Sunday, cold but a lovely sunrise. Found Larry laying flat on the floor below, face down….scared the hell out of me! He was reading the generator displays that are almost at floor level. Anchor up at 7:05….about 50 degrees in the pilothouse. Officially 41 at the nearby Outerbanks. Wind S 10 +/-. Alligator-Pungo Canal had fog up ahead. Eagle soaring in front of us…..kingfisher sunbathing after hunting. Then something big in front of us, an otter? Stopped at RE Mayo, AICW mile marker 157.3. $.40/ft! Can’t beat it! No one around. Just huge fishing boats tied up. It was 2:40 in the afternoon-guess they are closed on Sunday. So we called in on Monday to pay our dockage fees.

Monday, cast off at 7:00….easy ride to Beaufort. 43 degrees. We arrived by 1:30. Met a boat from Duxbury. We were docked in front of a gorgeous 60-65 sportfisher with a fantastic grey paint job. Bet the paint job cost more than many boats out there…..It is Veteran’s Day so we borrowed the marina car and went to Golden Coral. They provide free dinners for vets. It’s not just the free dinner, it’s the atmosphere. We were greeted at the door by a USMC colonel in full dress greens. Larry wished him a belated happy birthday. (The corps had its birthday earlier this week.) This is the second one we attended; the other in Maryland last year. And both had this great vibe amongst vets of all branches and ages. Afterwards, we stocked at Walmart. Not too many available along the way.

Tuesday, blow coming….rain and gale force warnings….until Wednesday late afternoon….here we go again! Every time we stop at Beaufort, we bring a storm. They must dread to see us coming….walked to the Beaufort Cafe for a late breakfast. Afterwards, we strolled downtown for shopping and browsing…. good view of Rachel Carson Preserve…..and Beaufort Harbor. Wind picking up on the way back to Town Creek Marina (AICW mile marker 202). Larry sang to me on our walk back! I truly enjoyed it. One of those mental snapshots….

Wednesday, rain and wind…..cold too. Very windy, but we were protected by the fueling shed next to us on the pier.

Thursday, walked to breakfast at the Cafe again,,,,more shopping downtown. Saw horses on the Carson preserve…..

Friday, rain again…actually the rain started yesterday afternoon, after we had returned from our walk. Today, borrowed the marina vehicle and ran errands. Brought Italian food back from the Noname….always good….settled in for the next storm.

Saturday, very windy! Here we go again, N high 20’s and higher gusts. Bouncy. The back porch vinyl surround vibrated as if blowing off….never experienced that on this boat before. I knew we were well secured to the dock but still concerning…..stayed put all day……