The weatherman is not our friend! He has predicted bad weather that has kept us in marinas - and the problem weather never happened. He has predicted days of perfect weather only to slam us with windstorms that questioned our ability to keep afloat. Looking ahead at the weather for the next few days we realized that there is a great possibility tomorrow and Monday would have high (25kts. +) winds and gusts much higher. That was when we had planned to cross Albermarle Sound - a body of water so large & shallow that the predicted winds could be dangerous. So, do we stay in Dowry Creek for two plus days or push on? We decided to head to the Alligator River and spend the night there - but, as we approached the marina we realized that it was quite early in the day and the weather really looked good to cross the Albermarle, so we pushed on. Crossing the sound was pretty effortless except the wind did begin to pick up in the last third or so. We saw 20kts. but nothing more and pulled in at about 5:30. We are planning two nights here just in case the winds do come. By the way, the restaurant here is famous for its 32oz prime rib - I had the 16oz and it was terrific.

Lately, I have been writing about our experiences - I want to talk about comfort today. Our 32 foot Beneteau had a pad in the aft cabin. It was okay for a few days and then you began to wake up with strange aches. Red Sky has a real mattress - and it is every bit as comfortable as our bed at home. The two most expensive comfort items have been the complete cockpit enclosure and the new autopilot. The enclosure has kept us in t-shirts & shorts when we have passed others huddled in winter coats and trying to avoid the rain. And the new autopilot is designed for sailboats 20,000lbs and up. The old one was designed for boats up to 16,500 lbs. Red Sky is 16,500 lbs dry - no water, fuel, provisions, or crew and the old autopilot could not begin to keep up. This one is smooth and easily maintains a course in any weather or sea state we are apt to be out in.