Last post I had just started back south on the Intracoastal Waterway. The past couple weeks have been mostly just motoring down the waterway with a couple ill-fated trips into the ocean. It seems no matter what the forecast is, I always have rough weather in the ocean. Once, as I was approaching the Masonboro Inlet from the ocean the waves and swells were bigger than anything I have seen. At least 10 feet I would guess. The boat was violently tossed all around. It was all I could do to hang on to the wheel. It was a scary several minutes until I got past the jetties.

I’ve done a lot of sailing, not just in the ocean but on the ICW where there are stretches of big water such as the Albemarle Sound.

So it’s been slow but steady. I am passing by places I went through on the way up, such as Belhaven, NC, a great little town where the director of the chamber of commerce actually let me borrow her car to drive to the grocery store.

I anchored one night off the ICW in North Carolina and after sunset I was about to go out to start my engine to charge my batteries. But then I noticed a massive swarm of mosquitoes had collected on my companionway hatch and were buzzing all over the cockpit. I put out my thermocell insect repellent but it took all night to kill them. It was really disgusting and bit creepy. Here’s a video.

https://youtu.be/sRM30546Wac

I went past a couple abandoned sailboats on the side of the ICW. I wonder how they ended up there.

Here’s one adorned with some political humor.

By the way, Trump signs and posters outnumber Biden by 100:1. This is definitely Trump country.

Here’s a quick video of me in a storm in the Atlantic. Again, the forecast was 10-20 knot winds and a chance of rain. Well the wind gusted up to 24 knots with 6 foot waves and rain. Not fun.

https://youtu.be/aF-8HkuBUjk

That’s it for now. I am a couple days northeast of Charleston, SC. Hopefully I will get some good weather and can sail out in the ocean again. Stay tuned.