No Disappointments!

Monday, October 25, 2010.

Thus far, there have been no disappointments in our trip.  Traveling the ICW from Morehead City to Wrightsville Beach has been beautiful with spectacular weather, gorgeous sunrises, and a magnificent full moon!  The captain and crew have settled in to a comfortable routine enjoying the sights along the waterway.  After our first night in Cedar Creek and waking up to a morning of early fog so deep that we could only see a couple of 100 feet ahead, we pulled up the anchor and headed to Swansboro.  The trip was fairly uneventful except that we had the wind on our nose and the tide running against us.  The tide is new for us since there really isn't any in the Neuse River.  But we motored along enjoying the old and new houses along the way.  We decided to spend the night at Casper's Marina in Swansboro and we were not disappointed!  The people working the marina are native to the Swansboro area and couldn't have been any nicer.  We enjoyed a quiet dinner on the boat and then a nice walk through town.  It was a beautiful night with just a little crispness in the air and that beautiful full moon I mentioned earlier rising just above the horizon.  With the brightness of the moon, we didn't even need the new lanterns for the cockpit that we had purchased.  There are parts of Swansboro that are pretty much as we remembered it, but other areas certainly show the growth and development that all the coastal areas of N.C. have experienced.  There were new more elegant stores and high-end resturants on the waterfront but a few of the old standby's, such as the coffee shop and the tourist shops.  Lucky for Buck, it was evening and the shops were closed!  But, I'm not sure we can put anything else on the boat until we eat some of the food we have stored on board.

As I mentioned, we have settled into a nice routine.  Living on a boat is very different from living on land with all the modern day conveniences such as a car, groceries stores, etc. close by.  Conservation is the word that most often comes to mind when I think about my day.  As some of you know, I have been called the "Water Czar" since our trip to Ocracoke last summer.  Now, Buck (lovingly I hope) is calling me the "trash czar", "power(battery) worrier", and the "food hoader".  But so far the boat is doing great and we seem to have everything we need and want.

After leaving Swansboro last Friday morning, we headed to Wrightsville Beach to spend the weekend anchored in Banks Channel.  We have family and friends who live in nearby Wilmington that we enjoyed visiting with over the weekend.  We are in walking distance from some great restaurants, the beach and Roberts grocery that has been here for years!  One of the newest, most interesting things we have seen in Banks Channel is a big commercial vessel converted to a pleasure craft with a Honda CRX car on the foredeck.  Another new thing that we had not seen before is paddle boarding.  I guess that is what you call it.  It is like a great big surf board where you stand upright and paddle with a long paddle.  It looks very uncomfortable and takes a lot of effort.  But all the young folks seem to be doing it.  It looks like way too much effort and work for this old crew!  Magic loves leaning over the side of the boat looking at all the activity.  After checking with the weather last night and this morning, we elected to stay over another day.  There is a front coming in from the west early afternoon which is supposed to bring severe thunderstorms and wind.  Oops!  It just started raining earlier than expected.  Good decision!  When we do leave here, we plan to go to Southport to visit the town for a day.  Our good friend Vic has said this is a must for us especially since Buck is so fond of Robert Rourk and his books.  Robert's grandfather lived there and I believe we can tour the house as it is a Bed and Breakfast Inn.  I've been told there are great antique shops as well as other shops to occupy my time as well.

So for today, it is a day to get caught up with boat chores, do some reading and relaxing, and just enjoy the gentle sway of the boat as it turns with the wind and tide.  Hopefully, it will stay gentle!!!

Until next time!

Fair Winds!
Vicki, Buck & Magic