OPie I live on Lake Gaston in NC . We are about 3 hours from Wilmington . I would like to invite you to come sail our lake and I will come visit the Wilmington Area. I have a friend who just obtained a classic Venture 21 . He lives in Burgaw . Hope to see ya soon!
Your photos and description bring back fond memories of our fall passage down the ICW, which included a night anchored in a saltgrass bay just west of Southport. We dinghied into town, and met an interesting couple who let us tie up at their dinghy dock. They were putting the finishing touches on their 40 plus steel schooner, which they had built from scratch there, over an 8 or 9 year period. They were about to depart on a cruise around the world. They were sailmakers, and they designed a sail making station into their boat, intending to help support themselves along the way making and repairing sails.
You have a wonderful area to sail a Mac in. Thanks for sharing.