No sea, only sky

Listening to "Farther On Down The Road" by Taj Mahal

It's interesting getting a taste of what it will be like to live at anchor.  We left the marina in Oriental ten days ago and have been having a lovely time sailing and testing out various systems, however, we do not have our extra solar panels, the shore power cords, or the wind generators operational.  This means that we have been relying on the panels on the hard top, which are often shaded by the boom, and infrequent injections of power from the engine.  Most of the time we simply try to conserve power and direct usage where it is most needed.  Computer charging does not fall very high on this list.  

Today, however, has been lovely.  Sunny, crisp but mild, and a blazing sun that has allowed our little solar panels to shine...or rather soak up the shine.  My computer is humming happily and I'm eager to see what the world has been up to in our absence.

I had the most wonderful time while anchored in West Bay.  In general I greatly prefer to live at anchor as opposed to docked in a marina.  There is this connection with your surroundings that is somewhat lost once the boat is hobbled to a dock...she can't move freely and the natural rhythm is somewhat stifled.  It helped that we woke up to the most magical sight.  Calm waters that reflected the sky perfectly, and with a fog that obscured the land and made both Drake and I feel as though Paragon was floating on a cloud.  I cannot explain the wonder of our surroundings that morning as I looked in all directions and saw,  not water, but sky.  Sky everywhere!

It was as though we were anchored in the sky

The fog obscured the land and created this magical illusion

The days in West Bay also gave us a bit of time to decompress and change our tempo.  We were able to step back and spend some time together before heading on to Ocracoke.  

Sunrise on the morning we left West Bay for Ocracoke

May I just take this moment to say how very much I adore Ocracoke.  I have wanted to come here ever since I can remember, though for some reason or another we never made the trip.  Now that we are here it is everything I thought it could be and more.  I think the fact that it is the off season has even made it better.  Many businesses are closed, but those that are open are both glad to see you and have the time to step back and have a chat.  The whole village has a relaxed and sleepy atmosphere that is, I'm sure, quite different from the mad house it turns into during the summer tourist season.

Our arrival by sailboat has raised several eyebrows since January is not usually a popular month to hop in a boat and head out to the outer banks for a visit.  In fact, we were stopped the other day by a delightful gentleman, Rob,  who zipped through town in the vehicle of choice, a golf cart, and told us he wrote The Shipping News for the Ocracoke Current.  As he put it, he wrote about interesting people passing through, and just the fact that we were here in January must make us interesting.  You can read the article here: http://www.ocracokecurrent.com/53865

Now Drake and I have spent the days working on Paragon and exploring the island.  We walked up to the Ocracoke Lighthouse, visited the British Cemetery, purchased some cards at Books To Be Red, walked along the Springer's Point Preserve nature trail, and enjoyed a lovely meal at the Topless Oyster Restaurant.  I look forward to checking out more of this lovely island…

Anchored in Silver Lake on Ocracoke Island

The Ocracoke Lighthouse

Walking on the nature trail.  It's nice to be surrounded by such greenery

Dinner and drinks at The Topless Oyster Restaurant

Oysters Rockefeller and some Guinness while waiting for dinner

Freakin' frockin' fruckin'

Listening to "Chocolate Jesus" by Beth Hart & Joe Bonamassa

"Let's go to Ocracoke!" is a phrase that has escaped my lips on more than one occasion, yet we never seemed to go.  The weather doesn't cooperate, the tides are off, we don't get it together...you get the gist.  However, after being apart for a month, Drake and I wanted to spend a couple of days away.  Also, there was the ever present need to go on shakedown sails and *voilá* a trip is born.  

Before we started, however, there were a couple of things that needed attention, in particular the stern light.  It had stopped working ages ago and had consistently been swept aside under the guise of "we have much more important things to deal with" excuses.  However, we are now staring dead on at everything we have put on the back burner.  With two months (and counting!?!) before we leave, everything must be attended to immediately.  Since Drake was grinding fiberglass for the new battery supports, I was elected to tackle the job.

I believe I may have mentioned my extreme suspicion  when dealing with things that might kill me, such as electricity.  Clinging precariously to the stern while grounded on various metal railings and supports, I ruffle my feathers at the merest hint of electrocution.  After Drake assured me that my untimely death would most likely happen in another way entirely, and once my pointed silence complete with squinty eyes had been delivered, I got down to business.  

Taking the outer casing off I was pleasantly surprised to see that the bolt used to tighten down one of the wires attached to the light had completely come out and was rattling around in the bottom of the cover.  Crossing my fingers that this simple fix could be the answer to the nonworking light I grabbed my screwdriver and started to screw the bolt into the rather awkwardly placed hole.  

This is the point where I should have thought things through...instead I fumbled with this teeny teeny screw while perched on the railing halfway over the water.  Just as I began to think I should grab Drake for a second set of hands, I watched the bolt slip from my fingers and instantly disappear into the water.

"Oh Fuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuudge!!!"

But like my favourite Christmas movie, I did not say fudge.  My expletive of choice rang out across the water, startling a flock of seagulls and, I'm sure, endearing me even more to our lovely Canadian neighbors who most likely think I am embracing the swearing part of sailor more than the actual sailing.

I suppose it may be true that fortune favours fools, or maybe we simply have an amazing hardware store, but either way I was able to quickly replace the metric bolt that had taken a header into the water with the help of Paul.  I also purchased three extra bolts, just in case, AND taped a plastic bowl under the stern light as I replaced the fittings.  

Now we sit in an anchorage in West Bay where we just woke up to the most beautiful and calm morning that I have had the pleasure to see.  It's just shy of 70˚ and I think we might stay here for a couple of days before heading over to Ocracoke.  I can't wait…

Just anchored in West Bay

We sat in the cockpit and watched the beautiful sunset

The calm and misty morning