We did it. We actually did it. We got underway today at about 1515 and we are now passing the Potomac.

We had hoped that if everything fell into place that we could get out by 3 PM today so that we could be in Norfolk for the post rush-hour bridge openings. And things fell into place. We were able to get our work done and the canvas arrived as promised so we now have a full enclosure which is beautiful. We are sitting here inside our dark sun room. But, we have the generator running and a space heater going so even though it is cold outside it is comfortable in here.

We will share the duties through the night napping as we can and then plan to catch a good night's sleep tomorrow night in Coinjock, NC. We should be able to make it there by mid afternoon.

Leaving today seemed like such a normal event that its significance was overcome by the routine of getting the boat out of the slip. This was the culmination of years of planning and a solid year of work with several months of work by the guys at Oxford Boatyard and me. I will detail all the work that went on to document it and offer insight to anyone else who may want to follow.

We have now left on the trip of our lives and maybe for the rest of our lives. From here, it is where the wind blows. We have a few plans right now. Our first stop is Cherry Point, MCAS, NC to visit my son and his family, Then on to JAX Florida to drop stuff into our storage and then on to my daughter's in Orlando for Christmas. From there we go farther south and we plan to be in the Keys at Marathon to visit with some friends who will be there for 2 weeks in February at their timeshare.

After that? We'll see. But, we need to make it through the night.