Hi,

...seems to be monitoring the weather more closely than I am... (grin)

On a coastal trip like that one, I always caution the owners that "No news is good news", simply to keep them from becoming concerned if they don't hear from me for awhile... Often that will simply be due to being out of cell phone range for awhile, or whatever... But, whenever there's a major weather system or event along the coast, I'll always try to keep them apprised of my whereabouts, and plans... As such, I find it hard to imagine that these guys had not informed the owner of their intention to go outside Hatteras, rather than down the Ditch... And, it seems only the most clueless of owners would not come back with a very pointed questioning as to their rationale for doing so... If the article is correct, and the owner really does indeed "support" the decisions of the crew, well - he just doesn't get it... As with the BOUNTY, the only word to describe the decision to proceed on that route, given that weather, is "unfathomable"...

What makes it particularly so, is that the outside distance from the bottom of the Chesapeake, out around Hatteras and Cape Lookout Shoals, and then back into Morehead City, is roughly SIXTY statute miles LONGER than the inside route down the ICW... Sure, one loses some time running the gauntlet of bridges through Norfolk, one of the reasons I so often do so at night when they're off restriction, and open on demand... That's the ONLY rationale that I can conjure up for their decision - they were in a hurry, but afraid to run the ICW at night, so thought they'd arrive in Morehead sooner by going straight through offshore...

Yet again, one can only shake one's head, as once one passes thru the industrialized section south of Norfolk and reaches Great Bridge at Mile 12, the next 190 SM to Morehead is by far the easiest lengthy segment of the entire Waterway to run after dark...

best regards,

Jon