Since we left Osprey, we've traveled every day except one, when we sat out a "weather day" at a small marina in Swansboro, NC. The ICW continues to be interesting and we see new sites every day. Many of the old swing and bascule bridges have been replaced by high (65') bridges, but we still pass through a few each week that have to open for us, like this one.
Near Myrtle Beach, we passed under this gondola lift that brings golfers from the beach side of the ICW to the golf course on the other side.
Parts of the ICW are very narrow and we are still passing though some areas of wilderness.
How about this bridge? It's a "pontoon bridge", the opening part floats on pontoons and hinges off to the side to let the boats through. Obviously zero clearance on this one, all boats have to wait for it to open. Built in 1961, the locals resisted efforts for the past 20 years to have it replaced, but now there is a high rise bridge being built right next to it. During the last full moon, the tide fell so low that the pontoons were stuck in the mud and the bridge couldn't open until the tide came up.
The inlets and channels in the ICW are constantly being dredged to keep the depths passable. The dredges are huge, like this one in the channel.
This one is out in one of the inlets to the ocean.
Most of the shoreline we see is lined with houses of all varieties, but I thought this pink ensemble was quite unique. It even has its own pink lighthouse.
There are lots of marinas and lots of anchorages to choose from, but we had a really spectacular anchorage last night at Cape Lookout National Seashore. As we left the ICW, heading toward the Beaufort (this one is pronounced Bow-fort), NC Inlet, the fog decended upon us. We went on into the anchorage, but the fog remained, so these pictures don't really do it justice. The Seashore is 53 miles of unspoiled sand dune barrier islands, part of the famous North Carolina outer banks, accessible only by boat. We landed the dinghies and headed across the dunes, encountering some of the wild horses found on the island.
We hiked less than a mile to the Atlantic beach. Here's Jack and Nan on the foggy beach ...
... and here's me and Steve.
The interior of the island is really beautiful and peaceful.
When we left the next morning, the fog was gone and we had this view of the National Park Service dock.
Oriental, NC has a small free town dock, but it was full when we arrived today, so we headed on up Greens Creek to anchor for the night. We dinghy'd into town and walked around. We found loads of marinas, boats, and nautical businesses, which is pretty much the standard for all these towns on the ICW. We had a beautiful sunset tonight.
Lucy has become very comfortable around the boat. Loves to just sit out on the decks when we are anchored and watch the birds.
We have less than 200 miles to go to get to the Chesapeake Bay, so we'll continue to plug along and enjoy each day.
3 comments:
I am still enjoying the journey you are on. The pictures are incredible. I would have never thought of you seeing wild horses on the coast.
Have a great day!
Joanie
Looks like you and Nan got your outfits mixed up. Can't wait to see how their Gibson houseboat handles Chesapeake Bay and then the ocean on the New Jersey coast.
The Gibson is pretty remarkable in what it will handle. We had huge waves yesterday, big enough so that we shortened the day and ducked into shelter....at the end, they could certainly do a testemonial for Gibson, maybe even a magazine article, i think.
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