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.
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.
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