We left Cherry Point's Hancock Creek in the dark with a light mist. The challenge was getting out through the narrow channel with unlit marks through shallow water to the Neuse River which we did securing our lines and fenders before heading toward Adams Creek and the ICW. Nautical twilight began as we were heading down the river.
Dolphins in Adams Creek.
Departing Beaufort Inlet.
Scheduling our trip required lots of considerations. Last year we made the trip from Beaufort to St Augustine to in about 57 hours. This time we were leaving from Cherry Point which is about 30 miles above Beaufort. Additionally we needed to stop for fuel. Jarrett Bay Marina had an excellent fuel price and was right on the waterway and they opened at 0800. We fueled up and got out of the marina in heavy current and then out the channel into the ocean before 1000 heading southwest. We always look at the arrival conditions and when we need to get in based on tide, wind, weather, visibility. Our optimal time to arrive was Friday afternoon within an hour of high tide.
When we got offshore wind was blowing nicely but directly astern. Wind gauge showed the wind between 175-180 degrees the entire time. We could have flown the spinnaker but with the chances of rain high I didn't want to have to put it away wet so we motored instead. We followed our waypoints and were able to make excellent time. A couple of times we considered sailing but the apparent wind was never very strong and with the weather front coming through on Saturday we needed to keep up speed.
During the trip we had numerous visitors. We saw more dolphins on this passage than I think we've ever seen. Starting on Adams Creek just off the Neuse River and then every few hours offshore, even at night and also in the channel coming into St Augustine. At one point we counted 12 dolphins playing in the bow wave. Sighting dolphins has always been considered a good luck symbol and we counted on that to follow through for us. As our passage was uneventful their luck held out. The repairs and maintenance we did have begun to pay off in improved performance and reliability over the condition of the boat when we bought it.
We also had some unusual visitors. Off the coast of North Carolina we had a monarch butterfly land on the lines for the dinghy and ride for a few hours. We also had a small wren riding on the boat for a while.
Sunset on Thursday. Wednesday was overcast.
Also during the passage we saw several Navy ships conducting firing exercises and had one sub cross behind us on its way into port.
Our passage consisted of 4 way points. The first just north of Frying Pan shoals about 70 nautical miles SSW of Beaufort. Rather than making the slight turn to the SW we continued 20 nm to get across the shoals so we would stay in deeper water and there are marks and obstructions in closer that we needed to avoid in the dark. The next point was about 70 nm about 20 nm off Myrtle Beach. The next point was 90 nm just off Beaufort, SC and then to a point 85 nm south about 30 nm off Cumberland Island, GA and then to St Augustine. We were able to keep up an average of just under 8 kts. Once we made our final turn we slowed down to ensure we didn't arrive too early. The trip from Beaufort NC to St Augustine we made in about 50 hrs.
Avenida Menendez in front of the St Augustine Municipal Marina.
After refueling we got into our slip for a weekend of maintenance after the 900 mile trip from Oxford, MD which we left 12 days earlier with spending a week at Cherry Point and an extra day at Dowry Creek. Now for a few weeks in St Augustine to enjoy the sun and warmer weather.
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