Top Sail Marine in Surf City, NC - at a dock

We were passed  by a fleet of stealth boats, strange looking

The trip north went through several skinny spots but there were no problems provided you followed the deepest water per Aqua Map USACE charts. My tracks follow the same path which I uploaded this afternoon.

A trip to the nearby beach is always in order

The great joy today is that the Surf City Swingbridge is no more. It was replaced by a beautiful (all 65 ft bridges are beautiful) bridge and the old swingbridge was removed. We're at Top Sail Marina which used to be the Beachhouse Marina before it went into bankruptcy. They now even had a dockmaster to handle the credit cards and for help in coming in, Capt Dee. 

Watch out for the local alligator

Surf City is one of the very few places along the ICW within walking distance of a supermarket. In this case, it's an IGA. It's been there for years and it has all the essentials. It's nice to see the beach and on some visits, eat out at Daddy Macs.  We chose not to this time but it's a great place for a meal with a view of the ocean. 

The marina is small, there's only room for one or two boats so get a reservation ahead of time

Another place not to be missed is the local seafood market. It's all locally caught and stored on ice, a common custom in the south as opposed to in a refrigerator. We usually buy some local seafood but not this time, maybe next year. 

We are headed for Home Smith Docks on Wednesday to meet up with friends and a dinner of fresh shrimp, we hope. It's the home of a shrimp boat fleet so we are hoping.