Delayed start

Ann, Elana, Benny and I were scheduled to head out on Sababa for a new 2 week adventure tomorrow on Sababa, when boating reality set in. Last week, we (meaning our mechanic) discovered a leak in hydraulic fluid in the starboard pod drive that requires a new part which can't be here until Tuesday. So, the earliest we can leave is Wednesday. We pushed our trip back a couple of days, and the plan is to load the boat Tuesday night and sleep aboard, and to head out at first light on Wednesday, assuming all goes well with the repair.

Engine connects to pod which determines propeller angle

We are headed to the Outer Banks of North Carolina where we have never vacationed before. The plan is to spend the first night in Crisfield, Maryland at a nice marina that I found there, which splits up the trip to Norfolk into two leisurely boating days. We could do Norfolk in one shot, but we'd rather go slow and enjoy the sites in the Bay. This also gives us a cushion if we have to change our plans due to weather or if the repair takes longer than expected.

From Baltimore to the Outer banks

From Crisfield, we'll head South to Norfolk and should have a day to explore that nice town. Friday morning we'll try to get a very early start for our trip through the ditch (meaning the Inter Coastal Waterway known as the ICW). We have a lock to pass through, and a drawbridge where we'll have to wait, so it can be a long day. We're going to try to make it all the way to Manteo that day by 5:00 pm, where we'll be picking up a jeep. We'll stay 5 nights and explore that area of the Outer Banks, including Corolla. Elana will leave us to fly home for work on our last day there.

Next we'll head to Hatteras where we'll spend 2 nights, before heading to Ocracoke. Finally, we'll head back via one night at Coinjock in the ICW, back to Norfolk and then Solomons or Harrington Harbor South, before arriving back home on July 24. That's how we're drawing this up. Experience tells us that due to weather, boat issues and other factors, we need to be flexible.

So, now we wait patiently and hope that the boat will be fixed as scheduled on Tuesday.