Should you wonder why you are accessing the second blog entry in two days, it is because I have a swollen ankle that needs to be kept up.

It took three attempts before we left the marina yesterday. The high engine temp brought us back once. Joe replaced the impeller that had two of the five blades broken off. We set out again but the engine was still too hot. We came back and got some great FREE advice from Ross Marine as to what to try before a scheduled afternoon lift out of Adirondack to make repairs. Joe kept checking for clogs. He pulled out a foot long tangle of tightly packed seaweed. We were underway while the mechanics were at lunch, but called to thank them for the help that avoided costly repair time. All the training and preparation done before we set out paid off. Joe had the manuals, the parts, the tools to get the job done. We saved money and time.

There were no marinas around last evening, so we had a chance to try anchoring. After several attempts with dusk turning to dark, we gave up. There was only one home for miles around. We decided to tie up to the dock. Joe called out and even rang the doorbell. No one home. We stayed put anyway. The most beautiful setting of our journey. Anchoring, when we really learn the techniques, will be much preferred to marinas.

Hearty soup for dinner. As frost predicted overnight, we welcomed the warmth of each other and our cozy bed quite early. The temperature in the cabin was 45� when we awoke. The jet black predawn sky displayed the constellations as we've not seen them since the High Sierras. Coffee and engine heat got us through a few chores before we set out.

If you watch Sunday Morningon TV, you will know what I mean when I say we are boating through the scenery that culminates each edition. As we got ready for church every Sunday at Sunset Lake, I would dream about visiting the swamps, fields, and rivers depicted. Well this is it. I am glad the banks are no longer lined with condos and mansions as they are around the NC/SC border. Instead, we are treated to a gentle wilderness setting.

Peace!

Sue

I've a little time this a.m. We were up before dawn, out of the slip at first light, and back in the slip when the sun came up. We had to make a hasty U turn when the engine temp starting rising and steam instead of water was coming out of the through hole on the stern. Joe just emptied out all the oil he had put in yesterday to get at the impeller. Two blades were chewed off.

Our guide says, "South Carolina is very different than North Carolina. You will notice immediately how much warmer it is." Well, 34 degrees is the same in both states. That was the temp this am. We are just south of Charleston.
Yesterday was amazing. We passed through the Cape Wildlife Refuge for 22 miles. It was morning and the birding was terrific. Hawks hunting, terns diving, a bald eagle being regal. Not to mention the ibis, pelicans, gulls, and hundreds of migrating song birds. What a treat on a frosty but clear sunny morning.

We are establishing more routines, getting better at seamanship each day. It is hard to say that the weather has been beautiful, knowing full well this area is in desperate need of rain. Let's just say we are enjoying the warmth of the sun but joining the locals in their hopes for clouds.

We've been two days on the ICW and feel like we're in a different world than the one we sailed before yesterday. Leaving Hampton, we motored past the Norfolk metropolitan area as well as the huge Navy Shipyard. After a few miles, without warning, civilization evaporated. We were immersed in a wilderness setting, flat and thinly forested. Nothing like the lush green peninsulas of the Chesapeake. Beguiling nonetheless.

Our first lock! Barely a reason to open and close as the water levels on either side are about the same. Barely a taste of the Erie Canal.

It's impossible to miss the marinas enroute. They are practically the only buildings along the bank! We plan on 50 mile days. With the marinas so far apart, there is no choice about how long to travel. As we lose more daylight each day, we have to stop early rather than risk being caught in the dark. This turns out to be relaxing. Squeezing as much passage into each day as possible has been exhausting.

We've had the pleasure of meeting Sailor Joe Kozak. After traveling together for a day, we were formally introduced as he extended his boat hook to me at the Pungo Ferry Marina. Joe, at 71, just published the 600 page, America's Great Loop. It is a compilation of daily log entries while circumnavigating the route that follows the Atlantic Coast, Hudson River, Erie Canal, Great Lakes, Mississippi, Gulf of Mexico. Now, he is distributing copies of his book to stores and individuals as he sails along.