Still In Morehead City, NC

This has been a tough stop for us.  Not long after arriving at Morehead City Yacht Basin last week, we got the call that my uncle, Bill Moore, had passed away in my hometown of Lancaster, SC.  I am so glad we were at a location that had a rental car available and close enough to Lancaster so we could drive to attend the funeral.  It was a wonderful service and tribute to a wonderful 91-year-old Christian man.  Bill had a significant military history also, receiving two bronze stars and two purple hearts during WWII.  He would never speak of that military experience until a few years ago when he opened up "so his grandchildren would know and understand that significant history of this country."  I will always appreciate the example he lived, the love he shared, and the sacrifices he made for his/our family, his community, his church and faith, and this country.  While it was certainly a sad time, it was also a celebration of his life and entry into God's eternal kingdom.

It was good to see and visit the church that I grew up in, Calvary Baptist.  There were lots of familiar faces I had not seen in many years. 

We stayed with my nephew Greg and his family.  My sister, Linda, and niece Kim and her family visited while we were there.  Here's the whole crew.

We returned to Morehead City on Monday and reprovisioned the boat while we had the rental car available.  Then this morning, after several weeks of deteriorating health for our 17-year-old cat, it became clear that  Leia was getting progressively worse.  She was unable to keep food down, her hind legs were failing, and she was not able to always get in and out of her catbox.  So, Rhonda made the decision to have her put to sleep. Folks, I'm not a cat person but as cats go, Leia was a good one and all of you with pets know how hard it is to lose them.  I felt really bad for Rhonda but it had to be done.  

We returned to the boat and got busy regrouping after all of the above and decided to go ahead and get a short trip of about 30 miles done this afternoon.  I had the boat about ready to depart the slip and went to unhook the shorepower only to find out that one of the connections had overheated and melted a portion of the female and male halves together.  The only way to get the two halves apart was to tear them apart, meaning both then had to be replaced.  Rhonda hitched a ride to West Marine for replacement parts and spares with some other boaters from the marina while I got all of the old parts disassembled.  Got that project completed and restored shorepower to the boat.  

It was too late by then to travel the 30 miles we had planned, so Rhonda decided to get some cleaning done.  She fired up the vacuum cleaner and it made some really bad noises and subsequently quit working.  It was clear that we needed to just stop for the day and not plan on making much progress.  It was also about then that I realized I had missed lunch so we decided to walk next door and have a late lunch or early dinner, whichever applies at 3:30 in the afternoon.  We went to Floyds 1921 and had a great meal.  We'll take another stab at it tomorrow but let's cover a little about Morehead City before we leave town.  We didn't get many pictures.  There are the typical old homes and waterfront.

Rhonda toured a local museum and thought the story of Miss Emeline Pigott was interesting.  She was very dedicated to the Confederate cause and used her hoopskirt to conceal supplies she regularly delivered to the soldiers.  The skirt and her carriage are on display at the museum. 

In one search that was conducted of her skirt, the following items were found: 1 pair of fine boots, 2 pairs of pants, 1 shirt, 1 naval cap, 1 dozen linen collars, 1 dozen pocket handkerchiefs, 50 skeins of sewing silk, spool cotton, needles, tooth brushes, hair combs, 2 pocket knives, dressing pins, several pairs of gloves, 1 razor, 4 to 5 pounds of candy, and several letters.  There were numerous charges against Emeline over time but she managed to avoid all of the penalties, including the death penalty in one case.  She died a natural death at age 83 and was buried in the family cemetery, having lived her entire life in the Morehead City area.

Rhonda always seems to find pretty flowers and happened up on a lady's flower and vegetable garden.  The owner said people just kept giving her items for the garden and it has grown to become quite an attraction. 

We hope to make a 67-mile run to Belhaven tomorrow.  See you there.

Southport to Morehead City, NC

We left Southport close to low tide since the Cape Fear River has reported currents up to 6 MPH between slack tides.  The inbound tide gave us a little bit of assistance once it kicked in and we enjoyed the ride inland.  We've been fortunate to have great weather for crossing the sounds and bays the past few weeks. 

Rhonda got a couple of good local fishermen shots.

We crossed a narrow area called Snow's Cut with a single large sand dune along the bank that really stuck out.

We're also starting to see a little bit of orange/red dirt/clay in the banks as we get deeper into NC.  The moss/algae was pretty on the rocks exposed at low tide.

There was a lengthy stretch of more homes along the western bank as we moved north toward Wrightsville Beach.  I was reminded of the occasional "dome home" that we saw in the 60s and 70s. The fad never caught on but there are a few still scattered across the beach areas.  Remember these?

Wrightsville Beach had really clean water and beaches but the town seemed crowded and "busy" to us so we decided to press on and make a long 88-mile day to Swansboro.  The Coast guard was working on a marker when we came through.

We barely made it under the bridge in Wrightsville Beach.  With the tide still out a bit, we had about 18 to 19 feet of clearance.  We need a little over 17! That sounds like plenty but sometimes we wonder about the accuracy of the depth markings at the bridges.  It was close.

Like I said, the water has really cleaned up in this area. The picture doesn't do it justice, but this water is as clear as the water in south Florida. One anchorage near here is supposed to be just like being in the Bahamas, but the upcoming weather is keeping everyone from going there today.

In another residential stretch we saw an unusual statue along the bank.  At first and from a distance it looked like "Tin Man" but not sure of the intent or purpose it serves after a closer look?

We soon found ourselves in the Camp Lejeune stretch of the NC coast.  There have not been many good anchorages so far in NC but this one is nice.  The only problem is that, without prior notice of any kind, the marines may order you to leave at any time.  That could be a little risky at night or in bad weather.

Speaking of "leaving" - these folks are not going anywhere anytime soon.  I checked the tide tables as we passed and it was still on its way out with about 7 more hours to get enough water to lift them off.

We had 2 swing bridges to get through.  Both were too low for us to pass underneath so we had a short wait at both.  One opened only on the hour, the other every half-hour so our timing was pretty good.  Three of us were waiting for the one with the hourly opening.

The landscape has changed a lot by this point.  Lots of open land and a really pretty gray marshland.

Lots of windswept, angled tree-lines.

And lots of good views of the beach.

A kayaker in the area enjoying the afternoon.

There was lots of helicopter activity in the Camp Lejeune area.

There were several abandoned tanks in this area where training maneuvers are conducted.  Rhonda took this shot and then said "maybe I shouldn't have" - it looked to her like a soldier was inside, but I think it's the way the light and surroundings inside the tank make it only appear that way.  You be the judge.

You might want to be careful through here at certain times though, huh?

One of the marina operators said the marines will sometimes shut down the waterway without any notice for hours or even most of a day, especially during the summer.  So I guess our timing was good in that regard also.  It was one of the prettiest stretches we've been through.

After a very long and tiring 88-mile day, we docked at Casper's Marina in Swansboro.

Their logo had a whale in it so I thought their wind vane was cool and very appropriate.

We had a nice meal at Church Street Irish Pub and Grille.  I knew I was back in NC when I saw hot dogs with slaw and chili on the menu - not to be found anywhere else in the country that we've lived or traveled. It's been a while so I couldn't pass it up. 

Swansboro had a very small historic district compared to some of the other towns we have visited.  We kept riding our bikes thinking there would be more but all we found were a few blocks of old homes, a few shops, and a small city park.

Fellow loopers recommended a fudge shop in town.  We stopped there and were disappointed to find it closed so we decided it was time to move on - next stop Morehead City.

This was a short 28-mile run in open water but a narrow channel.  Another beautiful day though.

As we approached Morehead City the homes definitely took on a different look, very pretty.

We docked at Morehead City Yacht Basin and I took time to clean the moustache off of the hull again.  Fellow loopers have been harassing me lately so it was time to get it done.

And on a very sad note, my uncle, Bill Moore, passed away today at age 91.  I have been very close to this family all of my life so while we are in traveling distance of my hometown in Lancaster, SC, we have decided to just keep the boat here for the weekend and rent a car to attend the funeral on Sunday.  Please keep the family in your prayers.  My aunt "Neet" is still living at 90 years of age and is the last remaining Hammond on my mom's side of the family.  The children that many of you will know are Mike, Phil, and Janis (my first cousins) and there are several grandkids and one great-grandkid.  We'll return to Morehead City on Monday.

In North Carolina Now - New #1 "I Could Live Here" City

We ended up staying in Myrtle Beach an extra day for weather, mostly wind.  But that gave us a chance to get on the bikes and get out to the beach.  With a strong NE wind and high tide, there wasn't much beach compared to normal for Myrtle Beach, not many shells exposed, and it was cold! So, we were not there long.  Then we rode the bikes down toward the mall to get a new 50-foot length of cable for the TV.  Seems like most of the marinas now are providing that service and our old cable was not working well. We also stopped in at Olive Garden for lunch.  Exercise done for the day as well.  About the time we were finished with all of the above is when the bombings took place in Boston.  It is so sad to see that and I think we all knew it was coming again sooner or later. 

We left Myrtle Beach Tuesday morning with a rising tide, lots of shallow stuff ahead and this time it's rocks, not mud.  I've about decided I like running the narrow spots with the tide down because it really defines the deepest parts of the channel.  Now that won't work if you don't have enough depth of course to start with.  You also have to be careful not to rely too much on GPS locations depicted on electronic charts.  Sometimes they are simply inaccurate and this morning was one of those times.  We were running the center of the channel for sure (clearly defined by the low tide) but the chart showed us on land.  There's a possibility the VOR navaid at the airport was interfering with the GPS signal as it sits right on the bank of the waterway.  For you non-aviation folks, a VOR is a land-based aviation navigational aid that has been around forever that emits a 360-degree signal for pilots to navigate to and from.  Over the years, new systems like LORAN, RNAV, and now GPS have come to replace the VOR with a much more efficient and accurate means of navigation.  Anyhow, VORs are still out there and here's what one looks like.

Here are some of the rocks in the channel we wanted to be sure and stay clear of.  It was not really a problem, but if you are navigating this section you might want to listen on the radio or even call ahead for any potential barge traffic through these sections - there is not enough room for both of you at low tide and I'm pretty sure who would win if there was competition for the space!

There were a few colorful houses along the way. Sometimes I wonder about the choices?? 

A beautiful field of red clover.

Not so sure I would want my boat on the top row of this stack with a stiff wind!

Little River was the next town on the ICW and there were three casino boats docked there.  Yes, I realize there are only two in the picture but there were three - really.

And then we settled into an all day coastline that never changed.  The entire shoreline was lined with homes, then long docks, then the waterway, then marshland, then the beach.  I'm not complaining, because any day on the water is better than one not on the water, but it did get a little monotonous after a while.

And then we found Southport, NC in the Cape Fear area of the state.  We had narrowed down our stop for the evening to two possibilities - Southport or Bald Head Island.  Southport gets high recommendations from other boaters and several movies have been made there, the most recent one being "Safe Haven."  It was funny when we went to see the movie - I had already researched this part of our trip and anticipated stopping  at Southport but did not know that was where the movie was made.  So when Julianna Hough "Katie" got off of the bus in Southport to make it her new home and "Safe Haven" I whispered to Rhonda that we would be stopping there also.  Bald Head Island is nice also, very remote, sort of like Daufuskie was, accessible only by boat, with golfcarts and bikes being the only transportation allowed, pretty beach, but more developed.  We kind of wanted to see the movie setting though since we really enjoyed the movie so we finally decided on Southport, and we are glad we did.  Where to start?

Azaleas were in bloom everywhere. 

The town sits right on a southeastern tip of the state with the vast expanse of Cape Fear in great view and the barrier islands across the way.  There's a city park right on the point. Everyone stops to talk - we now have several new "best" friends.  Rhonda met a lady that her family has decided to move there after visiting for 5 years and she and Rhonda want to be neighbors!  We also ran into fellow loopers aboard "Prime Time" and got caught up on each others' travels.  We met them originally at Fort Walton Beach and again later at Port St. Joe.

All N/S roads in town lead to the water.

The residential section of Southport is stunning with old homes from the 1800s, huge live oak trees, all maintained beautifully.  We should have taken better pictures but honestly, we were riding our bikes around the neighborhood just completely caught up in the beauty of it all.

There were literally hundreds of these and if I had to choose one word to describe it, the residential area was "peaceful."  The cemetery is very historical also and filled with azaleas, live oaks, and magnolia trees.

There is a city park with a nice stage for regular concerts certain times of the year.

The downtown area was very classy and you did not see much "Made In China/Japan/Korea/etc" for sale.  We had dinner at Mr. P's Bistro.  I had "Low Country Clam Chowder" and Rhonda had an okra/tomato/seafood gumbo.  The biscuits tasted just like my grandmother's. When I commented on how they were like hers, the waiter brought more and then even more to go when we were leaving! Biscuits and fig preserves for dessert.

And here are the pics I know you have all been waiting for.  The harbor where Safe Haven was filmed.

The house where Josh Duhamel "Alex" and his kids lived.

The restaurant where "Katie" worked.

And we asked around to find the store that Alex ran where he and Katie met.  To our surprise, it was also on the same waterfront but it was actually destroyed by the fire just like in the movie!  We figured it was staged somewhere else but not so. So forget "Take #2" I guess.  Gotta get it right the first time! The remains were removed after the filming.  Cool.  The house where Katie lived was out in the country and the walk through the woods from town to her home was a long distance away somewhere between Southport and Wilmington.  Anyhow, it was a lot of fun seeing all of the above, may have to go check out the movie again now.

  

And here's the Southport Marina, first class as well, and this is only a small part of it.

So, we now have a new leader in the top "I Could Live Here" List.  And keep in mind, that was added even knowing that it gets cold in Southport!  

"I COULD LIVE HERE" LIST - TOP EIGHT

1.  Southport, NC

2. Palm Coast, FL

3. Port St. Joe, FL

4. Fort Pierce, FL

5. Anna Maria Island (Bradenton Beach), FL

6. Panama City, FL

7. Ft. Walton Beach, FL

8. Morgan City, LA