Coinjock : Hampton : Kilmarnock

April 24th Wednesday : Another early morning start leaving Belhaven at sunrise. This morning Nana watched the reverse of last night when the moon was to our east and the sunset to our west, this morning the sunset is on our east and the moon visible to our west - a lovely setting to get underway for an expected long cruise to Coinjock approximately 88 miles. New Horizon cruises the Pungo River, into the Alligator River-Pingo River Canal, Alligator River , Albemarle Sound ( runs 50 miles east to west ) into the North River which takes you to Coinjock mile marker 49.5 ICW.

The Alligator River is very wide but not necessarily deep so one needs to be careful to follow the markers and stay mid-channel. Large logs have been noted floating along the river , which sometimes are partially submerged , and could do a lot of damage to your prop! Constant wake damage from ongoing boat traffic causes more and more trees to topple into the river. There is a swing bridge right at mile 84 which opens on demand however if the winds pick up to greater than 30 knots it may not open. 

The Marina is a well run, organized and highly successful operation where everybody stops for their famous prime rib - we stop for their delicious food and crispy chips. We also have dinner with Susan and Jon from L’ Equipe and had a lovely tour of their beautiful sailboat 53 Little Harbor. We continue to meet up with the same sailboats and motor boats heading North so it is fun to see familiar faces. The sailors are all wrapped up as the weather is pretty wholly and windy.

An example of the tree damage that you are likely to see along the way.
April25th Thursday Coinjock to Hampton VA. Nana and Nandad were almost the last of the long line of boats to leave the dock. Those sailors are early risers! However because today is the day of bridges and locks we all catch-up with one another waiting for bridge openings. North Landing is our first bridge and we has perfect timing here for the half- hour opening. The second bridge Centerville Turnpike Bridge we were not so lucky and had to wait for the opening as we missed the hour timeframe but it was a nice opportunity to have lunch. The next challenge was the Great Bridge and the Great Bridge Lock so by 1.30 NH had only one more bridge to navigate which is usually open Norfolk & Western R.R bridge at MM 3.6. What a shock when we arrived at the bridge to find it closed !! As always things are not as they appear so after a few radio calls we learn that a train is coming and the bridge will open when it passes but nobody know how long that will be. A little frustrated Nandad  bops around for an hour and 15 minutes before the bridge opens - at least there was plenty of water and lots of space to maneuver. This meant we were late checking into Safe Harbor Bluewater Yacht Center and quite the bumpy ride for that ten mile section of the Hampton Roads but a good feeling to have the ICW route complete and are now officially in Chesapeake.

Sail boats behind us and in front of us.

A very welcome sign as we go through the lock.

Friday April 26th : We had a wonderful Layday and after talking with Bill and Linda they have decided to join us for a sleepover on the boat. We have a great dinner at the Surf Rider and Nana is very excited to pass the admirals role to Bill for the journey up the Chesapeake Bay. 

Saturday April 27th : The ladies capture a picture of Bill and Aedan heading to the pump out before we say our goodbyes. What great company to have spent the night with on the boat and so excited for our day away from “ the boys”! 

 Linda and Nana head to Williamsburg for a wonderful day of shopping, lunch , and some browsing the beautiful historical town. We arrive back at their lovely home up the Indian Creek to find NH tucked into her slip right outside the house. What a luxury.

This is the map of the area. A wonderful spot to have a home surrounded by water.

Nandad happy NH is all tied up.

The house from the dock.

Swansboro : Oriental : Belhaven

An early start on Sunday April 21 st to try to catch the current as we enter Cape Fear River. As you can see in the background the fog has come and Old Baldy Lighthouse is barely visible in the background. We had quite the show of thunder, lightening, wind gusts and rain throughout the night. The wedding that was taking place close to the marina had to finish at 9pm due to the weather. Today is our grandsons Ollie’s 8th birthday which he is celebrating in LA - what a lucky duck.

Todays cruising was slow due to the many inlets along the way Carolina Beach Inlet, Masonboro Inlet, Mason Inlet, Rich Inlet, Little Topsail Inlet, New Topsail Inlet, New River Inlet, Browns Inlet, Bear Inlet, and Bogue Inlet - you get the drift. While cruising passed these areas one has to be on the lookout for shoaling which can happen very suddenly and without warning. We spend the night at Casper’s Marina near downtown Swansboro however it was so cold and rainy that we remained on board and turned on the heating. 

We passed Perspective yesterday so it was unfortunate to see her aground on our way to Swansboro. How to ruin you day and adventure on the loop.

Just goes to show that graffiti can turn up anywhere. Nana spotted this display during the foggy ride.

Monday April 22nd New Horizon leaves Swansboro and is headed to Oriental. We are excited to visit downtown Oriental as last time we were in this area on Ireland’s Eye we anchored outside and had a very bumpy night. Nana and Nandad would like to have cruised the Outer Banks , which is a long strip of barrier islands along the mid- Atlantic coast however the weather once again dictated our direction so the decision was made to proceed to Oriental. This takes us into the Bogue Sound passing Morehead City and Beaufort into Adams Creek Canal and the Neuse River. We have a reservation at the Oriental marina and along the way we pass the Anna Maria Princess.

Oriental is a very quite sleepy unique town. We went on quite the chase to find the dock office but in the end we were  greeted by two wonderful gentle men with quite the sense of humor. Life appears to move slowly here and is know as the “ Sailing Capital do the Carolinas” due to its wide- open waters, steady winds and easy access to creeks and coves. Here we meet a couple we had seen in the Bahamas at Warderick Wells on their sailboat L’Equipe and we had some wonderful banter and laughter so once again never got off the boat. However we made up for it in the morning and took a lovely walk to the breakfast Restaurant Brantley’s before leaving for Belhaven. 

Here is the garden set up at Barcos which is right at the tip of the marina but was unfortunately closed on Mondays. Looks like they might have movie nights here and there is also a local theatre in this sleepy town.

On our walk to breakfast Nandad spotted this plaque along the way!

Tuesday April 23 rd today was a short cruise to one of our favorite spots on the ICW Belhaven. We have a slip reservation at the Grande Manor - formally River Forest - and are excited to see what progress the owner has made since our visit in November. Today we had at least four boats in front of us and the same number at our stern so a busy day passing vessels on the wide section of the Neuse River. As we approach the R.E.Mayo Shrimp Co. With lots of shrimp boats and this very decorative pirates ship. 

From here we cruise into the Pamlico River and Pungo River and arrive into Belhaven early afternoon. The owner was there to tie us up and seemed very excited with how things were progressing. The pickleball courts are ready, the doggie park is completed, the gazebo and outdoor event area is under construction and the old Manor is in full swing as a bed and breakfast. The restaurant is due to open tomorrow - bummer we miss that ! Nana and Nandad take advantage of the golf cart and provision. Our favorite restaurant Spoon River is closed on Tuesdays so once again we eat onboard with a beautiful sunset view and a full moon - what a life. The winds have picked up so our pickleball game was a little blowy and we are rocking with the wind but safely tied up for the night. Tomorrow we will aim to get to Coinjock. 

Bald Head Island NC

Although our journey today was 52.7 miles is was slow cruising due to lots of marinas, homes, and beaches all along Myrtle Beach. There are lots of spots to beach pontoons and small craft so I can only imagine how busy it is in the summer season. Lots of boat traffic today which meant NH had to adjust speed accordingly. The picture below shows some of the fun spots we cruise past.

Once we cruise past Southport ICW 309 we take the two mile stretch down Cape Fear River Entrance to Bald Head. It is a very busy section with huge ships heading out into the North Atlantic Ocean, ferries heading into Oak Island and Bald Head Island and pleasure craft.

Nana and Nandad visited Bald Head Island in 2021 when we were bringing NH up to Newport for the first time. On that occasion we took the ferry from Southport and had a lovely day visit. We promised we would be back so it is very exciting to be on a slip in the Marina. The island is only accessible by boat and its 14 miles of wide unspoiled beaches, dunes, creeks, oak and pine forest trails, and 500 homes are simple breathtaking. You can feel the peace and tranquility here devoid of traffic - golf carts and bicycles are your friend. It is fascinating to watch from the boat, the ferry coming and going on the top and bottom of the hour bring with it its passenger's, and deliveries to the islanders. There are rows of blue vans with what looks like trams attached which apparently take you and your guests and luggage to your island destination. And of course we had to rent a golf cart for the day. This provided us with the opportunity to visit Bald Head Island Club which has a beautiful golf course, tennis, pickleball, croquet, pools and three restaurants. Membership seems complex however if you are lucky and the slip you rent has a membership you can be their guest, at a cost of course. There is also The Shoals Club and the fractional timeshare The Hammocks. 

With a speed limit of 18mph you can imagine the pace of life here. I bet during busy season June to Sept it is golf cart frenzy. We were intrigued with the Yes and No signs that we saw hanging on the posts at the entrance to some of the homes. Our source told us that these are used to help the trash pickup service  identify the homes that require pickup.

Nandad in the background waiting patiently.

Nana along one of the many public beach assess boardwalks.

We really enjoyed our Layday on this beautiful island and will gladly return of a longer vacation. Mother Nature provided the most spectacular night show with thunder, lightening, wind and rain. Tomorrow we will leave and continue north maybe to Swan Point and perhaps take a look at the weather to see if it is favorable to cruise the outer banks. As always boating is an adventure with the journey and not necessarily the destination being the goal.

(Temporary Backup) Nana and Nandad return to NH

Three fabulous weeks back in Franklin after celebrating six birthdays, Easter , the Boston Marathon - so proud of you Ceire - and reconnecting with friends we have once again returned to continue the journey of bringing New Horizon back to her home port. St John’s Yacht Harbor was the perfect place to leave the boat. She was well looked after and had the engine oil changed and the harness fixed so the throttle issue should now be resolved - fingers crossed. 

Tuesday was our travel day and we arrived back on the boat by 8pm without any issues. Our plan is to return to Franklin in 10 days for more celebrations - this time First Communions. 

Wednesday April 17th we take the courtesy car to provision before leaving for Harborwalk Marina in Georgetown. Nandad made reservations when he was down at NH last week and we are excited to have dinner at the new George Hotel restaurant called The Independent . We are both fairly exhausted after our Bahamas trip so we have decided to take it slowly and enjoy the ride by covering approximately 50 miles a day. Our timing leaving St John found us directly as stern this enormous crane delivery so needless to say it was a very slow ride cruising through Elliott Cut. This picture is taken from the bow of NH.

Finally we pass her and this is what she looks like coming under the bridge. It is fascinating to watch the tug Captains skill.

As always the homes continue to capture our attention as we cruise along.

The research vessel NOAA was also spotted as we were leaving Charleston.

The remainder of our cruise was uneventful but longer than we had anticipated. We were tied and secured to our slip by five which was perfect timing to relax and shower before heading to dinner. The George is a new boutique style hotel and Nana was really impressed with the decor, art work, gas lamp lights , outdoor bar and fire pit area, lobby, and plush banquettes in the dining room. A classic Lowcountry cuisine the menu was heavy with fresh sea food but we were still able to find some choices for Nandad. It was a lovely evening.

Thursday April 18th we had a fantastic breakfast at Thomas Cafe before heading off for Marina at Grande Dunes which is in the Myrtle Beach area. Again a slow cruising day due to the many marinas along the way, private homes with docks right on the waterway and of course the Waccamaw River although nice and deep it is also narrow and tricky in spots. It is a very beautiful part of the ICW with its moss-draped cypresses, cypress stumps on either side of the banks, and the water is the color of tea! Not sure what was burning in the area but the whole landscape looked hazy from the smoke and there was a deep smell of molasses. We had a ten minute delay at the Socastee Swing bridge but were entertained by the many jet skis, small craft and pontoons. 

By three thirty we were in our slip and ready for a stroll. Nana and Nandad were at this marina before while cruising on Ireland’s Eye, maybe about eight years ago. Now the resort is split into four different ownership. The Marina, the Golf, the Hotel/Inn, and the restaurants are all operated independently. This means the Marina does not have access to the pool which is annoying and they no longer provide a shuttle to the beach - which is about a mile and a half away. I guess goes to show nothing stays the same! After a nice stroll around the property we return to NH , scrub her down and have a wonderful dinner onboard. Tomorrow we will cruise to Bald Head and have a much welcomed Layday. We took a ferry a few years ago from Southport SC to Bald Head so we are excited to take NH over and stay in the Marina.