Down the Cape fear River

Day #8: It was hot last night so I opened the stateroom ceiling hatch before going to bed. At 0'dark-30 I was rudely awakened by raindrops hitting me in the face. Since Bicki closes the hatches when it rains, I rolled over and went back to sleep. And so rain continued pelting me until, slowly, consciousness took hold. What followed was a comedic skit worthy of Charlie Chaplin. In my mad scramble the hatch's screen hit me on the head while falling to the floor. But I got even by putting my foot through the screen and then wearing it like an ankle hula hoop. My sleep-fogged brain, totally ignoring the new foot fashion, was fruitlessly trying to figure out how to get the hatch's support arms unlocked. And all the while the hard rain down can rain (apologies to Tallis et al.).

Any place an explorer has deemed worthy of a scary name (e.g. Ford's Terror, AK and Cape Fear River, NC), I've learned through bitter experience to take seriously. That's why this morning's departure was delayed until 1 PM. Going before that meant fighting a 1.5kt flood and dealing with some big waves; a 15kt wind was blowing against the current. As the picture shows, not only were the ebbing waters placid, they boosted Nellie's speed by close to 3kts.

What I'm learning about single-handing is that everything takes longer. It's impossible to steer and repair the boat at the same time. So, instead of taking a nice walk into town this morning, I worked on the genset and the VHF's cabling. Leisure, it appears, is the first victim of going solo.

At the free dock in Southport, NC. A swift and smooth 13nm today brings the total to 380nm. DBH