June 5, 2026 Onward to Beaufort, NC and a Short Respit

 Friday  June 5, 2026  Wrightsville Beach to Homer Smith Marina   83 miles and 9.2 hours

One nice advantage of cruising this time of year is the long hours of daylight.  First light is 5:30, sunrise at 6, sunset at 8:15, and last light at 8:45. If we had the stamina we could cruise for 14 hours in daylight and cover a lot more miles.  Today we simply used that early morning daylight to allow for an early departure to get to the Wrightsville Bridge for the 7 AM opening.  From 7AM to 7 PM they only open on the hour, and we wanted to get gone before the 8 AM opening.   So, anchor was up and on deck by 6:20. Made it to the bridge about 6:40.  Hailed the bridgetender with a request for an opening and expecting him to notify us of the need to wait until 7. Taken aback when he opened "on demand" as we were there before 7AM.  The bridgetender here has a somewhat bad reputation so maybe we just caught the night shift tender and it's the daytime one with the attitude.  In any case, made for a pleasant start to the day.  Short cruise up to Figure Eight Island Bridge. Clearance of 20' but some extra as we're coming through at low tide. The ICW tends to be wider here and slightly less developed so only a few true "no wake" zones to slow us down. 

Figure Eight Island Bridge. Drop the VHF antenna and we squeeze under it.

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Remember when rental beach houses were simpler affairs
 and having A/C wasn't even guaranteed.

The times sure have changed with everyone going bigger and outdoing their neighbors

 We're able to get under higher bascule bridges and the high-rise permanent bridges with the exception of the Onslow Beach Bridge. Seems dumb that they just put in a new replacement lift bridge with a mere 16' clearance and are maintaining their opening schedule of only on the top and bottom of the hour. We time our arrival for the 11:30 opening. This area of the ICW is cutting through Camp Lejeune.  There are times the area is closed off due to military training, but not today.  Strict rules due to unexploded ordinances.  No landing on the base, no landing on the beaches, no anchoring, no bottom fishing.  Just want to make sure no one accidentally goes "BOOM"!  Of course we see violations of all these regulations as we pass through. 

Mile Hammock anchorage at Camp Lejeune.  A good spot we've used in the past. 
We bypass it today and keep on moving.

Always some kind of interesting activity at the base.

Targets still sitting on the beach - just to reinforce they do live target practices

Passing through Sneads Ferry area and slow down for a boat being pushed towards shore.  Happy to see it's actually a work crew removing a derelict vessel. Abandoned boats have become more of an issue over the years.  An eyesore, a navigational hazard, and an environmental risk.  Thankfully grant moneys are being made more readily available for their removal and disposal. 

One of several derelict boats we learned were being removed

Part of the local fleet still in good working order

Blue heron strolling the shallows looking for a quick bite

Locals also strolling the shallows on a spoils island along Bogue Sound

On to Swansboro and then through the long stretch of Bogue Sound.  Lots of center consoles out and about buzzing up and down around us as we approach Morehead City and Beaufort.   This is a big week here.  The 68th Annual Big Rock Marlin Tournament starts Saturday.   $4.7MM in prize money.  Raises over $1MM for local charities. This tournament is known world-wide with top teams spending $300M-$400M over the week on entry fees and operating costs. We're just glad Homer Smith Marina was able to fit us in for a 2-night stay.   After multiple long cruising days and multiple nights on the hook it was time for a little break.  We love this marina.  Nice new facilities.  Great bathrooms for a much enjoyed long hot shower, Captains lounge with recliner couches that are more comfortable than ours at home.  Becoming a rarity but they even have a nice courtesy car.  So a quick grocery run is in the plans along with a visit to the local craft brewery! 

Sportfishing crew behind us at the dock.  Back in for the day and prepping for
an early departure tomorrow. Prime marlin grounds are 40 miles offshore.

Sunset casting a warm glow on the Fairform Flyer next to us. 
Old school classic boats still custom built in Jacksonville, FL

Journey for June 5, 2026