Completed the Loop 25 March

Hello to Family and Friends,

Well, we finally crossed our wake and completed the loop at 1202L on 25 March, 2008 as we entered the South River. It has been quite a trip!

We last posted from Oriental NC where we "weathered" for two days waiting for winds to abate. On Thursday, 21 March, we left early and headed north with plans to anchor on the other side of Ablemarle Sound. And for once, the plans actually survived reality. As we crossed Ablemarle sound that evening, the winds were just starting to pick up...good timing on our part. It was getting dark just as we finished the crossing and we pulled to the west of the ICW and put out Anchor for the night. It was not the best of anchorages but we did alright and were beat from a 12 hour day.

The next day we left early and headed up to Norfolk. We made our way through our last lock...just a 1 ft drop to control the tidal currents. We pulled into the Norfolk city marina at around 1600 and headed to Joe's Crab Shack...right next to the Marina. We decided to stay two days until the Chesapeake became calm enough to go north. This gave Ashton and I a chance to see the Naval Nuseum right next door...we also toured the Battleship Wisconsin. Neat stuff.

On Monday we headed out bright and early to take advantage of the tidal currents heading north in the Chesepeake. Forcast was 10G15 Knots early increasing to 15G20 for the afternoon. Well, we hit the higher winds right away and they were blowing opposite the incoming tide. This stood the waves up a bit and instead of having 2-3 footers, we ended up with 3-5 footers...very rough. Lots of water over the bow. Ashton and Cathy hid below as they were a bit ill. We beat north in this manner all the way to Soloman's Island where we were relieved to pull into a nice protected anchorage for the evening. We had to set the anchor twice to get a good bite but enjoyed the scenery around Solomans for the evening.

Tuesday, the 25 we hit the bay at sunrise and made great time, this time the weather was correc and the waves were a relativley calm 2-3'. We pulled into the Pier 7 Marina on the South River at about 1230L....Loop Complete.

Was it worth it...YES. Was it more expensive that we had thought and budgeted? Yes

So, my apologies for the delay for this final post. We have been at work now for two months..still a ways to go before all the trip bills are paid...and yes, it was worth it! Waveaway is for sale now with an offer pending. We have not been out since we pulled her into the slip at Pier 7 on the South River. Oh, I go by and do some boat work every weekend, but I can't find the energy to take her out. She, I am sure, knows this and is ok with it. I think she is ready for a new owner and grateful for the trip of a life time. Yeah, or I might just be a little crazy.

It is funny how intense the preparation for the trip was and how excited we were to have the privilege to manage such a trip (especially with a teenage son) during our "earning years". It is only fitting that the end of our trip and of our relationship with Waveaway is a slow, long and without fanfare goodbye...we have had all the excitement we deserve for a while.

Fair wind and following seas my friends.