Month: October 2013

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Into the Groove

The shrimp boats sure catch a lot of seagulls! We are two miles to Cape Lookout

The shrimp boats sure catch a lot of seagulls! We are two miles to Cape Lookout

Warm day, clear water, long stretches of shell covered beach dotted with dunes, dinghy in to the beach and step into water; sounds much like the Bahamas to me. Ignore the very deep water (we dropped the hook in 26ft), the lack of rocks and coral (both in and above the water) and you could easily be convinced that your wish to “just get there!” had miraculously occurred. We joined a handful of other cruising boats who appeared content to admire the shore from the comfort of their vessel.

Looking out toward the Atlantic at Cape Lookout

Looking out toward the Atlantic at Cape Lookout

Armed with my usual tools of the beach combing and photo-taking pursuits, we headed ashore with plenty of beach exposed near low tide. How many is a bazillion?  Ok now double that. A veritable shelf of shells lined the beach on the inside (bight side); the ocean side even more.  No trip to North Carolina’s Outer Banks should skip Cape Lookout; sitting at the end of the line so to speak. Part of one of world’s last natural barrier islands, Cape Lookout offers something for everyone; from PWC-ers to hikers and cruisers. Small boats spent much of the day net fishing close to shore. They looked successful.

Sand, shells toes on the beach- life is good!

Sand, shells, toes on the beach- life is good!

For one day we’d be in the groove of sun, sand and beach; zooming over flat calm waters in Bunting, our only concern being how could we see the most in one day?

The lighthouse and Ass't keepers house which is now a museum

The lighthouse and Ass’t keepers house which is now a museum

The lighthouse area contains a boardwalk through the dunes and out to the beach

The lighthouse area contains a boardwalk through the dunes and out to the beach

Bunting rests on a small sandbar while we (me!) beachcomb

Bunting rests on a small sandbar while we (me!) beachcomb

 

The day ended with a gorgeous sunset

The day ended with a gorgeous sunset

 

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Making Tracks

dolphinsBy some miracle or a generous weather goddess, we enjoyed a wonderful 72nm mostly motor-sail on Tuesday. The forecast promised NE 5-10 and it delivered. Temps climbed to 73 degrees; the sky mostly clear and sunny. Not a sailing day (oh darn) but one we wanted, simply to have an easy trip. And we weren’t the only ones. As is typical for this area of Camp Lejeune and North Carolina in general, various training exercises are routine. Certainly every time we come through-except last fall because Sandy kept them distracted.
Naval warship 94 was conducting live firing exercises toward shore from several miles out- sitting in the middle of the charted many miles long and wide “danger” zone. The day before we heard various announcements on CH16 from the warships that exercises would be conducted Tues- Thurs. After checking a few sources, Russ plotted a course for our offshore hop that would be sure to take us outside the danger area. Going along we heard the warship state that vessels should keep clear by 15nm- come again? We’d be passing 12nm off the ship and no way were we diverting more. Turns out that the 15nm distance only applied if you were to pass in front- like you’d want to be fired on. They spent an extra hour of live firing and I’m sure that caused extra wait-time for the ICW boats who have to stop and wait in between firings. If it’s not crab pots it’s warships.

The fun part of the trip was the pod of dolphins who came by to play. They are amazing to watch as they zig-zag inches away from the hull, diving, surfacing and jumping faster than we can capture their antics. Russ is a huge fan and never tires of watching these beautiful and intelligent creatures.

Thank Russ for the dolphin action shots

Thank Russ for the dolphin action shots

Hook dropped securely at Wrightsville Beach at 5:25 a bit more than a 10-hour day. We made good time motor-sailing, then motoring when the wind died. At least 15 other cruisers were anchored and we were surprised to find only one other dinghy at the dock. Well, more room for us. The docks can accommodate 10 dinghies easily and covered trash barrels are conveniently placed at the head of each dock (I think there’s 2 or 3). Baja-Mex restaurant Tower 7 (lifeguard tower) was our destination; all of one block from the dinghy dock. Excellent food and drinks very reasonably priced. Russ chose the taco special (very surprising); one roast chicken and the other pulled pork. He proclaimed the over-stuffed tacos excellent; I’ve never seen ones with so much meat. Our noses sniffed out the baked goods in the café section; good to add a new muffins to our onboard selection.