24 October 2019
Depart: Dowry Creek Marina, Belhaven, NC
8:30
Arrive: Fairfield Harbour Anchorage off Neuse
River, New Bern, NC 4:15
Distance: 63 nm
We heard the
temperature would drop significantly overnight, and when we woke in the morning
the thermometer showed 49 degrees. With a bright sun, however, it felt much
warmer. With the temperature change, I had to wipe the panels of the full enclosure as they were covered
with dew. By the time we left the docks,
we had a gorgeous day for travel with clear, sunny skies and just-right temps!
Because
trees blocked the early view to the east, Clark was able to grab a sunrise
picture first thing this morning.
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| Sunrise at Dowry Creek, Belhaven, NC |
About 8:00
boats started departing the marina, and we knew we would once again have a lot of
company on the way south. About 20 after 8, “Home Too” pulled away from the
dock and then waited for us to pull out of our slip to join them.
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| "Home Too" departing Dowry Creek Marina |
Because of
our direction of travel, we had a bright sun and lots of glare off the water to start our day.
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| Morning sun hitting the water |
Once we turned onto the Goose Creek cut, we lost the sun glare.
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| "Home Too" on Goose Creek cut (ICW) |
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| Tug / tow - "Beaufort Belle" |
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| Local fishermen |
Kenny on “Daybreak”
texted his location to Clark as we traveled. We figured he was just ahead of us
near Goose Creek, and we would pass him by when he stopped at R.E. Mayo for
fuel and seafood.
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| Coast Guard station Hobucken, NC |
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| R. E. Mayo Seafood and Fuel |
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| Fishing trawler at R.E. Mayo |
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| "Daybreak" provisioning at R. E. Mayo |
We exited the
Goose Creek cut, entered Pamlico Sound briefly, and made a turn onto the Neuse
River for a side trip to New Bern. For the first portion of the Neuse River,
until we reached the ICW turnoff, we had plenty of company on the water.
Afterwards, boat traffic trimmed down significantly.
Something we could see up
ahead looked rather peculiar with what appeared to be a giant, black triangle
up in the air. I asked Clark, “What am I
looking at?” He pulled
out binoculars and said, “It’s either a ketch or a yawl with sails wing-and-wing.”
As we got closer the sails appeared to be burgundy. After we passed, they
looked more brown than red. Whatever the color (black, red, or brouwn), I thought a different color would have been a better choice.
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| Dark-sailed Sailboat on the Neuse River |
Since
conditions were perfect for sailing, a lot of boats had their sails up and
working including those sailing the loop and those just having fun in the Neuse
River. Timing for us was off because just
as we turned into the narrow channel leading to tonight’s anchorage, a group of
sailboats decided to call it a day. Boating
rules say they have the right of way. Clark slowed way down and drove on one
engine to follow them in.
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| Rush hour exiting the Neuse River |
After
dropping our anchor and settling in, we kicked back and relaxed until dinner. I
grabbed my book and headed to the fly bridge to read. Clark grabbed his guitar
and strummed in the cockpit. In between songs, he managed to get a picture of
our anchorage as the sun set.
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| Sunset in Fairfield Harbour near New Bern, NC |
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