First day in Southport last week

Last week I went down to Southport. I left on Tuesday and came back on Friday. This left exactly two days for paddling. I had an additional agenda though. My buddy Ashley, from Charleston was coming up to play in the water, too!

Oddly enough, Brian B, the Epic dealer in the NoVa area, needed a boat carried from Charleston up to Woodbridge, Va. Ashley and I were able to get some of our travel expenses defrayed by carrying an Epic hitchhiker.

We stashed the boat, and a paddle as well, in Coach's Boat Barn as soon as it arrived. We didn't want to worry about it hanging out on top of a car while we paddled all day. Eventually, it made its way to my rack and rode home with me.

First day of paddling found us in Wrightsville Beach, up by Wilmington. After looking over the map with Ashley, who hadn't been here before, we saddled up. We paddled from the boat ramp on the back side of the island around to the ocean inlet.

The tide was pushing in the whole way, making it 4 miles of hard work, not to mention the 10 plus knot wind in our faces.

The tide was pouring into the inlet, with 5 foot rollers pushing us backwards against every stroke. When we broke out we found 6 foot plus green swells, rising and falling like walls. It literally felt like looking at the wall of a house looming over me when I was down in the trough. I photographed my pals practicing rolls, and rescues in the L5 conditions. I passed on the practice, I am just not that good. But holding my device in my hands video taping while holding no paddle, turned out to be a fair amount of practice in and of itself.

After a bit my neck started bothering me. I left my buds and paddled into the inlet with the express purpose of landing on the left hand side of the channel after passing the retaining wall. The tide had reversed by then and was fairly ripping out. I could not make any head way. Eventually, I caught a good ferry angle and headed for the right side of the channel, landing with much less struggle. I rested there, watching a group of dolphins play in the current, as well as the many sea birds. I radioed my buds to let them know I was landed.

Later, when I stepped into the water to cool off I noticed how hard the current was ripping, even harder now than when I landed. For my trouble I got my first man o war sting. Holy Cow!! I have been stung plenty of times by jelly fish but this was nothing like that. It was electric chemical burns. No kidding. It was all I could do to retain my composure and get over to my boat on the sand. There I noted the stinging tentacles still wrapped around my leg. Egads! I used my bilge sponge to remove them and then gingerly washed it off in the current. My leg started swelling immediately, right above my booty. Ah, add vinegar to the first aid kit, I noted mentally.

Here is a crummy picture of the stings TWO days later:

A storm was coming in, announced the NOAA radio. Okay, great. We still had a 4 mile paddle to get back to the ramp. My buds rejoined me and we pushed hard, again against current and tide, but this time with the wind at our backs. We watched lightning falling into the buildings on shore. We pretty much threw the hammer down. Time to get the heck off the water.

By the time we made land-fall the storm had passed, only nipping Wrightsville Beach. Phew. We stopped at a bar overlooking the water and had a beer and shared a plate of "fish and chips"; really, lightly seared Ahi with blue corn chips and salsa. Fantastic, and that Corona never tasted so good. I used the limes from our drinks to douse the remaining stinger cells left in my leg. That put an end to the burning and made me a happier camper.

When we got back to southport we hung our stuff all over the Boat Barn to dry. We went inside for another beer and to plan the next day's trip.

Goodnight boats!