Work Hard, Play Hard
We found our groove from Beaufort, NC to Hampton, VA! It's so hard to find the right balance of maintaining the boat, getting where you need to go, and making sure that you enjoy it along the way. Maybe for most people that's not as difficult as I make it sound, but after 20 years in the Navy, always maintaining a strict schedule, and having a list of things adding up, I'm still working on slowing down and re-learning how to enjoy life. This portion of the trip, I think I finally started understanding how to do just that.
At Town Creek Marina in Beaufort, NC we were welcomed by an awesome staff, a cozy town, and REALLY good food. Whether on the ICW or popping in from the ocean side, you should stop here and relax for a day or two. The marina has everything you need plus a courtesy car so you can zip down to the grocery store or parts store without having to walk or catch a bus. But the real star of the show was the City Kitchen restaurant atop the marina building where we enjoyed a decadent meal and I had the best dessert in a long time!
After some scrubbing of the deck to keep in shape and maintain my sailor qualifications, we turned north again to round the Outer Banks with smooth seas and just enough wind to get us to Hampton during daylight (the best way to arrive somewhere new).
After we rounded Cape Lookout (the cape that juts very far SSE from the Outer Banks), we decided it was time for some relaxation where we went for a swim in the ocean then stayed cool in the shade while playing cribbage. Of course, Darrin ended up winning the unofficial tournament. Holly and I each won a couple times throughout the trip, but Darrin's expertise is unmatched on Bliss! Then we were lucky enough to have some dolphins join us for a bit, playing in our bow wake and checking us out.
I always imagine that the earth is like a zoo. Yes, we enjoy going to zoos and looking at all of the beautiful, intelligent creatures, but at the same time, they are watching us, wondering what we are thinking, and why we smell so funny. I bet dolphins are the same way. When they hear a boat in the water, they probably look at each other and say, "let's go check them out and play for a bit!" When they show up, we say, "yay, let's go watch them and see what they do!" I guess it just depends which side you are on, but I think it's just as exciting for each side!
Once we arrived to Hampton, VA, we met the most amazing people who we've continuously run into on later adventures. Believe it or not, there were three boats with three different Steves on it! Steve and Beth (pictured below) are on SV Toodaloo, and Steve and Cindy (sadly not in this picture) are on Sailing Sonder. Then of course, my Aunt Joy and her friend, Mom, Holly, Darrin, and me.
In a tiny city dock, behind a parking garage, in a little river next to a brewery, we made memories and formed relationships that would normally take much longer if you weren't all living life with similar goals. This is where I finally realized that I'm on the right path and this life is amazing. Later, Steve, Beth, and I had an interesting conversation about how quickly sailors can make deep connections and lasting friendships in extremely short amounts of time. I'm not totally sure what makes it happen but I think it's because we have a common goal, live, laugh, suffer, and help each other out but all in a condensed version because unfortunately we usually have to leave for another port. So what do we do? Cram it all in! And most importantly, we do it without a TV or phones in front of us. We do it old school, looking at each other and sharing deeply personal experiences.
To all of you who we've met along the way:
I can't wait to see you again, and I hope we all meet somewhere tropical so we can put our feet in the sand, sip a painkiller, and catch up on our adventures. Love you all!
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