Tracking A Straight Line

 Southport to Morehead City |  12.3 Hours  | 91.6 Miles  

We were on deck this morning for a 6:00 am departure. The relentless wind from the past three days had finally blown itself out. There was, however, still a strong current running lengthwise along the transient dock. We were fortunate that the boats forward and aft of us were earlier birds than us. Their departure made our exit tremendously easier. One boat was not so lucky. The current caught it and turned it broadside against the boats at the end of the dock. As we made our turn to exit, several folks had gathered on the dock to help fend off. Definitely not the way to begin a day. The sky took on the appearance of cotton candy with both light blues and pinks ushering in the morning. Off to our starboard, the Oak Island lighthouse still produced its reassuring beacon for travelers. The sun hit the treetops as we reached the end of Southport and turned from the ICW up the Cape Fear River.

The incoming tide gave us a little push and we saw speeds in excess of 10 knots. With that little push, it was no time before we were angling into Snow's Cut. It was another still morning with nice reflections of the trees and eroded red-sand banks. A large sampling of waterfowl waded in the shallows of Myrtle Grove and Masonboro Sounds. We were making great time and were running ahead of our schedule. At 9:15 we escaped the low water and low bridges of the ICW and passed through Masonboro Inlet to the Atlantic. 

Travel conditions were perfect for an offshore run which allowed us to cut out a full day of travel. A one day offshore passage would cover the miles of a two days on the ICW. The shortest distance from Southport to Beaufort is a straight line across Onslow Bay. We had a great run and each of us was able to relax. Entertainment was provided by a few flyovers by F35s around Camp Lejeune and several different pods of dolphin that came and went in our bow wave. Barry even came out on the bow to watch their shenanigans. Clouds mounted as the afternoon passed, providing a show of their own. The offshore weather window was beginning to close. 

We came back into the ICW through Beaufort Inlet. We were definitely not alone in this travel plan. The spring migration of northbound boaters is in full force. Our AIS showed dozens of boats already anchored in Beaufort's Taylor Creek. Since we would not be going ashore we elected to turn left to Morehead City and anchor off of Sugar Loaf Island with five other boats for the night. The clouds created a nice sunset as the full moon rose to the east. Our track for the day confirms that the shortest distance was indeed a straight line.