We started early this morning. We had a bridge to squeeze under. There isn’t much of a tide back here in the Albemarle Sound. Most of the trouble comes from wind driven water. This morning we had low tide, such as it is, and good wind out of the North blowing the water back towards the inlets. Yay!
Our bridge today is between Manteo and Wanchese. We’ve been stuck behind this bridge before. The word on the sailors’ net is that this bridge exaggerates its height. When we got there it said there was 64.5 feet of clearance. We tinged pretty hard and had to carefully avoid the center light fixture but we made it. (Tinging is our word for that sound the whip antenna makes as it gets bent back by the bridge beams then snaps up to ting against the next beam.) We were REALLY close on the final beam so I agree with the crowd. That bridge was between 63.5 and 64.
We had hoped to slip into Wanchese and top off the diesel but their opening time seems to be aspirational in the off season. That’s OK. The wind is favorable for a good sail all day. We don’t need their diesel anyway.
The area between the Outer Banks and Roanoke Island is picturesque but the channel is slim. You can’t get too enamored with the frolicking dolphins and scenery or you’ll run aground.
We stretched into the night for a 14 hour day. We sailed into the sunset and anchored up a little creek in the dark. I can’t wait to see what these fairy lights nearer to shore are marking in the morning. The chart says Aqua Culture Floats. Now we are poised to pop down to Beaufort, NC tomorrow. They have a lovely marina that brings the diesel hoses to your slip. Yes, thank you!
Total miles south: 268 Temperature tonight vs. Vienna: 17 degrees warmer.
**UPDATE: Aqua Culture Floats
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