Sunday May 23:
An early start for the remainder of the "Rock Pile" & up to NC. A great ride with the tide, only to get to the old wooden Sunset Beach swing bridge & be told it was aground, & could not open for 3 hours or more. So back to SC, & out the Little River Inlet for a run offshore to Cape Fear. Sails up, but almost into the wind, so we motor-sailed at a fast pace to try to outrun the thunderstorms - mostly successful, and only got a little rain. A pretty ocean with long swells. And we got 3 fish - 2 Spanish Mackerel (in the freezer) & a Blue (which was thrown back). Skirted the Cape Fear shoals & came up the Cape Fear River Inlet to Southport (between Oak Island & Bald Head Island), where we took a slip in the newly renovated city marina. After a boat wash, self wash, & laundry, we dined at a local shrimp shack, where you paid for your beer at the end of the night based on how many bottle caps you had in your pocket. Great shrimp! The local alligator swam by to see if there were any free-bees, but then went back to the boats in the marina - reminder "do not roll off the boat & into the water tonight".