Our start to the new season went much more smoothly than it did last year. Cay Paraiso fared well over the summer and during Hurricane Dorian, so other than routine maintenance and a few minor repairs, we were ready to go in a little over a week. We left the marina in New Bern and headed down the ICW on November 4th.

We had a good 3 day run with 2 nice anchorages then a mooring in Carolina Beach where we timed our run down the Cape Fear River with the current. A push of 2-3 kts the whole way enabled us to cover a lot of distance that day. We made it to the Barefoot Marina in North Myrtle Beach for 2 nights, where we plugged in to ride out wind and cold. Temps in the 30s first thing in the morning aren't bad if the winds are light and the sun comes out, but throw in 15 kt winds from the North and that's a different story. We enjoyed a great seafood dinner with Dave's High School friends, Janet and Fred.

We managed to squeeze in 3 more long days of pleasant and uneventful progress before tucking into the Safe Harbor Marina in Beaufort, SC to wait out the "Arctic Freeze" being experienced by most of the nation. There was a mass escape from the ICW into marinas for most of the boats around us on Tuesday. It doesn't seem right when the morning temp here is the same as it is in Wiscasset! Many of the trawlers (and some of the sailboats) have since left, but we're staying put until Sunday or Monday. We don't have the desire (or need) to endure rainy days with highs in the 40s and 15-20 kt Northerly winds.

I am again reminded of the beauty of the tidal marshes, vast rivers, creeks and ocean inlets of the Carolina(s) ICW. We're looking forward to a nice stretch of weather next week when we can get back to spending our nights at anchor and enjoy our solitude and peaceful surroundings.

Check out the gallery for more photos...