Yamaha - Are you really this incompetent, or do you just hate us?

So apparently I did jinx us. Yamaha sent the new power head to southport, and it arrived Friday. We talked to Gregory Poole and they agreed to work overtime if we would pay the extra. Monday, when Gregory Poole went to put the last screw in, they realized the power head Yamaha sent was missing a brass ring, which is not only a very important piece of the motor, but also specific to that motor (so the one could not be taken off the old one). By the time we found out about it, Yamaha had already missed Monday shipment, and it would not go out until Tuesday to arrive at Southport Wednesday, for them to do the work Wednesday and Thursday and possibly make the Thursday pick up, but if not Friday. So then the motor couldn't go on until Monday which only gives us 3 days to make it from Palm Beach to Treasure Cay for Christmas, which is a push assuming the weather is there. We are going to do more research today, but at this point it looks like we will be crossing between Thursday and Saturday with one motor. The weather looks very calm, so we should be ok.

On top of that, Ben's phone is no longer charging, and he is unable to sync or restore it using his computer because he is getting a message that the software is incompatible. So, we have another appointment with an Apple Store. This of course is complicated because we have used Ben's number as our contact number for the the marina in Southport, Yamaha, and the marina here that is supposed to install the engine. 

On to happier topics, where were we? I had said we had some long days recently. Here's the exact milage (in statue miles): Dec 6; Fernandina Beach, FL to St Augustine, FL; 59 miles Dec 7; St Augustine, FL to Daytona Beach, FL; 60 miles Dec 8; Daytona Beach, FL to Titusville, FL; 46 miles Dec 9; Titusville, FL to Vero Beach, FL; 70 miles

Leaving St Augustine we made our first bridge timing error. On the chart it looked like the opening bridge was about 1/2 a mile from our marina. We read in the guidebook that the Bridge of Lions Highway Bridge opens on the hour and half hour except for 8 am, noon and 5 pm. So we thought if we left about 7:10, we would make the 7:30 opening, and be golden. Unforetunetly the bridge was a little further than we though, and we just missed the 7:30 opening, so had to wait until 8:30 am.

On December 8 a SpaceX Falcon 9 Rocket was fired from Cape Canaveral, which is right across the ICW from Titusville. The dock master at the marina south of Daytona Beach  said we would be able to see the rocket from Daytona as we motored towards Titusville. It was supposed to launch between 9:00 am and 12:30 pm, and the first launch time was about 9:35.  We looked for it, but when we didn't see it, I checked twitter and a news site and saw the initial launch was delayed and had been rescheduled for 10:43 am. We missed the initial part of the launch but looked up just in time to see the stage two rocket fire!


According to the guidebook, the NASA Railroad Bridge is the only opening bridge without an attendant on the ICW, and is normally open except when a train comes through, but on the 8th, the bridge was undergoing construction and was closed for "a little while." By the number of boats with their anchors out waiting for the bridge to open, it looked like it had been that way for quite awhile. We also recognized many of the boats as having passed us earlier that morning - many of them were much faster than us and had passed us several hours earlier - they must have been waiting for a while. We started to drop our anchor as well, but then heard on the radio it would only be another 1/2 hour, so decided to wait it out. After the NASA bridge there was another opening bridge 2 miles later, which we made with no problem. The next bridge, about 7 miles after that did not open at all between 3:30 and 5 pm. We would have just made it by 3:30 if we didn't have to wait a half hour for the railroad bridge, but with the delay we realized we wouldn't get through until after 5, so decided to call it a day.

After mooring at Vero Beach, we stopped at Peck Lake at about mile 992. It was a beautiful anchorage, especially when we figured out the loud crashing noise was actually the beach, just a dingy ride and short walk away! We decided to stay put on Saturday and enjoyed the beach! It wasn't quite warm enough to swim, but I laid on the beach and read, Ben searched for sea shells and we waded up to our knees. Ben also got online and got a 3 day fishing permit for the state of Florida. We were very excited to catch our first fish while fishing in the surf. It was a salt water cat fish which Ben threw back. We'd much rather be on a beach in the Bahamas, but we are having a blast anyway, and we're starting to realize how hard it will be to go back to "the real world" once this trip is over. 

We are now at North Palm Beach Marina. When we called the marina, they said there was a grocery store about a mile away, and we could walk to it, but we'd probably want a cab back. It turns out it's actually 1.8 miles. The first night we were here we walked to a restaurant which was closed, and then walked about another mile to another restaurant, knowing we'd need a cab for the ride home. The cab was $20 for less than 2 miles, and there was no meter or any info on how the fare was calculated in the cab. We decided we'd be better off renting a car than trying to deal with the cabs again. It ended up being a great decision! We had a lot of last minute provisioning to do, so it was nice to be able to fill up the car. In addition to the grocery store we also went to Carmine's Gourmet Grocery store which was a nice little store with great looking meat and fish. We bought a few dried sausages which should be great for snacking, and adding to rice and beans for a little variety and flavor. 

The best part about having the rental car was last night we went out to see Harry Potter 7 Part 1 at the IMAX! It was a pretty big splurge ($15 a ticket), but it was a lot of fun, and as Ben said, we haven't done much in terms of entertainment over the last month. The movie was great and it was nice to be able to get away from the boat for a few hours.

Update from Yamaha: They will not actually ship it to the Bahamas since they are not an exporter. There is a solution in the works, but it depends on things going right, so we will see.

We've had some long days!

I need to double check the exact milage, but the last several days we have really been pushing from sunrise to sunset and have put in a lot of 50 (statute) mile or over days. Yesterday was probably the longest, we went from Titusville to Vero Beach, which was almost 70 miles. We took it easy this morning, we woke up, had a yummy eggs and bacon breakfast, took the dingy ashore to pay for the mooring and take showers, and didn't head out until about 10:15!

We have some tentative good news - hopefully I won't jinx it, but right now, the parts and a shipping crate are on there way from Yamaha to Southport, and Eddie will be re-assembling the motor tomorrow. We will pay the upgrade to ship it overnight to a marina we've found in Palm Beach, and they should be re-attaching it on Wednesday morning. After a lot of back and forth with Yamaha, including being told that we had an atypical use of the motor and may have voided our warranty, they finally agreed a five month old motor should not have rusted cylinders. Yay, we are finally winning again, too bad we will have ended up doing 700 (of 1000) miles of the ICW with only one motor. It's been a learning experience and I think we are going to be experts at docking the boat once we have that other motor back. We are going to make a real effort to continue to plan and communicate which is really what made this possible. Remaining calm and not yelling when things did not go as planned also kept our boat and marriage in one piece.

A few quick thoughts:

We are working on the next installment of the video blog! Get ready.

Yesterday we were trying to remember the last day we didn't see dolphins. I think it was our layover day in Beaufort, SC, but before that I can't remember. On this trip we've also seen otters, a few manatees (we think) and a bald eagle. Unfortunetetly nature photography is really difficult and there will probably be little evidence in our next video blog.

Today was finally warm! It was in the 70's. Also, the water today was teal! It felt very tropical.

And a few pictures:

Crab Feast!

Saint Augustine

This Doesn't Feel like Flor-i-da

When we called to find a slip at Fernandina Harbor Marina they said they had something for us, but it would be on the outside dock and it might be a little rough. We decided to go ahead and take it (even when Ben clarified they had actually called it a "breakwater"), we've already had a few rough nights, and it's easiest for us to dock (with one motor) on a t-head or in a linear docking situation. We should have realized the mistake when we got close to the marina, and hailed them on the radio, they said "you'll be right in front of the cruise ship." The cruise ship ended up being fine, (quiet), but it was a pretty rough night. The northwest wind was blowing us right up against the dock, and Ben started to worry that we were going to pop a fender. I didn't realize that was something to worry about, but since Ben was worried, I was too.

We survived the night, but woke up to a very cold morning. It was still pretty gusty, so we came up with a plan for getting off the dock over our Cheerios (with one motor, we've developed a pretty good habit of breaking down responsibilities/who is going to do what when we dock or leave a dock). The biggest problem for this execution was my hands were completely numb, and my fingers were not working enough for me to hold a fender in place, (our pivot point), and at the correct moment, quickly, on Ben's cue, untie the line that we were using as a pivot. The first try the line was a little too far forward, and we weren't pivoting correctly. The second time I couldn't get the line off the cleat and slipped quick enough. Before attempt three, a cruise passenger walked by and said "It sure doesn't feel like Florida." Ben from inside the enclosure thought he said, "Having a little trouble this morning?" I think Ben might have been projecting, but he had also completely forgotten about the cruise ship and was totally baffled that someone would be walking around a dock at 8 am (it was cold, we got a late start) and not offer to help with a line. But it ended up working out fine, third time was a charm and we made it about 55 (statute) miles it to St Augustine Beach.

We're in Florida!

We are excited to have made it to Florida. It feels like (finally) we've made progress south! Since Isle of Hope, GA, we spent one night anchored out, docked at Jekyll Harbor Marina, and are now docked at Fernandina Harbor Marina.

We anchored out at New Teakettle Creek in Georgia and it was less eventful than our last anchoring experience - a very good thing. We used a bridle from the start and also used our dingy anchor as a kettle to hold the anchor rode lower in the water allowing us to properly swing over the anchor rode. The wind was no where near what it was the other night, when we think what threw us off was the boat was being pushed in the direction of the current, but still sitting facing into the wind. The anchor kettle was suggested by several other Maine Cat owners. It was also a relief to hear that others had similar problems, and that we were on the right track to a solution (we rigged a bridle that first night and were researching how to use a kettle for the next time).

Happily Anchored

We were a little worried because it was supposed to be in the 30's the night we anchored, and since we weren't going to be plugged in to shore power, we would be without heat. It might not have been quite as cold as forecasted, but we were amazed at how warm it was. We've been wimps, we could have anchored way sooner. We spent a little less time in the cockpit because the hulls were a little warmer, we stayed bundled up, and we stayed in bed a little later than normal (almost 7:30 am!) but I was never COLD. It's supposed to be 28 tonight though so we decided maybe we aren't THAT tough.

Yesterday we docked at Jekyll Harbor Marina. I was excited because the guidebook mentioned a Sea Turtle Center on the island. I wasn't exactly sure what a Sea Turtle Center was, but from some of the reviews it sounded like it really had potential, and I've always really loved turtles. It closed yesterday at 5:00 and Ben and I agreed that sitting down at the bar, and drinking gin and tonics was more important, but this morning I was able to convince Ben to delay our departure, check out bikes from the marina and head over the the Georgia Sea Turtle Center. We are so glad we did! The center is a rehabilitation center for ill and injured sea turtles and an educational facility for people. I wasn't 100% sure we'd get to see actual turtles, but I was really excited to find out there were giant tanks of all different sized turtles. We also got to watch one of the employees weigh baby loggerheads, and a baby terrapin and a one year old loggerhead have breakfast (separately). We were really lucky - while we were walking around the educational part we started talking to Mike, an Americorp volunteer. He ended up giving us a personal tour of the center, and answered almost all of our questions. He also had some questions for us about living on a sailboat (I think we were able to answer most of his questions, too). My favorite turtle was Arribada, a juvenile Kemp's Ridley sea turtle with a damaged front leg. I identified with this turtle even if missing an engine might not really be comparable to missing a leg. I was pleased to hear from Mike that a 3 legged turtle does NOT swim in circles.

Tonight we are docked at Fernandina Harbor Marina in Florida! Right after we docked Ben noticed a seafood store very close to the dock and ran over in case it was closing at 5:00 pm. He came back carrying a large paper bag and said there was good news and bad news. I assumed the good news was better since he was obviously carrying something yummy - the bad news was they only sell crabs by the dozen. We also called a cab and took a ride to the Publix. The cab driver, RJ, was great, and also took us to the Walmart to buy a heavier dingy anchor to use as our kettle. We also mentioned that it is a real shame that none of the marinas on the trip have a RedBox. It seems like such a no brainer - cruisers are cheap ($1 movie!), don't get a chance to see movies when they come out, and can't use a mail service like Netflix. Also, most cruisers would probably rent and watch the movie that same night, so it wouldn't be a big deal to just walk it back to the RedBox if it was right at the marina. As soon as we mentioned it RJ got on his cell phone to call a friend. So, if you see any RedBoxes crop up at marinas in the next year, thank us, and RJ.

Days 21 and 22 - Layover Day In Beaufort and Beaufort to Isle of Hope, GA

We needed a layover day yesterday. Well at least I did. We arrived in Beaufort on little sleep and had to wait about 40 minutes (with one engine) for the Wappoo Creek Bridge to open (apparently it was only opening on the hour, not the half hour as well). While we were waiting it was pouring rain and the entire floor of the cockpit/living room/dining room was soaking wet. When we got to the marina all I wanted was to get on the computer and watch the highlights from the previous night's UVA basketball game (UVA beat #13 Minnesota to open the ACC/Big 10 Challenge). I hadn't even been able to listen to the game on the radio the previous night. I can normally pick up 3WV on the wunderradio app on my iphone, but we didn't have good enough service the night before. When we got to the marina I realized not only was my computer not working, but the internet wasn't fast enough to watch the highlights from Ben's computer. My feet were wet and cold, and I had to walk to the communal marina bathroom just so I could wash my face with warm water. Sometimes living on a boat is not glamorous and I had my first "I want to go home moment."

It didn't help when the weather remained rough that night. We barely got any sleep again, so when the weather was still looking iffy the next morning we decided to just stay put for the day. It also allowed us to check out two additional restaurants - Plum's and Pannini's. Both were better than should be expected and the brick oven pizzas were exactly what we needed. We also had a chance to hang our Christmas lights and finish watching Harry Potter Episode #4 (...and the Goblet of Fire).

We also used the courtesy car to run to West Marine and the Piggly Wiggly. There wasn't really have anything we absolutely needed, but it was nice to pick up a few things - body wash, bread, and some more boat cleaner. We also did a little walk around the downtown area. When we got back to the marina it was really filling up. A lot of boats seemed to have had rough days (or previous nights) from the weather, and everyone was looking to re-charge. It was fun this morning - we were up about 6:30, and there was a little bit of a buzz as all the boats around us were getting ready and heading off about the same time. There was also another young couple, we didn't get too much of a chance to talk but they were heading outside to St Augustine, FL today and planning on getting there tomorrow morning. They also had a cat on a leash.

We were aiming for Thunderbolt, GA which is at the mouth of the Savannah River. We've decided to skip Savannah this time around since we just took the day off, and since Savannah is about 8 miles up the river, so out of the way. We made it about 8 miles further to Isle of Hope Marina. Ben cooked a wonderful dinner and we just watched the 5th Harry Potter (and the Order of the Phoenix). I'm enjoying being on a boat again, I realize how lucky we are to be able to take this time off to do this, especially at this point in our lives, and it's vacation, but it's four months so it's also our lives and there are bound to be ups and downs, but as long as everything is taken in stride I'm sure there will be more ups than downs.

Picture Post - Thanksgiving, Charleston, Etc

Yes, this means my computer is working again, and we have a decent internet connection. As much as I know about computers, I'm still moving slowly and cautiously so it doesn't turn off again. I actually think it might have something to do with the humidity, since both times it's stopped working it's been quite humid and both times it's worked it's been pretty dry. I bought one of those DampRid hanging bags and stored the computer in the closet, so we'll see, it might end up being like my car, which also dislikes the rain.

Thanksgiving


Charleston


Our Friends


I better hurry up and get this posted before the computer shuts down.

Days 19 and 20 - Charleston, SC to Beaufort, SC

I was all ready to post a bunch of pictures today, but my computer went down again. It's having the exact same problem. We are thinking about renting a car tomorrow and going back to Charleston, because that's the only Apple Store until Miami, and we're not planning on going that far. If nothing else, I can return the $100 battery, since that obviously did not fix the problem.

Heard back on the engine - the lower unit is ok, but there were several problems with the rest of the engine which Yamaha will cover. Once the parts get to Southport, it will be about a day and a half to fix, and then we'll have to find a place for them to ship it to where we can have it installed. 

We are really missing that other motor. Two nights ago we anchored for the first time on our trip. It's been pretty cold at night, and without being docked and plugged in, we don't have heat. Since it was supposed to be was one of the first warm nights, we found a spot in the guidebooks and decided to spend the night on the hook. Things were going well until the tide changed and the current switched directions. In theory you are supposed to "swing" on your anchor, and all should be fine. Unfortunately, when we swung, all was not fine.

At about 8 pm it sounded like we had run aground, but we had swung over the anchor rode, and it was hitting something under the boat (the bumper keel, rudder, or hull). It was difficult to free ourselves because we were very worried about fouling the rode in our one good engine, and because only having one engine we were very limited in what directions we could move. We finally were able to straighten out, and rigged a second rope to create an anchor bridle, which is supposed to even out the pressure so that the boat swings better. 

All was well until about 4 am when the currents switched again. Ben was in and out of bed between 4 and 6, so at 6:30 I joined him on deck. At that point, the anchor looked correct. Ben had lost the bridle, but the anchor was centered. When I started to raise the anchor it was stuck on something and the boat swung back over it. Ben and I aren't exactly sure what happened over the course of the next two hours, but it wasn't pretty and we were getting scared. Finally, at about 8:30, Will and Renaldo from South Carolina Fish and Wildlife drove by and pulled over to ask if we needed any help. We weren't sure if Will and Renaldo would be able to help us, and more importantly would be able to help us safely - without putting themselves in danger, or damaging their boat. At that point we had let go of the original anchor, with a float tied to the bitter end of the anchor rode and Ben had deployed our back up anchor, however, it seemed like in relation to the current and the winds we should have been resting in the opposite direction. So, we were still stuck on some part of our primary anchor rode. Will insisted that if there was anything they could safely do to help, they would and we were grateful. We were able to talk through a plan (adjusting as things didn't work or results were different than expected). By 9:30, Ben was in his wetsuit hanging off the transom cutting the primary anchor's trip line from around one of the ruder posts with my rigging knife.  Before cutting the trip line, Ben was able to lift a few feet of the taught line out of the water and hold it up so Renaldo could grab it from the bow of their boat.  When Ben did cut the line,  they were able to pull up (and save) our anchor. In fact, they recovered both our anchors, and in the end all we lost was a CO₂ cartridge on one of the lifejackets which fired when Ben was laying down in the dingy. The next time the boat is hauled (or when we get to the clear waters of the Bahamas), we'll find out if there was any additional damage to anything under the water. 

Last night we docked in Beaufort, SC. Not to be confused with Beaufort, NC. The pronunciation is completely different! It should have been an uneventful night, and we were hoping to catch up on some sleep but the wind was howling all night and the tide race made for some choppy seas. We both got up at different times to check the dock lines. We are looking forward to a few slower days coming up, and are even planning on taking "a day off" soon to explore, we're just not sure the best town to explore (Hilton Head, Savannah, or a Georgia Island). And we will be sure to pick up a book about anchoring. 

Once We Were Docked, We had a Great Day

Today, for the first time we really struggled with just one motor. Currents in Charleston Harbor are really strong, so we timed our docking for slack water at 12:40, but with the wind we still had a lot of trouble. I can't really explain it, other than we narrowly avoided disaster. Ben had a little bit of an opportunity to play around with the wind and currents because we didn't time the "Ben Sawyer" bridge opening very well, and had to wait in 3 knot currents, without being able to turn to port (left) between 11:35 and noon when the bridge finally opened. We might have been ok except for the crab pots, the boat which decided to pull some of those crab pots, and the sailing vessel which passed us, and then turned around back towards us to furl their head sail, forcing us to avoid them (without turning to the left). 

When we got to the Charleston Maritime Center we did a few drive byes to check out where exactly they wanted us to pull into. We saw the dock master waving, but  wisely waited in the channel until Ben had formulated  a plan to pull into the marina. I think I'll wait for Ben's captain's report to give the rest of the details, but after we were secured to the fuel dock, and everyone's blood pressure started to drop, we all agreed we would stay at the fuel dock for the night.  (Wind, waves, current, and a packed fairly exposed marina make parking a boat tricky.  Especially on a cat with one motor!) 

After that our day got much better. It was less than a mile walk to the Apple store, and when I showed up magically my computer turned on. Not sure how he did it, but thanks genius bar man! I went ahead and bought an official apple battery (which they surprisingly had in stock) even though I'm pretty sure that was not why my computer would not turn on the other day (really it turned on, the screen was just blue...). Oh well, it's working now, and after returning to the boat I promptly backed everything up on a hard drive which will be accessible during the trip (I had been worried that if the computer was dead I wouldn't be able to access any of my data until we get back to Charlottesville in March).

We really enjoyed the walk to the Apple Store -- Charleston is beautiful. I'm not exactly sure how much of the city is this old, but the part we were walking through had several houses built in the 1600's! I was looking up the driveways and thinking, this was built for horse drawn carriages, because it's been here before there were cars. There were parts that reminded us both of New York City, but then we saw a car pull a u-turn in front of several other cars, and no one honked! It's like a NYC, but people are nice to each other.

We are also docked only 1/8 of a mile (according to the guide book) from a Harris Teeter,  so we did a major shopping trip. It was probably very green of us to bring two backpacks, a tote bag, and a wine carrier, but it was also very useful - all were full and I was carrying the paper towels and the bottle of pom juice loose (we have one more tote bag which somehow didn't make it to the store, we need to track that down). Our carton of eggs were precariously stuffed in the outside of Ben's backpack, but all 12 made it safely back to the boat.

The best part of our evening, however, was dinner at McCrady's. It was highly recommended by Ben's business partner Lori (Ben's Editors Note - she insisted we go and asked repeatedly if we had been yet). It was amazing. Outside of meals in NYC and Joule (in Seattle), one of the best meals we've ever had. I can't even begin to describe the octopus (and fennel) starter or the grouper (and beets) main dish. Both were amazing. Ben even loved the desserts! One of the desserts was a 10 sorbet tasting course - all the sorbets tasted exactly like what they were supposed to be. It got a little old looking at each other and saying, oh my god, this really tastes like beets! (ok, maybe not old, it was pretty cool.)

Now that my computer is back up and running, expect more pictures! Later I will have to post some of Woodstock and Escapod and from our Thanksgiving dinner. 

Thanksgiving - Southport to Myrtle Beach

We were having fun in Southport, but we were happy to leave yesterday morning at about 7:15. We motored (on one engine) to Barefoot Marina near Myrtle Beach which took about 8 1/2 hours. There were times we were going over 7 knots, but then, we'd pass the inlet and the current would switch directions and we'd slow to about 4 knots. We are excited to have made it to South Carolina.

We enjoyed a wonderful non-traditional Thanksgiving feast of grilled North Carolina white shrimp, pumpkin and bulgur and collard greens. We decided to save the sweet potatoes for later this week, but we had plenty to eat, and in Thanksgiving tradition we will have plenty of leftovers of the pumpkin bulgur and collard greens. 

We are really getting the hang of the pressure cooker. So far the pressure cooker has resulted in one really good risotto, one that was a little over cooked, steamed (fresh) crabs and last night's bulgur and pumpkin dish. It is amazing how much less cooking time is needed, which on the boat not only means less time spent in the galley and more time enjoying our surroundings, but also means we use a lot less propane. Propane is not very expensive - it was $8 to fill up our tank before we left Deltaville - but it can be a pain to find a place to get it filled. Because the tank is stainless steel and contains extra points where it can be bolted down, we actually need  the tank re-filled and can't just trade it in at the corner grocery.

Beaufort, NC to Wrightsville Beach, NC

We went out into the ocean today! It was perfectly unexciting, which is a good thing. There could have been a little more wind, especially this morning, but we made good time and were able to bring out the screecher and motor sail for the last few hours. We got up at 5:30 this morning and headed off the dock at 6 am. The sun wasn't up yet, but the full moon led us out of the channel.

Leaving Beaufort, NC by moonlight

We are docked at the Wrightsville Beach Marina and went to dinner at the Blue Water American Grill. We were informed by the bartender that despite all the fishing boats and the proximity to the gulf stream, there is not a single restaurant in town which serves local seafood. Obviously Ben and I are missing Maya - we ordered mojitos and Baby Back Ribs. We ate and drank because we were tired and hungry, but there was no comparison - there is no place like home.

Sunset in Beaufort, NC
November 20, 2010

Ocracoke, NC to River Dunes Marina, Oriental, NC

Wow, beautiful marina! Ben is cooking lunch and then we are planning on switching our laundry and checking out the hot tub! Lunch is the flounder we didn't end up eating last night because appetizers at Dajio's, the restaurant across from the marina, filled us up.

It's turned into a beautiful day. We headed off the docks early again this morning and watched the sunrise over Ocracoke as we headed west towards Oriental. We motor sailed most of the way and had the handlines out. No luck still, but that's why they call it fishing and not catching.

Computer battery is running low, but I ordered a new one and had it shipped to the Joneses who we will see tonight.

Day Five - Coinjock, NC to Manteo, NC

We were off the dock just after 7 am this morning, but we weren't up quite early enough to make the 85 miles to Bellhaven, so instead of stopping at Alligator River Marina, only 35 miles away, we decided to venture outside the ICW to Manteo, NC on Roanoke Island. We were planning on aiming for Hatteras tomorrow, but after talking to the dock-master at Manteo Waterfront Marina, it seems more convenient to head to Engelhard tomorrow (45 miles) and then meet back up with the ICW at the Neuse River the following day. It was nice to leave behind the "follow the leader," narrow ICW today, even though we still had to motor.

The dock-master also gave us some (much needed) advice about our trip across the jet stream to the Abacos, including the best place to check in. We can't wait to get there, but we are trying to enjoy the journey as well.

We docked today before 2 pm and had a nice (but short) walk around Manteo - it's not a big town, but it's cute.

Days Three and Four

dNorfolk, VA - On Saturday Mike, Dwayne, and Mark from our softball team, as well as Mark's wife, Jamie, met us in Norfolk to see us off on our trip. The plan was to take them for a sail, but we ended up motoring most of the time. Ben's friend from Beloit, Ryan Osborne, is stationed in Norfolk and came along as well. Ozzie provided the audio portion of our tour of Destroyer Row, which was great because otherwise Ben would have just made most of it up. 

We were impressed our friends organized the trip down to meet us, and it was great to be able to see them before we left. It's also nice to be able to show our friends what we'll be up to for the next four months. I'm never quite sure what people expect, but once they see the boat they usually realize that space is limited, but available. We are neither on an opulent yacht nor a hobbie cat - Whisper is Goldilock's boat (she's just right).

Norfolk, VA to Coinjock, NC - It's amazing how much easier it is to get up at 7:00 am when it's not for work. We left our slip at 8:30, filled up the fuel tanks and were passing ICW mile marker 0 by 9:00 am. Nine hours of motoring, 45 miles, one lock, two draw bridges, three swing bridges and 6.5 gallons of gas later we are docked at Coinjock Marina in NC.

Day 2: Cape Charles to Norfolk

Amazing day of sailing. The forecast was 15-20 from the north, 3-4 ft waves, 5 near the mouth of the bay and we were near the mouth of the bay. We figured out how to reset the Trip info on the GPS - max speed 12.3 and an average of 7.2. For those that don't know, that is fast (for a boat this size). We even made it to Norfolk in time to spend 2 hours cleaning the boat before the sun went down. Now we are off to grab a bite. We are tired and hungry!

Day One - Deltaville to Cape Charles

We were going to sail to the mouth of the York River, but the heading towards Cape Charles was at a more comfortable angle to the wind and waves. We still managed to accidentally gybe (twice), but we had rigged a preventer, so our trip can continue. The forecast said 3 - 4 foot waves, but we're pretty sure at least a few were five feet. We might need to reset the GPS tomorrow - it said our average speed was 4.4 knots, but it was consistently in the 5 - 6 range and I even saw it top out at 10.4 as we were riding down the back of a wave (so that should have made up for the one time I saw it hit 3.6 knots).

The plan for tomorrow is to head towards Hampton, VA, but we will see where the wind takes us.