At Dowry Creek, we had our first dinghy raft-up Happy Hour. This important cruising skill consisted of provisioning our dinghy with happy hour treats and drinks, then meeting the other cruisers in the anchorage at a predetermined time and location. All the dinghies were tied together, the engines turned off, and we drifted up the creek, past marshes and little inlets, while sharing happy hour goodies and stories. Once all the consumables had been consumed, the raft was broken up and we headed back to our boats. We actually went back to one of the other boats and learned a new card game. Karen, of course, won. It was a great time and an event we hope to repeat.

On Tuesday, we were up at daybreak and headed out. Yes, we have had to adjust our hours as there is limited daylight for travel and we like to get in well before dark. We were not the only ones leaving and we joined a procession of boats heading along the ICW pathway. While going across the Neuse River we counted about 20 boats in front of us and 20 behind us. I am surprised that there was not a groove worn in the water. We seem have to hit the peak travel time south. We anchored in Cedar Creek in a drizzly rain and settled in for the night. A front was supposed to come through later so we picked a spot protected from the predicted wind direction. Well the front came through at 4:00am, winds that were supposed to be 25 knots hit 47 knots (from the wrong direction), two boats dragged onto the mud, but we held. There was driving rain in the pitch dark so it was really hard telling what was happening. Fortunately, with the radar, we were able to position Vagus and the boats around us and determine that we were holding. The wind dropped after an hour and it was back to sleep.

Next we went to Beaufort, N.C. This is one of the sailing "Meccas" as boats head offshore from Beaufort to the Caribbean. It has an excellent harbour and provisioning. We stopped at a marina, as it was time for some routine engine maintenance plus laundry. We were also able to get a new bow light that was broken while trying to tie up in a lock. We were hit by a wind gust - what can I say. It was bow light: Zero; hard dinghy on davits: One. Here we caught up with a number of boats that we met while going through the Delaware so it was great catching up on their exploits. We took the dinghy with our friends from Safina into Beaufort and wandered the town. It actually did not take too long, as Beaufort is a lot smaller than we imagined.

On Friday, we headed out, again with a pack of boats and the next reasonable anchorage was at Mile Hammond. It was a beautiful, sunny day and a great trip along the ditch. There is so much to see, from wild life to interesting scenery (e.g. palm trees for Karen), to huge homes or estates, that we find the traveling enjoyable and are glad we are "doing the ditch". We do have to keep a close watch on our course and position, as it is easy to get lost or run aground on the sides of the channel. But there are excellent guidebooks and charts that help you along the way. We find that you cannot have too many guide books as each offers a different view, provides different information and enhances your knowledge of the surroundings. It also gives you a warm feeling when more than one book recommends an anchorage.

Mile Hammond is a dredged basin on a US Army base. You are not allowed to land but it is okay to anchor. We were followed in by a pack of boats that filled the anchorage. This is normally okay but as the boats were anchoring, a US Navy landing craft announced that it was leaving at 5:00am the next morning and needed a clear channel out. No one moved anchor. At 5:30am the vessel left dock confronted by an array of anchored boats. The Navy skipper was great and moved the vessel around the outside of the anchorage (where I thought it was too shallow) without disturbing any boats.

Next, we went to Wrightsville Beach where I came down with a great head cold. We did manage a trip into the beach, saw the ocean and all the surfers in wet suits out riding the waves. This was an interesting summer vacation town full of surfers.