They're not as cute as dolphins, but easier to photograph. At one point today I motored through a pod (or is it a school) of paddle-boarders. They were just kinda' standing around on the ICW. I think they were waiting for big boats to go by to surf on the wake. I don't make much wake, but one guy kept up to me for about ten minutes. So playful and intelligent. They're almost human. I passed through Camp Lejeune today as well. It's a big US Marine Corps training area. They weren't doing anything today, but it was still cool to see all the tanks and other objects strewn about, that I presume are practice targets. Other than that, today was mostly cold and boring. Another day of all motoring. And motoring in a channel is far worse than motoring in open water. In open water, you can set the autopilot then go do other things. You can even do that under sail. In the channel, you must continually pay attention to the helm. Constantly watching traffic, correcting course, avoiding shoals, etc. It's actually quite taxing when you do it all day. Today I had to transit four opening bridges. In this area, the bridges open on schedule, not on demand, so you have to time each leg to be at the bridge when it opens. Doing the math and adjusting my speed gave me something to do, but the spacing and timing of the bridges prevented me from making the progress I could have today. I had a great following current for most of the day, and the wind was good for motor-sailing under the Genoa which would have allowed me to make great time. However, when a bridge only opens every hour there is no point in racing up to it just to float around waiting for the opening. I don't try to just plough through them anymore ;-) The last two were the worst. The second last bridge opens every half hour. I made the 2:30 opening. The next bridge, 5 miles later, opens on the hour. There's no way I can cover 5 miles in 30 minutes, even with the help of the current, so I had to settle for the 4 o'clock opening. This meant I had 1½ hours to cover the 5 miles. So I sat there putting along at just above idle just to waste the time. I probably could have done 65 or 70 miles today if not for those bridges! It was cold too. I cold front has moved in and it never really warmed up today. By the time I anchored I was frozen. They are calling for snow tonight. It's raining now. At least it's easy to warm the cabin up. Something done in the oven tonight for sure. The scenery is largely the same as it's been, although I'm starting to see a lot more upscale waterfront properties and boats. It seems that everybody has a boat. And EVERYBODY has a lift. I barely saw a single boat tied to a dock today. The boat craze came to a climax as I pulled in to Wrightsville Beach. Wall to wall boats, docks, and marinas. Gives Annapolis a run for its money. Has a nice anchorage too. Only one bridge tomorrow. If the tides cooperate I should be able to put some miles on. I crossed the 2000 mile mark today.