We left you on a bit of a cliffhanger last week when we didn’t have a working engine in Georgetown, South Carolina. After holding our breath, crossing our fingers and saying a prayer, the new solenoid for our starter arrived from American Diesel, and Evan got to work installing the part. We have started our engine dozens of times since purchasing the boat, but I can’t begin to tell you how good it felt to hear that thing turn over and rev right up after sitting on anchor for five days with no hope. The relief in knowing Evan diagnosed the problem properly and we could move again was the best feeling. 

We didn’t waste any time Tuesday morning pulling anchor and heading north. The next stop on our itinerary was Myrtle Beach, but we decided to break that trip up by anchoring off the Waccamaw River, and wow, we are so glad we did. The area we chose to anchor was our favorite anchorage on the Loop yet! Entirely surrounded by trees (a change in scenery from the marshland we’ve been in), we could hear birds all over and the light hum of passing fishing boats. That night we celebrated our working engine with docktails on our flybridge with our buddy boat S/V Slacker in the stunning location. It also ended up being one of our best nights of sleep due to the glassy water!

Wednesday morning, we moved right along at sunrise to arrive at Grand Dunes Marina for a couple of nights. Here, we would refill our water tanks, provision for the next couple days and pump out before more nights on anchor. People often ask if we spend a lot of time at the beach or in the ocean while on the Great Loop, and the funny answer is actually no, never! We rarely make it to a beach due to the distance from the waterway we’re cruising, or just because we have little downtime when we’re not exploring a new town. It was nice to ride our electric scooters to the beach while in town and stick our toes in the water.

Eventually, Friday morning came, and we were ready to get moving because today would finally be the day we made it to North Carolina. The only thing setting us apart from our fourth state on the Loop and a new one for both of us in our quest to 50 states was a 43-mile cruise. After 7.5 hours, we arrived in Southport, North Carolina, where we pulled into Provision Company — a waterfront restaurant that allows you to stay the night for free so long as you purchase dinner! After eating our required meal (we ordered their signature half-pound of shrimp dinner and a grouper salad), we then enjoyed docktails on the porch of a well-known Gold Looper (the title you receive once you complete the Loop).

Robert and Kay Creech of Southport invite every single Looper who cruises through town to enjoy a drink on their porch while advising on the route ahead. They’ve become somewhat famous in the Looping community! We were joined by five additional couples, where we all shared stories and listened to the tips from Robert and Kay. I think we can confidently say that North Carolina gave us quite the warm welcome!

If you want to watch back our engine troubles and see our excitement at getting her running again, be sure to check out our latest YouTube video here.

Cheers to continuing the adventure!