We knew our time in Charleston had to come to an end. It just seemed to sneak up on us faster than we wished. We were torn between our love of this wonderful city and the desire to get north to see family. As we waved goodbye to Marianna, we knew we would soon need to be doing the same ourselves. We started to follow their progress and start to turn our attention to our own travel plans.
Clint takes the helm
Orion Takes on Crew
We knew we wanted to be in Hampton by mid-May, and wanted to travel outside as much of the trip as possible. Being relatively close to NC on both ends of the trip, we invited Cathy’s brother-in-law Clint to join us for the trip. Clint’s last trip out on Orion had been 5 years ago, when we were painfully new at sailing. After a couple of days bobbing on a languid Chespeake Bay with no wind in the sails, we thought he would enjoy another chance to maybe get some real sailing in. He would also be a help on the longer runs and would get to sail some on familiar and some not-so-familiar waters. He agreed to join us and made his way south, arriving on the train Tuesday, April 27th.
We knew we wanted to be in Hampton by mid-May, and wanted to travel outside as much of the trip as possible. Being relatively close to NC on both ends of the trip, we invited Cathy’s brother-in-law Clint to join us for the trip. Clint’s last trip out on Orion had been 5 years ago, when we were painfully new at sailing. After a couple of days bobbing on a languid Chespeake Bay with no wind in the sails, we thought he would enjoy another chance to maybe get some real sailing in. He would also be a help on the longer runs and would get to sail some on familiar and some not-so-familiar waters. He agreed to join us and made his way south, arriving on the train Tuesday, April 27th.
Dave explains the weather forecast
We put him to work almost immediately. Dave began showing him all the boat systems – the engine, the instruments, the batteries, etc. Dave showed him his sources for weather and how he went about interpreting it. He went over the watch schedule for our offshore runs, the log books, the radios and the list goes on. Cathy spent this time preparing meals for the trip, which would last at a minimum two days, meaning a couple of lunches and suppers, along with some snacks that needed to be readied.
Flat Calm as we depart Charleston
In studying the weather, Dave began to see a window to head out on Thursday, April 29th. Unlike most of our previous outside runs, we were hoping to just sail as much of the trip as possible. That meant that we needed a window with enough wind to sail, but from a direction that would keep the seas manageable. We were beginning to see a long period of sustained southwest winds that would do the trick. Since the weather seemed to be holding, we headed out mid-morning along with Pagan Chant, our neighbor on the dock. The morning’s flat calm conditions were gradually replaced with a steady southwest breeze as predicted, and by early afternoon, we were zipping along. Pagan Chant decided to head for Southport, so we said goodbye earlier than we expected. Since we were heading for a least Beaufort, and maybe a trip around Hatteras to Hampton, we pointed further east toward a point off Frying Pan Shoals and sailed into the night.
By early morning, the winds were too light to sail. We started the engine and motored through the day until once again the wind picked up in the afternoon. We assessed the situation after supper and decided not to attempt the run around Hatteras. That meant we needed to aim for the Beaufort inlet. However, we didn’t want to come in before sunrise. So, we set a course that should eat up the hours until sun-up, reefing the headsail to de-power the boat and slow her down. Unfortunately, we kept doing better than we expected. As we neared the inlet, we took in the headsail completely and just sailed on the main alone. By this time the flood current was giving us a boost as well. We managed to sail around until the eastern horizon became light enough to douse the sail and motor into the inlet.
The sun sets off NC on Friday
By early afternoon, we had sailed up the Neuse to the South River, where we anchored along with a number of weekend sailors. We were tired, but felt good about the trip, having sailed for 35 of the 52 hour run. We still had some work to restore order to the cabins below, top off the fuel tanks and prepare routes for the next couple of days. However, the steaks on the grill never tasted so good, since we felt we had earned them this time.
Dinner at Hyman's with Bill and Bette
Charleston – The Last Hurrah
With the comings and goings of other boaters, we got to enjoy the company of both new and old friends. Bill and Bette from Inspiration joined us for the free Star Trek moving on their first day in Charleston and later at Hyman’s Seafood for a farewell dinner. Larry on The Dove came aboard one rainy Sunday to catch up on his winter travels and later we met him and his fellow traveler, Victoria on Malie, who was single-handing as well. We happened to take the same tour of the Calhoun Mansion one afternoon, which was an elaborate mansion built with the fortunes made in blockade-running during the Civil War, and restored to its former glory by its current occupants after years of decline. Carolyn and Keith on Whim were at the Maritime Center when we arrived, having recently brought the boat down from Beaufort with plans to sail back to Maine for the summer.
With the comings and goings of other boaters, we got to enjoy the company of both new and old friends. Bill and Bette from Inspiration joined us for the free Star Trek moving on their first day in Charleston and later at Hyman’s Seafood for a farewell dinner. Larry on The Dove came aboard one rainy Sunday to catch up on his winter travels and later we met him and his fellow traveler, Victoria on Malie, who was single-handing as well. We happened to take the same tour of the Calhoun Mansion one afternoon, which was an elaborate mansion built with the fortunes made in blockade-running during the Civil War, and restored to its former glory by its current occupants after years of decline. Carolyn and Keith on Whim were at the Maritime Center when we arrived, having recently brought the boat down from Beaufort with plans to sail back to Maine for the summer.
Patty and Joe on Acacia were our neighbors for a few days. They had some troubles with their electronic charts and GPS interface on their computer. Dave seemed to be able to resolve most of the problems so that they could now use them underway, much to their delight. We took in an Earth Day film festival at the nearby Hippodrome theater, along with an “after party” that had a bluegrass band and good food.
And for the first time, we were able to try the wonderful food prepared by the St. Phillip’s Episcopal ladies in their “Tea Room” fundraiser, held once a year in April. Okra gumbo and pecan pie were a southern delight, although not necessarily Dave’s first choice. We discovered the wonderful fare at Hyman’s Seafood, enjoying it so much we returned a couple more times in our visit. The owners have a custom of visiting every table during the evening, and there was no question that he recognized us by our 3rd visit. We told him it would be at least 6 months before we could return however.
(Not Much) Boat Stuff
We managed to squeeze in a little boat stuff. Cathy was able to scrub the V-berth well, since we had to empty it for Clint’s arrival. Dave equalized the batteries, which are doing very well after a winter’s use. He also managed to convert a string of 110V LED Christmas lights into a 12V strip after some trial and error. When the experiment seemed to work, he soldered the connections and installed them in the cockpit.
(Not Much) Boat Stuff
We managed to squeeze in a little boat stuff. Cathy was able to scrub the V-berth well, since we had to empty it for Clint’s arrival. Dave equalized the batteries, which are doing very well after a winter’s use. He also managed to convert a string of 110V LED Christmas lights into a 12V strip after some trial and error. When the experiment seemed to work, he soldered the connections and installed them in the cockpit.
Serenity Nycole
Family News
We were pleased to welcome the newest addition to our family, Serenity Nycole, born to our son Adam and Christina on December 12th. She is a lovely little girl.
Next stops
We’ll be headed up through NC to arrive in Hampton Roads by Mother’s Day if the weather holds.
We were pleased to welcome the newest addition to our family, Serenity Nycole, born to our son Adam and Christina on December 12th. She is a lovely little girl.
Next stops
We’ll be headed up through NC to arrive in Hampton Roads by Mother’s Day if the weather holds.
