Introducing a New Generation to Sailing

Our 13-year-old grandson, Justin, came down from the mountains of Asheville to spend a week with us. I thought it was time to acquaint him with sailing and the glories of coastal North Carolina.

We survived the long 5-hour drive with the aid of an array of electronic gadgets designed to numb the mind.

Before going to the boat, we stopped for lunch at Toucan's at the Oriental Inn and were barely seated on the deck before our friends Bob and Robin Buntin showed up.  Justin must have thought I knew everyone in town when new friend, John Day appeared 5 minutes later.  It's a good thing we didn't go straight to Sea Harbour - everyone was at Toucan's.

Justin liked Sea Harbour's laid-back atmosphere but Six Knot Grin was a little smaller than he had imagined.  It shrank further when he got a look at the interior of Bob and Robin's 34 O'Day.  Still, we managed to struggle through.

Later, we motored out of Pierce Creek to see if we could scare up a breeze on the wide Neuse.  Winds were light but we ran up the main and unfurled the jib to give the new First Mate the full effect.

Justin wanted to see Cape Lookout, where his father goes fishing with his buddies every fall.  So, on Tuesday morning we caught the car ferry at Minnesott Beach and crossed the Neuse.  We drove down to Harker's Island and took Calico Jack's passenger ferry to Cape Lookout National Park. Justin was impressed with the ferry's 30 knot speed after his experience on the sailboat.

Cape Lookout's clean sandy beaches and clear blue water looked like Florida or the Bahamas.  It's a beautiful spot that I hope to visit on Six Knot Grin as soon as I get a dinghy and motor.

After seeing Cape Lookout, we drove over to neighbouring Beaufort and enjoyed lunch at Sprouter's, watching the boat traffic on Taylor Creek.  Justin's "best sandwich ever" (a club sandwich with no lettuce, mayo, or tomato) was followed by a belt-busting piece of chocolate cake.

That night, back at Sea Harbour, we cooked pork chops on the grill by the docks and spent the evening watching Tom Hanks in Castaway.

The nights were pleasant with clear, star-studded skies, a light breeze and no bugs.  A couple small fans kept us comfortable.

Wednesday's sail down to South River was uneventful.  The wind was light and variable and didn't offer much in the way of excitement.  We decided to call it a day and motored back to Sea Harbour to tidy up the boat and get ready to head back home.   About 5 minutes after we docked, the wind began to whistle in the rigging - begging us to come back out but we had a 5-hour drive ahead of us so we declined the invitation.

Gramma and Buddy were waiting for us when we arrived back at the homestead that evening. Justin liked the coast but like most kids, the need for speed wasn't satisfied by sailing in light winds - maybe next time.

The Old Girl Gets a New Name

When I bought the Ericson, she had two faded names on her stern - the latest being First Impression. I removed the names while at Oriental Plantation and cleaned up the transom while at Deaton Yacht Service.

I had considered a litany of names and had settled on Second Wind until I discovered that it was the number one most frequently used name for sailboats. There were already two at Sea Harbour.

She needed a name and I was wracking my brain trying to come up with something both suitable and unique. We joked about calling her TBD.

It suddenly dawned on me that this blog's title would be perfect.  Six Knot Grin.  It captures the delight of flying before the wind that's unique to sailing. The more I thought about it, the more I liked it.

 

I designed the lettering online at Ebuysigns.com and had it shipped to Sea Harbour.   As usual, the lettering was a snap to install, especially with the aid of the club's dock raft.

The next day, I rose early as usual and was greeted by a beautiful sunrise on Pierce Creek.  It was the dawn of a new day for both of us.

 

Checking Out Sea Harbour

Neither June nor I was thrilled with the idea of trading a free slip for one that would cost nearly $300/mo. and require a year-long contract.  There were cheaper alternatives but each had its drawbacks - no hurricane plan, poorly maintained facilities, no shade or not conducive to meeting people.

It took more than 20 minutes to get the boat out of the slip on Smith Creek. The water level was the lowest I'd seen it.  It took three attempts at backing out before I was able to get the bow far enough past the rear piling to put the boat in forward gear and swing the bow around to plow out of the marina in forward gear.

We radioed Sea Harbour when we were at the outer channel marker to Pierce Creek.  Lisa responded and was standing at the end of A dock watching our progress as we made our way down the channel. She had given me a choice of available slips on the four docks and I had chosen to try out B30 at the beginning of B dock. It offered  a view down the channel to the Neuse and enjoyed shade in the late afternoon.

Sea Harbour Yacht Club - red arrow points to slip B30

After helping us tie up, Lisa took June, Buddy and me on a tour of the clubhouse, pool and bath facilities. Even though the temperature was in the 90's the clubhouse's breezeway and wrap around porch were shady with  a cool breeze.  The people we met were warm and welcoming.  No one seemed to be in a hurry.

  

 

Many of the boaters had dogs, so Buddy was welcome as long as he was on a leash and not inside the buildings.

 

Lisa suggested that the best way for me to improve my sailing skills was to crew on a boat in the local sailboat races.  Next thing I knew, I was asked to join  Doug Carmichael's crew aboard Whisper the next day.

Saturday's PHRF race was a real experience.  The winds were 20 kts gusting to 30.  I've never sailed in that kind of wind before but I was in good hands and for the most part held up my end of the bargain.  We came in third in our class.

 

That night we shared fresh (maybe not) boiled shrimp and roasted sweet corn with Bob & Robin Buntin and their slip neighbor, Henry (a Nonsuch 30).  The night breezes were cool enough that we slept comfortably with a couple of fans.

On Sunday, June and I decided that Sea Harbour would be our boat's new home.  We had already met many warm, friendly people and looked forward to meeting many more.  

Time for a New Home

I brought the boat back to her free slip at Oriental Plantation on the upper end of Smith Creek.   The summer winds were beginning to blow fairly consistently out of the South and Southwest.

The Inner Banks don't have much in the way of lunar tides but wind direction and speed dictate water level. They generate wind tides that have a more profound effect on water level in the creeks and tributaries.

A South or Southwest wind will blow water up into Pamlico Sound, draining water from the Neuse and Pamlico Rivers and the surrounding area. Conversely, a North or Northeast wind will  blow water out of the sound and into the rivers creating high water levels.  

Water levels at Oriental Plantation's dock at the far end of Smith Creek tend to be a problem because there isn't much to begin with. At 4'4", our Ericson has the deepest draft of any of the half dozen boats at this small residential marina.  I have never come in or out of the slip without having to drag my keel through the muddy bottom.  

Southerly winds only exacerbate the problem.  Backing into our slip was no longer an option and backing out was becoming nearly impossible.  

Unfortunately, it was time to start exploring other arrangements if we wanted to use the boat at all.  The approach of hurricane season was another reason. Everyone has to move their boat from the dock prior to a hurricane. We had no place to go and our planned September trip to Ireland wouldn't be much fun if we had to worry about the boat.

The two major, hurricane-safe, marinas in Oriental are Pecan Grove across the bridge from town and Sea Harbour Yacht Club on Pierce Creek about a mile down river.  

 

 Pecan Grove Marina is the largest, with more than 220 slips, 2 pools, 3 bath houses, and a new clubhouse overlooking Oriental Harbor.  What it doesn't have however is shade. It's a large, spread-out, U-shaped facility with a gravel road perimeter. There were a couple slips open near the new clubhouse on the far side of the marina.

Bob and Robin Buntin encouraged us to check out Sea Harbour Yacht Club where they keep their 34 O'Day. It's not as convenient to town but is located on a shady point on Pierce Creek. It's just a few hundred yards from the Neuse and well-protected from hurricanes.

I visited Sea Harbour and found the mood tranquil, friendly and most important in the summer - shady. I was greeted by Lisa Thompson, one of the managers that run the club. She explained that the marina was well protected and had survived many hurricanes with very little damage.  Each owner is responsible for preparing their boat for a hurricane but staff and helpers are there to adjust the lines as necessary during the storm.  

Lisa invited us to sail down and spend the following weekend at Sea Harbour where we could familiarize ourselves with the club and meet some of the members.  It sounded like a plan.

Spring Time in the Boat Yard

The good news was that the cause of the oil-filled bilge was easily diagnosed and repaired.  The brass tube that attached the engine oil-sending unit to the block had a crack in it that I made worse when I cleaned the floor of the engine compartment.

The bad news was that a long list of safety related problems demanded to be attended to before anything else could be addressed.  The fuel line filter (which was barely visible) had to be relocated from the bottom of rear wall of the engine compartment to the top where it could be easily accessed.  The fuel pump ditto. That was just the tip of the iceberg.

I had also ordered some parts for the aging Atomic 4 gasoline engine to make it run better and hopefully last a few more years.  Those parts included a new thermostat housing, crankcase ventilation system and coil with a resistor.

The engine had been running without a thermostat since the previous owner had cleaned out the block after it over-heated.  He hadn't replaced the expensive $165 proprietary thermostat and was running the engine cold.  That, I learned, was not good for the engine.  So, I chose to replace the entire thermostat housing with bronze/silicone housing built by Indigo Electronics, that cost $150, used inexpensive NAPA thermostats and best of all, cooled the engine more evenly.

All of the bilge and storage areas of the boat were covered with a black soot and smelled like exhaust.  The crankcast ventilation system is an inexpensive $80 add on from Indigo and is designed especially for the Atomic 4.  I'm not much of a mechanic and lack the experience to work by braille in the Ericson's cramped engine compartment  that only allows access from the top and front.  More work for Gary - one of Deaton's capable mechanics, who was assigned to my boat.

I could handle exchanging the coil that John Deaton had recently installed with the new one from Indigo that sported an external resistor to keep the electronic ignition from overpowering the coil.  Hopefully that would cure the problem of burning out more coils.

Deaton's list of other things that needed to be addressed was long and expensive at $76/hr. and I didn't have pockets deep enough to cover the cost.  John prioritized the list based on safety first basis and suggested that I could handle those items that I felt comfortable doing.  Gary offered to provide instruction where needed.

As Gary tackled his part of the list, I jumped one mine.  One of the most glaring needs was to clean up the mass of wiring that went nowhere and organize the circuit board for 12 volt system.   I pulled what seemed like several hundred feet of unnecessary wire from the boat.  At Gary's suggestion, I installed a 00 grounding post in the engine compartment and relocated all of the ground wires that were attached to the engine and transmission.

With Gary's help, I stalled a new automatic bilge pump in the sump and a backup unit with a float switch in the upper bilge.

The first complication came when the carburetor began leaking on start up.  We ordered a rebuild kit but ultimately chose to replace it with a new carburetor.

The Ericson spent the better part of a month at Deaton's Yacht Service with Gary working on it off and on.  I drove down every other week and spent 4-5 days each time working on my list.

I squared away the wiring and cleaned the black soot out of all the storage compartments. I also replaced the main halyard with advice from Wag, Deaton's rigging specialist.  Both the main and the jib were rope to wire. I changed the main sheet to all rope. I brought it back to the cockpit and added a new rope clutch and a used 2-speed winch to the cabin top.  No more going forward to raise the main.

 The engine now sprang to life at the press of a button and purred like a kitten.  On

the test run the engine began to overheat so it was decided to do a short haul and check the prop and bottom.  The two bladed folding prop was moderately covered with barnacles but the bottom wasn't too bad.  I took her out again and had no overheating.

 

I was still getting more than 4 knots of headway at idle speed and that made handling in close quarters pretty dicey.   The folding prop was worthless in reverse. I had been looking at the 3 bladed prop made by Indigo just for the Atomic 4.  It promised a significant boost in performance.  I ordered the prop and we pulled her again to install it a few days later.

With the new prop and a carburetor adjustment, we got the idle speed down below 2 knots and she handled beautifully in forward and reverse.

I took the boat out for another test run.  This time I sailed down  to South River which is on the far shore about 5 miles down the Neuse.  I motored up the river about a mile, dropped the hook and spent my first night at anchor.  A pleasant breeze made for a comfortable, bug-free evening.  The next morning the Neuse was like glass as I motored back to Oriental.

 

John Deaton told me it was time to quit spending money on the boat and go out and use it for a while.   Seemed like a good idea.

And the Fun Begins

In late April, I brought my wife down to Oriental to see the boat for the first time.  It had been cold when I bought the boat and we felt that I should spiff her up a bit before introducing her to June.

The Ericson's interior was looking much better with the new upholstery and the fancy new Thetford Curve porta-potty was a sorely needed upgrade.

The first night, we confirmed my fears about the v-berth -  only a young, skinny, deeply in lust couple can share it comfortably.  Sleeping feet to bow requires an acrobatic maneuver to exit the berth that neither of us can perform at this stage of life. Attempting this maneuver with another person in the berth can lead to bruises and bloody noses - particularly in the dark of night when nature calls.  Catheterization was not an option. Separate sleeping compartments are definitely required for us.

I had cleaned oil from the bilge on the previous trip so I checked and topped off the engine oil before motoring out of  Smith Creek to the Neuse the next morning.  I also made an effort to clean the floor of the tight engine compartment so I could tell where the leak was coming from on our return.

Following the usual 15-20 minute ritual to get the Atomic 4 started, we had a nice couple of hours on the river in light winds.  Both June and Buddy settled in comfortably.

June & Buddy enjoy a leisurely sail

On our return to the slip, I examined the engine compartment floor and found abundant evidence of a leak.  I checked the oil dip stick and quickly discovered that all the oil was now in the bilge.

I called Deaton's Yacht Service and asked John Deaton to tow the boat into their yard to figure out what the problem was.

Easter Weekend With the Deatons

Easter Weekend and it was time to cut the boat loose from the dock and get out on the water.

I signed up with the Neuse Sailing Association so I could meet sailors in the area.  I joined them on an overnight at River Dunes Marina on Broad Creek about 8 miles down the river.

Winds were light and the weather was mild. The trip down the river was slow and uneventful until I furled the headsail (I was only using the jib because I was single handed) and started in under power.  At the mouth of the creek, the engine stalled and I was unable to get it started.

I didn't want to introduce myself to the club by asking for a tow so I called TowBoatUS for assistance. About 45 minutes later, the TowBoat arrived and I requested to be towed into River Dunes, figuring that I could get some help to figure out the problem.

The Dock Master, Rich, tried to help me figure out the problem but when we came up empty, he suggested calling Deaton Yacht Service, the people that have the local TowBoat franchise.   The on-duty mechanic that came out to help was the tow boat captain and the owner of Deaton Yacht Service, John Deaton.

After a few unsuccessful attempts to get the engine started, John said that he wanted to check on some info online and would return on Sunday (Easter) to try again.  On his way back, he took me to Oriental Plantation to get my car.

John returned on Easter after church bringing his 18-year-old daughter to drive my car back to town.  The problem turned out to be a bad coil which he replaced with a spare that I found onboard.   Obviously a common problem for this boat.

I told him that I was having problems with the main halyard getting stuck at the top of the mast and he suggested that I bring the boat to his boatyard that afternoon and spend the night.  I would have access to the showers, TV, and wifi and we could deal with it in the morning.

Because I was unfamiliar with the channel into Whittaker Creek, he told me to call him when I got close so he could come out and lead me in.

The trip back was into the teeth of 15-20 winds under power.  Luckily I had a lined oilskin jacket with a hood to help ward off the cold spray. It was a long, wet trip.

John met me at the outer channel marker and led me in, where his wife, Karen, and two others help me tie up.

I enjoyed a hot shower that night and a nice chat with a couple who were having their boat worked on.  The next morning, their rigging man, Wag, took a look at my halyard.

Deaton charged me for 1 hour of labor for his time on Saturday and Easter Sunday. Their hospitality was incredible. Unbeknownst to me, we were about to spend many more hours together.

The Winner - An Ericson 29

After another round of boat shopping in mid-January, I finally pulled the trigger on an Ericson 29, located in Oriental.   I was admittedly influenced by the fear that hordes of sailors from NY and NJ  who lost their boats to Hurricane Sandy would be headed South waving insurance checks and gobbling up everything of value in the Carolinas.

A 1976 model, she has an Atomic 4 gasoline engine, purported to be in good condition, good mainsail, and a strong 150% roller furled jib.  Both sails were still stiff and had seen little use. She needed work but had a price tag less than half that of the S2 in New Bern. The promise of a year's free dockage sealed the deal.

The free slip was located on the upper end of Smith Creek in a small development named Oriental Plantation. It's in a small marina designed to accommodate owners of interior lots.  It has water (April to December) and 30 amp power.  The drawback is that it has no facilities and very little water for the Ericson's 4'4" draft (more on that later). The 20-slip marina only had about 6 boats.

The Ericson 29 enjoys the reputation of being a solid, stable boat with classic lines and good speed.  She had spent a couple of years in Norfolk, VA as a live aboard for a serviceman so she needed some attention.

The boat had a couple of goodies that sweetened the pot.  A year-old Garmin 546 Chartplotter and a flat-screen TV with a built-in DVD player.

The first project was the head.  Somewhere along the line, the waste holding tank had been removed.  That left the illegal and disgusting option of pumping the waste directly overboard.  We removed the existing head and waste hoses, capping off the thru-hull fittings.  A porta potty, a Thetford Curve, with 5 gallons of water and a 5-gallon waste tank took its place.

The next project was to replace the old (probably original), frayed upholstery that reeked of cigarette smoke.  Bob Buntin, the owner of the 27 O'Day that I looked at in December, owns a sail and canvas shop in New Bern, so I turned to him for help.   He replaced the nasty, disintegrating 3" foam with 4" of high-density foam topped with 2" of memory foam and a quality beige Sunbrella interior fabric.  We gained not only a new look but two new friends - Bob and his wife Robin.

June accessorized with colorful fish cushions and made new curtains.

At some point in her past, the Ericson had a binacled stove and oven in the galley but that had been removed in favor of a small dorm sized refrigerator that didn't work.  In the interest of gaining more storage space I used the space to create a shelf for a small microwave oven with a large drawer below.  Behind the microwave is storage for my butane stove and other goodies. The counter above lifts up to provide access.

 

A previous owner had named her' First Impression '.  The name had been lettered over the shadowy remains of yet another name that was illegible.   I removed the names from the stern and left her temporarily nameless - waiting for inspiration to strike.

It was a good start on a long term project to make her a comfortable boat for exploring the Inner Banks of North Carolina.