North on the ICW - Day 4

[Kyle]Although it was a shorter distance, day 4 turned out to take just as much time. I was back to using just the troublesome starboard engine for propulsion to save fuel. Even though it was troublesome, the starboard is still the preferred as it is the newer of the two, and it heats the water for the taps. I had the fuel leak problem under control by using four squares of toilet paper to mop up the drips around the fuel pump every half hour, although I occasionally got second degree burns when I would accidentally touch my arm to the engine block while trying to get to hard to reach places.

Along the way today there was nothing Kyle could do to help this sailor who had anchored without allowing for the tides... Only time would fix that problem. And luckily the firing range didn't mess with Kyle's schedule, but that would be a sign you don't want to miss

The current also seemed to be against me again. It’s hard to predict which inlet the current will flow in and out of during the changes in tide. I thought I’d have it with me today, but I for the most part, I was dead wrong.

The ICW continued behind barrier islands until at long last I dropped anchor just off Morehead City, North Carolina in a choppy spot just inside the inlet. Three and a half years earlier, Maryanne and I had left the ICW here for the offshore jump to Antigua. I was once again in familiar waters.