Surf City, NC - Night #13

Surf's Up from Master Plan!  We are in Surf City, NC this evening - we traveled 56 miles today.  We left Morehead City at about 7:30 AM - it was a really nice marina - sport fishing here is HUGE - so there were a lot of big boats around us:

The wind was blowing from the Northeast, but we made our way out of the marina just fine.  We were cruising along and the wind blew us out of the channel ever so slightly and we ran aground.  Paul was actually looking at the sailboat ahead of us as it ran aground and then we did it a few seconds later.  We called Towboat US (like AAA for cars) and they came quickly and we were back on our way in about a half hour.  Fortunately, we were going very slowly and the bottom is very sandy/muddy, so no damage done. 

Our Savior from Towboat US - he tied up to our stern and ran his engines so he could dig a hole and get the sand away from our engines.  He did this for about 5 minutes.

He then towed us back to deeper waters - Paul started the engines and we were on our way again.

The InterCoastal is so beautiful, but there was a stretch today where the channel was really narrow, so we had to keep a close eye on that and it was tiring for Paul.  But we saw some beautiful and interesting sites along the way  . . .

There are areas of Camp Lejeune that run along the ICW - if the lights are flashing on this sign, you must stop as they're doing firing drills, etc.  Not flashing today - luckily - sometimes it can stop you for an hour or two . . .

Lots of great blue heron and egrets along the shore, and we saw a lot of dolphins today too.

 

 

We arrived to Surf City just before 3PM.  The marina is just a few minutes from the beach - and it's so beautiful here - the beach stretches for miles and we enjoyed checking it out.  It's a very funky, low key town - no frills . . . pretty cool.

Here I am doing one of my favorite activities - looking for shells.  Much to Paul's delight (not), I found a few and have added them to my shell collection placemat on board!

Under Surf City Pier - there were dozens of people on the pier - most were fishing - they catch mullet, drum, and bluefish here.  In order to go onto the pier, you have to pay $1 per person if you're just sightseeing (well worth it and half goes to the beach refurbishment) and $8 per person if you have a fishing rod.

Surf City is aptly named - lots of surfers out there today . . .

There were dozens there trying to catch just the right wave.

Here is the first mate really enjoying the fresh air and beautiful sunshine on this amazing pier and beach

After the beach, we did a little grocery shopping and returned to the boat - this was the view from our bow.

Our neighbor for the evening - Tony - took this photo - finally one of both of us!  As I type this, Paul is preparing dinner to include his fabulous Bolognese - it will be a nice relaxing evening and to bed early!

Tomorrow, we will continue our journey south - we'll spend some time tonight figuring that out and, as always, we'll keep you posted!

Enjoy the weekend - and below is today's quote - thanks for joining us - you're in our hearts - love, J&P

We can only be said to be alive in those moments when our hearts are conscious of our treasures.

—THORNTON WILDER