5/25/2011 Week 2

0630 We woke up to a beautiful spring morning and the fresh smells in the air are terrific.  It was quite warm and a bit muggy last night but no bugs.  It looks like another great day and this will be the 11^th straight sunshine day we have had on this trip.

Howard the boat mechanic showed up at 0815 and he changed the oil from another row boat tied up to the back of mine.  Interesting to watch what he was doing and I learned how to do the oil change. 

0930 we shoved off and headed north.  About ten miles up the ICW I came to a Golf Course that had a Ski Lift Gondla taking golfers across the waterway to the golf course.   

I wasn’t 20 miles past Myrtle Beach and my Nav/Charts Maps on the GPS went off.  Well it was back to the red and green markers and my depth finder.  After about another 10 miles I got the road map image to come up but no Nav/Charts Maps the rest of the way.

Most of the ICW in this part of NC is like a straight super highway for boats.  How could I get lost?  Like most days, the trip was like traveling down a scenic highway.  Of course there were more big homes and boats but the most interesting was the docks they had to build to get out to the water.  In some areas the docks were more than 100 yards + long built over the marsh grasses.  I came to my 2^nd swing bridge about 3 hrs out of Myrtle and knew I couldn’t squeeze under it like the last one.  There were several large boats on the other side and three sailboats waiting on this side.  It was 1145 and if figured it opened on the hour.  I slowly creep up to the bridge and about 200 yards out it opened for me!  As I passed by I could see that I would have been at least a foot too tall if I had tried to go under. 

Several large boats past me coming and going and it seams that no one cares or has any courtesy when passing a smaller boat.  The wake they leave is huge and I must almost come to a dead stop and cut perpendicular into the wake to get through it.  Yes, many other large boats do slow down when they pass. 

I came up on the South Port marina just off the ICW around 1400 and decided not to stay but head up the Cape Fear River to Wrightsville Beach.  WELL, after making the turn into the river I almost turned back.  Coming at me was a large barge tug boat and passing along my right was a car ferry.  The wind was at my back and the tide was in my favor but the waves were choppy and high at times. With no GPS nav map to follow I kept a sharp eye out for the red and green markers and followed them up the river.  The road maps on the GPS showed me the cut off to the ICW canal and I set my heading for that location. 

BINGO, right on the mark and what a feeling to be in calm canal water again.  This river should be called the NO FEAR River.  Yes, it was a challenge!  Also, I must thank the Creator and Mother Nature for being by my side even though I am a good soldier turned SAILOR!

I pulled into Joyner Marina at Carolina Beach, NC and again I was greeted by a super staff.  Brittany the marina manager was more than help full and Capt. Ted gave me slip space and gas at the downtown market price which is a nice savings.  Dinner was a cup of soup and two hot dogs.  It will be early to bed tonight.