At 8:00 AM Monday, October 20th we were underway. Once out of the Patuxent River and on our heading, we were able to give the Palmer a rest, and sail slowly for about an hour before the wind died. Fortunately, after we fired up the Palmer again we were able to continue to use the reefed mainsail, "cheated" over with the traveler, which helped to stabilize the boat and give us some forward progress as the wind became more on our nose and bought with it increasing seas to wash over Grace's foredeck as we traversed the mouth of the Potomac River. Following VHF radio conversations we learned that s/v Sweet Chariot developed engine trouble and had to make headway under sail in those conditions; upon our hailing to warn them of a long line of fish stakes they would have to navigate around in the decreasing daylight on their approach toward the Great Wycomico River Light, they asked if we were from Vermont, stating that mutual acquaintances/fellow cruisers, Ken and Barb on s/v Plumpuppet, also from Vermont, had spoken with them often of us. At 6:00 PM near Sandy Point on Cockerel Creek, just beyond Reedville, Virginia, Grace was securely anchored among many others as we awaited and eventually witnessed s/v Sweet Chariot's successful arrival under power into the anchorage off our port bow.

After Tuesday's 9:00 AM departure and on our heading to clear the next shoal area, we were once again able to sail for a couple hours before the wind died. We continued to put the mainsail and traveler to use until the last hour before our 6:00 PM anchorage near Fort Monroe, Hampton, Virginia.

Just in advance of continuous days of forecast gale warnings on "the Bay", Wednesday at 7:00 AM, in the bone-chilling damp wind, we made our way to be one of eight boats in the 11:00 AM locking at Deep Creek in the Great Dismal Swamp Canal, and promptly thereafter stopped at the wall on the southeast side of the Deep Creek opening bridge. After warming up while shopping at the nearby grocery and hardware stores, lockmaster Robert stated we had "impeccable timing" when we radioed to update him that we had departed from the wall around 2:00 PM, as another boat was asking about stopping there. Approximately 4:30 PM Grace was rafted four deep, the last of nine boats tied up at the free dock at the North Carolina Welcome Center for the night.

Thursday after moving over for those boats departing for the first AM locking southbound, we leisurely enjoyed the morning and afternoon with a stroll on the adjacent state park trails before departing shortly before 2:30 PM for the 3:30 PM bridge opening and locking with two other boats at South Mills. At 5:30 PM we dropped the hook at Goat Island with two other boats in sight.

Friday about mid-morning we hauled anchor, and just about the time our coffee was gone the Elizabeth City Bridge was in sight. We secured a free slip easily at their downtown waterfront, Mariners Wharf, with many hands waiting to assist us as well as the others that would follow. Shortly thereafter we put to good use their new shower facilities. Grace is the eighth boat from the right in the above shot from the harbor net cam.

Not only did the "Harbor of Hospitality" welcome us with the complimentary Rose Buddies Wine and Cheese gathering the previous evening (during which we met crews from two other Vermont boats), but their Homecoming Parade was a festive send-off on Saturday, as we smoothly departed from the finger pier at 10:00 AM. The initially non-existent wind filled in a bit and allowed us to turn off the engine and sail only for about an hour before it died, giving us smooth passage across the notorious Albemarle Sound. About 4:00 PM we anchored for our first time in East Lake.

Before 9:45 AM Sunday, we weighed anchor, motoring out through the maze of trap markers, fortunately with the sun behind us, and as the only boat passing in that opening of the Alligator River Swing Bridge. Immediately thereafter, we turned into the wind, raised sails, turned off the engine, set the whisker pole, resumed our course down river and enjoyed a leisurely four hour wing-on-wing sail on flat water with about five knots of wind from behind us. Just as we made the ninety-degree turn near the bottom of the river, the wind increased to the forecast ten to fifteen knots out of the northwest, and was now on our nose as we dropped sails and motored in to drop the hook for our first time near Tuckahoe Point shortly before 3:30 PM.

Monday's travel from 8:30 AM until 2:15 PM, included a stop to take on some fuel before anchoring in Pantego Creek, just off Belhaven, North Carolina. There we picked up some supplies from the hardware, grocery, and auto parts stores as well as the local produce truck, exchanged a propane tank, and got to visit with Kevin's sister, Valerie.

Thank you to Valerie for coming to see us, and taking us to the historic town of Bath for the day on Tuesday! After our day of exploration, we moved about an hour and anchored in Slade Creek for the night.

Wednesday's initial move was another short one, beginning at 9:15 AM and concluding when we dropped the hook at 11:45 AM in Campbell Creek. While motor-sailing with the mainsail across the Pamlico River, the engine temperature was not dropping when the mixing valve was adjusted and then rose slightly until reducing RPMs. We chose the nearby anchorage as the spot to investigate the cooling system. In shorts and t-shirts, allowing the engine to cool, checking for blockage, and adding forty ounces of coolant, we decided to do a test run. About an hour and a half was a sufficient enough motoring time to satisfy us that engine temperature was much better, move us through the Hobucken Cut, and anchor for our first time in Bear Creek, off Bay River.

Yesterday the engine was only run for perhaps an hour. Within moments of bringing up the anchor around 9:00 AM we were under sail until we arrived at the mouth of South River, where we anchored for our first time at 12:30 PM. Later we launched the dinghy and explored the abandoned town of Lukens, North Carolina.

Today at 8:00 AM we headed towards Oriental, motor-sailing across the Neuse River, monitoring the webcam as we had cell service, and pleased to secure a spot on the free town dock about 10:00 AM. While we are here, Grace can be viewed at:
http://www.towndock.net/harborcam

During these passages we have gotten to see dolphins, pelicans, eagles, loons, turtles, ducks, geese, jellyfish, and three deer during our transit of the Alligator Pungo Canal. Kevin has topped off the distilled water in the house bank batteries, changed the engine oil, oil filter, and the fuel filter/water separator.