We find the Snowbirds and Our Rally- finally!

On a day to remember, Wednesday, November 11th, we leave the River Dunes Harbour Club & Marina in Oriental, N.C at 8:30 am.
We've been spoiled at this club that is set among a village that continues to grow. With gazebos at poolside (music piped in), outdoor bar and grill, hot tubs at either end of the pool, we know we are not in Kansas anymore!

Mimico should consider these fire pits!

Although a cloudy day, it was warm enough for shorts, and soon a bathing suit for the hot tub!

Outdoor grill with all teak furniture.

These are cottages for rent in the village. 

Indoor screened porch. We enjoyed meeting with other cruisers in the evening,
and of course the fire was aglow. Upstairs has matching  porch as well.

Inside the club house. Lounge area, with pool table, computer/office area and coffee, tea and cold bevies.

Great library for internet use, as signal at the docks was less than poor. Chess anyone?

Upstairs dining room with evening buffet set on weeknights.

Comfortable seating with fireplace for after dinner drinks.

Tony and I enjoy an afternoon in the hot tub, with rain clouds all around.

The storm had passed and we have a great day to leave. The water is calm, sun is shining and temperature is a cooler 16C.  We anticipate a slow exit down the narrow channel, tracking back on our navigation route we used to get in. With the last 2 days of rain past us, we also anticipate some shoaling on our route as well. With the winds on our nose, and a slow exit, we hit bottom just at the mouth of the narrow channel. Apparently the route in has changed for our route out.

With a four letter word out of my mouth, Tony quickly grabs the helm and tries to free us from the mud bottom. Rocks to our starboard and a wind blowing, he is working quickly to find the right path between the red and green markers. Within a few minutes we are off and into deeper water, not much deeper (8 ft) but Deja Vu wiggles herself through as we feel a few 'kisses' out of the river.

Blinding sunlight makes for frustrating navigation, but who's complaining?

Our journey today takes us through some winding rivers, namely Adam's Creek, which showcases large waterfront homes, all with dock and lifts for their boats. We saw a few homes with For Sale signs and other real estate offerings such as "Waterfront Lot, 90 x 230 with a dock for a mere $200K U.S." This creek should be on the weekly real estate tours for curious buyers.

Not only do we have large homes on the creek, we have large yachts and other sailboats joining us.
Since the VHF was louder than our cockpit voices, we decided to join in and be friendly allowing the following vessels (CanDo, Miss Lilly, Funhouse, Magic Carpet Ride, Excel and Mainestay) to pass us, leaving Deja Vu, quite content as the last duckling in the creek.

Ah, but I can't leave out the barge that times his arrival as some eager boats ahead make the turn, Radio chit-chat on 68 is hilarious, (yes, we can eavesdrop) as the yachts 'politely' tell the barge (named Royal Engineer) they will pass. Royal Engineer replies, "Alright then, just reminding you that this is a NO WAKE zone, proceed as you should."

Deja Vu has had a good 5 hour run, and arrived under a fixed bridge in Morehead City (opposite side of river is Beaufort (pronounced "Bow-fort"), North Carolina. Crazy boat traffic included fishermen, large freighters, sailboats, TowBoat US and even a few porpoises!!!

"Turn right after the red crane and stay close to the big ships", says Denard (pronounced Den-nerd) the 84 year old sea captain that runs the Portside Marina where Deja Vu docks for the night.

Huge freighter being loaded all day and all night, Not a quiet stay but it worked for us.

Water inside is calm.

Water outside is a bit choppy. We weren't able to choose other marinas down this channel, as our depth ruled that a "NO".

Notice Deja Vu in the foreground and Tow BoatUS (red/white boat) docked here too.

This marina includes a lovely porched sunroom for gathering and doing laundry.

Tony and I have thought long and hard about our journey and trying to catch up with the group south. Not only are we looking at meeting up with them but we are more concerned about the shoaling between Swansboro and Wrightsville. We've looked at the rally groups' schedule and our own, as the days are ticking away towards December, when we plan to be home for Christmas. The rally group is intending to be in South Carolina on Sunday, November 15th. The only way we could meet up with them is to take Deja Vu off-shore and do a 3- day run from Morehead City to Beaufort (pronounced Bew-Fort), South Carolina.  We met up with some young captains of the Tow Boat US right at the dock at Portside, and ask their opinion of us staying 'inside' (the ICW) or going 'out'. All 3 captains we chat with tell us it's too shallow and with our draft, "you best go outside, on a nice NW wind, you could do a nice run down the beach to Wrightsville".
We call up Bob and ask him to recruit some 'lucky sailors' to help deliver the boat south.

We are sooo lucky to have friends like Bob and Ken from Mimico. Ask them, if they feel lucky to have this opportunity. After you read below, you will have their answer.

I, of course, am the pace car (thanks Christine, Ken's wife, for my new title). We pick up the rental car on Wednesday, do some provisioning as Thursday Tony will pick the boys us from the Wilmington, N.C. airport.

While Tony is doing that run, I have laundry to do - wash sheets and air out the V-berth and pillows for our guests. I wash the floors, bathroom, set up their beds and shine up the place for our  'best friends ever'.

Winds are consistently gusting 30-35 knots at the dock. Deja Vu is more than rocking on the inside of the outside dock. Waves are crashing over the dock, and getting on and off is more dangerous than fun. With a slow clothes dryer at the marina, I decide to Febreeze and line-dry the duvet covers and some pillow cases. I am not feeling safe jumping off the boat, so I stay on land, finishing up the laundry until the boys arrive.

Happy to have the boys arrive on Thursday afternoon. Gee, the winds are really picking up, hmmmmm.

The boys love the warm weather and begin their off-shore plans by reading many resources for weather forecasts and predictions....and they are just that - predictions!

The 84 year old sea captain, Denard, gives Tony that LOOK< when he asks his opinion if they should go 'out' on Friday. Denard says with his head tilted, "I'd wait for Sunday. There is a high pressure system coming from the north and she's gonna blow starting tomorrow and get worse on Saturday."

With ridiculous waves and wind at the dock, I decide to start my road trip that night, and check in at a nearby Holiday Inn Express, while the boys fight over who gets to sleep in the v-berth, that is knocking around like you are stepping on a bouncy castle, or who sleeps in the salon (not that more stable on the table lol).

The boys all decide to leave at the crack of dawn on Friday and depending on the weather and how much 'she blows' will determine if they come in at Wrightsville Beach or keep going. Tony has determined a few inlets that would be deep enough for them to come in, should the weather turn ugly.
I am in constant contact with them via text message.

Christine's Road Trip (Morehead City, N.C to Wrightsville Beach, N.C. to Beaufort, S.C.)

I decide to NOT worry about the BIG BOYS on the water, as they know what they are doing. Together they have collectively, ugh, well, many, many years of experience on the ocean. I trust Deja Vu will deliver them all in on piece, as she is a beauty in the ocean!

Up early Friday morning, I have shorts and t-shirt on and I am heading to the beach!
I've booked a lovely room at an Airbnb, just 5 minutes from the famous Wrightsville Beach. Brian and Helen are my hosts and they offer a comfortable, memory-foam queen sized bed in their large home set in what feels like the country, surrounded by majestic red pines and yes, palm trees. Their neighourhood is quiet and I wonder, again, who can afford theses homes?
I am greeted by Rudgen (brown/cream coloured Malamute) and Bailey (light brown lab-mix), their dogs (rescued) and shown to the room and private bath for my one night stay.

Before my check-in, I decide to drive around the town so I know a bit more, besides I am too early to check in, as I left the hotel at 7:30 am!
I drive in to the Wrightsville Visitor Centre/Museum and meet the most welcoming ladies with such rich stories of the area.

Phyllis Millard, and 87 year old, resident of Wrightsville Beach, North Carolina.

Phyllis, a young 87 year old war veteran of WWII, greets me with a smile and laugh that makes me smile.
As I am walking through the 4 room house of what was once a home during the war, but relocated and re-purposed as the town's museum, I come upon a few different tables of art for sale. Some postcards, some water colours, coasters and even hot plates, all have the same one print that draws me in.
It's a drawing of a mailbox standing in the sand dunes, at the beach.
Of course, I have to ask Phyllis, as I know she has a story to tell:
"Oh, yes, come here. See here, these books, they are all from that mailbox. Over 13 years of diaries here, over 120 journals. Want to see?"

She leads me to the smallest of the old rooms, where there is but a milk crate turned on it's long side, and inside I see what must be over 20 books of many sizes, all holding incredible notes of the past. This is the archives and I am privy to leaf through a few, if I may, and dive into history.
Phyllis opens up a few pages and I recall seeing the following words: Dear Jesus, Thanks Dad, To all the Vets, To Stan, I love you....etc.
I ask, "Does this mailbox still exist?"
"Oh sure, not the original but there is one there. Just go to the beach, and walk to the left of Johnny Mercer's pier all the way to the near end. It should be there."

Here is an excerpt from an article about the mailbox,

Bernie and Sydney Nykanen put up the mailbox on land that was once occupied by Mason Inlet and ask for people to comment on Wrightsville Beach, but had no idea what they would receive. In the past eleven years, there has been an outpouring of emotions, with comments like…  

"I'm pregnant, and I haven't told my mom yet, I am scared out of my mind, I don't know what to do."

"I separated from my wife three weeks ago, and I really miss my girls."

"If you ask me, I'll say yes, I am ready now." 

"Why did you go and leave the people who loved you so much? Dear God, please help get my family back together again. God does answer prayers."

Since 2003 Bernie and Sydney Nykanen have kept the mailbox stocked with paper and pencils, and the messages people have left vary from happiness to sadness. 

This was my quest for the day - I had to find that mailbox!!

With the sun still high in the sky I felt I had enough time to walk the beach to the end. It's a long beach. I ask several beach walkers, many with dogs on leash (off-leash is after 5pm). Everyone knows about it and tells me to  "keep on walkin''.

I am told it is up on the dunes. I look ahead and wish I had my  glasses for distance with me, but as I see a couple walking up from the beach towards the dunes, I see in his hands a journal. I bet that is it!

See the couple, just walking the beach, after writing in the journal.

He opens the mailbox and puts the journal back and the pen. I am so excited. I slow my pace down and take some random pics of the beach and the dunes, not to interrupt the couple and their experience they've just had. I approach the box with respect, peek inside and see shells, feathers, the pen and the journal.

What will I write.

If it wasn't for those nasty biting flies, I would have written more. I was tempted to read the stories inside, the pages and pages of notes to whomever, but I don't, out of respect? I only read the previous journal, a short one, from the couple that just returned it. She wrote to her recently deceased father (2 years ago) thanking him for her wonderful childhood and his efforts in the war.

I sit in the sand and write, hitting flies off my legs. I am satisfied with my entry and as I close the pages, I remember the other story Phyllis told me about a certain journal that was cherished.

She told of a man that had lost his wife after many years of marriage. A friend had mentioned to him, "Your wife used to walk that beach every single day and wondered if she had ever written in it." The man hunted down these journals and ended up at the Museum to look through the archives to find any notes from his wife. We can only imagine what she had written to him, for I didn't see the actual notes.

Here is the lovely watercolour I bought, painted by Mike Bryand, a local artist, for a mere $15.

Wrightsville Beach is open for everyone: dog walkers, best friends, surfers, fishermen, big kids and even hoola hoop novelists!

Small fee of $2 to walk down the pier. You could stay as long as you like.

This fisherman was catching Bluefish to be used as bait for his friends at the end of pier.
They were sport fishing for swordfish.

Lunch nearby then back to my airbnb home for the night. I had an incredible day at the beach and although there was an outdoor hot tub available, I was exhausted and needed to research accommodations for my next night and tuck in to bed early.

Rudgen snuggles up with me.

On the road again, Saturday at 8:30 heading towards South Carolina. Now never being in South Carolina and not knowing exactly where the state limit sign is, I see gorgeous manicured golf courses along my route, many churches, palm trees, oak trees with spanish moss and a cotton field!  

I must be in South Carolina!  

I hear from the boys and to say they had a rough night is leaving out much detail. I will try to fill you in from Tony's memory of it.

BOYS OCEAN TRIP, off-shore from Morehead City to Georgetown.

Thursday evening, rocking and rolling at Portside Marina at the dock. Crazy waves, dock cleats are twisting with the pressure. Winds gusting over 35 knots at the dock!

Day 1 - Friday morning, left 8 am, winds 15-20 knots, 3-5 ft waves. Seems to be matching the weather that was predicted by several weather forecasters. They saw porpoises on the starboard side and after darting alongside quickly dived down and under the bow to the port side. How exciting! At nightfall, the winds and waves picked up considerably.  Refueled from jerry-cans during the high winds.

With the head sail and main out, Deja Vu handled well in the consistent 30-40 knots winds from the NW. 

Day 2 - Early Saturday morning, after a rocky evening, the boys are thankful for the shift schedule they have set out for themselves: 

Tony and Ken start from 8 pm to 10 pm. They switch every half hour at the helm. Bob's turn to sleep.
Bob and Tony continue from 12 am. Ken sleeps.
Ken and Bob continue from 12 am to 2 am. Tony sleeps.
BTW, all sleeps are in the cockpit. Sleep was never achieved.

Tony is the chef and makes delicious ham and cheese and turkey and cheese sandwiches and coffee too! 

The waves were 13-15 ft, slapping the hull and crashing over and into the full enclosure. (sorry, don't know why the guys didn't get any pics). Walls of water in the dark hitting them on the port side. They decide to put in the head sail as the winds gust to 50 knots. Left out the main to keep some stability. Deja Vu performs well.  Enough is enough and they make a wise decision, after little sleep, to head into an inlet in Georgetown, S.C.

Any contents we own, not nailed down or in a cupboard, down below, were thrown everywhere.
The boys rest for a mere 4 hours then head out at 5 pm, Saturday night, back into the Atlantic for some more abuse. The locals said the weather looked good, which they took as good advice.


I had another night on land, and heading south, I stop in North Myrtle Beach, just north of where the boys stopped, for a lovely day at Pawley's Island beach!

Oceanfront Inn

It is low tide. High tide comes up as far as their staircases.

I spend all day walking the beach and find a few treasures: cup full of shells, 3 snowbirds walking and a bald eagle grappling with a hawk for a piece of fish.

The glare of the sun made it difficult to know if I even had the shot. Just a piece of the eagle is all I got.

Snowbirds walking back from their 3 mile walk one way. 

You can see the river bed left from the days previous high tide.

New supports for this problematic situation; living in a high tidal oceanfront area.

My treasures from the sea. 

Not my writing and I don't remember seeing 'Him' but perhaps 'He' was a man
named Jesus (Pronounced Hey-Zeus).

Kids being kids - with sticks!

Thankfully I was wearing flip flops.

The next day of sailing for the boys was just perfect and easy, compared to the previous night. The boys actually slept down below during their shift changes and motor sailing was good.
Deja Vu was headed to Beaufort (pronounced Bew-fort), S.C.

Beaufort is rich in history, settings for famous movies such as The Big Chill,  Forrest Gump, The Prince of Tides and The Great Santini, back in 1978. You could really spend a good week or two here, enjoying tours of the plantations, military institutions and of course, dining on crab, shrimp, mahi mahi, grouper, swordfish and even a few hushpuppies.

We hear that Beaufort, the marinas anyways, were booked and anchorages filling up quickly. Now you wouldn't think a sailor would run out of water to anchor in, but with 8+foot tides and a swift current of 2+ knots, specific areas are either good, bad or very ugly.

Deja Vu is destined to join our rally south in this town and thanks to the boys and their crazy efforts, we finally meet up with our group! The group is somewhat displaced, as mentioned, the town is booked, with transients heading south and filling up every slip possible in this adorable seaside town.
Damn those snowbirds.
The boys find a marina that calls them back to confirm a space on their face dock is available.
I am on the road and have been enjoying my road trip but really anxious to meet up with my boat, and the men of course. Through a few texts and phone calls, I meet up with them at Port Royal Landing Marina.

All fixed bridges along the ICW are supposed to offer a 65' clearance, however at a higher than usual tide (this past week the tide was 10+ normal), passing under with a 56' mast would have not been possible.
Deja Vu comes in during low tide.

Swift current and the tide rising, the boys are more than happy to step off and touch land at 2 pm.
Captain Tony docks her is nicely.

Sheltered patio with grills for boaters.

Tide almost at high levels.

Homes on stilts. Too close for me.

80 ft Yacht joins us on the outside dock for the night.

LONG walk down the dock to the slips at Port Royal Landing Marina.
Golf carts are used by dockhands to meet cruisers
coming in for gas/diesel or to check in for the night.
We give thumbs up to the laundry and showers, restaurant and courtesy car.

Our rally to the sun group are at the Downtown Marina in Beaufort, along with about 5 at anchorage there. We meet up with the gang at a restaurant for our first face-to-face with our fellow sun-seekers, all from different states and one couple from Canada. Great people, all with the same dream to be south.

Our schedule is pretty decent, not too many long days and a combination of marinas and anchorages. Tuesday, we leave to Hilton Head, S.C. and we are rockin' and rollin' in the sound along with many other boats. We are just following the line of snowbirds, headed south.

Seagulls swarm like flies to this shrimp boat.

Waiting for our turn to go into the channel at Harbour Town Marina, Hilton Head, S.C.

With many shops and facilities to explore, we just start with the view.

Can't get enough of the birds of prey on our trip.

Well, what I can say. It's been an incredible journey since September 7, all on our own. Tony and I have learned so much from having to do and think and research etc..to get to where we are today.
But really, we could NOT have travelled this far without our devoted friends that like storms.
So here's to Bob Hill and Ken Smith!

Raise a glass to Tony too, for he took care of me by sending me on my road trip, out of the rocky ocean to be safe.

And Deja Vu, cheers to her too. She loves a good run off shore and apparently she loves super high winds and ocean waves that knock you off your feet.


Settling in for some reflection and a wee bit of planning, as our amazing group will have some very shallow areas coming up...stay tuned. Flow with the tides I say, go with the tides.

Love to all,
Sailor Christine