Woke up early. It was super foggy. We pulled the anchor up and Tom’s hand were covered in mud, way more than the other places we anchored. It got all over the place, the deck is a mess from it. I was at the helm and navigated through the fog. Tom said he was impressed. I’m getting better each day. I still have a lot to learn.

Tom accidentally ran us aground on a shoal at the start of the Pamlico River. I originally wanted to go out in the Pamlico Sound to bypass the ICW and save time, but we followed the other sail boats. He was able to get us out pretty quickly, thankfully. We cruised along with about six different sail boats. One of the boats was named “Mermaid” and I thought that was adorable.

I read in my waterways guide that the Pamlico Sound and River were Blackbeard the Pirate’s home waters. It was also the scene of much of his pirating on his flagship, the Queen Anne’s Revenge. I had no idea! I thought it was so cool that we were sailing the same waters as a pirate once did.

I took the helm for most of the remainder of the journey. Tom was exhausted today, the last couple of weeks getting the boat ready has taken a lot out of him. I really enjoy driving the boat and navigating. I was terrified the first time I was at the helm. I almost wrecked into Tom’s dock the first time. 😂

The wind was blowing in our favor today and we pulled the Genoa sail out. It gave the boat a completely different feeling, it was slanting slightly to the right. We were going 8 knots and it felt like we were flying. Paisley was freaking out and shrieking like a boiling tea kettle when the sails were up. I tried my best to calm her.

Tom took the helm when we got closer to Oriental,NC. There are so many sailboats here and each one is unique and beautiful in its own way. We saw a bunch of cormorant birds perched up on a beacon. They were so cool.

As we were reaching Whittaker Pointe Marina, Tom ran aground again. The channel was super narrow to get there, I was joking that it was like the size of a toothpick. A speed boat saw that we were aground and I asked him to throw us a wake. He tried 2-3 times, but we were firmly stuck.

Tom was frustrated and upset. I’ve never seen him so mad. We called a tow boat. Ironically after we called for help the tide raised a couple inches. We were able to get free. The ordeal took about an hour.

We docked at the Whittaker Pointe Marina. The dock master was very helpful and helped me tie the boat up and get the fenders on correctly. I told him I was still learning and he was very helpful and patient. The marina is beautiful and clean.

Paisley was very happy to get there. She hadn’t gone number two in 3 days because we anchored the last two nights. She refuses to go on the boat. Poor girl. I took Paisley on a long walk and she made a new doggie friend named Stella.

I cooked Clam Linguini for dinner. It’s easy to make and delicious. Tom and I are relaxing in the galley and I’m planning where we are going tomorrow. We are both tired. We are going to sleep in tomorrow and get the boat stocked up with supplies. We will probably leave around 10 am.