Hi Dave,

...that "the distance from Beaufort to the Bahamas is about the same as from Norfolk". The only ones I have put the Bay Entrance at about 37 N, and Beaufort at around 34 45 N ...(grin)

And, I know how easy it is to spend money in Beaufort/Morehead City... But there are really good anchoring options there as well, in Little Creek you have to do a marina, no? Not to mention, there's the Bight of Cape Lookout, probably one of the most beautiful places to hang out for a bit, awaiting favorable weather, it can be magnificent out there in the off season...

Main reason for me, is most times coming down the coast from NJ, I'm usually pretty beat, and ready to duck into Norfolk. The ideal window for departing from my home usually has the breeze moving around to the NE by the time I get down there, generally not ideal for continuing out around Hatteras... My favorite route used to be to stay outside down to Oregon Inlet, then down Pamlico Sound to Beaufort... But that's off the table nowadays, Oregon Inlet has just gotten too dicey, for me...

I'm sure I'll try your way one of these days, I've just never had very favorable conditions for it so far... Seems every time I've gone around Hatteras southbound, it's always turned either into a sprint to beat some bad weather into Wrightsville or Charleston, or a motor job in a calm south of the Cape, and fingers crossed we had the fuel to make Charleston... (grin)

best regards,

Jon