Miami to Oregon Inlet - any advice?

[MiamiMike]

I'm planning on heading up to Pirates Cove for the first time around mid-May from Miami via Beaufort Inlet then Pamlico Sound. My boat draws 5 feet. Any gotchas, hazards or recommendations?

Also, heard that Oregon Inlet can be tricky to get in/out of... how well marked is it and anything special I need to know?

Thanks!

[Sharkys]

Oregon Inlet is as simple as Red, Right, Return............ unless the wind is out of the north, or Mars is lined up with Jupiter, or the moon is full, or you see a commerant flying to the east backwards. Then there are a whole new set of rules.

[Spearo]

Things change in there by the day and not for the better but it can be done. When you get to see O.I. bridge go s-l-o-w and stay in center of the channel. Its a bad area!

[carey]

if conditions aren't poor ....all you gotta do keeper here in between the buoys...slow down around bridge span....once in the inlet you can take the long way and keep following cans or you can take the crack and it saves you about 15 mins....its marked with a random assortment of buoys ....if your going in you want all the buoys on your port side...then you reach the channel markers again and you head north-north west up the sound towards the manteo bridge....go through it...and bingo bango....then take me offshore...haha

cheers
carey

[Sharkys]

The crack is inpassable right now, for a bigger boat that is, 3.1ft

[carey]

lame...they will dredge it again before summer dont u think

[Sharkys]

They don't dredge the crack. It is not a coast guard maintained channel. The current naturally opens it and closes the crack. The barrels that mark it are placed there by fisherman.

[carey]

yah you are right...my bad...did you hear about trout yesterday in town?

[Sharkys]

I heard about a five pounder on the little bridge, and a few around Avalon the day before. It is a little too windy for me to go try it right now though, I'll be in Ft Myers tarpon fishing for the next few days, maybe the trout will be stacked up when I get back. Why, what have you heard about the trout?????

[carey]

same, a couple decent fish caught around avalon and a bunch over on melvin...gotta fight the crowd tho....lame....
i'm sure there in rodanthe...one of my good buddies is gonna fish all weekend...i hear somehting good i'll shoot you a pm.

peace
cvf