Fall 2023. We made great progress until it came to a screeching halt.

After we left D.C., we made quick progress down the Potomac River and south to Norfolk.

Container ships heading up the Chesapeake towards Baltimore for loading and unloading. The port has almost 1,800 visits from ocean carriers annually.

It was on the James River when we were heading towards Norfolk that Jeff W learned why we suggested multiple times that he close the hatches while he is underway. I definitely bear some responsibility. A cargo ship was crossing our bow and I didn’t alter our course enough to avoid crashing into his wake.

For us, we merely took some water over the bow as Pegu Club plunged into the trough. But poor Jeff W was following us and when he took water over the bow it went down his hatches and onto his v-berth and main salon. I felt really badly about it, but Jeff took it in his normal good-nature and kept the hatches closed after that!

Jeff W wanted to see the Dismal Swamp, and that’s our usual choice on our travels (vs. the Virginia Cut), so we spent a few days moseying down the swamp and showing Jeff our usual docking spots.

Jeff W on Infinity going through his first ever lock.

He also got the chance to try his first Waffle House and gave it two thumbs up! The waitress thought he was great when he ordered one of almost everything on the menu!

Infinity and Pegu Club on what cruising friends of ours call “Boneham dock”. We always stop here, and are usually alone. We were glad to share with Infinity of course!

On the third day in the swamp we made a rare (for us) stop for an overnight at the Dismal Swamp Visitor’s Center. Jeff B and I don’t usually stop here because it’s crowded during transient season and you are expected to raft (tie the boats alongside each other so more can stay on the dock.) We were killing time though before we needed to make a car trip north to Annapolis, and it wasn’t busy, so we pulled over and enjoyed some hiking along the trails.

A replica liquor still on one of the trails.

Pegu Club and Infinity rafted up together at the Visitors Center.

Jeff B and Jeff W also did a VERY good deed while we were there. A boat came up with a man who was about 75 or 80 at the helm. He was traveling by himself, and Jeff B and Jeff W went over to catch his lines and help him dock. While he was docking, he fell and hit his leg on his winch handle. This was an old-fashioned winch handle that had a point on the end, so when he fell it punctured his leg and he slid down it, opening up his shin and calf about four inches, down to the bone. Jeff B ran down into his boat and grabbed some bandages with some medical tape, and both Jeffs did a rudimentary, but quick, bandaging job. He was on blood thinners so there was a TON of blood.

Jeff W went up to the visitors center to tell them, and an ambulance arrived about 20 minutes later. In speaking with in later, Jeff W found out that the man was dying of blood cancer and was taking one last trip south. Almost two months later, Jeff B and I saw his boat at Isle of Hope Marina just south of Savannah, so he was still going! Good on him.

From the Dismal Swamp we made a stop for several days at Lamb’s Marina, a very basic but friendly place near Elizabeth City, NC. We were leaving our boats there so we could go to Jeff’s cardiology appointment in Annapolis, and Jeff W could make a surprise drive up to his home in Massachusetts to surprise his wife. She was VERY happy!

From Lamb’s we went to Elizabeth City (where we introduced Jeff W to Currituck BBQ), then we had an uneventful trip across the Albemarle before stopping to anchor in Belhaven for a few nights. Jeff W discovered the joy that is Mad Hatter Bakery and breakfast at O’Neil’s/Gingerbread and saw why we enjoy Belhaven so much.

The blimp hangar just south of Elizabeth City.

From there we bypassed Oriental and stopped in Beaufort, NC for a few days so Jeff W could get a part for his engine.

I don’t think we’ve ever seen a larger jellyfish!

Our friends on Mer du Jour were also there (who we had last seen in Annapolis), so we were able to get together with them again which is always a treat. We also went to the North Carolina Maritime Museum (a first visit for the three of us) which was VERY interesting. The docent working there took a shine to us, and gave us a special treat by taking us to a lookout on the roof which had a wonderful view!

Our weather continued to be spectacular. In fact, it was the best weather we’ve had of the five trips we’ve made south. We were able to jump outside from Beaufort, NC to Wrightsville Beach, an easy ride, and the first time the weather had ever cooperated enough for us to do it!

After a quick stop in Carolina Beach, we went out the Cape Fear inlet and in the Little River inlet to anchor at Bird Island.

We shared the Cape Fear River with this big guy.

This was another first for us, and one we would definitely do again. Typically we go inside and anchor at Calabash, but that anchorage can be tight and there are sportfishing boats that really like to wake the anchored boats as they go by. Bird Island is MUCH deeper than the chart shows, with plenty of room for many anchored boats. It also is an easy in and out, and if you hop out there to Winyah Bay (like we did), you get to miss the drudgery and meh scenery of Myrtle Beach.

Jeff B and Jeff W did some metal detecting on Bird Island.

Of course the reward for making it through Myrtle Beach is you get to go through the Waccamaw River which is beautiful, and you miss that if you go outside, but we’ve seen that plenty of times. Outside was worth it. There wasn’t much wind so these were mostly motorfests, but the water was smooth and we were all loving life.

A beautiful sunrise as we left the Little River inlet.

The water color was beautiful for this outside leg, reminding us somewhat of the Bahamas.

Heading to our anchorage in Winyah Bay. You can see how flat the water is. The conditions were SO smooth.

We were marveling at what an incredible trip we’d had so far, even though I had begun to notice a slightly different sound in the engine while we were motoring – a sound that Jeff B hadn’t heard, so I decided it was nothing. I tend to fixate on any subtle difference in sound that comes from the engine, even though it’s always completely normal. Unfortunately, it wasn’t normal this time and our trip came to a screeching halt. You can read more about that starting with the October 31, 2023 post which you can find under the archives drop down.

Little did we know at the time that the new engine would lead to a new experience for us – staying for a year in Beaufort, SC.

Let’s finish up the trip north in the late spring/early summer of 2023.

Looking back at my blog posts, I realized I’m much farther behind than I thought. I hadn’t even finished our last trip north! I looked back through photos and the old posts to refresh my memory and it all came flooding back. So here we go. Heads up: this is a long post. You’ve been warned.

After our cold, wet, splashy trip through the Alligator-Pungo canal so we could grab a very brief weather window to cross the Albemarle, we found ourselves with several days before we needed to be in Norfolk for the next decent weather window. We typically take the Dismal Swamp north and south, and the length of time we spend along that route is dictated by our next weather window. In this case, we had time to spare so we decided to stop at the Janette Brothers free dock for a night and wander about.

We weren’t that crazy about Elizabeth City the first time we visited, but it’s grown on us somewhat. It’s still not one of our favorite stops, but it does have a top-notch BBQ joint called Currituck BBQ. That alone makes Elizabeth City worth the visit.

Since we started making this trip in 2018, Elizabeth City has added a brewery and several restaurants and coffee shops. A section of restaurants are found along Pailin’s Alley, where you can dine in the alley under the lights.

Elizabeth City also has a lovely historic district with gorgeous houses from the 1800’s along the street that leads to and from Currituck BBQ. I foolishly didn’t take pictures of the houses, but I did take it of the BBQ! Priorities, you know.

Pulled pork for Jeff, burnt ends for me.

We thought “The Kraken” was a cute name for a coffee house:

And this was a great poster to have in the brewery:

We had hoped to scoot along the Dismal Swamp and head up the Chesapeake right away upon arriving in Norfolk, but it was not to be as strong northerly winds had everyone pinned down. Heading straight into a strong wind up the Chesapeake is not our idea of a good time. We did that once heading down the Chesapeake, and it was the closest I’ve ever come to selling the boat. Never again.

Another nice trip up the Dismal Swamp, finally making it into Virginia:

However, making lemonade out of lemons (as we try to do), we discovered that the last day we would be waiting in Norfolk was also the first day of the annual Harborfest. This is the United States’ largest, longest-running, free maritime festival, and we were psyched that we’d have this entertainment right off our cockpit while we were anchored.

Although we were only able to watch the first day (travel conditions were good for the second day of the Harborfest and we were still trying to make it to Connecticut for the summer), we did get to enjoy the tall ships parade and a Coast Guard Search and Rescue demo. There was also supposed to be a drone show that evening, but unfortunately it was cancelled.

When we woke up the morning of Harborfest, we looked out the port and saw that this guy had snuck in during the night:

The Tall Ships parade started with this tug spraying its hoses. It’s always fun to see how high the water can go!

More boats spraying water:

Then the tall ships started coming in:

Then this guy came in to show off:

And after lunch the Coast Guard rescue demonstration began:

It was a fun day, and we certainly wouldn’t mind being in Norfolk for Harborfest again if the timing were to work out.

Finally, finally, the wind settled down so we could make our way up the Chesapeake. We had just enough time to make it to Annapolis where we would have to wait again, but that wasn’t a hardship given how much we love it there.

With no wind, why didn’t we just motor outside from Norfolk to Connecticut or New Jersey? Because, unfortunately, our Pelagic autopilot was on the fritz again. Having hand steered our first year from Norfolk to Groton, Connecticut, we knew there was no way we were going to do that again. Our goal was to get the Pelagic replaced while we were in Annapolis so we could once again have an autopilot when we didn’t have enough wind for Bob the Monitor.

When we arrived in Annapolis, we contacted Scanmar about replacing the Pelagic. This was the second one we had trouble with, and they were happy to replace it with another one as long as we sent the old one back first and paid for the shipping. Looking at the weather, we had a solid window to make it the rest of the way up the Chesapeake, down the Delaware, and up the New Jersey Coast as long as we sent the old Pelagic back via overnight shipping and had the new one sent to us the same way. The shipping costs were almost the same as buying a new Pelagic, but the clock was ticking and we really needed to grab this window to get to Connecticut.

So we shipped off the Pelagic and then spent the rest of that day and the next day enjoying Annapolis, knowing the new one would arrive on the third day. Not so fast. But first, some scenes from the charming city of Annapolis:

Sailing is SUCH an ingrained part of the culture here. Kids sailing camps are ubiquitous during the summer:

Boats under 35′ can take a mooring in the Spa Creek mooring field for only $25/night – buy six nights, get the seventh night free. It’s so much more protected than the front 40, and it has a very nice view of the school and the bridge.

The Maryland State House is the oldest state capitol in continuous legislative use, and is the only state house ever to have serviced as the nation’s capital:

We explored the Old Fox Books and Coffeehouse bookstore for the first time. It’s a great local bookstore right in downtown Annapolis:

So now it’s day three and our Pelagic is scheduled for delivery at the Annapolis Harbormaster’s office by noon. Then, a message popped up saying it had been delayed until the next day. Wait! What? We called FedEx and they said they had tried to deliver the package but the office was closed for the Juneteenth holiday. This was complete B.S. The dockmaster’s office is open every day. We knew they hadn’t tried to deliver it at all. Could we take an Uber to the Fed Ex distribution center to get it? No, they said. It was still on the truck. It would be delivered the next day. Grrrr.

Day four. The Pelagic is scheduled for delivery at the Annapolis Dockmaster’s office by noon. Then, a message popped up saying it had been delayed until the next day. WHAT???? We called FedEx and they said the driver couldn’t get to the Harbormaster’s office because the street was closed for the Juneteenth parade. This, again, was complete B.S. The street was GOING to close, but wasn’t closed when the Fed Ex delivery guy claimed he had tried to deliver it. AAAUUUGHHH!

By now our frustration was through the roof. We had been fighting the weather for six weeks trying to get back to Connecticut. We had paid several hundred dollars for overnight delivery of our Pelagic which had now failed to be delivered for two consecutive days. And after day five (assuming the Pelagic showed up), our weather window was slamming shut again. Fuck. This. Shit. We were angry. We were frustrated. We were done. We were throwing in the towel and going to spend the summer in Cambridge, MD instead (where we spent Covid summer.)

Once the decision was made, we relaxed for the first time in six weeks. We booked a slip for the summer at Cambridge’s Municipal Marina, waited out some weather, and motored across the bay with our new Pelagic (which was working – yay!) to our slip.

As we left Annapolis to head to Cambridge, we were passed by Aphrodite which is well known to boaters in Southern New England. We wouldn’t be seeing her in Connecticut during the summer, so it was nice get a last glimpse of her again. Lucky captain.

The new Pelagic – hopefully the third one will be the charm:

Heading north – part 2. Plugging away at it.

As I mentioned in my previous post, by now it was May 15th, we needed to get up to Connecticut, and we were only as far as Beaufort, SC. But with some cooperative weather we figured we could scoot up to Norfolk and jump outside to at least Cape May (if not all the way to Groton) and be there in about three weeks. Well, you know what they say about cruisers’ plans written in sand at low tide.

Weather kept us in Beaufort for four days. Not a bad thing in and of itself – regular readers know how much we love Beaufort. We hit all of our regular haunts, ate our tomato pie, and attended a nice gathering of current and former cruisers at the home of cruisers who had settled down there upon swallowing the anchor.

It’s not a visit to Beaufort without tomato pie!

From Beaufort we had hoped to jump from Charleston to Cape Fear in a single overnight, but north winds thwarted those plans. Thankfully we still had the ICW as an option, so we put the hammer down and made it to just south of Southport, NC in 3 1/2 travel days. And then we got stuck. Strong north winds of 20-30+ knots kept us at St. James Marina for a week. We needed to go north, going outside wasn’t an option, and inside was also closed to us with very strong wind against the current on the Cape Fear River.

After a week we had a one day break in the weather so we dashed up to Carolina Beach, then had to wait for two more days. We knew from prior experience that the next bridge wouldn’t open in those winds.

All was not lost, however. We were finally at Carolina Beach when Britt’s Donuts were open (they are only open seasonally, and boy, were they worth the wait!). We also found some excellent pizza on the boardwalk, and it was a bright sunshiny day so Jeff did some metal detecting while I read my Kindle on the beach.

Our friends on Twin Sisters have raved about these donuts, and OMG! They were fantastic!

Jeff loves metal detecting on the beach.

You can buy Italian ice right on the beach – such a great idea! And yes, I did!

After we left Carolina Beach, we picked our way up the ICW taking advantage of every weather window we could grab. It was basically travel for one day, wait for two. Travel for two days, wait for one. As we fought the weather, our frustration level started rising.

A typical example was when we were riding out a blow just south of the Alligator-Pungo Canal. The anchorage was well-protected even though a cold wind of 25 knots was blowing from the northeast. We had planned to wait out the day warm in our cabin vs. motoring into the cold wind since we had a two-day window beginning the next day for crossing the Albemarle Sound.

Our scenic anchorage just north of Belhaven.

Checking the weather in mid-afternoon, we saw that the Albemarle Sound window had shut, and now our only chance for at least a week was the next day. Gritting our teeth, we raised the anchor and had a cold ride up the canal, anchoring just before sunset so we could cross the Albemarle the next day.

At least the Albemarle was behind us. But now the forecast was showing nothing but north winds for the next week. Crew morale was starting to dip.

It’s taken four years, but we’ve finally learned to slow down and relax.

So far this has been our best trip along the ICW – even though it’s been more chilly than we would prefer! One of the things we talked about last winter was slowing down on the boat and taking our time. Don’t rush unless weather is forcing our hand. There will always be another window. While this comes naturally to Jeff, it was much more of a challenge for me. But I think I’ve finally got it down. We’ve been poking along, riding the currents whenever we can – even if it means a shorter day – and all in all it’s been working out great.

We knew leaving Norfolk that it would be four or five days before we had a good window to cross the Albemarle, so we poked along the Dismal Swamp.

404154B6-6FFC-4FF3-9946-FE2A8AA82889 — Another state down – goodbye, Virginia, hello North Carolina!

We had a short, ten mile day to Elizabeth’s Landing where we spent the night after stocking up with groceries at Food Lion. Then it was another quick eight mile day to Taylor’s Landing (another free dock on the Dismal).

5BD6B07C-B90E-4BBF-BA05-96262BA5551C — Cruisers leave their boat name on the wall as you wait to enter the lock. It fades pretty quickly. We couldn’t find our name from 2018.

3C044233-3AD3-45BF-B6FC-34B60FDDDE3D — Waiting for the lock to close to exit the Dismal Swamp. The green is from duckweed.

70EF2F71-EF9C-494C-8A40-52BC73756808 — The stretch between the Dismal Swamp and Elizabeth City is quite scenic.

After exiting the Dismal we had a slightly longer day to Goat Island, and then a quick six mile trip to Elizabeth City where we did laundry and had the best barbecue we’ve EVER had at Currituck BBQ.

Our patience was rewarded with a smooth as glass crossing of the Albemarle Sound and down the Alligator River.

0B8DCEAF-BF33-42FB-894E-ED1471B97D10 — THIS is how we like to see the Albemarle Sound!

Normally I find the Alligator-Pungo canal to be pretty boring, but this time Mother Nature entertained us. In the first few miles we approached a fog bank:

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After the fog we had some rain showers, followed by this beautiful rainbow:

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To top it off, we saw a deer swimming across the canal almost directly in front of us, but I couldn’t get a good picture of it. I really need to get a real camera.

We had originally planned to skip Belhaven (gasp!) for reasons that I can’t remember any more. Fortunately common sense prevailed, and we remembered we were taking it slow this time, so we made a spontaneous decision to anchor for two nights in one of our favorite small towns. From there we had a short day, stopping at RE Mayo for the first time.

RE Mayo has the cheapest diesel in the area, the freshest and cheapest shrimp straight off of the boat, and VERY rough docks where you can tie up for 40 cents/foot. We go by every year saying we’ll stop next time, and finally next time arrived. I don’t know if we’d stop overnight again (the barges going by overnight kick up quite a wake, even though they are moving slowly), but we’ll definitely pull up in the future to top off our diesel tank and buy more shrimp!

0AC39334-0957-4371-9D52-B235E0D9D78A — That’s a dockage fee you won’t see often, but honestly it wasn’t worth more than that.

Waking up the next morning, we were keeping our eye on a strong weather system coming in a few days that, combined with a very late hurricane/Tropical Storm, was going to make things pretty snotty for awhile. Keeping that in mind, we made a reservation for a week at St. James Marina near Southport, NC and put the hammer down.

We skipped Oriental and as we were crossing the Neuse, I saw “Aphrodite” pop up on our AIS. It was going over 25 knots, and I said to Jeff, “Could that be THE Aphrodite?” I’ve blogged about Aphrodite before. Basically, anyone who boats in Fishers Island Sound knows Aphrodite. She’s stunning. We decided it couldn’t be – we were a LONG way from Southern New England – and a few minutes later we discovered we were wrong:

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Apparently she heads south to Florida every year. Lucky delivery captain!

We were hurrying, but we still enjoyed the scenery along the North Carolina ICW. It’s a stretch I really enjoy because the inlets are so short, leaving you with a great view of the ocean every time you pass one. Of course the flip side is that you fight the currents part of the way, no matter when you leave.

9C1B6F2E-CE89-4F2D-BF6A-0B880ED45793 — You can tell the current is against us from the direction the can is leaning.

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97A3BB43-CB90-4180-A72E-55818A66C1DC — Given the amount of liquid gas this cargo ship was carrying, we thought the size of the “No Smoking” warning was appropriate!

A few short days later, we arrived at St. James Marina. We’ve stopped here a few times before, always for weather-related reasons. It’s the most protected marina in the area – a true hurricane hole – and we’re glad we planned so far ahead because they were sold out by the time we arrived.

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We spent a week barely feeling a breeze as the wind honked at 25-30+ knots. Our fingers were crossed that once the weather passed we could get a window to hop outside to Georgetown or farther, but the window was much too sporty for our taste. Time to continue down the ICW!

Palm Springs – among a select few spots at the top of our list – and back to Connecticut.

Our next stay after San Diego was four weeks in Palm Springs. We’ve been to Palm Springs twice before and have always loved it, but this would be our longest stay by far. Before we arrived we were thinking it could be a top contender for the “Can we live here someday?” sweepstakes. By the time we reluctantly left, it was running neck and neck with Beaufort, SC. We even briefly debated staying for an additional month, but logistically we couldn’t make it work.

With a great vibe and even greater weather, we made the most out of our stay. Since we had a late check-in, we took the long way around the barn to get there from San Diego. We went via Brawley so we could buy carne asada at Ramey’s and Jeff could see the Imperial Sand Dunes near Glamis for the first time. The dunes are massive – often reaching over 300 feet high – and several movies have been filmed there, including Return of the Jedi.

Since Palm Springs was only an hour away from Joshua Tree National park, we took a day trip there and were both very pleasantly surprised with how much we enjoyed it. The landscape was much more interesting than we anticipated, and we’d definitely go back again.

Joshua Trees:

The Cholla Cactus garden was amazing. I loved the way the light shining through them made them look as if they were glowing (it was better than the picture). If we move to Palm Springs, I would absolutely plant some. The cactus is also called “teddy bear cactus” and there are large signs warning people not to touch them. I could definitely understand the temptation because they looked soft and fuzzy. Note: they’re not.

An oasis in Joshua Tree National Park:

We also just enjoyed daily life, taking full advantage of the walking paths, parks for metal detecting (for Jeff), and local events. I even spent one memorable Saturday learning how to flag at a Flagging in the Desert event. Of course it’s obvious that I was a newbie compared to the second video with the people who know what they’re doing!

So what puts Palm Springs in the very top tier for places we’d be happy to live some day when we aren’t cruising? It has great weather (obviously). The city has a laid-back vibe with an all-inclusive population and fantastic mid-century modern architecture (which we love).

It’s large enough to have many things to do but not so big that it’s impersonal, and there’s no need to take the freeway to get everywhere. There are tons of hiking and walking paths, plenty of parks, and it’s close enough to L.A. and San Diego for getaways without being too close. Basically it checked almost every box we have, so we’ll see. Who knows what the future will hold?

But meanwhile, it was time to pack up the car and point the bow east (assuming a car had a bow, of course). After one last visit with Lyn and Ken in San Diego and family in L.A., we were off to Phoenix where we had a great visit with my high-school friend, Wes and his wife.

Wes and I have been friends for 39 years!

The next day was the start of two 700 mile days so we could spend more time doing a “greatest hits” tour up the east coast. 60 hours after leaving Phoenix we were pulling into my uncle and aunt’s driveway in metro Atlanta for two nights. We hadn’t been to their new house yet, and it was great to see them!

After that it was off for a two night stay in Beaufort, SC (we can’t miss having our tomato pie):

We took advantage of having a car this time to drive to Hunting Island State Park, less than 1/2 hour from Beaufort. It has a gorgeous beach – yet another reason why Beaufort remains neck and neck with Palm Springs

We also visited Wilmington, NC for the first time. It’s a detour up the Cape Fear River that we weren’t sure would be worth taking. After visiting, we decided that it most definitely is. What a fantastic downtown. It reminded us of a northeast city with the weather of the southeast (photos courtesy of Google):

A stop in Belhaven was mandatory (of course) and, once again, we took advantage of having a car by driving to Washington, NC to see if we might want to go there on Pegu Club (it would be a 30 nautical mile detour off of the ICW, up the Pamlico River). We loved the downtown area and will absolutely stop there again.

Last but not least, we enjoyed a great stay in Delaware with our good friends Vanessa and Kurt. We also had the added bonus while we were there of getting together with more good friends – and fellow cruisers – Jay and Tanya from S/V Minx.

And now we have landed back in Groton, CT where we are busily preparing Pegu Club to go back in the water. Shore leave is days away from being over. What’s next? Stay tuned!

Scooting down the East Coast.

We needed to make another trip up north so we decided to leave the boat in New Bern, NC. The marina was reasonably priced and it was a town we hadn’t seen before (but we had heard good things about). Win-win.

So after our two days at the Oriental free docks we cast off the lines and headed up the Neuse River to New Bern. We had great conditions for sailing and thoroughly enjoyed traveling without the engine as we made our way 22 nautical miles up river. I can see why so many sailors settle in the area. Continue reading “Scooting down the East Coast.” →

Yes, we’re still alive.

I haven’t been posting weekly like I try to do, but all is well. I’ve just been a bit unmotivated. Cruising during Covid is not nearly as fun. We keep to ourselves and we limit our outings. We don’t eat out in restaurants, we don’t poke around in shops, and we don’t go to museums. Basically we aren’t any different than people living on land who take this virus seriously, with the exception of the fact that we are sitting on a 30 foot boat instead of in a larger dwelling.

Frankly, during our trip to Connecticut in mid-September for medical appointments we came thisclose to bringing the boat north, putting it on the hard, and just living in a rental for the winter. The Bahamas weren’t looking like a viable option and we couldn’t get excited about spending the winter in Florida. Continue reading “Yes, we’re still alive.” →

A no-brainer.

After leaving Oriental we made steady progress north. We reluctantly decided to skip our beloved Belhaven, which is the first time we’ve missed it. Unfortunately Covid cases were increasing in North Carolina and from what we could observe on Facebook, Belhaven residents weren’t fans of masks. Sadly, if that attitude remains Belhaven will have to be a pass for us until Covid is somehow resolved.

**Looks like there’s no point in swimming for respite on the Pamlico Sound in late June – the water temperature was 100 degrees!**

We had a sporty ride across the Albemarle (it’s a large, shallow body of water so every time a gnat farts a nasty chop kicks up), spent several days sweating it out in the Dismal Swamp Canal, and rode out the Fourth of July weekend anchored at Hospital Point by Portsmouth, VA.

**The Saharan dust cloud turned the sky steel gray crossing the Albemarle.**

**Wandering on a path at the Dismal Swamp park.**

Continue reading “A no-brainer.” →

Jim the Wizard Mechanic.

The anchorage in Calabash Creek is not a place you want to spend multiple days. Deep sea fishing charters speed by all day throwing a large wake. It’s tolerable for an evening, and that’s about it. Unfortunately, the forecast for the next five days called for heavy rain and thunderstorms. We stuck it out for one day and then called an audible.

Perhaps more important than waiting out the heavy rain was the fact that we also wanted a better wind direction for our trip up the Cape Fear River. Our first trip south we learned that high wind against the current on the Cape Fear equals 3.5 knots of speed at wide open throttle in a washing machine. Well, we can learn.

Continue reading “Jim the Wizard Mechanic.” →

Putting the hammer down.

We were poking along the ICW as we did last fall, content in knowing that we were three weeks ahead of schedule compared to last year and hoping that would be enough to keep the cold weather at bay. We had enjoyed a beautiful, leisurely trip down the Dismal Swamp, spent a few nights in our favorite small town of Belhaven, and stopped in Beaufort, NC for the first time where we waited several days for a strong weather system to pass.