From Beaufort/Morehead City the Intracoastal turns inland and north away from the coast. North Carolina's Outer Banks is farther east out into the Atlantic Ocean than the Bahamas and is one of the closest places to the oceans Gulf Stream, which makes for a very rich marine environment. After riding out the recent winds and storm we decide to make a side trip out to Cape Lookout Bight to get one of our last Atlantic beach experiences before continuing the trip north. This is our first trip "out"/offshore into the Atlantic and it's relatively calm but that still involves 4 ft slowly rolling swells. Luckily the trip to Cape Lookout is only a couple hours and after arriving safely into the bay, very rewarding as a sea turtle greets us at our anchorage.
For the next several days the turtles continue to pop up for quick breaths all around us. We figure they're gathering here to return to their home beaches to begin the egg laying season. Bigger than average the bottlenose dolphin are also cruising by on a daily basis and the day fishermen clearly come here for a reason too.
The Cape Lookout Bight lighthouse has a unique pattern. The white diamonds face east/west and the black, north/south.
One of the illusive sea turtles taking a quick look.
A big ole mama dolphin with her calf.
The other kind of osprey.
Ensign Wookie safely back on board after a day at the beach.