I split some of these posts off of the 'Creative transportation thread'
Thanks for all the interest and suggestions!
I had the privilege of helping a friend of mine move his SC 31 from St. Petersburg FL to Oriental NC the last few weeks.
The SC 31 is a find ship, and should be a great blue water cruiser / liveaboard. I was very pleasantly surprised by how well it sailed. Here are some pictures and a bit of narrative.
Here is a pre-purchase picture from the add;
(http://lh5.ggpht.com/_tcVd2r_be7s/TB7jc7dvLXI/AAAAAAAAAsI/4xsHvr0-CBc/s640/Craig%27s20090927_96.JPG)
As you can see she has a proper full keel, the forefoot is carried fairly far forward which makes her a bit of a chore to bring about in tight quarters but she tracks like she is on rails. I had expected a bit more sluggish going with the beam carried so far fore and aft, but the entry and exit are fine and the turn of the hull is close to the waterline so she really sails nicely. Tom Gilmer drew a good hull for this one.
Much about the boat speaks of her offshore capability, her toe rails are proper bulwarks, a heavy rig with a stout mast and boom... the cutter / sloop rig suits her well with lots of options to balance the sail plan.
Here is a link to a page with more of the specs (http://bluewaterboats.org/southern-cross-31/).
:) This is Rose writing for hubby, he was picked up by the friend who is taking the boat to Oriental. He is now in St Petersburg working on the boat and will be (hopefully) casting off to move the boat on Thursday. Pray he has a great trip. Thank you all for your help and suggestions. He will let you know if he needs help getting back from Oriental NC to Pensacola FL. Again thank you very much. Rose ;D
Thanks Rose for the update, hopefully things will go well enough that there will only be a FEW stories ;)
;D Just got a call from "the hubby" at 3pm. They had trouble with the motor and just now pulled anchor and are now sailing. He does not know what route they will take, the cut through or the keys. He does not expect to get to Oriental for at least two weeks, if not longer. ??? They are taking there time and enjoying the trip.
I appreciate the of aid they may go off shore so it may be a few days or longer until he calls me again. Please pray for a safe sail and good weather.
Rose ;)
I am sure they will have a great time. :)
Looking forward to the report once you return. 8)
;D Update on travel for hubby.
Dennis and Craig are North of Charleston SC, they went off shore and got hit by bad weather. Did not sleep at all last night. :o Not good.
Still do not know when they will get to Oriental, or back here, but he is having fun.
Rose ;)
Some guy named "Craig" called me tonight. Same guy? Might be, I dunno...
Said something about maybe having a lay day here tomorrow.
Apparently he has been here before and knows of the Mighty Endless Freshwater Showers here at the marina. I reckon if he shows up the we'll hang out together some...
I'll give him a call when I get up and find out if he really means it.
;D
I'll be in Oriental thursday night till mondayand I hope to meet up, please let me know when they get there?
;D Hi, Craig called. They left Georgetown this morning and just got into Southport about half an hour ago. Said if all goes well tomorrow they should reach Mile Hammock tomorrow night. It will probably be at least two more days or more until they get to Oriental.
Will try to keep you updated as he goes. Oh, ::) they went aground at least three times because of motor boats. >:( They just do not be careful around sailboats. Oh well, will update at a later date.
Rose :-*
After a hot and long day, Craig and Dennis are at Mile Hammock. It is a place near Jacksonville we loved to go to and spend the night. Rose
;) Hubby just called, they are less then 4 miles from Oriental. They are looking to get there tonight.
Rose :)
Talked to Craig on the phone...they are tucked into the slip and are getting some dinner.
Hope to catch up with them some more tomorrow.
Hi Rose -
Posting here because I need you to get a message through to Craig, and I can't call him since he threw my phone into the river. I really wish he would have let me get the SIM card out first, but you know how impulsive he can be when he's had a few drinks. :-X (I don't know why he thought I didn't believe him when he said he could skip it like a stone, but... ??? Marines... ::))
Anyway, would you let him know that I am out of jail now, and that I was able to talk both the County Sheriff and the State of SC District Attorney out of pressing charges. They said that taking into consideration the fact that I served his jail time so that they could finish the delivery trip, and that Craigs face can be seen so clearly on the videotape just before the detonation, they don't expect him to come back through here anytime soon. "Forever" is the term they used for their expectations, I believe. (My ears are still ringing a bit, makes it kind of hard to hear some things...) Also, a local realtor has offered the use of several unoccupied homes in the area, so the orphans as well as the old folks from the retirement home will have some place to stay during rebuilding.
The best news for him, though, is that local law enforcement still has no idea just who it was that was responsible for all the mayhem on Front Street earlier that night. The local paper has taken the stance that there must have been some hallucinogenic slipped into the city water supply that evening, because no one person could have done so much and so crazily in such a short time; they think it is possibly a case of mass hallucination. Me? I am content with just knowing that sometime, maybe as early as this fall or winter, things should be almost back to normal around town, so I won't blow the whistle on him.
Last, you can tell him that the local fire company was able to get both the goat and his "inflatable Suzie" down, and with no harm to either. I'll send her back in a few weeks, after I get some spare change for the shipping fees; first it's gonna take me a while to pay off all the fines, bar tabs, and marina bills... :P
PS - Dennis is a really nice guy, and I enjoyed meeting him.
Some of the folks around here aren't too sure about his claim that "naked bar jogging" is the newest fad, but who knows, it might just catch on...
Somehow I have a sneaking suspicion I am going to hear a completely different version of this. ;D
Sounds like a typical night out with Capt K to me ;D ;) :o
Dennis ended up picking me up and we drove down to St. Pete.
The boat has been there since he bought her back in November(?). He has done some very nice work so far, one of the most impressive jobs was a foredeck re-core DONE FROM BELOW.
The work was fair and strong, and probably several times stronger then when she was originally laid up. Dennis has had many boats, and I know his work well. He was the one who built up my foredeck hatch and finished it for me when my last minute surgery might have put our trip (http://sailfar.net/forum/index.php/topic,72.0.html) on hold.
Some of the last few details we spent a couple days working on were;
~ Re-building and fitting the Aries Windvane
~ Removing the Raritan Head and tank and installing a Natures Way Composter
~ Wiring the Lopolight tricolor masthead light, and running lights
~ installing the VHF and Garmin 540s Chartplotter (with transducer)
~ Loading a couple hundred feet of chain in the locker
~ other misc. chores involved in moving from one place to another.. provisioning, cleaning out storage and dock boxes etc.
Met some really good folks there in St. Pete, Paul who helped us shuttle vehicles and Phil who showed us one of the finest 26' sailboats I have ever seen (voyager 26, more on that later).
FWIW, apparently the Aries spares kit includes delron bushings that are intended to be installed and then reamed to fit. The prior owner of the vane had not reamed the bushings and somehow gotten the assembly back together anyway. We had the vane set up, but conditions on the trip did not give us the opportunity to check it out.
Here is a picture of the boat as she sat in the slip in St. Pete;
(http://lh6.ggpht.com/_tcVd2r_be7s/TB7gBFnL1kI/AAAAAAAAArA/p7JKiG2MtnE/s512/P5270015.JPG)
After 3 days of preparation, we were ready to get underway. We ran the motor in the slip for a while to check the motor.. and were glad we did.
The boat has an older Yanmar 2QM20. The motor turned out to be in wonderful shape, burning less then 1/2 gallon / hr underway (and RPM to make 5.5k)... and burned no oil across the ~ 35 gallons of diesel we burned on the trip. The fuel system had some 'bugs' that allowed air in.
FWIW, the small copper washers that you see on banjo fittings on many (most) diesels are not intended to be re-used. THey compress when they are tightened and can cause leaks if they are not changed. After the problem was found the motor not only ran, but smoothed out and the idle was higher. It appears the air leak was a known issue and that at some point the idle had been adjusted to compensate for it.
Once this was sorted out, we got underway about 1700 on Thursday the 27th of May.
Here is a picture of the Aries Windvane installed (the paddle and oar are stowed);
(http://lh4.ggpht.com/_tcVd2r_be7s/TB7gB82qvxI/AAAAAAAAArE/SY12bSkbfCk/s640/P5270016.JPG)
One feature of this boat you can see in the picture above that was really clever and works well is the retractable tiller.
There is a heavy aluminum box approximately 2' long and 2" x 4" The tiller slides into the box so that it can be extended for sailing, but can be slid back into the box while at anchor (or while the tiller pilot is being used). I wish I had gotten a better picture of this arrangement, the prior owner had made a stainless bracket for the tiller pilot that worked out well. Hopefully you can see enough of the set up in the prior picture.
We sailed down Tampa Bay, and under the Sunshine bridge. We had a nice sail, and cleared Eggmont and got out on the Gulf before sunset.
It was a pleasant passage down the coast overnight and we came back in Boca Grande inlet the next morning.
We made Ft. Meyers the same day and anchored near the Municipal Marina's mooring field... strangely the moorings had been taken up? Not sure what gives with that, but it is strange to see mooring fields being removed. ???
From there we headed up the Okeechobee Waterway. From the US Army Corps of Engineers (http://www.saj.usace.army.mil/Divisions/Operations/Branches/SFOO/);
QuoteWelcome to Lake Okeechobee and the Okeechobee Waterway! Located in central and southern Florida, the 451,000 acre lake and 154 mile long waterway extends from the Atlantic Ocean at Stuart, to the Gulf of Mexico at Ft. Meyers. The waterway runs through Lake Okeechobee and consists of the Caloosahatchee River to the west of the lake and the St. Lucie Canal east of the lake.
We locked through Ortona lock;
(http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/9/99/USACE_Ortona_Lock_and_Dam.jpg/800px-USACE_Ortona_Lock_and_Dam.jpg)
Our next stop was at LaBelle. The rain caught us for the first of several times on the trip just as we were making up to the free town dock in Labelle. It is a friendly town to cruisers, sadly some of the locals take advantage of the fact and 'squat' on the town docks. (http://lh6.ggpht.com/_tcVd2r_be7s/TB7gCx6YmxI/AAAAAAAAArI/pL0SwXhEWPI/s640/P5290022.JPG)
On through the Morehaven lock the next day and a night anchored on the edge of the lake near a fishcamp before the crossing the next day.
We crossed the lake on Memorial Day. The wind was light, and we sailed most of the day. The typical weather pattern crossing the lake is light winds in the morning, then the sea breeze kicks in in the afternoon which causes thunderstorms. The week we were there these storms were said to be worse then normal due to extra cold winds at high altitudes. NOAA said the sea breeze was hitting warm air and kicking off thunderstorms with tops between 60 and 70,000' :o
We were in sight of the Port Mayaca Lock when the light wind started to back. We saw the clouds that were drawing the air, and started the motor to make the lock. The motor started to surge, and the clouds thickened as we entered the channel before the lock... it stopped. :P
As Dennis tried to sail in the fluky wind, I went below and started trying to figure out what was happening with the motor. There was air in the lines again, and no sign of where it was coming from. I had the idea to pressurize the fuel system with the pump on the Racor... and found that fuel was leaking out from the diaphragm in the electrical fuel pump. As I was pressurizing the system the 'O' ring on the Racor gave up and fuel sprayed all over.
I managed to get the filter back together and tighten the pump up enough to limp the boat into the lock.... just as the rain started and some serious wind blew rain completely across the lock (over our heads) while we locked through. We motored (at idle) for the rest of the day to anchor in the channel at Indian town.
It was Memorial day, and we had soup and coffee to drive the shivers away as we sat below (I actually put in long underwear in Florida on Memorial Day)....
The Indian Town marina and boatyard is a really dangerous place. The folks there are pleasant and helpful, the rates are reasonable, the town has good food, and most of what you may need, and the facilities are much nicer then any boat yard ought to be. There is a real risk that being 'on the hard' there may not be the abject misery that it is supposed to be.
We walked the mile or so into town, and rowed back out to install the fuel pump and left there before the lure of the place took hold. :)
The small railroad bridge near Indian Town closed as we approached it and we waited for a train to pass. I bet it was not 4 minutes from the time it closed to when it opened again... sure wish all bridges worked as well;
(http://lh4.ggpht.com/_tcVd2r_be7s/TB7gFDQNhLI/AAAAAAAAArQ/jSdmhS61CVg/s640/P6010039.JPG)
It only took a couple hours to get back underway and we locked our way through and made Manatee Pocket that evening.
The St. Lucie Lock from the air (thanks Wiki);
(http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/a/ad/USACE_St_Lucie_Lock_and_Dam.jpg/800px-USACE_St_Lucie_Lock_and_Dam.jpg)
We had some rain approaching as we got to St Lucie;
(http://lh6.ggpht.com/_tcVd2r_be7s/TB7gFrNxl0I/AAAAAAAAArU/nDWrWYmdkhI/s640/P6010046.JPG)
Rain in the Lock;
(http://lh5.ggpht.com/_tcVd2r_be7s/TB7gGYr92eI/AAAAAAAAArY/ut84X54v1zs/s640/P6010049.JPG)
Handling lines in the rain;
(http://lh4.ggpht.com/_tcVd2r_be7s/TB7gHUhkzNI/AAAAAAAAArc/6FPMyQZsurU/s640/P6010051.JPG)
Wednesday we stopped at Ft. Pearce for provisions and (thankfully) were made up to the fuel dock when the daily thunderstorm hit. NOAA was squawking away as we struggled to fend off the dock. The wind was impressive, and we later learned that it was blowing 60MPH (IAW NOAA). We got underway and motored into the rain for a few hours.
(http://lh3.ggpht.com/_tcVd2r_be7s/TB7gJBqQ2sI/AAAAAAAAArg/0flRzABi5BE/s640/P6020062.JPG)
We motored up the waterway through the afternoon and evening and anchored just outside the channel.
The next day we made Titusville, we hoped to be there for the launch of a private rocket from Cape Canaveral but were underway and too far north when it went up the net day. It's launch had the barge canal blocked and cancelled our plans to go outside up the coast to St. Augustine.
We had been hit with a strong storm right as we anchored at Titusville, and had been very fortunate so far to dodge the worst of the weather. Our luck changed as we approached Daytona and we got pelted and struggled to keep the boat in the channel. Dennis had elected to turn and run down wind as the worst of the weather approached which probably spared us worst of the wind but it was tough to have to earn the miles twice (not really much of a set back).
(http://lh5.ggpht.com/_tcVd2r_be7s/TB7gLcj1x6I/AAAAAAAAArs/eOn3-BzkmW4/s640/P6040082.JPG)
St. Augustine was a nice rest stop, we had a nice diner and Yinnie caught a very slow moving squirrel (to the horror of passing tourists). Neither Dennis nor I had the heart to tell her that her prey was already dead when she came across it... she stalked the motionless squirrel with great enthusiasm.
Yinne after a hard day killing (dead) squirrels;
(http://lh3.ggpht.com/_tcVd2r_be7s/TB7gJ4LxkWI/AAAAAAAAArk/2rqKDGf_To0/s640/P6030065.JPG)
As we were entering the anchorage at St. Augustine, we saw a Choy Lee 33 with an interesting paint job sail past. They waited for an opening of the Bridge of Lions... and then came back through a but later... under sail.
The boat looked to be well maintained, and had flames painted on the bow. We saw them leave the next morning, they were underway at first light as I was having coffee in the cockpit. We saw them again just north of the city. They were aground and we could see they had an outboard mounted on a bracket on the transom that did not appear to reach the water. They had enlisted some jet skiers to wake the boat as they tried to drag her off of the shoals by the Halyard with the dingy. We checked the chart and saw they were in a charted 3' so our 5' draft put us out of the running to help much. We waved as we passed.
We made Fernandina Beach (http://www.fbfl.us/) that evening. We had our last shore call in Florida and after dinner watched as the 'Andromeda' sailed up to the fuel dock at the marina.
s/v "Andromeda", 33' Choy Lee;
(http://lh5.ggpht.com/_tcVd2r_be7s/TB7f6Emus6I/AAAAAAAAAqg/Hxkpfhchy0E/s640/P6070083.JPG)
Dennis spoke with the owner who said he had purchased the boat in the Keys. The prior owner had passed away, and he got a good deal on the boat but had a series of problems. He had spun the bearing on the motor soon after getting underway, so he purchased an older Mercury outboard and mounted it in the bracket. He nearly lost the boat on the rocks in an inlet Marathon(?) after going aground and being refused a tow by Towboat US. The SeaTow driver had gotten him underway but charged him dearly for his time. He was bound for Norfolk, and we saw him all the next day alternately sail and motor up the twisting channels of Southern Georgia. We later heard he spun his prop in Myrtle Beach SC. I hope he made it home.
We were out of daylight and short on anchorages. The shrimp season was opening, and we had no where to hide... Skipper Bob did not list many hopeful sounding options.
We opted to look for a small "shrimper village" off of the Crescent River.
As we picked our way up the narrow river and over various bars we saw some docks.. but no were to anchor. As we rounded a bend we saw some people fishing from a boat on a dock. The people were friendly and recommended we speak to 'Capt. Ben' to find out where to anchor. Dennis talked as I tried to hover against the current. We had both thought the shrimpers might be less then receptive to cruisers given the sometimes unpleasant interactions between Sailors and fishermen.
We could not have been less right. Capt. Ben Graham was welcoming and not only helped us find a good anchorage but he invited us ashore, told us all about the history of the village he had been raised in, let us use his dock, and even offered to drive us into town the next day.
(http://lh5.ggpht.com/_tcVd2r_be7s/TB7f6627vuI/AAAAAAAAAqk/TzQ2TXjAYmo/s640/P6080086.JPG)
It was a long drive, but even after taking us to shop, and get propane he still did not want to take any money for gas. His answer was 'just pass it along to someone else'. A truly nice guy and a credit to the tradition of 'watermen'. May his kindness come back to him many times over. :)
Fairwinds at anchor off of Crescent river Georgia;
(http://lh6.ggpht.com/_tcVd2r_be7s/TB7f7lIx_hI/AAAAAAAAAqo/SQ_VqxzNU7Q/s640/P6080090.JPG)
We got underway and sailed out Sapelo inlet (just north of Brunswick). We sailed off shore to Charleston. It started out as a nice sail, but the wind clocked and we wound up with confused seas and fluky winds that degraded to a slapping boom as the main filled and spilled in the light winds. Neither of us slept and the next mornings arrival in Charleston was a welcome relief.
It is getting rather late, I will post the rest of the trip later.
What a wonderful post, a grog for you, for this first part!
Made me completely jealous. Grog to ya.
Todd
Thanks for the in-depth post and I look forward to the rest, later. A grog for ya, in the meanwhile...
Thanks for the encouragement guys, I appreciate it.
So, Wednesday we came back in the inlet at Charleston. I had not had a great time there last time through, so even though we had sailed all night we both elected to press on for a bit. We landed Yinnie ashore so she could take care of dog issues, and then sailed up a ways.
There are several creeks that empty to the ocean just north of Charleston. We turned down one of them and found lots of no-see-em friendly grass so we decided to head back out. I made a minor navigational error (screwed up)... and rounded to corner to go back out into the channel. The keel is an impressive piece of engineering, and caught every bit of the incoming tide... and we had a nice soft landing in the sand.
The jib sheet was let go, and the motor idled and then backed. The sand was rather fond of the keel, and wanted to have a longer term relationship with it. ::)
So while Dennis took the helm, I jumped in the water. Now, with my boat I have put a shoulder under the bow and worked her out of mud and sand more times then I might like to admit to. Imagine my surprise when I tried that with the good ship Fairwinds and she did not budge an inch. I grunted and groaned and finally was able to perceive that the bow was moving...
slightly. Of course once Dennis backed the boat back into the channel I had to swim against the same current to get back aboard.... he is a pretty nice guy and did not continue on (very far). ;D
We found another creek (with slightly less grass, and current) and the rest of the day is a blur.... until Dennis was looking down the hatch the next morning;
(http://lh3.ggpht.com/_tcVd2r_be7s/TB7gDu5OG2I/AAAAAAAAArM/8eQmvjOoYLk/s640/P5300030.JPG)
So we sailed. We decided to make Georgetown, I assumed the statute of limitations had expired from the last time I was through there... knowing full well that Our Dear Captain had done little to help my case with his fabrications.
I added some of the posts from the 'creative transportation thread (http://sailfar.net/forum/index.php/topic,2915.0.html)' into this thread since many were updates of our progress... I hope this does not make it too confusing.Note: don't see this too often;
QuoteWarning - while you were typing 17 new replies have been posted. You may wish to review your post.
;D
I wish I had taken more pictures on the section between Charleston and Georgetown. The rice feilds and their irrigation set up a very strange phenomenon where one can appear to be sailing over water that is sliding 'downhill' on either side. Very strange rules of gravity seem to apply in that area of the country know as the 'Low country'.
The Egret feed on the bait fish that pour out through the locks in the irrigation trenches. These large beautiful birds are nervous. They never stop moving, and fly upward at random intervals. As you get closer you see why. The water is littered with alligators.
People who claim to know (experts) say alligators do not inhabit salt water. Well, the dolphins hunting in the midst of the alligators must not have gotten the memo.... all were working the same stretches of water.
We arrived to Georgetown Landing Marina in the evening, and were told the staff had been warned we were coming and that we were not allowed. I stalled for time as Kurt rode down the dock with large quantities of frosty beverage. The doc boys scattered like scared seamen in the presence of a terrible captain (the burning wax in his beard was a nice touch).
We had a drink, then showered, had a drink, and got some fuel, had a drink and went to look for grub.... could not find much bit Kurt offered the helpful suggestion that we have a drink while it sorted it's self out. The crew dogs were happy to see me, and asked me to approach their captain about his slacking off so much. See, the story I got from the dogs was that he says he is going to "work" and they watch him go up to the bar not to be seen for hours. I am setting up ain intervention soon, and will ask that as many of you here as are available to participate come along.... and of course bring refreshments. We WILL get to the BOTTOM of all this one way or another.
Our early morning departure came earlier then morning since there was a fishing tournament we wanted to avoid getting in the way of. We were a mile from the dock before the sun started to share it's light... but somehow we still got waked badly by most of the boats.... all I can say is that those MUST be SOME VERY fast fish those guys are catching! ;D
We motor sailed up to try to make Southport that evening. It was a nice stretch of water, lots of places to get introduced to the local wildlife;
(http://lh4.ggpht.com/_tcVd2r_be7s/TB7gKjIPcuI/AAAAAAAAAro/iwoHG1Lp68s/s720/P6040067.JPG)'
Also enjoyed some of the tourists who were probably migrating from the oil in the gulf to clog other areas of the country. THe waterway was quite sporty... jet skis, motor boats, and that was not all. We actually had minituyre CRUISE SHIPS in the ICW.
This guy was one of two who proceded to trun sideways in the channel and sit there. He actually was long enough to block the entire channel, and did not seem to be in any hurry to move.
We briefly considered setting the hook and going ahsore, but after waiting a bit the Gameshop captain figured out his next move and turned.(http://lh6.ggpht.com/_tcVd2r_be7s/TB7gMORn3zI/AAAAAAAAArw/8aZiCU0jr1A/s640/P6110096.JPG)
The consolation was the stream of complaining that came from the jet skiers who griped about not being able to pass and distract / disrupt all the boats on the other side of the cruise ship.... ::)
Ok, so we departed Georgetown, and had a long slow beautiful motor north through the Georgia low country.
pictures would not do justice, but if you are a hardcore off shore cowboy you are missing something if you pass this section up.
Our next stop for the night was in South port NC. We barely made it in before we drew the attention of the local Coast Guard patrol (they patrol the fuel docks constantly). We had planned to land in the basin and anchor there (probably in the way of the majority of the boats there) ::) As it turned out we decided to get fuel at a dock before ethe town.... strangely there was no service at 10:38 at night, so we waited until morning. At around 8 we figured there were no fuel sales taking place on that dock, so we went off in search of fuel elsewhere.
We made our way up through some very familiar territory through Snow's cut, and up the coast to Mile Hammock Bay.
THis was Rose and my favorite anchorage when the new River was our home. Yinnie enjoyed running around in the woods just like Peter used to. I had called my friend Vaughn who had invited up to his marina... but thankfully he had to tow another boat out of the approach so he saved up the trouble of trying to find our way in.
Vaughn was on the dock at Mile Hammock. He caught our lines, shook hands, and served pizza. Many lies were told as we chatted and are pizza on the dock. It was a VERY welcome break from our underway fare. Funny how your friends just KNOW the simple things that make such a big difference at the end of the day.
Shortly after Vaughn left, more friends arrived. Tom and Bernice (just returned from the Bahamas on their Islander 36 'Different Drummer" and Cruisers Dave and Anita who we had met and become instant friends with 2 years before at Georgetown (Bahamas) They are keeping their Morgan 41 at the marina on the base were Rose and I were for 5 years. We all had a great conversation, and no one really seemed to notice that neither Dennis nor I were capable of completing a sentence..... of course that is only out of the ordinary for Dennis.
Fairwinds made up to the quay wall at Mile Hammock (do not do this if you do not have base access, you could be arrested.)(http://lh5.ggpht.com/_tcVd2r_be7s/TB7f8eYJSXI/AAAAAAAAAqs/b8jfLlt7UMk/s640/P6120100.JPG)
We woke up the next morning and decided it was our last day underway.
We got underway, and headed up to Beaufort. THe craziness was slightly dulled by the newly imposed 'no wake' zone in the basin, and the majority of the sport boats had already run through headed out to their tournament that morning.
Adams Creek was filling up with shrimpers, but we had plenty of room to avoid causing them to turn and loose their catch. I have great respect for these guys and am reminded that we are sailing for pleasure, they are feeding their families. Funny, with all the strife between shrimpers and Sailors I rarely have an issue with this attitude.
(http://lh3.ggpht.com/_tcVd2r_be7s/TB7f9pXKHaI/AAAAAAAAAq0/Li5vJDqL_JA/s640/P6130108.JPG)
Funny, as a journey comes to a close the things that might not be noticed come all the more clear. The sound of the water on the hull, the gulls, the snap of the apple you are eating that is the last meal underway on the journey.
This sky spoke to me;
(http://lh5.ggpht.com/_tcVd2r_be7s/TB7f9E22xWI/AAAAAAAAAqw/JBajCHXfqYc/s640/P6130106.JPG)
We made up in the new slip, and got to the tiki bar just in time to be told the kitchen was closed... but the kind waitress agreed to make us sandwiches anyway. (bless this girl).
Sailors all have their own rituals, and things effect us all differently. Yinnie is no different.
Yinnie seemed to become deep and philosophical about Dennis last bite of sandwich the last night of the trip.
(http://lh3.ggpht.com/_tcVd2r_be7s/TB7f_aIHHyI/AAAAAAAAAq4/OSq5mYfOwzY/s640/P6130117.JPG)
The boat is made up, the sails are stowed, the new automatic bilge pump is installed. Dennis let me take care of a few last repairs that I had asked to do, minor things like a buzzer on the fuel pump when there is no oil pressure. I was glad to work on the boat a bit more to 'give something back' to this ship that had brought us on this journey.
I am grateful to have been able to go along and contribute in some way. Had a great time with a great friend aboard a great little ship. I look forward to hearing about the future journeys she will make, and time shared in some other anchorages 'out there' soon.
Blessings, on the good ship Fairwinds, and upon her crew!
Quote from: s/v Faith on June 22, 2010, 12:03:36 AM
{snip}We decided to make Georgetown, I assumed the statute of limitations had expired from the last time I was through there... knowing full well that Our Dear Captain had done little to help my case with his fabrications.
"Fabrications".
FABRICATIONS???
I think not - witness the evidence attached below.
Hmmm! some pretty incriminating evidence I would say. The goat is the obvious clue, as we know perps typically leave calling cards behind ;)
Ok...
FIRST. The jetski guy... he DESERVED much worse. Many many times worse. Now, I am not admitting I was there, or that I knew just how many rolls of duct tape were required, but let me just say that WHOEVER did it had one heck of a time getting all the stickiness off of their hands..... which MAY have required a SLIGHTLY longer time in the shower then might have been otherwise necessary.
SECOND, you can not believe everything you read in the news paper. If certain events did indeed take place (and I am not saying I have any first had knowledge) then I will say that there may be a slight exaggeration of the details.had
NOT that I have any first hand knowledge of ANY of this mind you..... ::)
Of Course not at all saying I think you were there, I am just glad SailFar members were not asked to take a collection to make bail. Glad you had a great sail.
Quote from: Mario G on June 10, 2010, 01:41:17 AM
I'll be in Oriental thursday night till mondayand I hope to meet up, please let me know when they get there?
Mario,
Sorry I missed this until now... sorry I missed you.
Brought Fairwinds back down south a couple weeks ago. Details of the route are posted here in the thread on the 2013 southern migration. (http://sailfar.net/forum/index.php/topic,4114.msg45206.html#msg45206)