A new boat at the marina is cause for an open house. Stefan was the first to arrive on Friday night, and Saturday brought Jon, Brent, Lane, Judy, Joey, Dorothy, Bill, and Susan on board for a look. It was fun to relate various aspects of our trip and get everyone's opinion regarding how to handle our leaking condition.

Nick came up with the brainstorm about the probable reason that we leak while underway but not at rest. The fiberglass collar on the rudderpost was just tall enough to keep the leaking junction above the waterline, except when we were moving (which causes the stern of the boat to squat in the water). This gave me the confidence to attempt fixing the problem myself, without worrying about sinking the boat, because whatever I did, this collar would remain above the waterline unless we moved the boat.

The previous owner had pictures of the rudder post collar which I could show to anyone willing to suggest a fix. The consensus from Nick, Bill, and Stefan was that the bolts on top of the leaking junction may be used to tighten the seal (almost like a stuffing box for the rudderpost). I decided to give it a try on Sunday.

The only boat chore we accomplished on Saturday, though, was to clean out the cockpit under the teak grate. The accumulation of pine needles and leaves from its time on the hard was considerable. It could also constitute a safety issue, as I found that the scuppers would not drain the water sprayed from my hose when they are full of leaves. Good thing the cockpit did not get swamped en route.

Toward the late afternoon, we decided to take a road trip into Oriental to see Bill and Susan's new (old) boat. They had just purchased a 1968 Pearson 35. It is a remarkable boat, with a brand new engine and an interior which had been totally redone by a meticulous man with lots of time and woodworking skill on his hands. It is beautiful, functional, and practical. Not to mention that they got the boat for a price which is so remarkably low that the seller should have said, "Merry Christmas" when handing over the keys.

The evening found most of the gang up in the 'cockpit'-room off of the bathhouse, the favorite meeting place of the Whortonsville Yacht and Tractor Club. Dinner conversation centered around the two new boats at the marina, and Joey & Dorothy's incredible ride from Oriental aboard Dawn Treader, that morning, in 30+ knots of wind. Their 40-foot Hinkley handled the winds with no problem, and Joey was reported to have said, "bring on 40-knots."