Happy Thanksgiving!

Here at the Doneski’s for Thanksgiving dinner! 

Harbor Walk Marina Georgetown SC

Our hearts are heavy today as Nana and Nandad heard the news of the passing of Nandad’s oldest brother , yesterday , Monday at 10.30 am. He was surrounded by his loving family. It was a long journey cruising on NH from Southport to Georgetown but it provided Nandad with the opportunity to reflect while meandering up the River Waccaw. Donal was a very significant figure in both our lives and it is because of him that we have taken the adventures of cruising the ICW and it is because of him we own a motor boat. Thank you Donal May you Rest In Peace and we will miss you. 

Thankfully the Marina was able to accommodate NH so she will stay here until early December. It is a beautiful little historical town and we had a wonderful stroll along the boardwalk after a fantastic meal at River Room where we celebrated and reflected on Donal’s amazing time on this world 🌎 and talked together about the meaning of life. Nana and Nandad will return today Tuesday to MA to get together with the family. 

Layday at Southport

Well the forecast was pretty accurate for our area today. You know when the marina closes it means bad weather! A layday for sure but Nana and Nandad were able to take a nice long stroll downtown with the blowing wind but at least no 🌧 until late afternoon. Nana read all about the Purasan EX Type 1 marine sanitation device - which is what we have in our master cabin. Keeping our waters clean is very important and while we have these great options we need to understand how they work. All of the ICW is NDZ - no discharge zone- so for now we will use only the regular head.🚽   

The rest of the afternoon was spent trying to figure out the audiovisual systems. We were successful in working the Fusion through Bluetooth which made for very nice listening however we have a way to go with the TV and DVD😣Nandad is quite content to watch Netflix on his 📱 and Nana has lots of reading material options as well as - should I mention - 🧶 . Not sure what tomorrow will bring whether we stay or keep on cruising. 

NH is at Southport NC ICW 309nm

An early start this rainy morning takes us along a stretch of the ICW that is so close to the Atlantic Ocean  you can 👂 the surf. We cruised past at least 9 inlets! A short delay at the Onslow Swing Bridge which provided the opportunity to have 🍳. The old Surf City swing bridge has been replaced by the new Topsail Island Bridge. Apparently, according to the Waterway Guide , following World War 11, the U.S government seized the island and used it to develop a long-range defense missile for the navy which has now moved to Cape Canaveral.

Approaching Southport Nana and Nandad had to pay attention to details due to multiple markings for the Cape Fear River, the Army’s Military Ocean Terminal, Fishers Island Ferry and ICW. Tied up on the dock by 1.30 in heavy ☔️ means we will have lots of time to play with the Raymarine System. A weather meeting takes place this evening at 6pm. The forecast is for high 💨 with possible gusts! NH may have another layday. 

Thursday Nov 14th Heading for Swansboro NC

Nana and Nandad has a wonderful dinner at the Spoon River. The restaurant decor is extremely unusual and the owner has certainly a flair for design. The food was delicious, the service great, and we loved how the owner sat right down to chat with us👏. 

Our journey to Swansboro brought NH by some beautiful sections of the ICW down the Pungo River, Amlico River, Bay River, and into one of the largest and most open rivers in the country Neuse River. We cruise past Oriental, Beaufort, and Morehead City and find multiple 🐬 happily swimming in the Bogue Sound. We were tied up to the dock by 2pm at Caspers Marina.Surrounded by barrier islands Swansboro is such a quaint waterfront community. Nana and Nandad stayed at Dudleys Marina back in 2015 on IE. 

A walk down to O’Reilly’s auto store to get some lubricant, washer fluid and diesel additive was welcomed after eight hours on the boat. The store did not have what we needed but called another marine supply picked it up for us and delivered it to the boat. Now that’s service - no need for Amazon here! 

On our way back to the marina Nana found Mandala Yoga 🧘‍♀️ so of course I got a yoga mat for the boat and did an amazing restorative class. Yes indeed life is good. Dinner onboard thanks to Nandad, a wonderful glass of red 🍷 and RTÉ reruns of the Late Late Show due to the passing of Gay Byrne. Boating at its best. 

Tomorrow we plan to get to Southport NC - we will see. 

Layday at Belhaven

Wednesday Nov 13th Nana and Nandad did lots of homework 📚 today trying to understand the boats systems. We are making headway👍. A cold 🥶 start to the day with ice on the dock. Both bow trusters now have new fuses so we should be all set and ready to travel another hundred miles tomorrow.  A beautiful sunset is anticipated and our plan is to eat out at The Spoon River downtown Belhaven. What a perfect spot to soak up the serenity of the ICW.

AICW mile 135 Belhaven NC

Nov 12th an early start so the we can get to our destination before the high winds and rain forecast. A wide section of the ICW lies ahead crossing the Albermarle Sound , the Alligator River and the Pungo River Canal . Again NH cruised at 16 knots effortlessly. Our stern bow trustee quit last night so we hope to have that taken care of also. This section is so picturesque with lots of stump and snags to watch for. We did not see black bear, deer or alligator but the scenery is unique. We are 🍀 to get a slip at RiverForest Marina where we were welcomed by a wonderful man Henry. Golf carts are provided to tour the historical town of Belhaven. The marina also owns the beautiful River Forest Manor which has been lovingly restored and is now an event venue. Nana and Nandad were given a private tour. 

NH heads for Coinjock NC

Nov 11th Happy Veterans Day to all. A late start this morning however passed mile zero so are now officially on the AICW. Delays at the Great Bridge 🔒 and also at the Centerville Turnpike swing bridge. A beautiful day so we opened the roof and felt like we were cruising on a convertible. Nana has mastered the oven and Genset so a great brunch was served onboard while we cruised - not bad👍Docked by 4pm - laundry done and pizza served under the light of the moon. 

Nov 10th Heading for Norfolk VA

Sunday we leave early for Norfolk Yachting Country Club approximately 96nm. Adjusting to NH luxury is a little challenging but each day we are becoming more comfortable. We keep wanting to pinch ourselves to make sure we really did take this plunge. 👏After passing the Grey Mile with all the impressive navy boats we were docked by 4pm. NYCC has all amenities so we enjoyed a lovely dinner celebration to toast our New Horizon. Another wonderful sunset over the Elizabeth River. 🌅