Cruising with Steadfast

 Beautiful day (we are moving south)!!  Touched 60 deg this afternoon.  Smooth trip to Myrtle Beach, no issues.  Rinsed boat, pumped out, and filled water tank.  All is well.  We’ll pick up rental car, dinner at the Captains Table (nice spot), and the drive to VA tomorrow.  Great end to this 2st leg of the journey.  Here it today’s  Track

Nice stay at Bald Head Island.  Did a golf cart tour of the Island, lots of nice beaches and beach houses.  Great steak dinner on the boat!  In the AM, we toured/climbed “Old Baldy” the oldest lighthouse in NC.  Then easy short run to Myrtle Beach.  Just one day to Myrtle Beach… our destination for this leg of the journey.  Here is today’s  Track

 Nice stay in Wilmington.  Out for breakfast at “basics”, and the to tour the Battleship North Carolina.  Very impressive ship.  Good dinner out (Italian) at Rosalie Trattoria… quite good.  Easy run down the Cape Fear River to Bald Head Island… left about 8:30 and arrived at noon.  Rented a golf cart, and toured the island.  Lots of nice houses and beaches… but not much else (restaurant at Marina closed till after Xmass).  Decided to stay just 1 night and move to (free) Safe Harbor South Harbor Village tomorrow.  Steaks on the grill tonight!  Here is today’s  Track .

 Leisurly morning including walk to great bagel spot.  Left about 9:20 for short run to Wilmington NC.  Nice current push most of the day.  Arrived a little before 1, nice marina, had to call on phone as no response on radio.  Looking forward to exploring Wilmington… 1st time here by boat.  Here is today’s  Track

 Left just before 7, well timed arrival at Onslow Beach Bridge (under construction) for noon opening.  Nice current push much of the day.  Cold and rainy, but still nice.  Arrived Bridge Tender Marine just before 4:30.  Met Denton friend George & Marge… great dinner with them, and (see pictures) they got good pics of us as we approached Wrightsville Beach.  Here is today’s  Track

 Nice 2 night stay in Belhaven.  Friday was a rainy day, misc little things around the boat, Mexican for lunch (not bad), a nap, and the very nice dinner with friends Dave & Tina at Spoon River.  Really an excellent restaurant… never disappoints.  Saturday morning we left a little before 8 for the run to Beaufort NC.  Cold (45) and rainy… but still nice and cozy in the boat.   The current gave us a nice push, and we arrived at about 3:30… and hour ahead of schedule (to match slack current at Beaufort Docks Marina).  No issues getting in to the slip in spite of a little current.  Looking forward to chicken chili on board tonite, and exploring Beaufort tomorrow.  Here is today’s  Track

 We had an “OK” dinner in Coinjock… Prime Rib (which they are “famous” for fell well short of what we had at Thanksgiving…. Still a nice evening.  Early/cold start… ice on boat, dock, etc.  Some fog to start the trip but all good.  Albemarle Sound (infamous for being rough) was relatively mild.  We ran a little faster than normal to day as we had 77nm to go, and relatively short day light.  All good… nice trip.  Here is today’s  Track

 Good night at the free dock.  Diesel heater did a great job keeping us nice and warm on 35deg night.  Relaxing morning…  and departure about 8:30, two easy bridges, and a slow (short run, so no rush) to Coinjock where we will be sampling the “famous” prime rib for dinner.  Here is today’s  Track .  Sorry… no pictures (photographer not on board)

 Our goal this year is to minimize ice on the boat… so, we’re leaving earlier and leaving the boat in Myrtle Beach over the Christmas holidays, and then continuing south.  For the 1st part of the trip, Gwen will be visiting family in CA (grandchild fix) and Raleigh…. So friend Denton will be crew with Jim. Day 1, 12/2/25.  We left Dville just before 7 at 1st light, and arrived Great Bridge Free Dock just after 4.  Grey day, with rain off and on, but still a great day.  Smooth transiting of lock and bridges, looking forward to spaghetti dinner on board.  Nebo malfunction… so not able to include today’s track. Here is the  Track