We were out on the ocean by 10:02 am;
the seas were 1 to 2 foot with some whitewater, not as bad as two days earlier.
Just north of the inlet we crossed into North Carolina. We travelled quite a ways from shore to stay
in the deep water, but I could see the continuous stripe of large homes on the
beach the entire way to Oak Island and the Cape Fear River. The wind had picked up and because it was
going against the outgoing tide, the waves were much higher as we neared Cape
Fear (how fitting!). In the inlet, the
boat rode up and down 5 to 6 foot waves in the channel until we reached the
river. To the north were Bald Head
Island, a 10,000 acre wildlife preserve (no cars allowed) and the oldest
lighthouse in North Carolina, the Bald Head Lighthouse or Old Baldy. It was first erected in 1794, then replaced
in 1817 by the current structure. The
lighthouse was used until 1935. To the
south is Oak Island with the newest light (1950’s) in North Carolina.
The Cape Fear region’s diverse habitat
includes salt marsh, wetlands, barrier islands, pine forest, woodlands, and
many nature sanctuaries and parks.
One-fifth of North America’s white ibis population is hatched at Battery
Island, and many other species make their homes here: herons, egrets, gulls, terns, and pelicans to
name a few.
The town of Southport lies just inside the inlet on the Cape Fear River and the Southport Marina is adjacent to town. We pulled up to the fuel dock at 11:45 am. As we were checking in, we met a boater from MN who had recently bought a 43 foot Grand Banks, Dollinger, to do the Loop in next year. He and his wife are travelling with his 94 year-old mother to get used to handling the boat. We met all 3 on a golf cart tour of Southport later that afternoon, led by a colorful guy nicknamed “Rev”. Rev is a musician (guitar and piano) who played with Boz Scaggs and other bands back in the day; he has also had a number of other gigs, including running boat tours to Alcatraz in San Francisco and “duck” tours in Green turtle Bay and other places. He is also a boater with a 60 footer in Southport Marina and has done the Loop twice.
The town of Southport lies just inside the inlet on the Cape Fear River and the Southport Marina is adjacent to town. We pulled up to the fuel dock at 11:45 am. As we were checking in, we met a boater from MN who had recently bought a 43 foot Grand Banks, Dollinger, to do the Loop in next year. He and his wife are travelling with his 94 year-old mother to get used to handling the boat. We met all 3 on a golf cart tour of Southport later that afternoon, led by a colorful guy nicknamed “Rev”. Rev is a musician (guitar and piano) who played with Boz Scaggs and other bands back in the day; he has also had a number of other gigs, including running boat tours to Alcatraz in San Francisco and “duck” tours in Green turtle Bay and other places. He is also a boater with a 60 footer in Southport Marina and has done the Loop twice.
Southport is an old fishing port that
now is a more upscale vacation spot, known for its “salubrious” breezes
(thought to promote good health).
Besides the numerous restored homes from the 1890’s era (the “old”), it
has been the location for movies (Safe
Haven, I Know What You Did Last Summer, Weekend at Bernie’s, others) and
television shows (Under the Dome,
Dawson’s Creek, Revenge) (the “new”).
Ironically, the classic boating movie, Cape Fear, was not filmed here!
Captain Thomas Thompson’s house on Bay Street is the only one standing
with the original cupola and widow’s walk.
Southport also claims to have the oldest movie theater, the Amuzu, and
one of the first Independence Day celebrations in North Carolina. It hosts the official NC Fourth of July
Festival, a four-day event that attracts visitors from around the region.
No trip to town is complete without a
tour of the local Maritime Museum, and Southport was no exception. Afterwards, we took in some shops and ended
up at the Silver Coast Winery for a tasting of local wines, purchasing a few
bottles to replenish our supply. Then it
was time to get back to the marina for their nightly weather and navigation
talk given by a local retired navy meteorologist who is also a sail boater. He gave a detailed overview of the ICW all
the way to Norfolk, complete with handouts, and showed us some interesting weather
sites.
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