Sun Rise Neuse River

Sun Rise Neuse River
January 2, 2009

It's the 2nd weekend in May and the first time we are taking our boat out for a sail. You couldn't have asked for a better day. Winds were out of the NorthWest at 10-15 knots, forecast to change to SouthWest 5-10 knots in the afternoon. The air temperature was in the mid 70's. Many nice weekends came and gone, but this was our first option to take our baby out without any other commitments.


We heard that sailboats were running aground again while leaving Whittaker Creek. We only draw 4.5 feet, so we should be okay with these ideal conditions. One thing that we did notice is that can #3A was removed from the channel. The U.S.C.G placed it last year when boats were running aground. The general rule is to hug the red on the way in and out.


The weather conditions were ideal. As we started out of the channel, we started our run to hoist the main and jib sails. Usually I would head into the irons, but because the winds were light and coming out of the Northwest we started our run across the river. After hoisting the sails, we tacked to starboard and completed one of the only two tacks we had to do all day. At a course of 80 degrees, we were heading toward South River on a beam reach. Half way to South River, the wind picked up 8 to 10 knots. We had a nice enjoyable ride to the entrance of the South River averaging 4 knots with an 8 knot wind. Repainting the bottom of the boat and adjusting the propeller really made a difference.



We had a nice and enjoyable ride to South River. We decided to have lunch while still heading toward the mouth of the Neuse River. After lunch, we decided to do our 2nd tack and head home. The wind was still coming out of the Northwest, so we were still on beam reach on the way home. About the time we made our way back to Whittaker Point, the wind changed as forecast to Southwest but we decided to drop our sails and turn into the channel. The wind was perfect for backing her in. I asked my wife and partner to moor her, but she wanted me to take the helm. What a nice way to start the sailing season.

No comments:

Post a Comment