Our time in Gloucester, VA has passed quickly. We've been busy attending to all that was on our list as we sorted out issues from our New England travel and prepared to move south to the Keys and Marathon. The job was made easier thanks to the hospitality of Jenn and Greg who offered their home to us and several meals while the boat was out of the water getting painted as well as at other times.
The boat now looks a bit better with a new paint job for the bottom and wax above the waterline. The boat has been cleaned inside and out, and we've swapped out that which we needed for the northern travel for that which will serve us as we head south. Included with the change of clothing and adding the bikes and kayaks is the addition of the cruising guides and charts that will help us as we travel down the ICW. We also include books on the wildlife we might find in south Florida and the Keys as well as snorkeling booklets to help us sort out what fish we might see or catch while there.
The boat issues were hopefully resolved during our stay here. We replaced the water pump and checked out the rest of the cooling system. We changed the fuel and oil filters and hopefully patched up a small leak in one of our water tanks. I also installed a third computer for the auto pilot. I was skeptical about such a change fixing our non-working unit, but the technicians at the company were out of other ideas. I was both surprised and pleased when a rather brief test sail earlier this week had the unit working for the first time since we bought it eleven months ago. We'll keep our fingers crossed that it's a permanent fix.
While I was addressing some of these issues, Sandra was focusing on provisions for the trip. Traveling through the Carolinas, it's not always easy to get to a grocery store with the sorts of food we hope to eat. Being primarily vegetarians and interested in whole grains and a variety of beans and pastas, we find it easier to stock up while we're here with enough to limit our need to shop on the way. It's always tough to know exactly what we'll need or want as we travel, so we may still need to add to this as we head south.
We're planning to head out on Friday (October 21st) which is earlier than we've left in previous years. In spite of that, I sometimes think we're leaving later than most others. This is primarily because we know of cruisers who have already started down the ditch, as they often call the ICW. One couple came down from NYC with us, and they're already nearly in South Carolina as I write this. Another couple we met in Maine stopped by here on their way south. They are leaving Beaufort, NC as we leave the Severn River Marina. A few other boaters left this marina in the past ten days headed south. That said, we know of two or three other boats also getting ready to leave here on Friday. And from our past experience, we know that we'll see lots of boats in Norfolk as we deal with the several bridges that need to open for us and the lock we'll pass through. We continue to be surprised by the number of boaters who head south each year as we do. The number is well into the thousands. We see hundreds as we travel, and we're sure that on most days this time of year, the ICW is full of travelers. Most sailboats travel at about the same speed. Since there isn't an abundance of anchorages, we seem to see many of the same boats each evening. As we stop in popular towns, some stay longer than others, so we leave with a somewhat different group and stay more or less together till the next popular spot. It's an interesting and different way to travel. For those not so familiar with boat travel, you should know that our speed is about 7 mph, and we don't travel the ICW at night. This limits our daily travel to somewhere between 40 and 70 miles. The variation is dependent on bridge openings, weather and tidal current.
But enough of all this. We're ready to head out. We'll do our best to share our experiences and thoughts along the way.
Captain Bob
Carpe Diem
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