Where to hide? A coastal low is coming!

With an impressive coastal low creeping into the forecast models as we made our way through North Carolina, we again had to make a decision about how to keep our home and crew safe. We had hoped to head to Beaufort and hop outside for a run to South Carolina, but that definitely wasn't going to happen. 

Ugh...we don't do 30-40kts offshore! The wave forecasts were scary!

Options were:

1. Secure a slip somewhere in Beaufort, NC. This would put us close to the inlet and ready to jump offshore at the earliest opportunity without having to deal with bumper boats in a crowded anchorage. And we like Beaufort! Depths at some marinas are tight for us, but there are options if they have space.

2. Secure a slip in New Bern, NC. It's a little out of the way, but we've never been there and many friends have spoken highly of the town. Depths and prices were good and it seemed there would be plenty to do.

3. Anchor. We trust our ground tackle and technique, and there are plenty of creeks we could head up and be relatively protected (albeit possibly out of cell service coverage).

4. Secure a slip in Oriental or Bellhaven, NC. That would be back-tracking and visiting places we'd been before, but could work.

We decided to go after option #2--it was new, there was the hope of good wifi, and the town offered things we like to do. We made a reservation request and waited, continuing to look at our other options. As we dropped the hook outside of Oriental we received a confirmation from the New Bern Grand Marina & Yacht Club--we were booked for a week! 

It was admittedly a bit of a slog up the Neuse River in cold north winds today, but after slipping through the bridge we were guided into our slip and tied up in a jiffy. 

First impression--the town is cute! And the marina is great! The bathrooms/office are maybe 2 blocks from the boat, but I quite like the walk. The Dockmaster is very nice and clearly loves this town--he took the time to tell us all about things to do while we are here. The weekly rate is a bargain, restrooms & laundry are clean, trash is easy, wifi is pretty good, and we even managed to hook up to cable for the first time in 2 years. I think we will enjoy this stop and even better, we feel safe here.

This marina has some great protection from the forecast north winds.

The weather decisions are hard. We watched on various forums as other cruisers faced the same forecast and debated costs, schedule, and safety up and down the eastern seaboard. This could be an interesting few days for the cruising community. But this is exactly what cruising is about for us. We don't cruise on a schedule...we like the flexibility to deal with weather, but also to take advantage of experience opportunities when they pop up. And sometimes weather is what presents us with the opportunities!