Rockin' & Rollin' to Hampstead, NC

We left early not knowing what the current would be doing out in the Channel. It was a rising tide and it all depends where the inlets are located....whether the current will be against us or with us.

Leaving Southport.

In the channel which was right outside of our marina we found out immediately that we would be slowed way down by this current. Here is the Chart plotter reading (top left corner) our Knots at 3.1!

Whoa...that is the slowest we have gone on this trip. You can “see” the current here on the marker buoy.

Our rocking began with this boat passing us without slowing down.

I was surprised to find big ships in the ICW...well, actually, they are in a shipping lane that the ICW crosses. Here we appear to be playing chicken with our first encounter.

It was a cargo ship and I held on at my first mate seat on the bridge as his wake arrived.

Also passed this assembly for loading & off loading ships.

Another game of chicken?

LONG ship.

Inlet at Carolina Beach.

Interesting dome house.

Another speedy vessel....we would see him again.

The inflow of ocean water turned the channel a beautiful blue-green.

Another inlet.

Wrightsville Beach Marina where I almost had a line on a cleat I was attempting to lasso when a gal came up welcoming us and grabbed my line.  I told her we just wanted to tie up a little while as we were waiting for the Wrightsville Beach bridge to open.  She shooed us away!

So we did donuts waiting on this bridge. Yes, we usually plan better but the chart said the bridge had 20 ft of clearance.  So we motored slowly up to it after the Captain lowered the mast.  We are 17ft 1 inch with it down.  However, the “story board” (depth meter posted on bridge) was saying just shy of 17ft and a call to the bridge master confirmed we could not get under it. This bridge only opens on the hour so we had 45 minutes to putter around...up and down the channel.

Finally it opened for us and the boat that had recently passed us.

While we were waiting for this bridge this same boat pictured here called us on the radio. They grew up in New Bern but now live in Charleston. They asked us about anchorages, saying this was their first time to travel....and it began to look like they might have meant the first time ever!

They were burning a lot of fuel moving so fast and we watched them weave from side to side of the channel and also getting out of the channel several times....we saw them grounded at least 3 times...each time we almost caught up with them they had already managed to get their boat free.

A little whimsy in a yard.

A small houseboat out for some fun.

We are at Harbor Village Marina and a good half mile to the office here where I had to check us in......no excuse to not walk!  There is a nice development of houses right here at the marina.  Here is one of the prettier yards.

We should be in Swansboro, NC, tomorrow night for two nights. We are looking forward to visiting with Looper friends there.