When you get down to Swansboro on the intracoastal, be sure to check out the town. There is a free dock downtown by a very good restaurant (Gormet Cafe) and two marinas in town that have good reputations. Caspers and Dudley's.

I'm following your trip closely as I'm going to Morehead City next week to check out a 34' used Cat Cruiser. I've spent the last few years running the intracoastal between Beaufort and Sneads Ferry so am confident in those waters. I don't leave the intracoastal and go out to the ocean though.

I've also never owned a houseboat so this will be a first if we decide to do it.

Take care,
Greg

Hey can someone look up the weather for the Albemarle sound for tonight and tomorrow?

I'm having a hard time getting it

Here's what I get from the NOAA site:
FZUS52 KMHX 051937
CWFMHX

COASTAL MARINE FORECAST
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE NEWPORT/MOREHEAD CITY NC
336 PM EDT SAT AUG 5 2006

FROM S OF CURRITUCK BEACH LIGHT TO N OF SURF CITY NC OUT 20 NM...
INCLUDING THE ALBEMARLE AND PAMLICO SOUNDS AND THE MONITOR NATIONAL
MARINE SANCTUARY

AMZ130-060930-
/O.ROU.KMHX.MA.F.0000.000000T0000Z-000000T0000Z/
ALBEMARLE SOUND-
336 PM EDT SAT AUG 5 2006

TONIGHT
NE WINDS 5 TO 10 KT. WAVES 1 FT. A SLIGHT CHANCE OF
SHOWERS AND TSTMS THIS EVENING.

SUN
NE WINDS 5 TO 10 KT. WAVES 1 FT.

SUN NIGHT
SE WINDS 5 TO 10 KT BECOMING S AFTER MIDNIGHT. WAVES
1 FT. A SLIGHT CHANCE OF SHOWERS AND TSTMS.

MON
S WINDS 5 TO 10 KT. WAVES 1 FT. A SLIGHT CHANCE OF SHOWERS
AND TSTMS.

MON NIGHT
SW WINDS 5 TO 10 KT. WAVES 1 FT. A CHANCE OF SHOWERS
AND TSTMS.

TUE
W WINDS 5 TO 10 KT BECOMING NW IN THE AFTERNOON. WAVES 1 FT.
A CHANCE OF SHOWERS AND TSTMS.

TUE NIGHT
N WINDS 5 TO 10 KT. WAVES 1 FT. A CHANCE OF SHOWERS AND
TSTMS IN THE EVENING.

WED
N WINDS 5 TO 10 KT. WAVES 1 FT.

THU
NW WINDS 5 KT BECOMING SW. WAVES 1 FT. A CHANCE OF SHOWERS
AND TSTMS.

WINDS AND WAVES HIGHER IN AND NEAR TSTMS.

Pretty much past all the big bad pieces of water on the ICW.

Just passed MM 220.

The Pamlico river was a rough passage last night but I lucked out with pretty glassy water on the Pamlico Sound this morning.

The other night I turned back about 3 miles out into the Albemarle Sound went back and set the hook off Camden point and then did the crossing at 4 AM in the dark as it was much calmer,

Beautiful but really windy off the nose now - back to driving

Pretty much past all the big bad pieces of water on the ICW.

Just passed MM 220.

The Pamlico river was a rough passage last night but I lucked out with pretty glassy water on the Pamlico Sound this morning.

The other night I turned back about 3 miles out into the Albemarle Sound went back and set the hook off Camden point and then did the crossing at 4 AM in the dark as it was much calmer,

Beautiful but really windy off the nose now - back to driving

MM 284.

wRIGHTSVILLE NC

STILL ROLLING ALONG

Glad to hear the sound crossings went well. You're down past my area now, I hope you enjoyed the waterway from Beaufort down thru Swansboro, we love that section.

I may be going to Morehead to look at a 34 ft Catamaran Cruiser this weekend. It's a 1999 trailerable version so it's only 8 1/2 ft wide.

Take care,
Greg

If ya need to trailor it - that is certainly the way to go - I really think ya should think about going wider if you are able.

Hit some bad chop up to four foot around cape fear today. Turned back - reacessed and pressed on. Ran real slow working the throttle back and forth depending on the size of the wave. Worked pretty good.

The boat eats 1 to 2 foot chop like it ain't there. 3 foot and you start getting water on the front deck. 4 footers you have to crawl over them and if you get a big set of them watch out for water over the bow.

Boat definitely needs more power. I had a strong follwing sea and a tailwind up in Norfolk - I hit 11 mph and it started to plane a little. I suspect that it would be a different boat with a Suzuki 175 on it. As it is I'm down to 5.5 mph due to head currents at times.

Gas prices have ranged from 2.99/gal at Alligator river marina to 3.99/gal today in Wrightsville, NC.

This trip would a lot better if I had a couple of months and another 50 horsepower.