April 13, 2007 - Home to New Bern

ICW Heading South: Tom and I were up early this morning with a full day of travel planned to reach New Bern by tonight. Our first view on the water was a crew team speeding down the Chesapeake-Albemarle Canal with their caller in the transom. After a quick breakfast of cereal, and feeding the boat a healthy breakfast of 260 gallons of diesel fuel, we headed out. Today Tom and I enjoyed the progression of spring. Along the ICW you can see all the woods that are just turning the lightest shades of spring green. Each tree is really a different color. Atop many of the channel markers, there are marine birds nesting. When we were in Maryland, the birds were just building their nests, but when we reached North Carolina, you could see the tiny birds peeping out as you travel by. The sun is warm and sparking on the channel tide. Spring is coming.

We passed by Currituck on the Currituck sound and Coinjock on our way to the Albemarle sound. What was billed as the roughest leg of the Intracoastal Waterway turned out to be a easy run today. Tom found an oldies station on the radio, and we just cruised along to the music of the 60’s. When we when through Hobucken, we saw a line of shrimp boats with their huge wings that hold the nets. Many were sporting new coats of paint... it was spring for them too.

As we came into New Bern late this afternoon, it was such fun to see the skyline of the city including the four poster steeple of First Baptist Church where I grew up. I have a painting of that distinctive skyline over our piano in our living room at home. The huge new spaghetti bridge laces together all the shores of the intersection of the Neuse and Trent rivers in New Bern. We cruised under it and by Union Point with its happy gazebo and people out for the evening. Then we called to the tender of the old Trent River bridge to ask for him to open it for us. As it swung open, we could see the sun setting over the Trent River and it was beautiful. Bridge Point is our home marina and we have now docked, tied everything up, washed the windows, pulled up shore power, grilled steaks for supper, and discovered the wireless internet. Our Maiden Voyage is now complete, and we have built many new skills and renewed our love of the water and nature, the out-of-doors and each other. This trip is the beginning of the next thirty years... time to reflect on our accomplishments and to continue growing and becoming.