Thanksgiving in Southport NC - 2018

Nov 22 thru Nov 25

--Blogpost written by Bob

We arrived in Southport NC on Wednesday (Nov 21) at 11 AM.  We scheduled our departure for Monday morning, around favorable high tide at both troublesome ocean inlets south of us.  So, we are spending a long Thanksgiving weekend in Southport.  

Shortly after we arrived we were admiring a trawler from the outside when the owner invited us in to see the interior.  It was a 39-foot American Tug.  We were thoroughly impressed with the three levels of living space, the full-size refrigerator/freezer, and the king size bed in the forward section.  Of course, our sailboat is paid for and a new trawler would be prohibitively expensive, but it is nice dreaming...

Thanksgiving Day (Nov 22)

While cool and blustery outside, inside our cockpit enclosure it is warm and cozy. It attracts the sun’s warmth like a greenhouse and shelters us from the cool wind.

Lola watches a bird on the marina
sign along the pier.

I’m surprised that there are so few transient boats here in the marina over Thanksgiving. I haven’t seen any cruising boats underway today either. A lot of cruisers have special destinations for Thanksgiving, like Brunswick GA, St. Augustine, and Vero Beach.  

Yesterday I made cranberry relish and Maggie baked a (sugar-free) pumpkin pie.  Today, she is busy preparing a turkey breast and other holiday fixings for our afternoon Thanksgiving meal.

We had a fantastic Thanksgiving Dinner and, of course, watched football afterward. This was truly a relaxing day!  Sorry, I have no photographs of any of it.

Friday, November 23

Today started out overcast and cool (39 degrees) plus there was a cold 15-knot breeze coming from the northeast.  The high temperature for the day is expected to be 56 degrees F but Saturday, Sunday, and Monday will be warmer (60's).

A view looking out over the mouth of the Cape
Fear River from Southport Marina.

I’ve been suffering from an infection on my left eyelid since Monday.  I tried to get an appointment with an ophthalmologist here in Southport but they are closed until the Monday after Thanksgiving. So, my only option to get medical care was to visit the outpatient center in the hospital, Dosher Medical Center. We decided to walk to the hospital—it turned out to be a 0.9 miles from the marina. (I had the same affliction a year or two ago on my way down the ICW when we were in St. Augustine.) 

We waited a very short time to see the doctor on duty. He diagnosed my condition as “acute staphlococcal biepharitis of the left upper and lower eyelid.”

My diagnosis from the hospital.

I guess I’m susceptible to this ailment for some reason since I've had twice in two or three years.  I'm not sure if it is contagious but we didn't take any unnecessary chances.

From the medical center we walked another 1/2-mile to Walgreens Pharmacy. We got the two prescriptions for eye drops filled and then went out for lunch at Barbarino’s Pizza which was only a block from the pharmacy. At this point, we decided to get provisions at Walmart which involved another 1/4-mile walk. After grocery shopping we took an Uber back to the marina.  By the time we got back to the marina it was after 3 PM.  I was anxious to get the medication regimen started and stop my eyelids from itching. (Sometimes I felt like I could have scratched my eyeballs out!)

Saturday, November 24

Our goal for this morning is to get a 10-pound propane tank refilled and our 6-pound tank topped off. To do this, we got an Uber to take us (and the two tanks) to Oak Island Hardware, the closest place I found that refill propane tanks. (Oak Island is a beach area across the ICW from Southport.  By water it is close by but by car it took about 25 minutes each way.)

It was overcast and raining from the get go (not sure where that old phrase came from!) this morning. Fortunately it was not cold—the outside temperature was 65 degrees F at 8 AM.

While I watched the Michigan-Ohio State football game in the early afternoon, I collected weather and tide predictions for each day of next week and incorporated this info into our travel plan. Our travel plan for next week now looks like the following example:

An example of our
enhanced travel plan

Penn State easily handled Maryland in the afternoon football game, 38-3. Penn State's last game of the regular season.  An invitation to a New Year's Day bowl game is expected.

Sunday, November 25

We got right to work this morning, changing the engine oil and filter, cleaning the raw water strainer, and then emptying the solids container for our composting toilet.  By the time we were finished it was lunchtime and we went to Fishy Fishy Cafe.

A small shrimp boat in port
near the Fishy Fishy Cafe.

In the afternoon, we did laundry, got showers, and Maggie went to the local Christmas Shop (about 1/4 mile away).  It was a relaxing afternoon in Southport.

Sunset over the ICW from Southport
Marina on November 25.

Our next blogpost will be published after our arrival in Charleston.  Stay tuned...


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