Captains Log 11/18/06

Departure Point / Start Time Beaufort, NC 9AM
Arrival Point / End Time Vinyah Inlet, SC 5 PM
Distance Traveled 175 NM 32hours
Located in Vinyah Bay, SC

We waited for few low-pressure systems to go by before leaving Beaufort, NC. It paid off. We had a pleasant long outside stretch with winds out of the north 10-15 kts. The seas were very flat considering we went outside Cape Fear frying pan shoals. Dolphins kept us company the entire way. I tried fishing but something big bit off half the lure. I left fishing for the next day. Since it was so nice, we decided to abandon our first optional destination, Masonboro Inlet and head around Cape Fear. The evening came very fast. The sunset was behind evening clouds. The evening was a bit chili and we brought some blankets for Crystal and Bella to stay worm in the cockpit behind dodger. Going around Cape Fear made me wary a bit. But the winds were light and I firmly believe things would be fine. Conversation I had with another cruiser in Beafuort was on my mind. He got rescued and towed by the Coast Guard off Cape Fear in the last storm. His anchor and few hundred feet of chain was knocked off the bow, and one of his dock lines fouled the prop. Coast Guard gave them an option to abandon ship but he didnt want to, and they were nice enough to tow him from off Cape Fear all the way to Beafort NC, 60NM. We didn't have the stormy conditions. The winds were astern but were barely noticeable. I tried maintaining 4+ kts of speed so we motored for a bit. Crystal went below at about midnight. We reached Cape fear at 1:30 am the next morning. Nothing really, just a reef with some swell and a bit shallower water. I staid clear of danger rounding the flashing marker. In planning the daytime landfall, I decided to head for Vinyah Inlet. This is a class A inlet with plenty of water and wide channel. If we maintained 5+ kts, we would reach the inlet at about 3PM. Our next option, Charlston SC, was not a good one because it would put our landfall after dark. After rounding Cape Fear, our tack headed up to beam reach which made us pick up some speed and improve the comfort level onboard. The engine was off, and clear starry night kept me amused for a while. Just as I was falling asleep I heard a puff of air and a splash. Dolphins were still with us. This time, fluorescents in the water, made their track look like a comet, as they were flying through the illuminated water. Propeller was also making an amazing track. Dolphins were so close to our lewer side that I almost touched one as he came up for air. The night went by pretty fast in playing with dolphins and keeping an eye on Cape Fear shipping lanes that we were traversing. Pretty soon, the sky to the east got brighter and brighter and all of sudden I didn't need my flashlight or the night-time navigation lights any more. Sun came up and started drying off the dew that made everything wet. The winds started dying down and I had to motor. I made some boiled eggs and Crystal was up by then. We ate breakfast and lounged around on the foredeck in calm seas. Water was clear and occasional dolphin would swim around doing his usual splashing trick. I ran the watermaker and filled up the tanks. Great traveling day. I was so gald we were not in the ICW where I constantly have to wary about how deep the water is. As we approached the Inlet, we noticed a sharp change in clear water to murky river water. That's about the time where dolphins decided to leave us and stay in clear water. The current was running in and we rode the flood all the way in to ICW. That's were we decided to anchor. The weather was supposed to deteriorate rapidly in the next couple of days. I decided to get some rest and spend the next day bunkering up for what was supposed to be gale and storm force winds along the GA and SC coastal waters. I was glad we didn't go all the way to Charlston SC. I was hoping that all those boats heading for FL that left BEaurt with us will be ok. This is supposed to be a very nasty storm.

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