Morehead City
03 November 2015
Judy
11/1 - 11/2/2015
Everyone should experience Halloween in Bath at least once in their lifetime! Every house is decorated and people set up shop on their front lawns, most in full costume. Connie's house was alive with a haunted cemetery, complete with live witches, undertakers, vampires, skeletons as well as ghosts, rats and spiders in webs. Fog machines, scary music, luminaries, motion activated skeletons and a coffin bound skeleton all complete the scene. To top the cake there was a screen set up to play loops of Thriller staring Michael Jackson. Believe it or not it was my first viewing of that iconic clip. Droves of families stopped by, the kids getting handfuls of candy from a huge bucket, some families going inside to grab a hotdog and visit for a spell. The house across the street set up a table and ladeled out chili or sausage bean soup in cups, welcome in the cooling evening. All too soon we strolled back to the dock under starry skies, tired and anticipating a 5:45 am start, ready for bed. Despite the time change we had engines warming and dock lines cast off at the appointed hour, idling down the creek, waiting for Bay Breezin' and SeaQuell to join us. The water was liquid silver in the pre dawn light, giving just enough illumination to pick out the few crab pots. As we motored down the Pamlico River and the horizon tinged from pink to magenta the smooth surface turned to mercury, undulating on the slight swell. The sun rose in a burst of color then quickly slid behind a bank of clouds, leaving the water a silvery blue. Our intended destination of the Oriental Free Docks fell through when we learned through chatter over the marine radio that a speaker for one of the south bound rallies was scheduled for the evening. We pushed on across the Neuse to Adams Creek, intending on staying at Seagate Marina until reading a review saying the depths were not great enough to support the two mono hulls. SeaQuell did an advance reconnaissance and reported the review to be accurate. We revved the engines and with the help of a falling tide made it to Moorhead City Yacht Basin just minutes before night fell. The hot shower there felt devine, it having been four days since the last one. Just outside Morehead City we encountered two fishing boats with their booms lowered coming at us right in the middle of the channel, leaving precious little room to squeak past. We bumped going past the first one and held our breath for the second pass. Going to have to Google and see if that is even legal, doesn't seem right somehow. Further on down the ICW we had to hold up while a huge power boat got itself unstuck. As it was sideways in the channel no one was getting through. Luckily the captain managed to squirrel his way off and traffic flowed again. Shortly after that the rain that had stayed off to the west finally blew in and we decided to hole up at Mile Hammock Bay in Camp LeJeune. The rain came down steadily as we waited for Bay Breezin' to finish tying up on SeaQuells starboard side before we slid in for a port side tie up, all rafted up once again! The Bay soon filled with power and sail boats alike, all eager to dodge the weather. Dinner on Nemo followed by round two of dominoes. A very pleasant way to pass a not so pleasant evening. Rain began again in earnest just before our stated departure time of 6:15. Looking at the latest forecast of 100% rain for the next couple of days both Bay Breezin' and Nemo decided to stay put. SeaQuell was on a tight schedule and needed to push on so Bay Breezin' untied followed by Nemo. Don set our anchor and once SeaQuell was off down the channel Carl sidled up beside us and the two mono hulls rafted up. Looks like a quiet day (or two) of reading in store, ahhhhh.