A windless morning. I had seen the forecast the night before, so I sleep in. Same forecast again for the following day. I lay in the sleeping bag and think about the trip. Oriental (twice), New Bern, Beaufort, Cape Lookout and Ocracoke. North Creek, where I put in, is just miles to the west. Maybe it is time to head home.
Motoring at idle speed 7:30. There is fog on the marshes to the north.
8:30 more fog on the channel to Swan Quarter. I had seen a ferry pass through earlier, so nothing to worry about there. I turn southwest, figure I'll skirt the string of marshy islands that separate Pamlico Sound from Rose Bay.
8:30 some wind, making 2.7 south of Swan Quarter Island. 8:50 wind disappears, motoring at idle speed. 9:30 a little wind, 1.7. 10:45 I round up and drop the main and jib just south of a little unnamed, at least on my charts, island south of Judith Narrows. Figure I might as well cast a lure.
With the south wind I drift back to the island. Looking at Navionics on my phone I see that my drift would be parallel to the northeast side of the islet. I move around the corner, start the drift, casting right up along shore. The first pass no hits but I do notice a little gut, or opening, into the marsh about halfway along the island. I motor up and begin a second drift along the shore, casting towards that little gut. Three or four casts and fish on!
The fish dives by a puppy drum and puts up a nice little fight, but as I reel it in I see that it is a thick speckled trout. How nice.
11:15 sailing west. Still unsure of where I am headed. I think about the Pungo River and Belhaven. Or Washington. I've given up on making Albemarle Sound on this trip.
Better wind at noon and it seems like the wind is carrying me back to North Creek. So I guess it is time to head home.
More afternoon wind. 1:00 making 3.2 across the mouth of the Pungo River. 1:20 making 3.7 to 4.3 with a following swell. 2:05 off of Wade Point, wind swinging to the southeast and sailing wing and wing. 3:00 making 4.3 approaching Chambers Point. 3:10 in North Creek. Anchor down 3:50 on the East Fork of the creek.
I get out the carving board and fillet knife. I get a couple of nice fillets and a nice strip of belly off the trout, cook it up in the pan with some garlic butter rice.
While dinner is sizzling away I suddenly recall a beer bought somewhere along the way is still down with the food supplies. A minute or two of digging around and there it is. Yeah, warm beer, but no complaints are heard.
23.35 NM
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