Dear Family and friends,
      For those of you that don't already know, Mary and I are back in North 
Carolina renewing ties with all of our friends and family that live in this 
area. Let me tell you that While we really, really enjoyed our time on the 
boat visiting new and exciting places, there really is no place like home. To 
be able to pick up a telephone and call whomever you want whenever you want 
is a real treat. To be able to walk into any department store, grocery store 
or hardware store and be able to buy what you want at a reasonable price is 
also a good thing. We, as Americans, take these things for granted and if 
they don't have what we want we bitch and moan about there being "no service" 
or high prices. We really need to take a good close look at how good we have 
it and try not to be so short tempered when we don't get what we want. For 
those of you that really know me I know this sounds funny coming from a guy 
who does have somewhat of an explosive temper but I am getting better the 
older I get.....really!
      The last week of travels that Mary and I experienced were some of the 
most intense miles that we have traveled in the past five months. We crossed 
the gulf stream in record time when we left the Bahamas and came into port at 
Ft. Pierce, Fla. The gulf stream gave us a pretty big boost when we turned 
North towards the Florida coast. We cleared customs in Ft. Pierce by 
telephone. It was a piece of cake. We left Ft. Pierce and headed for St. 
Augustine with a stop over in New Smyrna Beach. We spent the 4th of July in 
St. Augustine as well as the 5th. We jumped outside at St. Augustine and 
sailed for 25 hours straight until we reached Beaufort, SC. From Beaufort we 
stayed inside on the intracoastal water way until we got to Georgetown, SC. 
From Georgetown we left at 1:00 AM to take advantage of the out going tide 
and then sailed outside again for 17 hours until we got to Wilmington, NC and 
good old Carolina  Beach. Let me tell you that the last leg from Georgetown 
to Wilmington was particularly nerve wracking because of having to sail 20 
miles from the harbor to the sea buoy in the pitch black dark with no radar 
and a fleet of shrimp boats coming in at the same time. Trying to follow the 
lighted channel markers and not hitting the unlighted ones is a challenge let 
me tell you. We made it and sunrise never looked so good. Neither did the 
sight of "Old Baldy" the light house on Bald Head Island. Presently, Mary and 
I are staying with our friends Kathy and Terry Baker and have scheduled 
several "layovers" at various friends houses during the next few days. 
Hopefully we will be making a quick trip to the mountain cabin next week to 
touch base with our friends there and then back to Raleigh for the rest of 
July and the first week or two of August while our son Wayne comes home to 
visit. I just want all of you on this mailing list to know how much I have 
enjoyed writing these "Captain's letters" to all of you and want you to know 
that I will continue these letters when Mary and I embark on next years 
voyage sometime in January. Thanks for all of your good wishes and I know all 
of the prayers that have been prayed  on our account to get us back home 
safely. Please feel free to write me when you can and let me know how you are 
all doing. This is Capt. Rick.........signing off.