And so, our adventure finally begins!

Our first day underway was pretty uneventful.  It was a very chilly morning at Herrington Harbour North -- there was a thin crust of ice on the water when we woke up!  We caught a little wind early in the day, but the building winds never showed up this afternoon.  So, we motored.  Still, not bad.  Very happy to be on the move and on the water.....not tied to a dock.

We made our way to Solomon's Island (MD) and found a nice spot (here) on Back Creek to drop anchor.  Granted, it took three tries to get the anchor to hold, but the third time was a charm.  The sunset was a pretty "red sky at night" and the water is absolutely mirror-like.

Now, we check the weather and charts and calculate how far we think we can make it tomorrow.

Farewell to Herrington Harbour North

The Captain

Thank you, Kevin and Lauren, for this awesome travel mug!  It keeps my coffee SO hot, SO long!

My favorite moment is when we cut the engine and the wind takes over.  

That's "Hoss," we followed him down the Bay.  He made it all the way to Norfolk.  We did not.

Cove Point military zone.......very sci-fi.

On our approach to Solomon's Island, we skirted around a local yacht club race (of Buccaneers).

Sunset at anchor on Back Creek near the Calvert Marine Museum

Still taking care of business

Well, they say the best advice to a cruiser is "never have a schedule."  In other words, be flexible.  And, flexible we are.  We're still hanging out at Herrington Harbor North on the western side of the Chesapeake Bay.  AIS (sort of like radar -- google it) is getting installed this week which means the place is pulled apart!  Holy smokes.....

David helping Wade pull wires through the boat

Topsy turvy doesn't even begin to explain what it looks like down here!

When the floorboards came up, they unearthed 12 years of dirt.  I, Miss Non-Mechanical, can clean anything!

We found a good luck penny from Trinidad in here :)

Not spotless, but much better!

Also on the non-mechanical to-do list was fixing the button on a cushion.  I have never seen a sewing needle this large, but by golly, it worked well -- and to think it wasn't even the largest one in the package!

Don't have a voodoo doll on board.....  

In the last couple days, David found a home for our new freezer and installed the great Australian grill off the stern.

The cockpit lazarette is HUGE and also serves as the new home for the freezer.

David has cooked one dinner and one breakfast on the grill and has dubbed it The Fire-breathing Dragon :)

We're still waiting for the cold front to move through, but for now, we're just having beautiful autumn weather.  Somehow, some Lake Michigan sand came along for the ride and fell out of my shoe.  Our new vacuum cleaner is quite comical -- looks and feels like a cheap plastic toy -- but it works great!  It was a whopping $19.99.  If the Easy Bake Oven had a mate, it would be this vacuum.

Hilarious, tiny vacuum.

Autumn on the Bay

Successful survey and sea trial!

We couldn't have asked for better weather for our survey and sea trial today at Tracy's Landing, MD.  As we suspected, Virginia Dare needs very little work before we set sail next month.  Bob, our surveyor, did a thorough job and David took notes, lots of notes.  Bob (different Bob :))and Christine, who have lived aboard and sailed her for the last three years, couldn't have been more helpful -- pointing out efficient ways to do this or that, telling us what works and what doesn't.  They are lovely people who are genuinely happy to be selling their beloved yacht to another couple eager to get cruising.

It's been a long day, preceded by a night of little sleep, so I'll leave you with some images from our day.

Haul out at Herrington Harbor North

It's not often that you can stand underneath the boat!

Virginia Dare on an Indian Summer afternoon

Sea trial on the Chesapeake Bay - gorgeous day

Friday afternoon and not a whole lot of traffic

Back at the marina, surveyor Bob was hoisted up for inspection of the mast and all her pieces and parts

Green and purple

Bow.  Anchor.