Spirit of Christmas 2005
The Spirit of Christmas is an annual event that takes place on the second weekend in December in the village of Oriental, North Carolina. There are special events sponsored by village businesses, churches and civic groups. The celebration starts late on Friday and continues through Sunday morning. The highlight is the Christmas parade on Saturday afternoon. Local sailors are offered special half price rates at the Oriental Marina if the decorate their boats during their stay. The decorated boats enhance the festive atmosphere in the village. Many of our dock mates at Ensign Harbor have been attending with decorated boats for years. The crew of Southern Star has attended for several years now, but this is the first time we arrived by water. Weather is always an issue in coastal Carolina but in spite of a false start, we had a great weekend. The following is an account of the trip.
Spirit of Christmas Pictures
Spirit of Christmas - Movie
Thursday December 8, 2005
We left home at around noon on Thursday. I took a half day of vacation because we like to get to the boat early enough to get unloaded, cook dinner and relax a bit before time for bed. Our plan was to sail to Oriental for the Spirit of Christmas celebration on Friday morning. The problem is, sailors seldom have the luxury of having plans, and intensions are the best you can hope for. The forecast indicated really bad weather for Friday morning. A gale warning was forecast so we went to bed hopeful but not very optimistic.
Friday December 9, 2005
We woke early to a driving rain and howling wind. The weather forecast was unfortunately correct. The temperature was warmer than we expected but the weather was very fowl. We decided that no matter what the morning held, there was no reason to get out of bed in such nasty conditions. The good news is that you can do some serious sleeping in a warm dry v-berth when the wind is howling and the rain is pounding in the deck just above your head. The weather moderated later in the morning and several of the more experienced crews decided to take the plunge and head for Oriental. The fleet consisted of five boats, Motivation with Robert and Tammy aboard, Wobegon with Bruce and Joan, Layla with Stefan, Alcyone, with Richard and Francis and Southern Star with yours truly. The Oriental Harbor dock master called Richard on his cell phone and indicated that if everyone came, then some folks already at the marina would have to leave in the bad weather. He was hoping that we would not all show up.
The Southern Star crew are not experienced sailors. We decided after careful consideration that we had been on the Pamlico Sound when the wind was over 30 knots and it was not a place we wanted to be. We decided to let the folks at the marina stay warm and dry in Oriental and we would stay at Ensign Harbor, at least for Friday. We told the harbormaster we would try to make the trip on Saturday. Richard and Francis shared our concerns and decided to wait for better weather as well. We drove down to Oriental on Friday night for dinner at the Steamer Restaurant. Nick and Jeanette joined the rest of the fleet for an enjoyable meal.
Saturday December 10, 2005
We woke to weather that was clear and cold. There was plenty of frost on the dock and the boat. There were even ice crystals in the water near shore. The plan was to leave the docks at about 9 am with Richard and Francis so that we could get to Oriental before noon. The plan was working like a charm, and we left the dock right on time. The trip was beautiful in the cool crisp air. We had traveled out Brown Creek and into Broad Creek when I noticed a little too much smoke coming from Alcyone's exhaust. Richard slowed down and called on the radio. He was having some kind of problem. He could only get about 2000 rpms from the diesel. Our first thought was that a fuel filter had clogged but in any case, his best bet was the safety of the Ensign Harbor dock. We parted company and told them we expected them for dinner anyway. Unfortunately, having problems is just part of sailing and boating in general. We have had our share, and so has everyone else. The trick is not to let it ruin your day, which is easy to say when you are not the one having trouble. We continued out to the Sound where we headed south toward Oriental. The trip was very nice. The howling gale of the day before had subsided to a very light breeze. We sailed with diesel assistance since we wanted to arrive in time to get the boat decorated. The Oriental Marina gives you a half price deal if you decorate your boat while you are there. The trip was 12.4 nautical miles and took 2 hours and 44 minutes. We arrived well before noon, tied up, paid up, and started decorating. Before long Southern Star was endowed with a very tacky array of blue Christmas lights, tinsel, and other decorations acquired at the 2004 after Christmas sale at Big Lots. When the decorating was done, we entertained 9 guests with sweets and hot cider in the cockpit. The Whortonsville Yacht and Tractor Club was well represented at the celebration and I think that was the most passengers that Southern Star has ever had aboard. Ashiya with Doug and Sheryl aboard had arrived late on Saturday. They managed to get the last slip at the marina and decorated with assorted decorations accumulated from their dock mates.
Richard and Francis drove down for the big parade and dinner. They were really disappointed that they weren't able to make the trip, and we understand completely. We watched the parade, which was the typical small town event with elected officials, local businesses and lots of fire trucks. In Oriental, Santa arrives in a large red inflatable boat instead of the traditional sleigh. Judy served an elegant dinner. It was a delicious, slightly Mexican dish with chicken, corn and black beans. Having an elegant dinner party is enough trouble when you are at home with all your resources at hand. On a 30-foot sailboat it is quite a feat. After dinner we strolled over to the new Oriental Harbor Marina for a look at a Charlie Morgan 41 that had been decorated in a "Jimmy Buffet" island theme. It was quite a sight but was the only decorated boat in the new harbor.
Sunday December 11, 2005
I woke up early. The weather was beautiful and the forecast was for west winds at 15 knots, a nearly perfect day for sailing. I went over to the "Bean" for some liquid caffeine before Judy got up. During the night the west "wind tide" had lowered the water level in the harbor by at least a foot. This made for some interesting exit strategies. Boats that were floating the night before were hard aground. One such case was a very large Island Packet center cockpit model. She had been tied up to the bulkhead beside the town dock parallel to the street. The captain was obviously experienced and was taking advantage of all the help he could get. I did all I could to help but mostly I really learned a lot from this captain and others like Bruce who were doing a great job of getting this vessel out of the mud. After 20 minutes of hard labor she was finally free. The captain did such a masterful job of maneuvering the vessel that I congratulated him on a great job as he cleared the town dock. Unfortunately I spoke too soon. He did not notice the radar dome of another vessel tied to the end of the town dock. He was about 10 inches too close. I watched helplessly as the upper shroud of the big Island Packet sheared the radar dome nearly in two. The lesson learned is that no matter how experienced and seasoned the sailor he can still make mistakes. In a way, it makes me feel better about my bonehead errors when I see someone like that screw up.
We un-decorated the boat and prepared to leave. Ashiya was the first to try to get out. She had been in a very shallow slip and had to enlist the help of the WYTC "Yacht Wrestlers" to get underway. Bruce helped us get out of slip number 4. Southern Star's keel was in the mud but slid out in reverse without much effort. The rest of the fleet reported no major problems leaving for home. The sail back to Ensign Harbor was the highlight of the whole trip. The wind was steady and a bit South of West at least 15 knots. We were headed Northeast. Our heading put the wind nearly dead astern, not the best point of sail. We did a bit of downwind tacking to put the wind on the stern quarter and it was a very easy sail. The weather was cold but we were sailing with the wind. In this case you subtract the speed of the boat from the speed of the wind to get the actual wind speed. With bright sunshine it was quite pleasant. We were making 4.5 to 5 knots all the way to Broad Creek. When we reached the mark at Gum Thicket we turned west. The relative wind changed to a beam reach with the wind coming across the boat. This was a much more exciting point of sail and very enjoyable for a while. We were glad the wind had been at our back most of the way because after a while the cold breeze started to seep into our clothes and bones. Soon we were in the relative safety of Broad Creek. The trip home was completely (thankfully) uneventful. The wind tide had the same effect at Ensign Harbor as Oriental Harbor. Our keel was dragging when we tried to back in to the slip. Fortunately it was not too bad and we had plenty of help. We spent the rest of the afternoon helping others land and packing for the long trip home to the high country of Piedmont North Carolina. We left at 3 pm and called to check in with both Moms because we are expected to be home before dark. The entire trip was a smashing success. No damage to the crew, the vessel or even the vehicle coming home.
Spirit of Christmas Pictures
Spirit of Christmas - Movie