Camp LeJuene to Beaufort, NC

As we went to sleep upon the waters within the grounds of Camp LeJuene Captain Mark started teasing me by telling me that we would be assaulted by amphibious Marine units during the night and that the capture of the Lolligag would be the goal of Marine war games. I told him that he was full of it and I went to sleep only to be awoken around 5a by the sound of major artillery fire. As I lay in the berth anxiously awaiting our capture, I realized the gunfire was rather far away and that we were not in immediate danger by any stretch of the imagination.

So it was up and at ‘em, since I was not about to go back to sleep on this morning. As we left Hammock Bay, it was not too long before we came to this sign. Again, luckily the lights were not blinking and no range firing would be taking place while we were in the Camp LeJuene waters today. Also, I wanted to show everyone that I am not totally paranoid…as you can see, the camera on this tower has been tracking and recording our movements.



The ICW in this area runs parallel very close to the Atlantic Ocean. As this is the area where artillery practice of all kind is held, it makes sense that the area five miles offshore is also restricted on “practice days”. We have been asked several times why we do not run up the coast in the Atlantic instead of traveling via the ICW. As you can see from this shot, the seas are about five to six footers today. While the Lolligag can handles waves of this size, the crew (me) prefers to travel in calmer water whenever possible. I tend to get rather cranky if I am tossed about too much…

Once out of military waters, we entered Bogue Sound as we headed to Beaufort. Bogue Sound is a large open waterway between the mainland cost of North Carolina and the Outer Banks. While the Sound is rather wide and very long, it is surprisingly very shallow. It was crucial that we stay within the channel markers as some areas immediately outside the channel had depths of between two to three feet.

After winding our way through the industrial and commercial marine areas immediately outside of Beaufort, we made our way to a mooring ball in Beaufort City Harbor where we will stay for several days.




Hours on the water: 7.75
Nautical miles traveled: 42
Number of bridges to be opened: 2
Time spent waiting at bridge: 25 minutes
Next Destination: Slade Creek Anchorage
What we're listening to: Finished Twelve Sharp by Janet Evanovich
What we watched: Our depth and for random military patrols
Lesson for the day: Smile when being photographed
Obligatory knitting report: Hats & Scarves for the Wunder Kids