Topsail Sound Anchorage to Casper Marina

Some day's you just have to go with the flow.  Our plan was to weigh anchor at 1000 so the tide would give us enough water to get out of the anchorage.  We barely got into the anchorage at the same tide level. So, we decided to sleep in and wait for ample water.   Also, if we did run aground, we were on a rising tide and would eventually float. This plan gave us an hour to pull up our anchors and travel the 3 miles to the Surf Bridge so a to make the 1100 opening. We felt we had plenty of time to make the bridge which only opens on the hour.

CH53 Super Stallion

Paul was a little late in getting into his cockpit and we didn't start bringing in our anchors until 1010. Then Foreign Affair's anchor got fouled on a crab pot and it took an additional 5 minutes to get free. As a result, we didn't get started on working our way out of the anchorage until 1015 or so.

We departed Topsail  Sound Anchorage at a slow speed due to the shallow water and narrow channel. Dwayne and Janet briefly ran aground exiting this anchorage in the fall.  So, we took extra care on leaving which caused us enough of a delay so as to once again be 5 minutes late for the Surf City Bridge opening. This time, we had no choice but to loiter before the bridge for almost an hour and proceed after the opening.

We missed the Onslow Beach Bridge opening by 5 minutes and had to wait 25 until the next opening. At least here, we were entertained while we waited by pilots from Camp Lejeune doing "touch and goes" and low level flying.  The first helicopter we saw startled Carla as it rose from behind some trees just 100 yards or so off our starboard beam.  It was a CH53 Super Stallion which is the largest helicopter in the US military.  That big and that close was an unexpected shock.  Later, a MV22 Osprey began flying over us and made several passes.  We were provided quite and airshow during our wait for the bridge.

MV22 Osprey

We ended the day at the Casper Marina in Swansboro.  Normally, we pump-out the holding tank when we arrive in a marina.  However, Casper's wanted $20 to pump-out using their portable pump which had a tank that only held 20 gallons. Our tank exceeds that amount and we would have ended up paying $40 to empty the system.  We passed on the pump-out.

We went into Swansboro to explore the old downtown area along the river front.  Paul treated us to dinner at the Icehouse Waterfront Restaurant.  Carla had a wonderful filet mignon.  Dwayne ordered the shrimp and crab stuffed flounder. Paul had a huge steak. It was a wonderful mean in a very nice old re-purposed building.

We came across an interesting establishment on our walk back to the marina. The building itself was of interesting construction with dual staircases leading up to a shop advertising: espresso, ice cream, cold drinks and wine.  Ice cream doesn't stay frozen in our boat freezers.  So, it is always a treat to have some ice cream for desert. The charming building and chance for ice cream was enough to entice us to climb the stairs and satisfy our craving for ice cream.  So, we entered the Bake, Bottle and Brew.

One of the most wholesome looking and cutest young woman served up our ice cream.  She also tended the bar serving up beer, wine and other spirits.  She was very polite and soft spoken; however, she used the F Word in nearly every sentence she spoke.  There was an eclectic assortment of items on sale.  Socks and t-shirts were displayed along side kits for making beer and wine. There were no baked goods. The ice cream was good. The entire establishment left one wondering about the owners and their marketing strategy.