NORTH CAROLINA

We stopped at seven ports in North Carolina. It's a beautiful state 😀.

At every port we say to each other, "Is this a one night town, a two night town, or do we want to live here"? Well....we aren't moving yet, but both of us really liked a few of our stops in North Carolina. 

The past week in North Carolina has been very hot and humid. Even warmer than typically expected this time of year on the East Coast. We have experienced thunderstorms almost every afternoon and evening for the past ten days. Some of the thunderstorms have come with severe weather warnings! We set our alarm to wake up at sunrise for an early push off the dock. Then, we hopefully dock prior to the afternoon storms. This worked everyday, except our last stop in North Carolina? All ok now, but it was a pretty scary afternoon.

Our first port stop in North Carolina was on Wednesday, June 12th in Southport. Southport is on the coast where the Cape Fear River meets the Atlantic Ocean. The town is known for stunning scenery, maritime heritage and salubrious breezes. In this little slice of heaven those breezes cast a calm welcome on residents and visitors alike. There have been many movies and TV shows filmed in Southport (Dawson Creek, Revenge, Matlock, Safe Haven, Summer Catch and Crimes of the Heart). 

Wrightsville was our next stop. Due to weather, we stayed two nights (Wednesday and Thursday evening). Wrightsville is a suburb of Wilmington, NC. It's known as a surf town, with a pretty beach and a nice fishing pier. It is home to the largest TV and movie production company outside of California. 

We then docked in Swansboro on Friday night. Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune borders Swansboro.  The Camp is a 246 square mile Military training facility. The base's 14 miles of beach make it a major area for amphibious assault training, and its location is strategic for fast Military deployment. Well, the little town was HAPPENING on Friday night!!! There were a few live music venues, the two restaurants were full and the town pier was one BIG party 😜....We fit right in and had a great time!

Beaufort on Saturday and Sunday, pronounced "BHO-fart". This was one of our favorite towns on the entire Loop! Established in 1709, it is the third oldest town in North Carolina. In 2012, Beaufort was ranked as "Americas Coolest Small Town" by Budget Travel Magazine. Beaufort is located in North Carolina's Inner Banks Region. In 1718, Blackbeard (The Pirate) ran his flagship boat, The Queen Ann's Revenge aground here. We like the Pirate influence, but loved the historic small town atmosphere in Beaufort. A charming town 😊.

Oriental on Monday, June 18th. The town has a population of about 800. The area was originally settled by Native Americans, who fished and farmed here long before the Europeans arrived. The town was named after the sailing steamer ship called the Oriental. The ship, was used as a Federal transport ship during the Civil War. 

Belhaven on Tuesday! Not the best plan... we liked Belhaven, but one of the most acclaimed restaurants on the entire Loop is located in this tiny town of 1,000. Unfortunately, The Golden Spoon restaurant is closed on Tuesday? Oh well...next time 😋.

Elizabeth City was our last stop in North Carolina. It is the cultural, educational and economic center of the Albemarle Region of North Carolina. It is noted as the "Harbor of Hospitality". The city has a long Maritime History and hosts the largest Coast Guard Base in The United States 🇺🇸.

Thank you North Carolina... we are hoping to get a good nights sleep and tackle the Infamous Dismal Swamp early tomorrow morning. 

Looper Tip: Visit Belhaven any day except Tuesday 😋.

We stopped at seven ports in North Carolina.

Southport

Wrightsville

Swansboro

Beaufort 

Oriental

Belhaven

Elizabeth City

The Red line on the map is the ICW in North Carolina, we decided to take the inland route (where it splits in the north). 

In North Carolina the water changes to a dark rich brown color. The color is described like strong tea or coffee without milk. The substance coloring the water is a tannin. 

Tannin is naturally released from the roots and decaying leaves of cypress and juniper trees.

Southport Marina.

Beautiful historic homes in Southport, every historic home is decorated 

with a plaque to indicate its history.

A very charming town with yoga, nautical antique shops and a provision company. 

Southport is located near the mouth of the Cape Fear River. It is a notoriously famous location for nautical danger! 

The Pilots Association has a 👀 Lookout tower in 

Southport.  

Their mission is to assist Captains with safe navigation tips through Cape Fear. 

Captain Greg was safe entering Southpot, but Admiral Reenie had a slight mistake departing the Marina Dock (Please ask privately what happened ... yes, a mask and knife was required  😱  

to correct the slight mistake). 

The tidal current is very strong...

Seapath Yacht Club in Wrightsville.

We had a beautiful slip with a 🇺🇸 view and a courtesy car. 

We rode bikes to the Wrightsville beach and pier.

The beach was nice, with surfable waves,  and we found it very interesting that admission to walk on the pier was $2 😳 (we passed). 

We drove the Marina courtesy car to Wilmington NC, 

and walked around the historic downtown district.

That evening we had a delicious BBQ and entertaining thunderstorm aboard Thistle.

More Shrimp 🍤 boats on the ICW. 

Entering The Camp Lejeune Firing Range along the ICW. 

If the Red Lights are flashing, pleasure craft are required to stop until the training is completed.

(It is reported on our navigation charts that training can last up to 6 hours...

we were 🍀 lucky, no Red Lights.) 

Caspers Marina in Swansboro. 

Thistle was the only boat in the Marina.

There was a Friday night concert on the town pier...we had a great time with the "Locals"😀. 

Swansboro has a charming downtown with many weekend tourists.

Beautiful Beaufort ♥️.

The Marina was full of serious fishing boats participating in the 

annual Big Rock Blue Marlin Tournament.  

Beaufort sightseeing.

The historic district with the Old Jail...Reenie is guilty of something?🤣 

The Beaufort harbor was very busy with pleasure craft of all sizes.

We were excited to visit with our Looper friends aboard Skinny Dipper & Don't Think Twice.

A spectacular sunset.

Oriental Marina and Inn. 

The Town Dock has a web cam...

Lab Partners (Looper friends) ... Thanks for the picture👍

We reprovisioned at the Oriental Piggly Wiggly.

While riding our bikes around the town we saw the best mailbox ever 📬. 

Belhaven Marina with Lola and Harlo aboard Don't Think Twice. 

Pelican Marina. 

We were in the middle of a very scary lightning storm about three miles from the dock...all ok, but a good reminder to finish early in the day!

Elizabeth City had some nice restaurants and a brewery. 

(We needed a beer after the lightning episode this afternoon ⛈).

The giant dirigible hanger just outside Elizabeth City.

 A nice dinner on Pailin's Alley to end our stay in North Carolina 🍷. 

Thank Y'All.