Guided Discovery: Celebrating birthdays - Days 237 & 238

Diana's birthday was last Wednesday (the 18th), mine was Thursday (the 26th). So, on Thursday we began a joint birthday and Memorial Day celebration. Our goal was Beaufort, NC, which we heard was a special place.

The first leg was an easy 26 mile run from Southport to Wrightsville.

View of the historic docks at Southport

We departed Southport at 9:16 AM and headed up the Cape Fear River with, as usual (and we don't take it for granted) sunny skies. The 10 to 20 knot wind out of the south kicked up three foot waves on the river but fortunately we were heading north and thus had a smooth ride on a following sea.

For the next 70 minutes we bucked a 2.5 knot current until we intersected the ICW and the channel that leads to Snows Cut. As we approached the cut at 10:42, we observed an express cruiser that had run aground as a result of turning too wide at the green day mark. Low tide was around an hour earlier. A firm reminder of how critical it is to respect the ICW buoys.

Express cruiser hard aground

This leg was pleasant, short and uneventful. We arrived at the Wrightsville Beach Marina at 12:10 PM and then spent the afternoon exploring Wrightsville Beach on foot. A good four mile walk.

Heavy boat density at the marinas at Wrightsville Beach on the ICW

We made it too the beach.. It was not dog friendly

We "dressed" for dinner (well, this is our version of dressed) and had our birthday dinner at the Bluewater Restaurant adjacent to the marina.

Friday's leg from Wrightsville to Beauford was special as we decided to run on the outside for the first time in almost 1,000 miles (since arriving in Miami's Coconut Grove). The forecast was for two to four foot swells out of the south, which would give us a comfortable beam sea on our ENE (074 degree) heading.

After getting some local knowledge, we headed south for 13 minutes to Masonboro Inlet and then turned left and headed out into the North Atlantic. Except for a brief head sea as we proceeded out of the inlet, the forecast proved spot on as we turned ENE and powered up to 2300 RPM and 28 MPH.

Wake view as we run on plane in 3 to 5 foot swells

For the next two hours and 48 minutes we ran on plane at 28 MPH with the autopilot in track ("set it and forget it") mode. It felt good. Note: Cleaning the bottom and switching to the OEM props has given us back the boat's 30 MPH cruise. We ran at 2300 RPM (28 MPH) as this is the most fuel efficient spot on the high speed power curve (40 GPH).

At 11:38 AM, we arrived a Shakleford point and 17 minutes later we were docked at Beaufort Docks, the municipal marina. The marina is located on the town boardwalk in the heart of the historic downtown and residential district.

Guided Discovery at Beaufort Docks on Saturday morning

I spent the entire afternoon washing Guided Discovery while Diana and Kodi explored the town. Note: Guided Discovery gets hosed down after every run (a must in salt water) and washed thoroughly every 10 days. Another must in a salty seaside environment.

After dinner, Diana, the Furry Kid and I explored the town. Beaufort is spectacular. Most of the homes are from the 19th Century including a few that date back to the Revolutionary War. The town, we learned, has a strict architectural code that requires owners to maintain there vintage homes as the were built. All are painted white (95%) and each has a plaque with the date of construction and the original owner's name. Beautiful tree lined streets, wood clapboard houses with porches and best of all people sitting on them. Wow.