April 17 Through May 9 (Click on the images to see and scroll them in full size)
On April 17th we left Isle of Hope Marina and got to Beaufort SC (Pronounced Beaufort as in beautiful, Yes, it matters), we tied up on a couple of mooring balls and dinghied to shore. As we got off the boat, we found a horse and carriage tour, so of course we had no choice but to take the horse and carriage tour of historic Beaufort, did some shopping and I bought an awesome pirate puppet which I proceeded to annoy Christine with for the next few weeks.
The next day we left Beaufort at 6:45 am for a long run to Safe Harbor Charleston, where we stayed at the aptly named, MEGA dock which was over 1,530 feet long. That night we watched Key Largo (One of my personal favorites) with Glenn and Carol. The next morning, the ladies went shopping and Glenn and I visited Patriots Point where we toured the aircraft carrier USS Yorktown (CV-10) with 29 aircraft on display from WWII to the present and the USS Laffey (DD-724), a Sumner-class destroyer which survived a Kamikaze attack while serving off of Okinawa despite being badly damaged by four bombs, six kamikaze crashes, and strafing fire that killed 32 and wounded 71. There was also a Medal of Honor museum and a 5 acre display called the Vietnam war experience
April 20th was one of our longest days yet, we traveled 80 miles to a very nice quiet Thoroughfare Creek Anchorage. The next morning, just outside our anchorage we passed what else? a hot dog stand barge! We stopped at Barefoot Landing for lunch and some shopping. We anchored that night at Calabash Creek The next few nights we either tied to a mooring ball or anchored out. On April 23, we anchored off of Camp LeJeune.
On Monday, April 24 we tied up at Moorehead City NC and walked around town. The next day we took an Uber to the Maritime Museum in Beaufort, NC (Pronounced Beaufort as in Bofort) Yes, it matters! We also did a guided walking tour of the local cemetery which held graves all the way back to the revolutionary war. That night we watched Carol's choice, The Princess Bride (Another one of my favorites). We were also told there were wild horses on several islands but did not see any as we passed.
On Wednesday, we went to a marina at Oriental, NC. It was a nice ride and a great small town right outside the marina, and the next day we headed for RE Mayo Seafood. But due to some lousy fuel planning, Patriot had to give TowBoatUS a call and get towed back to Oriental to top off our tanks before continuing on into some very rough seas. We tied up at RE Mayo Seafood that night, bought Tuna and Snapper fillets. We had kind of a rocky night, but very nice people and when you ask for ice, you don't get a stinking little 7 pound bag, they take you the ice ROOM and shovel your cooler full for $3.00
Friday and Saturday, April 28 and 29 we stayed at town docks at Wynn's Gut, NC. We got a great rate, but no showers or laundry, we walked the town that afternoon. The next day, Dianna, the local harbor hostess with the mostess, took us to Food Lion to resupply our cupboards. We did a walking tour of homes, in the afternoon and that evening watched Puss and Boots onboard Encore.
Alligator River Marina was the first marina/gas station that we have tied up at. We left early to beat a storm and we doubled up our lines before it hit late afternoon with 65 mph wind gusts and sheets of rain! The next day we had two of the roughest hours so far on the trip with six and eight foot waves the whole way across Abermarle sound. Unfortunately one of our port holes was not clamped down properly and we ended up with a closet of wet clothes which had to be hung all over the boat to dry.
May 1st we tied up at the Mid Atlantic Christian University in Elizabeth town NC, which was one of our most unexpected stops. We ate two AWESOME meals for $11 a head at their cafeteria, (If cafeteria food was that good when I was in school I would definitely have put on weight). Later we walked to the Abermarle museum and played the Skull King card game with Glenn and Carol after taking a short walk after dinner.
Tuesday, May 2nd we went through the first lock that we have seen since the Okeechobee Waterway to get into the Dismal Swamp, (Which was not that dismal). We rafted with Encore at the visitor's center that night. This was a nice stop, but right next to the highway so there was lots of road noise.
May 3rd first thing in the morning I went Kayaking with Glenn, and later that day we finished the Dismal swamp that was not that dismal. We stayed the night at Top Rack Marina which was a nice marina, but in the middle of nowhere. They did have a nice restaurant where we had a great dinner.
May 4th we left Top Rack and made the short run to Atlantic Yacht Basin through one more lock. We ate well that night and the next day, Glenn and I went to an awesome museum dedicated to the Battle of Great Bridge (A pivotal Revolutionary War Battle that almost no one has heard of).
Saturday we picked up our rental car and started packing everything that we had not used in the last few months (Which was a lot! Glad we upgraded to the small SUV). The next morning we started on the 1,000 + mile drive home.
As we drove, we reflected on the past 4 months which have been amazing and we realized that we already have almost 4,800 miles under Patriot's hull since we left Port Washington on September 18, 2022. We also realized that our trip is almost two-thirds over. When we return in early June we will continue up the East Coast into Canada, back into the Great Lakes and home to Port Washington to cross our wake sometime in early September 2023!
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