Swansboro to New Bern, NC July 14-19, 2014

July 14-19, 2014 
 

 










After numerous bridge openings on Monday, July 14th, marking time at many in strong winds and current, we arrived at 4 p.m. at Dudley's Marina in Swansboro, NC. Swansboro is the town 
immediately north of Camp  Lajeune Marine Corps post.  It is also near several of Mary Alice's relatives who were unable to get together with us.

The marina office was housed in a gas station which also hosted a bait and tackle outlet. Tactfully, I will say this place had character! Clay immediately called our friend Tom Goodman (Journey) with whom we've spent many nice evenings. Tom, a retired NCIS agent who, with wife Melissa and family, has lived all over the world, invited us to dinner in his home where we were treated to a wonderful meal cooked by Tom himself. Not only does he have great boating skills, but his chef's skills are the likes of which I'd love to duplicate! Tom later shared his knowledge of the area upcoming along our route (Tom is a port captain/harbor host). We missed Melissa, but sure enjoyed our evening with Tom!

Thank goodness for earplugs! Our face dock location in Swansboro, coupled with rainy conditions, made for windy, wave-sloshing, rocking conditions overnight (translation: noisy). When I talked to my friend Gayle Horton the next morn, asking about flood conditions in LAMO, she said, "I'm so tired of looking at water," followed by, "I can't believe I said that." We laughed in unison as I approach eleven months aboard the trawler! 

 
Clay and I did manage to squeeze in a Tuesday morning walk between raindrops, stopping for breakfast across the bridge at Santorini 's Grille (Mediterranean Cuisine); my ploy here was to check for bagels. With none, I was ready to move on; Clay sniffed the aroma and sat down for a hearty breakfast fare which I seldom provide onboard! Post breakfast, we crossed the second bridge, toured the historic downtown and other marina, then returned 'home.' Wild winds created a 'unique' hair-do on me, producing odd looks from the marina office staff; when I saw myself in a mirror, I totally understood! Back to the boat, we were alerted to 58+ mph winds at which time Clay checked, re-secured and added additional lines. I spent the afternoon defrosting the freezer and cycling two loads of onboard laundry.

Wednesday, yet another day in port due to rains (conditions of late were 'blustery' without the cold temperatures), Clay and I walked in the pre-rain drizzle then took refuge in Clyde Phillips Seafood Market where the old-timers gathered to 'chew the fat.' What fun we had getting acquainted! Reminded me of Grandpa Ridgway's barbershop, The Rex, on Columbia's Strollway! Even met a fella, quick to share his experiences, who helped build the Tom Bigbee Waterway thru which we passed on our way to Mobile Bay. In anticipation of Friday day-cruising company (Tom and Nancy Thomas and Joyce Bokor), we purchased jumbo lump crabmeat for crab cakes. You'd be amazed at Clay's ever-present interest in cooking as our ears heard and brains absorbed directions for the best crab cakes yet! Alert to Clay's eagerness for crab cakes, this happy homemaker filed the ah-ha moment to guarantee that he was gonna be put to the test when it came time to create the masterpiece.

Thursday dawned windy but without the rain. Hooray! After our morning walk and breakfast, Clay busied himself with departure preparations while I biked to the nearest food market at breakneck speed, feeling like the Wicked Witch of the West of 'Wizard of Oz' fame. Having forgotten my bike lock, I entered the grocery store, wheeling my bike alongside. The flower department gal gave me a temporary parking pass, saying she'd just incorporate it into the display. That takes some imagination!

 
We bid Swansboro farewell without really exploring the historic district due to the weather which was a disappointment. But we'd had other experiences as substitute, so all was well! Life is all about Plan B...or C...or D...  A three-hour cruise took us to Beaufort Docks in Beaufort, NC with its pretty main street fronting the marina harbor and a benefit fishing tournament well underway. Upon approach, we were directed to look for the big white tent. Yep, in sight! Shortly after snugging in for the overnight, our good friends Tom and Nancy Thomas arrived. Nancy, an enthusiastic genealogist, loaded us all into the rental car for a tour of the local cemetery followed by a delicious dinner at the Beaufort Grocery Company where we enjoyed good company, an evening of reminscing (Tom and Nancy introduced Clay and me), and delicious dinners, a grouper/shrimp special (Sal) and flash fried flounder (Clay). What a memorable evening! Back to the boat, we BOTH worked to prepare the crab cakes for overnight chilling before Friday's day cruise to New Bern, NC with Tom, Nancy and friend Joyce Bokor aboard.

Nancy, Tom and Joyce arrived Friday morning for an 11 a.m. departure toward Joyce's hometown of New Bern, NC, where Captain Clay had chosen to dock the SaSea Sally for a long weekend upcoming. The day was beautiful but windy, making for rather rough conditions on our journey up the Neuse River, some 25-30 miles. I was totally unprepared for the wide spanse of waterway, so looked at the resource information printed in the Waterways Guide to inform fellow boaters that the Neuse River is the widest river in the United States; I knew it was waayyy wider than the Mississippi I've experienced. This wide girth explained much of the roughness. Being first mate, and the captain's wife, I hollered at the captain, "Do something (to calm the rough ride)." I knew that he could either speed up (or slow down), turn into the waves at a better angle or consider some other such tactic; and only I was in a position to holler at him. 

He did find a smoother ride for us; not that any of said passengers were in violent-nausea mode, but it just wasn't fun having to continually find balance and equillibrium, even seated! We passed the afternoon in companionable chatter/conversation and enjoyed a beautifully-orchestrated lunch of crab cakes, pasta salad, cut cantaloupe on a bed of mixed greens, and baguette rounds. My sea legs coupled with the lurching had me tripping up the flybridge steps as I delivered the first round of plate lunches, but I kept vertical and thus presented undamaged goods. I feared picking plate contents up off the deck would have been less appetizing and far less sanitary!

We arrived at Northwest Creek Marina after cruising five hours and were assigned a slip based on our length of 43', our beam of 16' and our draw of 4'. Oooooo...not to be in slip first assigned to us. As Clay docked stern in with the whippy winds, it became apparent that the space was too close quarters with no wiggle room (much like our first assignment in Dania Beach Marina). Reassigned, we managed relocation under dock master Dawn's expert guidance and under-her-breath commentary that the first slip would never have worked (she was privy to upcoming weekend and early-week weather). With docking taking longer than usual (I was quite out of practice with my lasso'ing, not having had dock configurations such as this for some time), our guests were quick to jump ship in favor of terra firma. Tom and Nancy had an early morning flight upcoming, and Joyce was providing transportation; but she reappeared to accompany us to dinner at nearby Big Apple Pizzeria, a pizza/pasta place which was convenient and tasty.

Clay had chosen this Northwest Creek Marina so as to be conveniently located near Joyce's home of twelve years here in New Bern, NC. She had graciously offered friendship and airport transportation to us over the next days during which we were flying to Ft. Lauderdale in support of Uncle Woody and Aunt Shirley in dealing with Shirley's hospitalization June 29th. Hooray for old friends and renewed friendships. Thank you, Joyce!

Saturday morning, we're off for Ft. Lauderdale. Thanks again, Joyce, for the friendship and hospitality...and transportation.

We'll resume our SaSea Sally adventures upon our return to New Bern after a five-day absence in Ft. Lauderdale.

Wilmington, NC to Wrightsville Beach, NC July 9-14, 2014

July 9-14, 2014

Waterfront in downtown Wilmington, NC

We endured a captain-created tizzy Wednesday, July 9, in Wilmington when a necessary Wal-Mart run collided with an Enterprise rental car return and a SaSea Sally relocation, all mandatory before noon. We figured the dock master would be the most forgiving of our tardy departure (aka, least penalty), so we itemized our relocation third priority and departed the marina shortly before 1:00 p.m., bound for Cape Fear Marina/Bennett Bros Yachts (boat yard) about 3/4 mile north of out Wilmington Hilton Dock.

Shoulda stayed put! As we arrived at Cape Fear Marina, excited to see our friends' boat, the Aerin E, Captain Clay was not fully aware of the extremely swift cross current, more pronounced due to the tides. Close Encounter became too close an encounter when Clay uncharacteristically made final approach at "ramming" speed (his motive was to avoid damage to the pulpit/anchor). My, but I don't believe the dock hand realized he could jump that high nor move that fast to get out of the way. (Damage was easily buffed out, but the memory was firmly implanted in the captain's memory bank...and mine, too!).  We calmed my nerves (I don't think Clay has them) by performing normal tasks which took me to the marina laundry room and Clay to the dock for detail work buffing. Later eve we joined Pat and Chip (Aerin E) for dinner at the Dock Street Oyster Bar downtown Wilmington.

Note: Clay tells me now that he was aware of the swift cross current, but Plan A wasn't working for him! 

Terry and Barb Perkins

Terry, Barb, Sally and Clay

Our early morning walk Thursday was aborted due to rain which imposed a dreariness to the day. I was able to squeeze in a solo walk mid-morning when the rains tempered; I wound my way through the side roads of this largely-industrial area, marveling at the marked contrast with yesterday's walk along the historic downtown boardwalk, so near yet so far. We spent much of the day with cleaning chores, replacing the water filter, repairing the blown-out hose and the shore water hose entry. At my insistence, Clay cleaned the air conditioner strainer, then washed the boat deck in prep for the later afternoon arrival of our friends Barb and Terry Perkins (Barb, my Theta sorority sister and roomie from Mizzou days). Upon their arrival, we four were joined again by Pat and Chip for dinner at The Basics in Wilmington's Cotton Exchange in the downtown historic district. A good choice, we all enjoyed fine dining at very reasonable prices in a bistro atmosphere. A terrific restaurant recommendation by Pat's current hairdresser. Kudos to good food, good prices and fun times with friends!

Freighter on Cape Fear River

I was dreading Friday's departure from Cape Fear Marina, knowing we'd be facing the same cross current conditions, so our morning walk was an attempt at jitters-purging for me. Not sure it worked so well, but we four did get a bit of exercise. The dock master coached Clay on the best technique for combating the current, but darn it, we still had trouble. No damage, though.

Our 2.5 hour cruise Friday took us from Wilmington, NC to Southport as we retraced our path from the previous weekend to give Barb and Terry a taste of Looping. It was a wet, drizzly day, but as we docked and checked in to receive our bathhouse keys, the skies began clearing, promising a dry, unencumbered walk to Mr. P's for dinner. Barb and I had such a good time picking up right where we left off a few (hmmm..) years ago; speaks highly of a strong friendship. And, we had fun getting acquainted with spouses.

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Path over the dunes on Bald Head Isl.

In Barb's work, she had arranged numerous conferences at a private community across the Cape Fear River from Southport reachable only by boat or ferry, Bald Head Island, but had never been there. Her desire to take a peek, coupled with all we'd heard about the island, had us setting our Saturday destination for Bald Head Island. We encountered many passenger ferries during the half-hour cruising time which indicated the island's popularity. Island travel is solely by bicycle, by foot and by golf cart. At check-in, we were surprised that docking fees were reasonable, unlike the condo rental Barb had arranged for  many of her clients. 

Barb Perkins and Sally under Old Baldy

Approaching Bald Head Island on the SaSea Sally

Desiring to see the features of the island, Terry rented a golf cart for a two-hour self-guided tour. Barb sat in the passenger seat with island map in hand; Clay and I had the pleasure of riding backwards. The Perkins saw the sights coming; Logans, going. We laughed as Barb described much of what we were gonna soon see. Stops included Old Baldy, the famous island lighthouse; the adjacent church and chapel; a small shopping complex; golf course; and of course, a multitude of rental condos as well as residences beachside nestled among the dunes and vegitation and throughout the bowels of the wooded interior. Such a marked contrast in scenery we saw here on the island. Barb was constantly snapping photo after photo and commenting, "We have to bring Molli here. She would love this." A superb tour, even backwards. With a few suggestions for dinner, we showered and chose Delphina Cantina where I selected a veggie quesadilla while the others opted for the wahoo special. 

Big home on Bald Head Island

Marker on Bald Head Island

Transportation is by cart, bike, and foot

Typical homes on Bald Head Island

Sunday morning's walk toured us past Old Baldy and the adjacent church where 8:30 a.m. service attendees were gathering. I was amazed that both island landmarks were so near to the marina; I guess traveling backwards gave me a distorted impression of proximity. We circled back to the boat for breakfast then soon departed for Wrightsville Beach, a four-hour trip at Clay's cruising speed. We had to time our departure from  the sheltered harbor in accordance with arriving and departing ferries. And, as we encountered scheduled ferries from various ports in the area, we endured the rollers of these big vessels. Too, so near the ocean, we were impacted by stronger-than-normal winds and rough waters.

Ship in the Cape Fear River

Arrival at Wrightsville Beach, Seapath Marina, set into motion dinner prep for me as the three others coordinated a courtesy car trip to retrieve Perkins' car in Wilmington. We enjoyed grilled burgers, asparagus, baked potatoes and salad for our last evening together as we reminisced old times, new times, and times in between.

Luggage claim at Bald Head ferry terminal

Passenger wagons at ferry terminal

Ferry baggage rules

As we bid Barb and Terry an early fond farewell Monday morning, Captain Clay and I shifted into high gear when we realized the nearby bridge, 'under' which we had to pass, was on a schedule which pressed us into moving quickly to make the opening deadline. T minus sixteen minutes and counting at departure, we made the 9:00 a.m. for the Figure Eight Island bridge opening then fell behind a fellow boater Don Panguino, traveling tandem to coordinate the next bridge openings. 

Livery service for ferry arrivals

Unfortunately, we knew more than he (was it 'unfortunate' or just unfortunate that we didn't assert our knowledge?) and were held up at the Surf City bridge which opened only on the hour, unbeknownst to him, but knownst to us! This area's bridges and opening schedules determine departure time and travel speed, so research (and a knowledge base) is imperative. We had it; he didn't. Kudos to Captain Clay!

Marina in Wrightsville Beach, NC

Super moon at Bald Head Island

Super moon

Terry and Barb Perkins, Sally and Clay Logan

More as we approach Swansboro, NC, our Monday destination.