Cheryl's Notes:

Well, we are finally on our way to the Chesapeake. We have had a slow start, but then we don't really have a schedule. We left last Thursday and went to the eastern end of the Neuse River. We ducked into a quiet anchorage down South River. Denise and Paul on Vixen joined us on Friday for the weekend. We had a great time with them. Paul was a lifesaver. He is a diver and went under the boat to remove some barnacles from our prop. We can now steer in a straight line. He also gave John a lesson in carburetor repair on our outboard. We evidently got some water in our gas and it fouled the engine. I keep telling people that you learn something new every day you are a cruiser.

We decided to stay in our quiet anchorage Sunday night after Paul and Denise went back to New Bern. We ended up staying put on Monday because storms were blowing through the area. We finally left this morning and motor sailed up to Bellhaven, NC. It is a quiet little town at the beginning of the Alligator Canal. We saw some gray dolphins along the way, but they never got close enough for a picture. We are now fueled up and our water tanks are topped off for the next leg of your journey. We still haven't decided whether to take the Virginia Cut up to Norfolk, or head up the Dismal Swamp.

John's Notes;

I don't have time right now to tell you how it's going. This last experience we just had here in Bellhaven is going to take some time to explain. I would have more time to explain but we have to get back to the boat so we can anchor before dark. I will tell you that the guy that helped us at the marina is definitely the poster child for "This is your brain on drugs." More to follow.