Underway from Cape Lookout, and motoring into a mild breeze back to the Beaufort Inlet. It wasn't bad until we got right to the inlet where the wind was against the outflowing current. Here you see the breaking waves on the sandbar west of the inlet.
The Inlet conditions were really bad, some of the worst we've seen this trip. While the waves weren't that high and not breaking over the bow, it was a total washing machine with waves coming from all angles. The wind chose to switch from 10kts on the beam to 20+kts on the nose. Worse was the current which was running at 3-4kts on the nose.
We had to bash through, making about 3 kts until we could get through the narrow inlet and out of the strongest current. Then, its back to calm waters of the Intracoastal Waterway.
The rest of the day was uneventful with calm conditions and a small current on the nose. By noon, we were at Oriental and found the town dock unoccupied, so we quickly backed into a spot on the dock.
You can stay on this dock for 48hrs, so we will spend a couple days here at Oriental.
Oriental advertises itself as the "sailing capital" of North Carolina. There are over 3000 sailboats registered here and under 3000 residents. They have a nice waterfront on the Neuse perfect for long walks.
There are several unique spots in Oriental including the Labyrinth, opposite the waterfront park. The white dots are little electric candles.
The candles were easy to see in the day and pretty for people to see at night, but Rivah didn't understand you weren't supposed to knock them out of place. Sue had to abort her nighttime walk through the labyrinth.
The best thing to do in Oriental, other than morning coffee at the Bean, is an afternoon beer at the marina.
After a couple great days with perfect weather it was time to move on. Not much wind this morning. We are heading to Belhaven today.
