Sunday June 26: Lessons Learned and a Return to Winchester and Family

As previously mentioned, James was kind enough to retrieve his future in-laws in Marion around 2:00 pm as Katie was in bed with Covid. We spent the morning gathering things to take off the boat which included tennis racquets, on old windless and Genoa sail, garbage, aluminum cans, dirty clothes, clean clothes, and perishable foods. We cleaned out the freezer and fridge, the heads, and tended to mold that is a never ending task and always surprises us as to where we might next find it. We didn’t spend time cleaning Juno's deck and cockpit which really need a thorough cleaning, instead saving that for our return in the coming weeks. Several dinghy trips ashore later, we were happy to see James with our van to transport us back to Winchester. Once home, James had spiffed up the house and yard and even stocked the fridge with a nice selection of cold beers for our enjoyment. We very much appreciated his efforts and will be looking forward to more time with him and Katie in the future.

Reflecting a bit on what we did well and what we might do a better job of next time we have the following:

1. Pack fewer clothes and don’t pack cotton. Quick dry (synthetics) make line drying much faster and don’t absorb as much of the dampness inherent in life afloat.  We both thought we were traveling lighter this time around but there were even shirts and a pair of blue jeans that I don’t think ever got worn. 

2. The Bahamian sailing championships added a lot to our trip this time. Also the relatively small gathering for the first Black Point Jam hosted by Lorraine where we heard live Rake-and-Scrape was culturally enriching. Even hitchhiking was a unique island experience. Consider dining out at locally owned businesses on Long Island and in Georgetown (fish fry, Eddie’s Edgewater, Max’s Conch Bar, Chez Pierre).

3. Visiting with family and friends, both old and new, added a lot to our enjoyment. Unfortunately Covid dampened our comfort with inviting family and friends from afar to join us on Juno.

4. Beware of stormy weather that seemed to dramatically increase as we got closer to the end of May. Suggest aiming to leave the Bahamas the end of April.

5. Plan out ingredients needed for 12-14  different breakfasts, lunches, dinners, and desserts and use the ingredient list to shop and stock the bilge. This way, two-weeks of meals can be repeated and plan on reserving the bilge supplies for meal prep in Bahamian waters. When in the US, groceries are easier to come by and different menus (more fresh seafood, vegetables, and meat) are a welcome diversion from the foods typically available and eaten in the Bahamas. I just filled the bilges with canned foods based on what I thought could be used. Note: chili and spaghetti were rarely eaten.

6. Use an electronic method to record locations of food items in the bilge and as importantly, to record when they get consumed. The addition of a small white board in the galley would help a busy cook and also help with a shopping list. This time I used a hand written unorganized list of food items in the bilge that was rather cumbersome to work with. Also, inventory beer and wine, toilet paper and paper towels.

7. Test snorkel gear before leaving for a good fit. Unfortunately Harry’s snorkel mask leaked which wasn’t discovered until we were in the Bahamas. Also a dedicated snorkeling shirt to keep off the sun is a must.

8. Bring little hospitality gifts (wine, Boston mementos) to thank those who retrieve a drifting dinghy as appreciation for acts of kindness. School supplies are also appreciated by the locals based on experience.

9. Bring more sunblock!

10. Add exploring the Berry’s to the float plan next time around.

 

 

 

 

 

June 25:The Last Leg: Marion, MA

 It was sunny and 80 degrees but only about 5-10 knots of wind out of the SW. We felt confident that conditions were perfect for a sea breeze to fill in around lunchtime so we used the morning to remove the brown ICW stain from the forward most waterline so that Juno would be a little more presentable for our return to Marion today. With the air warming up, Sarah also managed a swim in the ocean off of Juno-the first ocean swim since leaving Cape Lookout almost a month ago. 

We left Cuttyhunk after lunch and set the pole for a downwind sail to Marion. Thankfully we had favorable currents for most of the day that helped us move 3.5-4 knots northeast particularly as the sea breeze never materialized. Buzzard’s Bay was surprisingly quiet save for the chatter on the radio of a medical emergency on the SeaStreak alerting the New Bedford EMTs to their arrival. Around six pm, we raised 6 pm just outside the entrance to Sippican. Harbor toasting our safe return and the end of our nine month almost 3,000 mile journey. As the galley was nearly devoid of fresh food, our last dinner aboard Juno was a boil and eat Indian packet served over rice, very fitting, but we had a nice musical sunset as a band was playing for a nearby wedding celebration at Tabor Academy. A check-in with Katie revealed she had a fever of 103 and was struggling with a covid infection and was quarantining alone at her house so she definitely wouldn’t be driving down to Marion to pick us up. Fortunately James was healthy and willing to retrieve his future in-laws. 

Red 8 welcomes us home to Sippican Harbor, Marion

The last G&T Rum O'Clock toast, for now

 

June 22-24: Few and then Fifty at Cuttyhunk, MA

We really could have stayed longer on Block Island but we knew we wanted to be back in Marion by Saturday so that we could get picked up Katie and James for our return to Winchester on Sunday. So we chose to set sail for Cuttyhunk (NE of Block Island) on Wednesday as the forecast was for winds with the least easterly component for the next few days . The light rain Wednesday morning stopped around 9:30 am so we set off from Block Island sailing counter-clockwise around Block Island as winds were out of the NW and forecast to move ESE. Once we reached the southern end and had passed the five off-shore wind generators, we motored through the ESE light winds and fog towards Cuttyhunk until enough wind built and we could sail to Cuttyhunk Island where we dropped anchor around 7 pm in the company of about 15 other boats.

After sleeping like babes in the protected anchorage, we awoke to a beautiful sunny 70 degree day on Thursday June 23rd and set off ashore for a hike past the yacht club to the northern side of the island. As we walked along the shore of the inner harbor, not far from Juno,  several killdeer started squawking letting us know that they were not happy with our presence. We moved along, balanced some rocks, and retraced our steps back to Juno for lunch. Around 3:30 pm it was time to dinghy ashore to Russel the Plumber’s fish stall that opens from 4-5 pm to buy some fresh striped bass. On our walk amongst the little cottages we met Jane and Doug, two of the island’s summer residents, who were sipping wine outside their tiny house that had been built substantially from parts salvaged from a ship that had been wrecked on Nashewena, the island next to Cuttyhunk. 

Friday morning, a few boats departed the mooring field leaving about six boats from the fifteen yesterday, we spent a fair amount of time in the Historical Society/Island Museum as it was their seasonal opening day celebration. There we read about how the island was settled by Gosnold in 1602 the first Englishman to sail to America, how the son of a freed slave, Paul (Cuffe) Slocum, became a prominent sea captain who transported freed slaves to Sierra Leone in the 1700’s, and how Governor Roosevelt  liked to fish the waters off Cuttyhunk. The small museum had a wealth of information and we could have easily spent more than an hour there. however as we were dressed in long pants to walk the grassy, tick habitat trails, we did just that passing former WWII bunkers on the highest hills with commanding views of Buzzard’s Bay and Vineyard Sound. ( We did thorough tick checks, but a week later in Winchester Sarah found an engorged tick on her. It likely hitchhiked in our bags and attached at an opportune moment.)

By the end of Friday afternoon, Cuttyhunk harbor had been transformed as almost every mooring now was occupied, and the inner harbor anchorage was full with another ten boats on anchor in the outer harbor. We estimate fifty boats in all. The steady stream of new arrivals to Cuttyhunk provided a source of entertainment but we were thankful we had experienced the solitude of the island before the usual summer weekend traffic descended upon it. Like Block Island, Cuttyhunk is a special place particularly when visited at off-peak times. It was also a reminder that we were getting closer to urban centers with many more people than we had been accustomed to seeing the past nine months.  

A relatively empty Cuttyhunk harbor with Penikese Island in the background

 

Getting ready for the season

Looking for rescue after erecting our flag

Take the warning seriously

Looking southwest from a WW II bunker

 

Harry in front of the island "super market"

June 14-16 Coecles Harbor and Beautiful Shelter Island

 After enjoying an early morning hot shower ashore at the Mt. Sinai Yacht Club, on Tuesday June 14th we motored, sailed, and then motored again through the extremely narrow entrance into Coecles Harbor in Shelter Island, NY where we anchored around 5:30 pm in the company of three other boats. One of our new neighbors was a Beneteau 423 “Prana”.

Wednesday was a picture perfect day - sunny with NE winds 10-13 - and after reading the many happy birthday greetings (thanks all), we set off to explore Shelter Island on bikes. But first we stopped by Prana as we thought they were dragging on their anchor. Local sailors Craig and Mary Beth Miller assured us they were fine, gave us some local tips, and in exchange, we invited them to join us for cocktails at the end of the day. On shore we rented bikes and set off to discover the yacht club, the old pharmacy with a popular sandwich counter, an adjacent old hotel that just got refurbished, a seafood shop for lunch, and finally we explored the beautiful grounds of Sylvester Manor. The island was the perfect size for exploring by bike as we covered much of it in half a day but would love to return to explore it further. The sweet smell of honeysuckle that floated through the air and backroads added a special bonus to our travels. In dinghying back to Juno, we were fortunate to meet up with The Friends of Taylor's Island heading to island for their annual picnic on the small island in Coecles Harbor. They opened up the small log cabin cottage and gave us a personal tour of the cabin built by F.M. Smith, the inventor of Borax. Later it was purchased by Gregory Taylor who stipulated in his will that the Island be preserved for the public.

Finally, our perfect day wrapped up with the crew of Prana, which included their lovely dog Lola, joining us aboard Juno for cocktails.  The three live in Miami in the winter and then are live-aboards on Prana in the summer, based out of Three Mile Harbor, not far from Coecles. 

Thursday morning rain forecasts slowed us down but they didn’t deter us from hiking the wooded trails of the Mashomack Preserve. Sweet smells of honeysuckle filled our lungs and the sounds of many birds filled our ears. We walked for 2.5 hours making it as far as Smith Bay seeing perhaps one other hiker before returning to Juno for a late lunch and a 3 hour sail to Lake Montauk which we chose to put us closer to Block Island, our destination for tomorrow.

 

Etchells arriving for the North Americans hosted
at Shelter Island Yacht Club. An H12 awaits nearby.

The manor house at Sylvester Estate.

Nicely maintained stairs in the Mashomack Preserve

A dinghy trip up a small inlet off of Coecles Harbor

The cute Adirondack style Smith-Taylor cabin on Taylor island

June 12 -13. Reunions In Port Washington and Mt. Sinai, Long Island, NY

 We didn’t let the rain Sunday morning dampen our enthusiasm for reconnecting over brunch with Doug and Mary Ellen Wefer in Port Washington. Given the wet circumstances, we called for the water taxi to transport us to shore and in talking with our taxi driver Matt, we discovered the Wefers were a well known family about the town and local boating community. We both have a special fondness for Doug as it was he who had introduced the two of us as captain of the University of Michigan sailing team and together we had spent many weekends together attending regattas. We chatted with Mary Ellen and Doug for several hours at Ayhan’s Mediterranean Cafe just a short walk from the pier catching up on each other’s families, mutual friends, careers, and plans for our futures - all the things one talks about when you haven’t seen one another for 40 years, before it was time to say our good-byes with hopes that it wouldn’t be so long until the next time we’d meet up. By noon the rains had stopped, a light SW wind was blowing, and currents in Long Island sound were in our favor, so we set off for a short sail (20 miles) to Huntington Bay and Lloyd Harbor for the night. We wondered whether we were heading in the right direction as we had to put a second blanket on the bed to keep warm for the night.

Monday’s destination was another short hop down Long Island (20 miles) as we’d made plans to stay on Greg & Anne Swedish’s mooring in Mt. Sinai for the night. Harry had befriended Greg via a Beneteau423 boat owner’s email group several years ago. We’d met up with Greg on our last trip back from the Bahamas but we hadn’t yet met Anne and so were looking forward to meeting Anne this time. Before leaving Huntington Bay however, we dinghied ashore to Halesite to mail a card to Luis, our son-in-law for his first Father’s Day and discovered a very well equipped West Marine. Our sail to Mt. Sinai was a slow one even with the pole up since winds were only about 7-10 knots out of the west, but upon our arrival, we were warmly welcomed by Grace at the Mt. Sinai Yacht Club who had been told to be expecting us. Harry fueled up while Grace gave me the tour of the club and then we moved to the Swedish mooring #234 at the back of the tiny harbor. Greg and Anne joined us on Juno around 7:30 pm and together, we exchanged horror stories of repairs that went awry, tips for outfitting nearly identical boats, and cruising destinations. Before we knew it, it was 10 pm and time to thank them for use of their mooring and say good night to Anne and Greg.

Seeing friends after too many years

Though ominous, nothing came of this view looking back at NYC

A beautiful June morning in Halesite

Mount Sinai Yacht Club

 

June 10-11 Light Winds, Jackets, and Getting Clean After a Week Without a Shower

 As forecasted, winds were light Friday and Saturday so on Friday, we motor-sailed from Atlantic City to Atlantic Highlands, NJ, about 80 miles. We kept busy swatting flies in the cockpit as well as below in the cabin while our third crew member Otto, the autopilot, kept us on course. When the winds shifted from the west to the southwest, the temperatures dropped to the low 70’s - the coolest weather we’d experienced in many months and it had us both reaching for a jacket and long pants. Atlantic Highlands is just south of NewYork City and is a favorite spot of ours to stop since it has everything we need within walking distance of the harbor.  It was about 10:30 pm when we arrived and so we were treated to an impressive view of the Verrazano Bridge and NYC night skyline all lit up. 

Our first order of business Saturday morning was to take our first shower in eight days. At most marinas showers are only available to paying customers but in Atlantic Highlands, the showers are open to anyone, even those like us who weren’t paying to anchor. We then restocked our galley with a few food items from the nearby (20 minute walk) grocery store before returning to Juno under threatening skies. As winds were forecast to be light for the next few days, we decided to take the inside route north, up the East River to Long Island Sound rather that to sail on the southern side of Long Island towards Block Island. We got started Saturday around 1 pm. As we passed under the Verranzo Bridge with favorable currents, we noticed s/v Argyle and hailed them on the radio. We had met this couple six months previously in Titusville, Florida! It is a small world out here sometimes. Continuing on, as we approached the tip of Manhattan, it got quite busy with tankers, tug boats, sight seeing boats, city commuter boats, and helicopters overhead. We motored up the East River leaving Manhattan behind to our port side. We would have loved to stop but unfortunately there isn’t a calm, affordable marina where we felt comfortable leaving Juno. However, Harry got in touch with an old college friend ours who lives in Port Washington, Long Island so we made plans to stop in Port Washington and meet up with our friend and his wife on Sunday.

Leaving Atlantic City behind

The captain says everything looks ship shape

Sunset over the Jersey shore

Obviously we are in New York Harbor

A major wedding photo-op location on the East River in Brooklyn

 

June 8-9 Favorable Currents in the C & D Canal and the Delaware River Make for a 90 Mile Day

Timing is everything when dealing with 3 knots of current in the C& D Canal and in the Delaware River. If the current happens to be flowing with you in the canal, it can enhance your speed by as much as 60%. If against you, well, you might as well stay put and not even bother trying to fight it. So on Wednesday morning, June 8th, we timed our departure from Still Creek, MD so as to arrive at the entrance to the canal connecting the northern end of the Chesapeake Bay to the Delaware River such that the 3-knot current would be in our favor. Because the currents in the Delaware River were going to be against us during the afternoon until sunset,  we decided to stop for the night at the eastern end of the C&D canal where it joins the Delaware River and wait until morning when the current would be in our favor.

We arrived at the C&D Canal around noon, and soon our speed jumped from 5 knots to 8 knots. Because it was still relatively early in the day and the canal is only 15 miles long, we knew we had some time to kill so we attempted to stop at Chesapeake City, mid-way through the canal as we had heard it was a nice place to visit. However, upon the narrow turnoff from the canal into the docks at Chesapeake City, we ran aground, not once, but twice! Fortunately it was just a muddy bottom so we were able to easily get ourselves free.  We concluded that we would would have to visit Chesapeake City by car and moved on to the Delaware River, dropping anchor around 3 pm in the 90 degree heat. 

Thursday morning at sunrise we had some thunderstorms with strong winds come through but temperatures and the humidity dropped to a comfortable 70 degrees. With current in our favor and winds now about 15 knots out of the WNW, we sailed down the Delaware. With three knots of current and a very favorable wind, we were moving at an incredible 9-10 knots over the ground while avoiding the narrow channel when big tankers moved through. The assist from the favorable currents however diminished as we approached Cape May, NJ at the mouth of the Delaware River. We got around Cape May.  Not long after getting around Cape May, the winds (somewhat unexpectedly) increased to 20-25 knots and were still WNW.  With little wind forecast for Friday, we decided to take advantage of the wind and continue sailing on to Atlantic City, another 30 miles. We finally dropped our anchor in Atlantic City around 11:30 pm after sailing an 90 miles in one day. We both second guessed the decision to stop for some rest when we climbed into bed and heard the water tank below our bed sloshing since the boat was still rocking heavily with all the wind. But being horizontal always feels good and we wasted no time falling asleep.

 

Making good time down the Delaware River

Harry checking the route over some shoals and around the cape

The sail continues into the night

Another delicious dinner headed our way

 

June 5 -7: Three Days of Sailing Up the Chesapeake… with Flies

 Wind forecasts for the foreseeable future were such that it wasn’t looking favorable to take the most direct route from Norfolk, VA outside to Cape May, NJ (a distance of 140 miles) so we headed north up the Chesapeake with our goal to then cross the C&D Canal and down the Delaware River to Cape May (about 240 miles), anticipating our route to NJ would take about a week. We left Norfolk Sunday morning on port tack with winds 12 knots out of NE wind which shifted and increased to18-22 knots out of the east at noon. We then tacked onto starboard for the remainder of the day, reefed both sails, and crossed paths with the fleet of southbound sailboats racing from Annapolis to Bermuda, as well as about 20 tankers on anchor. We made good time as we were moving about 7 knots over the ground. Our first stop was at Reedsville on the western shore of the Chesapeake about 55 miles to the north.

 Monday the winds backed off considerably and changed direction to the SSE so we motor-sailed much of the day until about 2:30 pm when the wind moved more southerly and built enough to put up the whisker pole that holds the jib out on the opposite side of the mainsail to aid downwind sailing. Throughout the day, we were constantly swatting at nuisance flies that had joined us for the ride, and we never seemed to get the upper hand as there was always another fly to be swatted. We dropped anchor in Pancake Creek near Solomon’s, MD on the western shore of the Chesapeake Monday night having put about 40 miles behind us. 

On Wednesday, we had set the alarm to wake up at 6 am since we wanted to get north of the Bay Bridge and anchored ahead of some storms. Under overcast skies, we left Pancake Creek and headed north with light southerly winds. We got a lot of practice setting up, taking down, and jibing the whisker pole  throughout the day. By mid-afternoon, just as we passed north of the Bay Bridge, the sky grew dark and winds picked up. Fortunately, we missed the worst of a storm that passed just south of us, giving us  just a light rain shower. By 7:30 pm, we had reached a quiet, well protected anchorage in Still Creek, MD on the eastern shore of the Chesapeake having swatted many many flies and having covered 70 miles all of which was under sail save for two or three. 

Part of the Annapolis to Bermuda race

An iconic Chesapeake lighthouse

Pancake Creek is typical of a quiet anchorage off
the western shore of the Chesapeake

We are finally gaining confidence with the whisker pole

 

Thursday morning before leaving aptly named Still Creek

June 4th: Visits to the Chrysler Glass and Art Museums in Norfolk

 Since the forecast today called for very little wind and more modest temperatures and humidity, we spent the day ashore in Norfolk, VA. Because there isn’t anywhere to die a dinghy up in downtown Norfolk, we dinghied to the town dock in Portsmouth, VA and took the city-run paddle wheel commuter boat to downtown Norfolk. From there it was a short walk past where a Carnival Cruise ship was docked unloading/loading passengers for their next cruise to the Bahamas (we thought they didn’t likely know that the first tropical storm was heading their way) to the Chrysler Glass museum where we watched a glass blowing demonstration. Afterwards, we went out for lunch at the Freemason Abbey and had she-crab soup (made with crab roe) and a fried green tomato sandwich. We then went to the Chrysler Art Museum for their 2:00 pm museum highlights tour and were treated to many magnificent works of art and an exceptional collection of Tiffany Glass and glass objects. The museum was really worth more time than we had and we would highly recommend it and would  definitely like to return. Back on Juno, we watched the Carnival Cruise ship depart as we ate a light supper then we took advantage of reliable internet to watch the first full length movie in months. 

 

Glass blowing demonstration at the Chrysler Glass Museum

May 31- June 3 Driving the ICW to Norfolk: A Swimming Bear, Midges, and Oppressive Heat

 With the only breeze being the one created by the forward movement of the boat, we motored north on the ICW after taking on 40 gallons of diesel  ($6.50/ gallon!- Bahama pricing due to the War in Ukraine) near the start of this leg of the ICW. We covered 70 miles during the course of 12 hours on each Tuesday and Wednesday and while we didn’t see any alligators, we did see a black bear swim across the Alligator-Pongo canal which was pretty cool. Traffic on the ICW was fairly quiet but once anchored Tuesday night in Currituck, NC, after the sun had set. We turned on a the stern light for the night to warn off any fishing boats at night.  Big mistake. Shortly the quiet was broken by the sound of swarming midges- a non-biting relative of the mosquito. Fortunately we had screens on the windows to keep them from entering the cabin. However thousands were still present the next morning when it came time to leave, mostly dead. Bucket loads of water seemed the best way to rid the midges from Juno, and there were so many, their green poop residue turned the brown ICW water green as it washed out of  the cockpit. Ugh. 

Thursday was a short day of motoring as we found a vacant spot at the free docks at Great Bridge, VA at which to stop Thursday noon. This was handy as Great Bridge offers ready access to restaurants, a grocery store, diesel, Revolutionary War history (https://gbbattlefield.org/learn-the-history) and perhaps most importantly with the 96 degree temperatures we discovered air conditioning inside the Great Bridge Museum just beyond the end of the dock. Furthermore, it provided a secure dock for severe thunderstorms that were forecast to arrive Thursday evening.  After spending Thursday afternoon in the a/c catching up on reading, we had dinner out and made a stop at Dairy Queen.  Then Friday morning we started with a quick walking trip to the grocery and beer store before fueling up Juno to continue north to Portsmouth / Norfolk at 1:00pm.  The last drawbridge before Portsmouth was down until after rush hour so we idled along the ICW to avoid having to do circles waiting for it to open. We arrived just a little early so circled for 15 minutes until it opened at 5:30pm. An hour beyond that and we finally dropped anchor off Hospital Point in Portsmouth, across from Norfolk, just before sunset. A quick check-in with Sally revealed some bad luck as they had to cancel their planned vacation to San Juan for Ellie to meet her other grandparents, as their family had contracted Covid.

Sunrise before leaving Cape Lookout

A small bear swimming across the canal before scrambling ashore

Midges! Yuck!

Enjoying a/c inside the museum

Juno with others on the free dock at Great Bridge

May 28- 30 McClellanville, SC to Cape Lookout, NC

With our depth sounder working once again and a very light breeze out of the southeast we left out of Five Fathoms Inlet to continue northward. Despite the name there are shallows at the mouth that can make this a very rough inlet in the wrong conditions, but today was not that.  Our goal had been to bypass the ICW between Morehead City NC and Norfolk VA by sailing outside around Cape Hatteras, but the weather had other plans for us. So we headed towards Cape Lookout, just outside Morehead City.  Cape Lookout came highly recommended so we were looking forward to the visit.

Our 180 mile ocean crossing was a combination of sailing and motoring as the winds were very light and it took about 30 hours. During one night watch shift on a moonless night, a really bright meteor about 20 degrees above the horizon came whooshing by that was pretty cool to see. Distant lightning flashes off to the east at a distance that were not of concern, also added some interest to the night sky. With plenty of free time to kill while on autopilot, we discovered through reading that Memorial Day weekend is about the busiest, most crowded time at Cape Lookout. As we approached on Sunday afternoon, the earlier information was confirmed seeing the large number of boats and people along this national seashore. We had a pleasant surprise that there was still plenty of space to anchor. Even better, by sunset, the beach cleared out of the day trippers, leaving the 15 boats on anchor for the night to enjoy the solitude.

Memorial Day Monday, we dinghied ashore to investigate the lighthouse that had an interesting diamond pattern painted over its entire height.  We didn’t get very far before we met fellow cruisers Chris and Mandy from s/v Bedouin who were also moving north after a winter in the Bahamas. Deciding that we had much more to discuss, we invited them to join us later for a drink aboard Juno. The lighthouse was closed but lighthouse enthusiasts and temporary keepers/docents, Jack and Toby from PA, were happy to share their knowledge about how past storms have reshaped the landscape. The also told us the black diamond pattern indicated the north-south facing side, and the white faced east/west.  This enabled mariners to better determine their position during daylight. We crossed the dunes to the eastern most shore where the many miles of the sandy outer banks extend northwards. There we enjoyed a swim in the warm, although less clear waters, and a picnic. We really enjoyed Cape Lookout and were glad to have made this stop.

Watching the weather with the first tropical storm of the season (Agatha) threatening to impact the central east coast up to Cape May, NJ, we decided to head up the ICW to Norfolk, VA and likely up the Chesapeake, down the Delaware to Cape May rather than to go around the outside as the latter route route would involve a lot of motoring given the light wind forecasts and we didn’t want to be anchored in Cape May in case the tropical storm hit. However, our new friends Chris and Mandy  (s/v Bedouin) were planning on taking the outside route to the Chesapeake so their progress would give us something to track in the coming days.

 

Heading out Five Fathom River on a tranquil morning

Temporary lighthouse keepers and docents Jack and Toby

Looking north (or is it south?) at the Cape Lookout Lighthouse

The quiet of the anchorage after the day-trippers have gone.