serenaOur original plan was to sail all night to Wrightsville Beach. It was going to be our first offshore passage without any additional crew (last time we had Dan for the New Jersey run). We made extra food for the journey and left the anchorage in the late afternoon. There was very little wind so we kept the engine on and motor-sailed.
Tig took a nap in preparation for the all-nighter while I fed the kiddos dinner. A little bit after sunset, we were visited by a pod of dolphins. They jumped right in front of our bow and very close next to our boat. But it was getting dark and it was hard for us to see them.
Then Tig came up to turn off the engine and man the helm while I put the kids to bed.
Once everyone was asleep, I joined him up in the cockpit for a little bit before heading down to sleep. Sometime in the middle of the night, he appeared with V in his arms. The wind had died and he wanted to turn on the engine. He popped V into my berth, and I played mama sardine between two wriggly snuggle bugs. I drifted in and out of sleep with the roar of the engine. Then, around 4am, the wind picked up and Tig turned off the engine.
We passed through Onslow Bay towards Masonboro Inlet. In the morning, I got the kids up and out into the cockpit. We had a quick breakfast, then Tig went down for a nap to recharge. The wind was perfect and we sailed comfortably that morning.
We entered Masonboro Inlet and decided to turn south to Carolina Beach instead of north to Wrightsville Beach.
All things considered, it was an uneventful passage–the way we like ’em. I was a bit nervous about going offshore and gave the kids half a tablet of kids Drammamine before they went to bed. That way it had time to work while they were sleeping. In the morning, I only gave them a 1/4 tablet of Drammamine each. In the future, I might only do 1/4 tablet at a time. I really don’t like to rely on drugs, but it’s important that kids be able to keep nutrients down and stay hydrated (i.e. not puke). Luckily the waves were manageable and we had no instances of reversed peristalsis (yah!).