Calm night with some distant thunder and lightning, nothing ever came close. Grey morning with low overcast. Forecast had called for blue skies with light wind out of the west. Why am I tacking into a strong southeast wind on a cool grey morning?
Several tacks to get down Broad Creek, then a long run from red marker "4" to Piney Point at 7:40. Steep waves are bigger than I expected at the wide mouth of the creek, lots of spray. One more long tack to get far enough east to round Gum Thicket Shoal to the south.
7:55 fall off and out of the channel. 8:15 round up to tuck in a reef, quickly realizing I don't need the main at all.
Tie the main tightly to the boom and gaff.
Mizzen and jib with wind on the beam and making 5.0. 8:45 wet sailing, making 3.8 as waves slap against the hull and the spray flies. A little patch of blue in the grey sky to the west.
9:10 surprised to be off Oriental this quickly, 4.4 with red markers in sight ahead. Calmer water, skies getting brighter. Turn in past the jetty, round up to drop the jib. Motor into the town dock and tie up. Look behind me to see a larger sailboat coming in, they will need the draft at the dock and I don't. So push off and motor to the seawall right next to the dock. Docked at 10:10.
I meet my new neighbors, cruisers on a big Catalina. We share a ride on the Piglet Shuttle to the Piggly Wiggly for some supplies.
Dinner with the neighbors at the Toucan Grille, then a couple dark n' stormys at the Tiki Bar. It is good to be back in Oriental.
11.91 NM
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