A Little Loopy

Oriental to Ocracoke Island NC: 9.4 mph; 44.6 miles; 4:45 hours It's March 29, 2022 and the temperature is 30 degrees this morning. Maybe it’ll get to 45 degrees today… We are expecting winds over 40 mph on later this week; we will be here a while. I can’t think of a better place to be stranded than Ocracoke Island. Ocracoke is a side trip off the ICW, across the Neuse River, and Pamlico Sound. Of the twenty-one ferry’s that service North Carolina (who knew there were so many), there are three ferries that service Ocracoke: Cedar island, Swan Quarter, and Hatteras Island. The season hasn’t really hit Ocracoke yet; everyone is getting ready - all 700 of the permanent residents.  The Anchor Inn Marina $2.50/ft; electric; bathroom/shower house across the street on the side of the hotel (like a lean-to ... yikes!).  The marina is in the Village of Ocracoke just a hop away from the ferry and a nice walk to the lighthouse or Variety Store for ‘provisions’. There are more than a few ...

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...

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 listeni...

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 T...