We got an early start this morning and had the anchor up and were under way by 6:30 am. At approximately 6:55 am we were stopped by the U.S. Coast Guard. Apparently they needed to safety check our boat to help with the war on terrorism.

We slowed down to a crawl and two combat boot wearing, side arm carrying, 18 year olds came aboard. The other three members of the coast guard crew fell back about thirty feet to provide covering fire.

I went through the official safety check list with one officer out in the cockpit while Amy showed the other guy the interior of the boat.

Fifteen minutes later, they were done. It turns out we were missing a type 4 throw-able inflatable device. The officer could have written us a ticket for $40 but I convinced him that with the addition of a little rope, miloWeasel is in fact an approved throwable flotation device. I also told him that Milo might even be a type 5 or 6 device as he is both self retrieving and self drying. I offered to show him how to utilize the Milo device, but he declined and instead just backed away slowly while giving us a warning instead of a ticket. Hmmm.

They gathered their stuff and called their patrol boat for a pickup and then they were gone. I will say that they were courteous and professional, but I am somewhat skeptical as to how me having a type four, throw able rescue device is helping the fight against al Queda, but oh well.

We continued on our way and were just about to make the turn down in to Beaufort, when someone who asked to be nameless (Amy) took her eye of the charts and ran us hard aground on a falling tide where we ended up sitting for five hours until enough water came back in to float us off.

No damage was done other than perhaps a bruised ego and a reported case of lacerated self esteem. By the time we floated off, it was almost dark and we just got the hook down before we could no longer see.

Dinner was two bottles of wine and some crackers. To bed at 8 pm after a long and trying day.