With bad weather in the forecast, we made an early morning hop to a mooring in Carolina Beach. Waves had started rolling in, confirming our decision to move on, and getting the anchor up in the wind was a challenge. Other than a few shoaly spots, the ICW between Wrightsville Beach and Carolina Beach was beautiful and easy, and we saw tons of birds and a few dolphins.
Despite the wind that was with us our whole stay, we made sure to go ashore and explore when we could. I bet in season the vibe here is really cool – it reminds me a bit of Ocean City but has its own unique character.
We had a fantastic dinner at Coast – I had the harvest bowl with local-caught sea bass, and Chris had fish n’ chips. They had really good cocktails, and we finished with a chocolate bar (that was more like a fudge? Hard to describe) with sea salt and toasted marshmallow. On the way back, we decided to go to the grocery store since we didn’t know if we’d get another chance with the forecast constantly changing.
As the weekend continued to look worse, we decided to extend our reservation. The moorings were fully booked, but the harbormaster, Larry, said he’d been thinking of us and that he was expecting a cancellation. If not, he’d let us move onto the dock for the cost of the mooring – he didn’t want to send us off into the storm. The other boat did end up cancelling and we were able to stay. I was really impressed that he was so helpful, and it’s nice to know that someone’s looking out when you’re this far from home.
We used the generator to charge our phones and computers during the day, which allowed the solar to top up our batteries through the cloud cover that we had most of the week. The generator isn’t as loud as we’d worried, and while it’s not ideal, I’m glad we have it.
The cold has caught up with us – some nights we had temperatures dropping into the low 40s – and I wished we were on a dock so we could use the heat. Jack spent all his time on one of our laps and discovered that being covered by a blanket was pretty awesome when it’s cold out. But we cooked some really good comfort food meals (tacos, butternut squash ravioli, and burgers), and helped warm the boat up.
In advance of the weekend storm, we tied off the sails, brought the anchor aboard and lashed it down so it wouldn’t chafe the mooring lines, set up a triple bridle, removed the bimini and tied off the frame, and set Squall out on a double bridle. Probably more than was necessary, but better to be safe.
Saturday was a truly lazy day. We spent most of it reading and even got to spend some time on deck. As night fell, the gusts came up and continued building throughout the night. We passed the evening watching some of the sailing channels we follow, played a game and read. Later in the night, I went on deck to check out some unusual sounds, check on Squall, and check the mooring lines, and it was actually kind of scary. The wind was gusting into the high 40s, with rain whipping around and 1.5′ waves, and Silent Sky was heeling and hunting like crazy. I suited up in my fouiles, life jacket and tether and clipped off to the jacklines. Yes, on a mooring. We’ve ridden out three tropical storms aboard, and this was more intense than any of them. We set the clocks back, but I certainly didn’t get an extra hour of sleep – the howling wind kept me up most of the night along with the constant worry that either we or someone else would break free.
Sunday was still windy, but 20 gusting 30 seemed calm by comparison. Instead of going ashore, we took advantage of the time to do some boat work – there’s always something – but while rebedding one of the stanchions, a bolt snapped and we had to go find a replacement. While we were ashore, we walked over to the beach and stopped for an ice cream. The sun came out and a rainbow formed – such a striking contrast against the steel gray ocean and storm clouds. And the post-storm sunset was amazing.
We took our last morning walk from the dinghy dock on Canal Street. I decided I really liked all the little beach condos, and if I ever have to move back ashore, I think I’d like to live in a place like that – and all the funky colors are starting to grow on me. On our way in, we met the couple on Radiance, and they told us about a little cafe on the corner (that totally looked like it belonged in Belize) that made good breakfast, so we stopped in on the way back. I had a sausage, egg and cheese biscuit, and Chris had a breakfast burrito with potatoes and both were delicious.
After work, we stopped by The Fat Pelican. It’s one of those funky little places that is without time. The walls are covered in old metal signs and boating memorabilia, and everything has been scrawled all over by the patrons. The floor is uneven brick and dirt, everything is covered in Christmas lights, and nothing in the place matches. You go into the giant walk-in and pick from their selection of something like 350 beers including lots of local brews. I could totally see that becoming my place if I lived locally.
While we were here, it struck me that right now I’m just infinitely happy. Nothing in particular triggered it – or maybe it’s a combination of everything. This lifestyle suits me; I’m just happier on the water and being so connected to the elements. It’s not always easy or comfortable but that’s fine – the best things in life rarely are – and while it’s not always sunshine and rainbows, sometimes it’s exactly that.
