A dear friend of ours posted a remark on Facebook that made me think about our experiences so far as we have traveled 451.5 SM (Statute Miles) on the ICW. We may not be going as quickly as others before us, but Ran and I are “traveling at the speed of life.” Our life that is. We have found a pace thus far that seems to work well for us. For the most part we are arriving at an anchorage or a marina around 4:00 which doesn’t push us too much. If we need to catch an early high tide we wake up at 5:30 am, eat a little breakfast then head out for our next destination. Since we are going down “the ditch” this consists of some serious navigating for both the Captain and I. The ICW is absolutely beautiful, but there are quite a few areas that have shoaled so badly many of us with sailboats have to play the tides right in order to get through. There are also cuts which are quite narrow, so you have to pay close attention to the markers on the waterway and your charts ( in our case we use an app on our iPad called Garmin Blue Charts with another app- Active Captain- overlaid on it). Our lives are never in danger, we just run the risk of running aground which we have done twice. Once we get to our destination, we get the boat in order, and I make us a nice dinner ( homemade pizza, tetrazzini; BBQ pork chops etc). After dinner the Captain cleans the galley while I pull out all of the navigating books and tools. We then plan our route for the next day after checking the weather, tides, bridge openings and how many miles we’d like to cover. By the time we do this, it is time for bed. Now for my non-boater family and friends there is a saying “Cruisers midnight” which for most is between 8:30 and 9:00pm. We fall right into that- we’re usually in bed by 8:30 which is keeping us plenty rested for the next day’s adventures!

Our “cruising life speed” is allowing us to enjoy and experience so many new ventures and people. We have traveled 4 hours in unpredicted fog that was so dense we could barely make out the boat in front of us, we have anchored in creeks that have a current so swift that when the anchor set it swung the boat so quickly as if on a park ride, we have gone down creeks that have rising tides of 6 feet and of course; we have experienced some of the most beautiful sunsets. We feel so connected to most of the people we meet since we are all on the same pilgrimage.

We know the cold weather is trying to sneak up on us, but we plan on continuing to make the most of each day and the lessons and gifts that come with it! If you’d like to see more pictures of our journey, please go to the photo gallery.

For those of you that follow us on Facebook or have looked at our blog photo gallery, you may have noticed a little octopus occasionally showing up in the pictures. I figure I may as well tell you the full story now, so you won't think I've regressed back to playing with toys or left wondering what is up with the octopus!

I knew one of the hardest things about cruising would be not seeing my three granddaughters, Avery - age 11, Leah - age 8 and Josie - age 6 for seven months! That means I will miss all three of their birthdays and not see them for the holidays! I was pondering a way to keep them connected and involved in our adventures when I remembered the Flat Stanley Project that many children participated in school. For those of you not familiar with this just google it- it's quite interesting and fun. I knew a little paper guy traveling with us was not what I wanted nor feasible on a boat, but the concept was perfect! After asking the girls for something special that could travel with Ran and I, Avery gave us an Octopus she crocheted named Coral. Bingo! Not only was it special because she had made it, but wow- a traveling octopus!!

I know the girls will be excited seeing Coral in different places along the East Coast and Bahamas. It will also be a great opportunity to teach them a little history and geography about the many towns, rivers, bays, etc that we encounter. Most of all, they will be engaged and connected with their Mimi and Ran during these fun and exciting adventures!

Well we did it! This morning at 8:00am we untied the lines from Bay Point Marina in Norfolk, VA and headed out for this new life of retirement and cruising! We have been watching friends and boats heading south for years and we would smile wistfully saying "one day that will be us." Ten years later, today is our "One Day"!

As we left the Little Creek Jetties and turned north west toward Hampton Roads tunnel we were greeted by 3 dolphins playing in our wake! Surely a good sign of all of the exciting things to come!

Once in the Elizabeth River we had to pay close attention because even though we have cruised this area for years it was quite busy this morning with a Navy ship leaving- several tugs going to and fro and large barges coming through. I must say we were quite excited when we approached Red marker "36"- Mile 0 of the ICW! Ran and I looked at each other, smiled and said "we're doing it- we are now officially cruising the ICW!" Once we passed the shipyard and industrial section, the ICW began to feel like the peaceful natural surrounding we have been looking forward to.

After going through the Great Bridge Locks- which by the way was pretty cool- we are now tied up at the Great Bridge Dock for the night. Ran's sister and brother-in-law came out to wish us farewell and brought some great Chinese food for dinner! What a great way to spend our first evening! Tomorrow we're headed for Coinjock Marina in NC where we'll probably stay for a couple of days to let a stormy cold front pass. Then on to more adventures and the Alligator River!

Today is our anniversary! Our first one while living on our boat! Okay- I'm going to get a little mushy for just a moment , but I'm so thankful to be married to the love of my life, my best friend and someone I like quite a bit! Yes, I said LIKE! When living in such close quarters it's not enough to love the person you're with- you need to like them as well! After all, you spend just about every waking hour with them. Right now Ran and I can get in our separate cars and do our own thing, but once we start cruising we will be together 24/7. We had better enjoy spending time together or things could quickly take a turn for the worst! Years ago I took a liveaboard sailing class for women only called Womanship. Their slogan was "Nobody yells." I was puzzled by this because Ran is neither a screamer or a yeller. I quickly found out that I was one lucky gal because many of the other ladies were not as fortunate. Their husband or significant other would scream at them if they didn't trim the sail correctly, or didn't understand something on the boat or move quickly enough when the Captain barked his orders. Needless to say, many of these women did not enjoy their time on the water with their men. As a matter of fact, they didn't like them much at all while on the boat! Luckily Ran and I are having fun working together as a Team as this crazy dream of ours unfolds, and I must say this has been the best Anniversary ever!

"We're so busy watching out for what's just ahead of us that we don't take time to enjoy where we are." - Bill Watterson

Yikes! I think I'm guilty! Perhaps it is because we are still so busy getting the boat ready and thinking about all of the many things that must be done prior to setting sail, or perhaps it's because I am very goal oriented and a planner, but today I had that "aha" moment when it hit me that I am forgetting to enjoy the fact that we ARE retired and we ARE really living on our boat. With that comes so many wonderful and amazing things! Since our marina is next to a Naval Base we hear the National Anthem every morning at 8:00 am. We hear the birds singing- we watch ducks feeding, we get to enjoy nature at its finest! Ran and I fall asleep each night feeling the breeze blow in through the hatches, and if we look up and it's a clear night we see the stars! We talk to our neighbors far more than we ever did living in our house. Not because we didn't like our "old" neighbors, but we hardly ever saw them except while pulling in and out of our driveway- going to and from work- or maybe the occasional meet and greet at the mailbox. Here at the marina, we see our neighbors constantly. It's nothing to invite or be invited on board to share a beer and of course a good sailing story or two. Each Sunday night we have gone to a dock pot luck/cook out and have the best time getting to know people who have some of the same dreams and plans as us.

Another delightful perk to boat living is being so close to the beach, so this morning I deviated from my usual walk through the neighborhood- walked to the Bay- kicked off my shoes, felt the sand between my toes and guess what? I enjoyed where I am!

Ran and I retired September 1st and moved aboard our Beneteau 411 sailboat "Venture" 4 days ago! We keep looking at each other - smile and say in unison- 'We're doing it"! When you've been planning and preparing for your dream for over 10 years - it is almost surreal when it finally arrives! Getting to this point, especially this past year, has been a plethora of emotions and events. We updated our house from top to bottom, so we could sell it (after all isn't that when you do all the things to your home you've always wanted to?!) Ran also had to purge and sell his family home. Shortly thereafter, we sold our house- it fell through- we sold it again and then the real fun began! Have you ever had to purge 40 years of "stuff" and take what's left and fit in about 300 square feet? Let me tell you- it " ain't"easy! Seriously, how many hair products does a gal need, and Ran's tools- don't even get me started! Luckily between giving things away to family and friends and selling the remaining furniture we have narrowed it down to one car load of "stuff" to go through. In all honesty, we're not quite sure where it's going to go, so some of you may be getting some more freebies! Since the storage in our new home is quite limited, we have had to come up with some creative ways to organize! For those of you that know me well, you know that's right up my alley! I've found some really cool ways to store some of our things, so I'll save that for another post!

I know you're thinking- " Where are the posts and pictures of tropical islands, turquoise water and margaritas?" They are coming soon! We have quite a list of "To Do" items to complete before taking off in mid-October- install a watermaker and radar, check rigging, have the fuel polished, provision for food ( think lots of chocolate), numerous spare parts to purchase- just to name a few. All of this is part of the adventure, and I must admit I'm quite excited about it!

We are trying to learn to slow down a little and embrace the fact that we now have more than two days a week to get things done. We have slept in each day until 7:30, and it is so nice to relax and not be rushed while drinking our morning coffee.

I do have to confess though-we are already forgetting what day of the week it is, so now we just shrug, laugh and say "Every Day is Saturday!"