We're in Surfside Beach, NC

It's been an "interesting" couple of days. The forecast again has been incorrect and we've fought winds and cold temps for the past 2 days. We left Southport yesterday morning at 7 am and battled current and wind up the Cape Fear River. Our goal yesterday was Hampstead, but after we missed the Wrightsville Beach Bridge by only 5 minutes and would have had to keep idling and turning around for almost an hour in 30 knots of wind, we decided to just stop and dock at the Bridgetender Marina. We had hoped for better weather today but it just was not to be. We wanted to get north of the 3 opening bridges and at least we made that goal. Swansboro would have been nice but going through the New River area at low tide and in this wind would have been nuts.

We are at the Beachhouse Marina in Surfside Beach, NC (close to a grocery store and ABC store). Our docking in 30 knots of wind coming in here was NOT pretty and we've vowed not to leave unless the winds are calm tomorrow. We've been traveling with a buddy boat that we met in Myrtle Beach named "Blue Moon" and they are from NY. They created "an adventure" today. Chris & Walt (the owner of Blue Moon) went to check into the marina. Shortly thereafter, Kristen (the female off Blue Moon) came frantically knocking on our boat saying "our boat is sinking". Man...those are words that chill a boater to the bone. I came flying off our boat, ran up to the office to get Walt and he and Chris came running back full tilt. The water was gushing from between their floor boards at this point. Walt quickly located the problem fortunately (stuffing box) while Chris pumped frantically. All is well now, but needless to say, we will be drinking rum tonight! I'm making stir fry for the crowd as it's just too windy to grill a darned thing. Now that we're so close to home, we are anxious to get there and see everyone and just settle in a bit and relax.