The End of the Beginning

Posted: October 21, 8:37 am | (permalink) | (0 comments)

[photo: a BIG jellyfish]

“Now this is not the end. It is not even the beginning of the end. but it is, perhaps, the end of the beginning.” (W. Churchill, from a speech given after a battle that was a turning point for Britain in WWII)

We broke our planned trip into three sections: Annapolis, MD to Oriental, NC; Oriental, NC to Charleston, SC; and Charleston, SC to St Augustine, FL. Each leg would have 7-10 underway travel days with as many days hunkered down in secure anchorages as the weather demanded, and ended with a few days in a marina exploring an interesting city. In some ways, the first leg, which we have now completed, was the easiest, as there were minimal tides & currents. In other ways (as I’ve written) this first leg was quite challenging.

Another aspect of that first leg, was that it was mostly in fresh water. Now, we have arrived in Morehead City, NC – salt water! Our boat floats about an inch or two higher here than it did back in Annapolis. We can see pelicans and egrets from our marina slip, and sea grasses. And although the photo doesn’t give a sense of scale, this jellyfish off our stern was bigger than a dinner plate. Taking a break here (it’s about 20 water miles south of our original planned stop in Oriental, but it’s a bigger city) and renting a car, and planning on some land adventures.