Wednesday 4/16 – Saturday 4/19
Departing Osprey Marina, we continue on the 27 mile land cut, making our way into Myrtle Beach, the heart of the “Grand Strand” and a popular vacation destination. We make dockage at Dock Holidays Marina (Mile 373) as it is within walking distance to the 60 mile long beautiful beaches, a convenient grocery store and a West Marine, places we manage to visit that afternoon. Later, we enjoy cocktails on the marina deck basking in the warm late afternoon sun. Thursday morning, Royce has a beauty salon appointment and I wash and waterproof the sunbrella cockpit cover with the stuff from West Marine. That afternoon, Puffin & crew depart Dock Holidays and head for a nearby anchorage on Calabash Creek (Mile 341). Our morning departure from Calabash Creek takes us out of South Carolina and into North Carolina towards Cape Fear and into Southport (Mile 309), another old but gracefully southern town that ranks among the top 10 U.S. retirement spots. During our 2 day stay, we visit the Southport Maritime Museum, featuring stories of local legends, shipwrecks and pirates, notably the infamous Blackbeard. We peruse the many antique shops and using a self-guided tour map, we explore the historic sites and old homes around town.


Unique Barge Bridge



Neat Dock

Southport Harbor(Puffin at end of dock)

Royce on Southport Dock

Which Way ?

Cape Fear Pilots Tower

Neat Bench




Neat Boat

Neat Dock House