The Southern Star crew spent Easter weekend at home with family. We enjoyed visiting with our parents and children. The weather was really bad for sailing so we were also able to get some household work done as well. We heard about the Oriental Boat Show earlier in the spring and wanted to attend. It was being held at Pecan Grove Marina and was being sponsored by Carolina Currents Magazine and other businesses in the area. We made a reservation several weeks ago, at the Marina Inn in Oriental mainly because we knew it would be hard to find a place for guests if we decided to invite someone. It turned out that Cousins Steve and Donna were looking for an activity to celebrate their 12th wedding anniversary and we convinced them to spend the weekend with us. Regular readers know that Steve and Donna are frequent sailors aboard Southern Star.

Thursday April 16, 2009
We started the long weekend early by leaving home at 5 pm which is earlier than when Judy is working. Our trip was uneventful and we stopped for fast food along the way. Before we could turn in, we had to install the new mattress on Judy's side of the V-berth. Judy had cleaned both mattress covers so we had to wrestle both foam mattresses into their covers. The new bed should serve us well for some time. The weather, when we arrived was pleasant but very windy and much cooler than we had anticipated. We turned in as soon as we could and slept well.

Friday April 17, 2009
The Oriental Boat Show was a three day event. It was to start on Friday at about noon. It worked out well because we wanted a day for the boat show and a day for sailing. Steve and Donna told us they were going to travel sometime on Friday but they weren't sure exactly when they would arrive. Judy and I went to the show at about noon. There was a seminar by Doug Alvord at 2 pm that we wanted to see. We started kicking tires (so to speak) and found several boats we really liked. Unfortunately they all cost more than we are willing to pay. The most important of the many things we like about Southern Star, is that she is owned by us, not us and some financial institution. We fell in love with a new Catalina 350 but we didn't even ask the price.

Mr. Alvord was about to begin his presentation when Steve and Donna arrived at the show. We enjoyed the informative talk on the history of North Carolina working craft. We learned that there is a shockingly little known about these vessels that were so important to the commerce in coastal Carolina in years gone by. We spent most of the afternoon at the show. Judy and I stopped by to greet the crew of S/V Maxine at Pecan Grove Marina. Maxine is a very handsome Irwin 35 owned by Joe and Jean who we met a few months ago. Jean was not able to make the trip this weekend but Joe was busy with boat chores when we stopped by. Maxine is sporting new cabin cushions and they look really good.

There were lots of boats to see and many booths to visit. One of the special attractions was the Periauger, a replica of a work boat that would have been used during colonial times. The Ada Mae was also there. She is a replica of the Skipjacks that were used to dredge oysters on the east coast from the Chesapeake Bay to the Carolinas. Budsin Wood Craft had the most beautiful electric powered launches on display. Each was unique and each was a work of art.

By 4 pm we started thinking about our next meal. We knew things would be crowded in town so we left the boat show for an early dinner at the M&M. After dinner we hung out at Steve and Donna's place and rested our tired feet. The weather all day had been nice but windy and cool enough for a jacket.

Saturday April 18, 2009
We woke to clear blue skies and plenty of sunshine. The wind was strong but from the west. It looked like a perfect day for sailing. There was a good turnout at the Whortonsville Yacht and Tractor Club. Art from Resolute, Don and Tish from Ragtop and new dock mates Steve and Debbie and their guest Sue among others were present. We didn't have much of a schedule. Steve and Donna arrived at about 10 am. Judy had to make a quick trip to the grocery store. We got the boat ready and left the dock at about 12:30. The water in the creek was about average depth so we had no problems getting out of the slip. There were some crab pots to watch for. I had considered taking a reef in our mainsail before we left the dock but decided to wait until I saw the actual conditions. The wind on the lower Neuse was strong and steady. I decided that a reef would not be required if the wind did not build too much. I decided we would run the WYTC race course which is a series of three government marks in the lower Neuse. This is the course that the Summer Solstice and the Oktoberfest races use and it makes a nice day sail. I steered the first two of three legs. They were both beam reaches with the wind coming across the boat. This is nice sailing but not very exciting. All you have to do is keep the boat pointed in the right direction. Judy served lunch and we enjoyed wraps and snacks which always taste better when there is water under your keel. At one point we hove-to and took a break from the action. On the third leg of the race course, in order to get back to our dock, we needed to sail against the wind. I thought Cousin Steve would enjoy steering this more challenging course and I was right. He really got into the spirit. We were close hauled with a wind speed of about 15 knots. That's not a lot for a big boat, but ours is not a big boat. We had all the wind we needed and then some. For about an hour we were heeled at a fairly severe angle. Steve kept trying to get all the speed he could by adjusting his course slightly. He did an excellent job. Hull speed was almost reached several times. We tacked the boat several times and after the first (less than perfect) maneuver, he executed the second tack almost flawlessly with no direction from me or the mate. We may make a sailor out of that boy yet!

It is not unusual for the wind to build in the afternoon on the lower Neuse and that is exactly what it did. Judy and I both knew we would soon have more wind than we could handle. We were also getting tired. Sailing is not a spectator sport and it is more work handling a screaming 30 footer than you would think. The next time we tacked, I reduced the size of the roller furling headsail considerably and on the next I furled it altogether. The wind was getting serious at this point but under main alone she was sailing flat and steady at about 4 knots. Soon it was time to motor back to the dock. The low angle of the sun made crab pots difficult to see, but we had four spotters. When Steve went to the front of the boat to watch for crab pots, he made up a little song and Donna started calling him "Crab Pot Steve". It had been that kind of day. Back at the dock we had a fairly strong cross wind that made docking tricky but we also had plenty of help so it was not the chore it can be sometimes. Art noted that I brought back the same number of people that I left with, so it must have been a successful voyage.

Dinner came from Judy's galley. She served a delicious Mexican chicken dish with steamed fresh asparagus. After dinner we toasted Steve and Donna's twelfth wedding anniversary. The plan for Sunday was left wide open. Our guests returned to their hotel and we turned in soon after.

Sunday April 19, 2009
I wanted to return to the boat show for a seminar by a local boat builder which was to start at 10 am. Getting Southern Star ready by then would not have been possible except that Steve and Donna helped me secure her on Saturday while dinner was being prepared. We managed to get everything packed in record time. Unfortunately, I noticed that the plastic deck plate for the diesel tank had a hole in it. I noticed that something didn't look right so I took the plate off and pressed on it with my finger. With very little pressure, a crack appeared in the plastic. I can only hope that I made the crack. Otherwise it has been there for a while and there could be water in the fuel. Judy dropped me off at the boat show then went to find Steve and Donna in town. I enjoyed the seminar and was able to ask some questions that I had been wondering about. Steve and Donna decided to leave for higher ground. Judy and I went to the Provision Company for a replacement deck plate. I was sure it would fit but as luck would have it, I was wrong. I used one of the other deck plates for the diesel and put the one with the crack on the waste tank. It won't make much difference if a little water gets in the waste tank. It could be a show stopper if it gets into the diesel tank.

This was a great weekend on the water. Our new crew members are now qualified in upwind steering, mainsail raising (and lowering), rope clutch operation, alcohol stove tank operation and applying covers to various parts of the boat. I hope they enjoyed the weekend, we sure enjoyed having them.