Yah mon, you guessed it. Remind me to check the tide tables next time. Oh, and all of those ‘red right returning’ nun buoys and green daymarkers could be helpful do ya think? Nice shortcut through the spoils area. We were punished. The rudder, prop and keel were firmly mired. We know this because we neatly exhausted ourselves trying to push – tug the dead weight toward mocking channel pilings none too distant. We flopped back aboard after fruitless exertion realizing that we were defeated — and still stuck. A friendly chap in a dinghy cruised past offering assurances. After an hour in the silt, nature let us go. Very humbling and humiliating.

Say! We had a great time though (despite the learning curve). Gorgeous waterfront homes, scenic green wetlands with graceful long legged birds and uninhabited secluded strips of white sandy beach that we paused at and sunk our bare toes into. We motored from Wrightsville via the ICW to Snow’s Cut and then northbound up the expansive Cape Fear River for Wilmington’s downtown. We found a transient dock at the Hilton waterfront and a nice lunch at an Italian Bistro. Grabbed saltwater taffee from a shop at the historic Cotton Exchange. Wind and sea air in our faces.

The sailors’ life for me!
Christmas wish list: a depth finder 😉