We left Beaufort pre-breakfast, and made it back to MM215 by perhaps 0715. It started raining, pretty hard. Then, the rain slowed - and the fog built. Pictures mostly look like a snowperson sitting on a cloud eating vanilla ice cream with a white plastic spoon. At the G7 of the infamous Bogue Sound, we ran aground despite honoring both the markers and the GPS rendition of the channel. This time, it took nearly 45 minutes to recover, by which time, we had called Tow Boat US. Still, we were off before they got there. And yes, Leigh was at the helm AGAIN.
Then the real fun began - "visibility O" as Peggy and I used to say - very, very difficult to navigate Bogue Sound on a good day, and being unable to see the markers until we were nearly upon them made for some very adventuresome moments. We were relieved to find that the Marines at Camp LeJeune, through which the ICW passes on this leg of the trip, were NOT doing their firing exercises, AND we made the bridge opening at Onslow Beach Bridge at 1400, thanks to a kind and patient bridgetender. So, we made it to MM247 a little after 1500 and tied up alongside a dock at Swan Point Marina.
We have consulted our various weather sources, and talked with our Gulfstream analysts (Dane and Jenifer, who provide great consultation for offshore passages) and it looks like we can make a great run from Wrightsville Beach or Southport starting Sunday morning. We'll have reasonable winds from the NW, and the waves will be kept down near shore by the westing. Perfect. We'll probably head for Fernandina Beach/St Mary's in northern Florida.
Tomorrow's run to Wrightsville or Southport is likely to be a bit wet, but we are hoping to avoid a fog repeat. Stay tuned...
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