Gradulation Day...

Well, today was the day..... say goodbye to the security of Atlantic Yacht Basin, our friends Chuck and Kelsey (who handled our purchase of Buster) and sail out into the unknown. Wait, let me back up a few days...

We arrived in the afternoon of June 28 and spent the following two days getting provisions for our upcoming trip. We went through all of the cupboards and spaces to familiarize ourselves with everything that Ken and George left for us. We visited Bed Bath & Beyond to get every last thing we would possibly need to personalize our new boat. Finally, Buster was feeling like our boat.

We've gone through all of the systems just to make sure we would know what to do. But wait, do we really head out on a busy 3 day weekend on a new boat, in a new area? We pondered for awhile and Chris did maneuvering drills to make sure we could land once we took off! We took a deep breath, said our goodbyes and headed towards the opened arms of Great Bridge draw bridge which opens every hour, on the hour. Wait, is that a fuel tanker coming this way right behind us? We are on the Inter-coastal Waterway after all. Of course it is.... coming up FAST and of course, having the right of way, we let is pass ahead of us.... OF COURSE! It had to go into the Great Bridge locks alone (carrying fuel that is a must) so we waited our turn along with 2 sail boats to get into the locks after motoring our way under the opened bridge. OK, let me back up again.... did I mention that we've never negotiated a draw bridge or a lock? Not really a big deal, but it just added to the items on the list "new" for us. And, we were looking at the list handed us before we left of all of the bridges that we needed to pass under or wait until they were opened. Two of the upcoming draw bridges were closed to boat traffic until after rush hour. We called ahead on our radio for instruction and just assumed that we would have to wait the 2 hours until the bridge was ready to open again. Well, it was our lucky day. We hit the last bridges at low tide and could clear without these bridges opening! We went slow just in case we had to back up at the last second. I stood outside just to make sure and yes, we did clear them both. We looked over our shoulders as the two sailboats just sat there watching us take the lead....


So, today was graduation day. Our new boat in a new part of the country where we know nothing and lots of new experiences. Buster is great and so is her new captain! She is being very patient with us and helping us along the way.....

We ended up in Portsmouth, VA and it's just lovely and very historic. The old historic district is right next to the marina and we took a stroll around town this evening. Tonight we are enjoying sitting out on the back deck watching the lights from Norfolk across the water on the Elizabeth River. It's warm with a cool breeze and life is good.