Chilly Breezy Days

10/31 – We decided to stay another day at River Dunes. It was Sunday and we felt lazy. We checked out the courtesy car again (this one was also a Yukon XT, but a newer model). We drove the other direction and looked for a bigger hardware store than the one in Oriental. The good news – we found one; the bad news – it was closed on Sunday. We had lunch at a local restaurant and stopped at the Food Lion for a few items. Back at the boat we watched a little football and Gerry worked on routes for the next few days.

Gerry and the courtesy car -- much nicer and bigger than what most marinas offer

11/1 – We were up early this morning and underway by 8:30. The weather forecast for the next few days is pretty much the same – winds at 15-20 and a chance of rain. We had one stretch of open water today on the Neuse River that was a bit uncomfortable, but it was only for an hour or two. We took a couple of waves broadside that sent things flying, but for the most part the ride was okay. All in all, we were glad to get back into the protection of the ICW.

We planned to stay in Morehead City for the night and, after reviewing the guidebooks and Active Captain decided we’d try to stay at the free dock at the Muddy Duck Tavern. If you had dinner, the dock was free. Well, we found the restaurant and secured the boat to the dock ….. but the restaurant was closed on Monday. No one was around anywhere, so we just decided we’d stay (afterall, we had planned on eating).

Approaching Beaufort

Parked in front of the Ruddy Duck (our free dock for the night)

Looking down the ICW at sunset

11/2 – We were up early this morning as it was very windy last night and the lines kept stretching making a lot of noise. Linda made Gerry a good breakfast this morning because …. It was his birthday!! After breakfast we untied the lines and headed down the ICW. It was cloudy and quite windy, but the ICW was protected and the ride was comfortable. We had a pretty easy trip arriving at the Swan Point marina around 3:00. Gold Looper friends, Rick and Betsy, live in the area and had arranged to pick us up and take us out to dinner. It was great seeing them again and we had a most enjoyable dinner and had fun catching up on each other’s adventures the past several months. They had just signed the papers on a new boat and were very excited about the prospect of cruising on a bigger boat. They did the Loop on a Glacier Bay 26. That is a pretty small boat to live on for a year. Their new boat is an Endeavour Cat 36. We visited with them for awhile at their condo which is right on the waterway. They have a beautiful home with a fantastic view. Thanks Rick and Betsy for a fun evening.