Traveling on the Cape Fear River to Southport, NC

Deserted Beach at Bald Head Island

Bald Head Island

4/15-4/16
     We traveled about 45 miles to Southport, NC on the Cape Fear River.  The name of the river sent shivers down my spine!  Maybe because I remember the movie, Cape Fear with Robert DiNero playing a really bad guy in a scary movie filmed supposedly in the area.  The part we cruised on was fine to Southport where we stayed one night.  We attended a talk from a meteorologist about the conditions up the coast where we intend to travel.  He only magnified my fears, talking about the constant shoaling, etc.  I think Karl took it all in stride, but he did follow his recommendations.  We went to dinner with new friends, Doug and Lynn, traveling on Doug Out.  I love that name!

      The next day, we discovered why Cape Fear River got its name! We traveled across the river for only about 3 miles to our next destination, Bald Head Island, NC.  This part of the river is a large confluence of the river and the Atlantic Ocean, resulting in shifting sands causing a lot of dangerous shoaling, one area called "Frying Pan Shoals" and conflicting currents.  It is referred to as "the graveyard of the Atlantic" and many shipwrecks occurred here, thus creating "fear" by the crews of sailing vessels.  It lived up to its name as Karl and I crossed over to the Island.  Karl had to navigate carefully to miss all the shoaling and there was a terrible swift current entering the channel to the Island.  The wind made docking somewhat difficult, but Karl got us safely in after several tries.

North Carolina's oldest standing Lighthouse
Old BaldyLighthouse

View of the Marina from top of lighthouse

Marshland View

     Once we were settled, we jumped on our bikes to explore the island.  There are limited cars here, house owners and guests use golf carts and bikes to get around.  The island is remote, only accessible by ferry or private boat.  It is very picturesque, the houses are very well maintained and the beaches that we saw were almost deserted!  It is known for birdwatching because there is a lot of marshlands. Loggerhead turtles nest here and they are protected.  We climbed to the top of the "Old Baldy Lighthouse," which was 108 steps.  The beautiful views were worth it!

Sunset View from our boat