May 29, 2009.

After a one night stay in Georgetown we were again underway. We have family and friends in G-town but we didn’t even drop the dinghy into the water. We need to get north so we’re concentrating on moving. Screw fun.

All of our friends have either gotten north already or their not leaving Florida so we had to make new friends. Actually they’re not new friends but our oldest cruising friends. Anybody recognize that ass? That’s right John & Marcia on Non Linear.

John & Marcia have been cruising for more than 10 years now. They’ve just returned from Trinidad and were sitting in Georgetown when we pulled in. On our very first trip south they took us under their wing and mentored us from North Carolina all the way to Marathon, Fl. We were cruising through the anchorage seeking a spot to drop the hook and recognized John walking down the dinghy dock as we went past. I yell out “Hey, we’re heading north, do you think we could follow you?” Startled, he looked up and said “Suuurreeee!”

They’re still doing the “mentoring thing”. They were leading 3 other boats up the ICW to New Bern, NC so what’s one more. The next morning we were underway together. It was great to catch up with them while we were anchored for the night in a little creek in Enterprise Landing. The next night we spent the night in the Calabash River with Non Linear and their group of “ducklings”. When we first arrived in the anchorage Christy hauled me up the mast to make a permanent repair on our lazy jacks.

This morning we all left together and headed north. They were stopping in Southport but Christy and I had loftier goals. We put the hammer down and some sail up and soon left them behind. There wasn’t much breeze but the sails did give us another half knot at times.

We hit the Shallotte Inlet on a rising tide and then the cut known as Lockwoods Folly just before high tide. These were 2 areas I had been concerned about and we made it through with no complications. We just made it to the Cape Fear River before the tide was due to ebb and were able to ride the last of the flood tide all the way to our intended anchorage in Carolina Beach.

We’re safely anchored with the forecast calling for violent thunderstorms for the evening. We should be underway for Mile Hammock Bay in the morning. Hopefully that will put us within striking distance of Oriental the next day.

A little bizarre graffiti....