South Carolina - North Carolina

April 11, 2024

Day 330

The InterCoastal Waterway

We have really enjoyed the InterCoastal Waterway (ICW).  Lots of areas (New Jersey .... Western Florida ...) list waterways as ICW.  However, the ICW from the Florida Keys to Norfolk Va is managed and maintained by the Army Corps of Engineers (USACE).  Thus it tends to be deep and extremely well documented.  For example, in my carting software (Aquamaps) I can overlay the USACE survey to see exact depths.  

To make this easier, a gent named Bob developed "Bob423 Tracks".  No idea where the 423 comes from. Bob423 Tracks presents the optimum path through the ICW trying to keep boaters off the bottom.  Almost daily Bob reads the reports of "shoaling" along the ICW and adjusts 1000+ mile route and posts these tracks for free for all boaters.

There is great comfort in having an exact route to follow.  But that is not the charm of the ICW.

We were less than enamored by the Florida ICW.  It was opulent and excessive to an extreme.  $5 million homes were trivial next to their $50 million neighbors.  Yachts beyond my imagination were dinghies to the $100 million super yachts lining the waterways.

When we got to Georgia, it immediately settled down to waterfront communities that have stood the test of time dating back hundreds of years.  They were quaint, charming, very southern and humble.  The pride of their past is literally posted all around town. South Carolina and North Carolina continued this pleasure with every passing town.  These states also became the "Friends and Family Tour - Part 2".

When we began the trip 330 days ago, we headed up the coast and visited with many of our friends and family.  This lasted all the way up to Island Heights NJ or about 300 miles. What a hoot to visit everyone.  We have had the joy of reconnecting with friends and family in the south.  We met with  Julie Strueber (Heller), who introduced us in college, in St. Mary's Ga (about 400 miles south).  Since then we have had one great visit after another.   

South Carolina

We have hit so many great towns in SC and NC that they are all starting to run together.  This isn't a bad thing for each has been as fantastic and fun as the next.  It just gets hard to remember "which town had that great (fill in the blank) ... marina, restaurant, docktails or vista?"  The towns we visited since leaving Ga were: (SC) Beaufort, Charleston, Georgetown, Myrtle Beach (Barefoot), (NC) Southport, Bald Head, Carolina Beach and Oriental.

Beaufort SC

The antebellum architecture of the south is stunning.  No place demonstrates this better than Beaufort SC (pronounced like Beaufort T Pusser).  What a delight to walk through history and see so much style and class.  

Charleston SC

Charleston was also a hoot.  Dear friends John and Terri Donofrio allowed us to keep the Shorebilly at their dock on the ICW in Hollywood SC (only ~5 miles to our son Colton's house).  Docking the boat perpendicular to the river proved to be a feat that maxed out my captain skills.  The current is wicked.  I could get the bow in but by the time the stern was where it needed to be it had kicked out 5 feet.  The motors could not pull it back in against the current.  On the fourth try, we succeeded.  

The single greatest thing about the Charleston area is our son Colt, his wife Emily and their beautiful child Ava.  I posted about them when were drove up from the keys but it sure was great seeing them again,  This time, there was a double delight in that my sister Cath and her husband Ron were visiting at the same time.

John and Terri Donofrio are VERY serious about doing the Great Loop as part of the 2025/2026 fleet.  They are focused on an Aspen C108 for their journey are decided to jump aboard for a few days as an opportunity to better understand what is ahead of them.  What a hoot.  They were great passengers.  We visited Georgetown and Myrtle together.  

I think they pretty much have it figured out .....

But Myrtle has its own set of problems with buildings upside down and animals running loose .....

But they also know how to have fun ...

To properly train John and Terri on the Looper lifestyle, we had to give them a "Tiny Beer".  This is a secret and coveted recipe that will only be shared if you come do a toast with us at some point. (Hint, there is no beer in it.)

Don't Terri and Terri look like twins?  Beautiful ladies.

North Carolina

Southport

John and Terri jumped off the boat at Myrtle and by the time we got to Southport NC, Tim and Jean Shortly were waiting for us at the dock.  Tim even broke out his rusty ancient US Navy training and helped tie us up at the dock.  

What I failed to fully appreciate is that of the two, Jean is actually the really bad influence.  Here she is introducing us to Burney's Bakery.  Burney's known for the very best croissants in the south.  Whereas they were spectacular, more than one would put you into a diabetic shock. We bought six.

 

And of course ...  MORE TINY BEERS!!!!

Bald Head Island

On a text thread with all our kids, my daughter Micaela asked my Admiral where we were.  She was in the middle of sending a pic of me on the boat and answered "Bald Head".  My kids all had fun at my expense.  Poor poor me.

Bald Head Island was a huge surprise.  It was a great place to scooter around and enjoy the sites.  It had an old lighthouse (Old Baldy) we could climb and see the sights.  Really really nice.

Carolina Beach

We had the opportunity to stop by Carolina Beach and see not only our niece Olivia, but Nick Wujcik.  Nick's parents are some of our closest Raleigh friends and I have known Nick since he was pooping in his pants.  Actually, now that I think about it, that applies to both Nick AND Olivia!

We had lunch with Olivia and dinner with Nick.  I am happy to report that both finished the day with their pants unsoiled.   With Nick we got to enjoy ... of all things .... TINY BEERS!

Beaufort NC

From there we headed to Beaufort NC (Pronounced Bo-Fort).  Another great town.  The history in this place dates back to 50 years before the revolution.  This house is 1728!

And lots of wild horses and cemeteries dating back 300+ years.

Oriental

We are now hunkered down at a marina called River Dunes outside of Oriental.  Unfortunately, it is ~6 miles to town so we will not make it there.  However, this community was literally built from Southern Living Magazine plans so it is picturesque in southern charm.  The marina also happens to be extremely protected and since we are expecting 50+ MPH winds tonight, here we are.

In short, all of these towns are well worth visiting.  They were welcoming, charming and fun.  Food was great and the views spectacular.  If you want a trip south, I highly recommend these towns. Although we may not do the Loop again we will definitely do more cruising on the ICW. 

With Love and Stay Safe,

Aubrey and Terri

The Loop is almost complete!