Day Three-Saturday, Dec 4 Morehead City, NC to Pawleys Island, SC

It's 6:40AM and we've got the engine heaters on and GPS warming up.  Looking at the NOAA forecasts the Capt has decided we're going to go offshore from here down to MYR (Little River Inlet).  Forecast is N 10-15 with 3'waves to start.  Winds are expected to diminish and waves drop to 2'.  Gale warnings offshore starting late tonight so we have a window of great weather to go outside (offshore) for about 110 miles.  This way we can travel faster and NO BRIDGES!!!  If we stay in "the ditch" today, we'd have 3-4 bridges that open on the hour and 1/2 hour.  Nice wind, waves and temps, so TOYS will frolic in the ocean today.

Cozy Berths in Marina near Calabash, NC on the ICW

We will be approx. 10 - 20 miles offshore so it's very safe for boat and crew.  Any boat going offshore has to have the proper insurance, which TOYS does.  Capt Dave of course has his USCG license, Beth has offshore certificate from Safety at Sea training, and Capt-in-Training Kelly has ASA (American Sailing Assoc) sailing certification, plus was born and raised in Alaska where she and her family had a 45' Nauticat sailboat and sailed Prince William Sound. 

Next stop is Wacca Wache marina in Pawleys Island where we'll be visiting with Beth's Dad and stepmother Barb, plus try and give TOYS a bath while the weather stays warm.  Today's hi is 53 in Pawleys and a balmy 48 tomorrow!  So much for the warm, sunny South...

Day Three-Saturday Evening.

Toys is in a slip at the Wacca Wache Marina close to Pawleys Island, SC.   The run outside of about 140 nm went well.   The winds were out of the NNW at about 15kts and seas were about 5 to 6 foot.   Toys performed well and we were able to average about 25kts for the whole trip.  We ducked back inside the Intracoastal Waterway at Little Rive Inlet and made our way south for about 40 miles to the marina.

TOYS Sitting Pretty at Wacca Wache Marina, Pawleys Island, SC

 More to follow tomorrow from captain and crew...

We spent most of the day on the outside as mentioned above. It was so refreshing to see deep blue again. I haven't seen blue water for a long time. On the outside, I enjoyed learning more about radar. With such wide open seas it was sometimes hard to see where the coastline ended and the blue horizon of open ocean started. It was probably one of the best days on the ocean anyone could ask for. We even passed by Cape Fear without fear! I'm glad to say that we didn't join the multitudes of vessels resting on the ocean floor all around Frying Pan Shoal.

Nearing our destination of Wacca Wache we watched  a sailboat ahead of us dodge what looked like a log in the river. I didn't think much about it, but Beth noticed this log was moving more than any normal log would in the current. It was a RACCOON! Who knew that raccoons could swim across a large river? I sure didn't. It was a little bitty guy. I am glad we slowed down because in the aftermath of our wake this little guy wouldn't have had a chance.

Looks like we have beat out the storms. Others are getting hammered around us but here at Wacca Wache we are tucked away. I highly recommend Wacca Wache Marina as well. Everyone here is very helpful and kind. I've decided I like southern hospitality. I'm learning the states are more diverse than I had thought.

Captain-in-training Kelly Jo