Just as we have done for the last two weeks, we were up early and out of the marina at 6:30 am.  A quick motor into Albemarle Sound, we motor-sailed with the jib.  This is one of my least-favorite crossings, but it looked like the Sound would be kind to us today.  Winds at 12-22 knots and more importantly, seas 1-3 feet.  We made good progress across the Sound, past Coinjock, into Currituck Sound, and the Chesapeake Canal to the Great Bridge Locks. The weather was warm and passage was uneventful with current helping us along the way.  We pushed hard to make bridges and the locks, challenged by times when bridges weren't opening during rush hour.  We thought we'd lost the battle and would have to waste over an hour waiting to get through the last bridge when a barge pulled into the ICW behind us.  He had opening appointments with two bridges to cross through at 5:15 and 5:45 pm.  The kind bridge tender consulted with the tug pilot about our crossing during his openings and we got the okay.  Whew!  That meant we could get to Hospital Point in Portsmouth in time for dinner.  We were surprised to arrive at the anchorage and see only two other boats, but we settled into our spot and called it a night.

Wednesday morning -- hopefully, the last leg of the trip -- 66 more miles to our dock.  We were up early again and followed a tug out of the Elizabeth River.  There was a lot of commercial activity during our 2 hour motor out of the James River and into the Chesapeake Bay -- Mike and I marveled at the infrastructure of this busy port, with tugs moving barges, ships being painted and containers filled.  We were the only recreational sailboat witnessing the hustle and bustle of the early morning. Once in the Bay the winds died and the current flowed against us, so no chance of sailing on our last day.  Still, we used the jib to get us whatever push it could provide -- and oh, by the way, another day of sunshine and blue skies.  Still, we made good progress and by mid-afternoon our Green can 3 - the entrance mark to the Great Wicomico River - was in sight.  Once into the river it wasn't long before we saw the familiar green mark into Warehouse Creek - then just a short time before Chinook was tied up and safe at her dock once again.

We had a wonderful trip, with many good memories, new friends, and fun adventures.  The trip home was a quick 19 days -- 15 days of travel; 4 lay days -- but we're home in time to switch gears and get ready for our flight to Barbados where we will enjoy watching Dustin race in the 505 International Worlds.  We know from the last trip that it takes a little time to re-acclimate ourselves to a big house - extra space, running hot water, and flushing toilets.  That will happen after the Barbados trip.  Still, it's good to be home and we are looking forward to a summer of exploring the Chesapeake Bay once again --- that is, until the next trip south.

Brrrrr....Sunday morning in Mile Hammock Anchorage and it's only 51 degrees.  Fog low on the water and everything outside is wet.  Still, as you can see, we were treated to another beautiful sunrise.  It's uplifting and makes us anxious to start another day.  We're close to home at Mile Marker 244 and ready for another long day. 

Saturday's travel was a little tough once we got through the Cape Fear River and past the Wrightsville Beach area.  There are lots of small inlets in this NC stretch and we seemed to hit them all at low tide and foul current - bumped bottom a couple of times but our training in the Chesapeake Bay has taught us well how to recover quickly when the keel hits bottom.   We kept pushing on and managed to put another 60 nm behind us.  Our payoff was anchoring in Mile Hammock Anchorage near Camp Lejeune, NC.  It was a peaceful spot and good holding so our evening was quiet and short.

Sunday was another mile-buster -- this time 80 nm.  Current was a bit kinder and we managed to motor-sail for a little extra push -- past Swansboro, and The Salty Sheep (my second-favorite yarn shop), Moorhead City/Beaufort, Adams Creek, and into the Neuse River.  Sails up and we were in Hobucken Cut (Goose Creek) in no time.  After motoring close to the north end of the creek we tucked ourselves into Campbell Creek, another new stop for us -- shallow but good spot as we found space between all the crab pots.  It was close to 7pm, so a quick meal and to bed.  One of the highlights of the day was to talk on the radio with the captain on the sailboat Tommy Dundee.  We first spoke with him at about 2am somewhere abeam of Hilton Head as we both worked our way north in the ocean.  Today we learned the family (mom, dad and 2 teenage daughters) are returning from a one year cruise to Maine, Canada, and the Bahamas.  They were very excited for home was Oriental and they probably pulled into their slip around 5pm.  Such fun to hear their story.

By now we're getting used to being up at 5:30 (unlike our 7:30 wake-ups in Marathon), so Monday we left Campbell Creek just before dawn -- only .5 m back on the ICW so it was an easy departure.  We motored out of Goose Creek into the Pamlico River where water was choppy and winds at 16.  It was raining and nasty, but we knew the storm was much worse south of us so we wanted to get north as quickly as possible and away from rain moving across the state. With the jib reefed we crossed into the Pungo River; about five miles up, winds and chop settled and the skies cleared. We continued to motor-sail up the river and into the Pungo-Alligator Canal.  Deep water made transit easy and it was a beautiful day.  We watched a powerboat slowly come up from behind; they caught us as we both entered the Alligator River.  Waves picked up quickly and current was against us so the boat, Carried Away, moved ahead.  In the last 10 miles of transiting the river, winds picked up and waves increased -- wind out of the NE at 12-16 k; Here we were again, just like 2 years ago, watching the winds kick up 20-25 with gusts to 30.  The bridge we needed to open for us doesn't open when winds exceed 34 knots.  About 5 miles out we heard Carried Away contact the bridge tender and offer to wait for his opening until we could catch up.  What a nice gesture!!  We got through the bridge with minimal nail-biting, turned 90 degrees west, and motored into the Alligator River Marina where we managed, with the help of a super dock hand, to land the boat in 15 knots, blowing us onto the dock.  Whew!!  Good to be tied to the sturdy dock.  

We had the pleasure of enjoying cocktails on the motor vessel Carried Away and meeting Bill and Joyce.  They are just finishing the Great Circle Loop, heading home to the York River.  An enjoyable evening of sharing travel experiences and called it a night.  Back on the ICW at 6:10 am this morning; we just passed Mile Marker 40 -- if all goes well, on the dock in Reedville tomorrow evening.

We left Charleston on Wed. and headed back out the inlet into the ocean.  Plans were to position ourselves to do a day trip, then anchor in Winyah Bay and continue north outside on Thursday, hoping that Cape Fear, NC would be the landing spot. However, the day turned into a motor - wind was 3-8 knots from the south and gave us no advantage.  Also, Thursday's weather started to deteriorate so we made the decision to turn inside again at Winyah Bay - some 55 miles from Charleston.  That's when the winds picked up and we had a fabulous sail in 12-15 knots of wind on the beam some 11.5 NM (about 2.5 hours) to the waterway, just outside Georgetown, SC.  The winds held so we continued to sail up the channel and into the Waccama River - my favorite spot on the ICW.  The scenery is spectacular --- cypress trees growing out of the tanin-stained water and the reflections of the trees in the water add to the dimension of things.  We continued our northward progression, and started looking for the anchorage that would get us to the farthest possible northern spot.  We found it -- Cow House Creek.  However, we almost missed it because it looked like just a bend in the shoreline.  Thankfully, our handy-dandy On the Water Chartbook described conditions and water depths for the creek.  It was narrow but deep so we motored into 10 feet of water, spun the boat into the wind, and dropped the hook.  We shared the creek with another boat, anchored about .5 mile up the creek a bit, and a bunch of birds singing their hearts out.  The hook was down at 7:45 pm, still before dark.  Dinner was simple fare and we were in bed early -- a long day.

Did you know that it is fully light by 6:30 am these days?  Up and moving around 6 am, the anchor was up by 6:30 and we motored out of the creek into the ICW again.  This is where my camera went crazy snapping this picture and that.  Reflections in the water of everything above the water line create interesting shadows and dimensions.  And with the sun shining, casting interesting shadows, it was fascinating.  We say many osprey in their nest-homes, preparing for new families this spring.  Always, the dad-sentry stands at attention and squawks at us if we get too close to the nest situated on top of the channel mark. I saw signs of wild flowers and dogwood trees displaying new blooms.  

Once out of the river, our next challenge was the Rock Pile where huge marl rocks line the ICW.  Thankfully we traversed that part of the ICW in plenty of water.  One does not want to learn first hand how tough those rocks really are.  By the time we crossed into North Carolina we faced low tide, opposing currents, and shallow waters so forward progress was slow.  We pulled into a favorite marina just south of Southport, NC at the entrance to the Cape Fear River, and called it a night.  Decisions to continue forward progress on Friday would be made in the morning when we could evaluate the threatened 100% chance of rain and thunderstorms.  For now, another quiet evening and early to bed was in order.

Here Mike and I are enjoying our "arrival beverage" and celebrating the leg of the trip we accomplished Sunday through Monday morning - a 25.5 hour trip, covering 150 miles.  While we have done a number of over-nighters before, this was the first time we didn't have extra crew.  It was just the two of us. I wasn't sure I could hold up my end of the trip throughout the night -- would I fall asleep on my watch or encounter a huge freighter?  To my surprise I actually did just fine -- 3 hours on; 3 off from midnight- 3 am (and I slept every minute); 4 hours on.  I took the extra hour the second watch and let Mike sleep because the rising moon and then the rising sun were so spectacular - a very special birthday gift to me.   I didn't want to miss a minute!

We were very pleased to have met another cruising couple, Don and Mary Kay on Beckoning, in Fernandina Beach who also wanted to jump out all the way to Charleston so we partnered with them (our "buddy boat") and did the trip together.  Having another boat out there with us the whole way was super!  We checked in on each other every hour on the radios and chatted a bit -- certainly helped the time go faster.  The winds we were told to expect didn't materialize, except for 3 hours on my watch, so it was mostly a motor-sail in NE winds 8-14 knots.  The waves settled as the sun set and the night was clear and bright with stars.  It wasn't particularly cold, but very damp and that made it seem colder, but still we were dressed well and remained comfortable.  We were fortunate that all systems -- wind, weather, and boat -- worked well and the trip was a memorable one.  We also knocked off 5 days of traveling north in the ICW which puts us closer to home. 

Our days leading up to the ocean sail were enjoyable as well.  We left Vero Beach on April 2 after doing all the things one does in Vero -- eat out, ride the bus to run errands, and laundry.  We could see the weather window for the overnight developing so we moved quickly -- long days up the ICW, not taking time for play.  Evening stops in Titusville, Daytona Beach, St. Augustine, and finally Fernandina Beach all worked well.  Weather mostly cooperated (except the thunderstorms and constant rain from St. Augustine to Fernandina Beach) and we arrived there in time for a lay day on Saturday in Fernandina Beach.  We'd not stopped there before so it was fun to explore a new community. Friends Marlene and Kevin joined us there for the Austin Healey car show on the street, a wonderful spring farmer's market, fried green tomatoes at Kelly's Cafe for lunch, and a  quick run to the grocery store for a few supplies.  We also met James and Sandra from Tennessee who also are sailing a J-40 -- lots of conversation and trading information about our favorite boats!  Not enough time in Fernandina Beach -- we'll stop again.

As always, we had great fun in Charleston -- more new food stops, a quick walk through the Market, a short jaunt "South of Broad" , a bit of rest from a long night, and we're back moving north again.

Here we are leaving the Lake Worth Inlet heading out for a second day of ocean sailing on Sunday morning (3/31) and we are treated to this glorious sunrise.  The sailboat in front of the two tugboats is our "buddy boat" - Chanticleer.  Unfortunately, we didn't get in front of the tugboats fast enough so we had to wait for them to head south.

We left Miami Saturday morning with winds out of the NE and E at 10-15 knots.  It was a beautiful morning and with rather calm seas we settled into the rhythm of the sails on a tight reach and had a great trip.  Part way through the day the winds were fluky so we motor-sailed, maintaining good speeds with the help of a favorable current.  Our entertainment was the flying fish and dolphins.  As we got close to the Lake Worth Inlet we saw Dustin's fleet in their practice regatta, with spinnakers flying.  Unfortunately, they moved faster than we did and were in the Inlet before we could catch up with them.  Still it was fun to see.  We tucked into the anchorage close to the Inlet and called it a day.  

Sunday was a repeat of Saturday, except predicted winds from the south were really NE for the first part of the day and then shifted south but not enough to keep us moving.  So it was a day of motor-sailing, but we made good time and got into the Ft. Pierce Inlet in time to miss the building wind and seas.  A short 40 minute sail/motor to the ICW and winds had piped up to 17 knots.  We motored the remaining 11 miles in the ICW to Vero Beach where we grabbed a mooring ball with Chanticleer.  There are always lots of cruisers on moorings there and we caught up briefly with friends Joe and Bessie on Summer Snows and people we met in the Bahamas two years ago Options III - always fun to share travel stories. Dinner together on Chanticleer to recount the 2 days of travel and share whatever we had in our refrigerators.  Nice evening and we're making good progress north.

We're still hangin' in Miami, on the hook south of the Venetian Causeway. We'd planned to stay just a few days but it's now been almost two weeks. I'd like to blame it on the weather but it's more about an awful cold virus I've been fighting the last 9 days. Believe me, I'd rather it had been weather keeping us here! Yesterday I saw a doctor who prescribed drugs, so hopefully I'm now on the road to recovery. All that said, the weather has been challenging – a cold front blew through earlier in the week. Temperatures dropped to as low as 48 degrees and the winds howled. Mike and I scrambled to find some warm clothes! We had some exciting dinghy rides from the boat to the dingy dock and are very thankful for the dinghy and motor upgrade we did before we left home – it's actually possible to ride in foul weather and not get soaked. But as the weather does here, the sun is bright and we're promised a warming trend over the week-end. Sounds like perfect traveling weather.

In between sneezes and coughs, we managed to catch up with Jary, Diana, and Dustin – laundry, food activities, free internet and TV....the usual. We connected with boating friends also – Marlene and Kevin on Tika, and Val and Harold on Bookworm (their new boat). We had fun catching up with our niece's friend, Chris, for happy hour. She was here on business from Portland. Small world.

South Beach is quite a fun place to visit – lots of electricity in the air, people out and about, all the new fashion statements, free internet and TV, and great food. It also provides the perfect spot for some beautiful sunsets – like the one in this blog. Diana took the picture one evening from our boat. We always enjoy our stay here...and are ready for the next destination. We'll be heading north on Saturday, if the wind gods are good to us.