The Way to the Orient. al

Finally Underway!

Antonio and I set out from New Bern, and right out of the gate got a taste of what I'd be getting myself into a lot in the following weeks- a sandbank.  We hit bottom 2-3 times just getting to the main channel outside Duck Creek Marina.  Then we were greeted by fantastic winds that blew from the West pushing us out towards Oriental NC.

For such a wide body of water the actual "channel" seemed only inches wide- I have since learned how crucial a "depth sounder" is on the Intracoastal Waterway, which for you non-boaters is basically a sonar device that gauges depth immediately in front of the boat, which is yet another piece of equipment I don't have.

The state of my nerves aside for a moment, we were having a great time.  Here are two photos to prove it, which one of us looks more like a sailor?  Neither?  My thoughts as well.

This was the first day of referencing our charts to make sure we were in the sliver of water that was deep enough for the boat, which I have since discovered is deeper than most people need.  A 5' draft is pretty unheard of for this length boat, which really means two things (or more...), She is meant for deep water cruising, and She will not tip over when similar boats will.  I don't really know if either of those things are true, but I can tell you that I have to get somewhat special treatment when pulling into marinas for the night.  I get stuck out in the deepest spots, which are always furthest from the amenities like bathrooms and WiFi, making it seem like I'm some kind of "untouchable" class of boat meant to be kept at arms length... maybe I'm reading into it too much.

After a LOT of chart checking and cross referencing with the GPS phone we finally made the turn towards Oriental, which put us into the wind that we had enjoyed being pushed by earlier, and for an excruciating two hours we limped ever so slowly into the marina in Oriental.  Also, the engine quit on us suddenly almost as soon as we left New Bern, and was only turning on for about five minutes at a time before dying again.  This would prove to be a big problem in the coming days (and posts)

After walking to the nearest gas station and filling up our hobo gas tank we made our way back to the boat and feasted on pasta and (probably) poptarts in the dark (cuz we couldn't get electricity).  

So I finish on a view of Oriental from the slip (note all the masts, a testament to how popular sailing is in Oriental vs the rest of America):