A New Anchorage

I was reluctant to leave Elizabeth City this morning. It is always hard to leave such good friends, however, weather windows rule. We are now in a rush to get positioned at Beaufort Inlet for a Saturday departure. We do not have the three days of good weather we want to get down to St. John's River, but we will take whatever southing we can get.

Our plan is to make a fuel stop tomorrow, so we pushed hard today to get to this new anchorage. Our friends, Dee and Molly on 'Allegria,' another Whitby 42, joined up with us in route today at the top of the Alligator River. We were both heading to this anchorage, but Allegria had anchored here several times before. It was nice to follow them in. At this point, it seems like a pleasant anchorage and pretty well protected.

It was also nice to follow Allegria under the Wilkenson Bridge. That bridge is the subject of much talk lately. It has been settling for years and no longer has a 65 foot clearance. Further, with all the rain the water is up, and the clearance was even less: 63.8 feet. We only need about 59 feet, but many other boats were taking the Manteo route to get down to Beaufort. We figured we would be just fine. What a comfort to have a sister boat prove it out. Thanks Dee!

Time to shower and prepare dinner.

Love to all,
Dena

{GMST}35°33.52'N|076°28.12'W|10/14/2015|5:39 PM{GEND}