I took a walk, then we had breakfast and cast off about 0800. We tend to get started a bit later on fall cruises as it gets light so much later than in the spring. The light was lovely on the highway bridge as we headed back down the river.
Motoring back down the river we were surprised at the amount of development on the banks of the Neuse. There were houses almost all the way from New Bern to Oriental. Some of them were really immense. Why does anyone need a 20,000 sq. ft. house?
We arrived back at the ICW (Intercoastal Waterway) about 1130 and turned right southbound down Adams Creek. Adams Creek then intersects with the Adams Creek Canal which dumps you into the Newport River.
Dredges were hard at work trying to keep the channel deep enough for all traffic.
After a few miles you leave the main channel and twist and turn dodging shallows for a while as you approach Beaufort. The cruising guide does a pretty good job of explaining the channel, but I was very very happy that I got the Beaufort chip for my chart-plotter. 
As you can see from this screen shot from the paper chart, there is a lot of information to sort out.
It is much easier when you can zoom in on the electronic version on the chartplotter.
The guide doesn’t do as good a job of clarifying bridge opening times for the bascule highway bridge as you enter Beaufort. This bridge only opens on the hour and half hour from 0800 until 1630, and then at 1730 and 1830. We were lucky in that we hit the bridge at 1440, but the bridge tender had not had a 1430 opening and was willing to open for us, even though he gently chided us for being “a bit late.”
We then turned up Taylor Creek and I hailed the Beaufort Waterfront Docks on the radio to request my slip assignment.
We then turned up Taylor Creek and I hailed the Beaufort Waterfront Docks on the radio to request my slip assignment.
They told us to turn into the fairway immediately beyond a motor boat named Dani and they would guide us in. I wasn’t sure I’d be able to read a boat’s name as I approached, but I didn’t have to worry; Dani was a 100 ft+ triple deck motor-yacht, one of at least ½ a dozen in the marina. Dani was spelled out in 4 ft high letters along her side.
The dock help guided us to our slip in the marina, and I once more managed to avoid embarrassing myself with my boat handling skills. Several more mega-yachts came in after we did. It’s amazing to watch the professional captains maneuver these huge vessels. They all have bow and stern thrusters, which are small water jets that push a large volume of water sideways and tremendously enhance maneuverability. They basically come along side where they are to dock and then the thrusters move the boat sideways into their slip. The boat can also turn within its own length. We talked to the captain of one of the smaller mega-yachts as he was refueling. He took on 1,500 gallons (about a ¼ tank), and he also filled up the day before in Norfolk. Compare that to our cruising for a week and using 40 gallons.
After making the boat secure, we took on fuel and then Buck washed the boat while I did some other maintenance. We then walked around Beaufort, which is a very quaint town and one that our wives would also enjoy.
Rosemary Smith had recommended a restaurant named Aqua so we made reservations there for dinner. Unlike our Belhaven restaurant experience, Aqua was delightful. They have a combination of small plates/tapas and larger plates. We were lucky in that they were doing a 2 for 1 special on large plates. We started off splitting a “bento box” with seared tuna, spring rolls, seaweed salad and calamari. We then shared their version of a Caesar salad in which they provided all the ingredients artfully arranged on a plate and you mixed it yourself. Both first courses were creatively presented and delicious. We then shared pan-seared scallops on fettuccini and a sautéed grouper with mashed potatoes. We finished the meal by sharing an order of bananas foster. We would both highly recommend this restaurant for excellent food, good service and reasonable prices.
The dock help guided us to our slip in the marina, and I once more managed to avoid embarrassing myself with my boat handling skills. Several more mega-yachts came in after we did. It’s amazing to watch the professional captains maneuver these huge vessels. They all have bow and stern thrusters, which are small water jets that push a large volume of water sideways and tremendously enhance maneuverability. They basically come along side where they are to dock and then the thrusters move the boat sideways into their slip. The boat can also turn within its own length. We talked to the captain of one of the smaller mega-yachts as he was refueling. He took on 1,500 gallons (about a ¼ tank), and he also filled up the day before in Norfolk. Compare that to our cruising for a week and using 40 gallons.
After making the boat secure, we took on fuel and then Buck washed the boat while I did some other maintenance. We then walked around Beaufort, which is a very quaint town and one that our wives would also enjoy.
Rosemary Smith had recommended a restaurant named Aqua so we made reservations there for dinner. Unlike our Belhaven restaurant experience, Aqua was delightful. They have a combination of small plates/tapas and larger plates. We were lucky in that they were doing a 2 for 1 special on large plates. We started off splitting a “bento box” with seared tuna, spring rolls, seaweed salad and calamari. We then shared their version of a Caesar salad in which they provided all the ingredients artfully arranged on a plate and you mixed it yourself. Both first courses were creatively presented and delicious. We then shared pan-seared scallops on fettuccini and a sautéed grouper with mashed potatoes. We finished the meal by sharing an order of bananas foster. We would both highly recommend this restaurant for excellent food, good service and reasonable prices.
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