Travel Day 6 - Shiloh to Belhaven, NC

     Up before first light and underway by 6 AM.  The headlamp has proven very useful for hoisting the anchor or any other chores needing to be done in the dark.  Great lighting in area needed as well as hands free for needed tasks. The camp tent light is perfect for the cockpit, illuminating the entire cockpit.  It will be a long day.
     PEKABU was the first to leave the anchorage.  The winds were 10-15 from the aft.  With the jib, he was able to keep up a steady and great speed in the mid 8's (mph).  However, it wasn't enough to catch up with the tug and barge as well as a larger power boat that was a mile ahead. Plus, it took additional time to pull in the jib.  Once the rough the bridge, the barge was a good 2+ miles ahead. Since the barge is slower than PEKABU, it would slow Pete travel in the Alligator Pongo (AP) Canal.  As it turns out, the current was with PEKABU heading south in the AP Canal.  He had to pass the tug and barge while in the confines of the canal.  Thankfully, he did so with no problems.  There was also another barge, north bound, that passed him further south.
          At 4 pm, Pete put the engine in idle so he could participate in a conference call.  The current was enough to keep him traveling south, but the slow speed also permitted the slower boats behind him to catch up and pass him.
    During one of our conversations today, Pete observed that the boat definitely seems faster than the past few years.  It could be all that weight we removed from on board and put into storage, or it might be the new paint.  Whatever the cause, it is great to be traveling more quickly!
    Since Debi's treatment was postponed this week,  I took advantage to visit with my friend, Carolyn, for the weekend. It is a great time to catch up.  The ride took about 2 hours and the closer I got to the Delaware River, the prettier the scenery became.  The roads were windy through the trees that were getting to into their full color.  It was a shame that there was nowhere to safely stop to photograph. Maybe I will get lucky on the way home. We caught dinner at Umberto's over in Doylestown.
     Pete finally dropped anchor around 8 PM on the southern area of the anchorage in Belhaven, away from the other boat traffic. After dinner and a shower, he was reading in bed when I called to say 'Good Night!"

~ ~ ~ /) ~ ~ P & K