The Southern Star crew had been staying close to home because Judy's mom had some surgery. The good news is that she is recovering nicely and things at home should be back to normal soon. Work had been brutal for me and I was glad to get away for a weekend on the water. Octoberfest is an annual event at the Wortonsville Yacht and
Tractor Club. It usually consists of some sort of sailing event plus dinner and lots of good times. The best part is that most of the dock mates are there at one time. We had a really good turnout this year with eight boats entered in the on the water event.

Friday October 2, 2009
We left at exactly 4:30, right after work. It's really nice to be working from home because there is no drive time after work. Judy had prepared a hand held dinner so we did not have to stop to get food. The forecast for the weekend was for cool wet and breezy conditions, and after making good time on the trip we arrived to a soggy dock and boat. It wasn't actually raining, but it had been, and we could see lightening on the horizon. We greeted some of our dock mates and unloaded the car. We turned in fairly early and had to close the hatch during the night due to a downpour. The weather forecast seemed to be just about right except there was a curious lack of wind. After you have slept many nights on a sailboat, you don't really need to look outside to get a sense of wind strength. You can feel it in the motion and the sounds the boat makes. We slept well and woke early.

Saturday October 3, 2009
The clouds were ominous early Saturday morning, but after my first cup of coffee and studying the sky, I started to notice patches of blue in the sky. This is usually a good sign. Nick held a skippers meeting at 9am to convey to us the course and general rules of a friendly regatta that would be the main event of the day. By the time the meeting was over, it was evident that the cold, wet forecast had been wrong and sunny and nice would be closer to correct. There was still very little wind, and it was almost 180 degrees opposite of what had been forecast. Oh well, so much for weather forecasts, you just have to be there.

The event was to be a friendly race from marker number 4 near Piney Point out to the Neuse River (NR) marker and back, nearly due East out and due West back. It was obvious as we motored to the racecourse that the wind, or lack of it, was going to be an issue. The race committee (Nick) delayed the scheduled Noon start by 30 minutes. At the end of that time, there was no more wind than before. Taking a vote via VHF Radio of the participants, he delayed the start another 30 minutes. 1pm came and went and the race was cancelled.

Most of the boats immediately cranked their engines and left for the dock. I was really disappointed. I had been looking forward to a day on the water for weeks. We just sat there. Ragtop, a Catalina 34, had been ghosting along with us when the race was cancelled. She was crewed by our dock mates Don and Trish and Don's brother Ken. We had often enjoyed sparring with Ragtop. Any time two sailboats are anywhere close to each other, it is a race. Although neither of the brothers admits to it, one of them made a comment about being ahead of us at the starting line, just as a slight breeze started to move the boats. On hearing the comment, we unfurled the headsail and the race was on, wind or no wind. Ragtop started ahead of us by probably 100 feet or so. We were both on a close reach with almost no wind. I managed to maneuver Southern Star up wind of Ragtop and miraculously passed her up wind. This passing action cut off the tiny breeze in her sails and almost stopped her cold. Sailboat racing can be a dirty sport. We passed and gained about a hundred feet and held it for some time. It was one of those sparkling days on the Pamlico Sound. The wind was very light, but the boat was moving at nearly 3.5 knots with a "plumb bob" straight mast with no heel. We were under sail in very light wind in the middle of nowhere, and the silence was almost deafening. In these times of traffic, TV, electronics and continuous sensory stimulation, a period of near total silence is almost startling.

After 30 minutes or so, while I was enjoying the silence, Ragtop started gaining on us and passed us. After that we were never able to pass her again, but we did stay close enough behind to carry on a conversation between the crews. I was really happy with Southern Star's performance because her big sister, Ragtop, is four feet longer and is inherently faster. We had a great time sparring, trying to pass and trying to hold the lead. It's a great exercise for any sailor who wants to be better at the craft because it makes you think about what you are doing and pay attention. After we rounded the NR mark, I told Ragtop's crew that we would have tacked sooner but Judy needed to finish two last stitches on her needlework project before she could help. At this point, our GPS calculated our ETA back at marker 4 to be about 5:30. Since it was at least 45 minutes from #4 to the dock, had we continued sailing we would have been about an hour late for dinner. This is not a good idea because when Jeanette is cooking, you don't want to miss it. We cranked the diesels and headed for home.

Landing was a comedy of errors. Some crabber had conveniently located a crab trap right in my normal landing path; and of course, after trying to find enough wind to sail out on the river, we had to fight a crosswind when it was time to land. I had to try three times to get backed in but finally got it done with some help from dock mates.

Dinner was a casual affair at "the big house". Jeanette had prepared an Italian meal that was simply excellent. We enjoyed the conversation and other entertainment including a video of a boat being struck by lightening at our dock. Soon we were too tired to stay up any longer. We noticed that we were not the first to leave the party, and it was all over by 9:30. Some folks continued the party on other boats, but I headed for a shower and we turned in. The weather was cool and dry. The moon was full, and it was simply a beautiful evening. We slept well.

Sunday October 4, 2009
We were up early on Sunday. There was a lot of activity on the dock. We are planning another adventure soon that will require the services of Charlie Gibson, our trusty dinghy. He had not been called into service all summer and was still packed in his protective cover. I wanted to inflate the dink and make sure it was in working order. I also wanted to test the outboard motor. The dinghy seemed to be in good shape so some dock mates helped me launch. The motor cranked up right away and I went for a test run. The motor ran ok, but it was a bit sluggish. I suspect the old gasoline is to blame. I packed the motor and fuel tank to bring home and replace the old gasoline. With all our friends around we didn't leave the dock until later than usual. Sebastian, SV Layla's commander, was preparing to go for his first sail on Joey and Dorothy's Hinckley Bermuda 40. I commend his choice of vessels for his first sail. We stopped in New Bern for fast food and to check out a new marina that will be in our future plans. We had an uneventful drive home.

This was another excellent weekend to add to our collection. We had a great time on the water and with friends. The little ship performed flawlessly, and we are already looking forward to our next adventure and the rest of the sailing season.