We Made it to Beaufort, NC

At 6:00 am this morning we were in the Beaufort Channel and by 8:10 we were tied up in our slip with a full tank of diesel. Since leaving Ft. Pierce three days ago we traveled 500 nautical miles and averaged—thanks to the Gulf Stream—7 knots, a new record for us. The NE wind that was creating such havoc in the Gulf Stream yesterday and the night before did finally shift to the South and die down. By that time we had turned out of the Stream anyway. The first photo below was taken just before sunset yesterday and shows the conditions we were expecting for the previous 36 hours. 

Because the calmer conditions meant that Breeze On was no longer lurching and slamming, we both slept better last night. Still no whale sighting but maybe we will on our next passage around Cape Hatteras and into the Chesapeake Bay. 

We are staying at the Homer Smith Docks and Marina. It is a really interesting place. They have beautiful floating docks, ours is new and opened just two weeks ago. They have free laundry, but just one washing machine and one dryer. They also have just one bathroom and shower. I don’t believe there are many people staying on their boats here so the single bathroom and single washer and dryer may not be an issue. There is a seafood company that operates on the premises; the fishing boats are tied up nearby. The rates are reasonable and the staff is friendly and helpful. Someone we met in the Bahamas, I don’t remember who, recommended Homer Smith Docks so we decided to check it out. The downtown waterfront is a short walk from here. It is a nice place to wait for our weather window to get around Hatteras.

Since we arrived here this morning George has been working on the electric toilet that quit during our passage. First he replaced the broken belt. That required taking the toilet apart, and there are many parts. He also tried to replace the old pulley with a new one but it just wouldn’t fit so he put the old one back on. When the toilet was finally reassembled and flushed, it leaked. George found two leaks and fixed one but the other is still a problem. He is feeling frustrated. To be continued...

Setting sun and calm water (finally)

Fishing boat heading out at sunrise