Wrightsville Beach. North Carolina

We’ve had quite the adventure so far in Wrightsville Beach, North Carolina.

On Tuesday, we walked for several miles to catch the Wave, the public transportation system for Wilmington and the surrounding areas. While I don’t know what “wave” stands for or if it even stands for anything, the bus was clean and air-conditioned and only cost $1.50 for each ride. We ran some errands around Wilmington and bought groceries. As we were walking the several miles back to the anchorage, carrying our heavy load of groceries,  it began to pour down rain…and when I say “pour down”, I mean it looked like I had just gone for a swim fully-clothed with several bags of groceries. I have to be honest about the situation…I was not exactly the happiest of campers, but it’s all a part of the adventure!

The Hydrangeas Liked The Rain

The anchorage here in Wrightsville has its pros and cons. The proximity of the beach from the anchorage is definitely a pro. The anchorage is about 100 yards from the beach. We dinghy over to the free (another pro) dinghy docks and walk to the beach every day.  Another pro is the town itself.  All the people, here, have friendly, relaxed attitudes. I would say that the only con is the fact that the anchorage is not a “no wake” zone. So the boat is constantly bouncing around from the wakes of the boats passing through the anchorage. Most of the time it’s a boat full of 13 year-olds (literally…there are so many kids driving  around at all hours of the day and night) in their parents’ boats trying to impress their friends by how fast they can go. Other than the wake problem, this town is great. Lots of families wakeboarding, stand-up paddleboarding, surfing and kayaking. It’s so nice to see people so active out on the water.

Scenes from Wrightsville Beach

Wednesday morning, we woke up early and headed to the beach. Matt had an early morning surf session, while I walked on the beach. After a couple hours, we headed back to the boat for breakfast. I laid out on deck and read my book.

The Epitome of Summer Reading

Around lunch, we headed in to town to visit Sweetwater Surf Shop. As we were leaving the beach that morning, we had struck up a conversation with a fellow surfer named Tony, a joyful and friendly guy, who you can just tell is having a great time in life. After talking to him for a bit, he told us that he was one of the owners of Sweetwater and invited us to stop by and check out the shop. Sweetwater Surf Shop is great, they have everything you could possibly need from surfboards and longboards to sunglasses and swimsuits. Matt bought some Suncure, here, to repair his shortboard, which had been damaged during our passage off-shore.

Surf’s Up in Wrightsville Beach

Once Matt was able to repair his short board, we headed out in the dinghy to check out Masonboro Island. Accessible only by boat, this island would be a perfect place to camp or just find some solitude from all the crowded beaches on the mainland. While Matt surfed, I found a new, little friend that happened my way on the beach. He was quite cute but alas, I couldn’t keep him. Before we left the island, I decided to make an attempt at working on my surfing skills. My attempt wasn’t a failure but also wasn’t much of a success. At least, I was able to stay on the board, which is progress in my book any day!

My new friend, Felipe

The View From Our Anchorage

After hanging out in the sun all day, we decided to stop in at Lagerhead’s Tavern for a drink. I really liked this bar, when microbrews are $2.50 each and you’re surrounded by fun, welcoming people, you’re bound to have a great time! More adventures to come in Wrightsville Beach!