The missing buoy was located this morning as the tide uncovered the broken structure behind our boat. Very lucky that we did not venture further into the anchorage last night and hit it. Not the most restful anchorage as I was afraid of other early morning duck and fishing boats not expecting us to be there. Adjusted lighting on deck several times. Our solar lantern does not last the night on high.
We had taken bets on how long the twenty some mile journey would take us today. We had two bridges to pass, The first one , the Figure Eight Island Bridge, was a swing bridge, opening on the hour and half hour, the second, five miles further at Wrightsville Beach, was a draw bridge opening on the hour. The idea was to time the journey to hit the first bridge at the top of the hour so as to get to the second about an hour later. Balancing a sailboat in a narrow channel in a line of other boats while waiting for a bridge opening, is an exercise that is best minimized.
We passed our first dredge operation run by the Wilco company. We hailed them on the radio for instructions and were told to pass them “on one whistle.” A quick search revealed that that meant to pass them port to port.
Around buoy 120, between 120 and 121A, we felt our keel scrape the bottom. The depth finder sank to zero below the keel. We were aground. It was low tide luckily and we were not outside the channel. David powered up a bit and we were able to get free. It added a new dimension of worry to the trip. Shoaling is a big problem on this side of the ICW especially where small ocean inlets meet the sound.
We timed the bridges almost perfectly and called the Dockside marina and restaurant, recommended by Ellen Shrum, to see if they had any room. The young girl said there was room and we busily prepared to dock as we were crossing the Wrightsville Bridge. Dockside is just beyond the bridge on the starboard side going south. When we approached, we did not think we had enough room between one motor boat at the top of the T and one sort of parked in the middle of a large space. With Austin in the bow, we determined that we did have room between the two and David very carefully got our bow close. Austin got off easily and we passed lines to our “dockhand.” It was a most smooth operation and I was very proud of us.
We ate lunch on the boat and decided to walk to the beach. We chose a loop that would take us by a fishing pier, then down the beach and then back. We crossed the Wrightsville Bridge and then the causeway bridge which had a view of the Wrightsville anchorages. We saw the first Spanish moss of our trek, many dogs and an inordinate number of people who looked great in tight yoga clothes.
The ocean water was emerald green and clear and I braved a quick dip. A few surfers and paddle surfers were near the pier. On the way back, while we were looking at agave plants, we noticed the traffic was backed to a standstill and all the traffic lights were flashing yellow. It took us a minute to realize that it was time for the 3 pm bridge opening. We now see why the bridge only opens once an hour.
We learned that the reason for no room at Wrightsville marinas is not really Thanksgiving itself but the Saturday after Thanksgiving when Wrightsville hosts the annual Holiday flotilla, an event that piqued our interest for next year. Jer would love to watch this event and the fireworks afterward. Austin was sure that Sara would also be a fan.
We learned this afternoon that our sailing family,What Up Fishes, made it around Hatteras. They are safely anchored with other boats outside of Beaufort. So happy for them.
We ate at the Dockside restaurant after Austin secured a rental car for return home. He left shortly after dinner to drive, promising to see us in the Bahamas. So great to have him with us on this adventure.