Bus to town and Left Carolina Beach and motored south to Georgetown

 We took the bus to the big city of Wilmington, NC.   Bus picked up really close to dinghy dock.  Unfortunately, had to catch the 8:00 bus, so we were on a timetable, and the rain hit hard right about when we needed to get into the dinghy.  Arrived at dinghy dock soaking wet.   Oh Well.   Made it to town OK, bus ride was good.   Went to a Lowes, JoAnn fabrics, and Bed Bath and Beyond.    We were going to grab lunch at a Wendy's and then catch the bus back, but Wendy's was short staffed, and the dining room was not open.  Being the cheap people we are, we did not want to pay for any of  the other close restaurants - but we were in luck.  A Sam's club was nearby.   

At anchor and doing projects

 We have been anchored in Carolina Beach since we arrived Wednesday night.  This is a good anchorage with close access to groceries, hardware stores, and cheap eats (McDonalds).   We headed into town, to pick up some groceries.   Only .6 miles each way - Not bad.

Getting cold, time to move south

We had a great time visiting with Ed and Cathy of "What If".  As many of you know, we previously owned "What If".  Ed and Cathy are taking good care of her, and are nice people that we are happy to call friends.  We also enjoyed our time with Duane and Karen of "Sojourn", and hope to see more of them further south.  

Many warm blooded mammals stay warm during the winter months by growing thicker fur, or hibernating - and although we like to sleep, and some of us are hairier than others, we have chosen to migrate south where the weather is warmer.  When the morning temperatures are in the lower 50s the wanting to get out of a warm bed into a cold boat becomes difficult for the crew of Charm.  So we are heading south to warmer mornings.   

YouTube video from fellow cruiser

We met up with these folks in June when we were headed north.  They have a youtube video of their adventures and this one included us.

They are a nice couple doing the Great Loop.  

3 little Mantas sitting in a row

Karen and Duane on Sojourn invited us to join them and Kathy and Ed on What If at their dock in Oriental NC.  Those two boats sure look good.

BIG WIND, little wind

We stopped in Elizabeth City NC at the Mid-Atlantic Christian College free dock.  They have really big people here.

Relaxing, checking out boatyards, seeing friends, rowing for groceries and nice dinner out

Spent a nice few days anchored in a very calm peaceful anchorage.

View out back door

Checked out Zimmermans boat yard here, trying to find a good place to haul next spring, and get some work done.  It always pays to know in advance where you want to haul.  

Zimmermans does a lot of catamarans here.  They have a great reputation, but might be a little pricier than we want for now.    If we had major work, I would consider them, but we only need a few thru hulls plugged.  We will look at a few more yards.

A benefit of coming to check them out, is meeting other catamaran owners, and also seeing our friends we met in the spring, that are getting work done on their boat.  Always nice to reconnect and catch up.

We also took time to make a dinghy run up the creek, then paddle the dinghy for about 1/4 mile up a small narrow creek to get groceries, and also had a nice meal out (out being, got to go, and ate on boat) at a good Mexican restaurant. Mi Casa Azteca, in Matthews, VA.   Food was good.  

Would have gone for lunch, but have to go at high tide to have enough water in the small creek to get close.

Matthews looks to be a cute little town, might have to come back this way

Matthews, VA

and explore more, when high tide is not at 7 in the morning, or 6 at night.

Will head out tomorrow, will spend a night in Portsmouth at a marina, do laundry, top of batteries and water.