2017 Week-Long Cruise II (Ocean)

We've added a second Week-Long cruise in 2017 to provide more opportunity for members who want to do more extended, and perhaps more challenging, cruising. The Week-Long Cruise II will include a run down the coast from Beaufort Inlet to Masonboro Inlet, a distance of about 65 nm in the ocean.

The cruise will begin on Sunday, July 9, which is the final day of the Dog Days Cruise to Beaufort. Weather permitting, we will depart Beaufort at first light, head out the Inlet and sail SW down the coast to Masonboro Inlet, where we'll go inside and sail up Banks Channel to an anchorage just south of the Causeway Drive Bridge to Wrightsville Beach. For those who prefer a marina, the Seapath Yacht Club Marina is a short distance west of the anchorage toward the junction with the ICW. Seapath has transit docks with easy access.

 On Monday morning, July 10, we'll motor west a short distance and pick up the ICW heading south. We'll go through Snows Cut, which puts us into the Cape Fear River. From there, it's about 11 nm to the entrance to Bald Head Island Marina, where we'll spend three nights. We'll plan an excursion or two on this beautiful, historic island, home to the oldest lighthouse in North Carolina (1817). You can read more about Bald Head Island here.

 On Thursday, July 13, we'll leave and motor our way back to the anchorage near Wrightsville Beach (25 nm) for a night before heading back out Masonboro Inlet and then back to Beaufort along the coast. We'll then stay two nights at Beaufort Docks before heading back to Oriental on Sunday, July 16. 

 We'll provide navigational guidance for this cruise, and we'll be watching the weather closely as the date nears. The ICW is a back-up option to either ocean run if conditions are really unfavorable, though that would add an extra day or two. Those interested in this cruise should consider that eventuality.