Jack and Pat's Adventures

 April 28th, We arrived in Belhaven, NC after a pleasant but long cruise from Oriental. There were 8-10 Loopers boaters in the marina with us. This has been one of the surprises for us. We heard that we would meet other Loopers along the way but never imagined that there would this many and that there would be a few that we would "buddy boat' with, as well as spend time together with off the boat. It is also fun being in a marina and then seeing a boat come in that we hadn't seen for a while. The Belhaven Marina was unique in that it had a large grassy area right in the marina and it was set up for croquet and corn hole. I don't think it would be surprising to say that there were Docktails on the lawn and, of course, that the guys had to challenge each other to a game of croquet.  The next day, after chores, we took a walk and explored the town and visited shops and a bakery. That evening, six of us went to a great restaurant that recently opened in a beautifully resto...

 April 25th We arrived in Oriental, NC on the 23rd. The marina is small with less than a dozen slips which were primarily occupied by Looper boats. The marina also has an Inn and pool. That evening the Loopers gathered at the pool for Docktails and appetizers and then we individually had dinner on our boats.\The next day was sunny and warm so a couple of us walked to Piggly Wiggly to stock up on groceries. They provide a "Piglet Shuttle" to take us back to the marina with our groceries which was very convenient. That afternoon we sat at the pool for a while before getting cleaned up for docktails on Evan and Michael's "Strummin' Along" with 2 other couples. The 4 couples then went to a great little restaurant called M&M Cafe. This morning "The Next Chapter, "Strummin' Along and L'Attitude Adjustment set off at 7:30 to head for Belhaven Marina. Much of the trip was across Neuse River which is a wide open space connected to the Atlantic. ...

 April 23rd. After leaving Southport we cruised up to Hampstead, and spent the night at the Harbour Village Marina. It is a very nice marina with clean showers (something I have learned to appreciate more and more). The marina is in a residential community and far from any stores or restaurants so we only stayed one night. That evening our friends Evan and Michael, "Strummin' Along" owners, came over for docktails and appetizers which turned into our dinner.  The next day "Strummin Along "and "The Next Chapter" took us on a 66 mile/8 hr cruise up to Beaufort, NC. Fortunately, weather was warm and sunny. Beaufort Marina is located right downtown amidst great little shops and restaurants. Because of the long cruise we had 2 free days in Beaufort. That evening a group of us Loopers enjoyed delicious Mexican food and spectacular margueritas. Sunday was cold and rainy so we just hung out on the boat and read. Monday was another nice day but a bit chilly so ...

 April 18th We arrived at Barefoot Landing Marina on April 15th. The marina was very nice and had a huge pool for us to enjoy. On April 16th we took an Uber to the Food Lion and stocked up. We spent the afternoon relaxing at the pool and had dinner at the restaurant at the Marina. April 17th was a cruise day up the ICW to Southport, NC.  YES we crossed the state line, having been in Florida, Georgia and South Carolina. So far we have traveled 1,000 miles over 46 days (traveling 25 days and site-seeing 21 days). The cruise up to Southport gave us another view of the topography of east coast. We were very often running parallel to the Atlantic Ocean with a great view Shortly after arriving at the dock we were visited by a Robert Creech. He and his wife are harbor hosts for Loopers who stay at the Marina. They did the Loop several years ago and now enjoy living vicariously through  current Loopers. They invited us to a Happy Hour on their porch that was just a short walk awa...

 April 15th We arrived at the Wacca Wachee Marina, south Myrtle Beach on Saturday, April 13th. It was a beautiful cruise up the Waccamaw River where the low country seagrass gave way to the cypress trees that lined the river. The marina looked brand new. It had a very nice restaurant, clean showers and laundry. Features that I have grown to appreciate LOL. On Sunday we took a 3 mile walk through the area enjoying the lush trees and area architecture. That evening, after watching Scottie Schefller win the Masters we had dinner at the onsite restaurant and enjoyed a stunning sunset that our pictures cannot do justice to. This morning, while enjoying warm weather and a very light breeze we headed to Bare Foot Landing in North Myrtle Beach. Once again, the scenery along the Waccamaw River was stunning.

 April 13th

 April 13th Well ,it looks like I took a few days off from the blog, but I am back. On April 8th, we left Charleston and cruised to McClellanville, SC and pulled into the Leland Oil Co dock. Leland Oil Co is located just off the ICW on Jeremy Creek. We approached just prior to low tide, not recommended, in about 5 ft of water (we draw about 4 ft). The "marina" consists of one short dock and the only space available was about 35 ft long. The Next Chapter is 40 ft plus about another 4 ft for the dingy. But no worries, the dock master and another Looper who had arrived just before us moved the boat next to where we were to dock by pulling it's lines down about 10 feet to provide enough space for us to fit. Jack did a great job, as usual, parallel parking us into the spot. Such a feat drew the attention of the other 3 Looper boat cruisers and we quickly made plans for docktails while waiting for the Eclipse. Since we didn't have glasses for the eclipse, someone recommende...

 April 7th We had a great day in Charleston. We are staying at the Safe Harbour/Charleston City Marina. Although the air was a chilly, for me, 64 degrees, the sky was clear and the sun was bright. Late morning we headed out on our adventure. From the marina we walked down to the west end of Broad St and walked its entire length to East Bay Street. On East Bay Street we found a roof top restaurant in the Pavilion Hotel and had a great lunch. After lunch we walked through the City Market which was once unofficially known as the Slaves Market. Our round trip took us past beautiful homes, churches and gardens. So today we clocked 6 miles on foot versus on water.

 April 6th, Well, we can put Distin Island, Beaufort as our favorite spot so far on the Loop. We arrived on April 1st at the home of our new friends, Joanne and Richard (we met them at 2 marinas just before we crossed Lake Okeechobee). They have a beautiful low-country home on a creek on Distin Island. They invited us to tie up to their dock while they introduced us to the natural beauty and wildlife in Beaufort. We spent time provisioning for the boat and some maintenance but most of the time was spent touring historic Beaufort, shopping and engaging in low-country food to include soft-shelled crabs and other seafood delights. We were ready to leave on Thursday, April 4th but the winds were 30 mph so we delayed our departure for a day and made the sacrifice of staying one more day with our friends in the comfort of their beautiful home. On Friday the winds calmed and we headed to Edisto and spent the night. For future Loopers, the tides can be very strong in that area and create a...