Bill, Ky & Ron at US Marine Corps Veterans Club, Great Bridge, VA

11 May – Grrrrrr…I was eager to get underway today but we’re delayed by a cold front! I had a whirlwind 5 days in Raleigh for Teresa’s daughter Ashley’s graduation. There was a Cinco de Mayo party Tuesday night and then we enjoyed Teresa’s Double-Nickel birthday celebration Wednesday night. Thursday night, Teresa's friend Rochelle took us to dinner to celebrate Teresa’s birthday once again and Friday night I got to meet Jeff and Sharlee, Teresa’s wild-and-crazy brother and sister-in-law.       
   Saturday was the big graduation event at NC State, followed by a great party at Tir Na Nog, the same great Irish Pub we celebrated St Patrick’s Day in. After a brunch Sunday morning, Teresa drove me back to Beaufort and we hooked up with Sailboat Bill at the Back Street Pub where we sipped cool beer and listened to tunes played by the last of the minstrels from the Beaufort Music Festival. Teresa left for Raleigh at 6pm and I found myself in a big funk at seeing her drive away but she’s driving to meet me in Norfolk next weekend. After some demon rum aboard Lastdance with Ted Jones and Bill, we went to dinner and listened to tales of Bill’s adventures in the Bahamas. The man does live large!

   The next day I finally got underway, bound for Chesapeake Bay! Along with Sailboat Bill in Galena, I got away from Beaufort at first light. We had an uneventful 68 mile trip to Belhaven but the wind piped up to 20 knots from the southeast instead of the forecasted 10 knots from the north east and we spent the night bucking and bouncing in the exposed anchorage. From Belhaven we motored to the Alligator River and with the winds forecasted to 20 knots all night from the east, we went on almost to the Alligator River bridge and tucked in close into the lee formed by eastern shore at Milltail Creek. Bill came over and we grilled a steak, drank a lot of rum and talked about our different philosophies on sailing and life.

   I’ve crossed Albemarle Sound twice. The first time in 1997 was a perfect sail in easy conditions. The second was under power in a dead calm. Now, three days after leaving Beaufort, we encountered wild and wooly conditions! After weighing anchor, we motored to Middle Ground Shoal. The wind then came up right on time as forecasted. It came up quickly and it came up strong and we were soon motor-sailing in 27 knots of washing machine like waves which became bigger by the minute; some breaking. Eventually, the wind was gusting to 31 knots with very wild conditions in the shallows as we approached the entrance to North Landing River. Several hours later, we sat well showered in the comfort of Coinjock Marina, woofing down a couple of their famous 16 oz prime ribs.

   A week earlier, Bill had heard someone hailing Ky on s/v East Snail.  We tried unsuccessfully to raise him and even called his wife Kim Loan to no avail. Then, as we finished off the last of our prime rib in Coinjock, I received a surprise phone call. “Hello Ron, this is Ky here.”  I hadn’t seen Ky in more than two years and as it turned out, he was sailing north and was just a day ahead of us at Great Bridge.  He waited for us and we rendezvoused at Great Bridge the next day. What a reunion! After shopping for dinner, we were invited into the U.S Marine Corps Veterans League clubhouse which is right there at the canal docks. There, along with Tom and Pat off s/v Swan and Dave and Jock off m/v New Fredom, a Nordic Tug, we drank way too much beer and rum and exchanged war stories with these friendly former Marines. We then cooked a pot luck dinner of Vietnamese chicken with black rice, grilled shrimp, polish sausage, baked ziti and a great salad. It doesn’t get any better!

   We got to Hampton around noon the next day. Bill and Ky anchored out and I took a slip at the friendly public docks. After naps and boat chores, we walked into town and munched on nachos and drank a local beer at Marker 20, a cool boater’s saloon. We had “just one more” at the Tap House two doors down, then returned to Lastdance and knocked off a bottle of cheap wine Bill had bought the day before.  Teresa was due to arrive from Raleigh so Ky and Bill returned to their boats to give me a chance to freshen up. An hour later, I waited anxiously for her call. We’d only been apart six days but it had seemed like an eternity so when she arrived, we had a joyful reunion and then walked into town where a street festival was going on. It is staged every Saturday night and offers plenty of food, adult beverages and live entertainment. We would have liked to linger for the “party” a bit but were both tired so after dinner, we returned to Lastdance.  

   Sunday, day six of the voyage was a washout. Another front was coming through with winds forecasted to be 25-30 knots so we opted to remain in Hampton. Ky came in from the anchorage to a slip and we ran into old friends from New Jersey, Bill and Evelyn aboard s/v Irish Mist, a Pacific Seacraft 34. Afterwards, Bill, Ky, Teresa and me went ashore for brunch at the Taphouse along with my friends Kevin, Laura and their daughter Caitlin. Bloody Marys were only 1$ and they were great. 
   Teresa and I then said our farewells back aboard Lastdance hours later, and she drove home to Raleigh for the work week but she will fly to Baltimore Friday for the Memorial Day weekend. More to follow as our winter voyage comes to an end and we enter beautiful Chesapeake Bay once again.