Wilmington, NC area sailing during N/NW winds

[derelicte]

Since I'm still figuring this out, it's not hard to get blown out to sea. Are there any non-ocean launches in SE NC (Wilmington/CapeFear/Carolina Beach) where a N to NW wind isn't directly offshore?

[Stix]

Hi. Here's a launch if you haven't figured it out yet. Try the Basin just below Fort Fisher south of Wilmington. It's a protected area off the Cape Fear River, separated by a low brick and concrete walkway from the Civil War. There's a great bit of history in there somewhere, which I don't remember the specifics of. The Basin is open to the River in approximately a westerly orientation, so it gets SW and NW wind from across the River. Google Maps will prove me right or wrong on this for sure. I was there over Christmas/New Years, and sailed a SW.
For a retrospective laugh, my first salt water sailing was in the Sound at Wrightsville. In the early 80's you could actually rent equipment at one of the sailing centers along the Sound Road.
Good luck.