My new dock mate, Roger, expressed an interest in extending our sailing range past South River and spending a night at anchor. I suggested that we take my boat and go explore Bay River which lies at the mouth of the Neuse and the Pamlico Sound. It's also the inland ICW route to the Pamilco River.
We departed late Wednesday morning and found a light SW wind on the Neuse. The AutoHelm 4000 worked well as we made our way slowly down the river, past South River and Broad Creek to Pamlico Sound.
The forecast had called for a high of 98 with a THI of 104. The hottest day of the year so far. We consumed a veritable 'boat load' of water to stay hydrated but with the shade of the bimini top and the breeze, it was considerably more comfortable on the river than it had been at the dock.
There's a large shoal just downriver from Broad Creek that extends a mile or more out into the Neuse. Thanks to our chart plotter we were aware of it, passing well to the East. Either clueless, chartless, or both, another sailboat sat grounded in the middle of the shoal. The captain had misjudged the eastern edge of the shoal by more than half a mile.
When we made the turn to the North, we had a long downwind leg to the mouth of Bay River. The wind speed increased as the day wore on so we hauled in the main to keep the impact of accidental jibes to a minimum. I now understand the value of having a gybe preventer installed. Add that to the list.
For non-sailors, a gybe is when you turn the stern of the boat through the wind rather than the bow. Uncontrolled, it can result in the mainsail boom swinging violently from one side to the other - contacting heads if the boom is low (mine isn't) and possibly damaging the rigging. A gybe preventer either prevents that swing or controls its speed.
As we entered Bay River, the wind was approaching 25 knots and kicking up a chop. We needed to find shelter from the wind for our anchorage. The chart plotter showed us Long Creek on the South side of the river. We meandered down the narrow creek quite a way before we found a suitable anchorage in the lee of a stand of tall pine trees.
The night was warm but uneventful. Six Knot Grin's screens kept most of the mosquitoes at bay. We rose early on Thursday morning and I prepared breakfast of ham and eggs.
We weighed anchor and motored out to Bay River. We enjoyed about a half hour beam reach sail on the way out to Pamlico Sound but when we made the turn, we were pinching into the wind. We furled the genoa but not completely. When I attempted to bring it in the rest of the way, the furler came apart and the full 160% deployed. I had previously tied a knot in the furling line to limit the deployment to 120% but now we had a full deployment in a 20-knot wind. The Genoa sheets were tangled and the furler line was also completely deployed.
I went forward while Roger took the helm. After untangling the sheets, we took a beam reach out into the Sound with the genoa while I brought the furler line forward and began reloading the furler drum manually - pulling through one turn at a time, as I straddled the bow in the pounding waves. After a couple of false starts (feeding the line in the wrong direction), we got enough line on to be able to get several turns on the sail with the furling line. From that point, we were able to furl the sail manually, automatically feeding the line onto the furler drum.
With the foresail secured, we cranked up the engine and began a four hour trip back to Sea Harbour under power, with the wind on our nose.
When we passed the shoal near Broad Creek, we saw TowBoatUS pulling the sailboat off the shoal. They had spent the entire night aground in the wind. Our problem had been minor by comparison.
As we got closer to home, squall lines with lightning began marching down the Oriental side of the river. Luckily, they only extended about a mile or so into the river so we chose to head out and let them pass before heading in.
No sooner had we entered the channel for Pierce Creek than the engine began to sputter. It coughed and sputtered all the way to the end of A dock then died at the point where I usually drop the engine into neutral and coast into my slip. No harm - no foul. It cranked back up to allow me to reverse the engine at the dock. Home safe and sound. I'll deal with the dirty fuel issue tomorrow.
Changed the fuel filter and spark plugs the following morning. The engine running fine.
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