Marathon 2017

Nemo spent the summer and autumn months on the hard in Riverside Marina in Ft. Pierce, Florida. Our plan was to spend two weeks at Christmas with Mom while Don painted the bottom and accomplished various other boat chores. The bottom paint was to arrive well before Christmas. The best laid plans usually go awry. Three shipments of bottom paint damaged in transit from New Jersey, the last two delayed by various holidays and weekends. The last to arrive, while dented and bulged, managed to remain intact, in our third choice for color of course, end of the year inventory and all. Meanwhile we settled in to a very comfortable routine, enjoying the time with Mom while eliminating some of the routine maintenance that builds up when one owns a house.

The day to splash Nemo was beautiful. We left one car at Loggerhead Marina in Stuart and drove the second to Riverside Marina. We would retrieve that after the short cruise. Mom came with us for the 'three hour tour'. Twenty minutes out the engine overheated. We coasted to the edge of the channel and tossed the anchor. Don worked on the engine for an hour while Mom and I watched the boats go by. Underway again, we glided under the bridge and put up the foresail. Twenty minutes later the engine overheated again. I sailed the channel while Don worked on the engine. This time we had a lovely trip down the Indian River, through the 'Crossroads' and back up the St. Lucie River to Loggerhead. Don had just made the call to the Marina saying we were coming in when the engine sputtered and quit for the last time. Tow Boat US towed us in to a slip by the fuel dock. Both Jim and Wendy had stayed late to see us safely tucked away. They have been so good to us!

With the removal of the old engine and installation of the new, we had an unexpected extended stay with Mom. Time to sew new golf cart covers, install new tires and fix the parking brake, routine maintenance. Kim and I moved the row of crotons that were floundering behind the patio and planted a new flowerbed in their place. We attempted to squirrel proof the bird feeder with limited success, it will need more work. We spent time on the Stuart waterfront at the Fresh Markets and attended Music on the Water. Shopping and lunches out with Mom while Don worked on the engine. My daughter and grandsons arrived for a visit. Beach time, wildlife sanctuary, Oceanographic Institute, Lion Country Safari, and the boys favorite - golf cart rides to the pond and back. My sister lives two hours away so I was able to spend time with her also. Every cloud has a silver lining.

With the engine finally installed, we motored down to Hinkley Marina at the Crossroads for a short haul so Don could change the cartridge on the propeller to match the pitch of the new engine. He tried underwater but the cotter pins were too tiny. Not long into the trip it was apparent the new motor was louder than the old, not good. We could see when Don went to change out the cartridge, the engine shaft was resting on the fiberglass, causing vibrations. A call to the mechanic elicited a promise he would fix the problem Monday morning. He was good to his word. We had a last lunch with Mom at the Marina pub Sunday, said teary goodbyes and prayed for good results in the morning. A last sunset swim before retiring for the night.

The mechanic showed at ten instead of eight so our hopes of leaving Monday slipped away. When he did show he and Don leveled the engine and took a test run in the river. Thankfully we now have a quieter engine. This too was a silver lining in the cloud. We were thankful to be securely tied to the dock when the evening thunderstorm rolled through!

Tuesday we motored uneventfully down the ICW to Lake Worth where the wind howled all night causing us to rethink plans to go offshore Wednesday morning. We continued down the ICW to Lake Silvia, virgin territory to us as we never wanted to bother with all the bridges before. As luck would have it, halfway through, we caught a ride on the coat tails of a sailboat under tow. Apparently, boats under tow have almost instant access to bridge openings. Only one bridge operator commented on the 'tail gator', lol. Thoughts of a lovely stroll along Ft. Lauderdale Beach flew from my head when my back acted up. Probably a combination of water aerobics and boat exercises. A Tiger Balm patch and bed rest helped immensely.

Surprisingly we were the only boat requesting the 7:30 opening of the 17th St. Bridge Wednesday morning. Once out the Port Everglades inlet we committed to either coming in at No Name Harbor in Key Biscayne or an overnight to Marathon. The timing was a little off for coming in at Rodrigues Key anchorages daylight. Wind conditions and wave height weren't horrible and were forecast to get better so when we got to Key Biscayne we decided to go for the overnight passage. It was fine until the sun set, then the wind was right on our butt and squirley, causing the sails to slam around. The waves made tacking uncomfortable so we rolled up the sails and motored through the bouncy night. The stars and bioluminescence on the water helped pass the night watch. Neither of us slept much. We arrived just before dawn, struggling to see crab pots in the cloud weakened moonlight. Inching along we hoped to avoid picking one up, conditions were just too rough to disentangle it. We anchored just outside the harbor in dawn's early light and promptly fell into a deep sleep!

Abacos 2016

Update - sailing south to Stuart, Florida. We left off at Vero Beach Loggerhead. From Vero we motor sailed to Stuart Loggerhead under the threat of heavy rain. We managed to outrun the rain and finished tying the lines just as the skies opened up! A quick clean up and we left Nemo, with dehumidifier plugged in, for a visit with Mom and Dad before heading north for the holidays. Friends Robert and Becky drove us to Richmond to retrieve our car. It was a great time to catch up and great way to travel! They have a small travel van named Elvie, short for Land Yacht. A quick stop in Orlando for dinner with our dock master from Urbanna and we were headed back to the chilly north. Except the north was not all that chilly! Seventy degrees Christmas Day! The family gathered at daughter Becky's new house for the festivities and the cousins were happy to have balmy weather to play outdoors. It was nice catching up with friends and family through the holidays. All too soon we packed up the car for the trip south to Florida. We took route 81 through the mountains and it was very pretty (when it wasn't rainy and foggy). After a bout of boat cleaning and a lovely visit from boat pals Julia and Gail, both Don and I succumbed to the head colds we had been fighting off. Don's cleared just in time for his trip to New Mexico for a family reunion. My plans to stay with Mom and Dad were put on hold until I became germ free again. Don returned and we had a lovely long visit with my parents before once again stocking up with provisions for the Abacos trip. Weather kept postponing our departure, but the day finally dawned when we motored down to the St. Lucie Inlet, intending to sail to Lake Worth to anchor for the night. One look at the waves crashing offshore kept us in the ICW. Maneuvering around the dredging machines in the harbor was tricky and we had several false attempts to reach the anchorage before we found our way through. We found our favorite spot by the golf course and settled in for a peaceful evening.

Four am came fast and we were fourth in line going out the channel, heading for the Bahamas. We listened to the other boats chattering back and forth before chiming in with our intended destination of Mangrove Cay. Northern Star was the leader and they pushed through to Sail Cay, in hindsight a smart move. Coming onto the Banks I took the catbird seat out front and happily searched the grassy bottom for any signs of sea life. In all that distance I spotted two nurse sharks, a filefish and a couple flying fish. We tossed the anchor just as the sun set for a peaceful slumber. Saturday was a desultory day and we drift sailed most of the day, enjoying the quiet after more than a full days motor sailing. We anchored off Sail Cay, the wind finally picking up after the anchor was dropped. Sunday we motor sailed to Allen's Pensecola, again the wind on our nose and pretty useless, good sized waves slowing us down. We spent a couple lumpy nights at anchorage there, confined to the boat due to high winds. Tuesday we finally made our way to Green Turtle Cay and tied up at the Bluff House Marina, just a couple slips down from Northern Star, who beat us in by several days. We cleared customs and had chicken nachos and Kalik at the Bluff House Beach Bar under threatening skies. Luckily the rain held off this time. With the threat of more weather coming in over the weekend we decided to shorten our stay on Green Turtle and make the jump to Treasure Cay the following day. Wednesday was a decent day for the trip through Whale Cay Channel, the passage we needed to make to get around the shallow waters of the Sea of Abaco and over to Treasure Cay. The sun was shining and there was negligible wind, we didn't even bother with the sails. My perusal of the bottom resulted in sighting many large orange and yellow starfish on the grassy bottom. I threw the fishing line over the side just before hitting the channel and got a couple bites as we were coming in the other side, but never landed a fish. Carl had a slip reserved for us at the marina and after finding our way, we tied up just a couple slips down from Bay Breezin! Nice to see our cruising companions again! Carl gave us the tour of the facilities and Melissa made dinner for us! We are very lucky to have great friends! Melissa had been to the library and took out a book for me to read by the pool, think that is where I am headed next!

11/22 - 11/28/2015
The wind howled through the night again. Just before sunset we pulled anchor and Carl powered our attached boats just a little further from shore to accommodate the rougher conditions. Don dropped the anchor again and we settled into an uneasy sleep. Round about 2 AM, the continued thrashing of the boats meant it was time to separate. We untied lines to Bay Breezin' and Carl backed away to find an anchoring spot by the light of the moon and a spotlight from Nemo. Even with little sleep we headed out on a seven o'clock departure, Jacksonville Free Dock just north of Sisters Creek Bridge our destination. There we reunited with SeaQuell, who shooed off the other boats tied up so we could have a spot. With room for six boats you have to get there early to secure a spot. It was cold and windy, but we were tied securely to very nice floating docks. Dinner on Bay Breezin' was a lively affair as the three couples caught up on adventures. SeaQuell was gone before anyone arose the next morning, sneaking off before first light. They have a schedule to keep and many miles before they rest. We were taking it slower this year so we decided to stay an extra day and check out the area. An unofficial greeter gave us a boat card and offered to take us anywhere we needed to go. He said he was repaying the many kindnesses shown to him as a fellow cruiser. He lives in the Jacksonville area and enjoys his interactions with cruisers from the free dock. The area boasted a small park with playground, picnic tables, boat launch and kayak trails. Signs depicted the importance of the surrounding marshes and the variety of wildlife to be found. I enjoyed sitting in the cockpit watching the birds on the little bay and in the marshes. Predominately egrets of one sort or another. A cruiser from Michigan stopped by to chat and the stories of his adventures crossing the Great Lakes, stepping his mast to cruise the Hudson River, his passage down the coast to the Chesapeake and ultimately down the ICW kept us entertained. He had left in July and was finding cruising on the ICW challenging, having to constantly be on the lookout for shoaling. They were headed for Florida, sunnier weather and were not at that time intending to do the reverse trip. He said he loved his boat, but not that much! We also met two cruisers that we had passed and re passed along the way starting on the Chesapeake Bay. Phillip and his brother-in-law started their journey in Toronto and had also left in July. They are headed for the Bahamas. We left the next morning, bound for the St. Augustine Municipal Marina where we planned to stay through Thanksgiving. The current in this marina is tricky so we tried for slack tide but missed by a bit. Even so we managed to get tied up without incident. Shortly after Phillip came in and the current caught him and spun him around. Luckily his boat was just the right size and squeaked by with Don and I holding it off on one side while a dock hand held onto the bow line. It happened so fast it looked like a planned maneuver. The brother-in-law was left holding his head in amazement. Lucky for them they are now perfectly aligned for an easier departure. I LOVE ST AUGUSTINE! We had time for a little exploratory walk around town and decided on the Cracker Factory, off St. George Street, for dinner. We ate in a little courtyard with live music in the form of man and guitar. He played popular tunes mixed in with his own creations. The evening was mild and the food delicious. Afterwards we strolled the Colonial District, enjoying the historic buildings now housing quaint shops. The Thanksgiving crowd was not overpowering, but still brisk. The city of lights was ablaze in what is touted as one of the most spectacular holiday lighting shows in the US. Melissa and Carl headed back to the boat as I dragged Don up the street for a night time look at the old Ponce D'Leon Hotel built by Henry Flagler in 1888, now the Flagler College, a four year liberal arts college. He was suitably impressed and I got to fill my senses with the incredible beauty of it all. We strolled back several blocks to the boat, drinking in the twinkling holiday lighting along the way. Thanksgiving morning, after showers and laundry, Melissa, Don and I set off for a walking tour of the area around Castilla De San Marcos, circa 1672, exploring sections of the city new to us. I swear, you would need a month to properly explore all St. Augustine has to offer. Leaving the fort we ambled past a replica of the palm log wall to the City Gate built from coquina mined on nearby Anastasia Island. The 1808 gate replaced a log and earthen one constructed in 1739 to protect the city. The visitors center was beautiful and even the parking garage was built to period. I would have loved to have kept going to the Fountain of Youth, Mission Nombré de Dios and beyond but was reminded we had a one o'clock deadline for the Cruisers Net Thanksgiving dinner at the marina. Two rows of tables were set up and received a good wash from a passing shower. Returning from the boats we found several tables already laden with food. Boaters were asked to contribute a side dish and bring own serving ware and chairs. The feast was massive and we passed a pleasant afternoon meeting fellow cruisers and chowing a wide variety of dishes, all with a beautiful view of St. Augustine and the water near the Bridge of Lions. My plans of continuing the exploration of the city were way laid by a serious bout of Thanksgiving dinner slump. I had eaten too much and needed a nap. When I finally got under way it was after 5:00 with evening already creeping up. I chose to amble up King St. past the Plaza de La Constitution which was already ablaze in holiday lights. The marina sits just below the Bridge of Lions on the south side and is ideally situated. My goal for the evening was to explore the historic Alcazar Hotel, also built by Henry Flagler in the 1880's, now the site of City Hall and the Lightner Museum. It sits opposite his Ponce de Leon Hotel, across King Street. Even though we had passed by several times, There was no hint of the gorgeous fountain and garden just past the hedges guarding the property. After skirting the enormous building taking up an entire block (just had to see everything, turrets and all) I crossed King St. And strolled through the Plaza. Photo sessions were being held by the gazebo in front of the Christmas Tree, further down was a covered bazaar where crafters and artists hawked their wares. Not quite ready to return to the boat I ventured back to the Colonial section and filled my senses with the sights and sounds of the holiday weekend. One shop in particular held my interest, St. Augustine Beach Glass. It was filled from top to bottom with shiny things! The secret garden spilling out behind it was a cool little courtyard populated with garden treasures, most sparkly and many glowing. The winding paths were charming and enchanting! Finally tearing myself away, I tumbled out on St. George St. to begin my trek back to the marina. Imagine my surprise when I found myself on Castillo Dr. up above Castillo de San Marcos. Once again my sense of direction foiled me. Oh well, the moon was out and I had not seen the lights along this street. Just as I started walking toward the Marina there was a burst of fireworks above the Bridge of Lions. Perfect ending to a lovely day. The next day we tied up at Marineland Marina and walked across the street for a stroll along the beach. Every few hundred yards we climbed over long rows of coquina, the shell and limestone formations that many of the buildings in St. Augustine were built of. Leaving the beach we walked back on the boardwalk, stopping to read several signs telling of Rt. A1A, the marshland and the birds and animals that inhabit it. We visited the Marineland souvenir store and enjoyed their large salt water fish tank. I bought some agate slices that will make a lovely mobile for the window. Back across the road Don and I just had to check out the pond behind the chain link fence with the sign declaring "NO FISHING". It was kind of eerie seeing many v-shaped ripples on the surface heading our way. When we adjusted for the glare on the water we discovered a crystal clear pool rapidly filling with a variety of salt water fish. The rather large ones with dorsal fins had made the v's in the water. Apparently it was feeding time as our audience was growing by the minute. We flagged down a marina attendant driving by in a golf cart to ask about the pond. He said an aquarium closed down and the fish were divided up among other facilities. The left overs went into the pond. We had thought it was part of the dolphin research from up the street. The next day we had an uneventful day of motor sailing. Crossing Haulover Canal is always eventful in one aspect or another. The funny for this trip was the young pelican holding his wings out in a great impression of a cormorant drying his wings. Never saw anything like it. Our destination was Titusville but we made such good time we threw the anchor just below opposite Georgianna for a peaceful evening. And that brings us to Loggerhead of Vero Beach.

11/11 - 11/21/2015
Not feeling the need to hurry on, Melissa and I opted to sign up for the Kiminski House Holiday tour while Carl and Don tackled our dingy repair on one of the dingy docks. The tour was lovely and included a tour of the neighboring house as well. We again strolled the bricked gardens and headed back to find the dingy repair had been successful. Leaving Georgetown, we headed down the ICW, bound for Dewees Creek. The little beach just before the turn in held a flock of white pelicans that. I had just mentioned to Don that last year we had seen them and here they were again! We have had ample reading time this trip as well. One of the books I read was centered in South Carolina and one of the surprising facts I learned was that white pelicans do not dive for their food as do brown pelicans. They instead form a circle and herd fish like dolphins do, so their feeding is a group activity. We rafted on a branch of Dewees Creek and had a very peaceful night with the lights of Charleston in the distance. In the morning we went out the Charleston harbor for an overnight passage to Brunswick. That passage ranks up with the worst five or so we have endured. Thirty hours of living in a washing machine. The only thing missing was the storm raging around, we certainly had the rough seas. Waves were only four or five feet, with occasional six footers, but the period was very small and with the wind and waves directly on the stern we only kept the headsail flying, helping stabilize and power through. It would have been even more uncomfortable to tack so we motor sailed through the night. Don did the lions share and I finally came through at midnight to relieve him until four am when I retreated to the salon settee where I wedged myself behind the table and rode out the worst of it until six when I made coffee and dug out two granola bars Dave had left last May. Thank you Dave! We had bypassed dinner for some strange reason. Nearing Saint Simon Inlet, the waves finally abated and we pulled off to the side to let a huge car carrier freighter pass us by. Don had radioed him to ask his speed and preferences as we were on a collision course. Seeing us on the outside of the buoys he was nice enough to radio back and let us know we better fall in behind him as it got shallow fast further up the channel. We spent three days at Brunswick Landing Marina up the Brunswick River. It was a nice place to recoup. They really want business with reasonable rates, good wifi, free draft beer in the captains lounge, free wine socials twice a week, free laundry, potluck dinners, and many other organized activities along with a fleet of free loaner bikes. Clean, private, showers with hair dryers. The captains lounge is huge with many separate seating areas, comfy couches, and a huge bar to hold all the food and gather around. There is a separate lounge off the laundry room with a large free library. A short walk or bike ride brings you to downtown historic Brunswick, a charming town fashioned after the grid and park system of Savanna. We enjoyed both strolling and biking on our explorations. Many huge Victorian houses line the streets and several of the parks held beautiful fountains and roses from the 1800s. Free flowers for the kitchen table! Tuesday and Thursday brought a Farmers Market just a couple blocks from the marina and the grocery store was several blocks away. And we would have been happy with laundry and showers, lol. We found fabulous, reasonably priced meals at Hungry Hanna's just a couple blocks away. We loved breakfast so much we went back for lunch the next day. Imagine a grilled salmon salad for $6.50, fish grilled to perfection and very fresh vegetables. Stopping for the free pump out, we also fueled up on our way back down the river, headed for Cumberland Island National Seashore. Crossing the Jekyll Sound, rounding the horseshoe shoal was a rocky ride, having to almost put out to sea to pass the shoal. Thankfully the duration was relatively short. We had neglected to lash down the dehumidifier and hope the tumble it took did not damage it. Time will tell, not running it while off the grid. Bay Breezin' rafted up with us after the anchor was set in the Cumberland Sound just down from the ferry dock. Dinner on Nemo while we watched to sun sink behind Drum Point Island. In the morning after a collaborative breakfast of pancakes and Bucksport sausage, Don lowered the dingy for another days exploration. This time we strolled paths lined with mammoth trees festooned in draping Spanish moss, stopping at the Ice House Museum before passing maritime forests, through historic buildings and ruins, past saltwater marshes, ultimately leading to a long white beach on the Atlantic Ocean. All the while we marveled at the wild horses casually munching on moss and grass, paying no heed to the people invariably snapping photos of them. The ruins of Dungeness, Thomas Carnegie's 1884 mansion, were impressive. The greenhouse, boathouse, and pool house ruins scattered around told of what must have been a very pampered way of life. The old laundry had been turned into public restrooms. The house built for two of the daughters still stood, but was closed to the public. We enjoyed peeking through the windows at the hand painted murals in the sitting room; scenes from the seashore, winding staircase and vintage wallpaper in the front hall and wrought iron boot scrapers at the bottom of the front stairs. The marshes were teaming with birds. My all time favorite sighting was the group of roseate spoonbills we saw through binoculars from the boat house dock. We also saw the usual suspects, great blue herons, snowy white egrets, kingfishers, sandpipers, seagulls, marsh wrens and some I did not recognize. This was a fabulous stop, glad to see it after speeding by so many times. Our dingy ride back to the boat was rougher and the boats rocked and rolled in the winds through the night. Don dozed in the cockpit through the early morning hours. Our plans to continue exploration of the island were stopped in their tracks as the weather called for rain and high wind until after noon. We are still rocking around as I type this. Probably going to be a boat day today. We have the time to be wimpy.

11/3 - 11/10/2015
I took time off the blog to write picture letters to all six grandchildren and am now seriously behind. The short story is that we stayed at Mile Hammock Bay an extra rainy day and motored on under dismal skies to Wrightsville Beach Anchorage the third day. Rafting up with Bay Breezin', we discussed possibilities and decided to push on the following day. The weather decided for us as we woke to thick fog. It cleared by mid morning and we had decided to dingy over for a stroll on the beach by then, it being only a couple blocks away. After a lovely stroll we checked out The Wrightsville Pier and had serious fishing discussion with the attendant. Leaving there we walked inland in search of food. Happening on King Neptunes we happily attacked their Neptunes Hibachi, a giant bowl with seafood of choice nestled on a bed of noodles and grilled vegetables. Yum! A stop at the famous Robert's Grocery store for quick provisioning and back to the boats. The next morning we motored just 6 1/2 hours to South Harbor Village Marina where we tied up for pump out, fuel, water, trash, laundry and showers. That included our short stint stuck on a shoal at Lockwoods Folly Inlet, gee I wonder where the folly comes in, lol. We were gawking at the shore birds and fishermen and the inlet sucked us in. The ICW took a jog to the right and could have used another marker or two. The congenial Towboat US captain had us off just a tad bit earlier than we probably could have floated off on our own with a rising tide. It was a wonderful place to spend a lazy hour, with all the activity going on all around us, especially the cast net demonstrations! Love these short days! We landed in Calabash Creek rafted up with Bay Breezin' the following day with just 6 1/2 hours more hours under our keels, plenty of time to climb in the dingy for a tour of Calabash, Seafood Capital of North Carolina. We had a late lunch at the famous Coleman's Original Calabash Seafood Restaurant overlooking the creek. The birds on the deck were a problem until I ran them off banging fork and knife for over five minutes. Guess they decided it wasn't worth it. Navigating our way up the back stairs on Nemo was tricky as our dingy was still hanging useless with a leak in one of the pontoons. Bay Breezin' is trying out their new anchor, the creek being a bit tight for rafting up. Interestingly enough, we are anchored in South Carolina. We motor sailed to Bucksport Marina along the Wacamaw River the following day. The .75/ft price at Bucksport kept us there another day. Jeffrey obligingly took us the half hour or so to Walmart for shopping. Bucksport is trying to build clientele after the marina had sat dormant for a number of years. Hence the low price. Jeff says he lives on site and is willing to open up for late arrivals or for fuel ups past normal operating hours. Seaweeds Restaurant and Bar is on site and during the season they have live music in the huge covered deck with attached tiki bar. The marina is run in combination with a campground. We had a surprisingly quiet couple nights sleep considering we were tied up parallel to the ICW. Another motor sail and here we are, rafted up on the Sampit River opposite Georgetown, South Carolina with plenty of time to stroll the streets and stop in our favorite bakery, the Kudzu. I mailed out the grand kids letters and we had a lovely late lunch on the deck overlooking the river at The Big Tuna, where all the locals eat. Melissa and I did a bit of window shopping and stopped in to the Kaminski House Museum gift shop where I picked up some kids games half price. Strolling the bricked garden paths we stopped by to admire the sea shell fountain. Last year it was under repair and shut down. Meeting up with the guys we decided to end the day with home made ice cream from the shop just off the town docks. Good choice. We ate it by the flag festooned courtyard, set up for Veterans Day, listening to a local play the clarinet. Lovely evening.

11/1 - 11/2/2015
Everyone should experience Halloween in Bath at least once in their lifetime! Every house is decorated and people set up shop on their front lawns, most in full costume. Connie's house was alive with a haunted cemetery, complete with live witches, undertakers, vampires, skeletons as well as ghosts, rats and spiders in webs. Fog machines, scary music, luminaries, motion activated skeletons and a coffin bound skeleton all complete the scene. To top the cake there was a screen set up to play loops of Thriller staring Michael Jackson. Believe it or not it was my first viewing of that iconic clip. Droves of families stopped by, the kids getting handfuls of candy from a huge bucket, some families going inside to grab a hotdog and visit for a spell. The house across the street set up a table and ladeled out chili or sausage bean soup in cups, welcome in the cooling evening. All too soon we strolled back to the dock under starry skies, tired and anticipating a 5:45 am start, ready for bed. Despite the time change we had engines warming and dock lines cast off at the appointed hour, idling down the creek, waiting for Bay Breezin' and SeaQuell to join us. The water was liquid silver in the pre dawn light, giving just enough illumination to pick out the few crab pots. As we motored down the Pamlico River and the horizon tinged from pink to magenta the smooth surface turned to mercury, undulating on the slight swell. The sun rose in a burst of color then quickly slid behind a bank of clouds, leaving the water a silvery blue. Our intended destination of the Oriental Free Docks fell through when we learned through chatter over the marine radio that a speaker for one of the south bound rallies was scheduled for the evening. We pushed on across the Neuse to Adams Creek, intending on staying at Seagate Marina until reading a review saying the depths were not great enough to support the two mono hulls. SeaQuell did an advance reconnaissance and reported the review to be accurate. We revved the engines and with the help of a falling tide made it to Moorhead City Yacht Basin just minutes before night fell. The hot shower there felt devine, it having been four days since the last one. Just outside Morehead City we encountered two fishing boats with their booms lowered coming at us right in the middle of the channel, leaving precious little room to squeak past. We bumped going past the first one and held our breath for the second pass. Going to have to Google and see if that is even legal, doesn't seem right somehow. Further on down the ICW we had to hold up while a huge power boat got itself unstuck. As it was sideways in the channel no one was getting through. Luckily the captain managed to squirrel his way off and traffic flowed again. Shortly after that the rain that had stayed off to the west finally blew in and we decided to hole up at Mile Hammock Bay in Camp LeJeune. The rain came down steadily as we waited for Bay Breezin' to finish tying up on SeaQuells starboard side before we slid in for a port side tie up, all rafted up once again! The Bay soon filled with power and sail boats alike, all eager to dodge the weather. Dinner on Nemo followed by round two of dominoes. A very pleasant way to pass a not so pleasant evening. Rain began again in earnest just before our stated departure time of 6:15. Looking at the latest forecast of 100% rain for the next couple of days both Bay Breezin' and Nemo decided to stay put. SeaQuell was on a tight schedule and needed to push on so Bay Breezin' untied followed by Nemo. Don set our anchor and once SeaQuell was off down the channel Carl sidled up beside us and the two mono hulls rafted up. Looks like a quiet day (or two) of reading in store, ahhhhh.