Rain, Rain and Oh, Did I Mention Rain?

Seriously.  Two people from Syracuse, NY and we are complaining about too much rain.  I have heard of the citrus state, the sunshine state, the show me state and the apple state.  We are going to name North Carolina the rain state.  We have not had a 24 hour period, without rain, since we first arrived at Oriental, NC.  I know we were gone for 3 weeks, but even then, I was checking forecasts there and it showed rain everyday.  In NY, when you had a 10% chance of rain, that meant, you probably would not see any.  Here, it means 1 hour of rain. 50% means 5 hours of rain.  Seems to fit.  Everyday they predict at least 10% chance of rain and we get at least an hours worth. I know, whine and moan, whine and moan.  One positive note is that it is a warm rain.

We went to Ocracoke and spent 8 days there.  Mainly because we never had more than a few hours of dry weather to see anything until our last Saturday.  It was a great sail and as we approached the channel, we were "cranking" at 5 knots when a huge pod of dolphins came up and swam in our bow wave.  Being on autopilot, I was able to see them up close this time.  They are big!  I was so excited, I forgot the camera.  Seeing dolphins and turtles never gets old.  The anchorage was large and great holding with easy shore access.  It is a touristy town, but on the back roads you can find some unique shops and eateries.  I think we would come back here again.  For the record, our favorite restaurant was Howard's Pub.  Great raw oysters, clams, steak and beer selections.

Friday night, at Ocracoke, we had the worst thunderstorms either of us could remember.  So much lightning, wind and rain.  Our trusty anchor held us tight, but some of the local boats dragged.  Our phones started beeping with a tornado warning and when the power went out in town, all the tourists flocked to the Anchorage Hotel for shelter.  We were told a tornado hit Portsmouth Island about 5 miles away.  Not sure if that is true, but the locals liked the story.  They also liked telling everyone that they do not have basements on a barrier island.  I guess that is what everyone was looking for during the storm.  There was so much rain, Yambo would have sank if I didn't pump her out before we went to bed.  Water was lapping over the transom.      

We left Sunday, and with the wind out of the NE, we decided to head towards New Bern instead of Roanoke Island.  After sailing through several thunderstorms, we ended up back at River Dunes for the night.  This is where we gave up.  We called Miles, at Osprey Marina in Myrtle Beach and he said they have had rain, but only a couple days a week.  With Isaac heading to the gulf, we decided to start heading south a month early.  We'll tie up there for a few weeks and do some boat projects before proceeding further down.

Next summer, we just need to get further north.  The NC locals say that it has rained more than normal, but expect 3-4 days per week of some rain during July and August.  Wow, the grass is not always greener, except where it rains a lot.

Stacks at the entrance to the channel that goes to Ocracoke and the inlet.  Still there from Lehigh dredge that sank in the 1930's.  The channel changes so often that until the late 70's it was on the other side of the Lehigh.  

Required when tacking into a 30 knot thunderstorm down Bogue Sound on the ICW.  The south side shoals so quickly you see the locals using as a beach at low tide.  Storm changed the wind direction from a nice southerly to a westerly and beat at us for an hour.  When the wind stopped, we pulled into Spooners Creek Marina.  Nice stop with an easy mile walk to a mall and Walmart.

This 60' speedster would be my preferred weapon of choice for that storm.  Easier to walk.  Especially with the light wallet.  
          

    

We're Back!

It has been a busy month of travelling for business and seeing family.  Many good times and laughs along with beating miles.  5400 miles in the past month.

We leave tomorrow morning for a 28 mile sail to Ocracoke.  Everyone says we must go and we are looking forward to our trip.

In the spring, we bought a new Spade anchor and have enjoyed a better nights sleep when on the hook.  This anchor grabs so hard it will make you lose footing on the foredeck.  After the 3 days at Cape Lookout, where the wind never dipped below 15 knots, the mud was 6' up the chain.  That means the anchor went 7' under the bottom.  The CQR never does this, it just lays on one side and "plows" until it grabs.  The salesman said. " do you dig a hole with a spade our a plow?"  Good point.

We have anchored in sand, hard mud and silty mud (Hammock Bay).  It always sets instantly and never slips.  I would recommend it.  If anyone wants to get one, just let me know and maybe you can get a better deal through the guy I purchased from.

The curved shank makes it pop right out when you get on top of it.