Our day began at 8 to start our travels to Belhaven. Since the fuel dock did not open until 8:30, we stopped for fuel five miles up the waterway at another fuel dock. The challenge of getting on the fuel dock was due to the strong current which kept pushing the boats away from the dock. Fortunately, Dan and Martha were able to get on first and helped the rest of us by pulling on the lines. All went well and it would be the last time we fueled up before we arrived home.
We were able to sail some of the way and as we were leaving the Neuse River we noticed a Coast Guard boat chasing down a large powerboat in front of us. We heard them hailing on the radio and they were asked to stop at a nearby CG station. As we were passing by the CG station they waved to us from the pier to stop. They were letting the power boat go. They were doing random checks to see if boats were in law compliance. They checked our life jackets, fire extinguisher, Y value closure, and a variety of other things. We did get a citation for having a hole in the material of our Type 4 seat cushion! The hole could not be any larger than your fingertip. The CG was telling us that it was not in good and serviceable condition. We actually use the seat cushion to hold our dinghy tight to the boat; so after having used it for five years we knew we could use a new one. We needed to purchase one by the end of the weekend and send the receipt via email to the coast guard officer. The good thing was we knew we were now safety ready for the upcoming sailing season in the Chesapeake.
Our staff meeting was on the radio and we decided to leave at 7am. We all toasted to a good day. After an early morning rise to watch the royal wedding we crashed early to bed. We were currently at mile marker 135 on the ICW.
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