Leftover jambalaya hash (w/ Rubarama) & scramble eggs

It was only 70 miles from Wrightsville Beach to Beaufort, but it was a long day given that we were only doing 3 knots when we left under such light winds. Of course, they picked up, and by mid afternoon we were reaching 8 knots under ½ jib only. Despite the rollers, it was slack tide and we sailed into Beaufort, dropping anchor just past the Coast Guard station.

Beaufort boat restoration center

Beaufort is a cute little coastal town. It’s a long dinghy ride from the anchorage, but the alternative (town anchorage) was way too crowded and I’m glad we opted to dinghy in. We walked the main docks and visited some of the local stores. There was a mobile library book stand (trailer) set up in a parking lot that allowed us to stock up on Stuart Woods and Carl Hiaasen books for the rest of the trip. After that it was off to the local brew pub and then Mexican (what else?) for lunch.

Stormy weather

We had debated staying later and trying one of the two fancier restaurants for dinner, but Trip was a bit anxious about the weather, so we headed back. Good thing, as just an hour after we got back the skies darkened. Soon enough the winds were howling in the 40’s, lightning was striking everywhere, and the rain was pouring. The anchor held beautifully, and the storm passed, though not without a few deep breaths on my part.

More stormy weather

Monday we opted to stay on the boat as the forecast was lousy all day. Turns out we could have easily headed back into town for the day, but that night brought torrential rains again. We thought we were leaving Tuesday, only to have our plans thwarted by a weather trough hitting a front and stalling off Cape Hatteras. Our weather router said we didn’t want to be anywhere near the cape Tuesday night or Wednesday morning, as he was predicting up to gale force winds near the trough (very messy sailing indeed). So it was another day of tucking into new books, pouring over weather reports, doing projects and waiting again.

Calm after the storm