We were determined to get underway, so about noon we shoved off from the Masonboro marina. The locals, bid us farewell, as we’d gotten to know many of them. We had a short day planned with a stop over at the Harbour Village Marina in Hampstead, NC – MM 267. We arrived about 4:00 p.m., just in time to avoid a thunderstorm. The marina was nice, nestled in a beautiful lush neighborhood full of upscale homes.
As we travel north on the ICW, it is apparent that much growth and real estate development has taken place in the last eight years, since our last trip down the ICW. What used to be miles of marsh and open land along the ICW, has been replaced by beautiful homes. The homeowners have wonderful views of the ICW, and many, on clear days, can see out to the Atlantic Ocean. They have prime spots for sitting and enjoying the ICW boat traffic as it passes.
Monday June 9, 2003 Swansboro, NC – MM 229
We left Hampstead around 9:00 a.m. and headed to Swansboro, a short day, but we had time, as we needed to be in Beaufort, NC for a Tuesday reservation. We arrived at Dudley’s Marina at approximately, 2:00 p.m. We’d made great time as we had the wind and the tides with us most of the day. Dudley’s turned out to be a bit of a “Dud”, with limited amenities, fixed docks and a strong current into which we had to dock. We used the afternoon to clean the boat and get things squared away.
Tuesday June 10, 2003 Beaufort, NC – MM 204
We got an early start from Swansboro, about 7:00 a.m., we planned to leave earlier, but the thick fog kept us on the dock until we could see enough to get us back out to the ICW. Our destination, Beaufort, NC, again, another short day, but the plan is to leave the boat in Beaufort for one week, while we grab a rental car, drive to Baltimore to catch our flight to Denver, to join Anne’s family for her parent’s 50th wedding anniversary reunion.
Beaufort, NC
Wednesday June 11, through Monday June 16, Denver CO
Tuesday June 17 – Beaufort NC MM 204
After returning from the Baltimore airport late Monday evening, we slept late on Tuesday and woke to a rainy, crummy day. We had a rental car, so went into the historic section of Beaufort, did a tour by car, due to the rain, then stopped at the waterfront for breakfast. We drove over the bridge to Morehead City, (the sister city to Beaufort), where Tony reminisced of his younger college days, where he spent a summer working for Roses Dime store. We bought provisions for the boat and headed back to the Marina, stopping to purchase from a local fish market, a few pounds of flounder and fresh shrimp which we enjoyed that evening for dinner.
Monica had the opportunity to take photos of the wild horses that live on Carrot Island, the Island just across from where our Marina was located. These horses live on this Island, which is inaccessible by car, you can only get to it by boat (or swimming). Although the pictures don’t do the scene justice, it was very curious to view these horses on this island.
