It’s Friday late morning and we have been underway since 07:00 on our way to Carolina Beach NC. The run today should be somewhat shorter than the last two days, which have both been between 70 and 80nm. As I write this we are about 45nm from our destination which should put us there at a reasonable hour.
This morning it was raining lightly as we headed out and the sunrise was quite stunning. 
The goal for today is to put us near Cape Fear where we will jump out behind a cold front which is supposed to exit the coast there around mid-day Saturday for our 250nm run to St Mary’s, a run that should take us about a day and a half. The wind is expected to be pretty strong, and from behind us, for perhaps as much as 24 hours and then it will become much lighter. All of this suggests that we will have to motor-sail for at least part of the time. However, we will surely make much better time, and hopefully sail for a good while, than being in the ICW. Hopefully, the winds will remain behind us and not go toward the south until we make port in St Mary’s
As has been the case lately, it continues to be hard to get a weather window that lasts more than a few days which really makes it difficult to do any long offshore passages. This wouldn’t be a problem if I was just cruising down the coast, but with a deadline to get home and a need to make time. it does make things a bit tricky.
When Brenda and I did this run two years ago, we had all sorts of time and really never had to worry about a schedule, which was nice. Last year, I was able to make a run all the way from Beaufort some 600nm to Ft Pierce FL in a single shot as we had a pretty good window. However, that run was quite dramatic as it was on the tail of a very strong cold front that brought us winds of up to 40kts on the tail. Actually, for my taste, that was a bit too much to be pleasant. However, we did make good time.
Yesterday we saw our first dolphins as well as some pelicans. I have had a really tough time getting shots of dolphins but was able to get a shot, even if it’s a bit blury. 
Also, the pelicans weren’t very close. However, it is a photo of a pelican and they say that blogs are better with photos, even crappy ones (editor’s assumption). I guess you’ll have to be the judge. Judge “nicely” please… This is probably a photo that screams “you had to be there”.
Today’s run takes us through Camp Lejeune, a major Marine base. The ICW goes right through the camp area and there are some intimidating signs along the way to warn you when they are conducting live fire exercises. Two years ago Brenda and I anchored in a small harbor within the camp’s boundaries and near us was a huge concrete ramp that provided access to the waters for hovercraft. We didn’t see any during our visit but others have told me that it’s pretty amazing when the marines come blasting through on one of the big hover craft as they blast down the dirt road and into the water, throwing salt spray everywhere.
I guess that this sign suggests that they aren’t kidding.
Yesterday we were passed at high speed by some really impressive powerboats manned by marines and painted in grey camouflage. The boats, about 40’ long, were very angular looking, probably designed to be less detectable by radar. Unfortunately, they came by so fast that I wasn’t able to get my camera out in time to get a shot. I suspect that that’s the idea.
A few minutes ago we were passed by an Osprey VTOL aircraft, that’s “Vertical Take Off and Landing”. These are sort of a high-bred of a prop plane crossed with a helicopter. Their huge rotors are vectored vertically for takeoff and then are rotated forward to fly like a regular plane. The design has been plagued by problems from the start, with quite a few crashes over the years but continue to be in service. Never the less, they look amazing flying by. Too bad they didn’t get closer. I guess you’ll have to use your imagination. No wait, I cropped it. That’s not too bad. Yes?
The waterway here is flanked by miles of marsh grass on both sides. The color of the grass is quite dramatic against the overcast sky. Like the other canals on the ICW, this area is carved out of swamp and the channels go on for miles without a bend. 
Shrimping is big business in these parts. This guy passed us in really narrow channel with his nets set out to dry. A very impressive sight. It looked like some sort of massive insect. 
Well, it’s time for lunch so I had better wrap it up. Hopefully, the weather will hold out for our run, beginning on Saturday.