St. Augustine educated me in more ways than history during our five days there. Our experiences caused me to reflect and appreciate the natural ebb and flow of friendships. In Part 1, I shared how enriched our visit became when we reconnected with a former customer and industry friend. So here’s Part 2, which was… Continue Reading
St. Augustine was simply amazing. From the moment we arrived, we were swept back in time by its rich history while being warmed daily by the vibrancy of this City of Lights. We did not have time or opportunity to visit everything, which just means that we’ll be back on our way north next spring. But… Continue Reading
As cruisers along the ICW, we typically have three possibilities for “spending the night.” In descending order of cost, we can 1) take a slip in a marina, averaging $1-$3 per foot, per night (Belle Bateau is 50’ overall, so that’s $50-$150/night), 2) pick up a mooring ball, for $20-$30/night on average, or 3) anchor,… Continue Reading
My sister Joy once commented that listening to Dudley and me talking on our sailboat was similar to hearing a foreign language. Until she mentioned it, I had been so intent on learning sailor jargon over the years that I hadn’t really thought about what it may sound like to non-boaters who join us for… Continue Reading
When Belle Bateau departed Baltimore on October 19, we were hailed on Channel 16 (on the VHF radio) three times within a few hours. That’s quite a lot actually. On the Chesapeake, days of sailing could pass without anyone hailing us. But on Day 1, we heard “Belle Bateau, Belle Bateau, this is X” three… Continue Reading
What makes headlines in the nightly news can take days to reach us on the water. More often than not, we only hear about horrific events, like the terrorist attack in Paris or yet another mass shooting, because a friend posts something on FaceBook. Which then prompts us to google to find out what’s happening… Continue Reading
Whoever first coined “patience is a virtue” must have been a sailor. It seems as though we are often practicing patience as we wait, and wait, and wait some more. We wait for the right weather window. We wait for the tides to rise. We wait for the bridges to open. We wait for big… Continue Reading
After days of not having to live and breathe by tides and winds, we prepared ourselves for leaving the snug slip on Hilton Head Island to continue south into Georgia, while being mindful that tides are 8-10 feet in these parts. And since we had visited Savannah by car over the weekend, we decided to… Continue Reading
Prior to this sailbatical, I delighted in serendipities: bumping into a friend at the airport, making a new client during a chat at the hair salon, and stumbling upon a favorite rock tune that held the answer to that day’s challenge. Some synonyms for serendipity include chance, fate, luck, and coincidence. I prefer other synonyms,… Continue Reading
When we chose to begin our 7-month cruise, one of the first things I wondered about was where we’d be spending Thanksgiving and Christmas. I can count on one hand the times I’ve been “away from home” as an adult for either of those holidays. And because we have been properly educated by sailing friends,… Continue Reading
Cheryl Duvall and Dudley Whitney
3 Church Circle, Unit #138
Annapolis, MD 21401
cherylduvall@mac.com
dudleywhitney1@comcast.net