BackBoater briefing

Cape Lookout Bight

Second Wind · 26' Sailfish 268 CC · out of Wrightsville Beach

Distance
81.8 nm
from Wrightsville Beach
Run time
204 min
arrive about 12:13 AM
Fuel, round trip
87.6 gal
58% of your 150 gal
Under the keel
—
no depth reports yet
Daylight
Sunset 7:46 PM · 16h 9m to spare round trip
☀️

Depth

Nobody has reported a depth here. This spot is tide-sensitive, so sound your way in and post what you read — we timestamp it and correct it to the datum automatically, so the next boat gets a number they can actually use.

On the water

Cape Lookout to Surf City
Tonight
Wind S 10 ktSeas 2-3 ftInside light chop

S winds around 10 kt, becoming SW late this evening and overnight. Seas 2 to 3 ft. Wave Detail: S 2 ft at 4 seconds and SE 2 ft at 8 seconds. Adjacent sounds and rivers light chop. Showers with a chance of tstms. Vsby 1 to 3 NM late.

SaturdayS 10-15 kt · seas 2-4 ft
Saturday NightSW 10-15 kt · seas 2-4 ft
SundayW 10-15 kt · seas 2-4 ft
NWS Coastal Waters Forecast AMZ158 · live

Happening right now

observed, not forecast
Wind now
NW 5 kt g12
Waves
3 ft @ 4s
Water
86°F
Air
78°F
NDBC Beaufort + Onslow Bay · 49 min ago

Tides

1.6 ft now, falling
ARRIVENOW02:05 · 3.108:09 · 1.314:47 · 4.021:51 · 1.5

Next low at 21:51 · 1.5 ft

Aim for the window around high water at 02:05 or 14:47 — this spot is tide-sensitive.

NOAA 8656841 · Cape Lookout Bight · MLLW · live

What you need to know

The best natural anchorage in North Carolina — a full hook of protection behind the cape, and the lighthouse right there. Big enough to hold a hundred boats. Plan on an overnight, not a day trip.

Open place detailsChange

Forecast, observations and tides are live from NOAA, the National Weather Service and NDBC. Run time, fuel, depth and daylight are calculated from your boat profile. Planning aid only — not for navigation. Carry current charts.