Champ III: Going Places

The adventure starts here.

Casper’s Marina, Swansboro, NC to River Dunes Marina, Oriental, NC — May 11, 2014

01 Owner is A Proud Swansboro Resident

02-Irish-Pub-Deli
02-Irish-Pub-Deli
03-Swansboro-Downtown-District
03-Swansboro-Downtown-District
04-Swansboro-Downtown-District
04-Swansboro-Downtown-District
05-River-Dunes-Marina
05-River-Dunes-Marina
06-River-Dunes-Marina
06-River-Dunes-Marina
07-River-Dunes-Development-Concept
07-River-Dunes-Development-Concept
08-River-Dunes-Restautant-Clubhouse
08-River-Dunes-Restautant-Clubhouse
09-River-Dunes-Street-Scene
09-River-Dunes-Street-Scene
10-River-Dunes-Residential-Area
10-River-Dunes-Residential-Area
11-Sunrise-Over-River-Dunes
11-Sunrise-Over-River-Dunes

The wind was blowing today and the sky was cloudy this morning.  They were predicting a chance of thunderstorms in the afternoon.  the water was a light chop because there was no real fetch or depth for the waves to build.

We were underway about 8:00.  We did our slow cruise up the ICW and I started to watch the color in the southern and western sky. It appeared to me that the sky was darkening so after about 10 miles we picked up the pace and went on plane to try and make River Dunes before any rain/thunderstorms.  I was checking the National Weather Service Radar and they showed some rain offshore in the Atlantic but nothing close by.

We did slow for passing boats in either direction, near the Port of Morehead City and for all the no wake zones in the canal to the Neuse River. The wind appeared to have died down and maybe was 10 mph.

It was Mother’s Day and there were a lot of families out in their runabout and pontoons just cruising the water.  We had a few faster cruisers that went by us but they did a slow pass also so that was good.

The sky stayed about the same for the entire trip. Not dark but not sunny.  River Dunes was as we remembered it from last year.  It is a residential community with its own marina basin off of Broad Creek.  With a separate basin there is no boat wake or even waves against the hull.

A little after we came in, a sailboat, Phoenix, came in and he asked to share a ride into Oriental this evening for dinner.  I had already reserved the courtesy car. The gentleman on Phoenix was single handling and on a return trip to Vermont.  He has been gone from Home for 3 years.  He had been to Europe and sailed the Mediterranean. Rather young person, maybe 40 or so.  The Phoenix is a 36′ sailboat that drafts 6′.  He had some interesting stories.  He crossed the Atlantic with a crew of 4 and he and his wife had cruised the Mediterranean.

We were joined in the courtesy car by 3 other gentlemen that came in late on a 54 Sedan Bridge.  They were taking the boat to the Chesapeake from the Bahamas.  They are leaving in the morning at first light.

Well the weatherman was wrong.  We never had any rain during the day or evening. Dinner was interesting in Oriental.  The restaurant, M & M’s was busy and the service was less than great but we still had good food.

Tomorrow we leave for Dowery Creek Marina just off the Pungo River, East of Belhaven NC.  We stopped there last year and enjoyed it.