Wrightsville Beach, even on Mother’s Day owned up to its name with many and varied beachgoers, walking, flying kites, covering up with blankets, and surfing.  Among our finds in the sunny North Carolina beach city were West Marine, Harris Teeters, Robert’s Groceries, Wings beachwear and dinner at Baja 7.

First thing Monday morning was an 8:00a.m. dinghy ride to the city’s very convenient docks (only a block off the beach) and then a mile walk to the post office so we could mail off daughter Andrea’s baby shower gifts.  The post office opened at 8:30, walked back to the docks, dinghyed back to Aurora, pulled and secured the dinghy onto the davit, ready to pull anchor at 9:05, and motor the Wrightsville Beach Bridge’s opening at 10:00 (there wasn’t another opening until 11:00.)    

Just as we entered the ICW I heard the captain say, “Wonder what they want?”  We soon found out we had qualified for a “blue light special.”  The Coast Guard decided we needed a boarding and inspection.  We're both thinking, there's no way we'll make the bridge by 10:00 if they do a full inspection.  Two nice young officers came aboard but allowed us to motor towards the bridge.  After showing our boat registration, fire extinguishers, closed thru hulls, rules of navigation, and identification we received a clean bill of health, able to proceed on to the bridge opening in 15 minutes. 

Next came “trouble over bridged waters.”  Because North Carolina seems to think they only need to open their bridges on the hour and a few on the half hour its tricky to time it so you get there at the right time. Our timing was good so far, but our luck was about to run out.  On our approach to the second bridge, Figure Eight Island Bridge at 10:30 we were about 5 minutes away, Captain calls the bridge tender asking, “Could you hold for us, or is there any flexibility on the opening?”  Bridge operator in his North Carolina drawl, “Yes sir, my flexibility is 11:00.”  Obviously flexibility means something different in North Carolina.  So we waited.  For the third bridge, Surf City Bridge, and a 1:00 opening, we were on time, but the tender opened 10 minutes early, leaving us to drop an anchor, and we waited again, until 2:00.   Having no schedule really is a very good thing.

Our plans were to anchor at Mile Hammock Bay, which is a lagoon cut out by the military for maneuvers when Camp Lejeune Marines need it.  The unknown factor is they can boot you out, day or night.  We opted to stop at New River Marina for fuel and just stayed the night.  This place is the marina answer to Deliverance. Actually it is okay, but when I asked where their 30 amp service was (they said it was included in the price) they said, “It is a duplex outlet on the light pole.”  But the boat was secured well to the dock, it only cost $1/foot, and the best deal was the lowest fuel price of the whole trip, $3.51 diesel. Maybe they’re not so bad after all; we even picked up a 12 pack of Yuengling in their bait/store/marina.