Swift

Northbound on the ICW: Cape Fear River to Wrightsville Beach, NC

Up Cape Fear River against the current, very slow progress.


We amused ourselves with reading Grumpy Captain reviews of terror and groundings at every turn, stayed in the channel (against apparent insurmountable odds) and arrived at Wrightsville Beach at lunchtime. We were further entertained by two sailing camps sailing around and around us. Watching 10 year olds capsize and struggle to right themselves (which is a real struggle, because their little 50 pound bodies aren’t enough ballast to right their sailing dinghy) made the pain of the yuck berry incident fade. We dinghy-ed ourselves to a little beach and had our first swim since Miami. Now this is the cruising life! 
Sailing camp, Wrightsville Beach, NC
Sailing Camp in the anchorage, Wrightsville Beach, NC
Wrightsville Beach is a very strange place. There are lots of power boats and kayaks and sailboats and they are all helmed by teenagers. Water skiers do slaloms around the anchored boats and paddle boarders. One particularly articulate Grumpy Captain described it as, “where maritime law comes to die.” 

We took advantage of the free town dinghy dock to seek out new granola bars (fail). Sleazeville Wrightsville Beach is a good place to have visited so you know not to go back. There were drunk people staggering around (in the middle of the day!) trying to give Matt flip flops that they found on the beach. "21 year olds" were angry that the grocery store didn’t sell vodka. It was like Spring Break in Ft Lauderdale, only with high schoolers, and not Ft. Lauderdale. 

Sleazeville also seemed to put Hastings in a grump. A lovely seeming young lady saw him, and literally ran to him with her arms open, saying “I love you so much puppy”, and he turned and refused to acknowledge her. Sleazeville: where doggie manners go to die.

Back to Inde. We had been joined by another catamaran that anchored too close. Catamarans are the worst; so selfish and oblivious. They and their kind should be outlawed. (I’m going to make a note to Grumpy Captain about it!) We glared at them for a long time before deciding to move ourselves, and then had to re-anchor twice to get everything hunky dory. We enjoyed another bug-free night. In fact, the only buggy night we’ve had since leaving Charleston was in Winyah Bay.

Sailboat, sunset, Wrightsville Beach, NC
Sailing through the anchorage 
Sunset, Wrightsville Beach, NC
Sunset from our re-anchored spot
Departed: Cape Fear River, MM 296
Anchored: Wrightsville Beach, MM 283

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4 comments

  1. Sleazeville sounds like it's best avoided. I think Hastings should start his own site - Doggy Captain - with advice from the eyes of cruising dogs (and the occasional cat).

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    1. Everyone else has loved Wrightsville Beach, so maybe we are just grumpy, or we accidentally went there during a weird drinking and stumbling fest. It was probably the way the convenience store only had a tiny thing of coffee for $14, which the miser couldn't buy, and the way we now have to drink tea to supplement our dwindling coffee rations! That's enough to make any paradise seem dark.
      Hastings should start a site - Barking Captain!

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  2. Lovely sunset photos! The ups and the downs - and the doggie frowns - of the ICW. Enjoy the nice summer weather. I hope you are finding more beaches to cool off.

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    Replies
    1. We've actually been a lot cooler lately (even with feels like temps of 110), since we have had breezes at anchor and swim stops in North Carolina.

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