North Carolina

We are making progress. Yesterday we left the marina and found the bay with 25 knot winds, gusting to 40. The seas were like a washing machine and we were small fish. The boat loved it and so did the captain. The crew did not get sick so everyone was happy. The two boats that followed us across the bay got hammered and there were great stories about the crossing over drinks later that night. We have a companion boat from Annapolis, SamJam with George and Jim on board.

Today we left the bay and headed down the ICW A.KA. The Dismal Swamp. Some refer to it as the "ditch". It is about 50-75 feet wide and surrounded by trees turning colors. It is beyond words for beautiful. The weather is great today and we are taking lots of pictures. We have to go thru two locks "not like Panama" but same principle to get thru the "ditch". We found the North Carolina Vistors Center very friendly and they have internet. Over and Out.

Time To Go

It has been two days of gale force winds and cold, rainy weather. Today the wind is still blowing but the forecast promises for a quiet night and nice days to follow. We are taking off and very excited.

We have made some really nice friends here in Norfolk and saying "goodby" is going to be one of the hardest things we will do as we leave a port. Over and Out.

Virginia

We arrived in Virginia on Tuesday. It was brutally cold for two sissy Californian's. We were so excited to see the boat but as we got close the 1000 seagulls cackled and laughed at us. Yep, our boat was their toilet. We spent hours cleaning up the dock so we could get on the boat and then hours cleaning the boat so we could get inside and turn on the heater.

Enough whining. We slept great after that workout. We had a navy diver come clean our boat on Wed. He was hot! Anne was too mesmerized to take his picture. Sorry! Today is Thursday and we decided to take a break and go shopping for more stuff. Seems like we have bought so much stuff already but we keep needing more things.

Our plan is to leave the dock on Saturday. The weather might warm up a bit but then it might rain.....oh well. We are heading down the ICW to North Carolina. It will take 2-3 days to get there but we are not in a rush. Over and out for now!

Waiting in Carlsbad

We are still in Carlsbad, finishing up our jobs, bills, yard, house, etc. The details are never ending. I know we are leaving because we bought airline tickets and they are non-refundable. October 23 we are flying to VA via Jet Blue. We had cheap seats thanks to lost luggage last year.

Our plan is to provision and leave the dock by October 27-28. The weather will determine if we go via the Intracoastal Waterway route or out the Chesapeake to the Atlantic and then south.



Our first stop will be Oriental NC. Oriental has a good boat yard and we have a couple of things we need to take care of. I hope to eat alot of shrimp while we are there.



Here are some pictures of our new home

This last photo is the guest room.