Two-Dozen Day Sails

In sight of the dock

I'm eyeing the chart, the calendar, cold fronts and Nadine, searching for two dozen day sails that will take me the seven hundred miles from Norfolk to Jekyll Island, GA.

I need to arrive in time for the holidays while keeping Sweet Pea well ahead of the frost line and totally away from those storms with names. What a pleasure to contemplate.

When I was a boy, sailing on small lakes in Oklahoma, there was plenty of wind but it was hard to go far. Other than exploring Elmer Thomas Lake's one crooked arm, I would mostly zig-zag in sight of the dock and dream of someday voyaging so far that I couldn't see where I started.

Two-dozen day sails should just about do it.

I sometimes hear cruisers complain about the chore of doing the ICW ditch or the boredom of miles of low country salt marsh. I can understand that feeling but don't share it.

I'm looking forward to the luxury of cruising in protected waters, spiced by an occasional daylight dash on the outside. With any luck I'll be able to sail a good part of the way, leaving each morning's anchorage well out of sight.

Hello mile zero, goodbye Chesapeake.