Where's Wally?

Hello everyone - did you miss me? Sorry to have been out of touch, it's been a busy two weeks, finishing off my writing chores and getting some work done on the boat. I now have a lovely new anchor roller (I know, real exciting stuff)....the fun part to installing it was that I'm too big to fit into the forepeak and so had to find someone tiny enough to do that part of the job. A friend of a friend, nicknamed 'Half Pint', helped me out. I am not kidding - Half Pint. And that's about the size he was.
So - where am I? Tonight I'm in Chesapeake City VA, at Great Bridge Bridge, right beside Great Bridge Lock. This is the Virginia Cut, which runs parallel to the Dismal Swamp Route, and is north of Currituck Sound and Albermarle Sound.

Tug moving naval warship in Norfolk Harbour

Had a great sail out of Hampton today, blew by the Norfolk Naval Base at around 5 - 6 knots, bright sunny day, but cold. It's been a while since I actually sailed the boat rather than powered, or motorsailed, it was a great feeling - especially as the waves were down, so the boat was really able to move along.
Faithful readers (and I don't mean those who went to church on Sunday, bless you!) will remember all the complaining I did about the weather coming through the Great Lakes - getting held up for two weeks in Tobermory with high winds, four days in Goderich, four more in Sarnia, then Hurricane Sandy....I've never had this much bad weather coming south ever.
So tell me why the weather, which has been pretty benign the last month or so, takes a turn for the nasty now that I'm underway again. Predictions for the day after tomorrow are 28 - 40 - and that's not the wind, it's the wave heights offshore. The wind, you just don't wanna know. I'll try to record the forecast tomorrow and post it for you, just so you can get an idea of what it's going to be like on the ocean.
It won't be like that here on the ICW of course, but it's still going to be cold and unpleasant, so rather than move on tomorrow, which would leave me holed up in a distant anchorage 20 miles from the nearest town for three days with 20 - 30 knot winds and gusts to 40, I'm going to remain here, tied to a nice solid dock, with internet and grocery stores, and wine stores, a convenient place to walk the puppy....  and heat! And protection from the wind, did I mention that?
For those who want more details on doing the ICW, check out my new Facebook page, SouthboundEscapeesAssociation, which is being written for those interested in taking their boats south from the Great Lakes. It's somewhat more technical than this blog, i.e. more detail oriented on the actual trip, but with my trademark® humour and wit! Did you expect any less?
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