January 4 2009 - I left Lastdance secured in Beaufort and drove to New Jersey to my granddaughter's christening and several Christmas dinners and lunches with family and friends and then went to the cemetery to spend some time with Carol. We were joined for Christmas dinner at my mom’s place by my brother Tony, Victoria, Christopher, Michelle, Furi and Alexandria which hopefully made for a great Christmas gift for my mom.

I then drove to Tennessee to meet Lydia for dinner. I found her to be even more attractive than her photos but also a really nice woman of substance and we enjoyed a long evening in an Italian restaurant run by a Greek family. Unfortunately, I had to get back on the road by noon the next day so after sharing breakfast with Lydia the next morning, I headed south, arriving in Jacksonville late that night. I stayed at the Naval Air Station there, and then went to Fort Lauderdale where I stayed with my friends and old neighbors, David and Linda. The next day I hooked up with Bill in Marathon and we drove to Key West where we picked up my classmate Rich at the airport.

After checking into the BOQ at Trumbo Point Naval Air Station, we pillaged and plundered our way through the many old saloons on Duval Street. At Captain Tony’s I searched the ceiling to no avail for a photo of Carol that I put there back in 1998. Thousands of new business cards and photos must have been added to the zillions that had been already stapled and glued to the walls and ceilings over many decades. We strolled over to Sloppy Joes for several beers and then to the Hogs Breath Saloon for burgers and more beers. Sleeping in a single room with a single bed proved to be a challenge. Bill slept on the floor and Rich and I shared the bed, he under the sheets, me over them as we endeavored to avoid even the slights chance of coming in contact during the night.

We spent the next two nights visiting new bars like Finnagans Wake and revisiting old ones and New Years Eve found us on Duval Street in front of Sloppy Joe’s where a giant conch shell is dropped to ring in the New Year. There, we hooked up with my old friends Ric and Anna from Mears Marina. A couple of hours before midnight Bill wanted to see the giant pink slipper which is used by the gay community to welcome in the New Year and then we went to Jimmy Buffett’s, Margaritaville.  After a margarita, bill and I left to return to Sloppy Joe’s in time to welcome in the New Year but Rick stayed behind with two exceptionally lovely women he had chatted up. He never did give them the Crocodile Dundee crotch test so we’re not really sure they were woman. With Rich enjoying his new friends and the New Years celebrations over on Duval Street, Bill and I went to Schooner's Wharf for a few nightcaps but I got tired and bailed out at 3 am, leaving Bill alone with the ongoing party.

The next few days we went off the beaten path and discovered the “local” side of Key West including Louie’s Backyard, a great bar by the ocean, made famous by Jimmy Buffett’s song “Trying to Reason with Hurricane Season.” We also discovered the Green Parrot, a great old saloon where a Blues/Southern-Rock band played as we consumed rum and cokes. We left about midnight and while walking home, we passed Meteor, a bar where Bill spotted Norm and Bill, two friends from our marina in Maryland and we joined them for four more rum and cokes before calling it a night. The next day we moved from the BOQ to a 3BR townhouse for the rest of our stay. It is so friggin good to sleep in my own bed without listening to Bill's snoring! We're here for another 5 days so who knows what damage we may reap...more to follow

Need I say more?

I've had some fun while on this voyage to be sure, especially when sailing along with Bill in s/v Galena. On the whole however, it’s been emotionally painful for me to retrace the voyage I made to Florida with Carol in 1997. That is, until I got to Beaufort and connected with my grandchildren. Few know how devastating Carol's death has been for me and even after two years of sailing alone, I'm still as distraught as ever over not being able to share the adventure with her, especially on this trip.

Being a part of my grandchildren’s lives has given me some peace for the first time since Carol died, so much so that I began entertaining thoughts of wintering here in Beaufort. Once I acknowledged that, my son added that it would take a huge burden off him to know I was here with his family while he is in Iraq again. I’ve given a lot of thought to what is really important to me and as much as I want to cruise, party and drink my way through the Bahamas, I’ve come to feel that it’s even more important to me to be part of my grandchildren’s lives; for them, for my son, but mostly for me.

So although I may not be a “real cruiser” this year, I know Florida will still be there next year and maybe this soul-searching experience in Beaufort will help make next year’s voyage a lot more enjoyable for me. Right now, the “Papa” role suits me fine and in coming to this decision, I’m reminded of a verse from a poem about boats.

"There is nothing, half so much worth doing as simply messing about in boats. In or out of 'em, it doesn't matter. Nothing seems really to matter, and that's the charm of it. Whether you get away, or whether you don't; whether you arrive at your destination or whether you reach somewhere else, or whether you never get anywhere at all…."

For me, Beaufort is my "somewhere else."  It's a really nice town with great pubs and restaurants so if you find yourself down this way, come visit me aboard Lastdance at Town Creek Marina. Happy Thanksgiving everyone, see you all in the spring.

Ron

Nov 24 - we moved out of the cottages on Onslow Beach on Camp LeJeune today. Chris and Michelle moved into their new home and I'm back aboard Lastdance tonight nursing my ribs from all the activity. Yesterday, I took my grand kids treasure hunting but first got up before dawn to "seed" the beach with silver dollars. You can't imagine the look of joy on their faces when using the metal detector, they uncovered the gleaming coins. I may have created a couple of monsters though because tomorrow, they expect to find the treasure chest the coins came from. OK, I know this is getting a bit lame for all you old salts so I promise to go drinking this week-end in Beaufort and write about some pillage and plundering. 

Nov 10 - With a 2 knot favorable, we made Beaufort in less than 3 hours. I took a slip at Town Creek Marina and Bill anchored Galena just off the marina. I decided to stay here rather than the marina on Camp LeJeune, because for a few dollars more, I get many more amenities here and it is the same distance to Christopher's house as the base. Christopher came by in the afternoon with Alexandra and Fiore and after dinner ashore, we watched "Captain Ron" aboard Lastdance. Chris and the kids spent the night aboard and I have to say, this was the highlight of my trip so far. It was great to be "Papa" again and I'm actually really excited about spending a month here with my family.
Nov 12 - Christopher and I returned today from our drive to Maryland to get my car. We stopped for the night in Fredricksburg and then before getting on the road again this morning, Chris took me for a tour of the Civil War battlefield at Chancellorsville. I'm back aboard Lastdance tonight and may go to the hospital at Camp LeJeune tomorrow to get these ribs looked at and to do a bloodtest for my oncologist back in Pennsilvania. After that, I'll be spending the weekend with Chris, Michelle and the kids at a cottage on Onslow Beach. I'm really looking forward to this coming month with them!
Nov 13 - Bill called to say that a doctor-sailor commented on his blog and said that the symptoms of my rib injury may indicate a pneumothorax, which is a punctured lung leaking air into the chest cavity and could result in sudden death! Shit, I dropped everything and drove over to the Naval Hospital ER. They did an X-ray and checked me out and all is well but I have to go back next week for a follow-up. I returned to the boat and Bill and I went for dinner at Clawsons and then a few beers at the Back Street Pub, a really cozy sailors bar. 
Nov 18 - I returned to Camp LeJeune the next day  and spent 3 days with Christopher, Michelle, Ali and Furi in a cozy, if not well used cottage (read mobile home) right on the beach at Onslow. Again, I really had a great time being part of my family for more than just a hurried 2-3 day visit. The kids and I are really connecting and while babysitting one afternoon, I walked along the oceans edge with them for several hours and could almost sense Carol smiling her approval. I'm back aboard Lastdance today after Bill took me sightseeing last night. We sampled local fare and beers in the Handle Bar, Back Street Pub, Clawson's, the Dockhouse Bar and the Royal James Cafe...whew. There is yet another gale warning with winds predicted to be 40-knots today and if the front passes tonight, Bill will leave tomorrow. I've got some mixed feelings about parting ways with him at this point but the tug of the "wee ones" is strong and I'll gladly stay on another 3 weeks as planned. Also, for the first time in more than two years, I've gone through a day with only a few of my usually frequent and deeply saddening "Carol moments." I'll be returning to Camp LeJeune on Thursday for 4 days with the kids and to plan Thanksgiving which we'll either have aboard Lastdance or in Chris and Michelle's new home, depending on when the moving company delivers their furniture.
Nov 21 - It is blowing 32- knots, gusting to 40 and the temperature is going down to 24 degrees tonight which will be a record for Beaufort, NC. I was in a warm and comfortable cottage at Camp LeJeune, right on Onslow Beach with my son and his family but with these winds and freezing temperatures, I decided to come back to Lastdance to double lines and get the heaters on to keep things from freezing. Bill left yesterday and after a night in Mile Hammock Bay, he should be in Wrightsville Beach tonight, hopefully at a marina and not freezing his kista off at anchor. Tomorrow, I'm going treasure hunting with my grandson using Carol's old metel detector to look for Blackbeards gold coins which my grandson is sure are buried on the beach right in front of the cottage. Also, they will be closing on Monday so we'll be having Thanksgiving Dinner at their new home, not aboard Lastdance.

Nov 7 - Today something happened...the sun came out! Galena and Lastdance left Elizabeth City on a dreary overcast morning and motored to the mouth of the Pasquotank River. We then steered south and crossed Albemarle Sound in a flat calm which was unlike the previous 4 days when it was a tempest. By 2 o'clock, we anchored off the channel, surrounded by swamp and forest and after Bill rowed over for a few drinks, we were peeling off our shirts in the warmth of the afternoon sun. This anchorage is miles from anywhere with no wireless reception so I’ll upload today’s long and photos from Belhaven or maybe Beaufort. 

Nov 8 – We weighed anchor at the crack of dawn and motored into the Alligator-Pungo canal which is totally remote and unforgiving. After observing several groundings by dummies who don’t understand what "STAY IN THE MIDDLE OF THE CHANNEL” means, we got to sail the Pamlico river to Belhaven. On the way, I passed the very anchorage where Carol and I spent a magical night eleven years ago during our sail to Florida. I could almost see her smile at the end of that long hard day. Belhaven is a nice old town and Bill and I went looking for a tavern. We found Rack Time, a pool parlor with a bar, a bunch of really nice locals and a charming bartender named Teresa who after serving us copious bottle of beer, invited us back for that night’s karaoke. We did, and drank more beer but I got sleepy and wandered back to my boat, leaving Bill to do what Bill does best. 
Nov 9 - Upon weighing anchor, Bill found his anchor trip line fouled around his rudder and after messing with it from his dinghy to no avail, he stripped to his skivvies and dove in the 58°F water and cleared the snag. We put in a long day of light winds and then a 14 knot strong breeze, right on the nose of course, and as we passed Oriental, I couldn’t help but remember the really fun time Carol and I had there back in 1997. If she had been with me today, she would have been bursting with excitement and she would have MADE me stop there for the night. Now, at the end of the day, Galena and Lastdance are anchored in Adams Creek, just 15 miles from Beaufort, NC.  I’ll be staying on for a month with my son Christopher and his family which I’m really looking forward to. After some R&R and repairs, Bill will be moving on to Florida where I plan on hooking up with him again in December or January. Sail on, Carol. Sail on!