Cruising North Carolina’s Coast: Island Beaches, Big Storms & Charming Towns (Ep 20)

We spent 8 days cruising North Carolina aboard our catamaran Queen Bea, navigating the Intracoastal Waterway (ICW), exploring coastal towns, dealing with shallow water, changing weather, military training areas, and even making our first attempt at picking up a mooring ball… And let's just say, our first mooring ball experience did NOT go as planned. After leaving South Carolina, we head out into the open ocean for several hours before returning to the protected waters of the North Carolina Intracoastal Waterway. Along the way, we encounter a giant manta ray, arrive in Carolina Beach, navigate bridges and ferry traffic, and begin working our way north toward historic Beaufort. But cruising the ICW isn't always relaxing. We find ourselves navigating areas with less than a meter of water beneath our keel, carefully choosing an anchorage because of reports of fouled anchors, and discovering that some of the most beautiful anchorages come with unexpected surprises—including military helicopters, hidden army personnel, thunderstorms and rapidly changing weather. We also get a taste of life aboard a cruising catamaran: searching for hard-to-find 2-inch marine sanitation hose, topping up our fuel and water, sailing the Neuse River, cooking aboard the boat during a rainstorm, and trying to make the most of every stop along the way. Places featured in this episode: • North Carolina Intracoastal Waterway (ICW) • Carolina Beach • Snow's Cut • Camp Lejeune area • Mile Hammock Bay • Beaufort, North Carolina • Neuse River • North Carolina's coastal waterways After spending 8 days in North Carolina, we came away thinking it was one of the most beautiful and interesting stretches of our journey so far. Would North Carolina's ICW be on YOUR cruising list? And if you're interested in seeing more of the real day-to-day reality of living and cruising aboard a catamaran, let us know in the comments. We don't usually film other sailors, but we'd love to know if you'd like to see more of the people, challenges, routines and behind-the-scenes moments of life on the boat. If you enjoyed the journey, subscribe to Queen Bea Nomads and follow along as we continue our adventure. 00:00 Leaving South Carolina for North Carolina 00:38 Taking the ocean route 01:09 Giant manta ray! 03:21 We made it to Carolina Beach 03:29 Our FIRST mooring ball attempt 😳 04:57 Exploring Carolina Beach 05:13 The surprising history of Snow's Cut 06:18 Bridge and ferry traffic 06:49 Navigating the narrow ICW 07:09 Heading north toward Beaufort 08:14 Mile Hammock Bay anchorage 08:53 Hidden military activity 09:14 Less than a meter under the keel! 09:44 The danger of fouling an anchor 10:42 Exploring Beaufort, North Carolina 11:05 The hunt for 2-inch marine hose 12:09 Sailing the Neuse River 12:52 Fuel, water & cruising logistics 13:10 The weather suddenly changes 14:05 Rain, heat & a beautiful anchorage 14:24 The wildfire nearby 14:31 8 days cruising North Carolina 14:41 Life aboard Queen Bea #NorthCarolina #NorthCarolinaICW #ICW #IntracoastalWaterway #Sailing #SailingLife #SailingAdventure #SailingVlog #Catamaran #CatamaranLife #CatamaranSailing #Cruising #CruisingLife #Liveaboard #LiveaboardLife #BoatLife #Boating #YachtLife #OceanSailing #CoastalCruising #ICWCruising #ICWSailing #GreatLoop #CarolinaBeach #BeaufortNC #NorthCarolinaTravel #NorthCarolinaCoast #EastCoastSailing #EastCoastCruising #Sailboat #SailorLife #CruisingCatamaran #CatamaranLifeStyle #LifeOnTheWater #AdventureTravel #TravelVlog #TravelYouTube #BoatVlog #SailingYouTube #QueenBeaNomads