Day 184 - April 15, 2013: Southport and our 24th Anniversary

We said farewell to our looper friends and headed out again. The first stretch of river we entered is called by Waterway Guide the most dangerous on the Great Loop because there are large outcroppings of stone hidden along the narrow edges that can bite you. These rocks are layered downward and largely invisible, so we were very careful to stay in the center of the channel. We went up Little River, passed Corkins Neck, and entered North Carolina.

Rock ledges along the narrows

An unlucky fisherman's boat

You can always tell when you are approaching a city, as the homes get larger and closer together. We began to see long strings of four-story condominiums along the Atlantic and three-story homes with docks along the ICW. We stayed on the end of the Southport city dock and had a great view out over the water.

Larger home near Southport

Docked at the Southport city dock

Southport grew as a fishing center, is the location of old Fort Johnson, and has a small historic district on a point facing Cape Fear. The visitors' center offers tours or maps where you can walk to see the area. This town's atmosphere and location has attracted movie companies, and more than 15 movies have been filmed here over the years. The most recent is "Safe Haven," and one of the most famous is "Crimes of the Heart," starring Diane Keaton, Jessica Lange and Sissy Spacek. Local residents tell us they were included as extras in some of these films. We walked the town and enjoyed the quiet atmosphere.

Visitors' Center display of movies filmed in Southport

The Northrup House where "The Crimes of the Heart" was filmed

This is a special day, as it is our 24th Wedding Anniversary. We went back to the boat, enjoyed some time reading on the upper deck, and prepared a wonderful meal with lobster, baked potatoes with all the trimmings, green beans, and a very memorable bottle of wine we had saved just for this occasion. Life is good.

Our anniversary view of Historic Southport from the upper deck