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Monday, June 23. The night was cool, and we were
not disturbed by early morning fishermen. We only met one bass boat
as we motored up Prince Creek. I guess we startled them because they
thought the waterway was theirs alone. We all waved. There were some
miles along this waterway that are being developed with some rather fantastic houses. It is interesting, some are up on high stilts and some are only 6
to 8 feet above the water level. That water level seems to be above the
normal. We couldn't really see that along the swamp lands, but now we can
see that the level is encroaching upon the waterfront yards. We soon
entered the long ditch dug behind Myrtle Beach. It was mostly a No Wake
zone. We have seen some trawlers presume that they have no wake and
continue ahead at their full speed. We do drop down to the no wake speed
respected by all of the other cruisers.
The trip along the Waccamaw River continues to be peaceful -- nothing but nature
to admire, especially since the weekend is over. We are amazed at the
number of osprey nests. Back on Long Island we get very excited when we
sight one nest. Here we see them on top of the signposts and on top of the
dead trees. Why do they like to be in such exposed spots? When we
cruise past the markers, the birds are following us very closely and telling us
to move on. We left the quiet river and headed into the "ditch"
behind Myrtle Beach. This is a golfing heaven, and the homes and courses
are beginning to pack both sides of the ICW.
We stopped at Barefoot Landing in Myrtle Beach -- after all the dock is
free. Since we arrived just before noon, there was a lot of space.
We wandered up to the "buy me now" stores and had lunch at one of the
restaurants where we also got a free appetizer. Pearce tried to feed the
fish in the moss encrusted lagoon, Kay went shopping. Neither of us had
any luck. We continued up the ICW. Several years ago we had looked
at the properties at Lightkeepers Landing. We pulled into their marina
because the diesel fuel price looked great -- $1.01 (including tax) with no discount -- no
wounded veteran, no old folks, no nothing else. As the young man said,
"All we have is a good price." The marinas before and after were
quoting 20 cents higher.
We also found a young man that was able to diagnose our outboard's
problem. Aside from the gas sitting for several months (which we had
exchanged a while back), the spark plugs needed some coaxing, and there were
some rusted spots. A bit of sandpaper, some rubbing and cleaning, and the
engine jumped into life. Duane took the dinghy out for a spin, and we
could hear that it was back to its original life. It started up just as
Greg had said -- one choke, one pull, and it runs. Loopers -- if you are
in the Myrtle Beach area, Duane Cribb can solve your problems -- call
843-385-2216.
We continued up the ICW for only a few miles, turned west into the Calabash
River and have anchored here for the night. The sunset tonight was
magnificent... not quite up to the Canadian sets of last year, but a close
second. Pearce took a picture through our Narrasketuck Yacht Club burgee which
continues to proudly to grace our prow.
Tuesday, June 24. We are traveling with several other boats, none of them
Loopers, but we all are headed North. It doesn't seem to matter how fast
or slow you travel, most of the boats end up in the same area at marinas
or at anchor and continue down the same waters. We crossed into North
Carolina this morning -- we almost spent last night swinging from North to South
as the tide and winds changed. We were almost too late for the opening at
the Pontoon Bridge at Sunset Beach. They were waiting for a northbound
sailboat when we came around the corner and asked to be included. Luckily,
there were no "No Wake" signs, and Pearce kicked it up to 20
rpms. There are a few pontoon bridges left in Texas, but this one is the
only one on the East Coast and it is lovingly supported by the surrounding
towns. There are regular approaches on both sides, but the bridge itself
is a swing bridge floating on pontoons or barges. It goes up and down with
the tides, and so do the cars as they go over it.
We crossed the Cape Fear River Inlet and continued up the Cape Fear River.
It is huge -- almost a mile wide -- and many miles from its mouth up to
Wilmington. The weather is again with us, and the trip across the big
river was uneventful. We watched as a tow with his barge headed toward us,
but he made several 360 degree circles. Pearce asked him if we should pass
him on the "one" and he said, "Sure, Captain." Turns
out that it mattered not, we were always on the one, no matter how he maneuvered.
Daughter Cynthia had forwarded our mail to Wrightsville Beach, so we headed that
way, trying to get there today before they closed. Our guidebook talked
about all the stores and facilities at the Beach and also mentioned the post
office. So we anchored and dinghied over to the town dock only to discover
that the post office is a mile or so to the west in Wrightsville. Back to
the boat, up with the anchor, motor over to a dock, run up to the PO, only to
discover that they closed at 4:30. So much for depending upon a guidebook! Back to the anchorage, dinner, and watching the Tuesday night
sailboat races. The Wrightsville Beach Yacht Club is right on the channel,
and they have a very open area that stretches from the inlet in the south to a mile
or more up the harbor. There were nine (count them
Narrasketuck YC) Lightnings -- most of them in the 14000 series--, Lasers, and
Sunfish. They all went around the marks three times. It was fun to
watch them change position as the tide and wind changed. But isn't that
sailboat racing???
Wednesday, June 25. We're up early so we can get to the post office by
8:30 opening. Pearce found a boatless bulkhead, Kay jumped off, and headed
(much more leisurely) up to retrieve the mail. There was a bill, which we
were not awaiting, but Pearce's pills (which had been ordered from the Veteran's
Administration well before we left Florida) had finally arrived. We ate
breakfast and took off again.
 Our parakeet Lucky,
who has traveled with us this far on the Loop, died last night. Pearce
found her many years ago walking in the middle of one of Amityville's main
roads. She was walking along between the yellow lines. Pearce
stopped his car, opened the door, and Lucky didn't take much coaxing to hop onto
his hand. She has lived in our kitchens and merrily greeted us for many,
many mornings. Lucky didn't like to be out of a cage, perhaps remembering
how she came to be hopping along Merrick Road. She would hop onto Pearce's
finger, walk across his hand, and hop back onto her perch in the cage.
During the years when we spent some weeks traveling south, Lucky had a vacation
at Amy & Jon's house, enjoying being among their birds. Amy said she
couldn't figure out why Lucky always made a sound like a cat, but we know she
was merely testing the other birds! Lucky was buried at sea, but one of
her feathers (left behind in her cage) will finish the Loop.
 Today's
journey took us past homes that are defying the hurricanes. We saw docks
that have been destroyed by the wind and water, and we watch homes being built
high above the flood plains. The classical structures, beautifully
balanced, with curving staircases, are gorgeous. The waterfront is lined
with houses of all description, ranging from those that have survived the
hurricanes to those that hope to defy future storms. The waterfront along
this area is unique. There are channels that lead back behind island so
that the boats can be protected from the wakes. Most of the boats are
small to medium skiffs, most with covers and many with cuddy cabins. But
we still see major boats -- forty feet and more -- docked behind the protected
areas. When we have gone to the boat shows, we have looked at boat lifts
and have been amazed that they can lift very large boats. Now we are
seeing that. Lifts for boats up to 30 feet are very common for those docks
that at exposed along the ICW. When you see a 45' sailboat or cruiser in a
lift, you look twice.
We have arrived at an anchorage in Swansboro, NC. The book calls it a
quaint village with antique shops. I've got enough antiques, I don't need
someone else's. Time to enjoy dinner, relax, and go to bed.
Thursday, June 26. We didn't go very far today, just up Bogue Sound to
Beaufort, NC. We passed a military air field where a pilot was
practicing "touch and go." We first thought we were being
invaded when the low flying plane came from behind, crossed over us at 800 feet,
and continued up stream. When we saw him bank and turn and descend, we
realized that we were on the final approach to the airfield. He soon came
back up from behind the line of trees and zoomed us again. He made 4 or 5
passes before we got beyond his range. We're sure glad we don't live in
this neighborhood!
We decided to treat ourselves to a night in a marina. The Beaufort Docks
are right on the main street lined with many shops. Skipper Bob lists them
at $1.20/foot with no charge for electricity. Well, they've redone the
docks and piers, and the price went up to $1.65/foot plus $6 for 50 amp
service. They have cable hookup, but we couldn't find the cable
extension. The computer jack is free, but you have to use an 800 number,
most of which charge by the minute. Pearce wanted to download some
pictures of our Brown Reunion, but our server had been too slow. He was
successful and cleared the photos, only to find that two more sets had been
sent, and they are still blocking our successful connection.
We had lunch right on the dock and admired all the beautiful boats. Kibon
is just as beautiful (maybe more so), and we were not intimidated by the fact
that we were the smallest boat there. By the end of the day there were
seven yachts over 60 feet tied up to the outer piers. The smaller boats
(50 & 55 feet) were inside at the docks. The anchorage is very popular
here (free mooring and free access to a dinghy dock.) There were at least
60 sailboats of all sizes and descriptions, and there were a few trawlers,
too. After lunch we borrowed the courtesy car (only had natural air
conditioning and the temperature was in the 90s) and went off to shop. The
Marine Store that was one of our reasons for stopping had gone out of business
two years ago, and the closest store was the West Marine in Morehead City.
The dockmaster suggested some other places nearby, and we were able to get most
of the "fixins" that we needed. We went on to the grocery store
several miles out of town to get our milk, bread, and fresh vegetables.
The grocery/convenience store on the docks only sells beer and soda, but they do
have delicious ice cream.
A walk around the town to check out the shops and galleries completed the
afternoon. A vodka and tonic tasted cool while we checked every locker for
the cables and connectors that Pearce transferred from the other Kibon, but we
were not successful. TV reception has been hit or miss, so one more night
won't make any difference. We wandered up the street reading the specials
on the signboards outside of the restaurants. The one at the Spouter Inn
read "Shrimp Encrusted in Pastry" and "Flounder Baked in a Pesto
and Sun-dried Tomato Sauce." We decided they sounded good, and they
were. We had to ask the waitress for bread, and it was delicious,
too. Back on the boat we were serenaded by the music from the Dockhouse
Restaurant as we drifted off to sleep.
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Cruisin' The Loop Aboard Kibon