I know this is a rant but bear with me.

When we stay at a nice place like this here at Duddly's I am struck by the fact that they seem to be able to make a go of it at $0.75/ft which means that we get a secure place to stay and are not gouged for the privilege, whereas other places hold out their paw for $2/ft and more and then add electricity on top of that to allow you the honour of sleeping in your own bed, in our case for $84 plus power. You don't even get your bed turned down at night nor do you get a chocolate on the pillow. Why do we put up with it? Every place we have gone complains about the downturn in the economy killing their business, but maybe they should look at their price structure. Maybe if the costs that they can control were a little lower people would still be out on the water.

OK. That feels better. End of rant.

Meanwhile, what a day! It was supposed to pour rain but didn't; we had to negotiate three bridges and one of them even delayed opening to let us through (Merry Christmas); we got through two more spots that were supposed to ber problematic - Browns Inlet and New River Inlet, bunt with the advice of TowBoatUS we got through with never less than 2 feet under the keel; and we got to Wrightsville Beach and stopped at the Dockside Marina before dark. This is a great place, not the cheapest, but definitely the cheapest in here at $1.25/ft including power. The restaurant/bar is a sort of local hangout and obviously enjoyed by the multitudes. Well worth coming back to and a good jumping off point tomorrow for Joey's.