DAYS 303-304 : CROSSING OUR WAKE & HEADING HOME

Tangier Island to Bennet’s Creek (Pawpaw Hollow): 8.7 mph; 51.4 miles; 5:53 hours

Bennet’s Creek to Our Dock: 9.1 mph; 48.3 miles; 5:17 miles






We officially crossed our wake on Sunday, April 17, 2022
The words needed to express how we felt/feel are hard to find; I guess you can tell because it has taken more than a week to write this. We felt elated and sad. We questioned, what will we do now?! How will we blend back into our lives on land? Do we want to blend back in? Imagine all those emotions at once. It was a pretty tough moment.

This was a trip Jim Beck had talked about forever. He has given me everything so I took the jump and acted as first mate. Jim Beck is my best friend, my love, my captain, and I would start over in a heart beat … what an incredible experience.


 

Levi was a trooper and rode the Bay like a seasoned salty pro; what a cool kid, not one complaint about the waves that were 4 feet with the random 5- and 6-footer tossed in for fun.


We crashed Easter Dinner with a few Ballards - fun family. Cindy and Robert lent their lines and opened their home to us. How wonderful are our friends?! It was fun to laugh about some of our memories and the ‘tricky’ days on the Mississippi River. We also had the chance to meet the newest member of their family. 

The next day, Cathy and Jimmy Olson were waiting on the dock, in the rain, to greet us with champagne! We really missed them. Sara had taken very good care of the house and I didn’t need to lift a finger. Pearson kept the house running and yard tidy - it was such a relief to have it all clean, neat, and welcoming.


Brian Ballard and Dan-O prepared an incredible lamb dinner for us and we laughed all night. We had many a’happy hour with Brian via FaceTime during our trip so to have one in person was special. I always love seeing Dan-O - the last of the giants who walk among us who kept us safe when we had no idea there was threat.


The Curry’s gathered everyone else for a welcome home party. The Creek people, our community, are special people because we accept each other unconditionally. Do we each have annoying quirks? Sure, who’s perfect? That never stops us from having fun, boating, and being there for one another. 


Jim and I are clearly 'out of party-shape' with this crew; it was a surprise to everyone when, true to new-form, the sun went down and we were ready for bed.


What a trip.



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