This was a memorable weekend because we enjoyed a nice long visit with my brother and sister-in-law, Jack and Vanessa. They live very close by and it seems we would see each other more than we do, but isn't that the way it is this day and time? We had been trying to schedule their visit all summer but it seemed when we could, they couldn't and vice versa. Finally we decided on he first weekend in November. Who would have thought we would have a late season hurricane to deal with.

Friday November 2, 2007
We knew when we left home that the weather was going to be a factor in our weekend plans. Hurricane Noel was forecast to barrel up the east coast. He wasn't supposed to get close enough to cause any damage or give us any much needed rain, but the forecast was for gale force winds on Friday and not much better on Saturday. We left for Whortonsville after work. The trip was uneventful except for a construction detour that delayed us at least 30 minutes. This allowed us to make our usual rendezvous with the Raleigh - Clayton rush hour. Jack and Vanessa left before we did. I called them on my cell phone and found that they were about an hour ahead of us and they planned to spend the night in Kinston so they could take their time and enjoy the trip. Our trip took well over the usual 5 hours but we had an excellent audio book to listen to, so it wasn't too bad. We arrived at the dock to find the water unusually high. This was not at all surprising since the East - Northeast flow from the storm would have pushed the water out of the sound and backed it up into the creeks on the west side. We noticed immediately that the dock master had moved all the little dock carts away from their usual station to higher ground in the front yard. I wondered at this point if Nick knew something that we didn't know about the weather forecast. As it turned out, the water level had already reached it's highest point earlier in the day. The level was unusually high but not alarmingly high. We did the routine unpacking and turned in. I knew I would be up in a few hours and I made a mental note to check the water level at that point.

Saturday November 3, 2007
Saturday morning was beautifully cool and crisp. The water was still high but much lower than the night before. There was a fly in the ointment however. Current conditions on the sound were described as gale force winds and 3 to 4 foot seas. I think the designation for gale force is anything over 40 knots, but the exact number is not important. Gale force is way past small craft warning. The crew of the sailing vessel Southern Star, do not leave the dock and willingly participate in gale force sailing. Jack and Vanessa arrived mid-morning and we visited on the boat while the wind whistled through the rigging. We knew the wind would diminish but the timing would depend on how fast Noel moved up the coast. We had lunch and visited with dock mates. A couple of boats went out around noon but we decided that the winds were still too strong. We made a plan to attempt sailing again on Sunday when the conditions were forecast to be much improved. The rest of the afternoon was spend exploring Oriental and doing a bit of net casting. We served the house (or boat) special grilled salmon for dinner. For variety, Judy prepared a sweet and sour bean salad, which complimented the rest of the meal. Jack and Vanessa visited for a long while, and then drove back over to their bed and breakfast in Oriental. They promised to return on Sunday morning. The plan was to go for a short day sail before we all had to head for home.

Sunday November 4, 2007
Weather conditions were perfect. We did most of the chores so we would be ready to leave the dock shortly after our sail. Judy made oatmeal for breakfast and we were ready when Jack and Vanessa arrived at about 9:30. We met them in the parking area and I made the comment, "If the diesel will crank, we'll go sailing." I had no reason to think the diesel would not crank, but as it turned out, it didn't. Everyone was aboard and ready, we even unplugged the shore power. I turned the ignition on, held the glow plug switch for the usual 40 seconds, pressed the starter and "click" was all I got. This is a problem we have had before. A year ago at Ocracoke, we thought we would have to call the towboat and we finally got it going. This time, I tried everything I knew and was rewarded with just "click". Jack, who is much more mechanical than I, tried everything he could think of and we still just got "click". We both agree that the problem is most likely the starter motor. Jack suggested that we take it off and take it home and have it rebuilt. This is a valid suggestion but I remembered the time I tried to replace the thermostat and ended up with a big mess that cost more than just calling my trusted diesel mechanic in the first place.

The good news is, at least we weren't out on the sound or in a foreign port when the engine failed to crank. I will have the mechanic take a look and we will invite Jack and Vanessa back another time very soon. I don't think Vanessa will object. She seemed to like the bed and breakfast inn where they stayed. I hope they had a chance to stop and explore some interesting place on the way home. Judy and I stopped by in downtown Raleigh for an excellent exhibit on North Carolina's Lost Colony.