Camp Lejeune to Wrightsville Beach

October 27, Wednesday. SM 245 - 285
More strong southwest winds right on the nose in the ICW again. Not much to report. Now seeing dolphins in schools of 2 to 6. Some followed us for a little while while Jason was on watch. We are doing 1 hour on 1 off during the day.
Motoring today, but with some fair current most of the day. Several swing and lift bridges to pass with limited opening schedules. Surf City Bridge, Figure Eight Is. Bridge and Wrightsville Beach Bridge. We adjusted our speed to arrive on schedule which slowed us up on the first bridge, had to hell bent for election for the next and just made it. Exciting pass as a dredge was arriving northbound at the same time as we did southbound. We asked the bridgetender to make the call on who should go thru first. He told us to call the dredge, so we contacted on VHF channel 13 (same as the bridge channel). I offered to give way, but he was a little later than us and suggested we go thru first which we did, though it was a little hairy being so close to him.
We arrived in Wrightsville Beach at 3 pm and fueled up at the Seapath YC. I was able to talk them into letting me shower while still at the fuel dock. Nice folks. We anchored very close to the public dingy dock and decided not to bother with putting the engine on the dink which we have been towing since Norfolk. Then a quick row over to it for some shopping. We had scoped out a grocery store (Roberts small but has most everyting) only two blocks away from info in Skipper Bob's Anchorages Along the Intracoastal Waterway. Great resource with lots of good info on the towns and bridges as well. Had a home made italian dinner onboard and then dingyed back to town to see game one of the world series at a nice sports bar (also only two blocks away). Lots of young students and surfers in town as we are close to UNC Wilmington.
Walked by the beach, lots of surfers out there wearing wet suits in the warm 74 deg. water. It was not a beach day however as it was still very windy and mostly cloudy.