Atalanta: On to Charleston . . .

We have been picking our way south about one month behind our schedule of two years ago. As a result, we have experienced

Saying goodbye to Richard and Martin
Sandy Hook, NJ

cooler weather and more rain - lots more rain. It’s been a long time since our foul weather gear and fleece jackets have been taken out of the closet. Our time in NE and Rhode Island was extended to allow time for our friends on Argosea to have repairs done after a most unfortunate lightening strike that produced a great deal of damage to the electronics.

Passing Norfolk

Our journey through the Chesapeake was marked with highlights and new adventures. Not only did we visit new spectacular little towns like St. Michaels, but we also witnessed amazing sunsets and sunrises as we gunkholed in marshlands up narrow, shallow creeks. While in St. Michael’s we thorouoghly enjoyed a visit from Jim, a sailor and friend we met while in Grenada. He’s looking to buy a boat but in the meantime, perhaps he’ll join in on an Atalanta adventure. A real pleasure was our time in Portsmouth at mile 0 of the intercoastal. What a charming and lovely place. Best of all, Joe and Jorene, friends from Richmond came down to share an evening with us. After two nights of feasting and drinking bourbons at a great restaurant called “Still” we began our journey down the intercoastal waterway.

The ICW was constructed by the Army Core of Engineers to allow military and commercial traffic to move north and south by water without having to worry about attack by German U boats and the like. Now there is some commercial traffic but mostly its used by private boat owners. We opted to do the section between Norfolk, VA and Beaufort, NC to avoid traveling the open water outside Cape Hatteras where unusual weather conditions, the gulf stream, winds, and continental shelf can conspire to create hazardous weather conditions and high seas.

We leave Beaufort (pronounced Bow-fort) Thursday and arrive in Charleston on Saturday. Our course will take us about 40-50 miles offshore where winds are predicted to be weak (5-10mph) and the seas relatively calm (2-4 feet). While these are not idea conditions for sailing, they’re superior to the weather moving in early next week.

Once in Charleston, we will dock at City Marina for a month, visit with family, and perhaps take a side trip or two. One never knows. That is the joy of this way of traveling...