Charleston, SC to Cape Lookout, NC to Hampton, VA

Charleston was wonderful.  In spite of Covid-19 and the curfew enacted following rioting, looting and vandalism in the downtown area, we were able to visit with friends, reprovision the boat and enjoy the restaurants in Charleston.  The Marina Variety Store at Charleston City Marina was open at half capacity and we enjoyed shrimp and grits for dinner the first night we were there.  We liked it well enough that we went back for breakfast (more shrimp & grits with fried green tomatoes - Yummy) on Sunday.  Our new friends, Debbie and Rich took us blueberry picking at Champney's Blueberry Farm and then to lunch at Vickery's and a walk on the boardwalk in Shem Creek Park.  We had fun watching the pelicans, egrets and dolphins wait for scraps from a shrimp boat as it came in.  We stopped at the seafood store right on the dock for some shrimp and the Farm Market in Mount Pleasant and then drove back over the Arthur Ravenel, Jr. Bridge.  It was a very busy day for me and Pia while Bryan enjoyed his time alone on the boat.

Our friends from the Sandusky Yacht Club, Jackie and Paul, picked us up and took us to the liquor store, grocery store and lunch at Magnolia which was delicious.  It was great to see them again and we appreciated the ride and walk around downtown and the Battery.  It was a bonus to replenish our liquor and food stores.  Jackie & Paul came to the boat for a cocktail before heading back home.  Some friends of Pia's from Minnesota had arrived in the area on their boat after spending the winter in the Bahamas and they also stopped by for happy hour.  It was so fun to visit with old friends and make new friends in Charleston.

We left for Cape Lookout on Friday morning after a week in Charleston.  Wind and waves built that night and as we were approaching Cape Lookout, the waves had really stacked up and we decided to head into Beaufort rather than Cape Lookout Bight.  Since we were not familiar with this area, it seemed like the Beaufort Channel would be easier to manage but it was very rough with waves close together.  It reminded us of the Sandusky Bay Channel after three days of a strong northeast wind.  We anchored near the Coast Guard Station for the night and left for Cape Lookout the next afternoon.  We had completed 244.4 nautical miles in 1 day, 6 hours and 36 minutes.  Our average speed was 8.0 knots with a max speed of 12.9 knots.

Cape Lookout was a beautiful spot with the anchorage protected all the way around, surrounded by beaches and the spectacular Cape Lookout Lighthouse.  We were lucky enough to see 6 or 7 wild horses, including a colt, on Shackleford Banks as we entered the bight.  Our long-time friend Jude came for the day with his 14' Pointer.  We had a nice long walk on the beach and a boat ride up to the lighthouse.  The Coast Guard coastal patrol boat Razorbill picked up a mooring buoy near us and deployed a RIB from its transom.  Pretty cool.

We headed for Hampton after spending 4 relaxing days in Cape Lookout.  The first day out, there were many storms all around us but we avoided most of the rain and the wind did not get above 15 knots.  It was much calmer over night but still cloudy.  After rounding Cape Hatteras, the wind switched and built so that we had large, close together waves by the time we were within 50 miles of the mouth of the Chesapeake.  We were so happy to get to the dock at Bluewater Yachting Center after 227.6 nm, 1 day & 8 hours at an average speed of 7.0 knots.  We are right back where we started  last November to head to the Caribbean with the Salty Dawg Rally.