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10/21/2005: "Back on the water"

We had some computer problems this week so this is a little overdue. Last weekend we took a break from projects and moving aboard to go sailing. It was really good to get back out on the water. We stowed everything and headed out on Saturday for the South River, one of the tributaries to the Neuse River. Once we cleared the shallow area at the mouth of the creek we set the sails for a long broad reach down the river. Once in the South River we dropped the anchor and joined some friends on their boat for a social hour. While socializing we watched the almost full moon come up. It was as good of a night at anchor as you could ask for.

In the morning we pulled the anchor and motored further up the river. There is no development on this river so it is a beautiful remote area. Eventually we motored back out into the Neuse for the return home. Winds were forecast for 10-15 knots but when we cleared the river entrance it was dead calm. After raising the sails we waited for the wind to come up and started sailing back up the river. Unfortunately the wind was on the nose so it involved tacking back and forth up the river until we cleared the town of Oriental and were able to set a course for home. It seemed that every time we tacked the wind shifted or dropped so that we made little headway. Fortunately we were not in a hurry to go anywhere and had another enjoyable day on the water. The temperatures cooperated and it was T-shirt and shorts weather.

Once back in the marina it was back to reality.

This week I remounted the handrails that I removed earlier this year and we are now ready to replace the headliner. By the end of the week we should have the headliner in the salon replaced and the trim installed. Of course I still have to replace it in the aft cabin and the V-berth but the worst will be over.

On the humorous side, we had a visitor around 2:30 AM on Tuesday. I woke up to a sound of something moving around on the deck. When I looked out, there was Harlow. Harlow is a Golden Retriever that lives at the end of the road and sometimes hangs out at the marina. For some reason she decided to come down the dock and come aboard. I sent her down the dock but about 5:00 AM I heard her come aboard again. This time I decided to leave her alone and went back to sleep figuring she couldn’t get into any trouble.