Another little update on Ambition's progress back to Lake Champlain. After our arrival in Beaufort NC, we spent a few days visiting friends and exploring New Bern NC, an absolutely delightful old southern town. It was the capital of the "Carolina's" prior to the division into North and South Carolina. They have done a remarkable job of retaining and restoring all the period homes and shops in pristine condition. We checked out the 'Chemist Shop" where Pepsi Cola was invented - interesting that it took a chemist to create it - what is in that stuff???
Rather than sail in the ocean around Cape Hatteras, - not a particularly inviting spot - another graveyard of the Atlantic - we opted to take the Intra costal Waterway to Norfolk VA via the Alligator River and the Great Dismal Swamp Canal - spectacular! This canal starts by winding its way up the Pasquotank River past Elizabethtown then becomes an arrow straight canal where the trees almost touch over our heads - if we wander too far to the side antenna and mast head instruments would most certainy hit the branches. It is 1 1/2 days to clear the canal and arrive in Norfolk - a shock as we still are running on Bahamas time - then Southern time and we drop into one of the largest US Naval bases complete with the swarms of police and Homeland Security vessels. Just to top off the "return to civilization", Cindy and I leave Ambition tied in a tiny ferry landing in downtown, get all dressed up (as best boat people can in my case) and take in a dinner theater to watch the new Star Trek movie!
Next stop is a long motor up the Chesapeake and through the fields of crab pots - wrapping floats around the propeller would not be pleasant - and into Annapolis where we took the day to visit with some dear friends and reprovision the boat. WOW driving a car in traffic, at highway speeds for the first time in 5 months is an exciting experience!!!! HOLD ON!
This morning we leave Annapolis for the C&D Canal that joins the top of the Chesapeake to the Deleware River. We will run down the river to Cape May NJ, on to Atlantic City and NYC before heading up the Hudson River and Lake Champlain Canal. Ambition along with her now very prominent brown moustache and waterline, from playing in the brown waters, should be home by the end of May.
We are so looking forward to catching up with everyone!
Cheers,
Cindy and Merrill
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