So it is officially Xmas season in the Cole household, or aboard Vita, which every you prefer. Serena finally found the perfect tree for the boat, on Halloween; just in time. It didn't take a lot of effort to decorate, but it did make us a little homesick. Being away from family during the holidays is hard, but as in all good things in life, there must be some sacrifice, for without it, there can be no gain. Woosh, sounds like military talk..... I'm sorry, I was brainwashed for 21 years, and its hard to make that go away.
Merry Christmas Everyone......
So, way back, Oct 30th, we reluctantly left the visitors dock on the Dismal Swamp. Its was just such a nice hangout, and the only people there, were like minded cruisers and the odd person who stopped by on their way down the highway. It was like cruiser camp, with new kids coming everyday.
Waiting for the bridge at the end of the Dismal Swamp, our new friend Fred ahead of us in his Nordic Tug. This is the boat we want when sailing no longer works for us. We'd take Fred too, he's a great guy.
The lock leaving the Dismal. There was 7 of us for the ride down.
Exiting the lock and heading out of the Dismal. Convoy.....
There were a few behind us too. But they passed, all except our friends on Anthyllide who generally take up the rear. Or at least they did until they met us.
Here is a picture Anthyllide by herself. A French built aluminum hulled cruiser, which in my humble opinion is one of the most perfect cruising designs I have ever seen. Don't tell Vita, she may get jealous. As a bonus, she has tanbark sails, I love tanbark sails.... So shippy.
We only went as far as Goat Island, a secluded little spot in the middle of nowhere between the Dismal Swamp and Elizabeth City. We were in need of some quiet time, and a cockpit shower. But it was absolutely beautiful, we were the only ones there.
How can you beat waking up to this.
The next day, Thursday I think, days get so jumbled up when you are out here. We stumbled into Elizabeth City to join the rest of the crew already there. I shouldn't say this, and I told myself that I would never tell a soul, but when one messes up, one should regale the world with the tale, so that those who follow do not suffer the same ills. Or perhaps some words of learned advice will do. When one leaves the anchor dangling in the water to wash off the mud, an hour and a half of motoring along is far more than needed, a minute or two will suffice. But damn that anchor was clean, you could have eaten off of it.
The first day in Elizabeth City was foraging day. We made two treks to the grocery store, a mile and a half away, hauling back beer, water, pop, and of course food. A trek to the laundry to do two loads, and we went into almost every store on the main drag, scouting. I waited until the next day to get diesel, cause we were beat.
The following day we relaxed a little, visited with all the cruisers, the locals, the passers by, and of course Gus, a fixture on the docks. Serena even got him to dance for her, showing off his new hip. It will be a sad day for Elizabeth City and for the cruisers that move through here, when Gus no longer walks these paths. May you live forever my friend.
Elizabeth City threw us their wine and cheese party on day two. It is essentially a sales pitch for the city, but after providing free 48 hour docking, with facilities close enough to reprovision, there is no real need, cruisers will come anyway. It is a nice gesture, and a good tradition, if only that it lets us know we are welcome. We spent a lot of money there, so it must be working.
Afterwards we joined our new friends, Fred, Brian & Anne, Kim & Scott, for the Art walk. Now this is like cruiser heaven. Free food, free drinks, and they welcomed us with open arms. They're nuts, but we love them anyway. We had an awesome time wandering through the different shops involved in the walk. Of course the camaraderie of our cruising friends, full tummies, and dizzy heads, made it all the better.
The next day, early morning it was time to leave. We`d used up our 48 hrs, and the winds were right for a sail across the Abermarle Sound. We had lolly-gagged enough, it was time to make a few miles.
We finally got some pictures of Vita under sail, thanks to our new friends Kim and Scott.
We were told later that evening by some people we met on a large Wharram Catermaran that we had the perfect boat, and never to let her go. Anne of Peace had been a solo Trans-Atlantic racer for years until she started cruising with her partner, they`ve been out for 30 years now, and her words were high praise that we are not likely to forget. Later in the evening after anchoring at the mouth of the Alligator Pungo Canal, we joined Fred, Scott and Kim aboard Anthyllide for an impromptu dinner and sundowners. Apparently Serena and I are a bit of a sad pair, but we have now eaten bean burritos, and thoroughly enjoyed them, thanks guys.
The next day, Sunday, I checked the calendar. We joined the rather large group of snowbirds headed down the Alligator Pungo Canal. Our intent was to try and make Bath, a 60 mile run, before sundown. It was a pretty ambitious goal considering our speed, and the lack of daylight this time of year.
Snowbirds don`t always fly, or drive, but they do show up in flocks non-the-less.
It was a great day to sail, this is a C&C 30 in front of us, the wind was good.
Vita crooked; it doesn`t look too bad in the photos, but we had the rail in the water for the first time. I used to say that if you have the toe rail in the water on a Bayfield, your sailing her wrong, and its still true, we probably should have put a reef in the mainsail, but we were averaging over 6 knots, and who wants to screw that up. Woohoo, what a ride.
When ever Vita heals too much, the cases of water come out of hiding. If they do that while someone is in the bathroom, we have to send in a rescue party.
When healed over enough, you find new ways to brace yourself. Believe it or not, this was comfortable.
Not serious, not mature, just riding on the edge, and not foolish enough to smile at the camera. Pretty salty pic though, wearing foul weather gear and gloves, glued to the wheel of a sailboat flying over a raging sea. Or, it could be that I was freezing my arse off, and the Ray (the autopilot), couldn`t hold the course if his life depended on it.
We made it Bath, North Carolina, with 30 mins to spare before sundown. 10 hrs on the water, 60 nautical miles. A new record for us, and not one we are likely to challenge soon. Vita was a trooper, a wonderful sailing home, we are happy to have her.
Today we`ll relax, fix the odd thing, check out the little town of Bath, and rest up before we head the short 16 miles to Washington, NC tomorrow, where, it is reported, they have free showers. And all the stores needed to reprovision. Sounds like cruiser nirvana.
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