Back to the ICW

On to Camp LeJeune

After a very nice two days in Beaufort, and two wonderful dinners, the first at Greg and Kate Kerwin’s house and the second at the Spouter restaurant on the waterfront in Beaufort, 

Views from the restaurant

we set sail again at 8:30 in the morning, heading south (actually, we set motor, as there was no wind to speak of, but it was warm and sunny…we’ll take what we can get)

Leaving the marina was a bit tricky, we had to go up a side channel, then take a small short channel across a sand bar to join the main channel…that small channel could have been better marked..we missed running aground by inches..but we didn’t!

The trip down the ICW was pleasant. There were dolphins jumping around the boat as we passed through Bogues bay, then pretty houses to look at, some with palm trees in the yard. 

One of the many houses with palm trees in the yard, someplace near Swansboro, NC

Lots of nice birds and we didn’t run aground even once!

We only traveled about 33 miles today to 1 Mile Hammock anchorage,, arriving at 3:30 (we were slightly delayed waiting for a swing bridge to open..but thats part of the ICW.. 

This is an anchorage at the southern end of Camp Lejeune that was dug out by the marines to have a place to practice amphibian landings and such…usually it is open to the public, as it is today. But there is always the risk they'll start practicing maneuvers

. 

Today, as I write this a VTOL (Vertical Take Off and Landing) airplane is practicing and circling over  the 8 boats anchored here (4 of which are Island Packets). I’m hoping he doesn’t practice all night.

.

VTOL circling the anchorage, passing over Island Spirit and Dream Catcher, both Island Packets

VTOL over Priority (courtesy of Hayden)

The new alternator seems to be working, but I’ll know better when we start up in the morning and see if it recharges the batteries…I surely hope so.

Sunset over Camp Lejeune