November 5th- Wrightsville Beach, NC

The idea was that we were going to explore today. There is a West Marine near by, so I was going to try to find some kind of local tide and current book.

The morning started off sunny. We were running low on water so that was the priority. The municipal dock doesn’t have a hookup for a hose so I had to use some “Robin Hood” skills. Public access to fresh water should be a law. We also have the same problem in Dartmouth.

Black clouds rolled in and the rest of the day was stormy. We managed to get over to Robert’s grocery for a few more things but we were mostly stuck on Catalpa. For a while we had a trimaran dragging down on us. Eventually it’s anchor held so there was no further drama.

A break in the clouds.

November 6th- Wrightsville Beach to Carolina Beach, NC

Our next part of the trip includes a passage down the Cape Fear river. The Cape Fear is a tidal estuary so the current runs both ways. I was told I needed to be careful about getting Catalpa through there. The current can run up to 3 knots. Big waves develop. The river has the word “Fear” as part of its name. Carolina Beach is only a short distance from Wrightsville but it makes a better jumping off point for the Cape Fear river.

On another note. Wrightsville has a lot of small power boats. The locals drive them at max speed. They fly through the anchorage. They bounce around other fishermen. The boats get smashed into docks (from wakes). While we were there one of these skillful pilots smashed into someone’s dinghy while attempting to dock. I’m not sure how the kayaks stay upright. I’ve been told that you can add about 500 jet skis to the mix in the summer. Most places we’ve been to seem to have a little more nautical courtesy.

Carolina Beach has a no wake rule in the harbor. For some reason I thought we were going to be in a state park but it is a developed town. Beautiful beaches. Lots of restaurants but we won’t be sampling any tonight.

Fresh seafood on the dock. Grilled Mahi-mahi for dinner.

Quality time with Ollie. Rough seas today.

Local scenery.

Catalpa moored in Carolina Beach.

We’re most likely moving on tomorrow morning. We’ve got to catch the Cape Fear river current early. We’ll be back in the spring. It’s a good provisioning stop. Seems like a nice place to vacation in general.