314 Stature Miles to Colonial Beach from Beaufort, NC. … getting near home
Two Long Days to Beaufort, NC
We really pushed it this weekend—71 miles on Saturday to reach Wrightsville Beach, the first of two long hauls so we could enjoy a well‑earned two‑day layover in Beaufort, NC. With perfect Saturday weather, the ICW was packed. Every kind of boat was out, and it felt like we were threading a moving obstacle course.
Despite the crowds, we cruised smoothly through three of the ICW’s usual troublemakers—Lockwood’s Folly, Shallotte Inlet, and Carolina Beach—all notorious for shoaling and the dreaded bottom tap. No drama this time, and by 4 PM we were anchored at Wrightsville Beach. The anchorage was lively, to put it mildly. A full‑on Sunday‑Funday crowd kept us rocking until sunset, when the last of the day‑boaters finally peeled away and the water settled into something resembling calm.
Day Two: Wrightsville to Beaufort
We were up early the next morning, anchor up at 7:30 AM for the 85‑mile run to Beaufort. It’s a long, mostly uneventful stretch of the ICW—scenic in its own way but not exactly riveting—and the hours felt every bit as long as the mileage.
Midday we spotted our anchorage neighbor from the night before, but unfortunately not under the best circumstances. He had gone aground at the one shallow spot of the day, New River Inlet. Towboat US was already on the way, thankfully. We felt for him; grounding is never fun, and in skinny water there’s not much another boater can do. You really need a shallow‑draft tow boat to get in close enough to help. We pulled in to Beaufort and moorded safely at 5:00 PM. Later we found that the aground boat got off with minimal damage and safely moored at Beaufort at few docks down from us several hours after our arrival. Good news!
Day Two at Beaufort
We slept late today catching up on some needed sleep. And boy was it cold. The wind was blowing 15 + knots and the temperatures were in the mid 40s. I’m glad we are not out on the water. We used the courtesy car, had a great Italian lunch and Carey picked up some liquor and food at the ABC store and Food Line. We’re ready for the next push. This evening we had neighbors from a nearby sailboat over for drinks, Mike and Lonnie. There are sailing on a Caribbean Sailing Yacht 44′ that they have restored. Mike told the story of its initial purchase and hauling out at Colonia Beach in 2008 or 9 when they put it on a carrier to their home in Ohio to restore and make it ready for the water. Now it sat right next to us and is a beautiful site to see.
A few things stood out over these two long days:
- We saw our first—and so far only—political sign of the trip. Last year they were everywhere. This one was just three words: Dictator or Democracy?
- A guy wearing an M.R. Ducks t‑shirt caught our eye—a favorite waterfront bar in Ocean City, MD and a spot dear to our friends Jack and Ann Southard. Turns out he’s an OC native and a regular there.
- We passed home after home with docks stretching far into the ICW, long enough to reach deep water. Some of these must have cost a small fortune. One in particular was impressive enough to deserve a photo.
- A small fleet of shrimp boats getting ready to work the waterway as we passed—shrimp, anyone.
- And finally, as we arrived in Beaufort, we spotted a Tiki boat just like the one back in Colonial Beach, happily plying its trade here too.
