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Leaving Florida, the ICW winds through marshland backed by woods or clumps of trees. Only occasionally did we see the Atlantic Ocean as we motored past river mouths, sounds and coastal inlets. At times we didn't see another boat for hours, but porpoises played in our bow wake as blue herons fished the water's edge. Other times we passed through small towns where beautiful and not-so-beautiful homes crowded the waterways. In this thousand mile stretch our first overnight stops were Thunderbolt, Ga, Beaufort and Charleston, SC. These towns are steeped in history and proudly feature museums, old colonial homes, churches with cemeteries, and Civil War military installations. We noticed a big increase in boat traffic as we came into North Carolina. We stopped and stayed a few days in Carolina Beach and Wrightsville because we could surf there. The waves were small and weak, but better than no waves at all. Moving north, we stopped in the Cape Hatteras area of the Outer Banks. After that, we navigated through Virginia to Norfolk, home of the largest shipbuilding industry. We spent over a week in Hampton, VA, waiting for good weather and enjoying a local festival. Next we entered the Chesapeake Bay where we encountered Hurricane Isabel at Point Lookout. After we recovered from Isabel we sailed up to Solomans Island, MD, where West Marine was sponsoring a Trawler Fest. While here, we visited the owner of Maiden (now Traveller) which was built by a friend, Jim Millett. Curt spent cruising time on Maiden in the Sea of Cortez and Washington, D.C. several years ago. During our stay in Solomans' the weather started turning cold, but we wanted to visit Annapolis before heading south for the winter. Annapolis is great and caters to sailboats. During our stay we rented a car and made the short drive to Washington, D.C., for the Library of Congress Book Festival. Here we saw several famous authors and politicians. People here are friendly and helpfull. Some gave us rides to stores while others let us borrow their cars! Most marinas don't have floating docks and you tie the boat to pilings instead of cleats. Many have fuel docks, internet access, small stores and, of course, water and power.
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