Going north….

Right now we are anchored in Wrightsville Beach, NC and have a  plan to continue going north some more tomorrow.  The trip has been going fine and we have only had to motor on the ICW from Charleston to here.  The first 590nm from the Bahamas was done on the outside (in the Atlantic Ocean) and we are liking the openness more and more every time we are out there.

motoring into Cumberland Island with the tide

Sunrise leaving Whiteside Creek, Ga  

From St Augustine we jumped outside for a 60nm day trip up to Cumberland Island.  We were hoping to spend the next day wondering around the beautiful park but we had rain and thunderstorms all day so there was no going to shore.  Figures….     By chance we ended up sailing north with sv Yasmine Ann (Lagoon 410) and over the next few days we ended up anchoring with them and eventually met them in Osprey Marina.  So where did they used to live?  Why upstate NY……Fayetteville!

We had to weave our way through the fishing fleet 

& dodge flying balloons!

We flew the spin for 8 hours that day

After 2 days at Cumberland we headed back offshore and did an over night sail up to Charleston.  The winds didn't stay favorable to make it to Winyah Bay (Georgetown, SC) but the motor trip north from Charleston is scenic and with lots of birds to watch.  We saw a huge bald eagle on the way up.  Once up in Waccamaw River we headed right to Osprey Marina for fuel.  On the second night there were getting ready to go to dinner with sv Yasmine Ann and I happened to look over to the fuel dock where I heard a engine coming near and OH MAN!………its none other than mv Feline Purrfect!  Reiner & Renate, the prior owners of Nati were just coming north from their stay in Florida and the Bahamas.  It was good to see them again over a cold brew!!

Reiner at the controls passing us

From there we headed north once again and stopped for a night in Southport.  We had a good dinner at "Fishy Fishy" and will make it a point to stop in that town again.  It's a very quaint little town that hasn't lost it's southern look to commercialism.  No flashing lights or fast food joints dot the waterfront and there are still working commercial fishing boats in the small harbor.

homes of Southport

some real beauties

waterfront

Leaving Southport via the Cape Fear River

The following day we rode the tide up the Cape Fear River and put the anchor down at Wrightsville Beach.  It's the first time we have dinked into the town and it is quite an active and busy little beach town.  Surfing appears very big but most importantly there is a Harris Teeter food market and we spent a good amount of time there……..we needed almost everything!

One more thing……..it's cold up this far north!!