Bailng Out in Southport NC

Docks B (left) and C (right) and that is it

"Hello.  I just wanted to come over and see if there was anything you folks need.  I have a truck and I can take you anywhere you need to go like the grocery store, liquor store, Wal-Mart, Lowes....wherever you need.  Or you can just take it yourselves if you want.  I am in that boat right across the way if you need."  This is what fellow sailor David told us 15 minutes after we got docked this afternoon at Indigo Plantation Marina in Southport NC ICW mile marker #310. 

View towards the clubhouse and David's boat on dock A

We had hoped to get up to Carolina Beach NC for anchoring this evening.  We were doing great despite the overcast, windy, drizzle of a day.  Yay for cockpit enclosures!  However once we made the turn north and headed up the Cape Fear River, it got pretty bad.  The tide was going out and the wind was blowing along with it at a pretty good clip.  s/v Honey Ryder started bucking around and progress came to a near halt.  Southbound s/v Tenacious radioed us to say "it gets worse up river."  We thanked him and started looking for alternatives as in a safe anchorage where we could holed up for the rest of the day and overnight.  The problem is there aren't a lot of comfortable/safe places to anchor/hide along this stretch....for quite some distance.  There was a small creek a little way back but we took note the first time by that three sailboats were already hunkered down inside.  Dutchman's Creek was another option but Active Captain reviews of the anchorage said it was a bit of a hairy anchorage getting in and then overall ugh.  We decided to test it but found NO protection.  It would have made for an uncomfortable night.

Room for others looking to bail on an uncomfortable day

We had past three marina's, two very near the Cape Fear River.  Tom radioed the smaller to see if they had a transient slip available.  The dockmaster said they did.  He was not on site (I think he was at another marina - maybe owned by the same company?) but said he could come over in 15 mins to help us tie up if we needed.  I asked if there was any current or other things we should be concerned with while docking.  He said no so we told him we would be ok docking ourselves.

Safely tied up

We did a drive-by so we could check it out and id the slip....well sort of a cruise in, circle around and then cruise back out.  Tom thought there was plenty of room to keep circling while we prepped the boat for docking, I didn't.  But then again, I was at the helm so we I cruised right back out into the ICW.  Tom quickly prepped the fenders and lines.  By now the drizzle had turned to light rain.  We headed right back in and took the slip we thought was supposed to be ours (they weren't marked that we could see)....thinking there are at least 5 other slips along this same dock so not a big deal if it's not the exact slip he told us.  Turns out we got it right. Yay!  I helmed, Tom handled lines and we stuck the landing (docking) for a score of 9.99 (stupid Russian judge.  HA!....remember that from years gone by - watching the Olympics, it was always the Russian judge...never mind)

View from our slip back out to the ICW

Tom called the dockmaster and got us all checked in via phone.  Free wifi, showers and FREE laundry - $44 for the night!  So now we are safely tucked inside this little marina watching a few hardy boats hammer by on the ICW in the rain.  We will probably take David up on his offer to run a few errands.  He seems like an interesting guy so we don't want to miss out on that opportunity.  Laundry will be our fun activity for the evening.  Yeah, I know....but free laundry is free laundry.