Nothin' Could Be Finer Than To Be In North Carolina

. . . FROM THE GRAND STRAND THROUGH THE PAMLICO SOUND

One of the best things about traveling the Great Loop is seeing the countryside. So far, every part of the Atlantic Intercoastal Waterway (AICW) has been beautiful although we have favorites. We really loved Florida’s white sands and blue water. Georgia’s and most of South Carolina’s stretches of the ICW were unique with vast marshlands, nine-foot tides, and dense mud banks.

The closer we got to the northern end of S.C., the more sand we saw, the lower the tides (down to four feet), and the taller the trees along the water. As we started to get used to that terrain, suddenly the ICW narrowed near Myrtle Beach and became a cypress water trail that we took to Osprey Marina.

Spanish moss, the last we saw, hung from cypress trees in a winding water trail, part of the AICW. Although blue in the photo, the water was actually brown with tannin from the trees. We'd also traveled in tannin waters in Georgia and S.C.

Boats in this part of the country develop a mustache from the tannin in the water. This boat has a particularly good one. At the Chesapeake Bay, we'll be out of the brown waters and will try to remove Carina’s mustache with acid -- orange juice. Some over-the-counter formulas take off the bottom paint, too. 

Osprey Marina

For months, we’d heard from our cruising friends, including Yasmine and Roy who were meeting us there, just how wonderful the Osprey Marina was. We finally got to see it with our own eyes. What surprised us when we reached it was how small, homelike and safe it was. By safe, we mean it’s considered a hurricane hole. (A hurricane hole is a bay, harbor or marina where your boat can be fairly protected if a storm approaches.)

Yasmine and Roy (with Kent, left above) have a beachfront condo on nearby Myrtle Beach, a 20-minute drive away. If all goes well, sometime in late summer they will be living and working full time on their Lagoon 41 catamaran, Yasmine Anne, going wherever the wind blows and the Internet signal is strong. They’ve been busy renovating their condo to rent and their boat to live on – all while handling a full-time job.

They were amazing hosts through our stay and took us for an amazing meal that last night. Charlestonians claim the best Shrimp and Grits. Yasmine and Roy showed us that the best is in Myrtle Beach. Truffle oil makes the difference.

We're hoping to see them again in New York State, if everyone's timing works out.

The State of Surprises

North from Myrtle Beach is the North Carolina state line where the AICW moved back closer to the Atlantic. The coastal towns are very beach-like and appealing.

Also appealing is the honeysuckle. For the past week, when the ICW narrowed, the smell of honeysuckle on the banks would drift over to Carina in waves. It was wonderful.

Cruising in North Carolina has more variety than the two states before it. The current changed mile by mile, sometimes with us, sometimes against us, depending on the state of the tide, inlets open to the ocean and rivers feeding the ICW route. Crossing the large, sometimes lumpy Pamlico Sound is under our belt, with the Albermarle Sound to go this weekend. North Carolina has two of the six largest bodies of water to cross on the entire Loop.

At Mile Hammock anchorage – you could call it the Camp LeJeune stop, a V-22 Osprey practiced and practiced and practiced. Often the ICW is closed when the Marines fire or conduct maneuvers across the river. We were lucky and were able to travel through the next morning.

Because of the tilt-rotors, the Bell-Boeing Osprey can be used as a helicopter 

or airplane in rescue and combat missions.

Maybe they should add another sign: If you're close enough to read this sign, you're too close to the firing range.

The North Carolina leg of our journey will end after we go through the Dismal Swamp early next week. Marines. Swamps. Eagles. Large shallow sounds to cross. Beaches. Cypress water trails. And lots and lots of history. North Carolina has surprised us. It's been interesting from the start and, we expect, to the finish.