More New Places

After traveling up and down the ICW, it's easy to stay at the places you've been before.  It's comforting to know the tried and true, but we like variety so we're trying some new places.  Our habit after leaving Southport NC would be to stay in Wrightsville Beach and then make the long trek and many bridges to Rick and Lynnie's marina in Morehead City.  Instead, we stopped at the Harbor Village Marina past Wrightsville Beach and 2 bridges after Topsail Inlet.  We found this on Active Captain - Jeff and Karen have stayed here twice.  You have to call ahead - they don't monitor channel 16, so communication is by phone.  The only transient dockage they have is on the fuel dock - floating docks in a residential basin off the ICW.  Very nice!  Several of the Active Captain entries comment on the excellent Chinese Food delivery, so we're trying that tonight.  Tomorrow is a 65 mile run to Beaufort where we'll stay on the Beaufort Docks - another first.  The Big Rock marlin tounament is hosted in Morehead City this weekend, so we couldn't get into the Morehead Yacht Basin where we usually stay.  Should be fun to be in Beaufort where we'll be right downtown.   

Be the "Willow"!

Our most recent cruise route--3 days from Charleston, SC to Georgetown, SC, to South Myrtle Beach, SC to Southport, NC.  Remember, just click on the following link and when the map comes up, just use the zoom buttons to see more detail.  Enjoy!
Charleston, SC to Southport, NC


Vicki writes...
Cruising has definitely improved my flexibility in a major way.  By flexibility I mean not muttering expletives when circumstances intervene to cause my plans to be modified.  This is a very good change.  My temperament is wired to plan ahead.  This is definitely and asset, but can get in the way when changes to the plan makes one irritable (perhaps an understatement) as it used to for me. 

Today was a good example of how flexibility is needed on the boat.  The alarm woke us up at 4:45am  (the earliest yet) to allow us to catch the Cape Fear River with the current in our favor.  We won't trave that river when current is against us because it's 3.5 knots, half of our cruising speed.  The first thing Norm said (after that thing he said that I can't repeat when the alarm went off) was "Is that lightening?"  Indeed it was.  So, we waited.  The storms cleared, but not early enough to catch the favorable current on the Cape Fear River.  So we changed our plans and went into Southport Marina, a stop just before the river.  


At the marina, we sought help with a fuel issue.  Norm has been having to change the fuel filters every day since we loaded on fuel just north of Charleston at Isle of Palms Marina.  The filters are getting black crud in them every day.  Not a good thing.  Maintenance personnel diagnosed the problem and half of the fix (the mechanical half) will be in tomorrow.  The other half (the actual contaminated fuel half) will be treated chemically and cleaned up, hopefully, from the inside.  Otherwise we'll require fuel polishing--that's where they pump all 700 gallons through an external filter and return clean fuel to the tank.  Wish us luck that the chemical treatment works.  So, it looks like we're here for another day - unplanned, but OK. 

Yes, boating requires one to bend like the willow.  Boaters' mantra:  "Be the willow!"

Cooling Off

We found a new spot -- Barefoot Resort and Yacht Club in Myrtle Beach SC.  It was recommended by Bob and Cheryl Klein.  It boasts the biggest pool in SC - no kidding!  Unfortunately, the place is in receivership, so the resort amenities are all closed down.  On a day with 110-degree heat index, we arrived today at 1:00, just when it was starting to feel really stifling, and an afternoon at the pool was mighty fine.  Tomorrow is a 10-hour day to Wrightsville Beach.  The heat index is forecasted to be 98 degrees - this is what they call a cool spell in the summer south.

Our Recent Routes..........

Greetings Everyone.  Here's a couple maps of our most recent cruises since we left Apollo Beach (Tampa), FL in late May.

Part 1--Tampa to Stuart, FL
http://maps.google.com/maps/ms?ie=UTF8&hl=en&msa=0&msid=102224145462847302635.000488e87209d867fe605&t=h&z=9

Part 2--Stuart FL, to Charleston, SC
http://maps.google.com/maps/ms?ie=UTF8&hl=en&msa=0&msid=102224145462847302635.000488f1e39a7a0c5000f&t=h&ll=32.944149,-81.134033&spn=5.401605,17.53418&z=7