It’s all about the journey

That is unless you’re with Gary, then it’s all about the journey and then it’s all about the destination. We left the marina at 9am on Tuesday and set out for a 5 hour trip north to Wilmington, NC for a couple days of sight seeing, joined by Lydia, a teenager who is more than happy to come along for the ride.

We didn’t quite get as far as downtown Wilmington the other week when we took the jet skis on a similar trip but going north on the Intracoastal Waterway on the jet skis a dozen or more times has made the route familiar to us. I always enjoy seeing all the indigenous plant and animal life along the way - the marsh grasses, the old trees with outcroppings of roots visible above the sand, and I love to see fish jumping out of the water, turning back flips in the air. Bliss!

From Little River Inlet we took the ocean route 40+ miles all the way to the mouth of the Cape Fear River, and then another 18 miles or so to downtown Wilmington. This was the first time we’ve taken the boat in the ocean and it was something else! Being on the ocean on the jet skis somewhat prepared us for all the plunging and surfing sensations, but doing it in the boat is a whole different matter. At one point Gary joked that I should go below deck and make us some lunch while we were out there. He was actually kidding because he was feeling a bit sea sick and probably would not have been able to keep anything down while we were out there. Same for Lydia - she just laid on the sofa trying to concentrate on not being sick. I, on the other hand, felt no sea sickness whatsoever and would have preferred to ride at the very tip end of the bow with legs dangling over the side, had Gary let me. He didn’t.


I did go down to fetch drinks a couple times, which reminded me of being in the old house at Mystery Hill in Boone, NC, a fascinating structure build in such a way that water ran up hill. It was also a lot like being very drunk - trying to steady myself, steady the cups and pour tea into them rather than missing entirely and spilling everything on the floor. I prevailed in the end (I’ve had some practice at that sort of thing, don’tcha know).

We arrived in Wilmington about 2pm and docked at the City Dock right on Water Street. There were only a couple of other boats on the dock, including one gorgeous and massive Trawler and several commercial Water Taxis and other touristy sight seeing boats. Such a thrill to make this trip and arrive safe and sound. We tied up to the dock just as the tides were changing. Gary remarked that the boat was rocking like the horsey ride in front of Wal-Mart with a line of kids and a roll of quarters. We took showers and dressed for an afternoon on solid ground about town.