Spirit of Christmas in Oriental, NC is one of our favorite events. The little town goes all out to celebrate the holiday. Local merchants, charities and civic organizations take part by holding open houses where folks stop by for free food and hospitality. The highlight of the event is the parade, which happens late on Saturday afternoon. For us it amounts to a two-day party. In keeping with the Christmas spirit, the Oriental Marina gives a special rate to transients who decorate their boats for event. We had participated at least twice before but last year, due to a scheduling conflict, we did not take part in the festivities. This year we had reservations and were armed with more Christmas decorations than we could possibly fit on one boat.

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Thursday December 11, 2008
It was a dark and stormy night.. No really, it was a dark and stormy night. The weather was bad when we left home and at the coast but the outlook was better for the rest of the weekend. We drove through rain nearly all the way. We stopped once for fast food but still made remarkably good time considering the weather. The trip took about 5 ½ hours. Our luck held out when we got there because the rain had finally stopped so we didn't have to unload in the rain. The weather was so bad there was actually a gale warning. We unpacked and turned in listening to the wind howl.

Friday December 12, 2008
The weather was much improved over the previous night. The skies were slowly clearing but the wind was still strong. Due to the fact that the gale had been blowing from the west, the Pamlico Sound wind tide had pushed a lot of water out of our creek. When we woke the water depth was barely 4.5 feet. That's not good news when it takes 5.5 to float your boat. I'm sure our keel was in the mud although the boat seemed to be able to move freely on her dock lines. We decided to take the morning easy and hope conditions would improve. We relaxed, had breakfast and moved the decorations from he car to the boat. I had never paid much attention to how fast (or slow) the wind tide could change in our creek, but in this case I nothing better to do than wait for the water to rise. I learned that the wind tide can rise quite quickly. By noon, I was willing to give it a try. I checked to make sure out towboat insurance was up to date before we cranked the diesel and zoomed out of the slip. Zoom, in this case, is a relative term. A 5-ton sailboat being pushed by a 21 horsepower engine does not "zoom" anywhere. We did leave the slip at full-throttle because we would be digging a little trench in the mud for at least the first 100 yards. We have found that the last thing you want to do when digging a trench is to slow down. It was easy to tell when we broke free of the mud. I breathed a sigh of relief and we continued on our journey.

The weather was clearing and although the wind was still strong, it was still from the west and coming over land. Usually this means that even a strong wind does not seem as strong and the wave action is a bit less than a Southwest or Northeast wind blowing over water. This was not a trip where sailing would be possible. We each had several layers of clothing on and the wind still tried to cut through. Our goal was to get to Oriental as soon as possible and get started decorating the boat. From past experience we know this is a major effort that takes several hours. The rest of the trip was uneventful. Judy called the marina on VHF 16 and got landing instructions. We were to be in slip #1, right next to the street. We had never stayed in slip #1 because it had been notoriously shallow. Luckily the marina had some dredging done recently and there was plenty of water, even with the low water conditions. It was a bit tricky to get into the slip because it is next to the seawall, but the dock master helped and guided us into the slip without a scratch. The effort was worth it because we had the best seat in the house of viewing the parade on Saturday.

Thanks to my daughter-in-law, Heather; we now blue icicle Christmas lights. I have been trying to find them for years to string up the forestay and backstay but I could never find what I needed. Heather found them or us just in the nick of time. Judy picked them up on Thursday just before we left. We also had other new decorations including a mechanical dolphin and seal that light up and move.



It took us several hours to complete the decorating. We were almost finished when our friends Chuck and Tish came by. We had not seen them all year and were delighted when they came by. Nick and Jeanette also came by on their way to the boat parade that could be seen from a nearby park. Our boat was a mess and we had not planned to attend the boat parade so we asked everyone to return after the parade to get warm and have some refreshments. This worked our great. It gave Judy and I enough time to finish decorating and get the boat (and crew) cleaned up in time for company. We got so many complements on our decorations that I lost track after a while. The most common question was "Where did you get the dolphin?" and "Did you climb up there to string the lights?" After the parade and dinner, everyone came back including Bruce, another dock mate, and we had a great time talking and sharing a little Christmas cheer. The weather was very nice but quite cold. Our little cabin heater would earn it's keep this night.

Saturday December 13, 2008
Our day started with breakfast at the Oriental Harbor Deli. They serve a great breakfast at a reasonable price. We came back to the boat to straighten up and get ready for the day. We did a little shopping at the Provision Company where there was a big sale. We ran into Chuck and Tish again just before noon. There were merchants and organizations on every street giving out food and deserts. We "grazed" for a couple of hours, walking from one place to another. We found some excellent chowder at the "Habitat for Humanity" booth. We headed up highway 55 to check out all the activity. I got a call from our friends Richard and Francis who had arrived for the festivities. The entire group along with Nick and Jeanette had ringside seats for the parade aboard Southern Star. Slip #1 was a great place to be because you could stand on the deckhouse and see over the crowd. The parade was just what you would expect. A marching band, fire trucks, pretty girls and of course, Santa Clause. By the time Santa passed by it was getting dark and cold. Richard had baked delicious home made bread so we all retired to the cabin for hot cider, fresh bread and various snacks and beverages. I would have been disappointed if our friends had not been able to join us. I know Judy and I had a great time and I hope everyone did. Richard and Francis had to return to New Bern to take care of their dog Nikki but we joined Chuck and Tish for a light, late dinner at the Toucan Grill. We unplugged the Christmas lights at about 11 pm. The temperature was not a cool as Friday night but two blankets felt good.

Sunday December 14, 2008
The morning was clear and cool. We had both eaten so much the day before that we were not interested in eating. Hot black coffee was I wanted. Removing Christmas decorations from the boat is not as much fun as putting them on, but mercifully it is not nearly as time consuming. I disassembled the mechanical menagerie and took down the blue icicles while Judy took down snowflakes and garland. We were finished in about an hour. Slip #1 has lots of advantages but getting out is not one of them. A kind soul on the dock helped by fending us off the seawall while I battled the port prop walk that kept trying to slam the stern into the wall. Judy used the boat hook as needed to keep us off the pilings. We finally got free and thanked the bystanders for their assistance. Judy told me that I came within inches of hitting a piling with the anchor. In this case, my brother Jack might say, "An inch is a good as a mile". I am glad the wind was light in the harbor. It could have been very difficult to get out with a strong wind coming in from the river. Southern Star swam out the Oriental channel into the Neuse which was a little lumpier than we expected. There was good bit more wind and wave action than forecast, imagine that! We got to the end of the channel and steered 60 degrees toward Piney Point. It was a beautiful morning and I wish we had had time to sail back to the dock. The wind and wave action steadily subsided and by the time we got home it was very pleasant. We had no trouble getting into our slip since the water was up nearly a foot since we left. We had homemade stew for lunch and packed the decorations back in the car. We left Ensign Harbor at about 3 pm for the long ride home.

This was a great weekend that we had been looking forward to for a long time. We really enjoyed spending time with friends. I understand that Chuck and Tish as well as Richard and Frances have already made reservations for next year. Southern Star has already requested slip #1 again. She is the only one of the three small enough to fit. Hopefully we will have a good representation from the Whortonsville Yacht and Tractor Club.

Merry Christmas to all from the crew of S/V Southern Star

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