Why a Stay at Seas the Day on S. Shore Dr Is So Much Fun

Located just 1 mile south of the Surf City pier, you're close to all the activity, yet just far enough away to enjoy the tranquility that lives here also. As a matter of fact, you may note some of our guests jokingly refer to the "Buddy's walk". Buddy's is a bar/restaurant by the pier, which is a nice 1 mile walk on the beach. Some people, including my brother, myself and our two wives like to walk down to Buddy's at lunch time, watch the surfers by the pier, order oyster shooters, and... possibly a cerveza or two (that's Spanish for beer). Well, the walk back is now quite enjoyable. We often just come back, lay out a towel and catch some rays and a snooze. The Buddy's walk - a perfect way to spend a vacation day.

Seas the Day is BEACH FRONT. It is not a piano lot, or a view between two houses. It is direct OCEANFRONT property. At SEAS THE DAY you are on the beach. Sit on the beach in front of the house or sit on a marvelous deck just a few feet away from the crashing waves.

This beautiful 5 bedroom 3 bath home (sleeps 12) has a magnificent view. It is child friendly with a gate on the top balcony. It also has high speed wireless internet and extended cable for catching the BIG game.

My teenage son once walked up the stairs to the living room and said "This place just makes you smile!"

Do you like to bike or run? There is a bike shoulder on the main road the entire way from the north side of Surf City to the south tip of the island. The island is like 22 miles long, so you can get a good work out.

You can even bike for fun (like I do). Recently I rode my bike to the south end, and the smell of Jasmin and ocean air was unbelievable. I stopped on the far south point of the island and walked around the beach on the undeveloped point. I then rode back to Topsail Beach city hall and said hi to the ladies who worked there. (They had kindly sent me an invitation to pay real estate tax in their city even though my house was in Surf City. I graciously declined :-) but they were very pleasant.) I then rode back to Surf City and promptly bought an ice cream cone at DQ just to make sure I hadn't burnt off too many calories.

Believe me, this place is fun.

And I haven't even told you about Giligan's, just before the bridge on the mainland side and it's hilarious karaoke nights, or about Sears Landing and its award winning clam chowder made with sherry, or Indigo Marsh - the best restaurant overlooking the sound that you will ever find. Oh, and how about the fresh fish market (I mean right off the boat) behind the Crab Pot where you can get shrimp, flounder, shark or whatever they have been catching and take it back and grill it at Seas the Day.

You can play 18 holes at Coastal Carolina's only four-star golf course, North Shore Golf and Ocean Club (as per Golf Digest). Perhaps you would like to deep sea or surf fish...or maybe spend an hour with your spouse, strolling down the beach 1 mi to the pier and maybe even get a beer at Buddy's and watch the kids surf the waves. If that's not enough, did we mention riding jet skis on the nearby sound?

Surf shops that make me wish I was 18 again, Andy's and Island Delights that serve 50's style burgers and malts, the Surf City Wine and Cheese Shop (I go in for the weekly wine tastings and just the great smell!), II Bouchaines, and on and on. You won't want to leave.

FOR MY RESTAURANT REVIEWS AND THINGS TO DO ON THE ISLAND, GO TO BEACH4RENT.ORG

I still think OUR GUESTS SAY IT BEST:

"We loved the outside shower, complete wtih room for dry clothes and towels! Very kid friendly, my 13-month-old niece could wander around and the gates kept her safe. Topsail itself is so peaceful. We went to the sound side a few times to fish, canoe, and take the baby swimming. We golfed, ran, sailed (you have very nice neighbors who invited us!), and fished from the surf (caught sharks, stingrays, and a few fish). Such a great house -- plenty of space, well decorated, and everything you need in the kitchen for eating in!" Bonnie VA

Won't you be our guests?

This may be your only vacation this year. At Seas the Day, you will not be disappointed.

Indigo Marsh - The Restaurant on Topsail That I like Best

Indigo Marsh is located on the island near the Surf City Bridge in back of Max's Pizza parking lot. It is my favorite restaurant on the island. It is a 5 star restaurant with a fabulous view of the sound and wetlands. And I always like the food presentation.

Right now their menu entrees include:

Filet Mignon $34.00

Italian Ribeye $28.50

Salmon & Crabcake $26.00

Roasted Chicken $21.00

Pork Porterhouse $24.00

Seafood Étouffée $26.00

and Salmon $24.00

Their posted menu can be found here.

They are located on the island just past the bridge on the north side at

602 Roland Ave # B
Surf City, NC 28445
(910) 328-2580

Holidays (Christmas and Thanksgiving) at the Beach

Here's what one guest to our island said about her Christmas beach vacation last year:

We spent Christmas 2007 at your beautiful and comfortable beach house. It was a wonderful family Christmas for us and we felt very much at home. There were Christmas cookies and grand children all week long and loved every minute. Walks on the beach, sunsets and family. What could be better? Thanks for letting us spend our Christmas at your home. Hopefully we will be back soon.

Lucy D., Martinsburg, WV

Why don't you come down and see for yourself. Check out beach4rent.org, VRBO, or Rentabeach.com

Think Topsail Beach for Your Island Getaway

Are you looking for the perfect beach getaway? Try Topsail Island. It is one of the most beautiful and family friendly beaches in the world. Go to Beach4rent.org to check out rentals, restaurant reviews, and things to do. You can swim, surf, jet ski, bike, eat too much, and more at Topsail Beach.

Fishin' on the Vonda Kay

Shelley, one of our guests this fall sends in this report from the Vonda Kay (pictured above), one of the fishing boats taking vacations out deep sea fishing from one of our local docks:

The captain and crew of the Vonda Kay were great--even on our half-day excursion they stayed out an extra hour looking for fish. We hit pretty well in the first few hours but then things dropped off because Hurricane Hanna had scattered the schools.

But we got enough for a good black sea-bass dinner for seven people!

Saw a school of dolphins, the crew netted a "cannonball" jellyfish for us all to touch (the only jellyfish that is safe to touch), and my son caught the first red snapper the captain had ever caught around here. Unfortunately, it was about 14 inches too small...

Sounds like Shelly had a great time. To contact the Vonda Kay for your fishing excursion, call them at 910-545-FISH (3474) or check them out on my Things to Do page at Beach4rent.org

Thanks Shelley for sharing your trip with us.

Local Surfer Coty Luetgens Becomes National Surfing Champ

The Topsail Advertiser reports that 18 year old Coty Luetgens won the men's national surfing championship in Huntington Beach California. TA reports:

Local surf competitor Coty Leutgens recently took the men's title in the 2008 Surf Industry Manufacturers Association Surfing America U.S.A. Championships.

Leutgens, 18, grew up in Surf City and learned to surf at a very young age. He began competing in Eastern Surfing Association contests around age 8, and said he was hooked immediately. He's now a sophomore at University of North Carolina-Wilmington, majoring in communications, and the school surf team captain.

The championships were held Aug. 19 to 24, in Huntington Beach, Calif. The competition pits the best surfers out of five districts from around the U.S. together to find U.S. surfing champs. The men's final for ages 18 to 29 was one of nine categories to compete.

Though Leutgens had been eligible to compete in the SIMA competition before, this was the first year he was financially able to enter the championship.

"This is pretty much as high as it goes as far as amateur competitions is concerned ... so it's really an honor for me. I won the (2008 Mid-Atlantic Regionals) in South Carolina, so I had some confidence going into it," said Leutgens, who practiced in California waves for two weeks before the competition. He also trained with the ESA All Star and the U.S teams.

Get the full story here.

Wishing She Could Stay Longer

I got a call from Jeannie W. She and her girlfriends came down the day Hanna passed through for a 3 day getaway.

"We are having the best time" she said. "After Hanna passed through, the sun came out and it was beautiful."

"Can we stay a few more days?"

I understood just where she was coming from. The fall getaways with friends are great. The weather is very nice year round because of the Gulf Stream which warms Topsail with water coming up from the Caribbean. In fact, it's not unusual to be able to lay out in the sun until the first or second week of November and even later than then, the days are warm enough to walk on the beach, play golf, or go bike riding.

Unfortunately we were booked for all of September and most of October. I had to turn her down for a longer stay because somebody was coming in Tuesday afternoon just after she left in the morning.

Jeannie took it in stride. After conferring with her girlfriends, she said: "Well, we want to reserve for next year right now...for a whole week!"

You can check out the availability of A Breath of Fresh Aire, Amazing Grace, or Seas the Day by going to http://beach4rent.org, going to the page of the house you want, then clicking on the calendar icon at the bottom of the page.

Island Heroes

Neil Rodgers and his wife Renee would not want me to call them Island Heroes or any such thing. They're just good old regular folks who help in the middle of hurricanes.

You see, when the rest of us "head for the hills" when a hurricane comes, people like Neil and Renee are there helping people, clearing trees from important evacuation routes, rescuing people stranded, and then when the storm has passed, they come out and help us mainlanders rescue and rebuild our vacation homes.

Neil is a member and past assistant chief of the Hampstead Fire Department. The volunteer fire department that is. And Renee is his right hand man...or woman I should say.

I first met Renee several years ago when she was working for Century21 Action Topsail. A storm had come through in the off season and blown a window out of one of my places. She had driven by, seen the window, called me, and then went and taped plastic over the window until it could be repaired. She helped me many more times.

Neil has a maintenance company called Hampstead Maintenance. (Call them at 910-200-1120). They do great work for me, but it is what they do beyond that that makes them my heroes. They have gone over late at night to help tenants get in when they were locked out. A few weeks ago, my regular cleaning lady had gone on vacation and had a substitute lined up. I got a call at 5pm from newly arriving tenants who said the house hadn't been cleaned. I couldn't find the substitute, so at 7 pm on a Saturday night, Renee went over and cleaned my beach house.

Another time when I was living in Surf City in the spring to get a family member some needed help, Neil and Renee called many times to see if we needed anything.

Many times, Neil has dropped what he was doing to help me or a tenant in a pinch.

Neil and Renee - and many other year round residents - would give you the shirt off your back.

These are the people - along with the others, police, firemen, cleaning ladies, utility workers, that are the heros of Topsail Island.

The picture above, of Neil and a large flounder he caught in the sound, came from his kid.

Obviously very proud of dad.

UPDATE 9/8/08 Changed chief to assistant chief in story above and removed link to child's web site. UPDATE 9/9/08 Changed Surf City Fire Dept to Hampstead Fire Dept.

Here Comes the Sun

Hanna has passed and out came the sun. It's absolutely beautiful down here, so I thought I'd leave you with the lyrics to "Here Comes the Sun" by the Beatles:

Here comes the sun, here comes the sun,
and I say it's all right

Little darling, it's been a long cold lonely winter
Little darling, it feels like years since it's been here
Here comes the sun, here comes the sun
and I say it's all right

Little darling, the smiles returning to the faces
Little darling, it seems like years since it's been here
Here comes the sun, here comes the sun
and I say it's all right

Sun, sun, sun, here it comes...
Sun, sun, sun, here it comes...
Sun, sun, sun, here it comes...
Sun, sun, sun, here it comes...
Sun, sun, sun, here it comes...

Little darling, I feel that ice is slowly melting
Little darling, it seems like years since it's been clear
Here comes the sun, here comes the sun,
and I say it's all right
It's all right

(Special thanks to Lyrics007 for these words.

Hanna Has Passed

We Made it...Hanna Passes

We made it. Personal reports from Topsail say that the eye of Hanna passed about 6 am. There was not a lot of rain and winds only topped at 45 mph.

One guest reported that Amazing Grace and A Breath of Fresh Aire shook all night (which it is supposed to do. It is on pilings. The swaying dissipates the energy from the storm)

A Breath of Fresh Aire sufferred a lost window and some shingles. Amazing Grace held up great and haven't heard about Seas the Day yet.

A friend from the Surf City Fire Department reported that they made runs all night but primarily to remove fallen trees from roads.

Thank God.

What it Looks Like from a Satellite 5 am

Hanna Advisory as of 5 am

000
WTNT33 KNHC 060854
TCPAT3
BULLETIN
TROPICAL STORM HANNA ADVISORY NUMBER 38
NWS TPC/NATIONAL HURRICANE CENTER MIAMI FL AL082008
500 AM EDT SAT SEP 06 2008

...HANNA MOVES ASHORE AS A TROPICAL STORM...

AT 500 AM EDT...0900 UTC...THE HURRICANE WATCH ALONG THE COASTS OF
SOUTH CAROLINA AND NORTH CAROLINA IS DISCONTINUED...AND THE
TROPICAL STORM WARNING FROM THE SOUTH SANTEE RIVER SOUTH CAROLINA
SOUTHWARD IS DISCONTINUED.

AT 500 AM EDT...THE TROPICAL STORM WARNING IS EXTENDED NORTHWARD TO
MERRIMACK RIVER MASSACHUSETTS. A TROPICAL STORM WARNING IS NOW IN
EFFECT FROM NORTH OF SOUTH SANTEE RIVER SOUTH CAROLINA TO MERRIMACK
RIVER MASSACHUSETTS...INCLUDING PAMLICO AND ALBEMARLE SOUNDS...ALL
OF CHESAPEAKE BAY...THE TIDAL POTOMAC...WASHINGTON D.C...DELAWARE
BAY...NEW YORK HARBOR...LONG ISLAND SOUND...BLOCK ISLAND...MARTHA'S
VINEYARD AND NANTUCKET. A TROPICAL STORM WARNING MEANS THAT
TROPICAL STORM CONDITIONS ARE EXPECTED WITHIN THE WARNING AREA
WITHIN THE NEXT 24 HOURS.

FOR STORM INFORMATION SPECIFIC TO YOUR AREA...INCLUDING POSSIBLE
INLAND WATCHES AND WARNINGS...PLEASE MONITOR PRODUCTS ISSUED
BY YOUR LOCAL WEATHER OFFICE.

AT 500 AM EDT...0900Z...THE CENTER OF TROPICAL STORM HANNA WAS
LOCATED NEAR LATITUDE 34.4 NORTH...LONGITUDE 78.3 WEST OR ABOUT 150
MILES...240 KM...NORTHEAST OF CHARLESTON SOUTH CAROLINA AND ABOUT 25
MILES... 45 KM...WEST-NORTHWEST OF WILMINGTON NORTH CAROLINA.

HANNA IS MOVING TOWARD THE NORTH-NORTHEAST NEAR 22 MPH...35 KM/HR.
A GRADUAL TURN TO THE NORTHEAST WITH AN INCREASE IN FORWARD
SPEED IS EXPECTED TODAY AND TOMORROW. ON THE FORECAST TRACK...THE
CENTER OF HANNA WILL MOVE ACROSS EASTERN NORTH CAROLINA THIS
MORNING...ALONG THE MID-ATLANTIC COAST LATER TODAY AND TONIGHT....
AND ALONG THE COAST OF THE NORTHEASTERN UNITED STATES AND
SOUTHEASTERN CANADA ON SUNDAY.

MAXIMUM SUSTAINED WINDS HAVE DECREASED TO NEAR 60 MPH...95
KM/HR...WITH HIGHER GUSTS. LITTLE CHANGE IN STRENGTH IS FORECAST
DURING THE NEXT COUPLE OF DAYS. HANNA IS EXPECTED TO LOSE TROPICAL
CHARACTERISTICS BY LATE ON SUNDAY.

TROPICAL STORM FORCE WINDS EXTEND OUTWARD UP TO 200 MILES...325 KM
FROM THE CENTER.

THE MINIMUM CENTRAL PRESSURE BASED ON SURFACE OBSERVATIONS AND
RECENT AIRCRAFT RECONNAISSANCE DATA IS 983 MB...29.03 INCHES.

COASTAL STORM SURGE FLOODING ALONG THE ATLANTIC COASTS OF SOUTH
CAROLINA AND NORTH CAROLINA SHOULD GRADUALLY SUBSIDE TODAY. STORM
SURGE FLOODING OF 1 TO 3 FEET ABOVE NORMAL TIDE LEVELS IS EXPECTED
TODAY IN ALBEMARLE AND PAMLICO SOUNDS AND IN CHESAPEAKE BAY...WHICH
WILL SUBSIDE TONIGHT AFTER HANNA QUICKLY PASSES TO THE NORTHEAST.

HANNA IS EXPECTED TO PRODUCE RAINFALL ACCUMULATIONS OF 4 TO 6 INCHES
FROM CENTRAL NORTH CAROLINA...NORTHEASTWARD THROUGH EASTERN PORTIONS
OF THE MID-ATLANTIC STATES...SOUTHERN NEW YORK...AND INTO SOUTHERN
NEW ENGLAND...WITH ISOLATED MAXIMUM AMOUNTS OF 10 INCHES POSSIBLE.
THESE RAINFALL AMOUNTS COULD PRODUCE FLASH FLOODING ACROSS THESE
REGIONS.

ISOLATED TORNADOES ARE POSSIBLE TODAY OVER EASTERN NORTH
CAROLINA...EASTERN VIRGINIA...AND SOUTHERN MARYLAND.

REPEATING THE 500 AM EDT POSITION...34.4 N...78.3 W. MOVEMENT
TOWARD...NORTH-NORTHEAST NEAR 22 MPH. MAXIMUM SUSTAINED WINDS...60
MPH. MINIMUM CENTRAL PRESSURE...983 MB.

AN INTERMEDIATE ADVISORY WILL BE ISSUED BY THE NATIONAL HURRICANE
CENTER AT 800 AM EDT FOLLOWED BY THE NEXT COMPLETE ADVISORY AT 1100
AM EDT.

$$
FORECASTER KNABB

What Surf City Looks Like Now

From the live web cam at www.rentabeach.com

Military Jets Flee South Carolina

The Air Force is moving its jets located in South Carolina to Ohio until Hanna passes. Several counties have issued "voluntary evacuation" orders. [What is a voluntary...order? We demand that you leave if you want to?] Link here.

Hanna Track

Gov. of NC Declares State of Emergency

Gov. Easley declared a state of emergency before Hanna is even near to North Carolina. Link.

Hanna Track

Web Cam View of Pier

Here's what the weather at the Surf City Pier looks like right now: link to web cam

Here is a web cam view of the Blockcade Runner hotel

North Topsail Beach Plans

Here is the message from Lydia King for the Town of North Topsail Beach.

More Blog on Hanna

Good visuals of the storm at here and updated news of the storm here.

No Evacuation Planned at this Time 9/04 10:13 p.m.

Evacuation is not being considered at this time, and we are still hopeful that mandatory evacuation will not be necessary. Check the Town of Surf City link here.

Message from Surf City about Hurricane

Here is a message from Zander Guy, Mayor of Surf City:

Hello, this is Mayor Zander Guy with an important message from the Town of Surf City.
It appears that Hurricane Hanna will be making landfall in our area as a category 1 storm which can produce winds upward of 80 miles per hour. We are expecting wind and storm bands to begin affecting Topsail Island early Friday afternoon. We are expecting the winds and rain to continue to build throughout Friday during the afternoon and into the night. Projections indicate that the strongest part of Hurricane Hanna should be over Surf City and Topsail Island around 2:00 a.m. on Saturday morning. Hanna is projected to move quickly north east once it makes landfall and should move past Surf City by noon on Saturday.

Please remember to remove your deck furniture, garbage cans, and any other items that may become dangerous and blown during Hurricane winds.

We will try to keep an update on the Town’s Web site and keep staff available to answer the phones, as long as we have internet service and the power and phones remain up.

Hurricane Hanna and Ike

Hurricane Hanna has now headed north and is forecasted to pass over Topsail Island.  Here is Hanna's track.

Surf City Mayor Zander Guy called all homeowners (via automatic messaging) and told me that Hanna would cross the island about 2 am Saturday morning (9/6/08).

What should you do?  If you are staying there and were going to leave Saturday morning anyway, then think about leaving Friday night.  If you're coming in on Saturday, then first make sure the storm has passed, then call the homeowner you are renting from to see if the house and island are okay for you to come down.  If there is no significant damage, then come on down.  In fact, there is often very beautiful weather after a hurricane passes.

Beach4rent.org - restaurant reviews

If you want to savor the best food and drink while on vacation on Topsail Island or in Surf City, then go to www.beach4rent.org to get restaurant reviews.  Find out which places are great, are fast, are great places to drink, and have great views.

Hurricane Hanna and Ike

I got a call from a guest who is coming to stay on September 6th.  She wanted to know what to do about hurricane Hanna and Ike.  First of all, we have vacation assurance that you can purchase for only $85.  If you have to evacuate in the first 3 days of your vacation, you get ALL of your money back.  If in the later days, then you get a pro-rata portion back.

But wait.  Hanna is now a tropical storm and Ike is headed to the Gulf of Mexico.  It's too early to tell if it will even affect Topsail Island.  But with the bravado that fake news anchors show in standing in the midst of hurricanes, one would think that the entire southern US is in the midst of a storm.  But in reality, a hurricane affects a very small track with its wind power, and a larger track with water damage.  Don't get me wrong, a hurricane can be devastating, but for a smaller directed area.

Keep an eye on the storm track and on what the local police are telling you, but don't let these anchor hounds ("we're standing in high winds right now...don't do this...we will walk to the water and see the whitecaps...etc") ruin your vacation unless the storm is actually coming your way.

Beach4rent.org - the place for your Beach Rental

Are you looking for the perfect beach getaway?  Try Topsail Island.  It is one of the most beautiful and family friendly beaches in the world.  Go to Beach4rent.org to check out rentals, restaurant reviews, and things to do.  You can swim, surf, jet ski, bike, eat too much, and more at Topsail Beach.