With the morning chores completed, and with the engine and transmission fluids checked and all the electronic gear tested, Independence got underway at 06:30. The weather was forecast was for cloudy, twenty-knot winds and a thirty- percent chance of rain. The days are getting cooler as Independence makes her way north. The temperature was predicted to be in the mid seventies. Breakfast was English muffins, bacon, fruit and coffee. By 14:00 Independence was well on her way heading around the Pamlico Sound and heading north towards the Albemarle Sound. The decision was made to take the Virginia Cut and avoid the Dismal Swamp Canal and spend the night in Coinjock. The seas were light with waves running about one foot high. Lunch on-board was grilled cheese with tomato and bacon. Independence pulled into Midway Marina at 19:30 and tided-up for the evening. Independence refueled taking on 318 gallons of diesel fuel. Dinner on-board a consisted of New York strip steak with corn, with the ‘adult beverage' of choice.