Friday, October 28th, 2011 St. James Marina, Southport, NC

  In the morning all the boats were dancing on their anchorage.  We were close to 2 trawlers that dance completely differently than sailboats.  Argos, from Sydney, would ride up on their anchor and we would ride way down on ours, both boats coming very close together.  It could get a little nerve wracking….however, we’d seen it all before the first time in Wrightsville when the rode got wrapped around our keel and we were the only boat not dancing.  I’d sit at the stern and literally push boats off.  And in St Augustine one boat was on all rope rode and everyone else was on chain.  That boat would dance all over the place, coming really, really close to one boat, then dance in the opposite direction and come very close to another boat.  And no one was on the boat!

  The consensus in the anchorage was to wait for the ebbing tide with the north wind in Cape Fear River.  We agreed to leave at 9am. We got through Snows Cut then into Cape Fear River with a 20K north wind.  The waves seemed manageable, however as we proceeded the waves got larger and it was harder to control the boat, and we had 10+ miles of this!  It was a relief to turn off it into the more protected channel. Then the tide was against us and it was slow progress to the marina.

  We all met for drinks and supper and shared stories and all our experiences.  This is why we’re doing all this work!!  Then we’ll have something to share with people!  And to meet such interesting people.