Well, we’ve reached the end of our journey – a trip that can only be described as EPIC!!!

I have to acknowledge that thousands of folks have done this trip; and thousands have done it many times; and many have done it solo, as I did. Nevertheless, for me it was a great adventure.

I was very lucky: I enjoyed great health and great weather for most of the trip (except for one flu episode, I never even had a cold). And I had the advantage of using today’s wonderful electronic navigation aids. It made me think about my father, who introduced me to boating. He had to do it all by dead reckoning!

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I know it will take some time and distance to assimilate it all, but I’ve learned a few things:

• The boat was perfect. Not too big; not too small. OK, I might like something a little bigger in rough seas, but it’s not in the budget.
• You can never have too many good charts and guidebooks
• It’s never too late to make new friends and forge new relationships.
• Spending the winter in Florida is GOOOOOD.

As I had hoped, it was a voyage of healing, and I feel like I’ve made the first steps toward the future.

I re-connected with family members and friends in a new, fresh way.

And I really enjoyed having Guinness with me…he makes friends wherever we go. He brings a simple joy to every new experience.

I tested myself and learned a lot about myself and my abilities. (and my shortcomings). In particular, I am much more skilled at planning routes and using the chart plotter. As I came back north, I reviewed some of the routes I had plotted before the trip, and they look amateurish.

The trip was not a walk in the park: whether you choose to go outside (in the ocean) or through the ICW, there are risks and pitfalls. In particular, the shoaling in the ICW can cause some panicky moments. Every morning begins with a thrill of anticipation and a pang of anxiety.

I was impatient on the trip south; wanting to get there. Much more patient northbound, because by then I had a pretty good idea how much distance I could cover in a day, and the routes were more familiar.

I was surprised by how much time we were alone on the water: frequently with no other boats in sight, and often out of the sight of land. Even on our last day, as we made our way up the Chesapeake Bay, we did not see a single other boat!

Were I to do it again, I would not change very much, except I might visit a few towns I skipped this time around.

The high points of the trip for me were:

• Key West
• Captiva
• Charleston
• Beaufort NC / Atlantic Beach
• Connecting with family and friends in Savannah, St. Petersburg, Naples, Venice, Ft Lauderdale, Isle of Palms, Palmetto Bluff, and Beaufort NC.
• Making new friends at the marinas along the way
• Accomplishing something I’ve thought about for a long time – and doing it on my own!

I learned that I am fundamentally a solitary man, often uninterested in other people. But on this trip, I took the time to connect with other people, and I was pleased with the outcome: I liked them, and they liked me. I am going to try to be more other-focused.

And now, some thank-you’s:

I couldn’t have done this trip without the help of my neighbors Yvonne and Carol, who looked after my home and collected my mail.

And I want to close by thanking all my friends and family who followed my blog and supported me. I felt far away but never alone.

Today was gray and rainy and cold, but we made it!

Just 4 hours today, almost due north straight up the Chesapeake Bay.

I promise to write more later – thoughts about the trip, etc.

This is just to let everyone know that we are safe and sound.

Here’s what I dictated earlier today:

This morning, I’m asking myself why anyone would deliberately sign up for an experience like today’s trip: 7 hours of pounding into a sloppy sea.  All alone; no other boats in sight.  The answer is – of course – that it gets us 7 hours closer to home.  But Sheesh!

Sitting is uncomfortable; standing almost impossible without leaning hard into something stable.  Spray crashing over the windshield and starboard windows.  Windshield wipers going full time.

It’s not dangerously rough, but it’s extremely uncomfortable.

It’s 10AM: three hours behind us and four to go.

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Finally, after 4-1/2 hours, the seas settle somewhat, and the wind moves behind us.  It’s almost noon, the sun is shining, and the day is warmer.  Much more comfortable.  2-1/2 hours to go now.

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Ahhh. We are fueled and docked, Guinness had a chance to chase squirrels, and I am enjoying a Blue Moon and a BLT. Heaven!

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We just crashed for a two-hour nap. Feeling much better.

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I have a sense it’s going to be an early night tonight, and then we are off to Rock Hall. Should be a short trip, barring problems.

XXOO

R&G

Today was tedious, but not really exhausting…

We travelled from Coinjock, VA to Hampton, VA via the Albemarle & Chesapeake Route, also known as The Virginia Cut. The first half is cut through largely-uninhabited areas, but the second half, which is more populated, features a series of bridges which only open on the hour or half-hour. As a consequence, we wasted over an hour waiting for bridges to open.

The final stretch is the Elizabeth River, which separates Portsmouth from Norfolk, right at the foot of the Chesapeake Bay. It is a very busy area, with much military and commercial traffic. It’s also home to the largest naval yard in the world. Aircraft carriers, submarines, and all other sorts of warship line the river, housed in huge dry-docks (for repairs). It’s very industrial and very ugly.

We left at 6:30 this morning, and we tied up at our marina at 1:30. It’s a beautiful, warm, sunny day, and we are finally back in the Chesapeake Bay. I had an oyster Po’Boy for lunch, and the Chesapeake Bay oysters were delicious!

Just two more days to go!

We crashed early last night, and the waves were murmuring all night, causing a restless sleep. Funny, we’ve been on this boat for 5 months, and it’s the first time the waves really disturbed my sleep. It was rougher in Charleston on the outside of the dock, and certainly during the gale in Key West, but last night it sounded like people talking. I suspect it was simply the angle at which the ripples hit the boat. I finally asked Alexa to play a “Sleepytime” playlist, and we slept the last couple of hours listening to soft pop, rather than trying to interpret what the ripples were saying.

At any rate, we were up early – 4:50. It’s 6 o’clock now. We’ve eaten, walked, pooped, etc. There’s a crescent moon and a single planet to the left. There’s a faint glow starting to appear on the horizon. Not really pink or mauve. Not really orange. Kind of a peach color.

We’ll be off soon.

The prospect of reaching home is looming larger in my mind. I am thinking: “Just four more days. I hope nothing else goes wrong. Just four more days. I hope I don’t get sick. Or have a heart attack or anything. Just four more days. Don’t screw it up!”

We are safe and sound in Belhaven NCI really feel like we are in the home stretch now…tonight and tomorrow, we are staying at marinas that we visited on the way south.

And we have just 4 travel days to go. Today is Easter Monday, so we’ll be in Rock Hall on Friday.

I expect to hang around a day or so, just to get the boat cleaned up and to go over the service requirements with our Service Manager. We’ve got to make sure we’re ready for Maine this summer!

Well, this three-day weather delay turned out to be a lot better than I expected.

You may remember back on February 12, we posted a cute photo of Guinness with Annie and Martha, two women that Guinness met on the boardwalk in Key West.

Annie (who was a TWA flight attendant) lives near Beaufort, and we agreed to stop and visit her on our trip north.

Without making too long a story of it, Annie, Martha, and Carolyn (friends since high school), and their husbands, fiancé’s, etc, all live or vacation in Atlantic Beach, just 15 minutes south of Beaufort. So Guinness and I spent a lot of time at Atlantic Beach. Lots of fun; lots of beer, etc.

It was very windy and cold all three days, but Annie is a real beach lover, so we still managed to get in some beach time with Guinness. Check out that Carolina Blue sky.

Today (Easter Saturday) I’ve decided to stay one more day. I just don’t want to travel on Easter Sunday. I want to go to church. Then, on Monday, we’re back on the boat, preparing to resume our northbound trip. Just 5 more travel days remaining! We planned this whole delay so that we’ll have a smooth crossing of Albemarle Sound on Monday. I hope the weather holds after that…if it does, we should be back in Rock Hall Friday afternoon.

We had a very nice layover day yesterday. Our new friend Annie, whom Guinness met in Key West, stopped by with chicken salad and pimento cheese spread. Beautiful weather, so we drove down to the beach to let Guinness run and for the adults to enjoy a few cold beers at The Tackle Box. Then dinner at Aqua. Nice.

Guinness and I woke up today to a totally different day. Cold, completely overcast, rainy, and windy. The wind-blown waves are coming straight into the marina, and the boat is bouncing around despite extra lines and fenders. I am more uncomfortable sitting here writing this than I have been the entire trip. Feel like I could be seasick if the wind doesn’t shift direction and give us a break. Guinness seems pretty uncomfortable, too.

I think it’s time to put on my foul weather gear and go for a walk. Maybe go grocery shopping. Not a bad idea…The marina has a courtesy car, so I think we’ll run over to the PigglyWiggly.

Talk to y’all later.