SWANSBORO, NORTH CAROLINA

We left Wrightsville Beach on Memorial Day.  We thought the traffic would be bad on the ICW

given that the weather was perfect and it was a holiday weekend.  However, we were delightfully suprised.  It really was not that bad at all. 

Some interesting displays on the ICW of what happens when you have more time and money than sense.

Well, we saw a camel on the Okeechobee.  So why not?

Most of the boaters we encountered were relatively well behaved.  Some actually slowed down to pass.  There were a lot of annoying jetskis (aka Sea Gnats).  Certainly, it was not nearly as bad as some of that which we experienced in Florida, especially in that stretch between Fort Lauderdale and Miami.  More importantly, the biggest difference in the traffic here and in Florida, is not so much the volume of other boats, but rather the size of the boats.  It's one thing to get "racked" by the wake of a 23 foot Carolina Skiff on plane or a jet ski, or a bass boat moving at an entirely ridiculous speed.  It's entirely another thing, however, to get "hammered" by the wake of a 55 foot sportsfisher "plowing".  So, I guess it's all relative. 

Anchored in front of Swansboro.  You can see the small skiff in the photo.  This is what we had to deal with all day.  Only a few hundred or so, but their wakes are not so bad.

We travelled a long way to get from Wrightsville Beach to Swansboro; nearly 60 nm.  We bypassed our planned anchorage and moved on to our back up plan after seeing the anchorage.  While there was nothing really wrong with it, we just didn't feel like sitting around for a night in the heat and potential "bugginess" of that place.  So, we kept moving.

This is the anchorage.  It's called Mile Hammock Bay.  It's right on Camp Lejeune.  You are not permitted to go ashore here as it is a restricted area.  Duh!  It's a Marine Corps Base.  It looked like it might be pretty "buggy".

The trip was pretty easy, although we had to slow down or stop for a couple bridges that only opened on the hour or on the half and on the hour.  Timing your arrival at such a place is not that easy.  You would think that it is simple to calculate the distance to the bridge and then adjust your speed so that you arrive at the appointed time.  However, your speed is constantly changing, and especially when you pass an inlet.  If the tide is going out, then you are racing along at higher speed if you are south of the inlet, and then you might be slogging it out if you are north of the inlet.  All of the reverse seems to be true if the tide is coming in.  So, I figure if you arrive near the bridge within 5 minutes of the opening, you are doing pretty good.  Then, you have to hold your position which is not that easy if the current from the tide change is pushing you towards the bridge.  You might even have to figure out a u-turn so you don't get pushed into the bridge and, do it in a relatively narrow space, especially if the tide is low.
All's well that ends well, I always say.

When cruising through a USMC base, you better pay attention to the signs.  I understand the USMC likes to play with tanks in this neighborhood.

Swansboro is literally a "wide spot in the road" (as my friend Harry likes to refer to most small towns).  There appeared to be a good anchorage and an easily accessible dinghy dock.  You anchor in the river, between the bridge and the bend in the ICW right in front of the historic downtown area.  While the holding is good with a Bruce, I wouldn't try it with a Danforth.  The current is really swift here and the bottom is very hard.  Now, when I say the dinghy dock is "easily accessible", I mean it is there, it is free, and with a little effort, you can climb up without a ladder and without necessarily risking death or severe bodily injury.......... to yourself or the dinghy.  Knee pads would be useful here.  At least someone takes the time to scrape the sharp oyster shells off the wooden piles so the dinghy is not at such severe risk of death by puncture wound.

This town, like so many others, is what I am now referring to as a "4C locale."  the 4 C's stand for Coastal Carolina Colonial Community.  Like most of the other 4C's we have visited, there is an historic downtown area in which seemingly each and every structure sports a plackard telling you whose house it was when it was built way back when.


Now I'm confused.  My friend back in Channel Islands, Dan "the Glass Man" Ward and his lovely wife Shelly, must really be nippin' at that fountain of youth, because they certainly don't look that old.

 There are lots of shops with cool gift items, most of which were done by local artists.  There is a bridge, a bicentennial park, a couple nice restaurants, and an Old Irish Pub.

The ironic thing about this Irish Pub in Swansboro is that it only has a beer and wine license.  What?  No Bushmills?  I'm not sure, under the circumstances, it they can legitimately call itself an Irish Pub, but what the heck?  They poured a mean Guinness (al beit sans clover in the suds).  And, Brenda had her usual Irish Pub drink - Irish Coffee.  However, they couldn't use Jameson's, so it was supposed to have been made with Baileys.  Unfortunately, no Bailey's either.  So they use something called "Reiley's" instead of Bailey's as it's alcohol content is no different than wine and could be sold under their license.  Nevertheless, the drink was very tasty.

Although I tease about the 4C's and all that, this is actually a very nice little town on the White Oak River here in North Carolina.  It is a very pleasant port town built on fishing and ship building first settled in or about 1740.  Its most famous person is a dude named Otway.

There's Mr. Otway now!

He was apparently a shipbuilder, a merchant, a politician, a privateer, and whatever else he could come up with. 

Here is another "icon" believed to be moonlighting in the Carolinas, when he isn't making the headlines with appearances at gas stations in Little Rock or wherever.

The place did well in the shipbuilding and lumber business until the Civil War ended.  Then, absolutely nothing happened here until WWII when Camp Lejeune opened nearby.  The community has a Military Appreciation Day almost weekly and, from what I understand, turns out all the stops for Independence Day.  There is still an active shrimp fishing fleet here.  Many of the downtown stores and fishhouses were built in the late 1800s.  They have now been converted to very nice boutiques and gift shops.

You're not going to believe this, but a guy named Robert McClean lived here and was a terpentine merchant.  He was a Scottsman.  I guess his effort to produce mother's milk from the homeland went south on him and that's what he ended up with - terpentine.  Unfortunately, his place burned down.  Figues.

However, we discovered Suzanne's Fudge Factory and decided to buy a house here and stay.  Just kidding, but it was that good.  There is, believe it or not, still some left in the fridge for later.




 

We're heading off to Beaufort today. (pronounced "Bo-fort" here in North Carolina as opposed to Beaufort pronounced "B-you-fert" in South Carolina).  More later.