A little change in our plans.....

Yulp, a little change in our plans. There are a couple of snags, actually. Remember the uncooperative anchor windlass? It's still uncooperative. It's gotten worse with each use. Luke has replaced the circuit breaker, but that wasn't the problem. We're still working on the solution, possibly a new windlass. The windlass is what we use to let down and bring up the anchor each time we stop for the night, so it's essential. We can't do it manually, as the anchor "rope" is actually chain that weighs 1 lb/ft and the anchor itself weighs 45 pounds. Even with 20 feet of chain vertical, that's about 70 lb to haul up hand over hand -- that we'd really rather not do every morning.

And, Luke has a meniscus tear in his right knee. He first noticed it right before we left Deltaville, but hoped it was only a strain, sprain, etc. An MRI here at Morehead City, NC confirmed the diagnosis of a complex tear of the meniscus, plus leaking, and an associated cyst that is causing swelling and pain. Luke isn't in much pain, just a popping sensation in the knee and a dull ache at times. Both the orthopedic group here and his orthopedic doctor back in Roanoke recommend the repair at this time, as there could be consequences if he waits. It should be a simple orthoscopic procedure which will allow him to put weight back on the knee the same day of surgery, no stitches, no crutches. But he does need a 7-10 day recuperative period. The surgery is scheduled for Dec 24, which means we should be leaving Morehead City and continuing our journey south by early in the first week of January. We are still looking for a place to stay during those weeks.

Right now we are docked, at no charge, at the Sanitary Seafood Restaurant in Morehead City. The restaurant is closed for the season. This is apparently THE place to eat in Morehead City during the tourist season! We appreciate the free dockage- it gives us great access to the town.

It's ok for now, but has no water fill ups or electricity. Both will be important if we are to be here for almost 3 weeks, so we are looking for a better solution. Hopefully we can find a marina where we can keep the boat. We have a couple of possible solutions.

So... where IS that lemonade stand! We're sure it's here; just need to locate it. Well, Wickie has located it...but he's quite easy to please...

Actually, the orthopedic group seems quite good and the weather, while mostly foggy and drizzly so far, isn't nearly as cold as further north. It's back to my roots - Christmas and New Years in North Carolina!