[labatt]

We've enjoyed the hospitality of the Beaufort NC area for the past 8 or 9 days, including meeting another great cruising family that we've hung out with every day, but it's time to move on. Tomorrow we'll be heading to Charleston - out the Beaufort Inlet, around Frying Pan Shoals and back into Charleston. We're leaving at 7am, and if we average 5 knots we'll be at Charleston at around 1:30am on Thursday (New Year's Day) morning. If we do 6kts, we'll be in at 8:30pm, and if we go 7kts (yeah right) we'll be in on Thursday afternoon. The wind will be fresh (15-20 most of the way, with some 25-30 here and there) but the waves should be OK, 2-4ft and 3-5ft most of the way, with a smattering of 4-6ft thrown in. It's not the optimal window (windwise), but I think it's the best we can ask for this time of year.