Sunday Summary #31

State No. 5 | Virginia

Hello ,

Welcome to Scho & Jo’s 31st Sunday Summary. This edition of the Sunday Summary was written aboard Pivot who is currently sitting in our 5th state of Virginia, at the free city dock in Portsmouth, as we journey around America's Great Loop.

Last Week.

Boat Projects. Our constant project is our boat and keeping her in good shape. This week our boat projects included the initial steps to fixing our swim platform, giving PIVŌT a good bath after all of the spray that was covering her windows, and cleaning the stainless steel handrails. One great side affect here with all this boat work is that it gives us a good workout!

Switching rolls. We understand it's vital for both of us to know how to do all the jobs so when an emergency situation hits us, we are prepared. Typically, Elliot is at the helm and navigates us from the dock while Jen takes care of the lines. This week Jen tried leaving the dock for the first time; the first time was not so great, but she tried again the next day and it went super well and is slowly gaining confidence in her abilities to navigate us from the dock. We learn new things and challenge ourselves on the daily.

We had anther first this week - going through a lock! We had the opportunity to go through two locks, one at each end of the Dismal Swamp. Both locks went successful without any major hick-ups, due to some good advice from other cruisers and very friendly lock masters.

The Land of Free Docks! We have been rejoicing with all of the free docks we've been able to take advantage of. In this last week, we were able to dock at 4 free docks, which saves us a lot of money and makes it really easy for us to take our dog, Ollie, out for walks.

The Great Dismal Swamp. The ICW branched into two routes when it came to the border of North Carolina and Virginia. Our friends aboard another boat highly recommended for us to visit the Great Dismal Swamp. We are so glad we took this route because The Great Dismal Swamp did not disappoint! It was an absolutely gorgeous landscape and we throughly enjoyed walking through the swamp ecosystem in the state park, even though the ticks were running rampent.

Virginia. We crossed into our 5th state of Virginia as we cruised along the Dismal Swamp Canal. It was a moment to celebrate as each major step causes us to reflect how far we've come from our starting point in small town Palatka, Florida.

"I learned to take on new things I'd never done before.

Growth and comfort do not coexist."

-Ginni Rometty

Vlogs.

Here are all the vlogs we’ve released since our last Sunday Summary:

• Vlog 119 - Goodbye An Urban Journey, Hello Scho and Jo

This Week.

We're finally in the Chesapeake Bay! Ever since we first learned about the specific destinations the Great Loop would bring us to, the Chesapeake Bay was high on our list for places we really wanted to check out. With its rich history and easy access via water, we knew we wanted to spend a decent amount of time in this part of the country before heading further north. We'll be exploring a few towns along the shoreline before meeting up with some friends.If you have any recommendations for us, please email us at [email protected].

Graditudes.

We’re so grateful for the opportunity to meet new people on our trip. At each location we travel to, we meet a handful of people with interesting stories. We met a husband and wife who were teachers in Florida and decided to take on the Great Loop with their son who's retired. This father and son also took off on a several months backpacking experience around Asia together. Or another who couple quit their jobs twice to go sailing. First they sailed around Mexico when they were in their 30's and the second time was with their son while he was in middle school. Now retired, they are exploring the east coast. They shared their wisdom and perspectives on various topics and we enjoyed listening while enjoying pizza aboard their catamaran. It's been these stories that have made the trip so memorable and unique so far. We've really enjoyed it!

Peace and love,Jenn + Elliot