A veiled sunrise for the start of our last day out. It fit the mixed feelings we had as we end our trip.... for this season. The good news is after 2,622 nautical miles and 114 days (not counting our 2 week sebatical to be home for hurricane Florence), we're both sad to see it end.
The day was clear, warm for this time of year, and we had a slight breeze from the west southwest, which let us motorsail for parts of the way using the genoa, in other parts and for the trip up the Neuse River we were going directly into the wind, so we motored rather than tacked. The bridge at the southern end of Goose creek always appears lower than the posted 65 feet, and there are no height markers next to the bridge. We crept up and stopped just a foot shy of the bridge and tried to determine if we'd make it. The water level looked almost normal so things looked OK despite the warnings from workers at Mayo's Seafood that we weren't going to make it. We inched up and the VHF antenna probably snuck under with a couple inches to spare.
With our final hurdle crossed, within a couple hours we motored slowly into Whitaker Creek and down the line of boats to our slip. This trip has been on our bucket list for a long time, we are both extremely thankful we were able to make it; thankful to friends who watched our home while we were away; our friends we met up with during our journey who provided comradeship and lessons learned; our daughter who took care of our big yellow lab, Mason; our son who collected our mail (and spare parts); family who met us at various places who all added to the fun of the trip; the many people who stopped and gave us rides to the grocery stores in different towns or shared parts/tools as needed; the sailmakers, refrigeration experts, canvas technicians and helpful marina staffs who provided great service; and mostly thankful for each others patience and willingness to learn throughout our many new experiences.