Chugging north on the Carolina Coast – dodging Tornadoes

Chugging north on the Carolina Coast – dodging Tornadoes

 From Wilmington we flew back down the Cape Fear River – with the current and tide assistance – to Wrightsville Beach. This coastal town is less than 10 miles from Wilmington but more than 30 miles by boat.  We rested from our long journey by hanging out on the boat in the spacious anchorage in Mott’s Channel.  We were joined this time by many boats but the weather remained calm and mild for us as the tornados raged to the west.  The next stop was again behind Camp Lejeune where five sailboats glided in to spend the night with us.  The helicopters from Camp Lejeune were mercifully not flying nor were any live ordinance drills underway. Among the crowd was Felix the Catamaran who has completed the loop twice.  We chatted with them on the radio about their plans to buy a canal boat in France this summer, so like us they have put on hold their proposed down east loop. For some variety, we got pushed out of the channel by the incoming tidal current as we crossed Brown’s Creek early the next morning, but Andy, TowBoat US captain, had us back underway in less than an hour, so we arrived in Morehead City Portside Docks and were tied up before 1. This gave us an afternoon for shopping at Lowes Food Store a nice energetic bike ride from the marina, and a browse in the many antique shops here. There was also time for a stop at the Nina and Pinta replica ships moored just down the harbor from our home. We have been chasing these touring history museums so it was a treat to catch up and get a firsthand look at the life of early American explorers.  Dinner with fellow travelers Wayne and Anne on a Ranger Tug topped off our day. As always it is a special perk of boating to hear the stories of others and compare notes for future plans.  We hope to cross paths with Wee Tug either in the Bahamas or Fort Myers. 

Wilmington Wow

Wilmington Wow

Unbeknownst to us, 19^th century Wilmington, NC was a railroad powerhouse. One line from here was the longest rail line in the world when it was completed in 1840 – not long after railroad construction began. So our stop here fittingly started with a visit to the Wilmington Railroad Museum. The informative displays are housed in an historic warehouse and include several rooms with model trains as well as some of the real thing outside.  We enjoyed the Florida connections showing the 1950 era service to the sunshine state.

Wilmington is a city that respects its history with one of the largest historic districts in the states. Our horse drawn trolley tour gave us a taste of the vibrant restored commercial area plus some of the gracious homes on the river’s edge. We later walked the streets for a few photos to share while we browsed the unique shops in the Cotton Exchange and Old Market.

We also noticed the proliferation of public art strategically decorating the city – especially along the river walk. This area sadly is the result of urban renewal in the 1970s which wiped out much of the railroad history along the riverfront, but today it provides miles of bustling riverfront public space. The former rail yards have been replaced by a convention center and a modern community college – and we thought Gulf Coast had a prime location.

Along the riverfront we also found the Farmer’s Market overflowing with organic herbs, fresh greens, heirloom tomatoes and homemade treats plus local crafts. This was one of the best markets we have come across featuring authentic home-grown or home-made goodies rather than stalls reselling produce from the wholesale market. Our mooring on the city docks put us in the heart of town just a few minutes from all the fun here with the massive USS Carolina battleship museum as a backdrop. A stop here may become a regular side trip for us well worth the 15 mile trip up the Cape Fear River. With so many interesting options, we had to leave a few treats for our next trip.