Technical communication problems have delayed the start of our blog.

Beverly and I have discussed making a trip up to the Chesapeake Bay area for several years. The primary hurdle has been our love for the Florida cruising area and extended length of the boating season. I must also admit,for the last fourteen years, our comfort zone has been coastal cruising from Tarpon Springs, the Keys, St Johns River and St Augustine. The decision was made to leave Twin Dolphin Marina (TDM) Friday,August 20th at 8:AM for the Chesapeake.

A lot of preparation work was preformed prior to departure. Capt. Howard Howe assisted with finalising the "To Do List". Steve Kambrick did a great job in surveying the engines and bringing them up to purr like a wild cat. Debbie DaRin preformed the cosmetics and sealed the hull and cabin fiberglass. In fact after we departed the Okeechobee Waterway their were no traces of the famous hull mustache and even today 9/14/10 the hull is as clean as when I departed TDM. But the time fellow boaters at TDM spent with us reviewing the route, places to sight see, anchorages, including the Chesapeake Bay area were a confidence builder and extremely informative. Many thanks to all for their assistance.

Today is an unexpected layover day due to the Onslow Beach Bridge (St.M 240) being closed for repair. It is suppose to open tomorrow for passage. At anchor, 9'depth,scope of 10, chain, CQR anchor, in Hammock Bay (244) is proving to be more than we expected. Camp LeJeune is around the bay. Explosions with concussions can be felt,tanks and personnel carriers are viewed with the roar of their engines occasionally during the day. It's great to see our military in action. I will try to catch up on some of the posts of the trip.