UNDERWAY FOR A DAY!

   I have to work on Labor Day this year (1 September 2014), so I decided to take Thursday and Friday for a long weekend. Unfortunate, my son Daniel had class at Wake Tech College and wife gets U.S. Holiday off while I work. It will be solo weekend for with my dog Ziva. The weather was perfect in the beginning of week; cool temperatures and low humidity. By the weekend in 90s and higher humidity. But it seem Friday was the better day to get underway for day than Thursday. The winds on Thursday were from the Southwest, while on Friday for the East at 5-10 knots. I usually found that when they forecast winds from 5-10 knots, there are usually higher on the Neuse River.
   The sky cleared up around noon and winds was coming out of the East, so it would be easy to pull way from the slip. Ziva and I got underway at noon to cruise the Neuse River. The wind was blowing +10 knots. All we did was to track across the river to Adam Creek several times.  We completed 4 legs (or 4 round trips). We tracked 8 times. At times we were kneeling at 15 degree in 14 knot wind. It was fun to get underway for a change.
   On my track, I put us in the position to sail to Oriental Marker #1, drop the sails and motor into Whittaker Creek. It was about 13:45 and we started motoring toward Whittaker Creek Channel. We were cruising at 2,400 RPM and making good head way. At 13:50, there was a cat boat on course to Oriental on perpendicular track. I increase my RPM to 3,000 to clear him. I was waiting to see if he was going to track. It turn out that he was doing the same maneuver as me, tracking across the river to Adam Creek and back, expect his track was taking him closer into Oriental Harbor. After I pass him, I drop my RPM back down to 2,400. When on of the sudden, I lost forward motion and my RPM drop to below 2,000, and smoke was coming out of the cabin. I stopped my engine and took a quick look down below and notice black exhaust smoke coming from inside the cabin. Around 14:00, I heave-to and I called Tow Boat US at Deaton Yacht Service. I checked online after mooring, it is most likely an issue is the cast iron Yanmar exhaust elbows. It’s a known problem with the Yanmar engine.
   The wind was getting stronger and was drifting toward Windmill Point. I raise my sailing again to head back to Oriental Marker #1. Howard Cheetham got underway in his power boat to assist. It took some time for Deaton “Capt. Ralph” to arrive at my location. The tow boat “Capt. Ralph” arrived on-site at 14:30. I lower my sails again and was towed to my slip at Whittaker Creek Yacht Club. We moored at 15:30, again with Howard assisting with the lines. Over all it was a good. I hope I can get my sailboat fix by the end of September.

But real excitement didn’t happen until we were heading home and at Oriental enter Marker #1.

Memorial Day Weekend 2014

Memorial Day Weekend

The weather forecast for the Memorial Day weekend looks good.

There is no rain in the forecast for fours days.  The only issue, I 

have to work on Monday, Memorial Day.  

Saturday morning, we got underway at 09:30.   The crew consisted of Cathy, Michele, Ziva, and I.  The winds were out of the North at 15 plus knots, so the fetch would be to a minimal.  When we cleared the Whittaker Creek channel, we first start on a close reach to South River.  It was the first in a long time since Michele and Ziva been underway, even though there wasn't much chop, Michele was uncomfortable with the patch and angle we were kneeling.

We jib and started board reach to Minnesott Beach.  We were averaging 5 plus knots, which is good our boat. 

At Wilkinson Point (11:30), Michele and I had lunch underway.  After lunch, we tack to head home.  We notice that

the tack we were on was taking us to Adams Creek (ICW) and the wind was more favorable closer to shore.  

We tack to get closer to shore and sail between two sailboat heading north bound.  The sailboat on our leeward side was doing good.  It look's like they were heading out to Ocracoke Island.  The sailboat on our windward was doing okay, until they ran aground at Pierson Pt.  Over all, we had a good sail.  We moored at Whittaker Creek Yacht Club at 14:30.  Ziva had business to attend to.  There was music at Silos, Silospalooza.  It was Michele first.  Dave and Gail drove us over again.  Over all we had a great time.

29 June 2011- Sailing Trip to Cape Lookout Bight

29 June 2011- Sailing Trip to Cape Lookout Bight

The weather forecast wasn't favorable for cruising to Cape Lookout Bight.
First the air was smokey due to the forest fire at the Holly Shelter Game Land in Pender County. The wind has been blowing out of the Southwest for the last two weeks. Also they were calling for severe weather for the Beaufort area in evening. Our plan was to anchor in Beaufort for the night and continue to Cape Lookout on the out going tide, but with severe thunderstorms we decide stay in Oriental.

30 June 2011

We departed Whittaker Creek at 0800. We checked tide charts and high tide for Beaufort was at 0715 and low tide at 1310. We expected an out going tide to Beaufort. It usually takes approximately 4 hours to cruise the ICW to Beaufort at 30,000 RPM, but with an out going tide we were able to make 6.3. In the entrance to Beaufort Inlet we were making 7.4 knots (awesome). We arrived to Cape Lookout Bight 1335. Low tide at Cape Lookout Bight was 1238. We anchored at 34 degree 37.085 N, 76 degree 32.985W.

Once we dropped our anchor, it was time for lunch. On the way to Beaufort, we heard a "Security Message" from the Coast Guard stating that the RailRoad Bridge in the Main Channel was closed until 1600. So we decided to try an alternate route. At the Channel Marker 35 junction buoy, we bore left and headed into Beaufort from Town Creek. On chart 11545 parts of that channel are labeled as 5 feet. Our draft 4.5 feet and because it was still high tide in the Newport River, we decided to take the chance. The shallow area was at 10 feet, so there weren't any issues. We arrived at the draw bridge before it opened at 1130. The Bascule Bridge opens every half hour on the hour (good timing on our part).

It was a beautiful day at the bight. The winds were from the Northeast at 10 knots and the air and water temperature was in the 80's. You felt like you were in the Caribbean. There were only 5 boats anchored and in the evening we had a special guest.
The Coast Guard Cutter Shearwater (WPB 87349) anchored in the bight for the night. The USCGC Shearwater homeport is Portsmouth, VA. Also, we saw several dolphins in bight and two sea turtles.

1 July 2011

We got up early and saw an awesome sunrise. After breakfast, we kayaked to the beach and walked to the ocean side of the barrier island. We saw a stingray and sea turtle enjoying a morning swim. We gathered some shells and started kayaking. We were able to get the turtles to swim between the two kayaks. Michele didn't feel like kayaking to the lighthouse, which is open Thursday to Saturday during the summer. The weather forecast for Saturday was hot and humid with no air (breeze). We decided put up anchor and do some sailing. There was a light breeze from the Northeast, but in the afternoon it was changing to the Southeast (onshore breeze at 10 knots). We sailed adjacent to Shackleford Banks hope to see those wild horses. Unfortunately, we did not see any.

We enjoyed the nice sail back toward the Beaufort Inlet. Because it was around 1400, we decided to cruise to Oriental.
That was a mistake. We fought the current all the way back to Pamlico Sound. On the way to Cape Lookout we were
making 7.4 knots in the channel. On the way back only 3.8 knots. In the Newport River only 5.5 knots. In the ICW only 5.8 knots. Once we exited Adam Creek, we started getting back to 6 knots. It was long cruise back, but we enjoyed our adventure.

26 - 27 April 2014

It was the last weekend in April 2014.  It's been a cool spring.  During Easter week, there was freeze warning in the Raleigh, NC.   This weekend was promising, the forecast was calling for highs in the upper 70 and clear skies, NW winds 15-20 knots in the AM, changing to the NE  5-10 knots in the afternoon, and changing to SE 15-20 in the evening.  Because of the Tornado and severe weather on Friday,  I departed early Saturday morning for the boat.  The nation's first EF-3 tornado touch down in Beaufort County Friday afternoon.  You can see the Weather Channel ,  or NOAA .   On Saturday, the U.S. Coast Guard had Security broadcast notice to mariners for the Pamilco River, Pungo River, and Alligator River to Elizabeth City, because of the rash of severe storms with high winds, hail, and several other tornadoes in North Carolina and Virginia.

When I arrived in Oriental, the winds were from NW 15-20 knots with gust to 30+ knots. I was single handed sailing this weekend.  I decided to waiting until after lunch to get under way.  There was plenty of water in the channel with northerly winds on Friday and Saturday. The depth in the Whittaker Creek channel was between 6 to 7 feet, in normal conditions it's between 5 to 6 feet of water in the channel.  After I past Marker # 2,  I headed toward South River to hoist the jib.  Because of problems I had with my jib last year, I had problems with hoisting the jib.  I tried several times going to the bow to free the jib, but there wasn't much I can do single handed sailing.  I decided to just cruise around under power.  I saw 6 U.S. Coast Guard  45-foot Response Boat-Medium (RB-M) doing law enforcement exercise.  It sound like they were firing blanked in their  M240 machine guns.  I was glad that I was at the Adams Creek end of River and U.S. Coast Guard were far away from me.  Unfortunately, I didn't get a chance to take picture of their maneuvers.   The forecast was on target. NOAA was calling for NE winds 5-10 knots and  they were't kidding. It was dead calm out there.

After I moored and cleaned up the boat, I caught the 1700 ferry from Minnesott Beach to Cherry Branch for 1730 services at Annunciation Church in Havelock. The winds did switch to the SE at 15-20 knot in the evening. The bottom line  there was plenty of winds and water depending on your cruise abilities.  

27 July 2013 - Cruising the Neuse River

Sunrise at 06:25

I was checking the marine weather forecast all week for Oriental NC and Pamlico Sound. I was checking on Tropical Storm Dorian, which was no longer a tropical storm and had dissipated. On Friday, the winds were shifting to the East and on Saturday to Northeast, which means plenty of water in the channel to get underway.

There were plenty of things to do in Oriental too. The Tarpon Tournament was underway, but we are not fisherman. The NYRA (Neuse Yacht Racing Association) has its Parrothead Regatta, but we are not members. And there was the NSA Poker Run (Neuse Sailing Association - Not the Edward Joseph Snowden whistleblower), but we do not have a motorized dinghy unless you count 2 horse power engine (Raymond and I operating the oars). I had a crew (Michele and Raymond) with me this weekend. Our only concern was where to go sailing. They were calling for lower humidity and cooler temperatures with a Northeast wind 5 to 10 knots. Therefore it might not be too exciting sailing on the river. We were considering going to Beaufort and anchoring over night, but the forecast was calling for severe thunderstorms Saturday night and 50 percent chance of rain on Sunday. The only problem with going to Beaufort was that we won't have much time there. We would have to leave early Sunday morning, because we all had work on Monday.

So, we decided to putt around on the Neuse River. We departed Whittaker Creek Yacht Club at 09:30 with low expectations of a great day of sailing with a Northeast wind at 5-10 knots. When we cleared the channel it was dead calm. With what little wind we had, we decided to head up wind and toward the mouth of the Neuse River. About the time we cleared the number 4 channel marker (flashing green every 4 seconds standing at 15 ft.), the wind started to pick up to 6 knots. When we got adjacent to South River, the wind was gusting to over 10 knots in the middle of the river. We were able to tack our way across the river, heading in a northerly direction, making good speed. After passing Orchard Creek, it was clear to me why boaters dislike sailboaters so much. We were on a nice 33 degree tack, with the wind on our port side sailing in the iron in a Northeast direction.

When we noticed another sailboat on the same tack. The Rules of the Road for Sailboats states that "Whenever two boats come close to each other, the rules designate one as the stand-on vessel and the other as the give-way vessel. The rules are designed to prevent a situation like two people walking toward each other on a sidewalk who both step out each other's way in the same direction and thus run into each other.

The stand-on vessel must continue on its course and the give-way vessel must turn away to avoid collision. If the boats are on the same tack (which we were), the leeward (downwind - me) boat is the stand-on vessel, and the windward boat (them) must give way. I stayed on my tack maintaining my speed and course to see what the other vessel will do.

We were on a collision course. We waited until we got 50 feet from each other (before the other vessel crossed our bow), before jibing. After the jib, we were in a run and headed back toward Oriental Harbor. We had been out sailing for a few hours and decided to stay on course and head home. Over all, we had a good day for sailing, except for the idiots trying to cross my bow. The wind was better than expected. We had a wonderful time sailing together as a crew and coming up with one-liners.

7 July 2013 - Destination Beaufort, NC and rendezvous with Daniel.

After several days of rain, the weather cleared up over the Independence Day weekend. The southeast (down east) was blessed with beautiful weather (low humidity, cool temperatures, and sunny sky).  I had to work and couldn't get away until Friday night. On the 7th July, we were going to rendezvous with my son Daniel in Beaufort, NC.  Michele had to be back at work on Monday.  It is lousy having difference holiday schedules.  My son Daniel was going to drive down to Beaufort and Michele was going to drive back home.  Daniel and I was going to anchor out on Taylor Creek for few days before heading home on Wednesday (that was the plan).

The weather forecast was calling to average temperatures, with wind coming out of the southwest 10 to 15 knots. My only concern was the water level at Whittaker Creek.  A southwest wind tend to push the water at the lower end of Pamlico Sound to the north end (toward Manteo). We got underway any way at 09:00 AM (Sunday, 7 July 2013).  High tide in Beaufort was at 08:30 AM and low tide around 13:45.  Therefore, we should be riding the currents out from Adams Creek to Beaufort.  Beaufort, NC is 24 miles and at 5 knots it should take us at least 5 hours.  Daniel was going to leave Raleigh, NC around 09:00 AM.  It takes approximately 4 hours to drive to Beaufort from Raleigh to rendezvous with us (that was the plan).

At 10:00, we arrived at 1 "AC" (the entrance to Adams Creek).  We checked our iPhone app, and Daniel was still at home.  At 10:36, we pass some Osprey hanging out on Channel Marker No. # 6.

We checked our iPhone app again, and Daniel was still at home.  We decided to stick to the plan and call Daniel at 11:00 AM.  We reach Channel marker No. # 10 at 10:50.  We checked the iPhone app again and Daniel was still at home.  Michele and I decided to turn around and head back home.  We called Daniel and he was just getting up.  He wasn't going to leave until noon, which meant Michele wouldn't get home until 19:00.  I wasn't having a son drive for 4 hours while tired or Michele.

We turned around and headed home.  We made good time heading back to Whittaker Creek.  We had a 10 knots wind at our backs.  We were able to motor-sail all the way home at 2400 rpm (making 5.3 knots).  Heads toward Adams Creek and down the ICW toward Beaufort the wind was against us.  We were averaging 4.7 knots at 2800 rpm.  We moored at Whittaker Creek at 12:30.  Over all, it was a nice day. I was able to spend two days with my lovely wife.

25 May 2013 - Memorial Day Weekend

   Unfortunately, I was unable to take any pictures while underway.  I had my hands full while single handed sailing.  The weather forecast was calling for small craft warning to end at 10:00 EST. I waited until 09:00 AM to decided if I should get underway.
  At 10:15, I departed the slip. I only sailed for 2 hours.  The wind was gusting over 25 knots. Overall it was nice day.  The temperature was 57 degree when I got underway, and it was still in the 60's when I moored at noon.  
  At 10:29, I cleared Whittaker Creek Channel.  It started to get more treacherous when I was crossing the Neuse River.  Every time I got on a good and safe tack, another sailing vessel made me alter my course. 
  At 11:00, I decided to head home.  I ran aground again on the way coming in, this time before the No. 5 buoy (I was in the channel).  
  At 12:12, I moored at Whittaker Creek Yacht Club.