You May Fire When You Are Ready, Gridley!

SHIP'S LOG:

After a LOOOONG Day, I made it up to Wrightsville Beach, NORTH CAROLINA. While it was only 51 miles, and the first half went quick enough, going up the Cape Fear River and up Bank's Sound was a long hard slog.

I had to arise and be underway at 6:30, dawn in these parts these days, for the long trip. In that its was the weekend, the locals were out in fore on the ICW fishing and doing all sorts of water fun stuff. They also were not paying attention to anything but what they were doing and didn't seem to care about anyone else. It is probably a very good thing that I don't carry a gun because I would have been sorely tempted to use it many a time yesterday. It simply amazes me how these people do crazy things in boats and are still around to do still more of them.

This is also the land of the PWC - Personal Water Craft - and I gather they come with only one speed, as fast as possible. Three of them went by me at that high rate of speed, each carrying an adult with a small child sitting in front of them. They disappeared up the ICW and a half hour later they came back but the children were missing! An hour or so later, they went by me again and returned, once again carrying the children . . . . . I assume the same ones . . . in front of them.

Bubba and Cooter and Billy Ray and Skooter were drift fishing between the fenders of one large bridge through which I had to pass. There is not a lot opf room between bridge fenders and the water is often turbulent with a quick current. It is a dangerous spot just to pass through, but to sit there drifting while boat are trying to get through makes it beyond dangerous to the point of being life threatening. And as I tried to get by without hitting them - I was successful - they looked at me like I was crazy!

When I made the turn into the Cape Fear River, the tide was going out the inlet, made even worse by the current of the river itself. About 30 miuntes of going up river at 2knots!, the tide turned and the speed picket up to a whole 4 knmots. The current in the river battled the tide from the ocean and you would have thouhgt that the tide would win and over come the current. Not so, at least not completely. What they did do was clash and cause a lot of turbulence in and around the channels and islands of the river. It was not the most fun of trips. Snow's Cut was even worse! Bank's Sound and the ICW feed into Snow's Cut and they were flooding out when I was coming in. Once again, the local boaters dash thither and yon with no regard for anyone else or even the markers in the water. I cringed any number of times and they nearly sideswiped me and other cruisers and one another. When I made the turn out of Snow's Cut, I was still fighting the ebb, but the wind was off the water and I could actually get sails up and drawing for the trip up to Wrightsville Beach. I actually made pretty decent time for the last part of the day and got anchor down at 5:18. I am right up by the bridge, not 100n yards from the dinghy dock and in a perfect spot. The reward for a long, long day.

Vin and Anne, who live in Wilmington, came by and we went out for dinner and had a great time. The last time I came down, Anne ended up in the ER with heart palpitations. This time, Vin took a tumble over a garden hose and gashed his eyebrow costing him 15 stitches on his eyebrow and the bridge of his nose. And Anne has developed a sore ankle for some reason and is limping around. I think I am going to have to get out of town before either experiences anything any more serious . . .medically.