day eleven - a brief and pleasant sail

Sail off anchor 6:20 on a clear, beautiful morning. Can hear the surf breaking on the beach on the other side of the banks. A flood tide running west to east, light southwest wind. Making 0.5 against the tide, then 0.9 with better wind. Shackleford Banks to port, Back Sound to starboard, and I could not be happier.7:15 making 1.5 to the west-northwest, Beaufort Inlet markets barely visible in the distance. 7:30 tack out off the beach to get around some shallows.7:30 gps crawls up to 2.4, the slides down to 1.1. Gentle sailing.7:45 making 2.2 and getting closer to the inlet, can feel swells rolling in from Onslow Bay.8:35 making 3.8 with waves breaking over a rocky shoal to port. Bird Shoal to starboard. Flood tide is now in our favor. Centerboard bounces on the shallow, tack out to deeper water on the edge of the channel.8:45 off Radio Island and in the channel to Beaufort.8:45 jibe at the east end of Bird Shoal, 2.5 on a downwind run. 9:05 pass the marker for Taylors Creek. Round up,…