ICW: North River to Alligator River Day two on the Intracoastal Waterway felt much less remarkable than day one. Nothing crazy happened. No fighter planes, no inconsiderate power boaters, and no strange lights in the sky. The last part actually isn’t true, but whatever was novel to me the past few days, isn’t anymore. When you are long term cruising, you fall in a rhythm. You start being okay about not having daily showers. You stop shaving every day. Your body constantly steadying itself to the ever present motion of the boat becomes normal. The muscle fatigue is there, but

ICW: Portsmouth VA to North River NC I travelled approximately fifty nautical miles* this day, from Hospital Point anchorage at Portsmouth VA to North River, a few miles south of Coinjock, North Carolina. I anchored between markers “135” and “137” on the other side of the channel. I tell my guests at work to dress as if was going to be twenty degrees colder than it is. For example, if its ninety degrees out, dress like it is seventy. It is always colder on the water, especially when you aren’t in direct contact with the sun. This is because wind

I sat at the laundry room at Tidewater Marina, doing last minute laundry and grabbing a shower. And writing a journal entry on my phone. I was enjoying last bits of civilization. The next day, I’d return the laundry room key, which always seemed a bit symbolic, and continue my way down south. I’ve been having too much fun in Norfolk and Portsmouth. The hospitality from my Hampton roads friends give me, I do not deserve. It makes me want to stay here a lot longer. Stay here long enough to be a part of the city. Yet this feeling

I was looking forward to breaking this night sailing cycle. But this early on in the cruise, I hated the idea of simply wasting a 24 hour cycle, waiting and resting. Besides, more heavy winds were forecasted for 1PM on Tuesday, so I needed to make time and get to Portsmouth. Besides, I got plenty of rest during the day, waiting for the storm to blow over. I talked to my buddy Rob, who lived in Kilmarnock VA, just one creek north of where I was. We were within a mile of each other. We talked about getting him to

Today started out very uneventful. I weighed anchor just before noon and steamed into the harbor, enjoying the amazing views of Solomons, MD. The sun was out, taking a bit of the coldness out of the winter airs. I picked up a popsicle and 12 gallons of fuel. Being there always puts a smile on my face — its just so pretty. It was 2:30pm by the time I hit the bay and turned south. I motored mostly, but got to sail about ten miles, upwind. My tacks went smoothly and helped ease the boredom. There was absolutely no ship