Passage Morehead City Docks to Casper Marina, Swansboro, NC
8:32 AM Underway
12:14 PM Docked
21 miles 4.5 engine hours

Short run today. But at least we moved. Lots of wind, still some rain and a few times very low visibility. Running lights were on!

Still trying to iron out some autopilot issues. And getting closer to having the autopilot behave.
Some of you might want to skip this next part. Kind of technical.

“”” Autopilot 101 - the autopilot is my steering slave. It can steer better that I can. It doesn’t get distracted when there is something to see - or if I have to take a picture - or a bathroom break - or if I am looking up the next leg of the passage on the chart plotter.

The AICW is a fairly narrow channel in lots of places with very shallow water on either side. So, it’s important that the autopilot’s “tracking” abilities to work. The autopilot is excellent in steering a specific heading.

Here is the problem. It has NOT been doing great job steering to a certain point ahead. Often The ICW is straight for a few miles. I can pick a point in the middle of the channel at the far end of this leg and tell the autopilot to “track” to that point. There is a big difference here in the autopilot’s ability to “steer a course” or to “follow a track” to a distant point.” Wind and current along a path will push the boat left and right of the proposed track. The autopilot is fed these deviations and has to compensate with changes in course. It has been getting off by 50’ or so. That’s really not that bad. But in a narrow channel it needs to be tightened up. So, I’ve been tweaking some it’s many adjustments.”””

We docked at Casper’s Marina in Swansboro. Mr Casper is 75 and quite in good shape. He gave us a ride back from the Piggly Wiggly and showed us the house he was born in. It’s about 100’ from the marina. He is also a boat builder and has built about 400 boats he guessed over his lifetime. We enjoyed talking with him and his wife Susan. Good people.

We had nice chats with the two boat’s that docked on either side of us. Lots of people are headed home for Thanksgiving. We are going to have Thanksgiving hopefully in Savannah. That’s still two weeks away.

Funny thing happened when we walked into the town of Swansboro last night for a sandwich. The streets and many of the shops were decorated for Christmas. We were surprised and then realized that the calendar is moving toward the holiday season. We are a little out of touch with news and the calendar.

Casey and Laurilea Gibbs are driving from Columbia, SC to visit us today. They sold their boat last year when we visited them in St. John USVI. They live in Oregon and are doing a road trip visiting lots of east coast friends and family. So, it’s one more day in Swansboro.

Today’s picture is my windshield view yesterday on the way to Swansboro.