2014 #11
25 April 2014 | On to the Alligator River
Another spell of unpleasant weather was being forecast, and not wanting to be stuck in Myrtle Beach, we again hopped outside and went from Winyah Bay north to Southport, NC. Rain and wind coming - time for another marina. One day to walk around the town with the azaleas and dogwoods blooming, one rainy day to get some chores done, and one cold/windy day to stay onboard.
On Thursday, April 17, we left Southport, went north on the Cape Fear River, then back on the ICW to Wrightsville Beach and Mile Hammock - an anchorage area in Camp Lejeune, NC. A cold trip! Checking weather forecasts determined that it was actually 1 degree warmer in Burgess, VA, than where we were. And we are south why? On Friday we pushed out of Mile Hammock and went all the way to Oriental, NC. Another weather spell of cold, wind, rain was headed our way. Into another marina. Rain from Friday night, through most of Saturday, and still some on Easter Sunday. Sunday saw the north wind gusting to over 30. Finally, on Monday, the sun came back out and it actually felt warmer by the afternooon.
Tuesday we were back ‘on the road again’, intending to stop at the south end of the Alligator-Pungo Canal. But we were moving so well! And others we were talking with wanted to go further. So we ended up stopping at the north end of the canal, another 25 miles off the return trip. Three of us had been talking on the VHF radio, but there were 8 boats scattered in the various anchorages in this area.