We have spent a lot of time with Southern Star this year, but most of the time has been spent getting her from one place to another or doing the maintenance required to keep her in good order. This weekend was to be a sailing weekend if all went well. We left after work on Friday and arrived a predictable 5 hours later. I'm getting used to working from home and I think I am really going to like it. We saw Stefan's car when we arrived but Laya (his boat) was gone. We found out later, he had gone to New Bern for the weekend. We unpacked the car and turned in which is what we usually do after working 8 hours and driving 5 hours.
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Saturday April 28, 2007
We woke to a beautiful morning. The temp was cool but comfortable and the wind was actually pretty stiff. The weatherman said it would lie down by mid day but it was certainly blowing at the dock. Our plan was to go sailing and we had some work to do before we could leave. I installed the propane locker that I had repainted over the winter, and we put the canvas part of the bimini on. We organized and prepared to leave but when I tried to crank the engine it would crank but would not run for more than 10 seconds. This is not a good situation but as I was thinking about possible causes for the problem I reviewed my fuel filter changing procedure from last week. I replaced the filter and bled the fuel line. As it turned out, I bled the line at the injectors but not at the filter. It would have worked if I had done it the other way but that's my luck. Anyway after I bled both valves, she cranked up and ran like a top. The water was a bit low but we had no trouble getting out of the slip. Due to the blustery conditions we had taken a double reef in the mainsail before we left the dock. This reduced the sail area by probably 40%. We do this when we expect strong wind conditions. Southern Star is only 30 feet and her tall rig carries a lot of canvas for a boat her size. Reducing the size of the main at the dock allowed us to also reduce the size of the new roller furling headsail when it was deployed. We sailed to South River at a very quick pace. We were making nearly 6 knots under a double reef. The ride was very comfortable and the boat was not overpowered.
When we arrived at South River, we wanted to do a bit of exploring. We motored much further up the river than we normally do. Not that it was lost, but we found a really nice place to anchor. South River is a great anchorage holding nearly 10 feet of depth for miles from the entrance. The first time we tried to set the anchor, it just would not dig in. I'm not really sure what I was doing wrong, but it must have been me because the new fortress (brand) anchor had worked flawlessly in the past. We regrouped and tried it again. This time I put out a lot more anchor rode (line) and the anchor bit in hard. We backed up as hard as we could and did not move an inch. Anchoring a boat is hard work. It was time for some rest and relaxation. Judy had a needlework project and I simply took a nap and read a few magazine articles. I tried my hand at fishing but as usual I had no luck. I really would like to be able to catch a fish or two. We love to eat fish and it is exceptional when caught fresh. Oh well, yet another thing I need to learn about. All was not lost. The very wise first mate packed salmon in the cooler. She also picked fresh asparagus from her Dad's garden before we left, and had prepared a delicious pasta salad. I felt sorry for anyone who didn't eat dinner with us Saturday night. The meal would have been excellent anywhere but on the deck of a sailboat at a quiet anchorage at sunset it could not have been any better.
We usually turn in early when we are on the boat. Being on the water makes you tired and relaxed. Also, we find that we are much more active not to mention the fact that sailing is hard physical work. There are no switches to flip or levers to push to maker her go. It's more about hauling lines and cranking winches and all of this is manual, not automated. We wouldn't have it any other way. We slept soundly. The wind died down and was nearly calm for most of the night.
Sunday April 29, 2007
We woke to waves slapping the hull. The wind was back. It was cool and clear and the weatherman was calling for much of the same as far as wind speed and direction. We lit the alcohol stove and percolated coffee and boiled water for oatmeal. We did not have the luxury of lingering over our breakfast because we had to cross the Neuse and then cross most of the state before the day was done. We left South River at about 8:30. We were hoping to sail back home. When we got out to the end the channel we found nice conditions. The wind was still strong but the waves had not had time to build. We still had the reef in the mainsail because it is much easier to take a reef out than to put one in. We tacked to port as soon as we left the channel to avoid the shallow water to starboard but after 20 minutes or so, we tacked to starboard and headed due north, back to Whortonsville. It was a "single tack" trip. We did stop about halfway home to take the reef out. Most folks have heard the term "heave to" which is not to be confused with just plain "heave" as in being seasick. The "heave to" maneuver allows the boat to sit quietly even in strong winds so that the sails can be adjusted. Any well-balanced modern sailing craft should be able to hold this position indefinitely or until you run out of water. We went up on the cabin and disengaged the reefing tackle to take the mainsail back to full size. This maneuver is also used when putting a reef in the sail so we need to practice so that we can do it easily. This is one of the many things we learned at the Oriental School of Sailing several years ago, and possibly one of the most useful things a sailor can know how to do. Southern Star liked having the reef removed. She took off like a rocket for about 30 minutes, until the wind died down. By that time we were in sight of marker #1 at Broad Creek. Judy steered the channel while I put on the sail cover and other covers. By the time we got back to the dock, we were organized well enough that packing for home would not be a big deal. I took the wheel for the last part of the docking procedure. Sailboats are not designed to be backed up, and it is very difficult to do. We managed to get her tied up with the help of dockmates. We met Richard and Frances, Doug and Sheryl, and Joey and Dorothy. All were well and we were glad to see them. Joey and Dorothy are planning a trip to the Chesapeake, and Doug and Sheryl's Prudence is on the hard in Bridgeton. I hope they have better luck than we did, when launch time comes.
This was a very nice trip. We got to do what we like to do at least for a short while. We crossed one river and traveled most of the way up another with no major damage to the vessel or her crew.
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