Taking off the ugly netting

The previous owners had a tiny dog on board and had installed an intricate netting all around the lifelines to keep her "safe" when out on the deck.

We kept the netting on for our trip thru the Bahamas.   I was thinking, well, why not?  It's already there and it might "catch" something that had gotten loose on the deck.

But I started to hate it!  It interfered with the cleats and it generally just looked "yucky" and not "ship shape"....

The netting had been on the boat many years - it was a tedious procedure to cut/unwind all the attaching strings. 

All fresh and clean!  And those cleats are accessible like they should be!

"Before" shot.

And the "after" shot.  Much cleaner looking, I think!

Away

Weird to be posting non-sailing days!!!  Check out The World of Karen

We'll be back to the boat soon!

Dinghy Trailer Refurb

Our neighbor had a dinghy/trailer that had suffered thru a brush fire.  It wasn't of any use to her - the wiring was melted, the wood skids were burnt up and the front caster wheel had melted.   But the "bones" were good.

The dinghy was a total loss....so we loaded it up and will take it to the dump for her.   Duane will fix her up and she'll be good as new!

Back "home"....

Arrived back "home" to Pittsboro yesterday.   Over 3000 nautical miles from  Galveston in November.....a neighbor in Oriental had been keeping our little minivan running since Octobor when we left it there.  So, we had transportation once we arrived at our dock.

First time in at the dock at our lot.   I have been handling the controls at the docks since we left Galveston in November.  Duane has been out on deck handling the lines.  So far, we've only pulled up to "face docks" for fuel/water.  I will tell you, even though our slip is 30' wide....it seemed a little "tight" approaching for the first time!  Duane coached me from the deck - "don't worry about starboard.  Just forget starboard.  You've got plenty of room over there.   Just pay attention to the port side and you'll be fine".  Worked out fine, of course.

Spent a couple of days getting the boat settled in it's new "home" and relaxing.  Drove the 3 hours back inland to Pittsboro.

The house handled the 6 months empty well.  Nothing broke, froze or flooded.  A couple of wonderful neighbors took care of watering the inside plants and collecting the mail every day.   Thanks Pat & Diane and Lindy!

The pipes all expelled rusty water for a few minutes and the toilets had evaporated all the water out of the bowls.  Several of our outdoor plants did not survive the "below-freezing-for-10-days-straight" that they suffered this winter. (Not that anything would have changed had we been in residence)

Only one vehicle tag had expired while we were away.  The daffodils and the iris's bloomed without me.....


We've got a list of things we're doing before heading back to the boat in a few days....

One of the most important is flying!!!  Hangar in the backyard.

Pulled the Mooney out and did a good walkaround.  Amazing that the tires stayed pumped up and the battery was still charged after 6 months!

We flew and got our currency back (3 take offs and landings are required every 90 days).   Duane is a pro.....but I will admit that I was very, very rusty at the controls after so long away!  The NC countryside is just lovely from the air, though.

Really, really weird to be back in the house with all the space!   I seem lost in my own kitchen!   The king-size bed seems ridiculous!

Visiting with the neighbors and the kids.  Getting everything ready to head back to the coast in a few days for lots of "boat chores" - bottom paint, new engines, etc.

Seems like we're spread a little thin between all of our various interests.....and the plan is to head out again in the fall for points south!

Boat chores

Not a lot of interesting things going on in Oriental....just cleaning the boat and getting settled in the slip.  Since this boat has never been here before, we had to set up all the dock lines to make sure the boat sits safely in the center in all wind conditions.   A tedious but necessary task.

The boat is salty and dirty from 6 months with no unlimited water supply for cleaning.

I spent pretty much the entire day scrubbing and rinsing the decks, washing clothes, etc.  Love my little washer/dryer - sure beats lugging clothes to the laundromat!

When we had gotten all the coiled docklines out of this compartment, Duane noticed that the dryer vent tube had come loose....so I shimmied into the compartment.  It's a large compartment inside, but the opening is small and it's really claustrophobic while inside. 

Here I am laying down inside the compartment - I'd already put the vent hose back in place and secured it tightly with a tie-wrap.  Hope it stays put because that was no fun!!

That's about it....just lots of little necessary chores!

Home Dock

We left Morehead City in the morning....passing the shipping dock we saw this ship with huge turbine blades...I assume they're for windmills, but not sure.  These ships are usually about 900-1000' long, so those blades would have to be 200-300' long each. 

More familiar sights as we start the intercoastal trek to Oriental.

Core Creek bridge - glad our mast is only 62' now.  This bridge gave us fits when we were in Glory Days because it was often too low for us to pass due to wind driven water and tides.

Oriental in the distance - it's been a long time since we've seen this view!

Sojourn at "home" for the first time!   Now to do lots and lots of cleaning and boat chores!

Back in NC!

We left St. Simons Island inlet (near the Ga/Fl border) 3 days ago.

Pretty lighthouse at St. Simons.

Sunset across the open ocean.  Beautiful flat seas and just enough wind.  Motorsailed all night on one engine.

I awaoke at about 7am (Duane was on watch) to "Fish on!"  Quickly jumped up an reeled this pretty "Little Tunny" in.  (Note the long jammies....it was actually chilly in the wind - we're not used to that!

Nice size fish.

 Sushi!  It was great.  I'd read that these fish were not particularly good eatin - but I beg to differ!

Approaching the Charleston inlet there were lots of "hits" on the radar (the red blobs).  Cargo ships anchored 10-15 miles out.  I assume they were waiting their turn in port....

Note the glassy water!

I could see workers on all these ships.  Many looked like they were doing chores, grinding and painting.

Pretty sunset.

Then pretty sunrise!  Looks all the same.  Note the water is not so smooth now.

We were joined by some dolphins!  They stayed with us for about 5 minutes. 

That's about it for the trip!  Was great not to have to be "on alert" like on the intercoastal waterway. It would have taken about 10 days to do the trip "inside" since we wouldn't do any night travel.

Arrived late in the evening to Beaufort, NC.

Anchored near Morehead City and will continue to Oriental in the morning!!

Cumberland Island to Jekyll Island - Offshore tomorrow!

We started the day out by going ashore to investigate the Cumberland Island National Seashore park just at the Florida/Georgia border.  The only way to get to the park is by ferry or private boat.  We anchored near the dock and just took our dinghy to shore.

After paying our entry fee ($7 each) at the honor station, we started walking the trail to the Carnegie family house ruins from the late 1800's - called the Dungeness.   Since it was early in the morning, the "herds" of people on the ferry boats had not arrived.  We had the park completely to ourselves for hours.

Great shady walk - about a mile to the ruins.  Lovely live oaks with Spanish moss hanging.

Getting close to the mansion ruins.  Live oaks border the path.

The house ruins.  It was abandoned mostly by the Carnegie's after the depression.  It burned in 1959, hence the ruined state.

 Pretty though....the family donated the land to the Park Service in 1972.  The horses appear to be abandoned also and free-roaming.  (The house had gates barring entry, so no interior photos!)

In the previous photos, you can see the "pergola"....apparently the ladies strolled here in the late 1800's when vines and flowers were abundant.

Here are a couple of photos I found on the internet of the house in all it's glory.

This was the "duck pond"....a pretty reflecting pool, even now.

 More of the free-roaming horses.

There were a few left-over items that showed some "ostentatiousness".  Several fountains.

And a strange statue of Mercury.....

The ruins of what we think was probably a greenhouse.  No placards helped us....

This was part of their view from the edges of the property at low tide.

Walking up from the "garden" area towards the ruins.  The gardens were important because they were a self-sufficient community with about 300 people working to keep up the house/grounds.

A different view of the ruins.

Enjoyed that walkabout!   We then walked to the other side of the island to the ocean.

Pretty sand dunes.

And more horses!!  Note that two are laying in the sun behind the standing horse.

Back towards the boat thru a pretty trail.

Back to the boat - time to head north for one more day "in the ditch".

Weird Navy or Coast Guard apparatus .....

It was called "DeGausing system" on the navigation chart.  Apparently, they use this to "demagnetize" the ships.

More Navy/Coast Guard ships....not sure which.

And a pretty little lighthouse tucked away in the dunes as we approached Jekyll Island.

We fueled up again at Jekyll Island, just to make sure we have enough diesel if we have to have the motors running the entire way home.   We'll be heading off in the morning out the St. Simons inlet - destination - Beaufort, NC!!  It will be about 3 days - so you won't hear from us for a while!

Planned route. It's about 340 miles to the Beaufort Inlet. 

 The weather looks OK - looks like the worst should be about 4' seas.  Hope the forecast is correct!  

Georgia sunset!