Wrightsville Beach to South of Southport

ICW 283.1 to 315

Andy very graciously loaned us his car. We were able to pick up the order we had called ahead to West Marine and some much needed provisions. We had an excellent lunch at a restaurant Andy and Barbara had recommended.

We had a challenging, but well executed, departure with 15 knot winds pushing us against Andy’s dock. We were underway by 8AM Sunday morning in chilling 40 degree temperatures. We faced two potential challenges on this leg of the trip, both due to shoaling. Our recent experience made us much more apprehensive about these areas but we transited both without a problem.

The Cape Fear River has up to a 2 knot current. We had planned to ride the outgoing tide with the wind to give us a smoother ride with less chop and less fuel consumption. Both Bob, and Bob from “Second Spree,” misinterpreted the tide table so we ended up fighting the current and chop all the way.

We docked at St. James Marina, 15 miles south of Southport. The marina is in a lovely setting within a development. Cruisers have access to their tennis courts, hiking trails, and four golf courses. Several cruisers had tennis racquets aboard and headed off to the courts. We are continuing to meet the same folks along the way.

Bob and Lynn have cruising friends living on nearby Oak Island. Kathy and John invited the four of us to their home for a shore dinner and have loaned us their car. We are off to tour Southport today.

We enjoyed seeing the beautifully restored historical homes from the Civil War era and The Indian Trail Tree. The tree is a large oak bent as a marker to fishing grounds centuries ago. Had a great lunch at "The Pharmacy," a restored building that had actually been the town pharmacy.