And our friend Brent was busy launching his recently completed Princess 26.
Brent had agreed to join us for our trip down the Bay River and over to Mouse Harbor. The winds were light and variable as we headed down the River. The days are shorter this time of year and the late afternoon sun was heading for the horizon before we reached the mouth of the river. Rather then push on we decided to look for an anchorage in Bonner Bay.
We had a quiet evening in Bonner Bay and the next morning the winds remained light and from the North. Rather than strike out across the Bay River we decided to use the light air to explore some of the creeks that feed into Bonner Bay, specifically Dipping Vat Creek and Long Creek.
The morning sun was bright and the skies clear. The wind was from the NNE around 5 knots.
Light winds are perfect for exploring marshes and creeks. Even though you are going slowly you feel like you are getting somewhere. I feel free to explore shallow areas and narrow creeks if I do not have to worry about wind and waves driving me onto a shoal or a lee shore.
Sometimes the wind got a little too light. Around 9:00am we headed north east across the Bay River toward Dump Creek Ditch. The wind faded completely and we rowed for awhile then it picked up and was blowing about 10 knots when we reached Dump Creek. It took a bit of poking about but we found the entrance to the Ditch. The areas was very shallow and the wind seemed to be picking up so we decided to head out to the Pamlico sound and then up to Mouse Harbor instead of cutting through Dump Creek Ditch to Jones Bay. The wind remained light but steady as we worked our way north around the Prohibited Zone. A circle 5 miles in diameter that surrounds a wreck that the navy uses for target practice. The circle is located on the western edge of the Pamlico Sound and you have to go in pretty close to land or out into the middle of the sound to avoid cutting through it. The wind veered slowly to the East and then the South East.
Sally and I sailed along the southern and western edges of Mouse Harbor scoping out possible anchorages and looking for some dry sandy ground. We went as far as the entrance to Mouse Harbor Ditch. We noted several nice places to anchor but no dry ground suitable for a shore excursion. We could see that Brent was settling in near Island Creeks so we sailed back to him and came up along side. Brent had some fenders out and welcomed us aboard. We brought some snacks over and shared them and Brent opened some of his home brew. We chatted about the days sail and made plans for the morrow. Sally and I had decided we would head back to Chapel Creek in the morning, a day earlier than planned so we would have plenty of time to visit with Peter before the business of the Messabout began. As the sun was setting we said goodnight to Brent and drifted off a little ways and dropped anchor just as the marsh angels were awakening.
As you probably know I do not carry a motor on Skorpa. On occasions I take a little ribbing from sailors equipped with engines, though often there is a hint of respect in the teasing. Brent and I were getting our boats ready to sail before sunrise. The swamp angels were still about so Sally had elected to stay in. The wind was about as close to dead calm as you can get on the water. Brent offered to give us a tow until the wind picked up. I declined figuring we would get to Chapel Creek one way or the other and if it took us an extra day it would not really matter.
As Brent slowly motored off I decided it would be a good time to try out my Yulogh. I had recently added an oarlock to the transom. I placed one of my 10.5 foot oars in the lock and began making like a gondolier. The oar is positioned straight off the stern of the boat. You swing the oar back and forth while holding the blade at an angle reversing the angle each time you come to the end of a sweep. You can not develop anything like the power that you can develop in the standard rowing position, but we were gliding along quietly. At first I had the blade angle reversed causing us to move slowly backward. Once I got that straightened out it was nearly idyllic except for the mosquitos stealthily drawing blood from my ankles.
As we sailed back across Mouse Harbor and entered Pamlico Sound the Cherry Point Naval Airstation began a dramatic aerial display directly overhead. Two jets were flying in a roughly 10 mile circle. Just as they passed over us at an altitude of perhaps 500 feet they engaged their afterburners and went into a steep climb. At the top of the climb they banked steeply right. One plane followed about a mile behind the other. They repeated the circuit over and over perhaps a dozen times. At first entertaining but then a little annoying. Approach bank left, full throttle, climb, bank right. We could see the glow from the afterburners and vapor flickering off the wing tips and leading edge during hard maneuvers. After awhile they wandered off and we settled down to a quiet sail with a light breeze from the north.
The wind veered from North to East varying from around 5 knots up to 10 knots. We had a relaxing sail down the sound. As we approached Jones Bay we decided at the last minute to head up the Bay and use Ditch Creek to cut across to the Bay River at the mouth of Gale Creek.
Here we are heading up Jones Bay with the wind behind us coming from the ESE. Ditch Creek Canal runs South West so we would be on a broad reach down the narrow ditch. Perfect except just as we got to Ditch Creek the wind suddenly veered even further all the way to South. Now the wind would be almost on our nose as we headed down the ditch. We did not want to go all the way back out to the Sound and up the mouth of the Bay River so we decided to go for it.
Sally took the tiller and I took the paddle. The wind was 30 or so degrees off of dead ahead so by paddling and pinching as hard as we could we squeaked through. The wind remained steady from the South to South southwest and we sailed up to the dock at Chapel Creek at 5pm.
We had a wonderful visit with Peter. Here I am helping him raise the mast on his recently launched Princess 28R, Petrel.
Above are Jason and his son. They are two of the many passengers we took for a short sail on Saturday. It was a lovely time of sharing the joy of boats with others.
