Monday, April 21, 2014

Through the Carolinas....Miles 75-265

Portside Marina, Morehead City, NC


Times flies when you are on the ICW. The days (and some of the nights) are a blur since my last post. Myrtle Beach, Carolina Beach, Wrightsville Beach, Morehead City. Inlets: Lockwoods Folly, Shallotte, Little River, Masonboro, Bogue. New River, Little River, Cape Fear River, Waccamaw River. Rain, wind, more wind, sun. Guidebooks, paper charts, electronic charts. Planning. Bascule bridges, swing bridges, highway bridges: Surf City, Onslow Beach, Figure Eight, Barefoot Landing.  Waiting for bridge openings, rushing to catch an opening. Passing other boats, being passed by boats. Tugs, barges, speed boats, fishing boats, trawlers, sailboats. Shoaling. Docking lines, fenders, anchoring. Sunrises, sunsets. Dolphins. Dog walks.

That pretty much sums up our days and nights.  This route is familiar to us. It is our fourth northbound trip from the Carolinas to the Chesapeake Bay.  We have chosen a few new anchorages and marinas just to mix it up a bit, and the ever changing depths and channel markers at the inlets certainly keep the navigation interesting. Yet, we find ourselves ticking off the miles in something of a rush to reach the Chesapeake Bay. We vow to each other that the next legs of our Loop will not be like this -- we will have shorter travel days and longer days at anchor. We will take time to stop and explore new towns,  to meet new people.

For now, though, we press forward.......


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