Movin' on up the East Coast

As we left Myrtle Beach we passed this college rowing team practicing. We spent the first two weeks of April in North Carolina, stopping at some towns we bypassed on the way down.



We spent a couple of days in the quaint little town of Southport, where we were allowed to tie up to a dock at the Yacht Basin Provision Company in exchange for eating a couple of delicious meals there. Several movies and tv shows have filmed in Southport, most recently the film Safe Haven.



We took a guided tour around town on a golf cart where our guide pointed out various points of interest, such as this house from the movie "Crimes of the Heart." We also saw the home where author Robert Ruark spent part of his childhood living with his grandparents because both of his parents were alcoholics.




Dan found the grave of a long lost relative.

We spent a couple of days at Beaufort, where we visited the nicest museum so far, the North Carolina Maritime Museum. There were a lot of nice shops and galleries along the waterfront where we were docked.

We then moved on to Oriental, a sailing town that provides free slips to visiting boaters. We found a nice sports bar there, the Shanty, to watch the NCAA final, which unfortunately did not include a Michigan team.

We returned to Elizabeth City, a stop we enjoyed on our way down. No exciting weather this year. We were hiding from Hurricane Sandy the last time we were there. We then transited the Dismal Swamp in one day, as opposed to the three days we spent before.





From South Carolina on we have been seeing a lot of Osprey. This is their nesting season and many of the waterway markers have nests.

We spent two nights anchored in Virginia. The first night we were at Willoughby Bay near Norfolk. The second night we went up the Wicomico River and were the only boat anchored in a beautiful spot in Mill Creek. We then had a long day sailing up Chesapeake Bay to Annapolis.

We spent a week in Annapolis, enjoying local bars and restaurants. One highlight of this week was seeing Ben Taylor (son of James Taylor and Carly Simon) at the Ram's Head. It is a comfortable intimate setting for a concert and he is very talented. On Easter we enjoyed the food and atmosphere at the Boatyard Bar and Grill, a local sailors hangout.




Another beautiful sunset, the view from our mooring in Spa Creek.

We are now in Chesapeake City, Maryland. Tomorrow we head through the C and D Canal, down the Delaware Bay to Cape May, New Jersey. Weather permitting, we should be in New York City by this weekend.



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Location:Annapolis, MD