19 May 14

We were up early to get ready for our short trip to visit our new boating buddies, Charlie and Anita - “Raison d’être” (we met them a few weeks in Elizabeth City, NC and travelled together through the Dismal Swamp) - who live in Kilmarnock, VA. We pumped out the holding tanks and left the dock about 10:30. The wind was fair, but light, so we had a nice motor-sail down the Rappahannock River, followed by a nice sail on a close reach after we turned the corner at Windmill Point and headed NW to Indian Creek. Charlie was waiting for us at the docks behind his house on Pitman’s Cove when we pulled in about 14:30; they keep their boat right behind their house - that’s the way to do it. “5:00 o’clock somewhere” was summarily declared and we had a lovely afternoon catching up, reminiscing and getting to know each other better. Charlie BBQ’d some chicken breasts on the grill.

20 May 14

Anita and Charlie start each day with a brisk 2 mile walk, so we joined them, after which Anita prepared an excellent breakfast for us. We whiled away the morning, then went to the Tides Inn Marina on Carter Creek for lunch, followed by the tri-city tour (Kilmarnock, Irvington and Whitestone, VA), including a visit to Christ Church, established in the mid-1600’s. Charlie’s family is from the area and he can trace his lineage to way before the Revolutionary War, so we got to see some of the old family homes and graveyards. We had soft-shelled crabs and the Rappahannock Oyster Co, on the banks of the Rappahannock River, of course.