Day 200, "on the loop", 4/28/2023

*Southport was hard to leave, The Weavil's are GREAT host and tour guides*

*200 days behind us, 165 days left, it's going by so fast!*

4/21 - Friday: Moved from Morningstar Marina to Safe Harbor Marina. It was only 2 nautical miles so the Captain didn't provide the Nebo map.

We spent the afternoon with Judy & Mark Weavil, they live in the St. James community of Southport, NC. It was nice to see them, their neighborhood and the marina where they keep their boat. Mark and Judy were so generous with their time. Thank you for your hospitality!

After checking out the Southport area, touring Mark & Judy's beautiful home, we spent the afternoon being tourist. We walked down Water Street, enjoyed lunch at The Pilot House (on the waterfront) and walked around the WWII Battleship (see pics below).

Did I mention that Joel went to West Marina?! Well, he did, this is the Boater's home, away from home. Thank you Mark & Judy for driving us to our much needed stops!

Information about the USS North Carolina (BB-55)

Lead ship of the North Carolina class of battleships, the first vessel of this type built for the United States Navy. Built under the Washington Treaty system, North Carolina's design was limited in displacement and armament.

The ship was laid down in 1937 and completed in April 1941 while the United States was still neutral during World War II. Side note: 1st picture below is the battleship, provided by Mark Weavil.

The smallest post office I ever saw! It is a hidden gem in Southport (perhaps only the locals know about). Tucked away between a Dairy Queen and another business. If you blink, you will definitely miss it! Side note: Mailed Grampy's birthday present, spoiler alert it's a shirt!

4/22 & 4/23 Saturday & Sunday:

Saturday: It rained most of the morning, so this was a lazy day. Joel uploaded the navigation charts for our upcoming travels. I made reservations for the next 6 stops. We are just ahead of the summer season, several marina's are closed for the weekends.

Sunday: Due to the rains, the day before and throughout the night, our power cords (from boat to marina power pedestal) kept tripping. Joel worked on that most of the morning, drying out the connectors, etc. We finished in time for our afternoon pickup and fun!

Pic 1 - Joel working on power cords

Pic 2 - Joel working in the engine room, you can barely see him :-)

I promise he is still alive!

Pic 3 - The diver's equipment

Side note: We had to best time with the Weavil's in Southport. Our day's worked out perfectly: We were able to spend time with them in the afternoon, get our boat chores completed in the morning & do a lot of sight seeing! They picked us up around 2ish, each day for late lunch/early dinner and assisted with our errands. We even worked in an ice cream stop or two! They returned us each night around 6ish, allowing time to rest up for the next day. It was definitely hard to leave this stop. If we didn't have a retirement place in mind... I tell you THIS WOULD BE IT! We hope to visit AGAIN, provided we didn't wear out our welcome. We loved spending time with the Weavil's! They are definitely the hostess with the mostest!

Some highlights of the trip:

Spoiled with pastries, the cream filling was so good!

Joel said I was taking too many pictures - lol

During our visit with Judy & Mark, we came across a fairy house/park (needs a little work), introduced the Weavil's to our Looper friends, Arabella (outside Fishy, Fishy Cafe) and took them by the Creech's house (to show them the porch where loopers meet).

Side note: The movie, Safe Haven, was filmed in Southport. See Fishy, Fishy Cafe (4th pic), you can see it in the movie. Spoiler alert: It's like a hallmark movie!

Pic: 3 - Creech's porch, Pic 5: Loopers & Weavil's

4/24 - Monday: We stayed in Southport a bit longer than originally planned as we wanted to get the bottom of our boat cleaned (scrape) and zincs checked. Our zincs were worn, so good thing we changed them! Side note: If you get stuck somewhere... make sure you have friends there! Makes it worth it, for sure!

Map of Trip: Safe Harbor Marina (Southport NC) to Harbor Village Marina (Hampstead, NC)

The diver arrived at Safe Harbor Marina (boat) around 9am, replaced the zincs and cleaned the bottom shortly before 11am. We left at 11:15am, and made the 2pm bridge opening at Wrightsville, NC. (with only 2 minutes to spare! ) Side note: We would have needed to wait 1 hour (3pm), had we not made the 2pm opening.

Arrived at Harbor Village marina at 4pm. It's a small marina in a residential area, not much around; however, it was nice to have a low-key evening. Had dinner on the boat, caught up on the news and watched a few more episodes of "Ted Lasso".

Harbor Village marina does not accept many transients, we were lucky! With us having such a late start, we were happy to get a spot here to avoid arriving at a marina in the dark. Side note: 43 miles = 4.5 hours with "no wake" zones and other delays on the water, as we traveled.

4/25 - Tuesday

Map of Trip: Harbor Village Marina (Hampstead, NC) to Beaufort Docks Marina (Beaufort, NC)

While traveling the ICW (Inter-coastal waterway), near Top Sail, we passed Kevin & Vicky Finger's house. Vicky was kind enough to take a picture as we passed. I tried to take a picture of their house but I think I cut it off. I marked the one I think is their house, but they can correct me if I am wrong!

66 miles (7 hours) is a long day of travel for us, our average travel speed is 10 mph; however, there are several places on the ICW (Inter-coastal waterway) that are marked for "No Wake". When there is a "no wake" zone, the boat is barely moving, adding on to travel time.

We pulled in around 4pm at the Beaufort Dock marina (walking distance from the downtown area). It reminds me of Villa Rica when I was a child. We had dinner at Clawson's 1905 Restaurant & Pub near the marina. The building is huge with several old artifacts.

4/26 - Wednesday - Completed a self guided tour around the town of Beaufort. We walked through the "Old Burying Ground, 1709". Deeded to the town in 1731, the cemetery contains both Revolutionary and Civil War graves. The earliest graves are marked with cedar slabs or sea shells due to the lack of indigenous stones.

The picture below was marked as "#24 - Girl in the Barrel of Rum" The name of the girl is unknown (but assumed to be a captain's daughter's).

In the 1700's an English family, including an infant daughter, came to Beaufort. The girl grew up with a desire to see her homeland, and finally persuaded her mother to allow her to make the voyage. Her father promised his wife he would return the girl safely. The girl enjoyed her visit to London, but died on the voyage home. She would have been buried at sea, but her father made a promise to bring her home. He purchased a barrel of rum from the captain, placed her body in it, and brought it to Beaufort for burial. To date: People that have heard the story, decorate the grave site with small toys, teddy bears and other child like items. Side note: This is the ONLY grave with trinkets.

#4 - Vienna Dill (1863 - 1865)

This child died of yellow fever and was buried in a glass-top casket. Legend tells us the grave was dug up by vandals and the body was intact. But when they opened the casket, the body disintegrated.

#28 - Lafayette Leecraft, M.D. (1827-1864)

The family of this young doctor had the monument made to appear broken to symbolize that his life was cut short. Side note: See the 4 tall markers, if you look closely at the 3rd, you see it is cut at an angle (giving the appearance to be cut or broken).

#20 - "Crissie Wright" Common Grave

Cold as the night the Philadelphia Schooner, Crissie Wright was beached in Beaufort due to winter storms. Six sailors froze to death after the wreck of that ship in January 1886 and are buried together in this grave. It is said this tragedy led to the establishment of the Cape Lookout Lifesaving Station in 1887.

There were a total of 28 marked graves for the walking tour; however, were several unmarked graves too. The gravesites are so old you can no longer read the markings on them. Several of them had the confederate marker, indicating they served in the confederate army (see below, left of the tombstone).

We also walked by several houses. "The Hammock House," cc 1800, plaque 1709, is noted to be the most intriguing house in Beaufort and most likely the successor to the original "White House" that was built on a small hill or "hummock" and was used as a navigation point on early maps. Legend says that the most famous (or infamous) guest at the original outpost was Blackbeard, who may have stayed there when he was in port.

Full picture of the Hammock House

Ann Street Methodist Church, 1854

Hand-carved woodwork adorn the walls and ceiling, with stained glass windows from 1898.

Picture 1 Below - Maritime Museum

Blackbeard called the Hammock House his home (in Beaufort, NC). Although there are no records to confirm, it is believe that Blackbeard is from the area and that his real name is Edward Teach. November 1996, a search team from a private research firm, found a cluster of cannons and anchors on the sea bed near historic Beaufort inlet (believed to be artifacts from Blackbeard's ship, Queen Anne's Revenge). Some of the artifacts from the shipwreck are on display at the Maritime Museum. Side note: There is a man that dresses up as Blackbeard (barefoot and all) and appears at various events in the community throughout the year.

Picture 2 & 3 are from a small "Wood Boat Museum". See the "old" motors in picture 2 and picture 3 was a great looking "wood" boat, in the process of being restored.

Long Gone 2 arrived in Beaufort. We met another Looper (Boat Name: Voyager) who will soon turn "gold" in New Bern, NC (our next stop):

Dan & Chris, our paths continue to cross! We love seeing these 2.

Soon to be Gold: Boat name: Voyager: Alan & Diedre (traveling w/ Brody the dog), us and Boat Name: Long Gone 2: Dan & Chris.

4/27 - Thursday-

Map of Trip: Beaufort Docks Marina (Beaufort, NC) to New Bern Grand Yacht Club (New Bern, NC)

We arrived at the New Bern Grand Marina Yacht club at 3pm. Here the bridge to the marina closes between 4 - 6:300pm due to rush hour traffic. Captain Joel planned the trip for us to arrive before the last opening. The walk to the marina office here is long, located in the town area. New Bern is the home of Pepsi. The architecture here is beautiful, several churches in the downtown area.

Shhhh... I got the recipe for Pepsi!

Toured the Firemen's Museum - Kevin New, this is for you! At one point, two different fire companies (The Atlantic Fire Co & Button Co) were housed in this fire house. They had competitions between the two fire companies on a regular basis.

Museum dates back to 1955 with history of the oldest fire company in the state of NC and the Great fire of 1922.

Picture #4 (above) - Fire truck was purchased from Manchester, NH (Joel's home state).

Some other pictures in New Bern

Pic 2 (below) - Joel said the windows of this house reminded him of the house he and some friends purchased to restore (after college).

4/28 - Friday - It rained most of the morning. Captain Joel looked at weather windows and made the decision to depart New Bern on Saturday vs. Monday. Based on that decision we made the most of it. Walked the downtown area, toured the Firemen's Museum, provisioned the boat (Publix run), Joel got a haircut and we wrapped up the evening with our new Looper friends, Boat Name: Voyager (Alan & Diedre)

They are from the Virginia area. He is a retired Police Officer with some great stories! She retired from Exxon Mobile. Alan's son Ryan graduated from Univ. of Tennessee with a Supply Chain Management degree (same subject Jonathan is studying at UARK). Crazy, huh? We have enjoyed our time with these two!

Random Stuff & Other Information

Southport, NC history:

Originally discovered in 1524 by French and Spanish explorers, English settlers arrived along the river in the mid 1600's. Initially named Smithville after Benjamin Smith, a Continental General during the Revolution, the city was renamed Southport in 1887.

A fun fact: The name Southport was chosen in 1887 as part of that promotional effort. Though the town never became a major port city, it did gain telegraph service and a coaling dock for steamships. Southport was on the river steamer routes until 1925. Railroads did serve the town from 1911 until World War II.

Wilmington, NC history:

The city was founded in the 1730s, and after going through a series of different names (New Carthage, New London, Newton), its name became Wilmington in 1740, named after Spencer Compton, 1st Earl of Wilmington.

The area along the river had been inhabited by various successive cultures of indigenous people for thousands of years. At the time of European encounter, historic Native Americans were members of tribes belonging to the Eastern Siouan family.

Ballast Brick: The term "ballast" comes from a nautical term for the stones used to stabilize a ship. When ships would arrive to the colonies, the brick used to weigh down the ships were unloaded and in many cases used to build the streets in towns such as: Charleston, NC, Wilmington, NC and others. Some ships traveled with stones that looked like River Rocks while others looked like the typical red brick.

< Street in Charleston, NC

Looks like large pebble stone or river rocks to me.

Timeline of brick streets in Wilmington, NC

• 1739: City of Wilmington incorporated

• 1700s: Wilmington begins to use cobblestone streets, which were made from round stones from discarded ballasts from ships. The cobblestone streets were bumpy and uneven.

• 1870s: Wilmington began using cut-stone pavers, Belgian blocks and granite paving stones to pave streets.

• 1891: Wilmington considers using bricks as pavement, and the mayor contemplates a trip to West Virginia to see their "fire bricks."

• 1889: A brick is developed designed as a street paver. Called a "vitrified brick," it is larger and more durable than commercial bricks

Look at those crab tracks: Yes! Hermit crabs, moving around.

In the 3rd photo below, Judy and I thought we saw a baby alligator; but, the guys said it was a stick! Still not sure if I believe the guys. Do you see it?

Keyla (vacationing in Mexico) picked up a Hermit crab, so I stole that picture for you to get a closer look at what they look like. Keyla is SO brave! I wouldn't pick it up .. I am a big chicken.

This next part is for you Crystal Carr: Manta Ray / Sting Ray difference (note there are about 220 known stingray species):

Manta Rays can grow to be 23 feet long, while Sting Ray's max out at about 6 feet in length. Manta Rays also have a much wider wingspan. Lastly, Manta Rays do not have a barb on their tail like the Sting Rays do. I mentioned in a previous post (back when we were in the Savannah coastal waters), we saw a Sting Ray leap out of the water, it was super cool!

Manta rays have broad heads, triangular pectoral fins, and horn-shaped cephalic fins located on both sides of their mouths. They have horizontally flattened bodies with eyes on the sides of their heads behind the cephalic fins, and gill slits on their ventral surfaces. Their tails lack skeletal support and are shorter than their disc-like bodies.

There are so many species of the Stingray's. I was unable to find a picture to compare; however, this picture shows the body parts of a stingray.

Some pictures of our time with the Weavil's, Thanks again for your hospitality!

Mark Weavil, a great photographer, took the pictures below. Look at the reflection in our glasses, you can see the Weavil's. Love this picture! Thanks, Mark! We used this photo for our "new" boat cards.

Some more pictures taken by Mark W.

After lunch at Koko Cabanna (where Joel LOVED the Clam Chowder). Judy and I walked down the pier, it was VERY windy. The water current didn't look safe; however, spotted a kayak making his way back to shore (He made it in safely!). Also, check those sun glasses out, they are covered in barnacles, they must have been under water for an extended period of time!

Vicky Finger had information on the house pictured below... she said there is a lot of local history about this house with stories about what went on there! In 2021/2022 the house was pink and recently painted the color you see in the "after" picture. The original owner owned strip clubs in Jacksonville, FL. The lower level looked like something out of the Flintstones and was a casino/card room. It is now for sale! Thank you Vicky, for the info.

Before

AFTER

Until Next week..... Have a great weekend.