Nov. 5-6, 2026. Traveling Along the NC Coast

Thurs. Nov. 5, 2026  Beaufort, NC to Wrightsville Beach, NC.  86 miles and 9.6 hours

Another decision day. Ultimately want to get to Carolina Beach over the next two days.  Usually, we would go from Beaufort to an anchorage called Mile Hammock (short day) and then to Carolina Beach (long day).  But weather is looking rainy Friday, so preference is to make Fridy the short cruise day.  Without firm plans for the night in place we still decided to make today the long day and cast off at 7AM.  Noted a marina we had never used before a few hours past Mile Hammock on the charts and hoped we could get reservations with them.  Office opens at 9AM.  Got a response back "No room".  We are timing our run this morning to get to the Onslow Bridge for a scheduled opening - only on the hour and half hour. We're on track for the 11:30.   Just past it is Mile Hammock.  Not many decent anchorages afterwards. Check to see if we can make the Wrightsville Beach bridge for their "on the hour only" opening.  Seems like we can make their 4PM so decide to press on.  Calculation is compounded by the constantly changing push or pull of the tidal current as we pass the many small inlets along the coast. Figured if we could make that 4PM opening we could still get anchored at Wrightsville Beach before the sunset.  Would have been dark if we tried making it all the way to Carolina Beach so this is a good option.    As usual, everything worked out in the end. 

Martha in her "Happy Place" at Homer Smith's.  Three new large
capacity washers and dryers - free of charge.

Amazing sunrise over the marina as we start prepping for departure.
No truth to that old saying - "Red sky in the morning, sailor take warning" today

Making our way past some of the Beaufort fishing fleet

Then out towards Morehead

Go past the ships being loaded in Morehead and onto the ICW

Pretty nice day overall.  Mostly sunny and hot - mid 70's.   Couple of light clouds and misty rain passing through but none really hitting us.   Did leave us with a couple of full-length rainbows.   Dolphin activity has picked up.  May be a function of the warmer 72-degree waters.  Packs of them heading straight for the boat to ride our wake waves on numerous occasions.    Had a larger yacht running several miles ahead per AIS until we came around a tricky corner at New River Inlet.  Charts were showing shoaling in the middle with tracks going either side around it.  He was sitting right in the middle of it trying to work his way free with heavy use of the bow thruster to waddle himself free.    Eventually managed to do it and caught up to us several hours later at the Wrightsville bridge opening.

First rainbow of the day forming ahead of us

Trying to get to that pot of gold before the rainbow disappears

Had this one pack of dolphins that were "jumpers"

Good water depths in front and behind Perfect Lady.  It's that shoal
in between that gets you if not paying close attention

Derelict boats still an issue along the ICW.  Saw this kid playing on it and
thought "That's dangerous".  Then reconsidered and figured at that age
I'd probably go exploring and do the same thing.

Cut around the back of all the marinas to the anchorage.  Picked our spot and got the anchor down. Amazed at the number of boats already at anchor when we arrived.  Primarily catamaran sailboats. Didn't see them on the ICW so these are boats using the offshore route and ducking in here for the night.  One of the easier inlets in NC to traverse.  Nice sunset as it peaked out under some clouds before finally setting.  Overall, good progress.  Even got reservations made for the next couple of nights further south.  

Squeezing under the Figure 8 Island Bridge at high tide.  VHF antenna
down and anchor light tilted over just gets us under the 21' clearance
 without them needing to lift for us.

Heading through the Wrightsville Beach Bridge

Setting the anchor as the sun fades for the day

The sun dropped below the cloud line just in time for a perfect picture.

Journey for Nov. 5, 2026

Fri. Nov. 6, 2026  Wrightsville Beach to Carolina Beach Municipal Marina  14 miles and 2.0 hours

Very short cruise day.  Just 2 hours to get to our next stop.  Rainy forecast as expected.   No hurry to get going which was good since Martha stayed up late watching her Jacksonville Jaguars beat the Ravens on Thursday night football.  Finally pulled the anchor up around 10:30. Followed another boat who left the anchorage ahead of us down the ICW.  Both running about the same speed.  Made it pretty easy as we had rain most of the trip.  Sometimes just a mist, sometimes a shower.  Never a downpour which was nice.  Got a break in the rain just as we were docking which was unusual.  Seems like we always dock at the worst times - too much wind, too much current, too little water, too dark, raining, etc.  Dockmaster got us tied up and connected to power just as a bit more rain came up.  We try to stop at Carolina Beach whenever we're passing through to visit with family who live in the area.  Can't go wrong with a nice home cooked meal and good conversation with Pete, Rhonda, Logan and Kelsey.  

Following the boat ahead down the ICW on a dreary morning

Journey for Nov. 6, 2026

Nov. 2-3, 2026 Moving on to Beaufort, NC

 Mon. Nov. 2, 2026  Washington to Broad Creek Anchorage 56 miles and 6.0 Hours

Time change yesterday means the sun is up early and so were we.  Not sure about the actual schedule for that railroad bridge closing and didn't want to get stuck inside so opted to take off early.  7AM and we were dropping the lines and heading out. 

Making our way past the railroad bridge

Very long wooden trestle coming out to the railroad bridge

Caught up to and gently passed this sailboat who left Washington ahead of us

Picked out several possible anchorage areas along the route.  Reversed the long straight open water passage down the Pamlico River.  Entered Goose Creek cut.  Way too early to drop anchor at the first possible anchorage along here.  Continued on passing the always memorable RE Mayo docks.   Out into Bay River and pass the second anchorage area as it's still too early in the day to stop. 

Just 2 commercial boats at the RE Mayo dock.  Usually see 4-6 of them lined up

More open water as we get onto the Neuse River.  Little bit of a swell on the stern driven by the continuing NE winds.  Decided to call it a day at Broad Creek.  Sets us up for a quick run tomorrow to Beaufort.   We had stayed at River Dunes Marina off this creek years ago and I remembered there being a decent looking anchorage area nearby.  Chart looked like good wind protection.  Tree lined shoreside.

Good tree line to break the NE winds.  Too shallow to get much closer to it

Nice catamaran coming into Broad Creek and headed for the marina

Seems like it could be fun in very calm conditions as there's a big natural area with lots of man-made canals to explore with a kayak (part of a mosquito control project back in the 1950's).   Sort of disappointed with it today. Wind protection was OK but swells from boats passing well out in the Neuse River work their way in and rocked us during the day. Water a bit too shallow to let us get really close to the tree line.  Swells died down at night, so we still got a nice night's sleep.  Good sunset views as the overcast conditions we had all day were breaking up.

Sunset - Going....

Going....

Gone!

Journey for Nov. 2, 2026

Tues. Nov. 3, 2026   Broad Creek to Homer Smiths Marina (Beaufort,NC)  32 miles and 3.6 hours

No need for an early start today.  Just a few hours cruise to Beaufort.  Day starts with nice sunny clear conditions.  A NE breeze continues at 5-10+.   Should get into the low 70's.   Perfect for driving from the flybridge. Anchor comes up relatively clean at 9AM and we're on our way.  Quick out onto the open Nuese River where we join a parade of boats heading across the river and towards Adams Cut and the ICW. 

Sun coming up to start the day

This noisy contraption was working an aquaculture area - assumed it was for oysters

Back to areas where the dolphins like to play in our wake

First half of the cut is nicely wooded shoreline.  Only thing of note is getting passed by a pair of faster boats. Second half of the cut is lined with homes and becomes a no wake zone slowing our progress a bit.   Eventually come out on the open waters of the Newport River.  Continue south and take the Town Creek cutoff to get to Homer Smiths Marina.  Always a favorite for us.  Great docks, great owners and staff, wonderful captains lounge and immaculate bathrooms. Martha has three free brand-new large capacity washers and dryers at her disposal.  One of the few marinas that still has a courtesy car available for easy trips to reprovision.  Just a little bit further walk into town compared to the city of Beaufort marina but we'll take the tradeoffs.   We have reservations for a two-night stay to enjoy the amenities.  

Passed another of those mile markers today.  Making progress

Journey for Nov. 3, 2026

Oct. 29, 2026 Onward to the "Other" Washington

 Thurs.-Sun.  10/29-11/1, 2026   Slade Creek to Washington Town Docks   40 miles and 4.2 hours

Our original plan was to head from the Belhaven area to Beaufort, NC and spend 2 nights there.  Unfortunately, the marina could only accommodate us for Thursday night.  Decisions. Decisions.  Since we really wanted to spend two days in Beaufort, we figured waiting until next week might get us a 2-night reservation.   So, we checked the charts and decided a cruise up the Pamlico River to Washington, NC would make a good side trip.  Stopped there one time by car and it looked interesting. Rave reviews from boater friends who overwintered there and liked it so much they moved there. Decided we'd make it a long weekend stop if they could accommodate us.  Quick reply of "yes" had us lined up for 4 nights. Thursday through Sunday.  We'll anchor out Monday on the way to Beaufort.  Even got confirmed reservations there for Tuesday and Wednesday nights. Seems it all worked out in the end.   

Good nights sleep at Slade Creek anchorage.  Winds died down a bit overnight.  Anchor held steady. Had a couple of sailboats pull into the anchorage later in the day and spend the night.  Relatively short cruising day planned for us so once again no rush in the morning as we see the sailboats pulling anchor and departing. Pleased with this anchorage compared to the potentially more exposed one we've used in the past up the Pango Creek.  

Checking the sailboats at anchor as the sun rises

The protective tree line catching the rising sun

Finally get moving around 10AM.   Pretty open waters out the Pungo River and out onto the Pamlico River.  Ninety-degree turn to starboard and a relatively long straight shot towards the narrowing headwaters and the town of Washington. Oftentimes referred to as "Original Washington" or "Little Washington" to distinguish it from Washington DC.  It was the first town named after George Washington.   Bit of a side trip as it takes three hours up the Pamlico with not too much to see. Mostly undeveloped natural shoreline with a few areas of scattered houses.   Make it past the Coastal Railroad Swing Bridge guarding the entrance to Washington and get a warm greeting and assistance with an easy side tie to E dock.   Redevelopment efforts in the late 90's resulted in the waterfront area docks and park.  Removed some of the town's history taking away the remnants of its once thriving commercial wharfs and shipbuilding shops. Local waters had become too shallow for any sort of large vessels. Made the open spaces available to the public and the waterfront available to pleasure boaters helping give the town a new identity.  Main Street is behind it.  View from the waterfront is the back side of the buildings on Main St.  Quick walk downtown reveals numerous restaurants, shops, museum, theatre, ice cream shop and two breweries.   Reminds me of Georgetown, SC, Brunswick, GA. or Lewes. DE., where Main Street stretches down several blocks with an active and varied vibe. 

Dockmaster says the 120 year old railroad bridge is the oldest in NC.  Passing
 through, it looked every bit that age.  Impressive that it still opens and closes daily

View of town from our dock

The Riverwalk and park area.  Gets plenty of activity. Walkers, runners and lookies.

View down Main Street.  Nice trees.  Even play "Yacht Rock" music via speakers

Historic Turnage Theatre.  Has an amazing amount of activities

Art on the street features blue crabs. 

Pretty sure this one is sponsored by the local Garden Club

Great Indian Summer weather Thursday and Friday. Temperatures reaching the sunny 80's. Winds finally settling down for a few days.  Lots of people out and about.  Can tell we're back down south as everyone we pass gives a smile and a "Hey", Hello", "How are you" greeting as we walk along the waterfront.  We head for the Underground Railroad Museum housed in an old Seaboard Coastline Railroad caboose.  Small museum but curator captivated us with story after story about the secret symbols and methods of communication between slaves and abolitionists.   Took us through a spelling lesson demonstration never saying a letter but using symbols in a song to get us to spell out "Washington". Gave us a little history of the town's days as a commercial shipping center and how that was the method used for most slave escapes from here. Even talked a little about her childhood days in Washington as a segregated town. Told a humorous story on herself - maybe true, maybe not.   As a young girl she went with her mom to a department store in town.  Was all excited to see the water fountains marked "colored" and "white".  Went to the one marked "colored" and tried it several times.  Told her mom, "It's not working".  Mother pushed the button and water came out just as it had for her.  She exclaimed to her mom " But where are the colors?" she had expected to see in the water.  We wound up spending 2 hours in that caboose turned museum just listening and learning.   Afterwards, grabbed a beer and some very good NY style pizza from Pitt Street Brewery.  Great views as it sits right on the river.  

Underground Railway Museum housed in this old caboose

Yeah.  I know.  Weird selections for a flight.

Saturday we took in the N.C Estuarian Museum. The Albemarle and Pamlico sounds are the second largest estuaries in the US.  Nice information about the importance of the area for the health of wildlife and protection from the ocean.  Did not realize it but just past the Hiway 17 bridge in town the water becomes the Tar River.  It's the defining line between the 215 miles of fresh waters upstream and the brackish waters of the Pamlico River.   Back to Pitt St. Brewery again and some eastern NC BBQ for dinner.  Watched the Clemson-FSU football game Saturday evening.  Held at FSU who was favored, but we managed to play decently most of the game and came away with a win.  Still gonna be a tough finish to our season going forward.  Sunday sort of a lazier day.  Daylight savings time ended - hate how early it will be getting dark.  Spent the morning giving the boat a freshwater washdown. Took a walking tour of some of the historic houses in town using a brochure we picked up at the welcome center.  There are three early houses dating back to the late 1700's.  Then most of their historic houses are from the reconstruction period after the civil war.   British used Washington as a military supply base during the Revolutionary war.  Stored munitions here. Used the abundant forests to provide wood for ships and masts.  And of course, resin from the pine trees to make tar for waterproofing the ships.  When they left after the war they destroyed the town on the way out.   Then during the civil war when Union forces held Wilmington, Charleston and Savannah, this was a major supply center for the Confederacy.   Union forces eventually took control, and the town was once again burned as they left.   Then an accidental fire took out much of the downtown and wharfs in the early 1900's.  Sort of amazing that any houses survived.  It does make for a bit of a hodge podge. Unlike a lot of older towns with well-defined several block areas of historic houses clustered together, the ones here are sort of scattered around town.  Made for a nice walk seeking each one out.  

The Myers House built in 1780 holds the distinction of being the oldest house in Washington. 

1899 Methodist Church is the 4th sanctuary on this site and home to
Washington's oldest congregation. The unique turret is a town landmark.  

The 1890 Moss house - a triple A frame. Dormer roof, attic roof and porch roof

.

The 1829 Elmwood House.  An original plantation house used as a Union hospital
 during the civil war.  Featured in Harpers Weekly in 1857 as one of the
south's most distinguished homes.  Now a B&B.

Worked up a thirst so stopped at Two Rivers Brewery for a flight.  Had to try both breweries.  Their mango fruited wheat beer was surprisingly refreshing after that walk. Seems to always be something happening in this town for amusement.  A crowd had gathered for Sunday afternoon music bingo at the brewery while I was there.  We grabbed an early dinner at The Loco Social Mexican restaurant where they had entertainment with live music from JD and Clay.  Plenty of entertainment all weekend with bands, karaoke, open mikes, theatre, ghost walks, Halloween kids in the park, etc... 

Getting in the Halloween spirit.  This house had at least 6 full size witches on
their porch.  I would have been too scared to ring the doorbell as a kid.
Maybe that was their plan?? 

Selfie at the bear statue in the park. 

JD and Clay.   Fun to watch JD play the flute, sax and keyboard while also singing.

Finished the day watching recordings (thank you again Starlink, Fubo and Apple TV) of the Jaguars dominant win over the Colts and then the F1 race from Mexico City where Kimi Antonelli became the youngest driver ever at just 20 years old to win the Drivers' Championship. Amazing!! Overall, a good fun long weekend in Washington and certainly worth taking the side trip off the ICW for a visit.

Sunset over the river

Journey for Oct. 29, 2026