Moorhead City,NC

Tom left Spartan Creek early morning after pulling up a well sunk muddy anchor for the first time on this boat. He loved using the washing down hose. He headed to River Dunes Marina, Oriental,N.C. He said it was the best Marina he has been in. He is presently at a Marina in Moorehead City,NC.Mile Marker 205. He was able to get in early, so he did maintainence, laundry & cooked. The wind has been howling.He will leave in the morning if the Weather allows. He will head to Mile Hammock Bay Anchorage which is near Camp Leguene,NC.

Anchored in Scranton Creek,NC

Tom left Coinjock Marina this morning and traveled down the ICW to the North River. He then went thru Albemarle Sound. He had 20-25 kt. West Winds in the sound which decreased when he got into the Alligator River to 5 to 10 kts. He went down the Alligator Canal to the Pungo River. He is anchored in Scranton Creek at Mile 127. He traveled 77 miles today. He will head to Oriental, NC. Tomorrow

Coinjock Marina, North Carolina

Tom left Tidewater Marina at 7:30am He was able to get to the bridges and lock early. He had to wait about a half hour for 3 of them. He said locking in was only a 2 foot drop. Kathy was able to get to Coinjock in about an hour and went off to explore the Outerbanks. First stop was Kittyhawk. I purchased my own Senior Pass there, which is such a wonderful investment. I really enjoyed the museum and walked all over the grounds. She then headed to Bodie Island Light Station, then over to Coquina Beach on Cape Hatteras National Seashore. All very lovely spots. Kathy stocked the Captain up with yummies & supplies, since she will head home tomorrow to take care of odds & ends. This will give Tom opportunity to anchor and put down some miles before Kathy rejoins him. We are now at Mile 50 on the ICW. Tom was able to come in before the rain this afternoon. He arrived at 3:15pm. He said he saw a beaver, eagle, and a lot of osprey on his journey. He may have to hold up here for a day or 2 due to forecast. He will not mind, he has cable TV here! My favorite sign in the Marina office. Tom will send me photos & I will keep everyone updated on his travels.

Tidewater Yacht Marina , Portsmouth,VA

Tom left around 8am from Dozier's in Deltaville. It was windy & foggy last night but cleared by early am. Kathy drove thru 2 tunnels and Norfolk traffic. Olde Towne, Portsmouth is close to the marina. While waiting for Tom to come in Kathy headed over to a cute coffee shop for lunch. Then headed to the Visual Arts College to check out the student art galleries. I was very impressed with their galleries and current handmade paper show. Tom arrived just about 4:30pm. Took a little longer than expected due to a lot of current to contend with in the wrong direction. There was a lot of military traffic going out of Norfolk. Question if this is normal? We are tied up with a good view of the Naval Hospital my older sister and brother were born in. Onward to North Carolina tomorrow!

Dozier's in Deltaville,VA

Tom left just after sunrise from Zahnizer's in the Solomon Islands Kathy was able to watch him go all the way to the mouth of the bay from Sandy Point. The temps are warmer and seas calmer.. With Tom safely on his way and telling Kathy to stay out of trouble! Lol! Kathy headed towards Deltaville, looking for a good breakfast spot. She found a diner whose slogan is "where bubba gets his grinds on" It was a perfect southern breakfast. Tom checked in every hour and everything went well. Kathy stopped at a few antique/gift shops which was fun. Here is sign that made me chuckle along the way.It is note worthy that gas was 139.9 a gallon there also! Tom came in at 3:05pm. It started raining at 3:00pm. Tom's trusty matey was ready to help with the lines. Feeling like a mailman: rain, sleet, snow.... After a chilly day on the water. The Captain reports no problems or much activity out on the water. We will watch NASCAR & Downton Abbey in the nice Skipper's Lounge. Off to Mile Zero in ICW tomorrow. (Norfolk,VA.)

Bound for Deltaville,Virginia

After a few great days at Zahniser's, Tom will get underway bright and early to head to Deltaville,Virginia. Mother Nature has been a pisser, but it has given us time to get a few projects done. Plus we have been able to relax and enjoy ourselves here. It was so cold & wintery in Annapolis, it really wore us out. The first day in the Solomon's we were recuperating. We also discovered cronuts! Yum! We wanted to leave today but small craft advisory changed to include today. The next few days promise to be better. Tom changed to lighter air sails; hooked up the inverter and installed his single side band radio. Kathy has washed all the linens on the boat and cleaned more areas.Tom has enjoyed all the home cooked meals she whips up. He treats his girl too. We went to the Dock House tonight which was exceptionally good with nice blue tablecloths! We even had a nice view of the Putuxet River & our boat from our table. We both enjoy reading and do not miss TV much. Kathy was thrilled she was able to stream & çatch up with Downtown Abbey today! She is also having fun coloring in one of her adult coloring books. We have friends keeping us up to date on the Daytona 500. Thank you Joan & Michael! Go Joey Lagano!

Tied up at Zahniser's

Tom took off bright and early this morning just after sunrise. He made a path thru a thin layer of ice. We ran errands most of yesterday and prepared for departure. It was great to be in Annapolis but we are happy to be on our journey south.Tried to get a glimpse of Tom from this park, with no luck. I like the name though! Kathy arrived at Zahniser's in the Solomon's around 1:30pm and started laundry. The dock master Terry is so sweet, welcoming & helpful. Tom arrived around 2:00pm and he said it was a good motor day with everything running well. It was a little cold and no wind for sailing, we were able to tie up on an end dock. Tom is watching the temps. & wind for tomorrow and we decided to stay one more night here at Zahnisers. If everything goes according to plan we will head to Deltaville, VA. On Friday. This is a very nice Marina and area, so we will not mind. The closer we get to the weekend the better the forecast!

Windy, Wet, Warmer & that's Wonderful!

It is 43 degrees and rising to 50 degrees by noon! What a difference a couple of days make. Yesterday we had several inches of snow accumulation and took a walk in the snow. Never thought we would get the chance to do that again. It is very pretty, but it can go away now. We have been enjoying Annapolis and enjoyed Valentine's Day at the Iron Rooster. We had their pecan pop tart & waffle brisket Burger. It was a fun place & a great Valentine's treat. It was so cold we kept our shopping and walking around outside to a minimum. Tom such a brave soul, sported his Coast Guard sweatshirt in Navy town. We have been enjoying getting caught up on red box movies,cooking & reading. Tomorrow, the weather should be favorable to leave, so we will plan to do that.

Decision to Stay in Annapolis

We made the decision to stay in Annapolis at Jabins until next week. The forecast only gave us a small window of opportunity to move down to Herrington Harbor. It was the right decision! Temps only came up to 19 degrees and the winds came in a little earlier than predicted. We want to be cautious with our maiden voyage. We continue to progress forward with preparing to head south. Tom got the main sail up. Dodger and Bimini on. Took Bimini down with wind coming. Kathy did some retail therapy & picked up another art project to work on. Bought some yummies for my honey & me! Tom started the engine and practiced some maneuvering. Even when the wind tried to take the boat Tom was able to handle her well. His matie is back in the saddle handling the lines. We turned boat around so the wind would come towards the bow not the cockpit. This helped alot when the wind really kicked up. Gale force wind warnings continue to be in effect until Sunday. This includes gusts up to 47 kts.The forecast is for "small craft advisory with freezing spray with light to moderate ice accumulation. A wind chill advisory through mid Sunday." We believe them! Wind humming and some ice accumulating. Wind chill around zero.There were a few brief snow squalls earlier. We had hot chili for lunch then gathered courage to go up to get a shower. We are hunkered down,enjoying reading & cooking.

Baby It's Cold Outside!!

It is so cold out, even the seagulls are not going anywhere. We are still in Annapolis waiting for a weather window. There are small craft warnings and it is bitterly cold.We are both getting some use out of our winter wardrobe. We have not had to put this many layers on since we lived in Connecticut. Even if we get a small window we will head south to Herrington Harbor. There is more weather coming in on Saturday. If we leave it will be tomorrow, then wait the next system out. Inch by inch we will get there! When we listen to the weather we yeah & boo. We are keeping busy. Yesterday: we ran a bunch of errands to the usual suspects; Home Depot, West Marine& our favorite Trader Joes. Sushi for lunch! The oil pressure gauge was fixed & Tom installed a DC power receptacle in the cockpit. Tom is loving all the boxes of doodads & full cubbies the previous owner left.He said it's like Christmas. Today: We caught up on laundry & paperwork. Kathy loving & cooking with the fabulous cookware left by Donna. Tonight will be chicken wonton stew! Tom filling fuel jugs,while Kathy working on a couple of art projects.