We started the day with mostly clear skies, 88°F and a light SE wind. Before we had the anchor raised, we heard a roar of engines and about 8 to 10 camouflaged military boats came zinging into the bay one at a time. Several of them motored up to the ramp and then drove out into the parking lot. The rubber boats began either patrolling the immediate vicinity or tying up to the wall / dock. It was fun to watch the parade, but we did not stick around long enough for any of the boats to approach us. The sailboat we came in with last night left at the same time we did and the other boat had taken off earlier so the soldiers were left alone for their maneuvers.
It was our plan to go all the way to Oriental, NC, and tie up to the town’s free dock for the night. We wanted to check out the area and, perhaps, pick up a few groceries. After traveling 52 nautical miles we still had 5.5 miles to go when we decided to heed the thunderstorm warnings and find an anchorage to wait out the approaching storm. The sky became very dark and we could see the line of thunderstorms coming our way. It looked like we would be right on the edge of the line but instead of crossing the large open water between where we were and Oriental and taking the chance that it would miss us, we thought it best to play it safe. By the time we were secured out of the channel, we watched two other boats, a small sailboat and a trawler, pass us and continue their journey across to Oriental.
As it turned out, the storm stayed north and east of us. We had some rain, but no thunder, lightning or wind. We slept peacefully in our quiet little spot.
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