Morehead City Yacht Basin

We have made it a short day, we have stopped to do laundry, fuel up and watch football. It's sunny today, but not warm. The avg. temp. is 70, today it's 55. From the lounge I can see all the boats (yachts?), and brown pelicans fishing. Earlier today we watched dolphins breaching, such a thrill for this landlocked Idahoan.

Cold, Windy Day

We have sailed from Dowry Creek through the ICW and the south end of the Pamlico Sound. We have set the anchor at the Cedar Creek Anchorage, the wind is blowing us around, we hope this dies down with the setting sun. It's also cold out here, the temps are predicted to drop into the 30's. This is going to be a long night.

ICW Day 3

Today we were able to get through the bridge into the Pungo River, NC. The wind was at our back, making travel easy. Unfortunately, it's a cold, overcast day. We have moored at the Dowrey Creek Marina for the night - it's beer can chicken night! Our first marina potluck.

ICW Day 2 continued...

We were able to get through the Albermarle Sound, winds were 30-40 knots with waves 3' tall. We had to tuck into Alligator River Marina- the bridge we need to get through was closed for high winds. We hope to get on our way in the morning. In the mean time we will do some boat cleaning.

ICW Day 2

The ICW is a boat highway bordered by marshes and forests. There have been a few settled areas, but most areas are wild. We have seen a bald eagle, terns, cormorants, gulls, egrets and herons.
Last night we stayed at Coinjack Marina with many of the boats we traveled with all day. There was a restaurant that lured us in, very good food. Today our goal is to make 50 miles, the concern being head winds that may require us to tuck onto a sheltered spot.

Intracostal Waterway Day 1

We are headed down the ICW, trying to move fast enough to get under the first drawbridge at 9:30. There are quite a few boats heading in the same direction
Last night we had dinner with Charlie and Susan. The pizza was good, the desert, amazing!

Fish for Lunch

Dave landed a Bonito about 5 pm las night, what a pretty fish. We had planned to have it for dinner, but our passage into the Chesapeake Bay took far longer than anticipated. We tied up to the dock around 9 pm, had coctails and snacks instead of dinner. This morning, after fueling, filling the water tanks and taking hot showers on shore, we made fish bites for brunch. Yummy. Tonight we are having dinner with Charlie and Susan Griffin at their home in Virginia Beach.

We will be leaving tomorrow around 8 am, entering the Intercostal Waterway for the first time. We should be in cell phone range for several days.

Overnight Passage

We have been sailing steadily since Saturday morning. Andy and I took the 8-12 and the 4-8 shift, Bert and Dave covered the 12-4.
On Sat. The swells were about 3 ft, and the waves were choppy. Going into the head or galley was quite the dance. I am sure I am covered in bruises. Sunday's passage was easy in comparison.
We were visited by several pods of Dolphin, one of the groups happily played in the wake between the two hulls under the fore deck for a good half hour.
Today our goal is to reach Norfolk, current calculations has us arriving around 8pm. I'm hoping to find a shower.

On the water!!!

We are on our way. Dave has already caught, and lost, his first fish. I am confident we will have fish for lunch.

Getting Ready

What a beautiful day, it's hard to believe we can't leave until tomorrow. We are taking care of the last details, buying fruits and vegetables, loading all of our clothes, and making sure our sea sick pills are readily available.

Still Waiting!

The wind is not cooperating, so we plan to set sail on Saturday. We have spent our "down" time scrubbing the boat. Bert can eat French fries off the floor!

Waiting to Sail

We had hoped to be on the water by now, but the waves were too high and the winds were either too strong or coming from the wrong direction. So while we've been waiting to sail, Bert and I have had the time to explore a little of the North East by taking trips to Cape Cod, visiting Dave and Jeanne Dennis and Hingham/Boston, visiting the Andersons.
By Andy's current calculations it looks as if we will get on the water Friday, October 21st.  Our plan is to sail from East Greenwich, RI, past Block Island, to Cape May, NJ. This should take 1 1/2 to 2 days of sailing .