Under way, making progress.

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We left Charleston April 17 with a fresh SW breeze. Having dodged a few racing fleets that view even large freighters as a nuisance and are sure they own the channels😊 We made Beauford, NC in two days. Enjoyed a really nice town and the old beautifully restored waterfront. April 21 we quit the town and motored three hours with the wind on our nose to Cape Lookout bight where we anchored in total solitude and went ashore to see the old lighthouse, walk the wide dune-lined beaches, watch the birds and wild horses. Then with the right weather we braved rounding Cape Hatteras within 6 miles offshore. We made it in two days to Hampton Roads but the second night had some nasty weather for us. In spite of the forecast 12-15 knots we got steady 24-25 gusting to 28. Double reefed main and the staysail carried us through but Natalya did not care to look outside. It was a washing machine! When we finally arrived to the marina and crushed into bed we slept for 16 hours straight! Well Norfolk and surrounded Portsmouth, Newport News, Jamestown and Hampton offer tons of museums and sites to see, to learn, to take in and we decided to extend our stay here for a few days. I also need to re-tune the rigging, to do some maitenance and Sunday we should be ready to proceed up the Chesapeake.

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