Where is GYPSEA?

Well it was definitely a bumpy ride from Charleston to Southport. Seas were consistently 3 feet and depending on the trajectory of our route to North Carolina it was either a slow roll from waves hitting our sides (thankfullly corrected by our Seakeeper gyroscope) or a hard thump moving over the larger waves when we made some changes in our direction. Always safe, but not always as ease. Otherwise the sun was out and it was a beautiful warm day! It took just under 6 hours to get to Southport, which is at the mouth of the Cape Fear River.

A short and thankfully smooth ride into the inlet brought us to the Morningstar Marina. What a great facility, and the staff and dock hands were so nice and helpful. Docking was a breeze and once again we could fuel up right from our slip. It was walking distance to a number of restaurants right on the water, and then a short walk beyond that to an area with more shops, and a central market filled with souvenirs, local foods, clothing and gift items. The goods sold were of high quality- not typical/tacky souvenir shop items. Coming home with some things for my children and grandchild!

Southport proved to be a truly charming town filled with other small shops and plenty of places to get fresh oysters and seafood. I couldn’t resist purchasing some gourmet cheeses from the Southport Cheese Shop. I was three for three on sampling and purchasing a stilton with blueberries, tomato and basil cheese, and a finely aged cheddar that was unique in taste and texture. In mid afternoon we stopped into the Moore Street Oyster Bar and had a delicious sampling of each of their specialty topped cooked oysters. After completing our walk around the downtown, we headed back to the waterfront and enjoyed a few appetizers at Edgewater 122. The hot pimento crab dip was delicious! We ran into our “boat buddy” we met in Fort Pierce who has been following the same route we have been taking up north. We sat and discussed options for tomorrow’s route and all seem to agree if wave heights are 3+ tomorrow, we will stay inside and cruise on the ICW. This area is where apparently it can be easy to follow an incorrect channel or route and end up having to retrace your course back to where you started, so all maps and GPS devices to be consulted to assure we plan a successful route. By tomorrow we should be at least halfway home!

I hope you are enjoying this blog and appreciate the kind comments and “likes!”

Passing one of the waterfront restaurants as we motor into Southport

Quintessential small town America!

North Carolina also filled with beautiful and historic homes. Everyone one I passed on my walk had a marker indicating its original owners

My cholesterol is going up just reading this!

Cooked oysters at Moore Street Oyster Bar were so delicious!

Clearly remnants of COVID…and they certainly took it seriously placing these on the streets next to traffic lights!

Well, whom of you that rode to Florida, (likely sleeping on the floor of the backseat without a seatbelt as I did! Mind you fighting over that spot with my siblings!) don’t remember all the Stuckey’s on the side of the road in the Carolinas in particular…that pecan roll brings back so many memories!

When in North Carolina….hot crab dip…delicious but still enjoying it a Prilosec later!

I always admire people who can do this. Personally I don’t like my food looking back at me!

What a great day we had in Southport, the epitome of southern charm and hospitality and a great seaside community. Thank you Southport for a wonderful stay!

Well that’s it for now…woke up to showers and lightning…likely and finally an ICW run today but will keep you posted!