On Halloween we left Beaufort at sunrise to ride the tide south. Only one drawbridge to wait for, but the Marine Corp at Camp Lejeune was doing live fire across the Waterway, and we had to wait for an hour for that. Anchored in Mile Hammock Bay on the south edge of Camp Lejeune - a nice anchorage, but a bit over crowded. The wind came up in the night, and some boats dragged anchor after midnight. There was some panic and shouting in the cold, wind-blown rain. Fortunately we were fine - because many of the anchorages on the Waterway are rather open, and crowded this time of year, the Admiral insists on our best anchoring techniques. But the Captain maintained watch for a good while in the middle of the night.

Today, 11/1, was another clear, cool day with good north wind. We sailed, motored, and motor-sailed behind beautiful barrier islands, sometimes seeing the ocean over the low islands or out the inlets. We had 3 draw bridges today, one opening every half-hour, one on the hour only, and one on the half-hour only. At sailboat speed, it is impossible to make them in sequence, so we had to wait at two of them. Tired of bridges.

We tied up at a marina set in the marshes near Masonboro inlet, so there will be no watches tonight.

We are going to keep pushing south until we hit warm weather. Tomorrow is the Cape Fear River... bring it on...