We are now in serious traveling mode. We have 375 miles under our keel so far in the ICW but we have 700 more to go. Days start at dawn with Bill getting up to put on the coffee pot. We try to get on the water by 7am. Along the way I'll make breakfast.... steel cut oats with nuts and fruit or a mega-omelette. Omelettes can have whatever is left from last night's dinner... bits of meat, fish, veggies, pasta and rice. Every couple of days I also bake bread underway... thanks to Lisa (Uproar) I had lessons and starter. Such a pioneer lifestyle!!

We have a flip-chart to guide us along the way... sort of like the AAA triptiks. But much of the way is just following the magenta line on the chartplotter or staying in the middle of the channel between the red and green buoys. Until now the path has mainly been straight channels blasted into the landscape. In SC we are in rivers so the landscape should be more interesting.

We have to start looking for a place to stay by 3pm as it gets dark so early now. We try to do at least 40 miles per day, but we were lucky to do nearly 60 yesterday. The last few days have not offered anchorages, so we have stayed in marinas. The one we are in now is awesome... in the middle of a swamp with trees covered with Spanish moss. They tell us the alligators have buried themselves in the mud to stay warm.

We try to catch the sunset on deck with a cocktail in hand and music on the MP3 player. Dinner still doesn't happen until 7 or so but then there isn't much to do but read (or play in the WIFI if we have it). We are often checking our watches to try and stay awake until 9:30 or 10pm. Last night we had visitors from another boat, drinking wine and talking until nearly midnight.

The people (and boats) we meet are the best part of the trip. Yesterday we caught up with two boats we had last seen in Weems Creek at Annapolis. I posted a picture of Fifth Quarter, a motor-sailor cat with Madison connections, who spent last night in this same marina. Tonight there is a gorgeously restored 85' 1935 Trumpy yacht from Newport RI docked across from us. Mary R, you'd die to do the brightwork on her.

We should be in Charleston within a day or two. I'm curious to see how much she has changed since I was last there 35 years ago.