We wanted to get our friends Becky and Charles down to the boat one more time before the weather got too cold. This was the first weekend that our schedules matched. The weather forecast had looked good for the weekend and we were looking forward to a fine sail. Becky and Charles decided to book a room in New Bern. They stayed in the Comfort Inn where Steve and Donna had stayed when they were here last. All reports indicate the Comfort Inn is a good place to stay in New Bern.

Friday October 30, 2009
My work week had been very stressful, but I was able to keep everything under control and managed to leave a bit early for our long drive to the coast. In spite of last minute weather forecast changes the forecast was for a decent Saturday. They were expecting a high if 80 degrees with South winds from 10 to 15 knots. That is plenty of wind for a 30 footer but it is manageable. Our drive was frustrating. Leaving early put us in a different traffic pattern. We arrived in Raleigh just in time for the height of rush hour. Interstate 40 was very slow south of town and we saw an accident on the north bound lane which would explain the slowdown of the south bound lane. We stopped in Goldsboro for some of Wilber's (not too bad for you) barbequed chicken. The drive took about 45 minutes longer than usual but we have learned to expect delays and deal with them. Becky and Charles arrived in New Bern in time to stroll around the downtown area. We arrived at the boat at about 8:30 which is much better than 10:30. We were able to unpack and get things settled without being in a rush. We sat on deck for a while enjoying a very balmy evening. Being close to the water lowers my blood pressure dramatically and I enjoyed just sitting there.

Saturday October 31, 2009 Halloween
We were up at about the usual time. The wind was definitely from the South on Saturday morning. The temperature was much warmer than we had expected. Art was down for the weekend as well as Joey and Dorothy. We spent some time catching up with them and Nick while we were preparing the boat for a sail.

Our guests arrived right on time and the boat was ready to go. We cranked the diesel and pushed off enjoying the extra foot of water the Northeast wind had provided over the past few days. I was a bit concerned about the wind strength from the start and was prepared to sail with a reduced sail plan. The forecast was for 1 to 2 foot waves which is manageable but when we passed Broad Creek marker one, we were seeing much more wave action than that. Regular readers will remember our experiences with what Ruth Dotger's father called the "Three Sisters" when the short steep waves come in sets of three. This scenario is indicative of undesirable conditions. This is the kind of wave action that we expect after the wind has been blowing strong for a long period of time. According to the weather forecasts the wind had not been blowing from the South for long enough to support what we were seeing. The wind itself was not too bad but the boat was crashing through the waves and the spray was like standing in a moderate rain shower. We considered motoring across the Neuse River to South River for lunch but figured everybody would be soaked by the time we got there. It was time for plan B. We turned around and headed back into Broad Creek. We dropped the anchor in the creek just outside the channel to have a light lunch while we kept an eye on the Neuse hoping conditions would improve. We are usually very successful setting our fortress anchor but it just didn't set as well this time as I thought it had. While we were enjoying our light lunch I was watching the depth sounder which was slowly and steadily reading shorter and shorter water.

The conditions on the Neuse had not improved and we needed to get to deeper water. We raised the anchor and headed back toward Ensign Harbor. We took a detour when I turned the boat into the artificial River Dunes harbor. We tried to enter the channel once when Steve and Donna were with us but we promptly went aground. They must have dredged their channel because we were measuring about 10 feet everywhere in the harbor. This development is very exclusive and very expensive. None of us have any interest except for curiosity but was a good way to spend a few more minutes on the water, on our way home.



I was concerned about landing safely because the South wind was strong and blowing across our slip. This can sometimes make it difficult to land because the wind tends to blow the bow of the boat and cause me to miss the slip. With help from Joey and Art, we landed on the first try with no damage at all. Everyone headed for the WYTC Cockpit for a cold drink. I remained on the boat just long enough to make sure she was secured. After an hour or so we started making preparations for dinner. At the risk of boring my readers, our dinner was grilled salmon, brown rice and bean salad. This is without a doubt my favorite meal and seems to be favored by my first mate and our guests. Conventional wisdom says if it ain't broke, don't fix it. Joey, Dorothy and Art joined us in the Cockpit a little later to prepare their dinner.

We had a great time on the water with Becky and Charles even if we didn't actually raise the sails. They left a bit earlier than usual. It had been a long day and they had a bit longer drive since they were staying in New Bern.

Sunday November 1, 2009
The weather was very warm for November 1st. We slept with a fan on and it really didn't get comfortable until after midnight. We woke to nice weather and were able to have breakfast on deck. We discovered yet another leak in the fresh water system. The hose that connects to the water heater had failed for the third time. With Judy's help I pulled the hose so I could take it when I bought a replacement.

Our plan was to leave early to attend Jonathan and Kaila's house warming party. Jonathan is Becky and Charles' grandson. We missed their wedding because we were in Boston when they got married so we wanted to attend the party. It was just as well that we left a bit early. In the time it took me to take a shower, the weather turned from pleasant to threatening. The forecast was for rain and a high temperature in the sixties. When I spoke to my Mom at 8am she told me it was raining hard at home so we have a rainy drive back to Mount Pleasant. Charles called me on the cell phone to tell us that they were just leaving New Bern. We had just left Oriental where we were unsuccessful finding replacement water hose.

What a great weekend. If we hadn't gone sailing we probably would have visited with Becky and Charles anyway. It's nice to be able to share our experiences with them. A good time was had by all this Halloween weekend and we were never threatened by goblins.