May 14-16, 2020 – We left Wacca Wache Marina pretty early, enroute to Southport, and then Wilmington, where we would meet up with friends Phil and Karen. We’d met them early in our Loop planning phase, as they prepared for and completed their Loop on Seascape, a Mainship trawler.
They left the DC area and now live in a beautiful waterfront home overlooking the ICW between Carolina Beach and Wrightsville Beach.
In Southport, we’d meet up with Harbor Hosts (of the Year!) Robert and Kay Creech, and some fellow Loopers that we knew were also inbound to Southport Marina that evening.
A little fog in some side channels this morningMany cypress, dark reflective water, and here, an ospreyThis interesting ‘play barge’ was tied up at a marina. Stairs to a platform, from which you can choose from the slide, a diving board, or two angled trampolines. Maybe a rope swing from the angled part up top. They probably rent it out for parties and such. Look’s like it’d be a blast!Calm morning as we go through a swing bridgeLots of sea birds followed us closely for several miles – we must have been stirring up breakfast !Seeing dolphins alongside never gets old…Taking a walk in Southport, a nice view of their beach looking across the ICW to the barrier islandBuilt in 1868 as the residence for Captain Thomas Mann Thompson, one of the most successful of 77 licensed pilots who guided blockade-running steamboats through the Cape Fear shoals during the Civil War. Pilots at this time could command as much as $3000 in gold per trip. Thompson guided nine different steamers, a total of 34 successful runs during those years, more than any other pilot. The house is now available as a vacation rental.On our way up to Wilmington, we passed this tug moving a spoils barge up to a dredge worksite, hip-tied instead of pushing. Tows and barges here look quite different than on the river systems.Here’s the dredge, and another tug getting ready to bring the other barge into position. The crane had been working, as we approached, but must have gone on coffee break as we got close enough for action shotsSimultaneously with passing the tow, and the dredge, this ship was coming down the Cape Fear River from WilmingtonAs our wake crossed with another boat’s on the glassy morning water, they intersected with a nice refraction pattern. And this pelican was content to just ride it out.Bulk ship at Port of WilmingtonContainer cranesContainers ready to go…Heading into downtown WilmingtonBehind the Cape Fear Community College, we found this student-built boat for sale – from their website, “handcrafted boats are built by students in both the Wooden Boat Building and Boat Manufacture and Service programs at CFCC. Boats are either made of composite/fiberglass or wood and do not include a motor or trailer. All boats are sold at the cost of materials and proceeds are returned to the program to build the next generation of boats.” To check out some of their builds, http://cfcc.edu/boat-building/boats-for-sale/Ben and Phil inspecting the new Waverunner dock, while one of many boats out this Saturday runs the ICW.It’s a long walk from the house out to the boat dock (and back). We can see why Phil and Karen use bikes to zip back and forth! What a view, from the house, or from the end of the pier, of the waterway and beyond.
