June 9, 2017 - June 12, 2017
Life on the water has greatly improved these last few days. The sun is still hot, but the breeze is cool and we are much more comfortable in the cockpit during the day and sleeping in the cabin at night. My attitude improves when I get a good night’s sleep. The trip from Southport to Coinjock has been one of long days on the water. One day we lost about 45 minutes of travel time waiting for bridges to open even though the first bridge of the day opened just as we were approaching it. When a bridge only opens at the top of the hour catching an opening like that is reason to celebrate. Another day we traveled 84 miles in 11 hours. Since we got an early start that day we were anchored by 6 pm, but were hungry and tired by then. After a great dinner of grilled hamburgers and a solar shower we revived.
Boat travel requires flexibility as the weather, tides and water depths dictate much of your daily schedule. Even though we are anxious to get back to Baltimore and settle down for awhile this part of the journey is part of the whole adventure and I am learning to appreciate the sites and sounds of the ICW nearly as much as the Bahamas. This morning we hauled anchor to the sound of brown pelicans swooping down into the water and the sight of a perfect reflection of the trees in the water of a calm river. Sightseeing when traveling at 7 knots/hour is more enjoyable than when you are traveling 70 mph on an interstate highway. One day we saw three deer down by the canal getting a drink and a black bear cub swimming across the river. Amazing. The camaraderie of fellow cruisers is a big part of the adventure, too. We saw the black bear because a boat that had just passed us radioed us to look out for the bear in the water.
Being on a boat early in the morning traveling to our next destination is an extraordinary experience. Standing on the deck, drinking my first cup of coffee with the cool morning breeze blowing through the cockpit and the water sparkling from the reflection of the rising sun is special to me. That’s when I know what a privilege it is to be living this cruising life.
We only stayed at Coinjock overnight, but it was enough time to get a fabulous prime rib French dip sandwich. We got fuel and ice, got showers and did a load of laundry…all the essentials.
By the time I post my next blog post we should be back in the Chesapeake Bay.
