Beaufort SC
The day after we arrived in Beaufort it rained off and on most of the day so we we pretty much hung out on the boat.

Monday we were able to get into Beaufort and do some touring. Unfortunately the Arsenal Museum and the Reconstruction Era National Park are closed on Monday. We did get to tour the John Mark Verdier House Museum. John Mark Verdier was a wealthy merchant who made his money trading indigo and growing sea island cotton. When those markets collapsed he actually spent some time in debtor's prison. Many of the door frames and entry ways were decorated with hand carved wood trim, an expensive embellishment. An interesting factoid: tea was so valuable it was kept under lock and key while the silverware was left unsecured. The house served as the headquarters for the Union Army during the Civil war and was the site of the first telephone exchange in Beaufort.

We walked through the waterfront park where much of the history of Beaufort is presented in bronze plaques. Beaufort went from one of the wealthiest communities in the US in the antebellum period thriving on trade in indigo, rice and sea island cotton to one of the poorest after the Civil War.

We spent Tuesday doing chores like laundry and groceries and then departed Wednesday morning for Southport.

Southport NC
We decided to do an overnight run straight to Southport. There are sections of the ICW between Beaufort and Charleston that are quite shallow, about 4ft at low tide. We would have to catch those sections at high tide but if we left Beaufort in the morning we would be there precisely at low tide. Considered trying to make it to Charleston offshore but we could be arriving at the Charleston inlet right a dusk and might be trying to anchor in the dark. Georgetown was another possibility but we would definitely be getting to that inlet in the dark. Besides we have been to both Charleston and Georgetown so we decided to just go straight to Southport. It is such a long way to get out of these inlets that once you get out to the ocean you might as well go a ways.

We came out of the St. Helena inlet and the ocean was just angry. Winds in the upper teens gusting to the twenties. Seas were 3 to 4 ft with whitecaps as far the eye could see. We set a reefed main and were doing 6+ knots. No need to go any faster so we just stuck with that.

We did have an interesting wildlife encounter just at the end of the St. Helena inlet. Something large was floating in the water. It was brown and at a distance it looked like a large piece of wood. When we got closer we could see that it was a pair of sea turtles mating. The guy on top looked me right in the eye as if to say "Mind your own business!". I thought to myself, "Yes sir, carry on".

We crossed the Charleston inlet about dusk and wind and started to fade so we put up our solent. An couple of hours later the wind had dropped some more so we rolled up the solent, unfurled the jib and took the reef out of the main. We were now under full sail.

The wind dropped to about 6 knots and we were only making 4 knots or so. We were hoping for more wind but really didn't expect or want what happened next. Just south of the Georgetown inlet the wind went from 6 knots to 14+ in a matter of a few tens of seconds and started to clock around to the NNE right on the nose. The boat accelerated to 7.5 knots and heeled over. We wanted to get the sails down. Of course this is the perfect time for the autopilot to go on the blink. Two accidental gybes later we got the boat under control and the sails down. Cycled power on the instruments and the autopilot regained it wits and worked without issues for the rest of the passage. We motored for the next 6 hours or so into a head wind and 3 ft seas. Speed dropped to 3 knots or so. We were thinking we might be spending another night offshore. Fortunately about mid morning the wind started to fade and veer back around to the west and then south and the seas laid down. We arrived at Deep Point Marina in Southport about 6:00PM on Thursday afternoon.

We spent Friday recovering from the passage and doing a few chores like laundering all the clothes we wore on the passage which were full of salt and cleaning the boat which was also encrusted in salt.

Saturday we made our way into town and spent the day doing a walking tour of historic sites in the city. They have done a great job of preserving many of the older homes in the city dating back to the late 1800's and early 1900's. Several of them are not in their original locations. Apparently moving houses was fairly common. One church is still in it's original location but was rotated by 90 degrees during a renovation/expansion. We had lunch at Oliver's and ice cream at Flavas. Yum!

Saturday evening Wayne came down with his second bout of Shingles in less than a year. Fever was topping out at nearly 103F in the evenings. By Tuesday, May 9, he was feeling well enough to motor up to Wrightsville Beach.

We were in the Cape Fear River not too far from the marina when we experienced our first USCG boarding. They were very polite and professional and we passed our inspection with no citations. Our pyrotechnic gun flares were out of date but we did have an electronic flare which met their requirements. Need to update those flares.

When we arrived at Wrightsville Beach we anchored just south of the bridge that connects Harbor Island to the beach.

Wrightsville Beach NC
On Wednesday we took the dinghy ashore and took a walk along the beach and through the town. Not much to see other than the beach. No Sargasso weed here. Thursday we went ashore again and walked across the bridge to Harbor Island to visit the Wrightsville Beach Museum. Here we learned about the Lumina Pavilion built on the beach in 1905. It grew to be 3 stories with 25,000 ft of dance floor and was a venue for many of the big bands of the early 1900's. It also included movie theaters and bowling alleys. It was the main entertainment venue for the area. It was so brightly lit that ships used it as an aid to navigation. It was damaged in 1954 by Hurricane Hazel and never recovered sucuuming to demolition in 1973.

Morehead City NC
On Friday, May 12, we made our way from Wrightsville Beach to Morehead City offshore. We were able to sail for the first hour or so, then motor and then motor sail the last few hours to the inlet. We anchored behind Sugar Loaf Island since the marina was closed by the time we arrived. Saturday morning we made our way to Morehead City Yacht Basin were we spent two nights. We had a wonderful dinner at Floyd's 1921 restaurant on Sunday evening which was our 40th anniversary.

Belhaven NC
Monday we headed up to Belhaven but didn't arrive until 7:30PM so we anchored behind the breakwater and headed into the marina Monday morning were we spent two nights. Shortly after we docked at blue hulled sailboat docked right behind us. Turns out it was a boat that was docked directly across from us at our home marina in Cocoa. It really is a small world.

Belhaven is another small town that has its share of older historic homes built in the late 1800's and early 1900's. We took the 'Historic Homes Walking Tour' and really enjoyed it. On the tour we me a lady who owns a local restaurant, 'Spoon River'. The restaurant is closed on Tuesdays and Wednesdays and since we would be leaving on Thursday so we wouldn't be able to check it out. She felt so bad that the restaurant was closed during our stay that she stopped by the marina and gave a free bottle of wine. We did have dinner at the Tavern at Jack's Neck which was very good. Jack's Neck by the way was another name for Belhaven.

East Lake NC
On Thursday morning, May 18, we departed Belhaven and motored up the mouth of the Alligator River and anchored on the east shore just north of the bridge near the town of East Lake. We spent all day Friday on the hook waiting out weather. It rained all day.

Saturday we departed East Lake and made our way up to near Munden VA where we anchored for the night just off the ICW.

Porstmouth VA
Sunday we made our way to Portsmouth VA arriving at Tidewater Yacht Marina about 4:00PM. We would have arrived sooner but we lost nearly an hour at the Norfolk & Southern RR Bridge #7 waiting for two trains one of which was just a pair of engines. The RR bridge wasn't the only obstacle. The Glimerton road bridge just north of the RR bridge was undergoing maintenance and not very eager to open for a single sailboat. A south bound tug pushing a barge forced the issue since the bridge had to open for it. Even then the bridge tender was not being helpful. This is a lift bridge and there are no height gauges so you don't know how much clearance you have. While approaching the bridge we called the tender and asked about the height. The tender replied that the clearance was 55ft. We need 60+. Turn away from the bridge at the last second. After some discussion about the height and the fact that the bridge was undergoing maintenance and couldn't lift beyond the restrictions imposed by USCG the tender finally gave us 65ft.

A long passage around Cape Hatteras is looking more inviting!

Cocoa/DaytonaBeach
We departed our home base at Cocoa Village Marina on Good Friday, April 7. Our plan was to make our way up to Ponce Inlet and continue on to St. Augustine offshore the following day. On our way however it looked like we might get caught offshore in an approaching front on the way to St. Augustine so we decided to stay in the ICW and continue pass Ponce Inlet toward Daytona Beach. We were still hoping to make St. Augustine on Saturday but we were advised by some cruising friends familiar with both areas that we would be better protected in Halifax Harbor Marina than in St. Augustine Municipal Marina. So we spent Good Friday anchored in Daytona Beach and took a slip at Halifax on Saturday.

Just before bedtime on Easter Sunday the a fitting on the hot water heater sprung a leak. Kludged some plumbing together so that we at least had cold water. The boat is plumbed with 15mm PEX tubing which is not as readily available as the widely used 1/2" tubing. Fortunately we found a marine resale shop near the marina that had some 15mm tubing on hand. Took this opportunity to make some changes to the plumbing that we had been planning to get the hot water to be a bit cooler. It wasn't scalding hot but it was definitely uncomfortably hot. Didn't get it right on the first try but we did eventually get it to run a bit cooler.

We stayed in Daytona Beach nearly a week waiting for the weather to settle down. Finally were able to leave on Friday, April 14, and motor up to St. Augustine in the ICW. We ran into a thunderstorm on the way. Unfortunately it hit in a section of the ICW with areas of shoaling. To make matters worse two power boats decided they wanted to pass in this area during the thunderstorm. Fortunately nobody collided and nobody went aground.

St. Augustine
We anchored out for two nights just north of the Vilano bridge until a slip became available in the municipal marina on Sunday. After getting in the slip we took an Uber to West Marine to get some weather proofing for our bimini and dodger since the thunderstorm had revealed some dripping spots. Managed to get the dodger and connector to the bimini done but still need to do the bimini itself.

Monday was consumed with chores like laundry and groceries. On Tuesday we finally got a chance to just be tourists. Had a lovely day visiting Castillo de San Marcos, the Basilica St. Augustine and the Spanish Military Museum.

The fort is constructed from coquina stone which is a limestone made of small seashells compressed into solid rock. It was easy to quarry from the seabed while it was wet but became quite hard when dried out. It the ability to absorb the energy of cannon ball strikes without shattering. This property of the coquina was partly responsible for the fact that the fort was never taken by force. It did however change hands several times as a result of various treaties or abandonment: Spanish-British-Spanish-US-CSA-US.

The Basilica took us by surprise. It was spectacular. The art work inside is breathtaking. It does seem to set the mood for thoughtful reflection. There is a silver lantern inside, the Sanctuary Lamp, that was donated by a sea captain in the 1800's who was caught in a storm and swore to God to make a sizable contribution to a church in his next port of call if he survived the storm. It is one of the few items in the Basilica to survive a massive fire in 1887.

The military hospital museum provided a snapshot of the state of Spanish medical knowledge in the late 1700's. The one thing they clearly understood was that things had to be clean and patients needed to be isolated. Beds were spaced so that patients could not make physical contact with one another. Bedding was assigned to each bed and was thoroughly washed after a patient was discharged and returned to the same bed. Surgical instruments were sanitized by boiling in water. They used moss from the oak trees for mattress stuffing. They were taught by the native Americans to boil it in water first to kill the chiggers that infested it. It was only used once for a single patient and then burned when that patient was discharged. They understood that they had to avoid infections at all costs and that cleanliness was the key to success. They had no antibiotics so if a patient developed a serious infection they usually died. Amazingly they had a 75% survival rate.

Wednesday, April 19, we departed St. Augustine headed for Cumberland Island.

Cumberland Island
We made our way offshore to Cumberland Island. Insufficient wind to sail but it felt good to be out in the ocean again. Anchored near the Dungeness Docks. These docks are not in service but there is plenty of room to anchor here. The next morning we launched the dinghy and made our way up to the Sea Camp Docks where there is a dinghy dock for access to the island.

It was a lovely day. Mostly sunny, pleasant temperature, just perfect. We walked a trail from the Sea Camp Docks to the Dungeness ruins practically tripping over a foraging armadillo along the way. Like being back in Texas! The Dungeness ruins were impressive. It was really a small town. They were practically self sufficient having livestock, poultry, vegetable gardens, water wells and a power plant. They needed very little from the outside world.

And of course we got to see the wild horses that we had read about. They may be wild but they have become very comfortable being around people. We were sitting at a picnic table having lunch when one of them walked by within an arms length. We made our way back to the Sea Camp Docks along one of the dirt roads. About half way back to the docks we could hear hooves behind us. Turning around we saw a horse trotting up the road at a good pace. We moved to the side of the road because this horse was on a mission and we best get out of its way. It trotted right on by as if we weren't there.

The next morning we weighed anchor and headed up to Brunswick.

Brunswick & Thunderbolt
We fought an incoming tide to get out of St. Mary's inlet. The inlet was a bit choppy. We had one wave break over the bow and wash up to the dodger. We were glad when we could make our turn to the north. We were able to sail most of the way to the Brunswick inlet but had to motor sail the last five miles or so after the wind dropped to less than 6 knots. When we reached the inlet we had to fight an outgoing tide to get in. The wind was against the tide so the inlet was getting riled up. We were only making 3 knots or so SOG so we weren't sure we were going to make it to the marina before they closed for the day. We did make it with about 10 minutes to spare.

We spent three days in Brunswick mostly taking care of business like washing the boat to get all the salt off and restocking the pantry. We departed on Monday, April 24 and made our way up the ICW toward Thunderbolt. We decided to stay in the ICW since the morning inlet tides were flowing in and evening inlet tides were flowing out making it more difficult to get offshore in the morning and back inshore in the evening.

It is too far to make Thunderbolt in a day so we anchored in a creek just off the ICW on the north side of St. Catherine's Sound. We leave our radio and AIS on when we anchor so other mariners can 'see' us and we are aware of what is going on around us. Shortly before 9:00PM we heard a sailboat contact the Coast Guard (CG). They had tried to enter Sapelo inlet in the dark and run aground. The surf was pounding the boat into the bottom. At first they said they were not taking on water and requested the CG arrange a tow to get them into deeper water. About 15 minutes later they radioed that they were taking on water and their pump could not keep up. The CG sent out a helicopter to pick them up. The boat was lost. A Catalina 380 was lost in this same inlet in November of 2021. We are NOT going in or out of Sapelo inlet!

Made it to Thunderbolt the next day. We spent four night here mostly waiting on weather and dockage in Beaufort SC. We did get a couple of boat projects done.

The engine starter motor had been acting up. Press the starter button and you could hear the solenoid click but the starter motor would’nt turn over. Keep pressing and usually on the third or fourth try the motor would tun over and start. Not acceptable. When we hit that starter button we want the engine to start NOW! Arranged to have a new starter motor delivered to Thunderbolt and it arrived the day after we did. Installed it and so far it hasn’t missed a beat.

We also noticed a very small amount of oil leaking from the sea water pump. This had happened once before and we didn’t address it quickly enough which resulted in oil being sprayed all over the inside of the engine box. What a mess! This time we were on it quickly. We had the pump that had spilled it beans and a rebuild kit for it so we spent one day rebuilding the pump and another installing it.

On Saturday, April 29 the weather was good, the boat chores complete and dockage available in Beaufort so we departed Thunderbolt that morning.

We departed Potts Harbor on July 10 and made our way down to Cape Neddick ME. This is a U shaped harbor with rock walls on the sides of the U and a small beach at the bottom of the U. It is open to the sea but conditions were calm so we thought this would be OK. Problem is that even with a little swell coming into the harbor the waves bounce of the rock walls and superposition of the incoming and reflected waves turns the harbor into a chaotic mess. We rocked and rolled all night. Hauled up the anchor the next morning and headed down to Portsmouth NH returning to Wentworth at the Sea Marina.

We weren't planning to stay here long but several foggy mornings delayed our departure. We made use of our time here to take care of a few chores like laundry and groceries. Love their loaner cars! Finally got out of Wentworth on July 16 and headed down to Rockport MA.

Rockport is a tiny harbor. Boats are moored bow and stern to keep them from swinging. There are two floating docks moored deep in the harbor for transient boats. There is room for one boat on each side of a float so they can only accommodate four boats. There is a narrow channel into the floats but when you depart you have to weave through a few moored boats to get back to the channel. Keep a boat pole handy!

We really enjoyed the town. Very large artisan community. This town probably has more art galleries per square mile than any other community in the country. It is also the home of Motif #1. This a fishing shack that is adorned with lobster trap floats. Each lobsterman has a distinctive float so they can identify their traps versus those of their neighbors. It became a tradition to hang a lobsterman's float on the side of the shack when he died. The shack became the most painted building in the US and was designated Motif #1.

There is also a very nice music hall here. It has a large glass wall that looks out over an adjacent harbor. One of the ladies from Celtic Women was scheduled to give a performance while we were there but we couldn't get tickets. Dang! Maybe next time.

More content coming soon!

When we arrived at Woods Hole we were lucky enough to get the ONLY transient mooring available at the Woods Hole Yacht Club. Love that place. The 'clubhouse' is just a wooden shack large enough for a shower and space to store some sailing related stuff. Polar opposite of the luxurious clubhouse at the Norfolk Yacht and Country Club.

At Woods Hole there is a cut that connects Buzzard's Bay to Vineyard Sound and current can really rip though there. We were making nearly 11 knots on our way into the Woods Hole mooring field.

We spent a few days in Woods Hole which was a hub of activity. Lots of shops and eateries. What we found interesting is that the Oceanographic Institution wisely choose to preserve and repurpose some of the older homes in the town by converting them into office space for their research staff rather than demolishing them and building more modern facilities. Kudos to the folks who made that decision.

We departed Woods Hole on June 24 and made our way through the Cape Cod Canal and into Cape Cod Bay. We anchored for the night near East Sandwich in calm conditions and then made our way to Province Town the next day.

Province Town, Wow! Key West of the north. Need we say anything else? Maybe they should change the name to Party Town. The shore on the north side of town is spectacular.

On a historical note our history books tell us that the Pilgrims landed at Plymouth Rock. No they didn't, they landed at Province Town and there is a huge monument there to celebrate that fact.

We departed Province Town on June 24 and headed up to Rockport where we spent the night on anchor and then continued up to New Castle. We did see a few humpback whales in the distance on the way to Rockport.

We spent a few days in New Castle at the Wentworth By the Sea marina. Here we were mostly resupplying and taking care of mundane stuff like laundry. This is a really nice marina and they have very nice loaner cars. Stark contrast to the loaner cars in Beaufort NC. Those clunkers were antiques that were overdue for the junk yard.

Departed New Castle on July 1 and made our way up to Richmond Island in Maine. We stayed on anchor here for several days riding out some cold, rainy and windy weather. On July 5th we finally made our way up to the Dolphin Marina on Harpswell Neck.

Took a mooring ball at the Dolphin Marina. Complimentary coffee and blueberry muffins every morning. Nice! The Dolphin restaurant at the marina is very good. And if you are into dark porter style beer be sure to have a glass of Gunner's Daughter. There is also a small 'lobster shack' nearby if you're into that. Wayne is not.

We ventured over to Eagle Island which was the summer home of Admiral Robert Peary who is well known for his arctic explorations. Learned a bit of history here. Peary's right hand man was an African American named Matthew Henson. Henson mastered the Inuit language and many of their arctic survival skills and so was a major contributor to the success of Peary's expeditions. This fact was largely ignored at first with all of the recognition going to Peary. Eventually the 'truth came out' and Henson was received by President Eisenhower at the White House. Henson and his wife are buried in Arlington National Cemetery with Admiral Peary.

Wayne really wanted to visit the Cribstone Bridge which is in this general area. This is a unique design that used granite blocks arranged in a pattern with gaps in the blocks to that the tide can flow through. This is thought to be the only one of its kind left in the world. When we mentioned this to the ranger on Eagle Island (which is a Maine state park) he offered up his car which was parked at Dolphin Marina so we could drive to the bridge. Amazing!

After returning to the marina that afternoon we were told that we needed to vacate our mooring ball in the morning (July 8) because of Tropical Storm Elsa which was coming up the coast. This was frustrating since before setting off for Eagle Island we had asked whether they had a forced evacuation policy and they said 'No'. Anyway we did drop the mooring ball the next day motor up into Potts Harbor nearby and rode it out on anchor there. Fortunately we didn't see any winds greater than mid 20's so pretty much an non event.

The follow morning, July 10, we started heading back south.

The current really rips through the East River so it is important to time the tide. We got it right and hit a max speed-over-ground of 10.7 knots! It is also gets interesting where the Harlem River joins the East River. The confluence of the two flows sets up some eddy currents and the water is a bit unsettled. At times the boat was being pushed from side to side by the eddies.

After exiting the East River we made out way to Eaton's Neck on the New York side of the sound. There is a small anchorage here with a very tight entrance. When you enter it seems like you could touch the beach with a boat pole. Not to worry though because it is well marked and the buoys are well maintained because there is a Coast Guard station at the head of the anchorage. This little anchorage is very well protected and it a great place to just chill for a day or two but it might be difficult to squeeze in on a weekend.

June 15 we crossed over to the north shore and anchored near the Thimble Islands. This was the first place where we saw rocks sticking out of the water. We are definitely not in Texas anymore!

June 16 we ventured farther east to the Mystic River and then up the river to the Mystic Seaport Museum. We spent several days here exploring the museum and the town of Mystic. We were able to view the Russel 'Grand Panorama of a Whaling Voyage Around the World' that was on loan from the New Bedford Whaling Museum. This a painting that is 1275ft long and 8ft high. It is stored on large scrolls and everyday the on display is advanced to reveal a new segment of the painting. It portrays whaling activities and ports around the globe. It is quite a piece of art but it is also a historical document that provides a synopsis of the whaling industry at the time.

We were also lucky enough to be invited to view some of the museum items that are in storage and not currently on display. They have an enormous collection of scrimshaw which was just amazing.

We departed Mystic on June 20 and made out way to Point Judith and anchored behind the breakwater. We were only planning to spend one night there but were fogged in on the 21st.

On the 22nd we pulled up the anchor and made our way to Woods Hole.

Left Norfolk on May 31 and headed north. Arrived near Ocean City about 5:00AM on June 1 and decided to press on to Cape May. Spent several days anchored near Wildwood waiting for a weather window to get up to Atlantic City. Unfortunately we didn't make it ashore. Hope to visit Wildwood and Cape May next time we pass through here.

Finally got a weather opening on Saturday, June 5, to make our way up to Atlantic City. Went to the Golden Nugget Marina fuel dock and topped up the tanks.

We tried to make it into the Brigantine anchorage areas which are separated from the main inlet by the VERY narrow Rum Inlet. Local mariners have lined the inlet with their own 'Aids to Navigation', i.e. a line of sticks that appeared to be in the middle of the channel. The deep channel is actually entirely to the port of these sticks. Our chart indicated good water on either side of the sticks and since the port side was packed with boats, including a huge tour boat, we tried to run on the starboard side and ran aground. Apparently a sand bar extends from the beach out into the channel on the starboard side of the inlet. We managed to work our way off the bar and anchored out in the main inlet near the highway bridge. The bridge is too low for us to get under so we couldn't go any farther inland to find a more protected anchorage. Fortunately the weather was settled because we were quite exposed to the Atlantic Ocean here. There is lots of traffic here particularly on a Saturday afternoon/evening and a loud, obnoxious band at the Golden Nugget. If we ever come here again it will be midweek in very settled weather.

We departed Sunday morning, June 7, bound for Barnegat inlet. We had a nice sail up to Barnegat and spent a quiet evening there. We didn't go ashore since we were only there for one evening and there is no dinghy dock that we are aware of. Would like to go wander around the town on our next visit if we could. Departed the following morning to head up to Atlantic Highlands.

Atlantic Highlands Yacht Club has a mooring field behind a breakwater on the south end of Sandy Hook Bay. They didn't have any mooring balls available but we could anchor behind the breakwater on the south side of the mooring field. They offer a launch service that will ferry you to and from your boat to the dock. We had never seen this before but it is common in the north east. It is awesome. Made a couple of trips ashore here to get groceries and visit the local Thai restaurant which was very good. Yum!

On the morning of June 10 we departed Atlantic Highlands bound for Jersey City which is just across the Hudson River from Manhattan. We docked at the Liberty Landing Marina. The facilities were good but the fairways are tight. We turned into the first fairway as instructed and it looked like a dead end. Just as we were about to try to turn around we could see another fairway close to the bulkhead ahead of us going off to starboard. Just as we reached this fairway we could see the dock master standing at the end of a finger pier waving us in. It was a tricky entrance. There was large boat on our starboard side with his anchor sticking out into the fairway we had to enter. Hard turn to starboard to get into the fairway and then almost immediately a hard turn to port to get into the slip without clipping that anchor with our stern. We made it with a few inches to spare!

This was a great location because we could walk to the dock for the ferry that goes to Ellis Island and the Statue of Liberty. Had a great time visiting these historic sites. Ellis Island really drove home the risks people were willing to take to get to this country. They could spend their life's savings to pay for passage across the Atlantic only to be refused entry and sent back home. We continue to see this story play out today but with migrants coming from central America rather than Europe.

The Liberty Science Center is also nearby and it includes the Jennifer Chalsty Planetarium which is one of the largest in the world. We went to see a show on black holes.

We departed Jersey City on June 13 and made our way through the East River to Long Island Sound.