Northbound Day 29 – Beaufort

Guinness and I both woke up in a very good mood today. We were rested; the forecast was promising; and we were looking forward to the next leg. Based on the forecast, we chose to take the outside route (in the North Atlantic) – from Wrightsville Beach Inlet to Beaufort Inlet.

The problem with going outside is that there are so few good inlets along this stretch of the East Coast. So that means that we are effectively committing to five hours in the ocean. Nevertheless, I’m putting my trust in the forecast. I am sick of the challenges of the ICW.

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We are now 2 hours into the trip, and it’s sloppier than forecast. The waves are supposed to die down as the day progresses, but it hasn’t happened yet, and we have three more hours to go. I am regretting my decision.

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This entire 3,000 mile trip has not been easy. The ICW can be narrow, and shallow, full of annoying boat traffic, and fraught with shoaling – areas where it is shallower than indicated.

In contrast, the outside route can be tough, as well. On Guinness, the boat, and me as well.

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OK, those three earlier sections were dictated live, while we were underway, and they give some insight into what my mood can be like when we are all alone on the ocean and it’s rougher than I expected.

In contrast, the last 1-1/2 hours of today’s trip were absolutely placid. The seas finally calmed as predicted, and we enjoyed the sights of beaches and flocks of seabirds.

After we feuled and docked, we had the usual routine of a hasty lunch, and making the boat and ourselves presentable. The boat was filty; the pollen south of here is epic.

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Tonight we had a lovely dinner with Lee and Mary Pucell. Lee is a Lafayette classmate, and it was very nice to re-connect. Here’s a really cute photo of Guinness doing some photo bombing.

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Now, it is 8PM, and we are listening to Joni Mitchell’s BLUE album…one of Rolling Stone’s 10 Best. “Oh, I am on a lonely road, and I am traveling, traveling, looking for something. What can it be?” Maybe friends are the answer.

As I write this, I am having a yummy glass of Apothec Dark, and Guiness and I are intermittently playing “Get the Possum”, in which I throw the possum (the world’s ugliest squeaky toy) down the dock, and he fetches it with much barking and drama.

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So I’d have to say that today is sort of a capsule view of the entire trip: some ups and some downs; some pressure and decompression; some anxiety and fun.