TripSailor.com® Sailing Blogs

5-06-08

We had a pleasant two days in Southport.  We were glad we had decided to stay the extra day, as there were some pretty bad storms predicted.  I did 4 loads of laundry-my blue jeans did me the favor of walking themselves to the Laundromat, as they were happy to finally be washed.  After washing our new, special order sheets from Canada, I struggled at least as hard as I did with the regular sheets to get them back on the V-berth.  Hopefully, they will stay tucked in longer than the 2 days after original placement and I won’t be sleeping on the bare mattress again for awhile.  We were glad to be tied to the dock with storms coming through the area last night, and glad to have a break from the grind of the shallow ICW.  Although we only had rain, there were reports of hail close by, and they did have hail at the marina where we’re staying tonight. 

We have been pleasantly surprised by the marina bathrooms so far.  We don’t have to grit our teeth and close our eyes as we step into shower as we did many times on the trip south last year.  The only downside at the Southport Harbor Village was only one bathroom for men and one for women.  There, also, was only one washer and dryer, but our sailing companion Dianne and I worked out our schedules so we didn’t have too much down time.  We caught up with Dianne and Jack at Cricket Cove and they also spent two nights at Southport.  Now we are both docked stern to stern in Harbour Village Marina in Hampstead, NC.

Last night we ate at the restaurant “Joseph’s” in the marina village and enjoyed delicious eggplant parmesan.  We met a very nice couple, Pat and Don, who were at the next table.  They were friendly and said they’d keep up with us on our blog, and invited us to stop by on the way back.  You really can’t beat Southerners for friendliness and hospitality, but in general all boaters are pretty nice folks.  At least all sailboaters and most motor boaters.  However, we did encounter an extremely rude power boater called Rajah, I believe, who seemed to think it was great sport to barrel by the three sailboats traveling together at top speed.  Then he had the nerve to say that he was doing us a favor by going that fast.  I don’t think so.  He almost swamped a small fishing boat.  It was with great glee that we saw him waiting at the bascule bridge while the three of us puttered our way up to pass through.  NC bridges are mostly restricted openings, but unlike Florida, they only open on the hour.  We were very, very lucky today that we arrived at the right time for the first bridge on our itinerary today and only had to wait 5 minutes for the second-that doesn’t happen often to us. 

On our way to this marina, we saw some interesting sights on the ICW.  The ship channel at Southport/Cape Fear was wide and choppy.  We passed by a restricted US Navy channel before getting back on the intracoastal at Snow’s Cut.  Dredging operations at the Carolina Beach Channel gave us pause, as we didn’t want to hook a dredging pipe with our keel.  We passed one sand bar, awash with waves, with a plastic palm tree and tiki beach umbrella anchored in the water.  Later on, we passed a life-size giraffe on the bank in front of a stately home.

We made good time, I guess owing to making those bridges, and we are safely nestled in the marina.  The marina is fairly large, but there is only one transient dock.  The dock master insisted that we move very close to the boat behind us, and String of Pearls is about 2 feet off our stern.  However, the marina is very nice-mostly owner-owned boatslips, and really nice homes lining the harbour.  The dock master said all the homes were built after Hurricane Fran came through and blew down all the trees.  The marina has been here a long time, but the docks are brand new. 

We are going to order Chinese with Dianne and Jack.  I’m opting for the Pu Pu platter, but thankfully it can be ordered as A12 on the menu.  Not a very appetizing name is it?  Signing off for now; we’re scheduled to anchor close to the marine base Camp Lejuene tomorrow night (if they aren’t having artillery practice!)  Then it’s on to Beaufort, where I hope my new (and becoming a very expensive) bathing suit will catch up with us.