Southport, NC

I am currently in Southport, NC waiting for a weather window.  I took one look at the 160 mile ICW route between here and Charlestown I decided I would rather wait a day or two than do the 4 to 5 day inside route. (I can only make about 40 miles inside per day since the daylight hours are so short.)

Door into Summer (Ed and Claudia) left from Morehead City with Reboot.  We putt putted our way down the ICW to Wrightsville Beach NC. I had done this trip in the past - Morehead to Mile Hammock Bay to Wrightsville and hated it (as H2OBO and HOBO II can attest - they didn't like it very much either.)  This time we were not being run over by other cruisers and the current at the Wrightsville Bridge was only 2.5 knots instead of 4 knots.  I also knew not to try the channel where I had run aground the last time,

We collected two Canadian single handers for cocktails in Mile Hammock Bay.  Marc then caught up to us in Wrightsville.  He missed one bridge so came in a full hour behind us - just as the sun was setting.  Ed, Claudia and I dinghied over to the seafood restaurant just south of the bridge and had all you can eat oysters.  OK, Ed and I had all you can eat oysters.  They were terrific but different.  Usually when you get oysters they are single, that is one oyster.  These were in clusters - two or three oysters whose shells had grown together.  It did not make them any less enjoyable to eat, but our guess was that they are not in demand in the shellfish market so the restaurant can get them for less.

When we were coming into the anchorage at Wrightsville Ed told me that his alternator had decided to stop charging.  We agreed that I would leave the next morning while Ed tried to sort out what was going on.  As of last evening the problem had not been resolved.

It looks like a very brief weather window tomorrow to get to Charleston on the outside.  My plan is to give it a shot.  If so I will be offshore for about 24 hours.  This will be my first offshore since my heart surgery - I am feeling pretty confident it will go OK but am hoping Door into Summer will catch up before I go offshore.

Fair winds and following seas...