On our way to Norfolk

August 28, 2007 Tuesday
Here we are, anchored in the North River above the Albemarle Sound. There's a full moon and the wind is calm. There are no waves at all. It is perfectly still. For ocean cruisers, no waves at all is exceptional. When anchored in a snug harbor on the ocean, there is always some motion, ranging from serious rolling to gentle swells. But always something. For the last several days we have been anchored on NC's rivers, in little coves where there is no human presence visible in any direction. Just loblolly pines and marsh grass. (Well, maybe there were a few crab pots and floats around, but that was it). Tonight we can see some lighted buoys out on the ICW and some cell phone towers. Yesterday, we were in the most pristine place I've ever been.
After we left Oriental, we spent a night in Belhaven, NC. It was full of ante-bellum homes. The marina let us use a golf cart to go exploring and we went so far that we were afraid the batteries would be dead before we got back. Then we anchored in the most amazingly quiet creek below the Wilkenson Bridge. Today we made a 12 hour run along the Alligator River crossing the Pamlico River and the Albemarle Sound. We are only 60 miles below Norfolk, so with an early start,we should be able to make it tomorrow. There we will take on fuel and water for the offshore trip to NYC. It will be good to be sailing again. On the ICW, we mostly motor, but unroll the jib if the wind is favorable and the channel isn't too narrow.
We have some nice pictures that we will put up when we get an internet connection. Look at some of our older posts because new pictures are already there.