We don't usually go to the coast two weekends in a row but this weekend was an exception. Our friends Bennie and Bonny joined us last weekend for a good sail and visit. Our original plan for the long Columbus Day weekend was to go to the U.S. Sailboat show on Annapolis. I had requested two vacation days and we had even made a reservation at a campground near the boat show for Thursday night. The closer Columbus Day got the more I started thinking about how nice the weather was and how I would really rather go sailing than to the boat show. I cancelled the reservation and we headed for the coast on Thursday morning. We were not sure what we were going to do but we had talked to Ken and Jan about going down to Matthews Point marina for an overnight. I had also told Nick that we would be down and were probably going somewhere especially if Ken and Jan could go. We learned a long time ago to leave the plans fluid and go with the flow. When we left home on Thursday morning, we had no idea where we would end up, but the forecast was for great weather and we hoped we would go somewhere.

Pictures

Thursday October 4, 2012
My week at work had been brutal. I was not up to doing much after work on Wednesday but watching some mindless TV and going to bed. We got up early to pack and got ready to go. The trick to being able to pack quickly is to never completely unpack. I keep a partially packed duffel in my closet at all times. I just recharge the bag and I am ready to go. Fortunately my extremely efficient first mate had provisioned so that we could stay at the marina or travel to a far away port or anchor out and still eat very well. We made good time traveling on a week day and arrived early in the afternoon even after a lunch stop and a provisioning stop.

We arrived in the early afternoon. The weather was just beautiful. Ken and Jan had been on the dock for a few days while Ken worked on the engine. Their boat is a Catalina 30 like ours and they were having exactly the same exhaust manifold issue that we had a while back. It's almost like a contagious infection. Is that possible? Fortunately, Ken is more mechanically inclined that I am so he was able to remove the part without issue. He found a place in town that could fabricate a new part to replace the broken one. All he has to do is remove the brass fitting from the cast iron exhaust riser. If all goes well he will get his repair done for a fraction of what a marine diesel mechanic would charge. Anyway with the broken exhaust pipe removed from the boat it would not be possible for them to leave the dock.

Soon after we arrived Nick told me they were thinking of a short cruise to Bayboro, a nearby (by road) town on the Bay River. His plan was to sail or motor up the river all the way to a public city park where we could tie up and have dinner across the street at a new seafood restaurant (Mayo's). Judy and I had never been that far up the Bay River and I thought it was a great idea. Nick and I drove to Bayboro Thursday afternoon to check it out. The city park was small but very nice. We checked water depths at the kayak dock and bulkhead and they seemed adequate. There were shrimp trawlers tied up nearby so we figured if the shrimpers could get this far upstream, we could too. We also picked up a menu from the restaurant. The plan was to sail then motor up the Bay River all the way to the park and restaurant for an early dinner so we would have time to go back down river and find an anchorage for the night. Unfortunately park rules do not allow you to stay overnight and the facility is obviously not designed to accommodate boats bigger than kayaks and canoes.

Back at the dock I still had time to install my new propane locker that I had made from PVC plumbing pipe. Ken had done all he could do as far as engine repairs. We took our spaghetti and they took their homemade soup to the cockpit and we all enjoyed an excellent dinner and conversation.

Friday October 5, 2012
What could be better than pancakes grits and fruit for breakfast? We eased into our day as is our custom. Nick and Jeanette wanted to leave on Saturday for our Bay River adventure. This worked out fine for us, since we didn't have to return to the real world until Monday morning. We wanted to get away from the dock and South River is one of our favorite places. South River is a short trip so we were in no hurry to leave. Richard was down waiting for a diver to clean the bottom of his Catalina 36. I was able to catch up with him. The diver arrived late morning to clean the bottom and propeller. We didn't get away from the dock until around 2pm but that was early enough. There was absolutely no wind on the lower Neuse River, which is a bit unusual. There were several boats anchored out when we arrived but South River is such a large anchorage, there could have been 50 boats and it would not be crowded. We enjoyed an excellent homemade dinner by Judy. Then we were treated to a spectacular sunset. We always marvel at the beauty and absolute silence we enjoy at South River. I would expect the anchorage would have boats packed every night but as many times as we have anchored there, we never see more than a dozen boats. We turned in and enjoyed a pitch black night, a cool breeze and absolute silence.

Saturday October 6, 2012
Judy started the coffee in our ancient Revereware percolator. She woke me up and told me that I was missing a beautiful sunrise. She took lots of pictures while we watched. It was indeed spectacular. For some reason percolated coffee at an anchorage is better than coffee anywhere else. For me, having hot coffee early in the morning at anchor on a wild river is almost a religious experience. There is simply nothing like it. We downed one pot before breakfast and another with our cereal. Nick called on the cell phone to tell us that "Snowbird" would be leaving Ensign Harbor in 20 minutes. This was considerably earlier that we anticipated. We scrambled to get the boat ready to up anchor. They were already at Piney Point when we got there but we did not delay them too much. We caught up and immediately set our sails. Snowbird was motor-sailing so we did the same. It was a pleasant sail and we were making nearly 6 knots. This continued for over an hour until we turned into the Bay River. I am not sure whether it was our angle of attack or whether the river was funneling the wind but as soon as we made the turn, motors were no longer required. We sailed close hauled up the river. This is something I had not done many times before. Usually when navigating a river with a relatively narrow channel we are motoring. This eliminates the complications of actually sailing the boat. When we are under sail, in a relatively open area we don't have to worry about navigating a channel. Sailing up the Bay River presented the challenge of sailing and navigating at the same time. It makes you appreciate the old time sailors who had only sail to power their vessels. The crew was kept busy tacking and navigating but we survived and learned a lot about handling the boat. I believe you could sail the same boat for 50 years and you could still learn something. About the time we reached Bay River marker number 4 I called Nick on the VHF and told him I was ready to douse the sails and crank the diesel. He agreed because after number 4 the wind would be right on our nose in a very narrow channel. Before that last tack Nick had been able to sail closer to the wind that we had and was in a much better position to take number 4. Before we tacked we were much closer to the shore and the bottom was coming up fast when we made the turn. Nick asked me later how much depth I had on the last tack and I told him no more than 10 feet. Yikes! Looking back on it, that was a little tight under full sail on a boat that draws 5' 3".

As soon as the sails were down, I left the boat in the very capable hands of the first mate and went below for a quick shower. It was wonderful. As the channel narrowed I took the helm and the mate got a hot shower. Soon the channel got really narrow but the depths held at around 10 feet. Nick led the way to the final destination. There were a couple of places where we read less than 7 feet on the depth sounder but not many. We also had to deal with overhead power lines. The chart said they were up 65 feet but they sure did not look that high. We talked about it on the VHF and I told Nick I would hang back and give him my perspective as he got closer. He stopped just before he went under the lines. It was evident to me that there was plenty of clearance. I estimated there was 20% clearance from the top of his mast so although worrisome; the power lines were not an issue.

We arrived at the Bayboro park and Nick tied up to the bulkhead. There would have been room for both boats at the bulkhead but the water was too shallow for Snowbird to move far enough forward for us to tie up behind her. So, after Snowbird got tied up to the bulkhead Southern Star simply rafted to her. That worked well giving Southern Star's 5' 3" keel the advantage of the slightly deeper water away from the bulkhead. There was no current and little wind and the restaurant was 40 yards from the boats. The temporary arrangement worked just fine.

We were invited aboard Snowbird for refreshments before dinner. We had plenty of time. Mayo's was quite good. They serve local seafood as well as other fare. Jeanette and I had the broiled flounder. Judy had shrimp and Nick had oysters. I heard no complaints and my flounder was quite good. Prices were not cheap but not bad. Service was really good and the surroundings were clean and pleasant. We were greeted by the owner who commented that our arrival had attracted some attention. We bought a 20 pound bag of ice for 4 dollars and were glad to get it after being on the hook the night before.

Leaving the park we motored back to Trent Creek, which is not far, and dropped anchors. The depth was about 7 feet and it is well protected. Due to the late hour we did not raft up with Snowbird. We did check to make sure they were tucked in for the night on VHF before we settled in for another night on the hook. There is a lot more activity on the Bay River at night. We heard boats and people talking well after dark but it was quiet enough and we slept well. The weather was still holding well but there was a threat of rain in the forecast for morning.

Sunday October 7, 2012
We were up at about the usual time. Nick called me on the cell phone to find out where we were in the process. We arranged to up anchor at about the same time. We handed our camera to Jeanette who had agreed to get some pictures of our boat under sail. We have a few but wanted more. The wind had shifted to Northeast and we were able to start sailing at the same marker number 4 that we had stopped sailing the day before. The wind was about the same speed as the day before and the seas were fairly calm. Overall weather was good but there was rain in the forecast. In fact we could see rain to the South. Sailing down the Bay River from marker 4 to marker 3 was close hauled. After 3 we were able to ease to a close reach. I was trying out some new sailing knowledge I had gained from my friend Ken which worked quite well. This was an excellent day for sailing. The rain held off, the wind was steady and we were averaging something over 5 knots over ground. A further turn to the South at Bay River marker number 1 brought the wind to our port quarter. We maintained a more easterly course just to avoid a downwind run which is not a very comfortable point of sail. The northeast wind was beginning to build the seas and with the rolling motion the mate took the helm. Steering the boat is her preferred activity in a rolling sea because it tends to settle any beginnings of sea sickness.

By the time we reached the Piney Point marker (Neuse River number 4) the wind had almost died leaving both boats wallowing on the swell. Not pleasant. Both crews made the same decision at about the same time to drop sails and crank the diesel. There were some ominous dark clouds as well and we were hoping not to have a repeat of last weekend's drenching at the dock. Shortly after we entered the Broad Creek channel, I saw something in the water near marker number 3. Just then, Judy said "Dolphins!" We had seen dolphins plenty of times but never this many at once. There were at least dozens and they were actively feeding just outside the channel. There appeared to be smaller possibly younger than many others we have seen. For the icing on the cake, a little further up the channel we spotted a pair of Bald Eagles hunting the same fish as the dolphins. A pair of Eagles hunting is not something one sees often in this part of the country and it was a welcome treat to top off a most excellent weekend adventure.

Fall arrived at the docks about the same time we did. The dark clouds were the leading edge of a mass of much cooler air. There was no rain but it could have gone either way. Ken helped us land safely. We both went over to help Nick and Jeanette land, not that they needed any help. We spent a couple of hours getting squared away pumping one tank and filling another. Jeanette had gotten several excellent photos of the boat under sail on our camera. Now we have to decide which shot is best and have some prints made. We spend some time relaxing after a long day. Sailing and navigating at the same time is hard work, and as they say, it's a dirty job but someone has to do it. We had dinner in the cockpit with Ken and Jan. Same deal as before, they brought their dinner and we brought ours. That arrangement works great because nobody has to worry about feeding folks that they hadn't planned to feed. We had a great chat and left before it got late. The weather had cleared and it was a very pleasant evening. We left the sun shade up hoping it would shed some rain if it did rain, or dry out overnight if it did not rain.

Monday October 8, 2012 Columbus Day
We woke up early because we had turned in early. The weather was very cool but still dry. The marine forecast was for northeast winds 15 to 20 knots. We definitely picked the right days to go sailing. We usually leave fairly early on our travel day and since the weather was threatening we decided to pack up and leave before we got wet in the process. The sun shade had dried sufficiently that we could stow it below without its cover. I decided not to put the 5 gallons of diesel that I had brought in the tank. We left the dock with less than half a tank on Friday and returned on Sunday with more than a quarter tank. I hope to remove the fuel tank again this winter for cleaning so I won't add fuel until I am sure we will need it. Ken and Jan had the same idea. They were packing too. We all left before 10.

We have been really lucky the last several times we have been to the coast. We could not have asked for better weather when we have had 3 sets of guests aboard and this weekend was rain free and a bit cooler with favorable winds. Nick's idea to go out to dinner "the hard way" worked out very well and provided us with a mini-adventure up the Bay River. We did not know when we left home that we would stay two nights on the hook but our fresh water held out and we could have done ok without the ice from the restaurant but it did make it easier. With not many sailing days left before cold weather, we hope to return soon for more sailing and fun.