published at last! (and a couple of other things)

Josh and the good folks at Small Craft Advisor have been nice enough to publish a story about our Skeeter Beater trip in the May/June issue. I'm very excited about this and can't wait to get my hands on a copy. I just rec'd an email from Barry (he's building two Melonseed skiffs) who just gotten his copy in the mail. I'll run up to the bookstore to see if they are on the shelf yet.

Below is a very low-rez copy of a proof that Josh sent me a little while ago. Bruce shot both of those photos (that's me on the left as we sailed up the Pamlico River to Bath, and there is a nice evening shot of Dixon Cove on the right) and I think he might have a couple more nice images in the spread.

Small Craft Advisor is a great magazine and I really like their emphasis on small, affordable boats and small boat adventures. Back in the 80's I was a huge fan of Small Boat Journal, in fact I've got a few copies tucked away. That journal is no longer being published, but Small Craft Advisory has picked up right where they left off. It makes me feel good to think that our trip fits in with all those adventures I've read about over the years.

A couple of other notes for upcoming sails. The fishing report at Cape Lookout Charters says the creeks and marshes are warming up. This gives me a little hope for the fishing possibilities during the upcoming weekend walkabout. Here is the report from last weekend.....

Reds in the surf and marshes. The speckled trout fishing have picked up in the ditch and creeks where the water temps are in the high 60's...

And I'm happy to see SandyBottom is reporting on a recent NC paddle and I think she'll be reporting on her EC Challenge soon. Dawn passed on some good information about Pate Boatyard off of Jones Bay. It surprises me how difficult it can be to find out about the boatyards spread out on the creek and bays of Pamlico Sound. I've googled and read every list of Carolina marinas that I could find and have never heard of this one. Bruce and I will pass nearby Jones Bay on our Spring trip and I always like to have a list of marinas/boatyards close to our route in case we need to stop in for fuel, repairs or just a cold drink. I'll add Pate Boatyard to our list. Thanks Dawn.

steve