What do we do all day?

We get lots of questions asking if we get bored sitting on the boat all day. Neither of us find this boring at all and are constantly amazed at the new sites, experiences and great people we meet. One of the things I miss most when we go back to land is watching the sunrises and sunsets. Yea, I know they are still there but somehow we rarely take the time to really enjoy them. While transiting either the ICW or moving from island to island in the Bahamas, we are awake at 6:30 am to hear the weather forecast on the single side-band radio. As you can imagine, weather is one of the most important features of cruising life. We subscribe to a weather service and can ask for up to date conditions and predictions for the area we are expecting to pass through. There are also other sources of weather and since it is not an exact science by any means, we spend a portion of every day reviewing the various forecasts and hopefully make prudent decisions. Our goal is NOT to sail in dangerous weather. The best thing about being awake in the early morning are the sunrises and we always try to be anchored well before sunset. When the light changes, it often gives a pink hue to the water and although my pictures never really seem to capture it all, they hint at the beauty and peacefulness.

Sunrise

Sunset in Town Creek-Beaufort

In between those serene moments, there is always a little action. We started seeing dolphins a few days ago north of Beaufort. They are incredibly hard to photograph but every now and then I get lucky. Today, we had several swim alongside through our wake. We never seem to tire of watching them. The waterway is incredibly scenic with lots of chances for seeeing birds and other animals besides the dolphin. Today we saw huge billy goats (the size of a small ponies!) on the barrier islands in Bogue Sound and we have seen lots of birds including eagles, osprey, kingfishers, egrets of all kinds and herons (blue, great white and night herons). There seems to always be something to watch.

Dolphin-Bogue Sound

Passing through the larger ports we also are busy dodging large ships. Today, 2 war ships left Morehead City just as we were entering the waterway with about 5 other boats. They issue warnings to stay a safe distance away and to operate at minimum speed. They transit with small gun boats (yes, with real guns) and indicate they will use deadly force if necessary (not necessary-really we get it!!!).  In the picture below, I included the lifelines from our boat so you can appreciate just how close we were. We were at the very starboard edge of the channel as far away from them as we could get without running aground in shallow water.  

Stay out of the Navy's way!

We have Internet on the boat this year, at least while we stay in the US.   It has worked everyday so far, even in some pretty remote anchorages. We are thankful for the technology to help us stay in touch and even watch the occasional movie or TV show on the computer. We're weaning ourselves off those vices (they really can't compete with the sunsets) but never truly give it all up. One of us has a tablet/reader for books/magazines this year as opposed to the 60+ paper versions we stashed on board last year. God forbid, we even talk to each other while without all the distractions of life at home.   Remember the lost art of conversation?  You'd think we would run out of things to say to each other living in such close proximity but for some strange reason, we do better on the boat that anywhere else. Maybe it is that we are doing what we love. Go figure.  

And finally, if that isn't enough, there are the basics of life which seem to take more time but are also more enjoyable on the boat. If I had my way, the basics would consist only of chocolate, garlic and wine.  Joe's needs are a bit more complex. We provision Short Walk as well as we can and try to be ready for the frequent happy hours (BYOB and a snack to share) and pot-luck dinners. Boaters are all about the parties. And for those of you who knew the "Snack Queen" in a prior life, she is alive and doing well. 
Now, what was I doing before I started writing this?   Back to our "busy" life.......

Taking it slow

We left Rock Hall on October 17 and had an unevenful motorsail down the bay to Portsmouth, VA.   We stayed at the free docks there and made the mandatory trek to one of Joe's favorite restaurants, the Bier Garden (German food and >250 beers-what is not to like?).    The next day we wandered on down the Intracoastal Waterway (ICW) and into the Dismal Swamp.   We took this route last year and loved the beauty of the route.  Dismal it is not! The first night we stayed at the Visitor's center which is always an experience.   Highway 17 and the ICW share the Visitor's Center and some of the cars are a bit shocked to see a dozen or so boats docked in back of the rest rooms!    Sometimes we feel like animals in the zoo as the "car-people" gawk and talk about the boats and "boat-people" (ummmm-we are standing right here and can hear you).   The docks are actually part of a state park and there are good walking trails.   The best part of stopping this year was finding our friends on the boat Kajon there to catch our lines.   We met Joe and Deb last year in Georgia and it was great to catch up with them again.  

The winds began to kick up (a steady 25 knots with gusts to 40) and although we were very protected in the Dismal waterway, it meant none of the boats in the free docks in Elizabeth City (EC) were moving out of EC to cross the Abermarle Sound.   The sound is very shallow and when the wind kicks up against the current, it can be downright nasty (not to mention 35 kts is gale force).  So for 2 days, the boats in EC just sat.  There are 2 locks in the Dismal Swamp to transit and the lock tenders and the folks in EC talk several times a day to estimate the # of boats coming through.   The lock tenders said the docks at EC were full and suggested we (about 9 boats) spend a second night in the swamp at the bulkhead between the South Mills lock and bridge.   The next day the wind returned to normal, the boats all moved out of EC and we moved in. 

Elizabeth City is one of our favorite stops.   Besides being able to see our friend Jeanne from the Outer Banks (the best part by far!), the town is incredibly friendly to boaters and very walkable.   Usually when there are 5 or more boats, the town sponsors a happy hour (complete w/ roses for the women) but there was a private event planned for that night so we made our own happy hour.   

After EC, we wandered down the waterway to Beaufort, NC.   This is another very friendly boater's town with cute shops, galleries and a great maritime museum.   We spent 2 nights there and were hoping to leave the ICW and take the outside ocean route to Charleston.   It is about a 30 hour sail in the ocean (overnight-no stopping) or a 5 day trek down the ICW (you are strongly advised not to travel the ICW at night).    However, the winds were predicted to turn from north to southeast Wednesday (that would mean motoring directly into the wind-never fun) and there were troughs and low pressure systems hovering with lots of uncertainty in the forcast.  The weather guru on the single-side band told boaters who were currently out in the ocean to find a way in to port by 9 am Wednesday morning.   So.....back down the inside ICW route we go.   It's slow but safe.   We have reservations in Charleston on November 1 so we'll just wander a bit and enjoy the sites.