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3 States Florida, Georgia, South Carolina  

Southport, NC is at the mouth of the Cape Fear River.  It empties into the Atlantic Ocean at Cape Fear guarded by Frying Pan Shoals.   While the river itself is nothing to be afraid of, Cape Fear has done plenty to earn the name.  Along with its brother to the North, Cape Hatteras, this area is known as the Graveyard of the Atlantic.  They both jut out into the sea and are littered with shipwrecks caused by hurricanes, storms, currents and navigational mistakes.  As if this wasn't enough, this area was once a favorite hunting grounds of pirates like Blackbeard and Calico Jack Rackham.  Even more fun was the way some of the locals augmented their income.  Most famously north of Hatteras at Nag's Head Beach, the locals would display lights to trick the mariners into thinking they were near safe harbor, only to fetch up on the beach and the locals could 'salvage' the wreck. The only thing fearsome about the Cape Fear River today was an ebbing tide, w...

DAY 12  April 28 Another short day of 16.8 miles. We are scheduled to attend the America's Great Loop Cruisers Association Spring Rendezvous in Norfolk, VA on May 6-9. We don't want to get there too early so we are going slow now. We woke to a perfectly calm morning in Osprey Marina. So beautiful! The marina is set back in a natural keyhole which provides excellent protection in dangerous weather. This is the path to the waterway. With no current and no wind Captain Paul decided today was the day to let me drive the boat out from the dock. REALLY?? This involved 180 degree turn by backing around the end of the dock, along with several forward, turn, reverse, turn, reverse, turn, forward, forward, turn, keep it in the middle, etc. instructions. To make this process possible he stood nearby and spoke instructions into my ear via the "marriage savers". Marriage savers are bluetooth headsets that allow us to speak and hear each other clearly. We use these nearly every tim...

Another easy day of 27.2 nautical miles with a fuel stop at Wacca Wache Marina which had the best price on fuel in the area. We are averaging about 3 gallons per hour. The captain in happy. A new bridge is being built. Lots of cranes! Check out the column made of rebar on this barge. More bridge building. The water is still full of tannin. The landscape is starting to change. More trees, less swamps. Went by this small town. We thought it should have been painted yellow.  We have entered the land of osprey. Saw many nests and most had birds in them. Oh the stories that this tree could tell of people traveling the waterway. We fueled up at this marina. "Wacca wache" is a phrase from the Waccamaw language that means "happy, happy". It's a shortened combination of the phrases "Waccamaw," which means "happy waters," and "Wachesaw," which means "happy hunting". The guys there were very friendly and very HAPPY. Thanks for follow...