15. The trip between Nassau and Wilmington was about 48-72 hours in duration
The fast blockade runners covered the distance between Nassau and Wilmington (or Charleston) in about two or three days. Departure and arrival times were determined by the moon. Moonless nights were best, but ships also departed before or after the moon rose or set. They sailed without lights, and while near the ports, they burned anthracite coal if they had it, to produce less smoke. The unarmed blockade runners relied on stealth and speed to elude or escape from pursuers. Unless a Union vessel sighted them and turned to investigate, the trip was uneventful for the most part, until the ship neared the American coast.
One reason Wilmington was a preferred destination was the multitude of entries into the Cape Fear River upon which the port was (and is) located. There the value of a pilot was displayed. Approaching at night, without moonlight, the blockade runners attempted to avoid detection. If they were seen, their speed was used to race for the safety offered by the guns of Fort Fisher, or other batteries which guarded the entries to the estuary. Thirty miles upriver, the successful blockade runner entered the port of Wilmington and unloaded its cargo. It then awaited another cargo of southern products before it made another voyage in reverse back to Nassau.