Sunshine Through The Gray Clouds

Belhaven to Beaufort  |  8.2 Hours  |  58 Miles  

It seemed that the sun decided to sleep in this morning. The sky took longer than normal to brighten and eventually stopped with being heavily overcast. Much like yesterday, we were well underway going down the Pungo River by the time I had the anchor and deck clean. Strange today was the sound of gunshot while I was on the bow. The duck hunters had gotten a head start on us. It was a gray on gray trip with short bursts of heavy rain and longer periods of light showers. The miles clicked away as we progressed through the Pamlico River, Goose Creek, and the Hobucken Canal. The shrimp boat fleet was docked in their usual spot in front of RE Mayo Seafood. We were shocked and saddened to see the For Sale sign in front of the property and looked up the listing. 

Duck boats of all shapes and sizes zipped about. We met two separate tug/barge combos as we exited the canal into Bay River. When we entered the Neuse River, we were treated to an incredible display as thousands of ducks filled the sky. At first we believed the ducks were circling us to hide from the hunters. The ducks kept coming and coming -- some in a classic V formation ... 

but most in long single-file lines. We sped down the final stretch in Adams Creek at maximum ebb tide and wind gusting behind us to 17 knots. We were moving along at 8.5 knots without even trying. A pod of dolphin welcomed us to Beaufort. I readied the dock lines and fenders. Barry backed down the fairway and put Crossroads right in the middle of the slip. There to help us tie up was dear friend Greg from Paradigm Shift. After I finished tidying up our lines and fenders and changed into some real clothes, I went to visit Glenda, Jaxon, and Cooper aboard Paradigm Shift. For the first time all day the sun was shining, if only figuratively. We visited for an hour or so and then used the Town Creek Marina courtesy car to go to dinner at Mexcalito on Front Street. 

Just as ordered, today's rain will move out overnight and a wonderful weather window will open for offshore travel. Paradigm Shift will depart around noon and make a two-day passage to Fernandina Beach, FL. We will say farewell to them (again) because Crossroads will remain in Beaufort for a while. I spent a lot of time on my phone today texting and talking to family members. My Mom was taken to the emergency room on Thursday night and its been a stressful few days trying to get her stabilized. As much as we want to head south, I know the right thing to do is to return home. Beaufort has served as our temporary home on several prior trips. It will do so again this year. Fingers crossed we'll be able to continue with our trip at some point soon. I'll post an update as soon as I know what the future holds.