Morehead City to Wrightsville, NC

 

What a fantastic cruise we had Tuesday!  It was such a gorgeous day, sunny and warm, that most boats took the ocean route south while we took the picturesque route on the ICW.  We left thinking we wouldn’t make the 80 miles to Wrightsville due to bridges and currents.  The Cruising Guide even said it is a difficult route.  (I’ve concluded that the Guide was written for sailboats and small craft.)  we had our best day ever!  The gentle north wind nudged us forward and most of the time the current was in our favor. We were making such good time, JB decided to see if he could make our Garmin read speed in miles per hour rather than nautical miles as the charts are in miles.  It took no time to change it and to discover we were going 10mph at our usual cruising speed!

About 20 miles south of Morehead City we spotted dolphins playfully swimming alongside our bow.  Than they followed us at our stern.  I grabbed the camera and desperately tried to capture their antics unsuccessfully.  The finale was when two simultaneously jumped completely out of the water as if to say, “Farewell, good friends.”

I was down below cleaning up after our breakfast when JB called me on the cell phone.  He usually toots the horn when he wants me so I wondered what was different. He announced, “We are being boarded.”  At our stern was a U. S. Coast Guard boat and a couple of young men were in the process of coming aboard.  One talked to JB as he continued on course and the other came in the cabin and asked to see various documents as well as safety equipment. Having filed all of the paperwork we might need, I knew that I could easily put my hands on the documents. 

I knew where the fire extinguishers were.  The Coast Guard gentlemen inspected the first one.  The dial was in the green.  He shook it.  He looked under the bottom of the extinguisher.  Then he looked at me and said, “Do you know how old this is?”  Memories of JB’s 10 yr old pork roast he wanted to cook one day came to mind.  “No”.  I braced for what was about to come. “Look here for the date.  This one says 1986.” (The year the boat was built.)  “That is older than me.”  Whoops. Now what? He continued, “While the fire extinguisher is in the green, it shouldn’t be more than 5 years old.  You can find the date on the side and bottom.”  I promised to get new ones as soon as we got to Wrightsville.  Our inspection over, they left and JB quizzed me on what they requested.

The gentle north wind continued to blow on our stern. We ducked under two 20’ high bridges.  The winter sky was sunny and clear.  I busied myself preparing food and taking photos.  This was the best day of the week.  It made us want to live on board forever.

After going under the Wrightsville Bridge we entered another world.  Large power boats docked on both sides of the ICW, people everywhere, restaurants galore, and the most activity I’ve seen since Ft. Lauderdale in the winter.  JB did a masterful job of maneuvering “Belle” around other boats tied to the floating docks to get to our slip. We tied up for the next two days and left to visit JB’s Aunt Kay, Uncle Nelson and Aunt Fanny Britto.  We spent the time laughing and remembering days of long ago.  I got to see a photo of JB when he was 8 yrs old! Thanks for the great time, great food (although fattening), and superb memories. We love you!