Making Lemonade

Bonner Bay to Belhaven  |  4 Hours  |  27 Miles  

Following yesterday's sporty passage and knowing a strong Nor'easter was barreling down on us, a calm morning was an unexpected surprise. Two sets of gentle ripples converged off our stern to create and interesting pattern in the water as the sun rose over the trees. Glenda captured Crossroads basking in morning's orange glow. The second surprise of the day took place an hour later when Barry informed me The Plan for today had changed. The New Plan was to leave at 10:00 and take advantage of this calm weather to ride out the blow further north. My slow and easy morning pace suddenly transitioned to get 'er done mode. Breakfast, workout, and shower were all completed with minutes to spare. On deck at 9:45, I quickly discovered my third surprise. All 125 feet of anchor chain was coming up coated in a thick, black mud. The chain looked like it was encased in a rubber hose. Inch by inch, and foot by foot, I washed the mud off the chain. Then I washed down the deck before finally re-washing myself.

It was a gorgeous morning and the Pamlico River could not have been much smoother. Bright sun, dark blue sky, white billowing clouds, and a light breeze made for an enjoyable ride. We led the way giving me another opportunity to get a few shots of Paradigm Shift. The final one came as they turned off to their anchorage in Pungo Creek.

We continued a short distance further north to the Belhaven anchorage we have visited many times before. We welcomed the opportunity to get off the boat and walk around as much as weather permits. We quickly lowered the dinghy and set off on our errands. First stop was to fill up the dinghy's gas tank. We then moved over and tied to the town dinghy dock. From there we set out on the Food Lion 5k -- a 3.1 mile round trip. The trip back was a bit more challenging as both of our backpacks were full of the usual items needed to carry us through the anticipated five-day weather delay. Seeing Crossroads at the end of the road was just as sweet as the sight of any finish line. 

We chatted with a few Loopers on the dock as the sky continued to darken. Rain was visible in the distance as we returned to Crossroads. The clouds continued to deliver a dramatic performance in every direction.

Back onboard, I got to work trying to fit our purchases into the refrigerator. It took a while and a little repackaging, but everything found a home. Thunder rolled and by 6:00 it was raining. There are two sailboats here with us to ride out the blow. It is strange to look out and not see Paradigm Shift as we have traveled with them for the last three weeks. It will also be strange in the morning to not hear Cooper's sweet "good morning" bark. We'll meet up once again when the weather clears and we continue on our journeys home together. Mother Nature has given us quite a few lemons this trip. Once again, we'll try to make some tasty lemonade in response.