Oct. 22 - Uneventful motor trip from Great Bridge to Coinjock. Weather’s cold, overcast and clammy. It ain’t Boca! Stay overnight at the Midway Marina and will be off early for a night on the hook in the Alligator River.
Oct. 23 - Down the "ditch", across the Albermarle River in very gusty NW conditions and anchor is East Lake at the mouth of the Alligator River. Course from ICW in the lake is full of crab pots, but once inside, they disappear. Anchor overnight in gusty winds but with good protection. It’s getting cold.
Oct. 24 - Down the Alligator River to the Alligator River/Pungo River Canal (now you’re really in the "ditch") and anchor at the end of the day in a small bay to the West of the exit from the Canal in the Pungo River.
Oct. 25 - Now it’s really cold and predicted to get down to frost temperatures tonight. Down the Pungo River, back into the ditch, then out into the Neuse for a rollicking motor sail with the wind aft down to Oriental. Stay at the Oriental Marina, which is very accommodating and very well protected.
Oct. 26 - It’s 39 degrees when I get up in the morning. Good thing we decided not to stay on the hook last night. Hang out in Oriental for the day. They had a pig roast for a local charity and a Halloween Party at night. Great costumes and and tremendous band. We had a lot of fun.
Oct. 27 - It’s still cold but predicted to get warmer. Leave Oriental for Beaufort/Morehead City, North Carolina. Another milestone. Beaufort Inlet is the jumping off place for most boats that stay inside to get past Cape Hatteras and then head offshore. Beaufort is small and quaint, with lots of old homes, and Morehead City is contemporarly and the litte bit we saw of it not much to see. We’re planning to go offshore tomorrow too, but not very far offshore. Will go "outside" to Masonboro Inlet and Wrightsville.
Oct. 28 - Get up very early (we need to leave by 6:00 a.m. or so to get into the anchorage at Wrightsville before dark). It’s the first time we set out in the dark (it’s was to get light at about 7:30) but all goes "according to Hoyle" and we have an uneventful motor (and a little sail) in pretty much totally calm seas to Masonboro Inlet and Wrightsville anchorage.
Oct. 29 - Proceed to Southport through the ICW (uneventful), put the boat in the Southport Harbor Marina. Tide’s running full bore against me in the ICW and I have to turn against it to bring the boat into the face dock. Full throttle and bowthruster employed, and more than a little nerve-wracking to have to point the boat straight at the dock and use full power to get her to turn against the current, and get into the dock gently (fenders were on the wrong side and no time to change them) but manage it. Hook up with Kryss’ mother, sister and brother-in-law, who live nearby. We’ll spend a week at their house - first time not staying on the boat since July 23. Feels really weird to not be on the boat and to have left it somewhere.
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