Oriental

First posted on January 8, 2023

Making progress!

The cold weather has broken, winds abated, and sunshine plentiful. 

After almost a week in Portsmouth VA, we motored to Chesapeake VA just beyond the lock and the Great Bridge, where the local patriot forces pushed back a larger British encampment. The battle lasted half an hour. 

Skim ice returned come morning, and while other cruisers fired up their diesels and crunched through, we waited another day. Onward to two nights in Elizabeth City NC, followed by New Years day of sailing with no diesel at all. 

While at the boatyard we designed and had built by Ruddercraft, and subsequently installed a new rudder. The original Stamas rudder was too small, poorly balanced and much too fat. As such it steered badly. New Years day was our first chance to try it out under sail. Tis not perfect, but is certainly a huge improvement over the original. Other faults are more likely from hull shape rather than rudder. Much harder to fix. But we're pretty happy with the redesign.

Towards the end of the day of sailing, as the wind dropped to zero, we could hear a cocophany of voices. As a panoply of waterfowl schooled up in the marshes, talking to each other and making a kind of wilderness music. After the Albemarle, we're back into narrow channels, that plus headwinds or no winds mean dieseling all day.

We stayed in Oriental NC two days, then continued. Motoring all day is not much fun, but until we get the right weather it's the only way. But tomorrow!! From Carolina Beach, we're heading out into the ocean with several days of wind from the west and waves less than a meter. Cell signal will be sketchy at best, so the next report will probably be from Florida. 

If you're enjoying these updates please let me know. 

Gary