After four months on land, the crew is back aboard Idyll Time and looking forward to getting out on the water. Other than a few cobwebs, we found IT in good condition.
Hurricane Mathew caused major flooding here at Atlantic Yacht Basin a few weeks ago. The docks were all under two feet of water, a record flood for AYB. Luckily someone put our antennas down and she rode up and down in the protected shed just fine. Several days are spent cleaning and reprovisioning for our trip south. Primo and Nate have brand new cages for the boat.
They are much bigger than their old ones and hopefully will give them space to stretch out. They are a little reserved about moving back aboard but I am sure they will adjust quickly to their new surroundings.
After topping off with 200 gallons of fuel, we begin the trek south working our way to Bald Head Island, our first month long destination.
We plan on making several other stops along the way. We expect the waterways to be very crowded as Hurricane Mathew has delayed many of the snowbirds’ migration South. The unknown is what new dangers lurk below the surface after the hurricane. Luckily most cruisers ahead of us will post any trouble spots on Active Captain, a free crowd sourcing app used by almost all boaters.
We are joined by 8 other boats as we make our way toward the two bridges just south of Atlantic Yacht Basin.
Everyone seems to be in a rush, so we pull over and let them pass. These two bridges only open on the hour and half hour and we all end up going thru together. Things settle down after the bridges and it a pleasant cruise to our anchorage at Lutz Creek. Our first day out on the water is a good one. Tomorrow we will take a new alternate route from the ICW to the Outer Banks of North Carolina. Our first stop will be the town of Manteo on Roanoke Island.
Great Bridge to Lutz Creek: 47
Total Miles This Year:2404
Enjoyed meeting you guys and look forward to following your blog.