Kids at the Beach

Kids LOVE the beach. What a great family vacation! It's a chance for grandma and grandpa to invite their adult children, and more importantly, the grandkids. And really, isn't that what's it's all about! Come on, we all love our kids but grandkids give us another chance to relive the great days of discovery of youth. Your kids may not be able to afford a get-away vacation at the beach, but they'll love you for inviting them and the kids. And the kids love the beach.

Can life be any better than that?

Call us to rent your family vacation spot. 919-454-7701 or look at our beach houses at http://beach4rent.org

Island Time Vacation by Darlene

A restful vacation is on beach time

When you go on a vacation at the beach, our favorite beach is Topsail Beach on Topsail Island. (Pronounced "Topsul" by the locals). Be prepared to relax and do nothing. Doing nothing is quite good for your health. We have found it to be a great stress buster.

When we arrive at our Answer to Prayer beach rental, it is right on a beach, so be prepared to take your watch off, put your to do list away and sit in your Adirondack chair and do nothing but listen to the ocean waves lap the shore.

Our first year, one of our guests put a “Beach Etiquette” list together and we read it every September when we are there and laugh as we put our cell phones away and take off our watches for the week.

BEACH ETIQUITTE

1. TAKE OFF YOUR WATCH – It is island time! If anyone asks for the time, proper responses include “daytime”, “almost dinnertime”, ‘time to pray”, "time for another swim”, “night time”, or "time for a drink”, All of these answers can be given confidently without the aid of timekeeping devices.

2. LEAVE ALL SAND OUTDOORS – if you fail to do this it will follow you around and chafe you in the darndest places when you least expect it.

3. NEVER SHAKE OUT A BEACH BLANKET IN AN INHABITED AREA – (THIS IS A COROLLARY OF #2) the sand will come back to get you or someone else.

4. THOU SHALT REGRET IT IF THOU FEEDEST THE SEA GULLS - They're beautiful, but they tend to thank you by leaving "white stuff" all over your deck, chairs, beach towel, and so forth.

5. THE OCEAN NEVER SLEEPS – it is cool and refreshing and can be enjoyed at any hour of the day (please refer back to #1 for hours of the day).

6. ALWAYS SWIM WITH A BUDDY - preferably with the name “Bob”.

7. KEEP YOUR EYES ON THE WAVES WHEN SWIMMING – No two waves are alike and some are downright sneaky.

8. Almost anything you collect from the beach (except well washed shells) will smell just terrible after 2 days, especially if you pack it in a suitcase. Spread it back around the beach so someone else can collect it the next week.

9. Peanut butter and jellyfish sandwiches are NOT approved eating.

10. Bodysurfing requires no equipment and is to be recommended. For technique, just watch the natives.

11. Use outdoor shower whenever possible and keep showers short to preserve hot water – exceptions can be made for group showering.

12. With regard to #11, NO PEEKING!

13. ALCOHOLIC BEVERAGES may be consumed by those 21 years of age and older at anytime after the SUN IS "OVER THE YARDARM". Since no one can ever find yardarms on the island, this rule is subject to broad interpretation. IN THE PICTURE ABOVE, the crew is checking to see if the sun is above the yardarm!

14. The tide is always either coming or going in, usually when you least except it.

15. Finally, walk in love, have fun, and remember that God giveth us richly to enjoy, the ocean is one of them. Yippee let the good times roll!

Come to the beach and enjoy beach etiquette. Check out our website www.beach4rent.org

Surf City Repairs Dunes

Channel 6 reports on the efforts that Surf City is making in rebuilding its dunes. Dunes are a healthy and natural way to protect the island. Sometimes winter storms will wash out part of the dunes. The natural wave action slowly builds it back up, but sometimes, we help mother nature by pushing the sand back up from the beach. Then natural vegetation can start to grow on it sooner:

PENDER COUNTY, NC (WECT) - A nearly $90,000 project to repair beach dunes in Surf City will begin Tuesday night.

Last September a storm ripped through the area causing erosion to the dune line, so the Surf City Council decided to do a beach push.

Surf City is spending $89,000 to repair its dunes along the six mile beach stretch.

Officials say dunes are very important to the beach because they protect structures that stand behind it.

"If you leave it [the dune] like this, it's going to collapse on itself," said Surf City official Christina Watkins. "We need to build it back up in order to protect all these structures.

Read more here.

How about some Surf Fishing?

Dad or Grandpa helps pack up the car and rustle the kids into the back seat. He drives all the way down to Surf City, then hauls everything up stairs. They're barely done when Mom asks if they'll take the kids out swimming. After chasing the kids around, he tiredly brings them back inside for meals, showers and eventually that night, bed.

The good thing is that the kids will sleep in - at least longer than Dad or Gramps will. But what can Dad or Gramps do with those early morning hours of peacefulness?

How about fishing the surf? He can catch small sharks, jacks and other ocean delights while he sits back and enjoys the peacefulness of the morning. Yet, unlike deep sea fishing, with surf fishing he can reel them in and join the family when they get stirring and ready to do something.

He can rent equipment for the week and get a license at East Coast Sports in downtown Surf City. Click on East Coast Sports or click here for more places to buy or rent fishing gear on Topsail Island.

Good News - Bad News: Growth

The Wilmington Star News reports that Census data shows that North Carolina is one of the fastest growing states in the nation and Surf City is one of the fastest growing in the state. Full story here.

We absolutely love it here. I can say with a truthful chuckle that I have had more than half a dozen people from time to time tell me - when I was telling them how much more I liked NC than California - to "please don't tell anybody...we want to keep it this way".

Well, the word is getting out. I lived in my beach house for part of the year last year and my teenage son attended Topsail High, ranked one of the 5 best high schools in the state. I have a good friend from Columbus who bought a beach home here 5 years ago, called Answer to Prayer, and she books out the entire month of September just for her family and friends. So many come down from Ohio now during the same month that they rent other houses and have a reunion of sorts.

Surf City and Topsail Island. Life doesn't get any better than this.

We Love Surf City So Much We'll Swim in the New Year: The Dolphin Dip

WECT TV 6 reported on the Dolphin Dip which occurred on New Year's Day:

Reported by Casey Roman - email--croman@wect.com
Posted by Debra Worley - email--dworley@wect.com

SURF CITY, NC (WECT) - Wearing bikinis and winter jackets, thousands made a New Year's resolution to help a local charity by taking an icy dip in the ocean.

Brian Moxey started Topsail's Dolphin Dip seven years ago to benefit the Lower Cape Fear Hospice Center. Their goal is to bring people together to celebrate life.

Organizers said a quick dip in the ocean gives people an opportunity to challenge themselves and help others.

Each year the crowd comes with donations, costumes, and determination.

"Oh its cold in there, its flat out cold, there's no denying that," said Moxey. "People come out and you'll see some great facial expressions on the way out!"

Some families recruit, or maybe trick, visiting relatives into taking the plunge.

"I'm just going about knee level and my son is going to go in for me," said Al Wolitski who was visiting from Alberta, Canada.

The crowd lined up, the countdown began, and the crowd raced into the waves and right back out.

To read more, click here.

Kayak in the Topsail Sound

Kayaking in the wetlands in the Topsail Sound is great exercise and it also gives you an upclose and personal view of nature's beautiful wetlands. Birds, fish, and the bright sun bring you to a world that is spectacular.

But what do you do if you didn't bring your kayak or you want to try it first before you commit to buying? Rent one and launch it from Herrings.

Herrings is the best outdoor outfitter on the island.

Rent a kayak and go on the sound, or get really good and kayak-surf the waves. You can also rent beach cruisers (bikes) and utilize the bike lane which runs from the county line (about the 9 mile mark) to the south of the island.

They also carry a full line of rods and reels and all types of bait. The girls will love the "Life is Good" clothes line they carry. My wife went in there and spent more than an hour trying on "cute little things". I found a great pair of reef walker shoes at a good price.

Check their web site out here.

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.

Did Anyone Say Golf? How About the Highest Rated Course on the Coast!

Did someone secretly say that they wanted to go golfing while their wife was sunning on the beach or shopping at the beach stores? Well how about 18 ...or 36...holes at the highest rated course on the coast!

There are a number of golf courses in the area. One of the best is North Shore Country Club located in Sneads Ferry just after you cross back to the mainland over the "high bridge" on the north side of the island (not the swing bridge in Surf City).

Golf Digest has rated this course a 4-star course. Visitors are welcome.

101 N Shore Dr
Sneads Ferry, NC 28460
(910) 327-2410

Surf City - as Presented by NC Coast

NCCoast.com has written this little ditty about Surf City.

Incorporated in 1949, Surf City was the first official municipality on Topsail Island and remains its commercial center. This relaxed beach town is Topsail Island’s hub of shopping and entertainment variety.

Driving down NC Hwy. 210 from North Topsail, you parallel beautiful beaches as you pass oceanside vacation cottages and soundside marinas. Entering town via NC Hwy. 50, you cross the Intracoastal Waterway over one of the last swing bridges in North Carolina, sort of a working antique.

What Surf City lacks in sheer volume, it makes up in quality. The friendly, independent gift and art shops offer many locally crafted or inspired items with very competitive prices and the opportunity to find something out of the ordinary. Dining out is a pleasure here. Fine restaurants offer diners a wide array of fare from superb local seafood to pizza, Italian, gourmet, home-cooking, subs and burgers.

Surf City also has convenient supermarkets, nightclubs that bring live music to island evenings, and many choices of family entertainment. The kids love the miniature golf course, the public playground, and the island’s only water slide, all in Surf City. Everything for surf sports can be bought or rented here from boogie boards to surf boards and wind surfers. And the fishing can’t be beat, in the surf or at area piers. You may find Surf City vacation rentals that feature homes on the beach and within walking distance of the beach. Bring the family and expect the best vacation yet in Surf City, the heart of the Treasure Coast.

A Great Place to Look for a Topsail Beach Vacation Rental

If your thinking about a beach vacation, you might want to check out Vacation Rentals By Owner, or VRBO. This is the site where owners rent their own beach homes. You can pick North Carolina, then coastal, then Surf City and then view the homes. Here is one VRBO home for rent.

Rent Jet Skis for Your Island Vacation

When you come to Topsail Island for your beach vacation, think about jet skiing. There is a great sound betwen the island and the mainland. The water is usually warmer than the ocean and there are little sand islands in the sound that you cn stop and visit.

MaknWaves rents jet skis for your enjoyment. I have never used them but I have jet skied in the sound and it is fun. The water is warmer than the ocean and generally smooth as glass. Their rates are $85/hour.

Call them at 910-340-5151 or check their web site at www.maknwaves.com

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.

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.