We have been remiss in keeping everyone up to date on the recent travels of Southern Style. We finally had to leave our "summer home" on the Outer Banks island of Ocracoke and begin our travels south for the winter. We said our good-byes to all of our friends on the island and departed on Halloween, Sunday, October 31st.
Earlier that week, our good friend David Hawley, was kind enough to offer to help us reposition our Jeep down to Wilmington for our pending boatyard work. Keith drove the Jeep down to Wilmington, NC where Dave picked him up and dropped him back at the Cedar Island Ferry Terminal for his ride back to the island. It took them the whole day, but it was a huge help and allowed me to travel with Keith on the boat this time instead of taking the car. Keith would always prefer at least one other person on the boat with him as he moves the boat for safety reasons. He has moved the boat often by himself, but this gave us all piece of mind and made the trip more enjoyable for everyone.
Our trip down to Wilmington was uneventful. We stopped on Sunday at Morehead City Yacht Basin for the night. On Monday, November 1st we traveled another 80 miles on to Wrightsville Beach and stayed at Sea Path Yacht Club. We spent 16 years in Wrightsville Beach with our previous boat and had never been to Sea Path. So another first for us.
Tuesday morning before we could get underway, Keith had the unpleasant job of fixing a clogged head system. As they say, "it happens". Not the first time the head has been clogged and it probably won't be the last. Never a fun job, but it is an essential system on the boat. Fortunately, it didn't take Keith more than about an hour to get the "problem" unstuck and everything working again. By 9:00am we were able to pull off the dock and begin our 30 mile journey up the Cape Fear River to our new home for the next 3 weeks, the Cape Fear Marina.
I decided to go visit family in Pennslyvania for 10 days or so while Keith dealt with some minor boat maintenance. We typically get some repairs done this time of year before we head south since we have good relationships with the skilled craftsmen and boatyards in the area. So the following Monday, Keith took the boat to the yard where it was hauled out of the water, fresh bottom paint applied along with new zincs, Propspeed, and some brand spanking new bow thruster batteries. In addition, we had the hull cleaned and waxed while the boat was out of the water.
The boat was only out of the water for 5 days. It came out on Monday first thing and went back into the water late on Friday afternoon. The boatyard did a great job of meeting our time schedule. Because the weather was so nice during the week, Keith actually just stayed on the boat instead of getting a hotel room as we have done in years past. It also allowed him to do a few additional projects on the boat while it was out of the water and he could also make sure all the jobs the yard was scheduled to complete got done the "right" way.
The boat is obviously back in the water and we are having a few odds and ends completed before we start heading south again on the ICW. The superstructure of the boat is being detailed (washed, buffed and waxed), the engines are getting cleaned and painted, and the varnish is getting a few additional coats added and the teak decks are being cleaned, brightened and UV protectant applied. We plan to head out of Wilmington on Monday, November 22nd our our way to Charleston, SC to enjoy Thanksgiving with our fomer Raleigh neighbors, the Terry Family, in their new home. We are looking forward to catching up with them and enjoying Robin's great cooking for the holiday.
That at least brings you up to date. We will do our best to keep you posted as we make our way towards the Bahamas for the winter.
