Lisa invited a few of the ladies from her office for a day sail along the Neuse River. I was in charge of ensuring everyone had a great time while on the water. Lisa and I drove to Oriental Friday night with a car full of food, drinks, towels, a brand new beach cabana, and of course a new raw water pump, because you can’t visit a boat without working on it in some fashion. We arrived late so we unpacked the car and got ready for bed. The next day I installed the raw water pump and cleaned the outside of the boat while Lisa was busy preparing the inside for the party girls.
Elizabeth, Chevonne, Tiffany, and Rhianna arrived 30 minutes ahead of schedule. I guess they were ready to get the show on the road (or the water in this case). The forecast was calling for 50% chance of storms, but we pressed on with the sail. When we were outside of the Oriental channel the dark clouds started forming. Our plan was to go back to “Alligator Island” put up the cabana, inflate the kayaks, have some sun, and all day sundowners. With the storm approaching the river was slowly building and the anchoring spot in front of Alligator Island has no protection at all and would be a rocky one with the wind and the waves. We decided to take a detour down South River instead. We found a quiet anchorage with one sailboat already there and a third followed us in from the storm. I think it was a sound decision as the water in the anchorage was smooth as glass with a refreshing breeze coming off the storm along the Neuse river. We had some dingy rides, a few swims in the river and a feast consisting of; mets, brats, hotdogs, potato salad, baked, beans, Oreo dirt cake, watermelon and some delicious homemade Sangria. We never made it to a sandy beach to try out the cabana and catch some sun, but it worked out to be a great day trip and I believe fun was had by all!
On the way back we got the sails up on a nice beam reach on the winds from the ending of the storm and made it back to the Oriental channel with just a couple tacks. Rhianna took a turn at the helm while the ladies were busy capturing lots of photos on the bow, attempting to strike a pose and recreate “The Titanic”. We had a great time and can’t wait for them to head back down for another sail.
Elizabeth, Chevonne, Tiffany, and Rhianna arrived 30 minutes ahead of schedule. I guess they were ready to get the show on the road (or the water in this case). The forecast was calling for 50% chance of storms, but we pressed on with the sail. When we were outside of the Oriental channel the dark clouds started forming. Our plan was to go back to “Alligator Island” put up the cabana, inflate the kayaks, have some sun, and all day sundowners. With the storm approaching the river was slowly building and the anchoring spot in front of Alligator Island has no protection at all and would be a rocky one with the wind and the waves. We decided to take a detour down South River instead. We found a quiet anchorage with one sailboat already there and a third followed us in from the storm. I think it was a sound decision as the water in the anchorage was smooth as glass with a refreshing breeze coming off the storm along the Neuse river. We had some dingy rides, a few swims in the river and a feast consisting of; mets, brats, hotdogs, potato salad, baked, beans, Oreo dirt cake, watermelon and some delicious homemade Sangria. We never made it to a sandy beach to try out the cabana and catch some sun, but it worked out to be a great day trip and I believe fun was had by all!
On the way back we got the sails up on a nice beam reach on the winds from the ending of the storm and made it back to the Oriental channel with just a couple tacks. Rhianna took a turn at the helm while the ladies were busy capturing lots of photos on the bow, attempting to strike a pose and recreate “The Titanic”. We had a great time and can’t wait for them to head back down for another sail.