Our First Squall!!!

Believe it or not Bruce and I experienced our first squall. I would rate it second to the tornado we had experienced last season. Yesterday(4-21-09) we did 90 miles (the current was nice to us) so we would be in a good position to cross the Albermarle Sound in NC. This Sound can get very nasty if the winds are from the west. Of course we checked our weather for this morning and figured if we left at the crack of dawn, as usual, we would be able to get across the twelve miles of the sound before the wind picked up. The winds have been very calm in the morning and the forecast for the afternoon is when they were suppose to pick up. This was not to be!! About four miles into the trip Bruce said, "we are going to get hit with a storm", so we got the head sail down just in time. The winds picked up and the rain came down. We saw gusts to 42 miles an hour. I don't think we have ever seen that in our five years of traveling. Bruce wasn't sure he should tell me how high the winds had gotten, but I was glad to hear they were only 42 miles because I was thinking they were about a bazillion miles an hour. My kayak flipped over but is tied to the boat, but my paddle and a spare bumper that were in the kayak went overboard. The cover on the dinghy was blown partially off and the straps holding the dinghy secure, let lose and we lost one of those. We heard the coast guard annouce severe weather moving through with gusts to 30. Yeah right!! I wanted to call and inform him they were more like 40.
Our speed was only between one and two miles an hour and we had the Sound and twenty more miles to go to get to Elizabeth City NC. We decided to turn around and go into a marina where we had just fueled. There was a Canadian boat we had talked to and his wife was glad we came back. Sitting here secured at the dock we can hear the wind howling away and several other boats have come in. I think we made the right decision. Besides we have free WiFi and real showers. Sorry no pictures but I was too busy holding on to get the camera. Besides, how do you get a picture of gale force winds.

Forced March home!!!

Arcadia is moving north as fast as she can!!! We've been doing around 70 miles a day. Unfortunatly, the weather gets colder the more north we go. There were a couple of chilly mornings when I didn't want to get out of my cozy bed. If I wait for my morning hot flash, which are getting few and far between (so I can't depend on them) I can jump out of bed, get dressed and by the time I cool down my morning routine is done and I am ready for the day. Bruce would be up at 5 am. Anywhere from 5:30 to 7:30 I would hear the motor start and the chain from the anchor hitting against the boat. I felt a little guilty not helping, but then again, I always cook the dinner.

Today we went past Camp LeJeune in NC. The Firing Range can be closed for an hour if they are firing across the ICW. A military vessel would block the ICW. Today was the first time in the six years we've gone past, that we saw anything going on. There were three armored personnel carriers that were going across the ICW. I thought they were going to prevent us from going north but they just waved at us and waited for us to pass.

Today the weather was nasty so we only went 40 miles. During my turn at the helm the rain and winds arrived. Yuck!!! At least it wasn't cold and I had my foul weather gear on and only my feet got wet. We decided to go to a marina because the weather is suppose to bad tonight. More rain, wind and possibly hail. Things are pretty uneventful at this point in our trip, and hopefully it stays that way.