Suffice to say, the Wind-Lass and our crew of five made a successful voyage from Annapolis, Maryland to Beaufort, North Carolina! But as far as blogging goes, now that March has melted into April I'm wondering whether we took a trip to the Bermuda Triangle rather than on the Atlantic Intracoastal Waterway...
Along for the trip were Scotty's friend from South Carolina, Captain Larry; my dad, Denny; Scotty's dad, Felton; Scotty and me. It was the first time everyone had met each other, including our dads, and we were so glad they could all be there to take part in the adventure. Plus, we thought the dads would have a good time and wouldn't mind if conditions turned cold or bumpy; fortunately we were right!
My dad, Captain Larry, and Captain Scotty
During the trip we dodged a storm (or two), encountered some rough water crossing the Chesapeake Bay, wrestled with a finicky heater (it needs a new part), and still managed to have a pretty good time in close quarters for ten days straight. It wasn't always easy, but we accomplished our mission of getting to North Carolina and had a lot of fun in the process.
Hanging out in the main salon
I can also say that I am seriously in love with our new sailboat. From her Yanmar 75 HP engine to her fully battened mainsail (among other fun accessories), the Wind-Lass is a champ, giving us few problems en route on a boat new to all of us. And she may need some interior decorating, but I'm looking forward to that part.
The two captains caught in a rare moment of downtime just before the launch
Without a doubt, the hugest and most indispensable ingredient behind our successful voyage was the hard work of Scotty and his friend Captain Larry who worked for uncountable hours on necessary repairs and maintenance before the launch. Quite literally, the trip could not have happened without them.
Scotty climbing the mast to remove instruments for going under bridges
While we were gone, each day seemed to just fly by. Even after waking up early in the morning, I would later find myself looking at the clock in amazement that it was already four o'clock in the afternoon. Needless to say, the trip went by too quickly and left me even more excited about life on the water. I've got plenty to learn, but perhaps that's the best part.
And you know what they say in Never-Never Land: as long as you keep learning, you'll never grow old.
I'll be back soon with more about our trip, how we made it under some pesky, low bridges, and a virtual visit to some charming and tiny coastal towns I had never seen before the trip, much less heard of.
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