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Travel Under Way

Alligator River to Belhaven

Today was one of the days I was most looking forward to on this trip. When we did this trip with our friend, I was in awe the whole time and I couldn’t wait to do it on our boat. It’s one of those places that you truly have to experience to fully appreciate, and […]

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Travel Under Way

North River to Alligator River

I was glad to see the sunrise, and by the time we finished breakfast, the parade of boats heading south was already under way. As we navigated the twisty section of channel immediately following our anchorage, I was especially glad that we’d been able to drop the hook. Being over-tired, I was prone to being […]

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Travel Under Way

Any Port in a Storm

It was too dark to see the daymarks, but we were in an area where missing the channel meant a high probability of running afoul of fish stakes, grounding or both. Not knowing where the channel was headed, it was hard for me to buoy spot. I pulled up the charts on Chris’s phone in […]

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Travel Under Way

Norfolk to… Somewhere

I was so excited to finally be starting the ICW, but today was not without its challenges. The wind was up, and it made getting off the dock and getting fuel difficult. That delayed us enough that we didn’t think we could make the 1100 lock for the Dismal Swamp, and missing that meant we […]

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Ashore Travel

Norfolk, VA

When we originally planned the trip, we considered only staying one night in Norfolk. Between it being a city and the surrounding area being so industrial, we figured we wouldn’t really like it all that much. But it turned out to be a really cool stop, and as I find myself saying over and over […]

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Travel Under Way

Night Run to Norfolk

After three or four days of sustained 20kt winds with 25kt gusts, yesterday was finally settled enough for us to depart mid-afternoon. While I was a little sad to leave Deltaville behind, I was happy to finally move on.  Periods of rain and drizzle mixed with sunny skies, creating amazingly dramatic skies, including a few […]

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Ashore Travel

Weather Bound

“The best laid plans of mice and men oft go astray,” and this weekend proved that out. Originally the forecast said yesterday would be rough but today would be more settled – and after we made the call to make a straight run to Norfolk today, the forecast changed. This morning was absolutely howling, cloudy […]

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Ashore Travel

Deltaville, VA

It was a quiet, clear morning as we hauled anchor in the dark, and I took the first watch as a stunning sunrise unfolded. We rolled out the jib and motorsailed, and our average speed during my watch was around 7.25kts over ground. Crossing shoals and at the mouth of the Potomac, we beat into […]

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Ashore Travel Under Way

Solomons, MD

We got under way just before dawn on Saturday morning to make our run to Solomons. It was a beautiful morning, if chilly, and we had a gorgeous sunrise as we left. The trip was easy, and we got in relatively early – which was probably a good thing since the anchorages are tight and […]

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Ashore Travel

Annapolis, MD

I really enjoyed our time in Annapolis. Our mornings were spent taking dinghy cruises up Spa Creek, wandering various parts of town taking in the colonial architecture and blend of small town and city vibes, and sitting in the cockpit enjoying being in the heart of it all. I took a morning to tour the […]