Coming Events2019 Photo Contest Oyster Roast |
| Commodore's Log Jeff Keynon, Commodore S/V Calitri |
2020 is off to a fast start. The NCO Sponsored seminar series is in full swing with 3 seminars held so far. February brings some more great topics including Diesel Maintenance, Sail Trim, Navigation, and Refrigeration all planned. Come to Oriental Town Hall at 9:30 every Saturday and keep honing your skills! In the last article I spoke about a focus on helping with Ocracoke Hurricane Recovery. One of the areas we received feedback about was simply coming to Ocracoke to spend money. Many businesses are up and running and could really use our patronage. Tracy Vail has hatched a plan (thanks!), and 26 members are going to Ocracoke (via ferry) for Valentines weekend. We’re also collecting supplies for the Recovery Pantry that is run by the Ocracoke Interfaith Relief and Recovery Team. At the Oyster Roast and Shrimparoo we’ll be running a “50/50” raffle and plan on a monetary donation to this organization as well. They are really doing a lot of heavy lifting for residents in need, and I am pleased to support them. More on the Valentines weekend escapades from Tracy Vail in the next NJ! By March I am sure many of us will be turning attention to some tasks to get ready for cruising, and that starts right away in mid-April. Be on the lookout for the registration for the Easter Cruise to Beaufort to open. And if you haven’t already, lease reach out to Carl Crothers and offer to be a cruise captain this year. I’ll close with a thought for our many friends that have cruised south to warmer waters and weather this year. Have fun, return safe, and know that we are enjoying hearing about your adventures remotely through your blogs and Facebook posts. I for one am jealous – enjoy! |
| Cruising Outlook Carl Crothers, VC Cruising S/V Sanctuary |
2020 Cruising Schedule: Easter (Spring) Cruise – April 10-12, Beaufort Docks Memorial Day Cruise – May 23-25, Cape Lookout Anchorage Week-long Cruise – June 13-21, Albemarle Plantation Marina Dog Days Cruise – July 10-12, River Forest Marina, Belhaven Lazy Days Cruise – Aug. 1-2, River Dunes Marina Labor Day Cruise – Sept. 4-7, Ocracoke Island Fall Cruise – Oct. 10-11, West Bay Anchorage Halloween Cruise – Oct. 31-Nov. 1, New Bern Grand Marina We have cruise captains so far for the Lazy Days and Labor Day cruises. Please contact me at carlcrothers52@gmail.com if you’d like to be a cruise captain. |
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| Special Events Kevin and Mary Guilfoyle, VC Special Events M/V Delphina |
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But first, we want some more of the NSA shutterbugs to enter the 2019 Photo Contest. Sooooo, we are leaving submissions open till Sun.,16 Feb. The winners of the photo contest will receive a framed copy of their photo after having it prominently displayed in the community and receive a gift certificate from a local business. In addition, their pictures will be highlighted on our website photo rotation. So, you get a framed print of your picture, a gift certificate AND get to help show Oriental and everyone who visits our website what fun we have as NSA members! It's a win-win-win! Of COURSE you want to enter! Our wonderful vice commodores of communications, Tracy and Robert will open the voting options to NSA members so you will select the best in each category. Come back to the NSA website (neusesail.wildapricot.org,) Feb.19 - Mar. 12, login as a member, and go to the Photo Contest main page to learn how you can select your best in class in each of the five categories. Each member can vote one time in each category. Voting closes Wednesday. March12. Winners will be announced at the Shrimperoo in March! |
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January 11th thru March 14th (Saturdays, 9:30AM, Oriental Town Hall) Sponsored by SCOO, ODC, NSA Remaining Seminars Feb 15th – Sail Trim – Todd Cox Feb 22nd – Navigating Local Waters – Coast Guard Aux ( info about the Neuse and local waters, including info about local anchorages, Marinas and boatyards) Feb 29th – AC/Refrigeration- Darrell Foster March 7th – NOAA (discussion on weather) March 14th – First Aid Onboard – Erik Kindle |
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| Sailing Adventures Guest articles by traveling NSA Members |
Plans Are Written In the Sand At Low Tide We are currently in West Palm Beach, Florida and have been so since December 15th. That's a seven week layover! Our intention was to get to Miami, cross over to the Bahamas after New Years and hang out in the islands until April. Well, that didn’t happen. Instead, we are going to San Antonio, Texas. Not exactly crystal blue water and palm trees. We have learned first hand something we have heard said many times . . . “The plans of sailors are written in the sand at low tide.” Well, Texas is exactly where we need to be this February and March because it allows us to experience something new . . . Travel Surgery. It will be like cruising, without the boat, except that Honey will be having a double mastectomy and reconstruction. After the little cancer problem is dealt with we will be touring the Alamo, the Riverwalk and eating at cute restaurants. We have never been to San Antonio and are excited to spend a month there. There are so many upsides to this unplanned trip: the travel, staying in a swanky hotel (hello unlimited hot showers), having an onsite gym, a free yummy breakfast (Chip’s waffle is so epic that the gym is needed), a rental car, etc. It is like a vacation from our vacation. Six to eight weeks are really needed to recuperate from this event. Four will be spent in Texas, but the others will be aboard SoundWave. Turns out that using Honey’s arms and core are prohibited for a long time. Climbing out of the dinghy, onto docks, or onto the V-birth could be problematic or damaging. It's a good thing that Chip is a great problem solver. He did what any good Captain would do . . . he bought his First Mate another boat :) This is our 12th boat. (You can see a timeline of all the boats we’ve bought on our website, SailingSoundWave.com.) This boat is a 1981 Hurricane 15 with an Evinrude 70 motor. It's called a Deck Boat. The benefits of it for us is that it's basically a steady rectangle shape with great spots to step onto that are level with our stern and with most docks. It also has a key start and steering wheel. This will make it so much easier for Honey instead of cranking the other outboard motor and/or rowing Echo. Transiting back and forth to shore wont be as damaging to her rehab efforts. We have named the boat Ripple. It seems to flow well with SoundWave and Echo (our dinghy). Ripple was bought from a lovely man who boated on Lake Jessup in central Florida. During our test drive we each took turns getting the boat up on the plane and cruising around the 6’ deep waters. It was all fun and games until we learned that Lake Jessup has almost 10,000 alligators in it. Florida Fish and Game deposits renegade and nuisance Gators there. The test drive was over!
Yes, we aren’t in the Bahamas. That plan was washed away at low tide. But, we are turning West Palm Beach into a comfortable home for us. We love it here! We have put down roots (technically a mooring ball) and bought this extra boat. The crystal blue water, sea life, palm trees, sandy beaches, sunshine, fishing, shopping, restaurants, friends, etc are just making us so happy. There are some really nice and interesting people here, too. The “Mayor” of our mooring field lives next to us and he and many others said they would look out for our boats while we are in Texas. Another neighbor is Donna Lange. A super cool lady who has circumnavigated the globe twice . . . solo . . . and while she had 11 grandchildren. What the heck! And, she didn’t have refrigeration or many other conveniences. Debbie and Buck O’Neil were with us when we met her. Our minds were blown! Honey would much rather go to Texas than to do what Donna has done. Circling the globe, solo, is a different kind of tough! Skipper Stuff SoundWave is still moored in West Palm Beach, the weather has been at times fierce, and generally sunny, shorts, t-shirts & flip flops. The anchorage is a living thing, we watch it inhale/exhale the ocean twice a day, clear blue-green water. One of our favorite pastimes is just watching the harbor, we call it the Boat Parade. This place has one of the most delightful parades we have seen since Newport. Each weather window, a flotilla departs & a different one sails in later that day. Beautiful. It is said that the plans of sailors are written in the sand at low tide. We have learned to modify our language, and now use the word “intend” instead of plan! Feels better. Turns out we are going to winter here, we love it, and will save the Bahamas for next year. West Palm has really become our south Florida home port, it is perfect for us. We passed 4000 nm the day before arrival here, so far so good, a few thoughts. Bumps / Bruises ● Atlantic Beach Bridge, Morehead City 1 ● SoundWave windex w/ 64.3’ air draft and flood current. 0 Impatient tired skipper. Snapped off our windex in the following current, thankfully able to reverse out, fat lip hanging from the mast. Dang that clang! ● Red St Lucie River Lighted Buoy #2. 1 ● SoundWave hull, port side vs steel piling of buoy. 0 Dum dum skipper. As we were leaving the anchorage at Hooker Bay at sunrise, reached the point where the St Lucie river meets the ICW and the tidal currents from a fierce inlet. There are literally currents catching you from three directions, like crossing the New River but magnified. Anyway, of all people, I was looking down at the phone (just for a second, right?) checking the scattered markers against the nav app because the sunlight blinded us from reading the buoy numbers. We were swept a surprising distance sideways in the briefest moment when the cross current grabbed our keel. Bashed broadside into the steel piling, thankfully able to reverse aside averting serious damage. Cruised into the dawn with a new tattoo on the hull. ● Echo the Dragon - trusty tandem rowing/sailing tender 500+ ● Florida winter winds, waves and 3 kt current. 1 We have rowed or sailed our dinghy in every port from Tampa to Newport using no motor, it is our daily driver. For the first time ever, I could not make it back to SoundWave; got caught in 20-25kt winds, 2’ waves and could not sail upwind, waves crashing over the rails and I would take on seawater. Mix in a 3 kt ebb current, and I was being swept out to sea. Rowed until my heart was all I could hear, losing ground slowly. Finally had to call for assistance and was towed back home. Humbling. Consider making a luggage tag for your dinghy with this brief critical checklist before you untie. ○ This is our dinghy checklist ■ Lifevests ■ Nav Lights ■ Whistle/Horn ■ VHF radio ■ Anchor ■ Oars ■ Bailer As the miles glide by, we gain more experience. Sailing will have bumps and bruises, so avoid what you can, be thankful it was not worse, and keep cruising! We believe we sail under favor, and the cost of “tuition” matches the lessons learned. Something we never Imagined
Born of a need for a safe place to leave SoundWave when travelling for days or weeks inland, we looked into and have had a local marine dive company install our very own mooring ball here in West Palm Beach (Lake Worth north anchorage). This is some serious kit, we will use it two or three times a year, perfect for coming in from the ocean on trips from Bahamas, Keys or Charleston. This new mooring is even stronger than the diagram as we have 4 augur anchors instead of 3, each supplemented by big buried Danforth anchor and finally a buried brake drum at each corner. Supposedly Hurricane rated for boats up to 60’. NSA members are hereby welcome to use it for up to a week if you are transiting the area. Position: 26° 45.201' N 80° 2.681' W. You will know ours by the Oriental dragon on the side of the mooring ball! Call us if you “intend” to visit this slice of heaven. We pray that every member of the NSA talks about safety a lot. Chip and Honey Johnson S/V SoundWave |
