A long day today - took eight hours to go 103 statute miles along the ICW. We had to wait for two bridge openings, passed a few tugs with barges (very carefully) and also maneuvered carefully around a pair of working dredges and their dredge field equipment. Our courtship with low tide travel continued, as did our "uphill climb" against adverse tidal curents.
We passed several of North Carolina's problem inlets safely - all at absolute low tide. Had a foot under the keel as we idled through the New River Inlet, passing the shrimper, Pirates Pride, hard aground off to our right and roiling water furiously to get unstuck. Surprisingly, New Topsail Inlet must have been dredged, because we had thirteen feet under our keel there. One of the dredges was working Bogue Inlet and we had good water underneath us there too.
We're moored at tiny, ten slip, Oriental Marina. Oriental, just off the ICW and the Neuse River, is North Carolina's sailing capital - lots of rag boats here. It is a nice little town and a friendly place to visit, although I believe that you could fall asleep on a roadway and not be injured. Definitely, a slow-paced life here!
As we leave tomorrow, we'll be in open waters; the Neuse River, Pamlico River and Pamlico Sound as well as Alligator River. Hopefully the weather will hold and we'll be able to cruise most of the day at our normal 16 knots. Gotta get home before our tans fade!
Ebb Tide II underway
