Milliken Cove, SC SM 342 to North Myrtle Beach, SC SM 354

Another short trip for Oasis and the crew!  This morning, Captain Jean Guy was excited to get on his way. After he lifted Oasis's anchor at 07:45, away they went for today's adventure. As usual, the engine is running, almost no wind, a mere 5 knots of wind coming from the south. The further Oasis heads south, the nicer the weather gets. After three hours of navigating, Oasis was docked at 10:45 at North Myrtle Beach. Cruising in the Intracoastal Waterway allowed us to enjoy South Carolina's Grand Strand; a 60 mile stretch of white sandy beaches, amusement parks, hotels, golf resorts, shopping malls and marinas. Many of Myrtle Beach Marinas are concentrated at North Myrtle Beach (15 miles north of Myrtle Beach) and this is where much of the action is. The area around Myrtle Beach with it's sister communities is known as the "Seaside Golf Capital of the World" with over 100 golf courses and also South Carolina's premier vacation destination. After Oasis was tied at the dock, the captain and his brother Raymond went to explore around their new destination.  

While cruising in the ICW, we saw the "Aquasino" (SunCruz Casino; a 5 hour gaming cruise) docked at the ferry terminal located at Little River. This is the boat we intersected at Little River Inlet yesterday.

The first lighthouse along the canal located at the entrance of the Myrtle Beach Yacht Club & Marina in Little River.

Cruising in the ICW, we were following the sailboats that were anchored with us in Milliken Cove.

North Beach Plantation, 15 minute walk from the Dockside Village.

North view of North Myrtle Beach. Notice the nice white sand beach.  

South view of the beach. You can explore the beach riding on a bike since the sand is pack hard.

Condos along the beach. Wouldn't anyone love to have time sharing in one of these building, down here!

Barefoot Landing, one of North Myrtle Beach favorite shopping spot.

Joe's Crab Shack, one of waterfront restaurant at the Boardwalk Shops at Barefoot Landing in North Myrtle Beach.

Turtles swimming in a pond at the Dockside Village.

There were also big fish in that pond but did not see any alligators.

Navy fleet cruising along the ICW.

Sailing along the ICW, marinas are located adjacent to the canal.

This was Raymond's favorite destination since he started on Oasis's Journey. He really enjoyed the scenery and the nice weather.

Captain Jean Guy soaking his feet in the warm waters of the Atlantic Ocean.

Wrightsville Beach, NC SM 283 to Milliken Cove, SC SM 342

The captain started his day by checking Oasis's engine fluids and topping it with  oil  and coolant. Then they departed Wrightsville Beach at 09:15 under sunny skies which lasted all day. Today's temperature  was in the 20 degrees celcius. With just 5 knots of wind mainly from the west, Oasis motored all day  with the use of the jib 50% of the time. Sailing through the ICW, even though the scenery along the route has similarities, the captain is always overwhelmed by new discoveries. Today was another milestone for Oasis and the crew. They change state. They sailed from the state of North Carolina  to the border of South Carolina's, at Milliken Cove at SM 342 where the captain set anchor at 16:45. Afterwards he and his brother took T-Ben, the dinghy, and went exploring the Calabash River, just on the other side of the state line in North Carolina.

Sand banks at the Snows Cut section, about 40 miles south of Wrightsville Beach, just before Carolina Beach.

As we can see, there is sand and remnants of old wood piles along the edge of the ICW.

Loading wharf extending in the ICW, before entering Southport. This loading facility is connected to the main land for  Oil Tank Storage.

Southport Marina, entering Southport located on the Cape Fear River.

Southport Harbour Village Marina, just before crossing the Holden Beach Bridge. (Route 130)

Old boat shed and boats located right around the bend just before the Holden Beach Bridge.

There were lots of sports fisherman boats located in Shallot Inlet just before Ocean Isle Beach. In the back, the Ocean Isle Bridge. (Route 904)

Close up view of the inlet, you can see the ocean in the back.

We intersected a ferry at the Little River Inlet and the ICW. Here "The Big Boat" rules, Oasis gave way for this one to go by.

Oasis anchored at Milliken Cove, South Carolina. The sailboat at the left of Oasis is a nice couple from Ottawa. They are also going south and they have a blog too. Their blog is as follow: chasingice.ca

A water view of Calabash Village from the Calabash River.

Captain Jean Guy (with a beard), sightseeing in the village. Now you can guess what will be his Halloween costume. ( A Pirate)

Raymond in the shade under a palm tree. We see more palm trees as we head south.

Oasis at anchor with another beautiful sunset.
 

Beaufort ,NC SM 203 to Wrighstville Beach, NC SM 283

Today's trip was a long one. Oasis left Beaufort at 07:00 sharp. With a beautiful sunrise on the horizon and just 5 knots of WSW wind, we motored all the way with the help of the mainsail in the morning and the jib in the afternoon. Due to the wind direction, we could not use both sails at the same time. The thermometer reached 20 degrees Celsius and today was another perfect day.
Oasis arrived at Wrightsville, NC SM 283 at 18:00. Upon arrival, we couldn't reach any marinas, so when the coastguards notice that we were going in circles, they came to greet us and directed us to a marina. Their help was much appreciated. They also came on board to do an inspection and to make sure the captain had all Oasis's legal documents. Everything was OK.

Leaving Beaufort, a beautiful sunrise is as pretty to look at as a sunset.

The Morehead City Bridge. Radio Island behind the bridge.

We met a Tug Boat in the Canal.

Properties along the canal. Notice the water, it was calm like that most of the day.

We followed this catamaran all day in the canal. Nationality: USA named Mystic.

There was a dredge in the canal where there was shoaling in an inlet. We had to be careful because the passage was reduce to almost nothing.

Fisherman wharf and boatyard.

When navigating in the canal, there are buildings like these  along the ocean waterfront. This was taken at New River Inlet at SM 245 approximately at mid point from Beaufort and Wrightsville.

House along the way. Notice the palm trees, we see them occasionally now, we are getting closer to the nice  hot weather.

Oasis sailing in the ICW.

There was a lot of navigation to do. Thanks to Raymond's help, it made the captain's job much easier.

Oasis after going through Wrightsville Beach Bridge.

Just after coming through the bridge, there are marinas on both sides of the canal. This is Wrightsville Beach Marina, the second one after the bridge on Oasis port side. Nice powerboats.

Oriental, NC SM 182 to Beaufort, NC SM 203

Mother Nature called for nothing but blue skies and light westerly winds (10 knots) for today. At 08:00, the captain lifted Oasis's anchor and left  Oriental for another short day trip . They motored all the way with the help of the jib. From Oriental, Oasis navigated south, went through Adams Creek Canal (about 8 miles long), proceeded through creeks and channels before making her final destination at Beaufort SM 203. In 1996, Blackbeard Pirate's flagship (Queen Ann's Revenge) was discovered in 22 feet of water in the silted inlet just off Beaufort and now Beaufort became a magnet for visitors interested in the life and legacy of America's most notorious maritime thief. Now pirate history lurks everywhere you turn in Beaufort with tours and activities relating to ghosts and pirate lore.

There is a sailboat aground in a section of the canal.

Now it's a powerboat that is aground in the same canal. There must have been quite a storm to move those boats there.

Properties along the way.

Another house along the way.

Adams Creek Canal Bridge (Route101),  the fishing boat had to lower his double masts to go underneath the bridge.

Arriving in Beaufort, looking east at the Morehead City Bridge (U.S.Route).

A sunken boat in Beaufort Harbor.

Arriving in Beaufort, Oasis went through the Beaufort & Morehead Bascule Bridge.

View looking west at Taylor Creek.

Oasis at Beaufort Docks.

















There was bad weather coming for Wednesday, heavy rain and wind blowing up to 35 miles an hour, so the captain decided that it was best to stay put and vigilant. They secured Oasis and spend 3 nights docked at this facility. The sun  was out again on Thursday but was much cooler than usual and  later in the afternoon, the wind finally diminished. So Jean Guy and Raymond went for a walk to do some sightseeing and took the following pictures.

First Citizens Bank on Front Street in Beaufort.

North Carolina Maritime Museum.  Here you can view artifacts recovered from the Blackbeard's Queen Ann Revenge.

Historic House on Front Street, very well kept, these house are from the late 1700, early 1800.

Front entrance of a Historic House.

Beautiful flower garden between two houses.

Watercraft Center Museum, this building is devoted to boat carpentry with restorations projects underway in various stages of completion.

One of the four churches that forms part of the Old Burying Ground.

Carteret County Clerk-Court at Court House Square in Beaufort.

City Hall  roof details.

Another of the four Churches that forms part of The Old Burying Ground in Beaufort.

Close up: Church that forms part of The Old Burying Ground

For more information: search Old Burial Ground Churches in Beaufort, NC.

Old Burying Ground from 1731.

Old Burying Ground where a little girl was allegedly buried in a rum keg.

The other side of the tombstone.

Another part of The Old Burying Ground.