Let's see ...

 

I stopped in Beaufort, NC then Oriental, NC.  In Beaufort, I met a lady named Mary Ellen, who will be the first documented woman to single- hand the "Great Loop" (circumnavigating the east coast of the US, via the Mississippi).  She's from Ontario and is on her way homeward.  I also met Jamie, a 71 year old man single-handing his way from the Bahamas/Culebra to the Chesapeake; he had never done the ICW before, so I convinced him to tag along.  When we departed Beaufort, the first thing I did to show him how easy it was - ran aground. I've been hard aground four times since starting up the east coast, but always got myself off, while the tow boat was still half a mile away.  We (Jamie and I are now in Elizabeth City, NC.  We're going to spend two nights here, then proceed up the Great Dismal Swamp Canal.  The controlling depth is 6 feet, and we both draw 5.5 feet, so it should be interesting to say the least.  I haven't found an slips I can afford in or south of Annapolis, so I'm looking North; at least I'll be closer to my brother and father up there.  I'm hoping to find a floating dock with winter slips.  I think when we do get tied up, Joey and I are going to NH for a few days to unwind.

 

Pegasus has been a true battle-wagon, showing her Hans Christian qualities: comfort, stability and the ability to take a beating and come through smiling.  It's hard to digest that I'm only two days from the Chesapeake.  I keep wanting to slow down and make the adventure last longer.  I've come to realize it really is the journey, not the destination that matters; the people you meet along the way and the places you see that you wouldn't have.  I think I' made many friends I didn't have when I started this journey.  More from the Chesapeake.