OH! what a day I had today!

Beautiful morning in Morehead City.......had our coffee, chatted with Richard and Jeanne and started to head out to ICW........docked master tried to push us off, but the current was so strong, it kept pushing us back to the dock.........so we had to wait for the boat in front of us to leave. It was a new Coast Guard boat being taken to Ft.Lauderdale then being shipped to Columbia. so after it left, we took off...........still not an easy thing, the current was being a bugger!
Heading down ICW was very nice, lots to look at.........interesting houses and birds and cranes........
So we decided to stop at Dudley's Marina instead of anchoring .......looked like rain coming in.......Joe says, get the lines ready, put the fenders out...........so I did....I put the fender........all the way out !! in the water! Oh Oh! BOUY OVERBOARD!   must have come loose in all the goings on at the marina, so Joe turned the boat around, I got the boat hook and snagged it first time.......Look honey I caught a big one!
Pulled into marina, we had 6 dock hands come out and help us tie up.........reminded me of the old joke how many men does it take to change a light bulb, 6..........1 to hold the bulb and 5 to turn the ladder.........seriously it was crazy but they got us tied up.
after  going to the grocery store with Richard and Jeanne, Joe and I went up to take a shower..........a.little room and we had a guest with us............a little frog! managed to get him out, he hopped away and we finished up, went to dinner on Chez Nous. We had a great time! Such a nice couple!
Will check the weather and see what we will do tomorrow.........again.....never have a schedule!

this is Clyde, he lives up at the store/office at the Marina

Never have a schedule!

Sunday, Sept 21 still in Morehead City.........rained all nite and now there is a lot of wind, so the few of us on the dock did not leave...........We met a very nice couple on Chez Nous, who invited us for happy hour on their boat.
Mornings' entertainment was a sail boat that came into the marina for fuel but ended up blown against the pilings, had to have sea tow come and help them get into the slip.
So when the excitement was over, Joe and I walked into town and had lunch. shrimp and grits! yum!

After leaving Mid Atlantic Yacht basin, we motored to Coinjock.   We joined a couple from Canada for lunch......their boat is called Odyssey.........later that afternoon, Charlie and Claudia arrived on "chapter two" we had a nice dinner with them.
Tues. morning we left Coinjock and crossed the AlbeMarle sound.........good crossing,a very light wind......and then we anchored in the Little Alligator River.....We were treated to nature at its best.... a lovely sunset and....so many stars!!! and we saw the Milky Way!  There was a slight breeze which rocked Fantabulous all night! I just loved it!

Bottle tree at Dowry Creek

After leaving Dowry Creek we headed to River Dunes, spent two days there .....weather was just lovely.we took a bike ride around the marina.  Borrowed the car and  went into  town.

This cute little building once was a sewing and alteration place.  Oriental is a charming town on the Neuse River but not much in town, you can't even buy a pair of shoes or underware!  A Walmart went in but it is just a Walmart express..........just groceries.

We  are currently in Morehead City......listening to the rain...........it is Saturday, Sept. 20th.  If the weather is favorable, we will head to Mile Hammock Bay and anchor out............

INTRACOASTAL 2014

We left Portsmouth around 10:30 am to make the 11:30 Gilmerton bridge opening. Continued down the water, I took the helm for a bit until we reached the Great Bridge Lock.

This is our third time through and it is still exciting.... to our port side is a park, where families are having picnics and people are sitting along the side fishing and crabbing. Quite lovely!!!! The coast guard were going to board our boat for a safety inspection but they did not have time.......they were very nice and friendly, we all had a nice chat. What you do is.... tie your boat to the side dock, the water is lowered about 2 ft, then the other lock is opened and the boats proceed out of the lock.  This is where we met BANYAN, who is now in Grenada! Dave and Alex hope you are having fun!!!

HIGHWAY TO HEAVEN............!!! (interesting view of bridge from the road on our way to get a bite to eat)

THE ADVENTURE CONTINUES

We  spent a wonderful summer on Solomon's Island at Zahniser's Marina.  As we do with all the towns we have the boat in, we explored the area.  We took a little day trip to St. Mary's city, first capital of Maryland.  Continued out to Point Lookout State Park. And we drove into Washington DC to go thru the museums.  We also met a very nice couple on the BABY B...........May you always have fair winds and following seas my Friends!!

So now it is time to start our journey down the inter coastal to Brunswick GA. Wednesday, September 10, we  untied the lines, backed out of our slip, and headed out to the Bay.  The bay was calm and we arrived at Fishing Bay in Deltaville at sunset.
We were treated to a beautiful sunrise the next morning and after looking at the weather, decided to head out and make our way to Portsmouth.

Winds kicked up to 23mph and seas about 3-4 ft. so needless to say,  we did a little rockin anda rollin for most of the day...........pulled in Portsmouth  around 5:30.
Friday, Sept. 12, .........a walk around Olde Town...........

I love Portsmouth, lots of beautiful old homes, a few nice shops and friendly people.

Heading South Monday Oct 21

We left Rock Hall, 9am and headed out to the Chesapeake and went under the Bay bridge........winds started picking up, they were 23-24 mph at times and we were heading right into the wind! so because of that, we lost speed and hrs. We pulled into Solomon's Island around 9pm.  With Joe's expert navigation and the gps, we made it just fine!
We have been here for the past 2 days, exploring the Island. took the marina bikes and rode around. Went over to see our friends on  Changer, they too got a late start and are leaving Thursday.
Tomorrow we will be in Deltaville, we are dropping the hook in Fishing Bay.  Nice anchorage, well protected and picturesque.  Then on to Portsmouth and ICW.

Went for a walk this afternoon.  Rain leaving the area, we should be heading out soon.