Turtles in the hole!

We sailed to the Cape Lookout turtle hole today. One Loggerhead was seen on the way out along with immature Gannets and a group of dolphins following one of the local shrimpers. We also saw several cownosed rays in the tide line off the Beaufort Inlet. We anchored in the turtle hole at slack high tide and ate lunch while we waited for the first turtle. In no time we started seeing Loggerheads all around us. The total sightings were 22 or so. The last turtle seen might have been a small Leatherback. Positive ID's are always difficult at best. This is the best time of year for turtle watching. The turtles are actively nesting now, according to the ranger, with twelve nests on the west end of the Cape so far. The snorkeling was not good due to windy conditions but the sailing was great. Smooth sailling back to Beaufort.