Thanksgiving is far and away, my favorite holiday. It is a time for families to gather and enjoy a meal and each other's company. Whether it's a full blown turkey feast with all the trimmings or hamburgers at the local fast food restaurant it's still my favorite. Several years ago, Judy and I started preparing a traditional turkey dinner on Thanksgiving day for any family who would come and help us eat it. We didn't really mean to start a tradition, but we have done it ever since. I think Judy and our sons share my enthusiasm for Thanksgiving because it's a good reason to get together without the complications that come with holidays like Christmas. That doesn't mean I am a scrooge, I just like to keep it simple. We enjoy preparing the meal. We always cook it together. At some point Judy commented "This would not be fun if I was cooking alone". I took that as a complement. Our guests included my parents, Judy's sister, Nancy and Jason and Heather, our son and daughter in law. If anyone left the table without enough to eat, it was their own fault. By the time our guests headed for home and we got the kitchen cleaned up we were exhausted but it was worth it. We will probably do it again next year.

I took a vacation day on the day after Thanksgiving. Most folks do this so they can go shopping. We would not be caught in a shopping mall on the Friday after Thanksgiving, on a bet. We could, however, be persuaded to go sailing, and that is just what we did. We had invited our friends Steve and Donna to spend the weekend with us so on Friday morning the adventure began.

Thanksgiving Weekend Pictures

Friday November 24, 2006
We had arranged for Steve and Donna to meet us at the dock because none of us were sure when we would leave home. There was plenty to do before we left but Judy is a very organized person and we left home before 8:30. We ate turkey sandwiches for lunch on the way, imagine that. I have said many times that the weather on the Pamlico sound is either terrible or great with little in between. On this particular weekend the weather meter was "pegged" at spectacular. The skies were perfectly clear and temps were in the high 60s to low 70s. Our friends arrived at mid afternoon. We hung around the dock for a while introducing Steve and Donna to our dock mates then headed for Oriental for dinner at the M&M Grill. Dinner was delicious and everyone had a good experience. Steve and Donna had a very nice room at the Oriental Marina where we visited for a while. It was way past our dark thirty bedtime when we traveled back to the boat. Our evening was pleasant; the little cabin heater did an admirable job of keeping the cabin warm. The trick is to get it regulated so it doesn't get too warm.

Saturday November 25, 2006
Saturday's weather was a carbon copy of Friday's weather both were unbelievable. We started our day with a light breakfast of oatmeal and coffee. The weather service had "upped" the wind speed forecast from 10 to 15 knots to a steady 15 knots gusting to 20. That's a lot of wind for a 30-footer so when I uncovered the main sail I took a single reef. After consulting two dock mates the general consensus is that it is easier to take a reef out than put one in. For the uninitiated, taking a reef in the mainsail effectively reduces the area of the sail to reduce power. When the wind is strong any sailboat can easily be overpowered by wind. Sailboats under sail can be thought of as "two speed" machines. Speed one is stop, speed two is wide open, with nothing in between, so a reduction of sail seemed appropriate considering the morning's forecast. Steve and Donna arrived right on time and we left the slip at 10 am sharp. We motored out to the sound and noticed that the wind was not as strong as forecast but it was a bit blustery. After consulting with the very first mate, we decided to head for South River. The wind was NNE and South River was almost due south, which resulted in an easy broad reach across the Neuse River. A broad reach means the wind was almost from the stern of the boat. Since the wave action was light the trip to South River was very pleasant. Our speed was about 4 knots with a gentle roll. Steve steered the boat most of the way after we cleared the channel. We are trying to convert him from a motor boater to a rag-bagger, and this trip advanced our cause. The trip across the Neuse took over 2 hours. Arriving at the South River channel entrance, we doused the sails, which is a much simpler task since we have roller furling and lazy jacks. We cranked the iron sail and motored over to one of our favorite anchorages near the Lukens Cemetery. Judy and I set the (new fortress) anchor and she served a delightful lunch, which included her "killer" chicken salad in whole-wheat wraps with chips, dip, crackers and cheese. Late fall days are notoriously short, so as soon as lunch was cleared away, Judy and I reversed the anchor setting process and we motored back out the channel and proceeded to re-cross the Neuse. The wind had backed down to an easy 8 to 10 knots. I wanted to take the reef out but that was vetoed by the very first mate who was looking for more comfort than excitement. Since our ultimate destination was to the northeast, we were "close hauled" all the way back. This means we were sailing as close to the wind as possible. We had sailed about two-thirds across the Neuse when we tacked to gain a more northerly position. We could have made our home (Brown Creek) channel in one more tack, but the captain made a command decision to crank the diesel and head for home. This decision was based on the approaching darkness and the need to get back to the dock for dinner. Landing a sailboat is not an easy task, but at Ensign Harbor, there is usually plenty of help. It's sort of a social event. Our landing was uneventful, which is always the best outcome.

After we tied up and got the boat settled we were invited to a de-naming ceremony for Doug and Cheryl's new Southern Cross 35. I would venture to say that most folks are unfamiliar with a de-naming ceremony so I will attempt to explain. Tradition has it that in order to change the name of a sailboat you must have two separate ceremonies. The de-naming is done after all references to the old name are removed from the vessel. A blessing is sought for all crew passengers and future voyages of the unnamed vessel. Libation is always served to the attendants and to Neptune. The new name is not mentioned because a future ceremony is required with another round of libation. We are talking about sailors after all. We had attended one such ceremony but I am absolutely sure that a boat de-naming was a first for Steve and Donna.

By this time it was getting late and it was time to start dinner. We all worked together to prepare one of the Southern Star specialty dinners, grilled salmon. If there is a better meal than grilled salmon, wild rice and salad served in the salon of a sailboat, I would really like to try it. After a nice long visit and pumpkin pie with coffee, our friends decided it was time to return to the hotel. They later reported that they actually turned the television on but decided that after 10 minutes it was time to turn in. I'm sure Judy and I were sound asleep before their television was ever turned on. Television is kind of bland after a day like this one.

Sunday, November 26, 2006
We had arranged to meet Steve and Donna for breakfast in Oriental at 9 am. There is a lot to do when we leave the boat. We do a certain amount of cleaning, a lot of packing and we generally prepare the vessel for her next adventure. We rose at 6:30 so we could get an early start. To my surprise we had everything done and arrived in Oriental right on time. We met Steve and Donna at the Provision Company where I picked up a few necessary items for the boat. We had a tasty breakfast at the Oriental Harbor Marina Deli. It was a very good meal but the real attraction is eating on the deck overlooking the Neuse River. Steve spent about 30 minutes trying to convince everyone that we could go sailing again today and leave just in time to get to work on Monday. Everyone reluctantly vetoed his idea. I think we may make a sailor out of this guy yet.

What a terrific weekend. Good company, good weather and a successful cruise. We achieved Southern Star's "prime directive" which is to have a great time and return to the dock with no major damage to the vessel or her crew.

Thanksgiving Weekend Pictures

Capt'n Steve, Video Story