Camp Lejeune to Carolina Beach

It's been a week that we have been out and we are all still alive and well and Mark is still speaking to me.  How's that for a win?!

Sunrise leaving Camp Lejeune

This morning Mark and Jon did some engine checks and then we left Camp Lejeune before sunrise with the goal of getting to Wrightsville Beach were we absolutely HAD to pump out and this was going to be just fine since my fab research (see rant below) lead me to three marinas in Wrightsville with pump outs.  I do have to say that when you are at a marina and they have a pump out...even if your tank is near empty...just pump out anyway because 150 miles later, you'll be wishing you did.

Our plan was to anchor in an area off of Motts Channel in Wrightsville Beach, location knowledge courtesy of Pamalynn. Pamalynn lead the way which is really a gift to us as the following boat.  At one point I said I felt like she was the cool girl at school who lets us sit at her lunch table.

I got smart and decided to follow my journal (thanks Scott and Cassy) for this post because I don't know how to properly save photos on my computer and I seem to now have short term memory problems.  Ok so what was I saying?  Oh yeah, we left Camp Lejeune before sunrise...and it was f'ing cold at only 46 humidity filled degrees.  Booooooo!

Along the way we had dolphins (still so cool), bridges and shoals - Oh My!  And for those who read the last page of a novel first and are just dying to know, we did NOT pump out at Wrightsville Beach.


In an attempt to be technically useful as well as my 'skills' in cooking, cleaning, organizing, laundry, pouring drinks and other boatkeeping tasks, each morning (since the unfortunate grounding and our anchor sacrificing itself) I have been reviewing our planned route using Active Captain.  I do this so I can note and record hazards reported in that program and read the comments provided by other boaters and look for marinas if needed.  Perhaps it's annoying and perhaps 90% of the notes don't seem to impact us directly but I am more concerned about the 10% that do or may.  So that's a thing I do now...like I used to check Waze before deciding which way to go to work.

It was pretty important that we not jerk around this morning because we needed to get to a bridge 15 miles away that opens at the top of the hour so we could then keep on schedule, especially with two other bridges where you must time your arrival on their opening schedules or you are gonna sit.  You do not want to miss a bridge opening...it messes your entire schedule, you have to wait sometimes almost an hour, the channel gets crowded, you have to maneuver in the channel and seems like boaters can get pretty antsy.  We made awesome time to the first bridge and actually got their an hour early than expected.  We had yet another wonderful operator who held off on the opening for 5-10 minutes because he had seen us down the channel.  Now that's a good guy.  Bridge one - check!

First bridge

I'll spare you the motoring comments because, well, I cannot seem to make motoring exciting BUT as I have said, what is exciting are the changes in scenery and my successful making of blueberry chia pancakes.  What is also exciting is making the second bridge opening at the top of the hour opening because that meant we had an awesome shot at the Wrightsville Beach bridge which only opens on the top of the hour.  Again, I have to credit the bridge operators--they do everything in their power to assist boaters and each one we've passed has been just top notch.

Here are some shots from today...I couldn't get the dolphins on film but we saw another pod today.

Mark says we found the SS Minnow

Dredging a known problem spot - makes for a tight pass.  You don't see the private docks super close to those greens. It was a bit of a tight one.

Any takers?

How the other half lives...nice place

Locals added the palm tree to mark this major shoaling at low tide

Mile Marker 290

Shoaling makes navigating such 'fun'

The Carolina Beach Inlet, Beach Park, and birds chilling on a shoal

So we got to the Wrightsville Beach Bridge with so much time to spare that we slowed down far north of it to avoid being too close too soon and too bunched up...did I mention the devilish currents?  So, there we waited and waiting but that gave Mark time to call the marina we hoped to visit to allow Stray Cat to "powder her nose" as the gals say.  Marina 1, no, no pump out...guide book error.  Marina 2, no, not working...uh really? Ok fine.  Marina 3 (last chance), no sorry, something about it was acting up this a.m. or some crap (ha, punny!) like that.  So, if you are heading to Wrightsville Beach, there are zero functioning pump out stations in the entire city.  I personally have conspiracy theories going and I bet if we lead with "we'd like to buy diesel/stay overnight and use the pump out", the response would have been different.  So, I was irritated (understatement) because we were now screwed and had no choice but to keep going. PS, we had no trouble getting through the 1pm opening of the bridge and Wrightsville Beach was cool with all the boats...that never have to pump out apparently (meow).

Bridge 2, great timing

Bridge 3, made it with 20 minutes to spare. AKA, the gates to the land of no pump outs

Luckily for us, I had been looking at marinas in Carolina Beach the day before because that is where I planning for us to go tonight before we decided to stay in Wrightsville.  Mark called Joyner Marina and yes they did have a pump out...that worked!  They also had room for us but warned we'd be on the outside of the breaker wall on the gas dock.  Great! We need gas too!  So we waved 'so long' to Pamalynn and kept going.  It was lonely being on our own but also good for us to have to fend for ourselves for a little bit.  Following charts and markers and watching for shallows and shoals is how you learn more and build skill and a proper type of confidence.

We got to Carolina Beach around 1510 and were greeted at the dock by the dock master who Mark thinks was named JT.  Well whatever his name, he was awesome...so professional, so helpful, so efficient, so accommodating...nice guy too.  And when we arrived, the sun was out and it was 68 degrees!!  Jon had changed into shorts earlier and Mark followed suit.  I could not wait to go for a jog and go over and see the beach and ocean...but first there were all the chores to be done.  Mark and Jon worked with the dock master to pump out--halleluiah--fill the water tanks and I mean all of the water tanks including our water maker holding tank inside and even our water jugs.  Then the dock assistant took over and helped us diesel up and move the boat to a better spot for the night.  Once Stray Cat was done with her spa treatment and tucked in, I was way ready for a jog but did throw in our laundry first at least.  This was about the time that I heard the 'crackle crackle pop poppity pop pop crackle' that I had only read about.  It's the little krill or micro shrimp or whatever that like to num num num on the botton of the boat.  I was super excited to hear them myself!

I dragged Mark out and Jon (because he's a better person than me) stayed on the boat to work on putting markers on our anchor chain so we'd finally after six years know how the heck much was out when anchoring.  Mark and I did a super short and quick jog and I did get to see the beach!  When we got back Mark helped Jon with the chain and I hit the showers and finished laundry.  Meanwhile, the fellas got out our folding bikes for their Stray Cat Adventure first ride!

We rode over to the beach again then down to Gibbys about a mile and a half from the marina where we porked on really yummy chicken wings and variations of fish (and beer of course).  Fun place and great food!  We rode "home" and it was pretty chilly so I'm glad we took the bikes.  If we would have walked like I wanted to, that would have been a bummer.

Back at the boat, it was showers for the fellas and then the discussion about whether or not to go out tomorrow from the Cape Fear inlet.  Mark reviewed the charts, timing, route, etc.  We also checked winds at numerous points because if they are not from the north or some version of north, forget about it.  We knew that Pamalynn was seriously considering going out and that meant we had a good feeling about winds and weather because of Ed's knowledge and experience.  Our Solomons Island buddy boat, Island Khya (sorry if I misspelled and I promise to edit), is down here too.  They plan to go out tomorrow so even more expertise...at 7am Mark will make the call for Stray Cat...it's a big decision and we must be 100% ready and prepared if that is what we chose to do. 

Well, I wrote a lot today and good googamooga it is super late! Sorry about the droning on and on...that's just how I do ;-)
XO Suzanne