We departed Bald Head Island at 7AM hoping to get beyond the Cape Fear shoals before the seas grow. About a mile and a half offshore….heading straight into the swells…the ‘queazies’ took over. Cat Maudy pitched into the swells. Over and over. This would go on for 2+ hours. I tried staring at the horizon…but the horizon kept moving. To keep going…I would be seasick.

We turned around, and headed back in to the Cape Fear River. Wrong seas for the wrong gal.

Paddy climbs the mast to bring down the equipment at the very top. This includes the tri-color light, and wind equipment. These items add extra height to our already “too tall” mast for the ICW fixed bridges. We will have to go inside at this point – and navigate under the 65′ fixed bridges along the ICW. Since our height is 63.5′ – we don’t want to risk close calls with the wind and lights on the top .

We depart Bald Head Island at 12:30PM – for a 25 mile trip to Wrightsville. Low tide is 4:30…and we would be at the one and only fixed 65′ bridge around 3PM. Luck is on our side – and the bridge shows a clearance of 68′. We easily pass under this bridge – and motor on thru the busy ICW. Lots of pleasure boat traffic…and shallow depths keep all the boaters hugging the middle of the channel. Arrive at the Seapath Marina just after 4PM – and spend a delightful evening with fellow cruisers John Lennon and his wife Vicky – the artist. They are enroute traveling the Great Loop – in their motor catamaran. Yup….we hung out with John Lennon. Cruiser John Lennon that is.