May 18th

Nearly 10 days ago, we left Wilmington NC to travel the 300+ miles to Norfolk VA where we were to meet up with our friends, Joan and Steve Edmonds, and prepare for the next leg of our journey. Before leaving, we had a close encounter with the "baby" of the alligators in the marina basin. Just had to say good-bye!! Cute, isn't it?

We arrived at Salt Pond Marina, at the south end of Chesapeake Bay, last Monday afternoon, May 14th. We tucked into our slip across from Colorado Cat, a 44' Endeavor Trawler Cat, just before two days of wind arrived. Coincidentally, Steve and I nearly bought the same boat but couldn't get one in a timely fashion.

After giving the Turkey a well-deserved bath, getting Steve to the hairdresser, and doing some errands, we sent Steve to the airport to catch his early morning flight to Tulsa OK and the spring cow sale at our friends' ranch in Skiatook, OK.

Salt Pond Marina Office

Our trip from Wilmington took us up the ICW through Swan Point near Camp LeJuene where the marines were practicing for their "maneuvers", I assume, in Iraq or places nearby. Kind of eerie plowing waters through the base with fatigue-clad men (and maybe women) crawling over the sand dunes with BIG guns on their person!

Our next major city was Beaufort NC and then stopping in a quaint little town, Oriental NC. For history buffs, Oriental is the sailing capitol of NC as it opens directly into the Neuse River which takes you to the Pamlico Sound and the Outer Banks. There is plenty of deep and wide open water for sailboats to open up in. We had planned on staying in Oriental and checking out the surrounds but due to our prolonged stay in Wilmington and a plane date in Norfolk, we stayed the evening, had dinner with our friends , John and Julie, then pressed on.

After leaving the Pamlico River, the ICW takes a trip through some quiet rural areas, across Albemarle Sound, the North River, and Currituck Sound before entering the Norfolk Shipping Channel to exit into the Chesapeake Bay. After spending so much time in the "ditch", it was quite a wake-up call to hit big water again!

Steve and I were impressed with all the military activity in the area compared to our last trip through here 3 yrs. ago. Hampton Roads has always had a huge military presence but certainly more so now. With as many warships in dock as there were, it made us wonder just how many ships this country does have? Langley AFB is just up the road so there is always plenty of air activity as well. Joan and Steve's daughter, Brittany, is in the AF and was deployed here for 3 months from Enid OK. Her husband is a pilot based in OK...for now.

Steve gets back from OK tomorrow evening...Sidney will be sooooooo happy! Monday will find us departing Salt Pond Marina north up the Chesapeake Bay to the Solomon Islands. We had hoped to travel outside up the VA coastline to Cape May NJ but weather (actually wind)is not cooperating. After the Solomon's, we'll finish our northern trek up the Chesapeake, through the C&D Canal, down the Delaware Bay to Cape May then north up to Atlantic City where we will spend the Memorial Day weekend. Maybe THEN I'll have something exciting to report.