Sorry about the delay posting. We had some issues with the cell phone hotspot. Resolved now.

Drat and may numerous curses fall upon the heads of the weather witches!

We can't get a hotspot lock for the cell here so I'm afraid that this is going to be another of those multiple day posts.

4 Nov 2014

We are making progress, just not in the manner that we had hoped. This morning we were away bright and early to go offshore and make the 36 hour jump to Charleston but once we cleared the headlands at the inlet the extremely confused seas and wind directly on the nose sent us back into the harbour and along the ICW once more. Damn I did not want to do this, but I guess that is one thing you have to sort yourself out with the cruising lifestyle - plans are carved in jello. On this trip I wanted to go to Woods Hole - didn't; I wanted to avoid going through NYC - did; I wanted to go to Washington DC - didn't; and didn't want to go through the ditch again - obviously, we are. Oh well. Not that it's unpleasant or anything at least so far. Tomorrow we have to poke our way through the problematic parts so I will let you know then how we make out and what my attitude is. Right now I am getting all sweaty palmed again from the concept of shoal ing at the inlets. Our planning is based on tides, specifically the timings for high tides, and possible daily runs. Tomorrow for instance high tide is at 0630, the tidal range is about 4', and we need to be past Browns Inlet and New River within the first hour or so of high. Hence an early departure again which is good as well for getting away from the shallower water here at the marina plus for a good day's travel. I am hoping that once past the two inlets that I just mentioned we will be controlled by bridge schedules and tidal currents.

As for today and now we are in Swansboro tied up alongside at Dudley's Marina, a nice enough spot made even better by the price $0.75/ft power included. The only negative thing is that it could be a little further along in the ditch and a little deeper alongside. As it is we are touching bottom every time a boat goes by in the channel and kicks up a wake we bounce up and down on a soft bottom. We are at low tide so shortly we will lift above it but still, it is a weird feeling.

Moonlight Maid is hosting dinner tonight and Barb. Has prepared one of her cornmeal breads in a frypan so this evening promises to be pretty good.

5 Nov 2014

Up early in the AM and away to make the tide at Brown's Inlet. A trawler named School's Out preceded us by 15 minutes and radioed back that they had just cleared the barricade to the Camp Lejune exercises before they closed, then they got by the shallow bits and we're off. We, on the other hand, we're stuck behind the barricade and as I write this we are forced to wait until noon and the Marines finish their exercise for the day. It's something pretty major as he army, Air Force, and navy are all involved as well. We heard a Securitay message for the five miles off shore warning of navy explosion exercises and chasing Mariners away.

So here we sit twiddling our thumbs, watching the water level drop and the travel time diminish. I had hoped to get a good ten hours and 50 or 60 miles further down range but now it looks as though if we get through at noon we will only get 25 more miles before we will need to anchor. I think I have found a spot just beyond Figure 8 bridge which will set us up for a 30 mile trip tomorrow to get us to the other side of Southport. So much depends now on the schedule of the bridges and if we can get through the skinny bits. We are now ten boats waiting for the marines to open the door for us. I must say that som of the US skippers can be rather cranky when they don't get their way. Can't blame them totally. This isn't really very well organized. Th Coast Guard is saying on thing, the camp administration doesn't know anything and the guys in the RHIB just have the one answer "Closed till noon". That and they aren't monitoring any radio frequencies.

Exactly at noon the barricade was lifted and the gaggle was off. Everyone wanting to be first like a bunch of school kids elbowing each other out of the way. We were quite happy to let them go by especially the deep draft boats as only 4 miles further along was the first of the weird shallow bits. Again the gaggle came afoul as they were approaching it three abreast and it took the first one to run aground to make the light bulbs come on. Even with that the ones at the end of the train were radioing "Come on, come on. What's the hold up?" Some like Moonlight Maid, ever the polite Canadian were standing by waiting for their turn and didn't realize how strong the current was and they were carried up in the shoal. We went through following an Island Packet and never saw less than 1.5' under the keel and once past there was nowhere to wait for them so we had to leave Moonlight Maid behind although we did throttle way back. In about a half hours time through a combination of wakes, their sails and the rising tide they were away too. A lot of the boats that were in such a rush turned off into Mile Hammock Bay a bare 10 miles further along, so really I'm not sure what the all fired Rush was about.

Anyway after a long day we barely made 30 miles and we are alongside in the shadow of the Surf City Bridge. moonlight Maid decided to anchor off just. Elbow the bridge so we will see them in the AM I guess.

Tomorrow we are aiming to get to Southport.

Well. Here we are. Tomorrow.

We were up and away bright and early and managed to squeak through all three bridges without missing any. We also managed to poke through the shallow bits of the waterway on our way to Southport without going aground. Unfortunately the wind and current was against us for all of the trip except for the short time we were waiting for one of the bridges. We were more than a little startled that we haven't been recognizing much of the shoreline we were passing until we realized that most or at least many of the houses that we were looking at simply weren't here the last time we came by. It's amazing how much development has been made in the last four to five years in spite of the fact that the economy was supposed to be in decline.

Our last part of this leg was out from Snow's Cut along the Cape Fear River punching into a 30+ knot wind so you can imagine how relieved we were to come alongside at the South Harbour Village Marina to tie up and relax.