The diver gave us the thumbs up and said we were good for another month once he scraped a few barnacles off the bottom of the boat. So it was another early up on Thursday to head 64 miles to Swan Point Marina in Sneads Ferry, NC. First we went through Cape Fear River...which I just have to wonder why they would name a river Cape Fear...it doesn't really beckon me to go there. It did beckon me to look up why they did name it that. While sailing to Roanoke Island in 1585, the expedition of Sir Richard Grenville's ship became embayed behind the cape. Some of the crew were afraid they would wreck, giving rise to the name Cape Fear. It is a prominent headland jutting into the Atlantic from Bald Head Island on the coast of North Carolina. It is the 5th oldest surviving place name in the US.
We made it with no fear today as the winds were calm and the sun shone bright. This portion of the ICW took us through many ocean inlets, which was neat as we were able to see a lot of the ocean. There were sections where the water cleared from the "muddy" look to an almost green hue but still not clear enough to see the bottom in only 10 feet of water. The osprey were everywhere and sang to us along the way from their nests. Now never let mother nature fool you because you can start out with calm winds but the afternoons gave way to much stronger winds. We had read that the anchorage at Mile Hammock Bay did not have good holding, gets overcrowded and you end up playing bumper boats in high winds, we opted for Swan Point Marina. The other detail is if the marines from Camp Lejeune are conducting "live" practice the ICW will be closed and you can't go any further, today it was closed until 5pm, tomorrow it is open all day. This is a no frills marina with a very helpful manager. If you draw 4' or more make sure they dock you on the north side of the main dock, the water is too skinny on the south side. There is a restaurant that will come and pick you up, all other stores are at least 5 miles away.
With the ICW open all day we were able to get an early start on Friday and head to Morehead City 43 miles away. We stayed at the Sanitary Fish Market and Restaurant which charges a minimal fee if you eat there (no power or water). Mark had a crab stuffed flounder that he said was excellent! The restaurant has a bit of history to it as it began in 1938 as a 12-stool restaurant with a small 2-kerosene burner stove. It was established by 2 captains whose fishing charter customers wanted a fish dinner without having to spend a day fishing themselves. The restaurant now seats up to 500.
We walked around town and ended up at the different marinas looking at the fishing boats. They were having their annual Reelin' for Research fishing tournament benefiting UNC Children's Hospital and childhood cancer research. It was reported that they raised over 500k and had at least 50 boats entered. This kept the harbor area pretty busy all night. Saturday morning had the sport fishers leaving around 5 am as they passed Captain's Choice on their way to the inlet and out to the ocean. We headed out after the last of the fishing boats left Saturday morning and went 46 miles to an anchorage at Spring Creek crossing the Neuse River. Once again the winds were higher than forecasted, the river wasn't too bad as the winds and waves were at out stern. We anchored in 10' of water with great holding. The good part about the winds were they kept the bugs away. We had a few fishermen go by but we never saw them catch anything. It was a very peaceful night as we did some stargazing and listened to the whip-poor-will.
What a fantastic sunrise we woke to Sunday morning, clear skies, light breezes and a few bugs that found their way to the bridge overnight. We got underway early and headed for Riverforest Marina 30 miles away. Sunday we had to pass through the Pamlico River and again the waves were on our stern for most of the travel. Riverforest Marina has great amenities, there are 3 courtesy golf carts that you can take into town and the grocery store, complimentary laundry, a nice patio, clean showers and restrooms and great wi-fi. The bad part about this marina is the location to the winds we are experiencing. We came here because Monday the forecast was for gusts 30+ and rain, we were tied up well but the breakwall does not protect the marina and we were just rocking and rolling. It is literally like being out in heavy beam seas (hitting the boat on the side). I had to put everything away that could possibly fall. Henry the dock master checked on all the boats several times throughout the day. All of our sources never mentioned the lack of protection at this marina and we will be sure to document it so others know. Thank goodness neither of us gets seasick with the marina full of whitecaps and waves and all the boats bobbing up and down.
There was no way I could cook on the boat so I was glad we had reservations at Spoon River Artworks and Market in town. It's a farm-to-fork restaurant and definitely lived up to its nearly 5 star rating, the food and atmosphere was exquisite. We remarked that it might be the best restaurant we have eaten at since starting the loop, which was a high point to an otherwise crazy day watching the winds whip around us. The winds did die down ever so slightly once we got back. The t-storms and rain were suppose to materialize around 1 a.m. and fortunately there were only a few sprinkles but the winds picked up again and Henry told me Tuesday morning that the gusts were upwards of 40 mph. No wonder we didn't sleep well!
It's still windy today, but not near as bad as yesterday as we untie multiple lines and head to a protected anchorage 62 miles north at South Lake Tuesday night.
April Stats Loop to Date
Days looping 30 352
Travel days 10 158
Miles traveled 461 6360
Lots of shrimp boats headed out in Southport, NC
Many of the marinas are located right along the ICW
and dock "the traveling yachtsmen" on the face dock.
Military Ocean Terminal Sunny Point is the key
ammunition shipping point on the Atlantic Coast
for the Dept. of Defense.
More beautiful homes along the ICW
Along the ICW at Camp Lejeune - things you can
only see from the water.
Morehead City, NC
Sport Fishing Boats with a rainbow of different
colored hulls
Caught up with loopers Tranquility III in the Neuse River
Sunrise at Spring Creek anchorage
This giant moth made it's home on the
bridge of our boat. The outside is wet
from dew and humidity.
After some coaxing the moth landed
on a step so I could get a measurement.
Rockin' and rolling at Riverforest Marina (if I posted
a video you would be seasick)
Spoon River Artworks and Market, a unique dining
experience.
Our oyster appetizer
You have such beautiful sunset/sunrise photos! And those oysters look amazing!
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