For this we come home?

Tornados?  What a welcome home!

Trip to Georgetown (South Carolina, not Great Exuma - unfortunately), was uneventful and fish-less. George and I had spent several hours at Hadley Creek Tackle Shop in Charleston "gearing up" for a few days of South Carolina coastal fishing. Spinning rods and tackle and ten day licenses, but, as they say, "we was skunked". We did spend a pleasant night anchored at Harbor River and saw them jumping. Likely moving too fast on the ICW for either trolling or casting this light gear. It ain't the ocean, my friends.

Rained on and off (mostly off) as we made it to Georgetown. A pretty little town that was once the rice and timber capital of (and thus, the third largest city in) South Carolina. Harborwalk Marina looked brand, spanking new and we had a delightful walk in town checking out the historic markers and great buildings. George Washington actually did sleep here.

Prior to our afternoon naps, beer and fried oysters at Buzz's Roost reminded us of the Cruisers' Life we recently left in the Bahamas. Sitting at a bar at 3:00 in the afternoon will be surely missed.

George subsequently managed to catch two catfish off the boat. Technically, they were Gafftopsail or Schooner-Rig Catfish; what George calls Ocean Blue Catfish back in Florida. The first one could have fed a family of six, the second a family of four. But, not in South Carolina. Immediate release required. Dinner at the River Bend Restaurant, resulted.

Next morning we were off to Charleston International Airport in an Enterprise rental car to send George back home. A great trip. Great crew. Great fun.

And now, we are headed Home. Up the ICW on Thursday to the Calabash River off Little River Inlet on the South Carolina-North Carolina border. Next morning, we are in North Carolina and South Carolina is $11 richer without having given up any of her fin-fish resources to Endurance.

Now, in North Carolina, they actually throw fish at you. As we left the Cape Fear River through Snow's Cut, we turned back North on the ICW at Carolina Beach Inlet. When we came through here last Fall, the shore was lined with fishermen. Same, this time through. I don't know if it was a South Carolina fish that chased us clear through to these foreign waters, or a North Carolina fish that just felt bad for us, but as we made the turn, a three foot fish hits the side of the boat, jumps as high as the lifelines and almost lands in the cockpit. If the enclosure window was rolled up (battened down against this Northern cold wind), we would have either had him for dinner or heard him laughing at us. In any event, as close as we have come to successful fishing in U.S. waters.

A long day to Wrightsville Beach put us in their great little anchorage with a nice dinghy dock at Wynn Park. Walked to the Post Office and the Beach. The place is jam-packed with young co-eds working on their early season tans and social lives.

Our travel plans, though, are thwarted for Saturday. The front moving through on Saturday promised rain which would require us to get really wet as we waited for the next four "timed" bridges on this next part of the ICW. Then,  NOAA issues a Severe Weather Alert for potentially damaging winds. Then several of the bridges close to openings due to high winds. Then NOAA upgrades it's Alert to a Tornado Watch (till 9:00 tonight). And the Coast Guard says there are six to nine foot waves in Bogue Inlet.

We're staying put. As of 5:00 p.m. still no rain, but "blowing stink". We'll either be on our way at 0630 tomorrow (to catch the first bridge opening at 0700), or you’ll hear about us on the news.

In either case, we are headed Home.