This is our first trip to the coast in 2013. The forecast was for temps in the mid seventies which is unheard of for mid January. We had not been down since mid November. Being away that long is unusual for us but we had a great holiday season and were able to spend a lot of time with family. In the dead of winter, we usually travel on Saturday morning instead of Friday night because a cold damp boat is not very inviting when you arrive after dark. It is better to arrive in the daytime so the boat can be aired out and heated up before bedtime. The intent was to check on the boat and make sure all was well because we hope to bring our son Jason and grandson Carson over the long MLK weekend.

Saturday January 12, 2013
We left home shortly after 7am. The weather at home was very strange. It was warm but somehow raw at the same time. There had been a fairly heavy fog all day Friday that lingered into Saturday morning. It was not heavy enough to make driving dangerous but certainly noticeable. The trip was uneventful and took about 5 hours as usual including several stops. We arrived shortly after noon. We knew our friends Ken and Jan would be there and we were hoping the nice weather would bring others. We were right. Don and Trish had come down on Friday night (in the fog) and Bill and Susan had come from Pollocksville earlier Saturday morning. Ken and Jan invited us to go sailing with them. We soon found out that Bill and Susan were planning to sail and they invited Don and Trish to go along.

Both boats left the dock shortly after 2pm. We were with Ken and Jan on Serendipity, (Southern Star's "sister ship"). Bill, Susan, Don and Trish were on Cest La Vie, Bill and Susan's Pierson 35. The conditions were very pleasant with bright sunshine and mostly clear skies. The trip to the Neuse River took about 30 minutes. As we approached the end of the channel leading out to the river, someone on board noticed that the last marker (#1) could not be seen. On further examination, we realized that marker number 1 was on the other side of a very thick fog bank. Judy and I immediately flashed back to our less than pleasant experience with a fogbank on our way to Ocracoke a few years back. Ken decided he was not about to take his vessel into a fog bank for no good reason and executed a perfect 180 degree turn. Captain Bill came to the same conclusion 5 minutes later. His 180 was also perfectly executed. The really cool part about this decision to turn around was that it was totally unanimous. Without actually verbalizing the decision, all four captains and all four mates were in total agreement that there was no reason to go looking for trouble. We are all seasoned enough and have had enough experience to know that if you don't have to fight a battle you avoid it. Both boats returned to the dock and make perfect landings. There was never any danger to the vessels or their crews but we had a great time just getting out on the water. Not only that, the diesels needed to be exercised.

After the vessels were secured Judy and I went for a nice long walk. We dined on Santa Fe stew and met our friends after dinner in the cockpit. There was no shortage of sailing stories and a good time was had by all. Chris, who is restoring a vintage Allied Princess 35 joined us later. I can't help but wonder what he thinks he has gotten himself into after hearing some of the tales told in the cockpit tonight.

Sunday January 13, 2013
Judy slept well but I slept really well and didn't wake until nearly 8am. I had looked out the companionway several times during the night and saw a very thick fog. It was still there when the sun came up but lifted completely by mid morning. We had breakfast and eased into our day. We had packed light so loading the car was fairly simple. I went on Ken's boat to see the new chart plotter he had told me about earlier. Nick stopped by to say hello and I told him about our fog adventure on Saturday. The weather, when we left was sunny and the temp was 73 degrees. If it had not been for work tomorrow we would have stayed at least another night. After retirement our trips will be based more on weather than time off.

This weekend was a great break from winter. The forecast for next weekend is still holding but I will not be surprised if it deteriorates. After all it is January.