Waiting for the bridge to open

We awoke this morning to 46 very cold degrees in the cabin so it probably was about 37 or 38 outside. The wind was not so bad as yesterday so we just started putting on clothes in anticipation for our very cold voyage south. You have to remember that we can't sail in the Intracoastal Waterway so the wind is not our friend right now! And it makes the trip so much colder! I put on 4 shirts (two of them long sleeve), a fleece jacket and my foul weather jacket plus long johns, sweats, my foul weather pants, 2 pairs of gloves, a balaclava on my head with another warm hat and wool socks and shoes! Kirby had an extra pair of socks and an another jacket. Just my feet were cold as we headed out.

It was a beautiful day for enjoying the North Carolina shoreline. The channel was easy
with 12 - 15 feet under us most of the day. We had 3 bridges to contend with plus one that was 65 ft high and we just went on under it. One of the bridges was a 30 minute bridge which means it opens every half hour, but 2 of them only open every hour on the hour. It is really quite challenging to arrive at the bridges at the right time. Early in the day we had a fast current and were making really good time and then all of a sudden the current was gone and we slowed way down. So at the first bridge we had to put the peddle to the metal to make it in time and then the second bridge we had the current with us again and just sort of meandered. The current was flowing at about 3 mph as we sat in idle speed and moved right along. The crowds can get quite big waiting for the hour bridges as you can see by the pictures. It is interesting to see the power boats come roaring past us and then to see them sitting and waiting at the bridge as we get there!

So here we are in Wrightsville Beach, North Carolina (which is near Wilmington) in a very nice anchorage with about 15 - 20 other boats. We plan to put the dinghy in the water tomorrow and go ashore and check things out. We have traveled only 283 miles since leaving Norfolk, VA and beginning the Intracoastal Waterway trip on the 23rd of October. That is not that long ago but we have had so many experiences in that short amount of time. FUN!!