Carson and his dad went sailing with us back in January and Carson had been asking when he could go back ever since. The long Memorial Day weekend was a perfect opportunity for a second trip. His mom told him that she hoped it would not rain while he was at the boat and he promptly told her, “Oh no mommy, it never rains at the boat!” If only that were true! We loaded computer tablets, art supplies, books, toys and everything else we could think of for the 5 hour trip and his time on the boat. He is after all, six years old, he bores easily and does not do any one thing for very long at a time.

Saturday May 25. 2013
We left Carson’s house at about 8:30 for the 5 hour trip to Whortonsville. It soon became apparent that getting there would be the quite an accomplishment for the day. We stopped for breakfast in Asheboro and there were many other stops along the way just to burn off some calories (Carson’s of course). We drew pictures, played with the tablet and did many other activities. Our last stop was at Arby’s in Kinston for lunch. Carson went to sleep when we were within 20 miles of the end of the trip. We went directly to Oriental so Jason could claim his hotel room. We left Jason at the hotel for a little break and to recover from the Arby’s lunch. Jason has as much fun at the boat as Carson because he gets a break. He can get a really good night’s sleep and can take his time getting coffee at the “Bean” and have a relaxing run before he comes to the boat each morning. The very first time they came with us Jason slept with Carson in the boat’s quarter berth. Sleeping with Carson is a “contact sport” and Jason decided after that to have a room at the hotel. I can’t say I blame him.

Carson “helped” Gram and Papa unload the car. He really likes to ride in the dock cart. There were a lot of dock mates down for the weekend. Ken and Jan on Serendipity, Don and Trish on Ragtop, Joey and Dorothy on Belisarius, Eric on Bogy and Bob and Tammy on Motivation. Wow, what a crowd!

We managed to get a little boat cleaning done as well as a few other boat tasks like re-installing the cabin curtains that the first mate had laundered. Carson is such a delight to have around. He was introduced to our dock mates and was a big hit. He asks lots of questions and I try to answer them as if he were an adult. He will not learn if he is ignored or not taught.

I went back to town to collect Jason. Judy prepared my favorite meal for dinner. Grilled salmon, brown rice, crusty bread and steamed asparagus. It does not get any better than that. After dinner we set up the saloon bed and rigged the ship’s theatre to view the movie “CARS 2”. After the movie started, Judy went for a shower. Jason left for his hotel when she returned. I went for a shower and by the time I got back Carson was in bed, sound asleep. Judy said. “When the switch is off, it is really off”. Gram slept with Carson in the V berth and Papa slept in the quarter berth. We ran the heater that we had picked up at the Dollar General store and it really felt good. The entire crew slept well.

Sunday May 26, 2013
Carson and Papa slept in on Sunday. We did not get up until nearly 8am. With Carson’s help I got the boat ready for a sail. Jason arrived late morning and we got underway before noon, but not long before. Carson had no problem wearing the mandatory life jacket especially when Gram and Papa were wearing theirs. Carson steered the boat in the channel for a while going out to the lower Neuse, but he tired quickly. It is amazing that he shows absolutely no fear of the boat. When the boat is underway he tends to get really relaxed and sleepy. In fact at one point, he curled up in the cabin (in his life jacket) for a nap below. If anyone is curious as to whether Carson tends to get seasick, the answer is “absolutely NOT”. Gram cannot stay in the cabin for more than a few minutes while underway but staying below for Carson is just not a problem.

When we left the dock the weather seemed a little murky but it cleared to a spectacular day shortly after noon. Jason really enjoys sailing and he could have stayed out for several hours but Carson was ready to go back to the dock after an hour or so of sailing. We do not want to over-do the sailing thing because we want Carson to be happy and comfortable on the boat. We turned for home long before Jason was ready. Carson did really well on the trip back to the dock but was a little impatient. As I said, he is after all only six years old and does not do anything for very long.

Back at the dock, Carson, Jason and Gram went into town for a diversion and Papa was left to button up after the sail. It worked out quite well because I noticed the stuffing box was leaking a little more than it should and I was able to make the minor adjustment without too much assistance.

Judy prepared her famous chicken and black bean dish for dinner on Sunday. Jason managed to get away to his hotel and we rigged the ship’s theatre again for the rest of “CARS 2”. Carson was over tired and it took a bit longer for the switch to get turned off, but it did and he was dead to the world before Papa got back from the shower.

Monday May 27, 2013 Memorial Day
We started the day getting ready to leave. Carson was a big help. When Jason got there we had a car load of gear ready to load. We left at about 10:30 which was really pretty good. We stopped at Wilber’s in Goldsboro for a late lunch. There were several stops just to get out of the car and run around.

Carson seemed to have a great time. I think Jason enjoyed a chance to relax. Gram and Papa always enjoy the company of their children and grandchildren, so it was a great weekend for us. Hopefully there will be many more weekend sailing trips with children and grandchildren.