Woke up early today and we were underway by 0730 hrs. Caught the tide at near high and rode the inlet out to the ocean with minimal tidal flow or turbulence. Got out in ~ 2-3 ft seas @ 6 seconds and had a beautiful run in the early morning sunlight. We saw only one ship in our 4 hrs at sea. The inlet to Cape Fear is long and divided into “lanes”; one incoming and the other outgoing. Evidently this is done to avoid ship collisions. Of course, when you have the ocean to yourself it’s hard to collide with anything other an occasional navigational beacon. Bald Head Island is near Southport, NC and for the most part is without automobile transportation. Local modes of transportation are bicycles, golf carts, and walking. We took a short walk to the lighthouse and our takeaway is this the kind of vacation destination where families can let the children have the run of the island and where you needn’t lock your doors. I would like to spend some time here and explore more of the island, but we need to push on. Tomorrow we’re going to Beaufort, NC (pronounced Bow-fort; not to be confused with Bew-fort, SC) for a one night stay before stopping for the weekend at Ocracoke, NC (OBX).