Cape Lookout is one of the most serenely beautiful destinations in Eastern NC. It was highlighted as one of the Atlantic coast’s undiscovered cruising gems in the latest issue of SAIL magazine. Although not that far from the mainland, it is offshore with wind swept beaches, beautiful night skies and, of course, the Lighthouse, making it feel like a world apart. There are opportunities for shelling, time at the beach, a dinghy ride across the Bight to the lighthouse, watching the sunset and socializing with fellow SCOO members. It’s also nice to simply relax and enjoy this tranquil spot. If you want to bring your kayak or paddle board, Cape Lookout is a picturesque place for a morning paddle.
We have set aside 4 days for this cruise. This will allow us to pick the best possible window for our time at the Cape and allow for other destinations en route if desired. Two nights at the Cape is enough to experience the location, although you are free to add more time. You may want to plan a stop before or after (or both) rather than traveling the entire distance in one day. A couple of possibilities would be to anchor in Cedar Creek at the north end of Adams Creek, or choose to anchor or dock in Beaufort, the lovely seaport village with good restaurants, shops and perhaps a sighting of wild ponies.
There are no facilities at the Cape, so be prepared to be self-sufficient while there. Since full dinners are difficult to transport via dinghy and serve on the beach, we will plan for 2 late afternoon pot-luck hors d’oeuvres and BYOB socials on the beach. Be sure to bring your beach chairs.
It is best to traverse Beaufort Inlet at slack tide. To find that specific time frame, the Tide Times or Tide Pro apps are great resources (select Beaufort Inlet Channel Range and click on Currents). We will publish those times for the planned days once we decide on the best weather window. Our (Lynn’s and my) personal plan would be to anchor in Taylor’s Creek in Beaufort on Sunday and catch the slack tide to the Cape late Monday morning. We will depart the Cape on Thursday in time to catch the early afternoon slack tide back into the Beaufort Channel. More specific details will be sent out to all members who sign up.
We’re looking forward to sharing this uniquely beautiful venue with you.
Your cruise captains,
Rick and Lynn Edwards
.png){kind=logo}