Six day into the trip

We are under way:

Wednesday night we spent on board.  Thursday morning we were ready to untie the lines and the engine would not start.  Dave discovered that the starter had gone bad.  He was devastated to say the least.  He pictured a long delay.  I was able to get local information on a shop in our neighborhood that could repair it.  The next step was remover the old starter without breaking any rusted bolts in an inhospitable area on the engine.  Dave was successful by noon.  When he took the starter to the shop the man said, I have two of those on the shelf.   “SOLD.”  The new starter was installed easily and after, lunch and showers  we were underway by 2 PM.  My amazing Captain and Mechanic!

By now the day was overcast, with very light showers all the way to our intended anchorage at Wrightsville Beach. We set the anchor at 6:25 PM.  Leftovers for dinner and a quiet evening in the harbor.

Aboard CrossOver we tend to be early to bed; early to rise.  At 7:10 there was a brief swatch of sunshine during breakfast.  Dave pulled the anchor and we came around the marina by all the beautiful boats.

We are lucky to only need 11feet of clearance under a bridge so there is no waiting for openings.  Three playful dolphins swam along with us through the Wrightsville Bridge.  That is always a good omen.   

We made our way up the ICW to our destination/rendezvous in Swansboro, NC.  Along the way we passed the training grounds for Camp Lejeune.   No firing today!

We arrived at 12:30 PM  the same time as Southern Cross and Blue Skies, both 36’ Trojans.  The first boat belongs to Danny and Irene Bailey, from whom we bought our boat.  They were most anxious to see all the upgrades both exterior and interior that Dave has made.  It was quite a boat handyman’s swap fest.  Irene did not recognize the interior. They were most impressed.  We then toured their sister boats.  The Brinson’s and the Bailey’s had finished their interior differently to suit their family needs.  Temperatures remained cool and skies overcast but rain did not materialize for our walk to dinner.  Taking the power boater format, chairs were brought out on the dock and we sat around sharing stories until it was too cool to be comfortable.

Breakfast was early at Yana’s Restaurant because Danny had a meeting to attend.  Can you imagine the breakfast appetizer I posted, Apple Fritters?  We got the boat in order and motored on to Beaufort, NC remembering other visits along the Bogue Sound.

We joined the ranks of the BIG boats at the Beaufort Town Dock around noon and were admired by the passersby.  Dave worked on the boat and read and I explored the shops. Some stores were still there and others had changed since our previous visits. Later we had a beer and pondered who might own the large yachts, both sail and power and the stories they might tell.    Dinner at Clawson’s Restaurant was part of my agenda but the Shrimp and Grits did not live up to my memory.

Morning dawned bright, sunny and cool.  After breakfast aboard we watched as a crew member was cranked to the top of the mast to preform repairs.  I could tell Dave was glad his days of going up the mast were over.

We started out for Sunday’s destination, Windsong, where we had lived for 8 years.  This is a trip we had made on many occasions and it was like a home coming. Adams Creek was the easy part of the trip.  We should have known that wind from the East would result in a NASTY crossing of the Neuse River.  5 foot waves to power into; thank goodness for the new two speed windshield wipers. No lunch at noon today. At the mouth of the Bay River we waited for the PCS Phosphate barge to clear the narrow channel.  The waters were protected and calm only to be   greeted by the deer flies.

The Portnoy’s saw us enter Campbell Creek and hailed us.  When we got to the dock about 2 PM we were surprised to see another sailboat. Aboard Utopia were Diane and Frank, a couple we had met in Stuart, FL in March of 2013.  We had giving them Mel and Mary Jane’s name because they both had Caliber sailboats.  They then met is the Bahamas at a later time;   now they were headed home to New York.

Many stories were shared over good drinks and a delicious dinner with a surprise.  A birthday cake for Diane and myself.   Her birthday is June 3^rd  and mine is June 5^th.  Thank you for being so thoughtful MJ.

Diane and Frank left Monday morning and we all drove in to New Bern for the usual errands, drug store, West Marine and Verizon stores. The town is growing but the food at Morgan’s Grill continues to be special.  It is sad to hear our favorite Pollock Street Deli had closed.

In the evening we had the pleasure of having Kathy and Mike Orr join us for another of MaryJane’s tasty dinners.  The Orrs bought the house we built here on Campbell Creek.  It is so nice to see friends and neighbors again!

Today we saw a few other folks and hopefully we will catch the others on our way home.