Hi All!

We made it to Mile Hammock Bay, Camp Lejeune last night. On our way to Wrightsville Beach today.

We had a beautiful sunset last night!

Looking forward to sun and warm weather!

Hi All!

Well...what can I say. It was a different first day than we planned.

We headed down the bay...sun was out, getting toasty, wind was mild, all was good. We got into Norfolk/Portsmouth area. We made the bend at Mile Marker "0" of the ICW and then there was a big noise and the boat stopped moving. Luckily we were right alongside Ocean Marine Yacht Center, a Yanmar repair facility. They had a face dock and we were able to coast to the dock! Boats always breakdown...just a matter of when. We were very lucky and feel very fortunate that if it had to happen it was the best place to breakdown. What a blessing!

With the extended marina stay and the cost of repairs, our budget has been hit hard for day one! Yikes!

Today we were able to get a mechanic and it looks like the problem is the torque limiter which is part of the transmission. Tom is up at the shop right now ordering the part. We are hoping to get it sent one-day mail. If all goes well we should be underway...again...by Wednesday or Thursday.

Just got news from Tom that the shop can't get the part in the U.S. It would have to be shipped from Japan!

We are checking with our friend Luis in Marathon, FL who has a repair shop. He has a torque limiter but has to check to see if it will work with our transmission. Here's hoping he does! Dang this stuff gets complicated!

We missed our warm weather window that we tried so hard to make. Now the weather will be high in the 50's and low in the 40's when we leave...brrr! We have the enclosure and have certainly done this many times before. In fact, this would have been the first time we would have had warm weather to start our trip...so it is all good.

This is our fist time staying in Portsmouth. Usually we are across the river in Norfolk. We are enjoying having heat on the boat and touring old town Portsmouth. It's not bad to just chill out, visit coffee shops, and just destress for a day or two. Of course, there is always shopping!...fun for me but not so much fun for Tom.

Wish us luck so that we can leave before the weekend and get somewhere warm soon!

Hope all is well with you and yours! Thanks for stopping by!

Cathie on s/v INTERLUDE. OUT.

November 10, 2012

Departure: 8:00 AM - York River Yacht Haven, Gloucester Point, VA
Weather: Sunny - High 65/37
Winds: Light and Variable

Hi All!

INTERLUDE is officially unchained! This will be our 6th trip. I can't believe it! We are very lucky to be able to go cruising again. Life is good!

Yesterday was a very busy day loading many dock carts full of "stuff" onto the boat. We finally got settled in around 10pm last night. It's amazing how much can fit in a 38 foot boat! Of course, it is a good thing that Tom is a minimalist! It gives me more room!

It was nice having heat at the dock last night. It got down into the low 30's. This morning it is 37. We are now heading out of the York River on our way to Deep Creek Lock in the Dismal Swamp.

I can see the stress starting to fade from Tom's face already!

Our son Chris and lovely bride Silvia stopped by this morning to see us off. That was really nice. I am really going to miss them. I got enough big hugs to hold me over until we see them again. Hopefully they can some see us for Christmas holidays. That would be terrific!

It is interesting that when we are back on land it's difficult to remember life on the boat and it all seems strange. When you get back on the boat, the concept of living on land fades away and that feels strange. I can already feel that we are morphing into sea creatures again.

The only issue is always leaving friends and family. Knowing that we will be back soon makes it easier for me. The time flies by and before you know it we are home.

This coming spring/summer we plan to leave INTERLUDE in Fort Pierce and forgo the trip back home to Virginia.

We also have a wonderful event planned before we get back. Our daughter Crystal is graduating from grad school in May! She is busy with resumes and interviews at this point. Hopefully she will find a position that she will enjoy.

We are also planning to buy an RV for this summer and take a trip out West for a few months. Can you tell that my husband is a nomad! Hopefully Tom will have off next summer and give him a much needed break. He works seven days a week trying to build a spec house during the time we have on land. By the time we are ready to head back out to sea he is worn to a nub.

We have cruising friends who are already in southern waters. We are looking forward to catching up with them somewhere along the way.

See ya later! Gotta get topside and keep my hubby company!

Hope all is well with you and yours. Thanks for stopping by! Keep in touch!

Cathie (not the CLOD) on s/v INTERLUDE. OUT.

Hi All!

We are waiting for a cold front that should come by around 2pm today. Friends Fred and Kathy on MAKAI are making their way to Norfolk today. Hopefully they will get tucked away before the storm hits.

We will still be around until the first week of November. Then we plan to move as quickly as possible down the ICW to Florida. After the holidays, we will head over to the Bahamas.

We have a new dinghy that was purchased at the Annapolis boat show. It fits fine our our davits...thank goodness. It is a little bigger than our old one and we were concerned about the fit. Our old dinghy was so bad that it went to the crusher this week.

INTERLUDE is at dry dock and now the fun begins with waxing, painting and general maintenance.

Hope all is going well with you. Thanks for stopping by.

Cathie on s/v INTERLUDE. OUT.

Hi All!

We are getting INTERLUDE ready for another trip to the Bahamas from Virginia. Can't believe summer is over so soon!

INTERLUDE is on the hard and ready for her spa treatment of wax and bottom paint. Then it will be on to provisioning...my favorite! Not!

Hope to see all our cruising buddies along the way. We plan to leave Virginia the first week of November and be in Miami mid-December. We may try to get to the Bahamas for the Christmas holidays. The crossing date will depend on Mother Nature and if we have family coming to visit in Florida.

Keep in touch!

Cathie and Tom - s/v INTERLUDE

We are leaving Hilton Head, SC today on our way to an anchorage between here in Charleston.