Well, these fall deliveries never actually turn out the way you expect them to.
We delayed our departure from Sunday to Monday due to strong winds and left over seas. Good call!
This gave us one more night in Newport and we made good use of it by enjoying a pizza and red wine party hosted by Kim & Rocky. Maybe too much wine?
Our Monday morning departure worked out well and we were soon beam reaching in 20 knots as we passed Block Island.
Day 2 – was a super easy day as both the winds and seas subsided and we transformed into a motorboat for the day.
Day 3 – Day 3 despite the looming forecast of a very strong weather system in a couple days time, was a good day!! The winds returned. This time from behind us! We used those winds to get ourselves around Cape Hatteras (the graveyard of the Atlantic) asap.
Day 4 – Once south of Cape Hatteras we immediately started looking for a safe port to wait out the now close to hurricane force storm heading our way. Beaufort, NC was the closest spot and looked like an interesting small vacation town. We were not the only boat heading south and had plenty of company also looking for a safe harbor. Luckily, our shore crew (Susan Callahan) was able to sweet talk the local marina manager in to giving us a spot at the town marina!!!
Day 5-9 – Cue the unexpected here. This is when plans really changed!
Debbie had spent the previous 5 or 6 days with her sister in Ft Meyers, Florida. But, her sister had a horse show to attend and with us stopping she decided to drive back north and hang out with us until the storm passed.
After a quick look around Beaufort, we soon decided that our best move to fill the time would be to drive to Washington, DC and play tourist for a couple of days.
So, off we went on a very unexpected and yet enjoyable road trip!
Days 10-14 – Once the storm cleared, I was back onboard Epique and headed south once again. This time, we had a storm free forecast and the two of us enjoyed an uneventful 3+ day journey from Beaufort to Miami.
Uneventful that is except for being able to watch the launch of another SpaceX 🚀 carrying a crew of four to the international space station!!
So, all and all, a great safe offshore passage.
Thank you to John and Susan Callahan for the invite, and the fantastic boat, company, and of course the fantastic meals along the way!!
The trip reminded me of a few of my favorite sayings
Nothing is more dangerous on a cruising boat than a calendar
I can tell you where to find me, or when to find me, but not both!
The best passage is a boring passage!
Morpheus Sailing 