15 July Plan B

Flexibility and having a Plan B are critical for safe and comfortable sailing. We'd left Charleston on Monday morning with a forecast showing following light winds with a short period of light north east winds on the nose before resuming to southwest. However, what we got was six hours of sailable wind, current against us and each time we had a new forecast the length of time of wind on the nose increased.

We'd gone offshore from Charleston to find uplift from the Gulf Stream and even beyond the 500m contour it had gone AWOL. We were making a miserly four knots under motor. It was stinking hot and we'd had enough. Fortunately there is a great anchorage before Cape Hatteras behind the sand dunes at Cape Lookout. We'd stopped here in November on our way south from Hampton to Charleston to wait for a southerly wind to pass and knew it was a good spot to stop.

Then we arrived in darkness, today it was in daylight. We found a lovely spot in 6m of water at 34°37.19N 076°33.00W dropped the hook, settled back and let out a sigh of relief. Relief from the continuous drone of the engine and relief to have arrived in such a beautiful spot. I think we will have better winds to continue round to Hampton in three days. Until then...relax.