I have a number of pictures from yesterday, but this one seems to stick out at me. Anne breathes a sigh of relief to be out of the Atlantic swell on the way back from Cape Lookout. I was seriously surprised nothing broke on that run. Now I know how it is important to stow everything before an ocean passage, especially one lasting more than a few hours. I have to say I never felt in danger out there. The Catalina 36 feels strong and it takes the seas well. My only regret is that I couldn't put up the sails because the wind was against us. I think the motion would have been smoother, and quieter. It is a totally different thing sailing in the open ocean and motoring through the calms of the intercoastal waterway. When I was out there I wanted to continue and make it an ocean passage but the dogs had had enough of open ocean for the day. The cruise from Cape Lookout to our present location (Swansboro, NC) was about 35 miles. Of that we sailed without the motor about 10 and motorsailed about 15. The other 10 was pure motoring. After leaving Beaufort and Morehead City behind, it was a beautiful cruise in sunny weather along the 17 mile Bogue Sound. Winds were about 10 ahead and sometimes on the beam enough to roll out the foresail. I had to keep a close eye on the depth meter as the ICW channel is the only navigable waterway though the sound. The rest of it is too shallow for a cruising sailboat. It is easy to lose the underwater channel if one is not paying attention. There was at least one point in the day when my depth meter read 0.0, but I didn't get stuck thankfully. I'm amazed that the huge barges don't ground.