Update

Chris here - Well as you saw, we're safely at a marina in Southport NC. Last night, well, completely sucked! Pelican did great, but we saw sustained wind of 32.5kts (37mph) with gusts to 37kts (42mph - gale force). We turned in because we were seeing waves over 10 feet - we'd actually estimate them at 12 feet. They were well over the top of our bimini when we were in the troughs. When we turned, we were surfing down the front and backsides of waves at 7.5kts. Everything was fine until just a bit after getting through Frying Pan Shoals, when the wind quickly started to freshen and the waves gradually picked up. The inside of Pelican looks like a washing machine, and I'm glad our night protocol is to be jacked in. I was really enjoying the first part of the sail, especially when the wind was 12-15kts, but when it picked up to 25 consistently I called for Kristen to come up and join me. I woke up at 6am yesterday to leave, and I didn't get to sleep until 10am this morning - I still had a ton of adrenaline running through my veins.

The plan is to spend the night here, and then look to see if we can head to Charleston tomorrow. Kristen will be posting more about the trip soon.