottom and rocks extending into the channel.  We went thru this area at low tide so we saw rock ledges exposed by the water.  Made it thru safely and slowly with no issues. As we continued in the ICW the jet skiers continued to buzz around, in and out of congested areas and more local fisherman appeared. We navigated through Lockwood Folly which is an inlet with constant shoaling and shifting sand. A little dicey with markers running zigzag.   We saw our second sunken shrimp boat of the day. Curious as to how that happens to those big guys, we're they drinking or sleeping, not sure which. After waving to C-life (Creech's boat) in Southport, we continued on Cape Fear river- wide body of water with confusing markers and wind and waves- finally ending at our anchorage at Carolina Beach.  Enjoyed a peaceful dinner and the music from a wedding reception on the waterfront.

Entering the "Rock Pile" part of the channel. Most of
the channel bottom is soft mud or sand. Not here. A
mistake can cost you a prop or worse.

These are the under lying rock shelf you want to avoid

Shrimp boat wreck #1

Shrimp boat wreck #2. Wonder what happened?

Cruising thru the channel in Carolina Beach. One of the busiest
beach resorts in the Carolinas

 

 

 

Saturday, June 11 Carolina beach Anchorage to Wrightsville Beach Anchorage.

After a delicious breakfast, we pulled up the anchor and took a ride down to Carolina beach, then headed to the ICW.  The waterways were already getting busy with small boat traffic and Jet skis. On the way north we passed Robert and Kay Creech who were heading south to Southport. It was a short trip to Wrightsville Beach. This day it was extremely windy and after a double anchor attempt we were finally settled. The activity in this anchorage is unbelievable. This is the place where maritime laws come to die. We have wave board riders cutting through, jet skis, center console boats, boats pulling rafts all traveling a high speeds, in between the anchored boats. We did dingy into shore. Wrightsville is all about the beach- swimsuits, coolers, towels, water, waves and salt as far as the eye can see. After we were back on board we noticed a dinghy drifting aimlessly so it was Jon's turn to assist in a rescue.

It's all about the beach in Wrightsville

The bodies stretch for miles

Taking a break with Pam and John

Our anchorage in the Wild West town of Wrightsville Beach

Smaller boats were constantly cutting thru the anchorage
making waves

 

 

 

 

Sunday, June 12 -Wrightsville Beach to Mile Hammock

Anchor came up clean and easy. Tom and I both said a prayer of thank and headed out of the anchorage. We drove around a little and waited for bridge to open at nine. It has a scheduled opening of on the hour, only, so you don’t want to miss it. Once again we are on our way.  Traveling on a Sunday allows us to see that many locals spend their days on the water too.   The North Carolina boaters are very friendly; your arm gets a workout waving all day long.  We anchored in Mile Hammock Anchorage which is within Camp Lejeune. Another trawler –JAZ -joined us and Tom invited them to join us for dinner. New friends, new pork tenderloin recipe, new place all make for a good time.  Our entertainment for the evening was also sensational. Some locals showed up with jet skis and jet boots and put on a skillful performance.  They dove, and swam and shot up out of the water and twirled and did stunts. These guys were very good and very impressive.

This is a sculpture in front of a coastal home we passed

Church is over and the locals are out enjoying the water

This house is referred to as the pink house in the cruising guide
as a landmark for navigation. The guy must have gotten a
heck of a deal on pink paint. The house is pink, the lighthouse to the
left is pink, and what you cant see behind the house is that the
guys boat is painted pink also. You can't make this stuff up.

The lovely crew cooling off with a mid cruise shower on
the bow.

A first for the blog. A video.

The guys in Mile Hammock