Should I Stay or Should I Go Now?

To leave or not to leave…that is the question we find ourselves asking on so many occasions lately. After leaving the Dismal Swamp, we’d headed to Elizabeth City, NC with intentions of staying for a night and continuing along our merry way early the next morning. So, we made the best of what little time we thought we had there. We topped up our water tanks. We spent time visiting a local museum. We made a grocery run. And then before calling it a night, we checked the weather forecast again…and decided we weren’t leaving the next day after all. Or the day after. Our one night stay had turned into a three night stay.

I must admit, every time we arrive at a new dock or anchorage, I find myself torn when it comes time to leave. Whereas on the one hand I can’t wait to get further south to warm weather, on the other hand, it’s just so much easier to stay put, and I can always find a reason to stay another day. So, when we were “stuck” at the free dock in Elizabeth City for two extra days (yes, the town provides a free dock for cruisers passing through), I was kinda sorta secretly happy. It meant that we’d have time to check out the seafood store. Time to go back and finish enjoying the exhibits at the Albemarle Museum. Time to grab lunch at a fast food restaurant. Ahhh…life is good.

However, when we finally pull away, I find myself upset that we had to stay so long! Now the Bahamas are two days further away than they were when we arrived! I just want to keep moving! Or do I? I really don’t know sometimes. Even though we left our home marina back in August and have spent the last three and a half months traveling at a snail’s pace, at times it feels like we are just moving along too quickly…like we’re passing by places we should stop and explore. Each time we pass by a town without stopping, I wonder what we’ve missed. And yet I can hear the Bahamas beckoning us southward…