Wide awake at 5:30 with the help of the Ocracoke alarm clock - the ferry just yards away cranking up her diesel engines. No snooze alarm on that one.
6:30 cast off, under power out of Silver Lake. Wind out of the northeast, raise the mizzen and continue motoring into the wind up the narrow channel to Pamlico Sound. The light is eerie with a low dark fog over the island, a patch of blue sky and the sun fighting to pierce somber clouds.
7:00 look back to see a ferry leaving Silver Lake. We are still in the channel but I suspect we'll be out of the channel and the ferry gets close to us. 7:15 leave the channel with the ferry close behind. Fall off to starboard to give her plenty of room, round up and raise single-reefed main and jib.
Out on Pamlico Sound making 3.1 to the northwest. 7:50 making gps shows 3.0 to 5.0 depending on the gusts. Low clouds but not as thick as earlier.
8:45 a hint of the western shore appears on the horizon, then disappears. Making 4.5. 9:00 Bluff Point in sight, gps shows it is 7.45 NM away.
9:50 shake out the reef, 3.7 towards Bluff Point. 10:15 overcast giving way to blue skies. 10:30 making 3.0 with wind on the starboard beam. Warming up, strip off foul weather bibs and boots and two sweaters. 11:30 less wind, motorsailing. 11:55 no wind, under power with sails slatting from side to side. 12:15 see low, marshy Great Island off the port bow, entering the Great Island Narrows. 12:25 a hint of wind.
12:50 a southeast wind fills in. Sailing! Making 2.0 under the bluest of skies. 1:10 through the Narrows. 1:35 jibe towards Caffee Bay.
1:45 sail on to Caffee Bay. We turn up into a tiny cove and drop anchor. Ibises tiptoe through the bright green marsh. Terns dive on the calm water. A gentle breeze. Blue skies. White clouds. Where else in the world would I want to be?
I have had excellent luck fishing this cove before. I cast for nearly an hour, no luck at all. I think I jinxed myself by getting out the boca grip, a plier-like tool for grabbing hooked fish by the lip. My expectations are too high.
Drop back out of the cove, anchor down 2:50 Caffee Bay on a beautiful afternoon.
24.84 NM
No comments:
Post a Comment