Southport to Swan Point, Beaufort and Oriental

Sunday, May 17, 2015

The evening before we left Southport we went to a weather briefing by a very knowledgeable forecaster. Not only did he give a good explanation of the fronts and winds, he also gave us a comprehensive compilation of the shallow waters due to shoaling on the ICW to watch out for as we moved north.

The Harbor Host, Robert Creech, lives on the waterway with his trawler
docked out front. "If you are lucky enough to live on the water..."

We left early to catch the rising tide as we went up the Cape Fear River for a few miles before getting back on the Intra-coastal. We had the shoaling spots on our chart and had no problems.

This house was a bright spot on the end of a point of land

Our destination was the Swan Point Marina which had a wicked current as we came in, but Tina Turner, the owner, and yes that is her name, was there to catch our lines so we were fine.

Docks and buildings were a little rustic, but the staff was very helpful

Sign for Speckle Trout Charters

Our friends Mark and Becky drove over from Wilmington where they were getting ready to store their boat for the summer. We Looper friends stick together and it wasn't the first time they drove some distance to see us. We will certainly miss them as we continue our travels! After a dinner at a local restaurant, The Riverview, we said our goodbyes and hope to see them next winter when they plan to take their boat back down to Florida.
Captain's Log, May 17, 2015

Departed: Southport Marina, Southport, NC 6:08 a.m.
Engine hours: 7.6 hrs. – 688.7 total for trip
Actual hours: 7 hrs.  27 min.
Miles covered 62.43 - Total for trip: 4871 Arrived: Swan Point Marina, Snead's Ferry, NC 1:35 p.m.
Weather: Clear, calm winds, temp high 60s. Gradual warming with clear skies. Wind picked up from Southeast 15-20.
Departed early to take advantage of incoming tide on Cape Fear River and we planned to go a long way.  Plan worked well. Traveled alone today and bridge timing went well.  Overall a good day.

Monday, May 18

We were hemmed in by a boat that came in after we did so we didn't get off as early as we would have liked but it didn't seem to matter as the day progressed.  The sun was warm and we passed through some areas with lots of homes and docks as well as some undeveloped areas as we had a very straight shot up the coast passing through Bogue Sound, following the channel very carefully because the area is very shallow.
After a little confusion with lots of channel markers we found our spot in Beaufort. Unlike it's South Carolina namesake, this city is pronounced  as Bow-fort. The best way I can remember this is that north in North Carolina has only the letter "o" and no "u" as in south so we only pronounce the "o" sound in Beaufort. It is a wonderful place and we enjoyed walking around and visiting the Maritime Museum. We saw a well done film about the nautical history of the area featuring the pirate Blackbeard, a fearsome character. 

Field of flowers in front of house along the waterfront in Beaufort -
I think they are California poppies

Beaufort boardwalk

Captain’s Log May 18, 2015

Departed: Swan Point Marina, Snead’s Ferry, NC at 7:35 am
Engine hours: 5.5 hrs /total on trip 694.2
Actual Hours: 5 hrs 30 minutes
Miles covered: 46.01 total for trip 4917
Arrived: Beaufort Docks, Beaufort, NC
Weather: Clear, 73 degrees, calm, humid.  Warmed to 80. Wind picked up to Southeast 15-20. Departed early to hit the 8:30 opening at Onslow Bridge and pass through Camp Lejeune range. This went well, lots of shallow places crossing Bogue Inlet, but we had no problems. Cruise went well. Beaufort looks like a good town.

Tuesday - Wednesday, May 19 - 20, 2015

Again, there were lots of big boats around us and the current was strong in the Beaufort Marina which was right on a busy waterway. We had to wait until after 8 a.m anyway because the swing bridge on the route to the ICW didn't open until 8:30. With help from the dockmaster we got off just fine and were back on course in good time.

We were on a narrow channel most of the way until we entered the wide Neuse River. We passed the town of Oriental and went a little farther to a highly recommended newly developed community called River Dunes. It was a great place with wide floating docks in a very protected basin. We stayed for a day so John could work on his battery charger and I did the laundry. We borrowed the courtesy car and drove into Oriental, did some errands and then drove back to enjoy the pool and spa at River Dunes - very relaxing and everything was first class!

Arts and crafts co-op in Oriental

 

Couldn't resist stopping by the bean for some ice cream

Captain’s Log May 19, 2015

Departed: Departed Beaufort Docks Marina, Beaufort, NC at 8:15 am.
Engine hours: 4.3 hrs. – 698.5 hrs total for trip
Actual hours: 4 hrs.
Miles covered 34.16 Total for trip: 4951
Arrived: River Dunes Marina, Oriental NC at 12:15 pm.
Wx: Clear, 75 degrees, muggy. Wind SW 10. Skies stayed clear and temps rose to above 80 degrees. Wind stayed same. After arrival at destination several T-storms came though as forecasted. Due to wind and current on departure we got the dock hands at Beaufort to assist us on our departure. We successfully backed out of our slip and used a lot of power and avoided hitting any other boats. For the rest of the trip we had a tide pushing us along, very nice, although we delayed 15 minutes waiting for the bridge to open so the actual en route was less than 4 hours. Nice cruise.