[Rhodes22-list] Pamilco River
Peter Thorn
pthorn at nc.rr.com
Sun Aug 3 22:01:43 EDT 2003
Hello Ed K, Robert D, Capt Rich et al,
I agree, little Washington, NC is a great place to sail. I thought maybe
you Rhodies would enjoy hearing about this trip we took at the beginning of
the summer.
Over Memorial Day weekend, Tana and I set out in "Kate", our legacy Starwind
19, for a pleasant 3 day cruise to eastern North Carolina's Pamlico River.
We launched at McCotter's Marina in Washington, NC, about 3pm Saturday
afternoon. By 7pm, we had arrived in Bath, NC - a journey of 10 miles. We
sailed at first, then motored as the wind died.
Bath is the oldest incorporated town in NC. There are many preserved and
historically significant homes there, but the population is still only about
300 residents. The streets and homes all retain the original colonial
layout and charm. Located on a peninsula about 20-25 feet above the harbor,
Bath is surrounded on three sides by water. There are views of Bath harbor,
a sheltered and safe anchorage. Earlier, while we quietly, slowly motored
through the harbor up to Bath, we watched a wedding service conducted where
now we stood. (In fact, we had seen two weddings in progress on shore just
a couple of hundred feet from one another.) Except for some flower pedals
on the lawn, these nuptial parties left no trace.
Bath predates the oldest state university in the United States, UNC at
Chapel Hill, by more than 50 years. It's a very old, very pretty place that
doesn't seem to have changed much. Edward Teach, a/k/a Blackbeard the
Pirate, is probably Bath's most infamous native son.
http://www.ah.dcr.state.nc.us/sections/hs/bath/bath.htm
The first night, we stayed at the Bath Marina Motel's transient boat slip -
so we could explore Bath AND take baths, actually showers, in the marina's
facilities. Paul Minor, our friendly and helpful marina owner, offered to
drive me to get the truck and trailer at McCotter's and take it to Belhaven,
27 miles further downriver, so we could spend the next 2 days sailing to
Belhaven and pull out there. After considering his generous offer, we
declined and decided just to explore the river around Bath a little longer.
After a good night's sleep and breakfast, we set sail downriver for Indian
Island. http://www.bathharbor.com/index.html
Indian Island, we learned, got it's name because colonial Indians met there
to organize for an attack on colonial Bath. It's a small, uninhabited
island off the southern shoreline, about 8-10 miles from Bath. We planned
to eat lunch there and sail back.
Everything was going fine until mid-morning, when the wind picked up to
about 15 knots out of the SE and the fetch across 50 miles of open Pamilco
Sound started producing 3' waves with a short "shallow-bottom" wave period.
Tana was below trying to nap. I waited too long before shortening sail
and the chop and the going-to-windward pounding through choppy waves rattled
Tana. About halfway there, we changed course, turned downwind, and
shortened from the 180 to the 110 jib. Then everything settled down a bit.
Lessons learned:
1) shorten sail early;
2) all hands on deck when going to windward when the wind picks up;
3) Tana doesn't like going to windward when it's windy and choppy;
We sailed back into Bath harbor, set the anchor for lunch, and then settled
in for a nice, long afternoon nap. That evening, we relocated our
anchorage for the night near a classic Phillip Rhodes designed ketch (circa
1960) in a windward protected cove in Bath harbor. We ate dinner, went to
sleep early, and slept well and long . . . until the storm hit.
At about 4:30am on Memorial Day, a big thunderstorm passed over us from the
SW. Tana and I could see and hear it coming, so we had plenty of time to
prepare. We took down the insect screens, secured the hatches and peered
out the windows with wide eyes. The thunder and lightning made a violent
symphony on the horizon, and soon, it was over us. The boat swung in a slow
circle at anchor as the wind veered around with the storm's passing. Kate's
big anchor held securely in the sandy bottom. In an hour it was over. As
the storm passed, the night did too. We emerged from Kate's cabin to her
cockpit to find everything onboard outside washed very clean by the rain!
It was a clean, fresh new morning. We ate breakfast and weighed anchor for
the trip back to little Washington.
There was a lot of calm after the storm so we mostly motored back under
sail--motor sailing. Tana skippered almost the entire way back. At
McCotter's we spent less than an hour getting the boat on the trailer and
ready for the road--the best and smoothest de-rigging yet! After using
McCotter's showers and freshening up for the trip, we departed little
Washington before noon.
This is the second trip for Tana and me in Kate. The first, Kate's
shakedown trip, was exactly one year earlier on Memorial Day 2002 at Hampton
Rhodes, VA, at the mouth of the Chesapeake Bay. By comparison to the first
trip, we are getting much better at cruising. Everything seemed to happen
more smoothly and without as many breakdowns or problems as the first trip.
We're just getting better and better, me at slowing down and Tana at
enjoying sailing. These are real challenges for us both!
Admittedly, Tana would probably describe this trip somewhat differently.
For those of you interested in her point of view, well -- you'll just have
to ask her.
----- Original Message -----
From: "Kroposki" <kroposki at innova.net>
To: "'The Rhodes 22 mail list'" <rhodes22-list at rhodes22.org>
Sent: Sunday, August 03, 2003 1:23 PM
Subject: [Rhodes22-list] Reply to Wally
> Wally,
> As of right now, noon Sunday, it looks like I am not going to be
> taking the boat. I am still going to NC, but the majority of those I
> will be with has other plans.
> As to Peter and Robert, I have been thru Washington, NC several
> times and like the area. Looks like a good area for water sports.
> Ed K
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: rhodes22-list-bounces at rhodes22.org
> [mailto:rhodes22-list-bounces at rhodes22.org] On Behalf Of Wally Buck
> Sent: Sunday, August 03, 2003 10:28 AM
> To: rhodes22-list at rhodes22.org
> Subject: Re: [Rhodes22-list] Peter of Raleigh
>
> Ed,
>
> Are you going to sail in the Atlantic or stay on ICW and rivers? I
> sailed
> and power boated in that area many years ago but it was a Hobie not a
> Rhodes. We also cruised upriver towards the Marine Base in a friends
> Boston
> Whaler and back down river out into the ocean. Lots of shallow water.
> This
> was back in the early 80s. My firends parents owned a beach house and
> had a
> slip in a near by marina for the Whaler. I can't remember the name of
> the
> marina but we had a lot of fun.
>
> Good luck with your trip.
>
> Wally
>
>
> >From: "Kroposki" <kroposki at innova.net>
> >Reply-To: kroposki at innova.net,The Rhodes 22 mail list
> ><rhodes22-list at rhodes22.org>
> >To: "'The Rhodes 22 mail list'" <rhodes22-list at rhodes22.org>
> >Subject: [Rhodes22-list] Peter of Raleigh
> >Date: Sat, 2 Aug 2003 08:24:40 -0400
> >
> >
> >
> >Peter,
> >
> > Why not just go to Edenton? Or do you not want Stan to know
> where
> >you are getting a boat?
> >
> > Today, Saturday, my boat is in the water at Starr, SC and my
> >trailer is in my backyard in Greenville, SC. But later today or in the
> >next few days if all goes according to plan, they will merge.
> >
> > And if all goes well, next Saturday, August 9, they will go to
> >Topsail Beach, North Carolina. If you want to come down Saturday
> >afternoon when I get there, you could measure them there. I have
> Stan's
> >Triad single axle, 1984 version, very used. And furthermore, it would
> >offer you the opportunity to help launch an R22! Just dream of the
> >chance here!
> >
> > Ed K
> >
> >-----Original Message-----
> >From: rhodes22-list-bounces at rhodes22.org
> >[mailto:rhodes22-list-bounces at rhodes22.org] On Behalf Of Peter Thorn
> >Sent: Friday, August 01, 2003 8:56 PM
> >To: Rhodes 22 List Members
> >Subject: [Rhodes22-list] More help, please
> >
> >
> >
> >You guys are great. Thanks for all the comments and varied opinions.
> >Isn't freedom of speech wonderful!
> >
> >
> >
> >It turns out, I misread a fuzzy hull number on a photograph..
> >
> >
> >
> >Is there anyone within 2 hours of Raleigh/Durham with a Rhodes 22 on
> dry
> >land who would allow me to visit and measure it for a trailer?
> >
> >
> >
> >__________________________________________________
> >
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> >
> >__________________________________________________
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>
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