After Halloween, south we go...

Bill and I flew to Baltimore on Halloween in time to have a great visit with friend Jay (below) who kindly picked us up at the airport, and then spent the afternoon with our son Bruce, his wife Kelly, and our grandsons, Elmo and the Pirate. We had a busy and fun few days with the family there.

Before we left Atlanta, we had spent some time with a new Grand-puppy, Bonnie, here with Christine. Bonnie is a sweetheart and lots of fun! We hear she can now do the stairs and loves to play with their other dog Abbie.









Bruce took us to Rock Hall and to provision the boat (groceries).

We left Rock Hall Saturday the the 6th of November. Bill was a happy Captain to finally be underway. Cool, sunny, windy weather all the way south in the Chesapeake with some challenging , but great sailing. He is holding on here!














The Bay Bridge crosses the Chesapeake Bay just north of Annapolis. It looked like lace on the water and we had a very dramatic perspective while we were going under it!





We passed nine sailboats racing downwind with spinnakers flying on the way into the West River.



Sunset at Solomon Island. We were on a mooring at Zahnisers Marina after the anchor dragged twice and we went aground for a few minutes then got ourselves off.







Behind the wheel on autopilot. And hanging on too!









We went through the Great Bridge Lock and Bridge at Norfolk VA.















Lots of fall color on the Norfolk-Albermarle Canal with cypress stumps all along the edges.



Going through another bridge. They open on the hour and half-hour so we had to wait for a few!



This was an amazing expanse of wide open water in the Alligator river where we anchored. It is quite shallow only 8 feet. We have not seen any alligators either going north or coming south, but did see 3 bald eagles in trees and soaring. Wonderful! The fog had just lifted and the fog bank is just above the trees. This is one of my favorite pictures with the sky and clouds reflected in the water. The breeze came up a minute later and it was gone.

Bill, the happy Captain.


















Working parts, winches not wenches!


We saw lots of Cormorants all along the way. We missed the Osprey. All the nests were empty or gone and the cormorants and gulls had taken over the markers.

Sunrise on Goose Creek.
Along the Adams Creek Canal. The Intracoastal is a series of rivers and creeks and sounds joined together by canals in Northern North Carolina and is quite lovely. We have had really wonderful weather with only one rainy day, yesterday afternoon since we left Rock Harbor, Maryland. It is much warmer as we are getting further south too. Have put the longjohns away!


Happy day, internet while under way! We are using a Verizon Hot Spot which has been great with solid connection every place we stopped except one. Can't say the same about our ATT phone service!


We left Beaufort NC early this morning, and we are continuing south to Beaufort SC in the ICW.