Month: December 2025

We left early this morning with little wind and about 40 degrees temperature. There were a few dolphins out in the distance (although they wouldn’t pose for the camera).

There were three bridges on our journey and one super smallish light house.

Motoring through Myrtle Beach was interesting – and expensive – scenery.

We stopped to anchor right before Prince Creek. We plan on motoring through the creek tomorrow in hopes of seeing an alligator or two. Last year, we saw several but the water was much warmer. Most likely, the alligators are in brumation.

We started out early in Southport North Carolina with a cold, rainy, windy morning. Captain Jeff had to drain the plug on our dinghy as it rained heavily last night. After he pulled up the anchor, the boat was blown dangerously close to the shoreline. Luckily he was able to maneuver out of the shallow water. He also worked on the generator as we used quite a bit of power.

We anchored in Calabash Creek on the North/South Carolina border. Calabash is the last coastal town on the intercoastal waterway in North Carolina.

We had another short day stopping at 3 in the afternoon. Our anchorage spot for the night is either North or South Carolina – depending on which way the wind is blowing.

We flew back from KC, picked up some groceries in Carolina Beach and are now back on the water.

Heading back in the dinghy we watched the pelicans as we motored by.

Outside of Carolina Beach, the scenery changed drastically. We also motored by The Fishy Fishy cafe on Cape Fear River – looks pretty good! We may have to stop by next time when it’s open.

Down below, I indulged in hot chocolate with marshmallows. It’s still a bit chilly here in North Carolina.

It was a short day which was good! Our carbon monoxide alarm went off about 3:00 in the morning. After trouble shooting, Captain Jeff determined it was coming from outside – not inside. It did revert back to safe levels but we did, of course, lose quite a bit of sleep.

The first place we tried to anchor was a bit too shallow so we searched for deeper water. While we did actually hit the bottom, we weren’t stuck for too long. We found another spot near Southport. Hopefully we will be able to get out in the morning.

Since we will be flying to Kansas City tomorrow, we got a room at a hotel near the marina. Unfortunately, Jeff had an infected hand that kept getting worse. We spent a good part of the day in Carolina Beach going to the Urgent Care center, CVS and the hardware store. The Doc drew a purple ring around the infected area – advising to go to the ER if it spreads past that area.

Hopefully the antibiotics will kick in and get this under control. The good news is we did get our steps in today.

Not a logical route but one we are planning for a couple of appointments back in Missouri.

The morning in Mile Hammock Bay was very cold. Captain Jeff has extra layers for today’s journey to Carolina Beach.

As the day went on, we enjoyed somewhat warmer weather.

Made it to Carolina Beach about 4:30. Traveled about 50 miles today in approximately 9 hours.

Rita will stay here for about 10 days while we head to Missouri.

Headed out from Oriental marina early after a brief stop at the local coffee shop, the Bean.

Crossing the Neuse was a little rocky as winds were about 11 knots and the waves were rolly.

It was a fairly cold and windy day – with some light rain off and on.

We will anchor tonight at Mile Hammock Bay, a protected anchorage (still in North Carolina). This anchorage is in the middle of Marine Corps base Camp Lejeune. We happen to be traveling through during training sessions – hopefully we won’t get bombed :). Today we traveled 63 miles – didn’t get to the anchorage until dark.

We ventured across the Pamlico Sound and down the Neuse River to one of our favorite towns in North Carolina: Oriental.

We secured a slip for the night so we could get a hot shower and a few groceries.

We took a walk through town up to the local grocery store, passing cute Christmas decorations along the way.

Back at the boat we are making chili for the Chiefs game tonight – and staying warm.

We had an early morning departure from our anchorage near the opening of the Alligator-Pungo river canal.

The view from the front pretty much looks like the view from the back. One long canal (21 miles) that connects the Alligator and Pungo rivers.

Along the way you’ll see a lot of trees with purple markings. This means no trespassing as this is privately owned land. The paint is preferred as it is more durable and weather resistant than typical signs.

Whenever you hear someone is sailing, you have these grand visions of beautiful blue waters, puffy cloud filled skies and a warm glow from the sun.

But when you’re on the ICW, the reality is quite different. Our morning near Buck island on the North River brought gray clouds, light drizzle and coolish temperatures. Well, it is December!

Here’s Captain Jeffrey at the start our journey today across the Albermarle Sound. Light winds, light rain and light sun will make this journey less than ideal. The good news is there is also light traffic – so no other boats around to worry about.