Day 14: Myrtle Bch to Wrightsville Bch

7 hrs. We are provisioned and watered, we still have 800 gal of fuel, our blackwater tank has plenty of capacity (Preston wants to know who among us must be blocked up and not 'doing enough'?), Graeme unties us, and by 0830 we're turning out of the Yacht Club Marina and back onto the ICW, northbound. The stranded yacht has gone. Within 15 min we're crossing the Little River and are in North Carolina. Since one of my favourite singers, James Taylor, hails from this state, Carolina is also in our minds.

It’s a scenic run up the waterway, but turning out into the Cape Fear River, we run upstream with a stiff breeze on our port bow and a stiff ebbing current. We dodge a couple of vehicle ferries, a clutch of downbound fast-boats, and overtake a sailboat or two. We’re showing 15 mph through the water but just 10 mph 'over the ground'… thus a 5-mph current against us.

Soon though, we’re able to turn off into the ICW again, via Snow’s Cut, and then run about 12 miles from Carolina Beach up to the Wrightsville Beach Marina. At times, we're showing the tide to be a foot lower than the usual low, so we tip-toe along some areas with not too much below our keel. We arrive at the marina where we are berthed conveniently on the outside facing the direction of departure tomorrow. The staff take our lines and do a pump-out for us... the opportunity being too good to pass up.Read more