Topsail Island to Cape Fear

Day broke with ice on the docks and a gentle breeze. The cruising here is all about staying in the channel and away from the shoals, otherwise mostly a long straight path past barrier islands in between the big barrier beach and the mainland. When we passed here 6 years ago there were many windswept piney stretches of sand. You really could picture pirates at the inlets. Now houses and houses and highrises and houses. It seems to me to have changed on a really big scale. Still as you go on there are small, pretty marshes and many seabirds . As you pass the inlets the water is a beautiful color blue , diluted as you stay more in the intracostal. At Carolina beach - which looked spectacular from the glimpse we had of it - we turned and followed a narrow cut into the Cape Fear River. Here , since we were entering the river, the buoys reverse and green goes to the right. Gave us something to think about, I am glad to say we had figured that one out before we got there. The tide picked us up and we traveled the river at about eight knots ! I would love to say we planned that but sometimes it is just good to be lucky. Left the Cape Fear River dodging commercial traffic and ferries, and turned into the small basin at Southport. The anchorage is really small and it was crowded so we pulled into the dock at a small restaurant. Free with a meal is the rumor. Restaurant closed but dockspace available so we stayed. this space is just a little close to the ICW. As each boat goes by the wakes rock and roll and rock and roll. Tom pulled off a 4 am lines drill after we were awakened by several bizarre noises along with the wave action. Only needed to reset fenders,I offered strong support from the warmth of the covers in our bunk. He was a popsicle as he came back to bed.