It's pretty absurd to try to describe a typical day of cruising...and I'm not going to try. But I will describe today as one example of living and working on a cruising boat.

At 5am, I woke up and started working on a writing project.

At 630: Anne got up and started doing the engine checks and such in preparation for departure and, at 7am, Anne hoisted the anchor while I piloted the boat out of the anchorage and headed down the ICW. For the next hour, we ate our breakfast in the cockpit and enjoyed the morning sights before Anne went below to get Evelyn and Leslie.

By 8:30, we were under sail, running down the Pungo River and Evelyn and Anne were in control: I went below and started my workday. While they sailed across the Pamlico river, dropped the sails, motored through another canal, hoisted the sails and sailed 15 miles down the Neuse River, I sat below reading emails, writing several documents and making phone calls. In the mid afternoon, I took a break and helped find navigation markers as we came into Adams Creek until we reached our anchorage. After we were anchored, i went back to my computer while Evelyn and Leslie blew up the kayak and went of exploring the local wetlands.

Now its dark and we're all in the cabin. Evelyn and Leslie are making a cake, Anne is reading, and I'm updating our blog. Later we'll have dinner, and I'll read another few chapters of our read-aloud book while the dishes get done.

Its not a typical day, but its not an unusual one either.