Sailing South aboard Lucy III: 2020-2021 (Day 42)

Carolina Beach Municipal Mooring, Carolina Beach, North Carolina:  October 16, 2020

Marc-  Today we covered a lot of ground.  We departed Mile Hammack Bay at 07:30 and headed Southwest past numerous small inlets and shallow passages before arriving at Carolina Beach Harbor.  Larry, the harbormaster, called to confirm that we would certainly have two moorings waiting for us whenever we arrived (arrival was at 15:20).  We had a lucky break today thanks to the Wrightsville Bridge attendant who held up the bridge opening 15 minutes so we could get through before the next opening on the hour.  We would not have known about this but for a fellow boater who called us on Channel 16 (the channel we monitor) to tell us that the Wrightsville Bridge attendant was trying to reach us.  I immediately switched to channel 13 and contacted him and then gave the engine full throttle.  

Fidler's Green had stopped over to do some shopping in Wrightsville Beach thinking we would be delayed an hour.  They arrived only 20 minutes after us in Carolina Beach.  We explored the town a bit and found the local ice cream parlor and the boardwalk.  It is very hot and humid here tonight.  Hatches are open and our fans are working, but we are really hot.  

This is a US Marines Osprey.  It can take off and land like a helicopter and also fly like a plane,  Its engines pivot forward.   We watched this Osprey practice landings and takeoffs yesterday afternoon when we were anchored in Mile Hammock Bay in Camp LeJeune.

Fishing in the ICW

This was once an inlet

The Figure Eight bridge

ICW homes are getting larger as we go South.

Large dune by an open inlet today.  We would increase speed when approaching an inlet and then lose speed when we continued to the other side due to tidal current.