Sloop Creek North Carolina

We woke to a hot, sunny morning in Southport and began preparing to leave by 10:00 am. We walked Mystic back out of her slip then moved forward through the docks and out into the channel for an easy departure.

Ten to twelve miles north, is the Cape Fear River, where we will cross four miles of open water. There is a tide here but the river always flows out because so much water is running down. We began the crossing at near low tide and had to fight a huge 3.5 mph current that held us back. We hoped this would switch once we got to mean low tide when the current and the tide would not longer be working against us.

Dave dug out our autopilot to give us a break from the helm for the 15 mile journey on the Cape Fear River. We still had to pay attention but can relax from fighting the tiller. This proves to be an easy passage; not so much, the rest of the day.

We went through Snow's Cut where we hit bottom following Bob's blue line. It was near low tide so maybe we were off his course just a little. A quarter mile later, we came close to hitting again. It was a relief to see mostly deep water from there on. Carolina Beach is gorgeous, just a harrowing shallow water spot to navigate in our deep keel boat.

Dredge making passage

Beautiful colors; water, marsh and sand dunes

The clear and clean water turned a beautiful aqua green as we passed each inlet. It feels tropical in these sections! Dave wants to jump overboard for a swim but we move on, out of the shallows as fast as we can.

Carolina Beach Inlet waves rolling in

We had to wait 50 minutes to go under the Wrightsville Beach Bridge and 15 minutes for the Figure 8 Bridge. At Wrightsville Beach we waited with S/V Cayuga. We saw them anchored dead in the middle of North Harbor basin in Southport. We asked where they were headed; they said Sloop Creek. We were hoping to anchor there as well. The slow travel and waiting on bridge openings put us in a place with limited options. Sloop Creek was really our only choice to stop before dusk.

Cayuga anchored at Southport

The ICW was very busy. Boats passed us in all directions. One solo powerboater passed by several times taking a long look at us. I thought he was admiring Mystic because of her age and classic look, she gets a lot of attention. On his third pass he slowed and yelled to us, "You guys need any provisions, a hot shower? I live nearby and have a slip you can use." We answered, " No thanks, we're good. Just stopped in Southport." We are always amazed and delighted by the generosity of strangers although, at times, some offers make me think of Dateline NBC and wonder if we are dodging a bullet. Our instincts are our friend.

Everywhere we go...derelict boats

ICW Dome house

Tiki hut pontoon

Osprey families on all markers

Cayuga arrived at Sloop Creek first and dropped anchor right on top of the designated anchorage indicated on Active Captain (a crowd sourced cruising and navigation app). We slipped in behind them, just off the ICW and outside the channel. It's a perfect spot to stage for the Surfside Swing Bridge opening in the morning.

Cayuga anchored at Sloop Creek

We enjoyed a cool night promising a good nights rest. Fishing boats zoomed by us all evening which makes it hard to fall asleep. It's a good thing we have excellent anchor lights. I stood in our companionway, looking to the sky and find myself humming; Starry, Starry Night!