Body in the Water!

Yikes! The coast guard was hailed on the radio today by a boat that found a dead body in the water. The boaters reported that there was an anchor strapped around the body! Double yikes!! (Norm was off the bridge when this came over the radio - initially, he thought I was making it up. But really, life is just as entertaining as fiction.) The coast guard tried to get the boaters to haul the body on board, but the boaters were a bit resistant. The coast guard said their ETA was over 2 hours to get to the body, so asked the boaters to stay there and tie a float to the body if it started sinking. Ick, ick, ick. Personally, I wouldn't be touching it. We immediately took turns at watch for pirates or worse....the mafioso. And Norm just finished reading a book about the mafia, so he was especially vigilant on watch. Fortunately, all we saw were sea gulls and crab trap buoys all the way to Manteo, NC on the Outer Banks.

Aside from the reported "hit", this was a truly wonderful voyage today. The air was a crisp 67F, the winds were calm and the seas in the Albemarle Sound were less than one foot. There were a good number of crab traps though after we left the Intracoastal Waterway.

This is our first time to Manteo. Actually, this is our first time to the Outer Banks. Our friends Bob and Stephanie aboard September Song recommended it to us. And, we had a nice warm welcome from the marina staff and fellow Defever Cruiser Dave Stormont, who lives not far from here with his wife Penny. They keep their boat here at the same marina. We plan to get together later with Dave, then with he and Penny tomorrow. Our location today:

http://maps.google.com/maps/ms?ie=UTF8&hl=en&msa=0&ll=35.909734,-75.668169&spn=0.652902,1.668549&t=h&z=10&msid=102224145462847302635.00047676e91bfe9b4a084

The Leaves are Turning

It was another Monday night of Dancing With the Stars. That's two in a row - a record for this season. The ratty lounge at the Atlantic Yacht Basin had a television - miraculously, no Monday night football fans showed up to commandeer the TV. Ten competitors left - Vicki is rooting for Donny Osmond. Mya also looks like a tough competitor. And, yes, Norm did partake of the viewing even though he's not a fan of the show (wink, wink).

Heading to Coinjock. The prime rib is reserved. It's a pretty cruise in the ICW - the leaves are starting to turn color. We'll arrive around 2pm - time to do some laundry and cleaning.

During the recent rainy spell Vicki worked days on the computer to ready two applications for health insurance. She submitted them yesterday and should receive a response within the next month. One company wanted health history from the last five years, the other one wanted the last ten years! Fortunately, her medical records are onboard, but it was still a grind to sift through them. And she's been healthy!

Our New Location: Coinjock, NC.

http://maps.google.com/maps/ms?ie=UTF8&hl=en&msa=0&ll=36.350216,-75.949892&spn=0.002536,0.006518&t=h&z=18&msid=102224145462847302635.00047662b6a7f2b3220a5

A Short Run Through US Navy-Land

First, our new location:Just click on the link below. It will take you to Google Maps and a "balloon" will mark our exact GPS location. Sometimes the map shows up too close and sometimes too far. So, just use the zoom (+) and (-) buttons on the left side to zoom in or out as necessary. We like to zoom out to see where we are in a bigger picture. Also, sometimes the screen shows up as a "MAP" view and sometimes as a "SATELLITE" view. We like the satellite view best, but both are good.

http://maps.google.com/maps/ms?ie=UTF8&hl=en&msa=0&t=h&ll=36.723338,-76.233659&spn=0.020192,0.052142&z=15&msid=102224145462847302635.00047652181b71bd6b218

It was a short cruise today. Due to the lock at Great Bridge VA closing for parts of the day and the boat traffic backup, we decided to wait out the "jam" and leave Portsmouth early afternoon. We also decided to use a marina tonight because the temps were going to 41F. OR, was it because Vicki didn't want to miss her favorite TV program--"Dancing With The Stars"?

Passing through the Norfolk Harbor is always a treat. It's a huge seaport with big Navy war ships being maintained. We always see old aircraft carriers, guided missile frigates, hospital ships and various cargo and troop transport vessels.

Because of the Navy presence and the commercial port; and also because there are a half dozen bridges, locks etc to open on a tight schedule, we have to stay quite focused. We time our cruise to "jive" with the openings; and, that is sometimes not easy. Anyway, we completed the short 13-mile run today averaging just under 5 mph--that's good! Here are some more shots of Norfolk Harbor.

Again, we have davit-envy. I'm beginning to know what it must be like to be Doug on Gypsies in the Palace. This "davit" is bigger than the davit on Tide Hiker (see ours at the bottom of the photo). Ours is rated for 900 Lbs. I'll bet anyone that that big one in the Navy Shipyard is at least double that!!

Do you think they do any real heavy lifting in this ship yard?