Short Days

Nov 6th - Woke up to the sound of diesel engines being fired up in the distance. For a few days it had been one sound we hadn't heard. Sure enough the big Kady Krogens  and Acapella were heading out of their slips. We began to ready the Summer Wind for departure. To make sure that the Neuse  had settled we radioed Jeff and Karen to get their opinion of the conditions. It had indeed settled and would be manageable. So we dropped the lines and headed down the Neuse. We were indeed surfing a bit, but the trip on the Neuse was relatively short.
Our destination today was Moorehead City Yacht basin. We're very familiar with this marina and it's extremely boater friendly. What is 'boater friendly'? This marina offers many amenities such as clean laundry machines, showers, and a loaner car. We can accomplish a great deal on a one night stop.
As we were preparing our lines to depart we looked over at the Sport Fish next to our boat  and noticed a crew member patiently waiting for the rest of the crew!

Hey where is everyone?

Nov 7th- Our next destination would be Mile Hammock Bay. We could hear many captains talking over the radio and knew that there were still many boats out on the water. This idea was confirmed when we pulled into the anchorage and discovered that it was almost full. That evening we shared the anchorage with over 29 other boats. 

Mile Hammock Bay

Nov 8th - After a wonderful calm night on the hook, we rose to a beautiful sunrise. Many sailboats had already weighed anchor and we decided to join the train. At the bridges we made a pretty impressive parade.

 Our stop for the night was the Carolina Beach State Park. For $30/night we can tie up on their new docks and explore the trails.By the time we were ready to explore it was almost 4:00 in the afternoon. With maps in hand we decided a 'short walk' should be no problem.The trails led through tall pines and swamp land. It was a bonus that the temperatures were not too hot or we'd be dinner for the no'seeums. Around 5:00 we decided that with the daylight dwindling we better make our way back to the boat. The maps we had didn't quite fit with our turns, so finally we came upon a couple who were walking a dog and we asked for directions. Their dog must have sensed we were lost because every 20 feet or so, it would turn back to make sure we were following.

leading the pack

 Inside the Carolina Beach State Park

Just in time to catch the Sunset