Day 337 - 342 May 23 -28, 2023

 Day 337 Tuesday, May 23, 2023

Myrtle Beach Yacht Club, Little River, SC to Southport, NC

Doug came to see us off this morning.  We had such a nice time in Myrtle Beach while visiting.  It was hard to say goodbye.  We were fueled up, pumped out and ready to go at 8:30 when the starboard engine wouldn't start.  Jerry suspected the battery; he had to do a parallel start to get us going.  Something we definitely need to take care of.  

We passed casino boats from Fort Myers Beach -- they must have been displaced from Hurricane Ian.  There was a lot of damage in the Fort Myers area.  

 

We arrived in North Carolina at 9:30!!

The wind has picked up and the gas dock attendant warned us about Shallotts Inlet.  It is shallow and the wind could push us out of the channel.  We got there on a rising tide and had no problems.   Lockwood Folley Inlet was another concern but again, no issues.

 You can see to the ocean. Beautiful homes along the way.

We arrived at Morningstar Marina Southport at about 1:10pm.  We had to hover in front of the fuel dock while we waited for our slip assignment.  It was VERY windy docking.  Increasing winds are predicted for the next few days. 

We received a nice welcome to Southport as a Nebo message and then a visit from Robert, the Harbor Host.  Robert and his wife Kay have been inviting Loopers to enjoy the view from their front porch for years.  They are Gold Loopers and share their experiences at many Looper Rendezvous meetings.  Visits for porch tales have become legendary.  Robert will call you out on the VHS if he sees your boat pass by without stopping!  They are the Harbor Hosts for Southport and generously offer information and Kay's car to all.  Needless to say their porch was a stop on our bucket list!

 View from the porch.

 

We joined Robert, Mary and Joe (FunIntended), and Mike and Sandra (Elysium) on the porch and then checked out the restaurant, Fishy Fishy for dinner.  This was a first time meeting with Elysium.  We met FunIntended back in Sacket's Harbor, NY and then again in Clearwater, Florida.

 

Day 338 Wednesday, May 24, 2023

We extended our stay in Southport a day (all they had) due to increased winds predicted until Monday; we are hoping that they will accommodate us until then as other boats cancel.  The marina now has a courtesy car so Kay's will be seeing less usage!  We drove around town and did some provisioning at Walmart.

 

We enjoyed porch tales again, this time with both Kay and Robert.  We were joined by Dallas and Cathy of After Hours.

Day 339 Thursday, May 25, 2023

We got the good news that we could stay until Monday!  The weather is dreary, cold, rainy, quite windy and predicted to get worse.  So glad we can stay since Jerry seems to be coming down with something.  I made chili and corn bread and we stayed snug inside the boat for the day.

 In the marina.

Day 340 Friday, May 26, 2023

Jerry is definitely sick with a fever and ugly GI symptoms.  He slept all day.  Still very grey and rainy with temps in the 60s.  I added water and putted around the boat.  The weather is still crummy.

Day 341 Saturday, May 27, 2023

Jerry is still sick; whatever it is has got him good.  Mary and I took the courtesy car and headed to Walmart and Walgreens.  A nice chance to finally get off the boat.  We had just gone so didn't need much but somehow I still managed to spend money.  Robert had recommended a local spot for the fried chicken so we decided to get take out  -- "Famous Subs and Pizza" does chicken too!  That was my dinner; Jerry had no appetite. 

Day 342 Sunday, May 28, 2023

Same weather, different day.  Jerry is STILL sick.  I spent the day doing laundry while Jerry slept.  Hopefully tomorrow he'll feel better and well enough to at least drive us out of the slip!  Winds and weather support travel tomorrow.

Tomorrow we head to Wrightville Beach MM284.