On to North Carolina

I left North Myrtle Beach at daybreak with a goal of reaching Southport, NC. There were no restroom or shower facilities at Myrtle Beach so I was anxious to move on. The ICW continues to be beautiful here with many small inlets to the ocean. I got a good "kick" with the tides pushing me instead of holding me back so I made real good time arriving in Southport at 2:30 PM. I will spend an extra day here resting up for the next leg.

I saw a guy canoeing up the ICW today. His canoe was packed full so I think he was going a long way. Southport has some nice restaurants so this will be a welcome break. I will also get to refill my water tank with fresh water and do a few boat projects.

As I was checking in a guy came up behind me and said "what are you doing here?" I turned and it was Tim who I met in Marsh Harbor Bahamas. Tim had arrived the day before and had just experienced a terrible crossing. He had two inexperienced sailors on board who got very sea sick plus many mechanical failures. His engine died just as they left the Abacos and then his auto steering quit. Then the toilets plugged up and the non-sailor girl got real upset and nasty. She locked herself in the forward stateroom for a couple of days and wouldn't come out. When she did come out there was vomit all over the place. Then she demanded to get off the boat even though they were still 50 miles off shore. Finally her boyfriend (also sea sick) payed SeaTow $1000 to come and get her off the sailboat. Money well spent from Tim's viewpoint. He said it was 4 days of hell with her on board.