OBX130

[Wolverine]

I will attending my 1st OBX130 next week. With the starting point less than 50 miles from home, I will be sailing there, leaving Friday to arrive Sunday for the captains meeting and social. I spent the last 3 days in 90*+ heat prepping the boat and checking rigging, sails, motor, and electrical items. She's mostly packed with only the perishable foods and toiletries to go. After 2024s FL120 storm, I stored a 22lb claw anchor and 30' of 5/16" chain. 🙏 no major storms.

[Wolverine]

Motored from the dock about 830 this morning. Predictions indicating 10mph wind out of the SW, but it arrive until later. Motored across the Neuse, down Adam's creek, and into Beaufort. Fighting the current and a south wind. After a beer and ice cream, I anchored just off Carrot Island. I dropped the hook at low tide and pushed it in with my foot. 10mph sw wind tonight should help to keep the bugs away and cabin cool.

[Charles Brennan]

Wolverine, PICS!! We want pics!
(Please!)

Thanks,
Charles Brennan

[Wolverine]

Okay, pics or it didnt happen. Ill do my best. First ill say the wind did not keep the cabin cool. It was more like a heat gun. I didnt sleep much. Awoke, made coffee,why does coffee always taste batter on a boat?, sausage and eggs. Raised the sails and anchor and ghosted put of the anchorage about 730. The sail up Taylors creek was slow, buy enjoyable. Nice to see so many people successful. The homes and boats were incredible. Entering Core sound there aren't trees to  lock the wind and she heeled over and took off. All day i hD trouble with navionics and my chartplotter. Both would show places o was nowhere near. At one point they indicted i was heading sgraight for Lookout Lighthouse, but it was astern. The sail up the sound was great with a strong wind at our backs. If i had a whisker pole we could have run wing on wing. As it was the genny couldn't decide if it like to be on the port or srarboRd side. I brought in and we still made 5 knots. Entering the narrow channel to the campgrounds we ran aground. With my beat Bogart impression, I pulled her into deeper water and set the anchor. I inflated the cheap "dinghy" leaving enougn room for heat expansion. Then I took to rowing. Forgetting me PFD, and only bring flip flops. The expansion didnt happen and rowing against 20mph wind was impossible. I was blown ashore where I inflated the dinghy as much as my 66 year old lungs allowed. We werent on the water long before we were once again blown toward land. Just short of landfall we went over an oyster bed and tore a hole in the dinghy. A camper tolde to make my way to the road and he would pick me up. This is where i needed my water shoes. The flip flops kept pulling off in the mud and now i have several cuts from the oysters. The office was closed so i didnt feel right using their kayaks to get back to the boat, but then an older man offered to take out on his skiff and show me the trick to getting in. Im currently tied up along a seawall and sitting aground, but mot hard aground. It was high tide during all this. I've been i contact with 2 other participants and they offered to puck me up and a room for the night, but i need to get used to this 107° heat index. The wind is howling now, unfortunately it is hitting the boat broadaide so not much is entering the cabin. I'll have both fans running again tonight.

[Wolverine]

The navigation aidsYou cannot view this attachment.
Tied up for the next 2 days.
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[Wolverine]

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Im having a bit of trouble posting pics. Im using an old phone and having difficulty seeing the small thumbnails. Ill try later when im not so tired.

[Captain Kidd]

Wow! Quite the start to the OBX. I had it on my calendar as a possible trip but the stars didn't align. One day perhaps... my sister lives across the water from Harkers Island. Would make a nice trip for me. With no motor, an opposing wind would make it very difficult. Looking forward to more updates on the rendezvous.

[Wolverine]

With a half hour until low tide, I'm already in the mud. 6 1/2 hours until high tide. That's when I'll move into deeper water and someone will need to shuttle me.

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[Charles Brennan]

Dale, Mildly concerned, about what is starting to sound like a recurring pattern, here.

● Cedar Key Small Boat Meet:
"Maybe next year . . . ."
● Florida 120:
"Perhaps next year . . . ."
● Panhandle 180:
"Would like to do that some day . . . ."
● Possible trips:
"North Channel, Pensacola, nothing jelling right now."
● OBX130:
"One day, perhaps . . . ."

Ya know, as a Man of Faith, I'm sure you already KNOW: James 4:14, Matthew 24:36, Mark 13:32 or finally, (my personal favorite)    Proverbs 27:1.
Hey, I totally get, making sure the family is healed and healthy first, but Mental Health also needs to be a factor too, Guy.

Many years ago, I made a post called "One less January . . . . the Paradise Trap" about how living in a mild climate area tends to make us too complacent about using our boats.  Charlie Jones later claimed that post lit a fire under him to move much more quickly on his refurbishment/rebuild of his sailboat, Tehani, which had been languishing in its progress.
I'll re-post it shortly; it might be of some help.
In case you hadn't noticed, Tempus is Fugiting all over the place, My Man.

Food for thought,
Charles Brennan

[Krusen]

Dale has a long list of anticipated but skipped sailing adventures, BUT,

I took the train to Savanah, met Dale.
We spent a night in a motel, towed to the Georgia southern border, and sailed north to Savanah in the ICW.

That was definitely an adventure he did not miss.  Neither did I.

Neat coincidence, the train crew returning north was the same one as south bound, who had listened with doubt as I explained why my rollaround had a sleeping bag and orange life jacket lashed on top.
Same stuff, same old guy, but the story, not the plan.
Hours or recalling the views, adventures, the skeeters, and running aground.

I started with 2, finished with 4, every train crew that I had met going to meet Dale.

We had an onboard Sunday service Sunday morning, the week after Easter.

Dale may miss some of his desired trips, but he has done great ones too.

Thanks, Dale, greatest sailing adventure I have had, very glad you accepted my offer to sail with you.

Noemi, thank you for giving a strong thumbs up for my offer.  Real-life people with deep credibility saying that I was good was heartwarming.

Putting off desired adventures to take care of health and family needs is a wise choice, and the way a Minister of the Lord should think and DO! 


Third anniversary of the sale of MY  boat, KRUSE'N   

[Captain Kidd]

Dale, Mildly concerned, about what is starting to sound like a recurring pattern, here.

● Cedar Key Small Boat Meet:
"Maybe next year . . . ."
● Florida 120:
"Perhaps next year . . . ."
● Panhandle 180:
"Would like to do that some day . . . ."
● Possible trips:
"North Channel, Pensacola, nothing jelling right now."
● OBX130:
"One day, perhaps . . . ."

Ya know, as a Man of Faith, I'm sure you already KNOW: James 4:14, Matthew 24:36, Mark 13:32 or finally, (my personal favorite)    Proverbs 27:1.
Hey, I totally get, making sure the family is healed and healthy first, but Mental Health also needs to be a factor too, Guy.

Many years ago, I made a post called "One less January . . . . the Paradise Trap" about how living in a mild climate area tends to make us too complacent about using our boats.  Charlie Jones later claimed that post lit a fire under him to move much more quickly on his refurbishment/rebuild of his sailboat, Tehani, which had been languishing in its progress.
I'll re-post it shortly; it might be of some help.
In case you hadn't noticed, Tempus is Fugiting all over the place, My Man.

Food for thought,
Charles Brennan

I'm certainly glad you're only "mildly concerned" - LOL, and I'll gladly chew on the "food for thought".

I imagine you could write my reply.

1) I started sailing in 1999. When I did, I vowed that it would not become my life and would not destroy my bank account. It has done neither though I do expend a significant amount of time thinking, reading, dreaming, building (four boats), etc. about boats (I've owned three pocket cruisers) and sailing. In these 27 years, there have been several entire years I that I didn't sail one time. In fact, I haven't sailed since October - Ugh! I "love" it, but there are things I love more: namely the Lord, my family, and my church. Just for scale: in the last 20 years I have missed exactly 26 Sundays from church. Six of those were for funerals, two for sickness, and the rest for "vacations". In the last 10 years, most of those vacations were to see our daughter in Indianapolis. I've pastored smaller churches which means I wear numerous hats. We also have three services a week, so my duties include more than just one 30 minute message a week.

2) I have had several "big" sailing excursions in those 27 years. In 2000 our entire family trailered to and sailed on the Chesapeake Bay. In 2007 my wife and one daughter trailered to Tampa and sailed the Bay, St. Joseph's Sound, and even out into the Gulf. In 2013 my wife and I trailered to Pensacola and sailed the Bay and Santa Rosa Sound. We even anchored in "sailboat cove"! In 2019 Norman and I sailed the entire GA coast through the ICW (thanks for the plug, Norman). Like Norman, it was my best trip ever. In 2024 my younger daughter and I trailered once again to Pensacola and sailed from Navarre to Perdido Key. What a blast! I guess you could ask why didn't I make one of those "big" trips one of the sailing community's rendezvous - BEER, FL 120, Cedar Key or something? When my wife goes she prefers solitude. Our lives revolve around people constantly (and we love people) and alone time is appreciated and cherished.

3) I have also participated in several "smaller" events that have been more local. I've been to half a dozen "Gatherings" which are rendevous organized by Glen L. They are having their 20th Gathering in September on Chickamauga Lake (my home lake) and I plan to spend one night up there. I attended the Puddle Duck Championships many years ago on Allatoona Lake. I met Mike and Jackie Monies and Dave Gray on that trip. Most recently I attended a small rendezvous on Lake Lanier while my wife was visiting our daughter in Indiana. The local events don't require the time commitment that other events might demand.

4) Are some of these bigger trips still on my "bucket list"? Absolutely! But I'm still pastoring (I've had 6 funerals this year on top of normal duties as well as personal surgery and my wife's breast cancer in the last 9 months). I'm contemplating retirement but no "green light" on that yet. If and when I do retire, I hope sailing can still be a meaningful part of my life.

So, how  did I do? This is not a rebuke of your observation, just some perspective which, again, I think you would already be aware.

Others have said it, "Go now!" (yep, I'm well aware of your cited verses). I'm gonna do my best.

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[Charles Brennan]

Dale, Exactly the kind of thoughtful response I would expect from you.  OK, you get a pass! 
And I completely understand, about all the different hats clergy wear, these days.  The Catholic church demands a lot from their pastors, as well.   Took me a YEAR, for my Pastor to have a day where he could go on my sailboat, so we could scatter my Father's ashes, at Sea.
I envy you meeting Mike and Jackie Monies; wanted to meet them when I started in on the SCAMP, and discovered I was way too late.

Keep on keeping on, My Man.
Still hope to go sailing with you . . . . perhaps soon    . . . .

Charles Brennan