2025 November: Entering South Carolina

 3 November 2025

Depart: Carolina Beach, NC dock 7:20

Arrive: Enterprise Oxbow anchorage SC 5:05

Distance: 74.5 nm

We had a long day today with a mix of ICW and ocean travel. I had so many picture opportunities throughout the day, I truly overdid it!

Our plans for the next few days do not include marinas, so we have seen the last of heated nights and limitless electricity. We will be anchoring and bundling up! With the time change, we started our day today at 6:15 and woke to rain! Fortunately, the rain was moving away, and by the time we had eaten breakfast and pulled our lines in, the rain had passed. 

As we planned on  an ocean voyage today, the first leg of our journey took us down Snow's Cut and into the Cape Fear River.

As we approached the end of Snow's Cut, we found a multi-vessel tow up ahead. It had what I thought of as the "Papa Tug", "Mama Tug", and "Baby Tow" working together to move a very long load of pipes. "Papa Tug" ("Coastal Trader") was in the stern and in control of steering. "Mama Tug" ("Listo") was in the lead, and "Baby Tow" ("Pusher 16") was in the middle. We had to wait until they made the turn out of Snow's Cut into the river to find a way past the "parade".

Initially, from our viewpoint, it looked like a single tug ahead.

"Coastal Trader"

Then as they started to turn the corner, the full extent of what was in front of us came into view.

"Coastal Trader" at 90 degree angle to tow
as they make the turn

After the turn, we found an opportunity to pass the whole tow. 

Papa

Baby

Sea Foam covered pipes being towed

Equipment portion of tow

Mama in the lead

As we traveled the Cape Fear River, I was awestruck by the cloud cover. 

Car Ferry "Floyd J Lupton"
on Cape Fear River

People Ferry "Patriot"
on Cape Fear River near Southport, NC

We passed Southport, NC and Bald Head Island as we exited the Cape Fear River to the Atlantic Ocean.

As we approached the ocean, the sun fought with the clouds to make an appearance. 

Southport lit up by the sun

Meanwhile, across the way, the lighthouse was still missing sunlight.

The picture below was taken looking east as the sun found a whole in the cloud cover.

The next 3.5 hours we traveled south on the ocean headed to the Little River Inlet in South Carolina. We expected to arrive at the inlet at 12:30 and had a decision to make. Should we anchor with plans to travel the ocean the next day, or continue down the ICW until almost dark?

Ocean Travel today - Cape Fear Inlet, NC 
to Little River Inlet, SC

We did a number of calculations and listened to the weather station reports on tomorrow's conditions. Ultimately, we decided that tomorrow's ocean condition would be the same or worse than today's and sounded a lot less pleasant. We would continue onwards instead of dropping anchor.

Red / White Marker for Little River Inlet
(the "ball" on top indicates it is a RW marker)

As we entered the inlet, we saw several small fishing boats. 

I liked the single brilliant white cloud peaking out from behind all the dismal gray ones.

As we came in Little River inlet, a boat came in behind us and followed us all day long until we finally turned off the anchor and they continued on.

Shortly after entering the inlet, we noticed a sailboat anchored where Clark initially planned for us to spend the night. Instead of dropping anchor, we continued on for another 4+ hours.

Next, we saw a trawler up ahead with his "wings" spread. Turned out the vessel was at anchor.

"II Crelle's" at anchor

I took a number of pictures as we traveled the waterway leading to the ICW.

Off to one side behind a sand bar, I saw a disabled vessel.

For years there was a wrecked fishing trawler at the border of NC  and SC near the Calabash River. That boat eventually was removed. Now a another wreck has made an appearance in the same general area.

Wrecked Trawler

We always see the same boats through here. The Casino boats below take gamblers out beyond the 3-mile limit for some money-spending fun.

Casino Boats in SC

"Shrimper Girl" at dock

The boat shown in the picture below is, I believe, aground just outside the markers leading into the marina where he appeared to be going. Clark said the current was pushing him further and further onto the hard the longer it took him to get out of there. After we had passed, I saw the boat owner standing in his cockpit surveying the situation. It looked grim.

Boat aground outside 'reds' 
marking entrance to marina 

When we calculated how far we could get tonight if we traveled the ICW, we estimated the trip at 8 knots. Well, the next thing we know we have a bridge coming up to complicate our estimates. Fortunately, the bridge was "on demand" and we did not have to wait a half hour for the next opening. In fact the bridge tender held the bridge open for several minutes as we fought the current and a no wake zone to get there.

Little River Swing Bridge

 The scenery was very changeable today as we passed various places populated with houses packed close together to areas with no houses whatsoever. 

As we entered the "Rock Pile" Clark called a Security call to announce our travels down this narrow and dangerous portion of the ICW. Today we got to travel this section near low tide. On high tides, the yucky bottom consisting of thick mud and rocky terrain cannot be seen. It seems a bit scarier to me at high tide as one can only wonder what's down there.

My favorite part of traveling this section near low tide is that I usually get to see the turtles sunning themselves. Today I was not disappointed!

Our travels today took us past Myrtle Beach. You know you are in South Carolina as golf courses appear on both sides of the ICW.

They waved as we went by!

Looking behind us at the boat "Joy" that
followed us for mile after mile today.

"Barefoot Queen" Riverboat

We passed a restaurant with interesting décor outside.

A variety of ocean markers "on the hard"

After that we had a section with no buildings.

Wrecked boat on side of the ICW

Later we saw a section where the houses were packed together like sardines.

Up ahead, I saw a truck on the water!

Truck on dock

"We build docks!"

I had gone down below briefly and came back up to find Clark taking a picture of an "obstruction" in the water. The obstruction turned out to be a tree growing in the waterway.

ICW "Obstruction"

Large home on the ICW

"Make More Wake Please"

Party zone

with Pirate Ship "Treasure Hunter"

Railroad bridge in open position ahead

We had one more bridge to be opened before we concluded today's travels. Fortunately, this bridge also opened upon request, so we had no wait time.

"Joy" coming through Socastee Swing Bridge
behind us

The last few miles of today's travels were fairly miserable. We headed west directly into the setting sun. We struggled to see the waterway and at some points hoped that no boats were coming the other direction around a bend in the ICW as we could not see them clearly. We turned to a more southerly direction for a short time to get a respite and then it was back in our faces again. We were both happy to find our chosen anchorage empty save for one other boat and turned in to drop anchor without the sun in our eyes.

After dropping the anchor, I decided to clean the salt off the front panels of the full enclosure.  We had acquired the salt from spray on the ocean earlier in the day as waves broke over the bow of the boat. 

It was either clean it now or in the morning. For me the choice to do it now was a "no brainer"! To make the job "easy" I climbed over the upper helm instruments and out the flap of the front panel to wash the panes from the outside. It requires a bit of gymnastics to get out there, but it was that or stretching exercises to try to reach the piece parts from inside the boat. 

The side windows on the boat are also salt covered but not required for visibility as we motor down the ICW tomorrow. My priority after finishing the front panels was to make dinner. Perhaps it was changing the clocks over the weekend, but we both found ourselves hungry and eating more and at unusual times throughout the day.

2025 November: Visiting NC friends

 31 October 2025 - Happy Halloween

Depart: Fairfield Harbour dock 8:55

Arrive: Morehead City Yacht Basin 1:40

Distance: ~ 35 nm

After our extended stay in the New Bern area, it was time to move onwards in a southerly direction looking for a warmer climate. When we attended the MTOA (Marine Trawlers Owners Assoc) meeting in September, I won a gift certificate for a free night's stay at the Morehead City Yacht Basin. I usually win things I do not want or need, but this prize we could definitely use. We normally stop in this area twice a year as we migrate from NJ to FL and back again. We stop here to visit our long-time friends Beverly and Dave whom we met at Faro Blanco a number of years ago.

With the intent of arriving at Morehead City around 2:00, we set our departure time for 9:00 and beat our objective leaving 5 minutes early! We said our goodbyes last night, so I did not get a final kiss goodbye from the dog "Gilly" this morning. (sad face)

Goodbye Fairfield Harbour ... until next time!

Today's travels took us back down the Neuse River to Adam's Creek where we rejoined the ICW (IntraCoastal Waterway). As we traveled on the Neuse, Clark played with the instruments to calibrate the autopilot following the work we did while docked this past week. To do a full calibration requires still waters and light winds. We had neither. The winds were about 13 to 14 knots on the beam with a "slight chop" in the river. 

Once we entered Adam's Creek the winds and waves calmed down. I grabbed a few pictures as we headed towards Morehead City to show the changes in scenery as we traveled. We still could not do calibration on the Autopilot as we needed a wide space for the maneuvering operation. As shown below, the creek is narrow.

Trees and water - no houses here

Sandy banks along shoreline

Entering an area with houses

Well built up along the creek's edges here

Back to no houses; beach and trees only

Light traffic on the creek

As we traveled the creek, we passed Mile Marker 195 on the ICW, i.e. 195 miles south of Norfolk, Va. The marina we planned to visit is in an industrial area. I grabbed some photos as we approached our destination.

Entering Morehead City

Pretty Tug at dock

Entering the marina

We arrived at our destination just prior to 2:00 which was our estimated arrival time, and three men were on the docks ready to grab our lines. Our first order of business was to empty our holding tank before heading over to a slip. Per the instructions on the gift certificate, we were directed to a side tie for the night's stay.

Since we would not be getting together with our friends until late afternoon for dinner out together, I decided to use the hiatus to throw clothes in the marina's washing machine. They had a comfy chair to sit in while I waited for the laundry to finish. 

The water pressure must be awfully weak or the washer I chose had a serious problem as I thought the tub would never fill up with water to complete the rinse cycle. At one point I lifted the lid and stared in to see it was filling but ever so slowly. I decided that it would finish eventually and went back to my book. Eventually it did complete. I got the clothes dried and could check that item off my list. At $2.00 per wash / dry I figured it was worth it to get the job done while I had the chance. 

Our friends came to pick us up for dinner and we arrived at the restaurant, "34 North", at 6:15 where we had an enjoyable dinner and conversation. This will be the last time getting together here I suspect as our friends, Beverly and Dave, are moving to be closer to their daughter in Northern Virginia, and horror of horrors - not on the water!

Before we ate dinner, I sent Clark out to get some sunset pictures at the restaurant.

Sunset at "34 North"

No Trick-or-treaters for Halloween came asking us for a treat. We did, however, see some interesting costumes on the staff at 34 North. It is a hotel as well as a restaurant. The two women at the hotel reception desk both had fangs. One waitress was made up as a fox complete with nose, whiskers, and a bobbing red tail. 

1 November 2025

Depart: Morehead City Yacht Basin 7:50

Arrive: Harbour Point Yacht Club, Carolina Beach, NC 5:15

Distance: ~ 79 nm

Clark was not sure if we could make it to the marina in Carolina Beach for tonight or if we would have to anchor near the Masonboro Inlet for tonight and arrive there in the morning. He said we needed an hour to get to the marina from the inlet. We decided to leave as early as possible to make it all the way there. 

Before getting underway, we decided to walk up to the restrooms to save space in our holding tank for later trips to the head while underway. Instead of waiting for Clark to walk together, I left to get a head start figuring he would catch up later. As I was walking on the dock towards the building, I heard a yelp and turned around to find Clark sprawled along the dock. 

He caught his foot on the edge of the uneven, and very rough, pavers used on the dock. As he says, he body surfed along the dock scraping skin off his chin and both hands and roughing up his knee as well. In short, he was a bloody mess! After that I grabbed his arm to help him us and walked beside him to the restroom where he attempted to clean himself up a bit. 

While I waited for him to come out, I sneaked over a ways and took some sunrise pictures.

The rising sun reflected off the buildings on the opposite side of the marina.

When Clark appeared, he was still dripping blood from his hands and chin, so when we got on the boat, I pulled out bandages from the first aid kit and patched him up as well as I could. I need to buy bigger Band-Aids!  

As we motored out of the marina, I noticed a huge work boat nearby.

"Chemroad Aqua" - Monrovia

Just before we left the dock to head out into the ocean, a number of boats pulled out of the marina ahead of us. When we got out to the ocean, we found lots of boats traveling south with many of them being sailboats. The AIS indicators on the chart showed a huge clump of boats on the ocean. Looking off to the east, I could see numerous sails in the distance. Later, as we passed near one, I grabbed a picture taken into the sun.

One, of many, sailboats on the Atlantic Ocean

For anyone who might be curious, the Autopilot is still not operating correctly. Sometimes it can hold a straight course. Then at some point it gets tired and gives up. When we experienced following seas, the AP stopped working. Very frustrating! Our boat is not one that is a pleasure to steer. 

As we were out on the ocean for the bulk of the day, we looked for ways to entertain ourselves as we motored along. We managed to hear NPR's show "Wait Wait Don't Tell Me" (a comedy news show) that we enjoy. Later we listened to music on Pandora. Then for a while we turned off the entertainment as Clark talked alternators with our boating friend Bill on "Jean Marie".  I did word puzzles to pass the time.

Around 4:00 I looked up to find out we were no longer on the ocean. We were through the inlet and traveling south on the ICW towards tonight's destination at a yacht club where the boat owners own the slips. Friends of ours we met at Marlin Bay, Tricia and Steve on "Journey", arranged for us to visit them and tie up to an available dock next to theirs in the marina. 

Last season at Marlin Bay, Clark worked with Steve for several days analyzing and making recommendations on their boat's electrical wiring. Steve promised us a dinner as a thank you. Tonight we got to collect on that promise. They took us to a lovely little restaurant called "Soul Flavor". The dinners were good, but the Caramel Pecan Pie for dessert was unusual and amazing!

Before going out to dinner, I had some time to enjoy the sunset.

Sunset at a yacht club in Carolina Beach, NC ...

Sun reflecting on the buildings across the way

Before going to bed tonight, we set all our clocks back an hour. Going forward, instead of getting up at 7:00, we'll be rising around 6:00. There is no difference really, it just sounds worse!

2 November 2025 - no travel

Clark decided we would stay in Carolina Beach for two nights. He had some ideas he wanted to pursue related to the misbehaving autopilot. Also, Steve had some questions regarding something on his boat. Thus, it turned out to be a no-travel, work day. 

Yesterday, I met a puppy named "Charlie" that I fell in love with. He is a Cavalier / Poodle mix breed and the softest, cutest pup ever (and so very friendly)! Today, I got to say hello to the dog on the boat next to us named "Whiskey". He is an older dog I remember from having visited this yacht club in the past. I am happy when I get to love on other people's dogs!

Clark wanted me to stay handy on the boat today for when he needed my help with autopilot testing / debugging.  He found a loose connection on the pilot house electrical panel that feeds the autopilot and fixed that, and he took a sample of the hydraulic fluid but didn't find any metal filings or large gunk in the fluid. When not on AP duty, I used the time to clean /scrub the boat - in particular the galley area. It kept me entertained when I wasn't pushing the "mode" button on the AP unit.

It requires an app on a phone or a key fob to enter the yacht club. We have neither so leaving the area had limited possibilities. The restrooms are on the outside of the gate, so we had to tag team going out to be sure to be able to get back in again. For two free nights at dock with electric, i.e. heat, I have no complaints. I needed to go nowhere for provisions, etc. So, no worries!

The only pictures I took today were of the docks.

Egret too busy fishing to worry about
people nearby

A lot of boats are docked here in Carolina Beach. 

Looking left from the gated entrance

Looking to the right from the gated entrance

While up at the restrooms, I took a peak through the trees at the property next door and spied a fountain.

Clark's palms and chin do not look too pretty, and he says they are very tender and "talk to him" if he accidentally hits them on something. He will recover, and it could have been worse. That's one accident for each of us this trip, and that is more than enough! Looking for better days ahead!

Hoping for good enough conditions tomorrow to get back out in the ocean with a South Carolina target in mind. We will travel the Cape Fear River and hopefully then head "outside". The decision will be made as we near Southport, NC.