Our position is 34:12.38N 77:48.002W

ICW miles to go: 283.1

Once again we set off without any clear idea of where we would stop. Before long we were braving the Cape Fear River and a lengthy change in the direction of buoyage, as the colours reflected the approach from the sea up the river. We plugged on with adverse tide, wind on the nose and rain, while avoiding various items of commercial traffic – not the ICW at its best! Through Snows Cut the banks were the promised multi coloured sand and again showed much evidence of the erosion caused by the passing traffic but we were concentrating on moving north ahead of my return to the UK so there was not much opportunity to savour the view.

By mid afternoon we had had enough so headed down the channel to the Wrightsville Beach anchorage. Had we continued we were committed to at least another 4 hours before there was a suitable stopping place and also several restricted bridges that needed careful timing and would have slowed us still further.

The anchorage is just across from the ocean and the guide said the bottom was hard sand so Ted changed the anchor back to the Delta only to have it refuse to set, so it was back to the Fortress but not on the soft mud setting and that set first time, fortunately before it started raining again. We battened down and hoped the next day would be more benign.