It was so easy to depart the Grande Dunes marina as it was calm and there was plenty of space to turn. We left before sunrise. The waterway was calm and the only noises were geese and ducks. It was a beautiful dawn.
We had some swing bridges but the first opened as soon as the boat behind us caught up and the second, stayed open for us after the other boats passed through. That was the Captain Archie Neil “Poo” McLauchlin swing bridge which was fun to say on the radio.
As we made our way, we exchanged cypress trees for loblolly pine, marsh grass and white sandy beaches. We passed little river inlet which looked calm. We had anchored here, coming from the ocean side in the fall. A short distance north, we crossed into North Carolina, which I think is my favorite part of the waterway.
The beautiful beaches and small inlets that make me love this area, do cause a little stress for David guiding our fat six foot bottom past inlets that tend to shoal. We passed several active dredging operations. Lockwood’s Folly is a known shallow spot but we made it through following the track without difficulty.
We arrived in Southport early afternoon at the Safe Harbor South Harbor Village Marina which is also fun to say on the radio. We went about our boat work, fuel, water, trash, pump out and laundry and completed the tasks quite quickly. We showered and set out to join our friends Perry and Cathy for dinner at the Provision Company. They were anchored close to the town, we had to get a ride so we called Billy’s ride share and our old friend Rich picked us up. He had had a shoulder replacement since we had been there in November but was doing quite well with his mobility. We enjoyed catching up with him even though we feel he might overcharge for rides.
The Provision Company is very fun and friendly. You buy a sandwich or a plate. We had the grilled tuna plate which came with a cucumber salad and potato salad. Excellent food. You get drinks from the cooler and let them know at the end what you had. The bill is paid on the way out the door. If you tip more than 20%, they ring the bell and all the staff cheer. They were very helpful and enthusiastic and we enjoyed boat talk with Perry and Cathy.
As we were winding down, we got a call from Rich wondering if we were ready to go back to the marina. He picked us up shortly thereafter.
