June 14th- Beaufort, NC
There seems to be no end in site to the current weather system that is stalled over the area. There are enough breaks in the showers that we can get to shore for some exercise. We could have left today but tomorrow (Monday) looks even worse. I’m not sure about our next stop. One possibility was Oriental but I was told the harbor is small and there might not be much room to anchor. Most boats are not moving at the moment so that could pose a problem. There are many other anchoring options off of the Neuse River. The problem is Monday’s forecast is counting the rain in inches.
We’re anchored in a pretty good spot in Beaufort. We look like we’re going to ground out on Carrot Island but Catalpa is sitting pretty in 12′ of water. Boats keep coming into the harbor but no one anchors near us. The Beaufort municipal dinghy dock is near. I guess what I’m trying to say is that we seem to be in a pretty good spot to sit out some lousy weather.
We’ve been entertaining ourselves. Lynne has found a few stores that sell food items (and beer). The town docks have ice and water. Ollie has also been getting in some recreation. When the weather is like this we try to keep him as dry as possible since we’re all cooped up inside Catalpa. This morning I decided to bring him over to a beach and let him go swimming. I think he was smiling. Later we went over to the town docks for a fresh water bath (less smiling). The rain stopped for a while so he was able to dry. The Captain tries to keep everyone happy so there are no mutineers aboard.
That’s the news from Beaufort. The weather isn’t supposed to improve much until next weekend. We’ll likely leave before then if I see an opportunity. Belhaven is about 70 miles away. The Chesapeake is around 200 miles. We’ll spend a couple days in Belhaven when we get there then push on up to the Chesapeake Bay.
The harbor is filling up. I hope the wind doesn’t get bad. Due to the current, things can get ugly as the boats start swinging around. We experienced this last Halloween!
View off the back porch. Carrot Island is part of the Rachel Carson Reserve. There are wild horses on the islands.
