22 Apr 2006, Preparations for the Trip North, 34 02.587 N/ 077 53.468 W
The crew has been busy since their arrival to Carolina
Beach. So busy, that our Christmas tree is still up. We had an
impressive colony of sea growths on our mud (from Fort Pierce) encased
hull. We hired a diver to harvest the critters and check on the zincs.
We now have a super clean hull ready for the Bay. We had the rig tuned
and replaced the engine control (it failed 140 mile offshore). Oil has
been changed. We are ready!
 It took the dogs two weeks to get back to
normal after our trip. Also, Gina (Lab) was diagnosed with Cushing's
disease which is going to require many vet trips. So Ann is going to
stay with the puppies while Bob takes the boat up to the Chesapeake.
Our neighbor (and fellow bocce player), Dave Domenic (a.k.a, 'Sea Dog')
was kind enough to offer his services to accompany Bob to the Bay. It
should be a really fun cruise.
 SV Moony arrived in the Abacos (from Nassau) yesterday.
The weather has been a bit boisterous so their progress has been
somewhat slowed. SV Dances with Dragons arrived in Puerto Rico on
Wednesday. The had a great trip from Fort Pierce and even saw some
whales. Paint us envious. Part of us is sad that we are not out there
with them but right now we feel our place is here with our grandbaby to
be, our other grandbabies, and the 'kids'
25 Apr 2006, Sea Dog's First Day-Night-Day, 35 14.590 N/ 076 35.450 W
 Sea Captain Bob, skipper of Jule-III,
graciously invited me to crew with
him on the journey to Baltimore. Even though I am a rank amature I have
admired SV Jule-III for a long time. I jumped at the adventure. Since
a few of our legs would take us away from the ICW and out to sea, I had
my doctor give me Rx for a motion sickness patch - just in case.
Departure from Carolina Beach was exciting yet uneventful. The two hour
cruise up Masonborough Sound was simply magnificent. SCB showed me the
intricities and attributes of Jule-III. SCB is an excellent skipper
(you don't know how happy I am to write that), he also seems to be more
popular than the pope - nearly every other skipper waved at him as they
were passing!
 Our wives and my daughter drove up to the Wrightsville Inlet and waved
us out to sea. We had a perfect 10k wind blowing Northeasterly at our
back and when we popped the sails.... Whoppie! We were sailing. It is
impossible to describe the simple exhilaration of sailing into the
sunset in a magnificent sailing vessel like Jule-III. For me this
lasted about an hour. Seas were rolling about 6 to 8 feet and waves
were breaking over the bow. What fun! Good sea captains never get
seasick and I was protected by the $40 patch behind my ear. I was
actually laughing out load. It was at that moment I learned a lesson
every seaman knows...... Never laugh at Neptune! A wave of nausea hit
me and sent me to the rail. After two hours I deep-sixed the useless
patch. After six hours I was still glued to the rail with 15 hours to
go to landfall. SCB put Jule in autopilot and fixed me a bunk below
deck at the lowest part of the floor. This helped enormously and I was
able to lay still, with an arm around the P bucket and in a fetal
position all night long.
 With the dawn came calmer seas and
calmer bays and SCB found every one,
the leg into a tiny marina at Hobucken where we tied to at 4:00pm
Tuesday was grand sailing. I must add that SCB made letter perfect,
Captain Ron style loop and dock at the marina. Too bad no one is around
to bear witness except one old man shucking oysters.
Tomorrow - a day at the marina for some minor engine repairs then on
Thursday, off to the Alligator River.
26 Apr 2006, Sea Dog - A Day at RE Mayo, Shrimp and Bait, 35 14.590 N/ 076 35.450 W
 Today was spent at a tiny marina straight out of a 1950's Rob't Mitchem
B movie. It was great! SCB and I traded learning experiences today.
He taught me the proper use and care of a P-Bucket and some of the
intricate navigation equipment aboard Jule-III. One amazing piece of
gear that SCB calls 'The Toy' is a GPS system that displays the boat and
it's location, direction, speed and heading anywhere in the world down
to accuracy measured in feet. It also indicates weather, tides, wind
direction and velocity. I suspect it can also brew up a cup of tea but
I haven't seen this yet.
 SCB also taught me about the nature of
boat people. What a grand family
of individuals! I use the word family because that is exactly how they
act with one another. Always ready to help one another and spend time
in conversations. There are also the 'black-sheep' members who tend to
hot dog and brag. Just like an extended family.
 I taught SCB about being an Italian for a day. We polished off a bottle
of grappa then had a meal of gnocce with red sauce, sausage, peppers and
meatballs while watching the movie "Goodfellas" on the DVD. Yes,
Jule-III has a flat screen TV, a DVD player and a first class CD
system. Makes roughing it at sea manageable.
If the rain stops and the winds subside we are off early tomorrow to the
headwaters of the Alligator River where we plan on anchoring for the
night.
--
|
