Friday, April 24, 2015

Beaufort, NC

After a beautiful day of cruising, we tied up at the Beaufort Docks for the night of April 23. Beaufort, NC (Beau is pronounced with a long o) is as different from Beaufort, SC (Beau is pronounced with a long u) as Montauk is to Easthampton. We were right in the center of town on Front St. What a lovely town – very quaint, clean and friendly!

Beaufort is filled with well-kept homes - many with historical markers dating back to the mid 1800's. We are following the azaleas up the coast and they were in full bloom today.

We visited a very old and beautiful cemetery with Revolutionary and Civil War soldiers and lots more brilliant azaleas.

That night we had a great dinner at the Blue Moon Cafe with Corinne and Robert who are traveling on their trawler Ariel and who we had met previously in Georgetown.

The next morning we got up early and rode our bikes all along the waterfront and throughout the town. Beautiful!

Swansboro, NC

We traveled to Swansboro on April 22 and on the way we passed through Camp LeJeune and saw active military personnel on boats as well as evidence of practice maneuvers on shore.

We stayed at a marina right next to the town of Swansboro.

Wednesday, April 22, 2015

Wilmington, NC

Our sunniest day thus far on our journey was April 20 as we headed up the Cape Fear River to the historic town of Wilmington, NC. The Cape Fear River is a major shipping channel - very wide and a bit confusing in parts where different channels cross the waterway.

We stayed at the City Docks in Wilmington which were right in the center of the historic district. Cobblestone streets, beautiful old architecture and neighborhoods were within walking and biking distance.

We rode our bikes for a 12 mile round trip to have our boat cards made. Discovered a beautiful bicycle route that traversed the city. What a great way to get a good feel for an area while covering a lot of ground!

Crossing the Border to North Carolina

The landscape started to change as we moved from South to North Carolina on April 19 with more development and fewer winding streams.

We passed the dramatic Grande Dunes Bridge as well as Tom Belchor's mom's house in Holden Beach. We chose to pass by Myrtle Beach to find a less developed area to stay for the night.

We stayed at a very protected marina called St. John's Plantation at the advice of a cruising couple we met from Maine (Roger and Ann). It was located in a very quiet nook right off of the intracoastal.

Waccamaw River and Osprey Marina

On April 18 we had a beautiful cruise through the Waccamaw River - probably the most scenic part of the trip so far. It reminded us of our St. John's River cruises. The Waccamaw winds through miles of tree-lined banks.

We saw signposts with nests of ospreys with little chicks peeking out.

Stayed at the well-named Osprey Marina, a tucked away marina right off of the intracoastal.

Tuesday, April 21, 2015

Georgetown, SC

Spent a great day in Charleston on April 15 with a horse-drawn carriage tour of the city and two great meals (see Jon looking very content after a great meal at the Hominy Grill). Charleston is a beautifully historic town with lovely homes festooned with overflowing window boxes.