Wow...What a difference a few miles make! Yesterday we came back out to the very edge of land: All that separates us from the Atlantic now is the very thin strip of barrier islands that run almost unbroken from Cape Hatteras to Florida.

But the Atlantic is very different here than when last we saw it! We are now south of Cape Hatteras and the Gulf Stream is very close to shore here. As we came closer to the shore yesterday we could feel the temperature rising. Suddenly there were dolphins swimming alongside the boat, very different birds greeted us and, last night, the heat only kicked on once during the very wee hours...The bitter cold that was pursuing us from the north has been left behind, for now. It will eventually get cold here, too, so we'll keep going south, but the way south might not be as chilling as getting here!

We are in Swansboro now, a fun little town that we discovered on our way north in 2006. We're planning a rest day to enjoy the shops and so I can do a work-related webinar with a stable WiFi connection. We've taken a slip at the marina here and are draining and filling the appropriate tanks and on shore power now. However this is the first time in almost a week since we left Norfolk that we haven't been self-contained...all those boat projects are paying off now as we spent a week in anchorages or on docks without power and traveled 230 miles without needing fuel, to pumpout the holding tank, and without incident. All while being comfortable (below decks at least!), well fed, and productive....It sounds pretty amazing until you compare it to those month-long wilderness travels taken by pioneer families in covered wagons!