a dozen photographs and a few thoughts

Morning, sailing along Shackleford Banks.

The sail from Beaufort Inlet to Cape Lookout Bight is across Onslow Bay.  The sail is in the lee of Shackleton Banks and any wind out of the northern quadrant makes for an easy, calm sail across wide open water.  A favorite passage to a favorite destination.

Evening, Broad Creek off of South Lake.

An artist friend of mine said this photo was "just transportive."  It is probably my favorite photograph of the trip.  Simple lines and shapes.  (Simple things for the simple minded.)

Perquimans River at dawn.

This was a very cold morning on the Perquimans River.  I am wearing foul weather gear.  By the time I reached the mouth of the river, getting ready to cross Albemarle Sound, I changed into my dry suit.  You probably can't tell from the photograph but I'm wearing waterproof gloves, and would soon don a leather broad-brimmed hat for an approaching rain storm.  To quote my Appalachian Trail friend when I asked him how to deal with being cold and the wet he said simply "don't get cold and wet."  Excellent advice.

Webb Chiles suggested in an email that my sailing log was a love affair with my dry suit.  I cannot argue with that.  Combining the dry suit with base layers - I've carry three different weights of thermals - makes me feel almost bulletproof when it comes to rain and cold.  As for the gloves, I have spent a lot of money on waterproof gloves and have never been happy with any of them.  So I spent a little money ($14) on gloves from Amazon and they are perfect for my needs.

Back Creek, after sunset.

The new mizzen mast on a beautiful, calm evening.  I have started hooking my anchor light on one of the robands on the mizzen.  It casts light on the sail and is easily visible, though I cannot see it from inside the boom tent.

Oriental, near the Town Dock.

I visited Oriental twice during the trip, the second visit being unplanned.  But can you spend too much time in Oriental?  I think not.  I love the colors and textures in this photograph.

There were several places I did not get to visit as the weather did not cooperate - Ocracoke, Edenton, Salmon Creek, Roanoke Island.  They are all on the list for next time.

Leaving South Lake.

A friend said this photograph made her think of Winslow Homer.  I'll take that compliment any day.

Thunderstorm, the Frying Pan.

This is the first of two thunderstorms on The Frying Pan.  I spent the entire day there because of forecasts of high winds and thunderstorms.  It was a good decision.  

The boom tent, made by my canvas friend Angel, worked perfectly and kept me dry and comfortable.  For any of you thinking of hitting up Angel for some canvas work, good luck.  Last I heard she was working six months out.

Perquimans River before sunrise.

I love early mornings when, for the most part, winds are light or even non-existent.  Like on this morning when I would later spend a few hours with 28 mph winds crossing Albemarle Sound.  Enjoy the calm mornings when you can.

Pungo River, headed towards Belhaven

This was after coming out of the Alligator River Pungo River Canal.  I spent too much time in canals on this trip.  This was all weather related with unusually strong winds out of the north.  I had heard before the trip that there was a weather pattern forming that would keep tropical storms away.  That, I thought, sounded pretty good.  I did not realize the weather pattern was strong, cold winds out of the north.   Those winds limited my sailing choices, particularly during the first half of the trip.

 

Alligator River.

Cold and grey in the morning, clouds breaking up late morning, hot and sunny in the middle of the day, rain in the afternoon, then sunny late afternoon into evening.  I had a little bit of everything that day.  In fact I had a little bit of everything on the trip.

Late morning nap, South Lake.

The Pilgrim suggested that I was wearing an interesting selection of colors.  Orange and pink don't go together?  Who knew?

You can see my chart book at the right.  It, like my Chesapeake Bay chart book, is old and worn out.   Printed chart books are impossible to find.  My next chart book will probably be an iPad mini.

Potters Marine, North Creek.

Foggy morning and the moisture covered the lens of my GoPro.  I like the feel of the photograph.  In the past I've mounted the GoPro and set it to shoot a frame every two seconds.  On this trip I set it to shoot a frame every second and I like the results of that.

If you want to sail Pamlico Sound Potters Marine near Belhaven is the place to launch.  Conway is a great host.  Great ramp and it is well off the main road so no worries about the security of your vehicle and trailer.  I can't wait to head down there next year, if not sooner.