CHARLESTON TO ORIENTAL

After the heavy rains and tornadoes that plagued the Charleston area May 11th, we continued to experience unsettled weather conditions for most of the next week. Two great cruising days took us as far as Southport SC. But once there we were pinned down at the City Marina for two nights as winds continued to rage. This turned out to be a blessing however because it allowed us time to explore this charming southern town.

The most remarkable thing about Southport is its authenticity. The narrow streets of its old historic district are lined with lovely old oaks and magnolia trees. Picket fences border sidewalks and wide covered verandahs, complete with porch swings, front most of the little 19th century cottages that make up this part of town. Nothing here appears to have been “restored” and there is no feeling of ostentatious wealth or tourism. This is the real thing—with real people living in a place that somehow has emerged from the 20th century unscathed by the commercialism of modern civilization. When you walk the streets of Southport there’s a feeling of being lost in time. And the really great thing about it—for us anyway—was that it was all such an easy walk from the marina!

When the winds finally settled down, we had a great sail along the ICW from the Cape Fear River, past Wrightsville Beach all the way to Swansboro where, once again, the weather eventually caught up with us. We had planned to “anchor out” here but as we were setting the hook, gale force winds combined with strong currents forced us to abandon this endeavour and seek shelter. We were lucky to find refuge at Caspers Marina at the edge of town and while we were registering at their office watched in amazement as their knotmeter consistently registered wind velocities above 40k!! But this too was another delightful village and we were once again privileged to experience another enjoyable stay. The next morning as we headed off to “Yana’s” for a hot breakfast, we were surprised to pass a family of Muscovie ducks waddling along the main street, drinking water from puddles. And Yanas itself was a great discovery! The walls were plastered with Marilyn Monroe, Elvis Presley and James Dean memorabilia. The tables were crowded with locals enjoying both their breakfasts and each others company. And food was great—Yana even makes her own apple and peach fritters! This is a place we’ll definitely return to on our next trip south.

After leaving Swansboro we sailed along the ICW as far as Morehead City and then headed inland towards Oriental and Pamplico Sound. But since weather conditions were forecasting yet even MORE gale force winds, thunderstorms, hail and possibly another tornado, we took refuge in a small marina along Adams Creek to wait for the worst to pass. During this time we ran into “Shamal” and “Joie de Vivre”—old friends from the Bahamas who were also heading north. “Salty Goose” keeps in touch with us over the internet. Unbelievably, they are STILL in Florida! Determined to “sail” along the coast on an outside passage rather than “motor” along the ICW route, they are forced to wait day after day, week after week, for the right winds and waves to carry them north. But with the weird weather patterns we’re experiencing this spring, they could be kept south indefinitely. We wonder if this is yet another indication that global warming is a reality and if these dangerous weather systems will become the norm in future years. It so this, combined with the high price of fuel, may spell the end of boating as we know it for many cruisers along the Atlantic seaboard.