A Little Loopy

Beaufort NC to Oriental: 6.8 mph; 23.2 miles; 3:25 hours MM 181: Oriental NC Two FREE 48 hour docks with a self-pump-out-station. It was around 30 degrees last night (glad to have Heater Jim with me).  Zimmerman’s Marina is a hop away, literally .07 miles from the free dock, with transient slips ($1.25/ft), a maintenance/repairs facility, and courtesy car. Sweet little town, population around 800, friendly, and very quiet. The tourism board does a lot to coax people in for weddings, outdoor movies/concerts, seasonal celebrations, and art festivals. I bet there's a little more happening on the weekends in the warmer months. March is NOT one of those months. The town is about a square mile so everything is within walking distance.  We met Sailor Pete from Austria on the dock and he caught up with us for dinner. He's part of a sailing group called SOS: Singles On Sailboats which I find pretty cool - like minded people having fun and helping each other out. Two more SOS members

Southport/St James Marina to Mile Hammock ANCHORAGE: 8.3 mph; 69.8 miles; 8:25 hours Mile Hammock Bay to Beaufort NC: 8.3 mph; 40.1 miles; 4:49 hours MM 244 Mile Hammock Bay Anchorage; Camp Lejeune Area Left St James at the crack of dawn. Great travel day - so many dolphin.  Mile Hammock is listed in the books as a ‘must see’ and is said to be in the same arena as Hoppies and Bobby’s Fish Camp as a place for Loopers to stop. Now, I’ve been to both of those places and I am hoping for something … a little … more. LATER THAT DAY … OK, not disappointed; this is a great anchorage! The depth coming in was 6’ and the middle runs 9-10’. There was some USMC action going on in the evening and we saw the Osprey helicopters out and about on our way here. WOW are those helicopters loud - I bet they are a beautiful noise to those in need.  We are expecting high winds and rain tomorrow; it seems like it might start earlier and the ocean is a stone's throw away from the anchorage with dunes as

Shallotte River ANCHORAGE to Southport/St James Marina: 6.5 mph; 15.0 miles; 2:18 hours MM 315 Southport/St James Mariana: $1.75/ft (includes the electric charge). Great marina, staff, and there's a restaurant coming soon (May 2022). Coin-operated laundry and big clean showers. The boaters of this marina were just as friendly as the staff. We liked it so much we stayed 4 nights!                            Around Town Southport is where Virginians come to retire - I’m sure of it. We spent a lot of time with Jeff and Karon Webb. Love the Webb’s and their level of hospitality just can't be matched. We had wine, wine, and then left with wine! While we were here, we had a surprise treat of playing Bocce Ball and seeing more old friends from Stafford. The Webbs drove us to the beach ( Oak Island ), we walked around Southport, ate at Fishy Fishy , and joined a private club for the privilege of buying heavy drinks and listening to live music - well worth the price ($1/member). I really

Georgetown to Thoroughfare Creek R66 ANCHORAGE: 8.1 mph; 17.5 miles; 2:08 hours Thoroughfare Creek R66 to Calabash Creek: 7.8 mph; 47.2 miles; 6:02 hours Calabash Creek to Shallotte River ANCHORAGE: 6.6 mph; 13.9 miles; 2:05 hours PLANNING: This leg of the journey needed a lot of planning to beat the sunset and ride the tide. We are traveling the ditch again with some of the same challenges. This time there are a lot of marinas between Georgetown SC and Southport NC with additional anchorages between Georgetown and Bucksport Plantation Marina & RV Resort. However, after Bucksport, there isn't an anchorage choice until Calabash, S H A L L O W, where we took a pass and headed to the Shallotte River R76 anchorage. MM 389 R66 Thoroughfare Creek ANCHORAGE (across the river from Safe Harbor Reserve Harbor Marina) The words to describe this anchorage: quiet, peaceful, calm. We left Georgetown late in the day, on the tail end of a storm and to put a few miles under us and shorten the

Charleston to South Santee River MM 420 ANCHORAGE: 7.9 mph; 49.8 miles; 6:18 hours South Santee River MM 420 Anchorage to Georgetown SC ANCHORAGE: 6.9 mph; 18.3 miles; 2:40 hours NOTE: There are strong currents after Charleston. Whenever possible, best to ride the tide. NOTE: Charleston MM 469 to Georgetown MM 403 is about a 60 mile run with a few no wake zones; be sure to check your fuel. You have some choices.  You could anchor at McClellanvile (Leland Oil Marina) MM 431 or South Santee River MM 420 before heading to Georgetown MM 403.  If you are a fast boat, you could head straight to Georgetown. Some Loopers hop from Charleston to McClellanville to Georgetown. It’s all ‘boater preference’. MM 420 South Santee River ANCHORAGE This anchorage is right off the ICW and has a reputation for holding steady with a quick current - I agree; so, we added the snubber line. Another Looper tucked a little further in from the ICW with a ton of space. Great Sunset! On the Way to MM 420 The weathe

B&B Seafood to Charleston: 8.0 mph; 45.0 miles; 5:38 hours Safe Harbor Charleston Marina $2.25/ft plus electric; huge marina, showers/bathroom and coin-operated laundry.  The staff was so helpful - I can’t say enough. The marina tries to put transients on the inside edge so we can dock easy and leave clean. We'll be here a few days because of projected winds on Saturday: 20-30 mph with gusts to 40+ mph. A cold front will hit after the wind storm and it sure is nice hooking to shore power for some heat. Next to the Marina The Marina Variety Store and Restaurant (really just a restaurant) is next to the marina with great she-crab-soup. It looks like Safe Harbor has big plans for this waterfront site - lots of construction. Charleston We walked about a mile to to Historic Charleston. The houses here are just like I remembered them - stunning. There are so many shops and restaurants. Charleston seems to be a destination for bridal parties, weddings, and large celebration events. I