Part V - Key West to New York
The not so “dismal” Dismal Swamp
strong brew, but the Dismal brewed a comparatively thick swamp. Outlaw country provided the day’s sound track. The leaves, flowers, branches, twigs, stumps, and low flying birds were perfectly mirrored in the stagnant coffee water. I surprised myself in thinking that we should have slowed down. It felt rude to be plowing through even at 5mph. I didn’t want to miss anything. There was so much to look at… an abundance of living things. The swamp amazed me. It wasn’t dismal at all. I saw more life in those 22 miles than I had in a while: dragon flies the size of small helicopters, black flies the size of hummingbirds. I was more fascinated by a swamp than by the tropics, and started to feel slightly redneck. We did do one thing right that day by purchasing six bags of ice. We hugged the bags one at time and let the cold water drip to our feet. It was 101 degrees that day. The Chesapeake Bay marked our northerly progress. Distance between us and home felt closer than the distance between us and the Bahamas. Every day was a discussion, whether or not we should turn around. We kept moving north and kept wondering if it was the right direction. Some days I felt like a princess. Louise was my palace and we explored America in royalty. Some days I felt like a homeless person whose sole purpose was to seek food and shelter. The weather in the Chesapeake Bay was equally as confused as us gals. Like our moods, constantly changing and unpredictable, it evolved every half hour. It must have been the Chesapeake Bay’s “Time of month.”
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pg 14-21 Whole 9 Yards.indd 7
Repainting the bottom. Boat yard life in Oriental, NC Out with the old, in with the new
Cruising Outpost 19
7/29/15 2:45 PM