PLODDING AMONGST FRIENDS

Coinjock, NC 36º21.06N | 75º56.8W

On a rising tide, we inched our way alone out of Zimmerman Marina Sunday morning in the skinniest of water, too antsy to wait for high tide. We skimmed through with millimeters to spare and turned south, thrilled to be moving again after 12 stationary weeks and hoping we remembered how to sail.

But we were not far down Mobjack Bay before all of us, we and Cara Mia, were sailing along in our old groove on a fresh breeze, a perfect fall day.

Jessie Marie sailing south on the Chesapeake.

As we sailed out of Mobjack Bay and into the Chesapeake Bay, as if by design, Cara Mia sailed effortlessly into place between friends, Jessie Marie, last seen in Manteo in July and Kajon, last seen in Miami in January.

Kajon sharing our patch of water.

Moments like this cannot be planned, but they must be celebrated. We cheered, took photos and shouted greetings, sailing along, side by each until we lost our breeze and motored on, Portsmouth-bound, where we would converge and then separate again, Kajon to the Dismal Swamp, Cara Mia and Jessie Marie to Coinjock, NC.

Kajon and Jessie, hand in hand.

Dale sailing his new dinghy Peony, nicknamed (by us) The Baby Jesus.

A BLAST FROM THE ARCHIVES

Today as we start at Mile 0 on the ICW, it seems fitting to unearth one of my favorite posts. It still makes me laugh.

And here we are, playing it again.

ICW: SURVIVAL, 3D Animation

Take the ultimate mariner's challenge through shallow, murky waters, swiftly running currents and heavy traffic as you make your way past unexpected hazards at every turn! Shoals, sunken vessels, rocks and other underwater perils await the intrepid traveler!

Test and hone your skill as you navigate the infamous Rock Pile, Hell Gate, Little Mud River and the dreaded Shallows of McClellanville through capricious weatherpounding you with high wind, freezing cold, dense fog and pouring rain. Read more...

SOUTH TO SOMEWHERE

Portsmouth, VA 36º50.7N | 76º18W

East River of Mobjack Bay.

Fall makes me wistful, with its mushy, warm sunlight and trees dressed to kill, all wafting a reminder that cold weather and winter holidays are almost at hand. But for folks who don't even own winter clothing, fall means it's time to fly south like a bunch of cold duck.

And so, this morning, with the summer's chores done, we pulled in the lines, waved goodbye to Mobjack Bay, and sailed into the Chesapeake, the beginning of our second annual plod south.

Cara Mia is tricked out in a new outfit of beige canvas, complete with a screened-in cockpit. She has shiny wax on deck and on the hull, a new coat of bottom paint -- all planned. Unfortunately, she also has an unplanned and very expensive new shaft and cutlass bearing.

We've whiled away the last few months visiting friends and family around the country by plane, car, train, boat and bus, charging straight through an earthquake, a hurricane, flooding and a right wicked desert hailstorm.

On a visit to New Mexico I discovered that I'm a direct descendant of William "The Lion King" of Scotland and that my mother is surely and steadily succumbing to the heartbreaking symptoms of memory loss.

There is so much more to tell, but consider this an introduction to the backblogging I will be doing in the next few weeks, filling in the rich detail of four-and-a-half months near land.

After six weeks with the boat out of the water, we are afloat and underway, already happily falling into the pack of fellow cruisers and dear friends discovered on the ICW last year, our inaugural season.

What different people we seem this new October, more confident in our boat and increasingly secure in our ever-developing skills, utterly relaxed into the pace of life on the water, truly manifesting the Zen counsel of Ming that seemed so trite last October: I'll get there when I get there.

Along the way, we realized that we have pitiful imaginations. How else could we have so underestimated the rewards of life on the water? Now I can add one more thing unimaginable: a life without cruising.

It has already been said that in retrospect we will surely regret more the things we didn't do rather than those we did, and I'm thankful every day that cruising is duly checked off on our list.

And what next? As our friend Jen said about cruising a few months ago, "I don't think I can afford not to do this."

Onward. South to somewhere. 

HURRICANE UPDATE:

We and Cara Mia have weathered the storm in good order. She is out of the water in Mathews, Virginia, while we travel by land -- and update the blog! SCROLL DOWN to read all updates.

To keep up with us daily, please join us on Facebook.