Today we expected an eight hour trip to Beaufort, NC, but it took just over six and a half hours due to a favorable 1.5 knot current in one of the canals plus a strong NE wind that had us surfing down the waves in the Neuse River. One wave had us peak at 11 knots. We used motor plus a significantly reefed jib to balance us for the ride up the river. The most challenging part of the journey was pulling into the slip in gale force winds. Again no working wind instruments but I could not resist looking up the archived wind data We had an average wind speed of 40 mph with gusts of 50 mph.
Kris met us at the marina and we all went to dinner at Blackbeard's Bar and Grill, a great ending to an enjoyable and memorable week.
Anchorage: Town Center Marina
Distance today: 43 nm
Total distance: 346 nm