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.