It's blowing 20 to 38 knots at the moment and we are expecting the brunt of hurricane Sandy by 9 a.m. tomorrow morning. We have Abba on high volume to disguise the howling of the wind and all is good as we have spent the last day preparing Windspell for this "special event". It has been 10 days since we left  Yorktown where we took great advantage of all the historic sites and also did a successful repair of our anchor windlass and had a voluntary US Coast guard inspection which we passed with flying colours. In ten days we have have incredible varieties of experiences and made some  new friends. The photos will explain things well. We hope you don't get too badly effected by Sandy but feel free to join us if you need a safe place to stay....

We will keep you posted.

Donna and Walter

SV Windspell

It's a boat...another repair...a new windlass motor that hauls the anchor up.  It only took Walter 2 days of searching on the internet the entire USA to find one. Thank goodness for the internet;  we didn't have it 28 years ago, but then again, we didn't have an electric windlass.

Norfolk harbour-the largest naval base and busiest seaport in the world.  One of several US aircraft carriers.  To get an appreciation of the size of this ship, check the size of the guy standing on the deck  (LHS) .

Norfolk is mile 0 of the 1100 mile Intracoastal Waterway leading to Miami, Florida.   The first of numerous lift bridges we must pass under.

Entering the lock leading into the Dismal Swamp Canal.  We'll be lifted ten feet.

Dismal Swamp Canal

Sailing across Albermarle Sound to the Alligator River.  Mile 80.

Early morning start...entering the Albermarle-Pungo River canal

Morning mist on the canal

Side trip to Ocracoke Island on Pamlico Sound-the home of  pirate Blackbeard (alias Edward Teach).   

Bike rental to see the ponies of Ocracoke Island.-

DNA samples from the ponies indicate they are descendants of Spanish Mustang ponies- likely  from shipwrecks back in the 1600s.

Voted America's #1 beach for good reason...

We had some awesome body surfing waves 

Overturned horseshoe crab

Pelican in search of his supper

Shorebirds frolicking in the surf

Ocrocoke lighthouse, second oldest original and still functioning in   USA

Gazing inside up the spiral staircase of the lighthouse

We wonder how Hurricane Sandy will measure up...

Windspell stripped and spider strung on a floating dock in a hurricane hole at River Dunes up back creek off the Neuse River in Pamlico Sound    North Carolina