We slipped away from our place on the dock after three nights at Myrtle Beach Yacht Club and turned into the ICW heading north. An hour later we turned into Little River Inlet to pass into the open Atlantic Ocean. We sailed north about 30 miles before returning to the ICW via Cape Fear River. The Cape Fear River was in flood tide, which was very helpful making 15 miles north to Carolina Beach. We took a mooring provided by the city of Carolina Beach after talking on the phone with Larry the Dockmaster who is just about the friendliest guy you ever met. He was very welcoming. Sam was anxious for some shore time, so we dinghy-ed to the town dock and walked 1 block to the ocean beach. She seemed happy to ve back near the surf. On our last visit Larry told us the best burger in town could be found at the gas station next to the dinghy dock. We enjoyed it last time & it seemed like a good way to shortcut dinner while also filling our fuel jugs. ...
We woke up to a ruckus. These two were being quite chatty and apparently we were anchored near their tree. They would jabber to each other, fly off to do some fishing, then come back to the tree to brag about their catch and, undoubtedly, the one that got away. We had some nice sailing leaving the Patuxent River, light rain with the sun peaking through now & then. The skies began to darken and the wind picked up about 3 hours into the sail. We ended up skating though 4-6 foot seas with 17-20 kt windsfor the rest of the day. Lots of waves over the bow, a few crashing up over the cockpit windows. We received a text message from friends Ed & Lynn that they were anchored in the Little Choptank River. We were not far (as the crow flies) from there, and decided to join them. A few more hours of navigating the rough water and we dropped our anchor 100 feet away from them just at dusk. They kindly invited us over for snacks ...
Despite the mishap with our mainsail we made it safely to the Berry's well before sundown. We're back at Hoffmans Cay, Lois's favorite, a place we have enjoyed so much time and never tired of it. The mainsail will have to go to the sailmaker when we get home (or sooner if we can find quick service). Luckily we are able to sail with the reduced sail area of reef #1, and from experience we know that typically only slows us down by 1/2 kt. We are both ready to go home to Virginia after a wonderful time in the Bahamas. The delight at finding a new beautiful deserted beach to explore is dimished, and we aren't stopping to savor magnificent sunsets as often. Conversations are more about things we want to do when we get back, or, very often, what we want from a well stocked American grocery store. We are by no means running out of provisions. The Eleuthera purchase of fresh broccoli, carrots and plantains was very welcome, but we are still cooking well from our origina...
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