Thankful...even in 2020

With hopes of heading offshore for the next big leg of the trip south, we decided to book a mooring in Carolina Beach, NC for a few days. While it was somewhere new to explore, it would also allow me to cook up a Thanksgiving feast without the added challenge of getting bounced around by seas or heeling while cooking.

The town moorings are cheap, but in great shape. For $20 a night you don’t get anything really other than the mooring, but there is a dinghy dock with public restrooms (and outdoor beach showers!) and trash bins nearby that is one block from the beach, and another dinghy dock “in town” that gets you in reach of restaurants, a laundromat, and groceries. My first impression of the town was great—a guy and his kid waved and shouted a welcome to us from their dock as we grabbed our mooring. My second impression came while I was walking to do laundry and it wasn’t as good. It was a beach town, with fast food, surf shops, knick knack shacks, and a lack of sidewalks outside of a few block area. Thankfully I shook that trip off and headed to the beach with the family for some exercise and...I liked it. The wide beach was pristine and relaxing to walk along as the cool water lapped at our feet. Ah...

Our kids did school on Thanksgiving while the adults hit the beach for a nice long walk. Lots of families were out enjoying the day, but we could all still have our own space. After school, I took the kids to the beach again for a chilly dip in the water and some body surfing attempts before we got cleaned up in the outdoor showers. We’re a little crazy, but it was fun! And we took a family photo!

After a quick Zoom call with my family it was time for our feast! Cornish game hens in the oven, brussel sprouts on the grill, potatoes and stuffing on the stove...it was a dance! Once the birds were out, the stuffing went into the oven and I got to work on gravy. Throw in deviled eggs, cranberry sauce, and apple pie that had been made ahead and we had dinner! I think this was actually my best boat Thanksgiving yet, and both meat eaters and vegetarians were happy! I loved the challenge of timing the whole meal with the limited cooking space. And geeking out with a Star Wars movie after dinner capped the night perfectly. This isn’t our first “small” Thanksgiving so the curse of 2020 wasn’t a huge shock, but even I will be happy when we can have more folks around a table.

We left on “Blue Friday” and headed offshore out of Cape Fear Inlet bound for Charleston. It sucked for about a half hour while wind and tide were against each other. Poor Trent got sick twice! But it’s calmed down and we are making great time so for a second year in a row, we are blowing right by Charleston and heading for Beaufort! Katreina is on deck with me and sunrise was cloudy, but still pretty!