Pamlico Sound

Pamlico Sound
35 14 N 075 45 W

This is the first time we've ever sailed out in Pamlico Sound. It's like an enormous lagoon here, comparable in size to the Bahamian Grand Bank. We're en route to Ocracoke Island. That's yet another paradise location. It is reachable only by water. No cell phones, no ships. It is said to have a quaint little village populated by artists. I'll write more after we look around.

Yesterday, at Blackbeard Sailing Club, some of the members started showing up for the weekend. We had lunch with Ed on Tarwathie. Ed told us about the grandson he is so proud of. Ed's grandson is a professional crew on Americas Cup yachts. Wow! That's about as high as you can get in sailing heirarchy.

We also got to meet Les and Suzzane from Last Dance, our hosts. We also met Charlie and Terry. Dave and Leigh were there also tending to their Gulfstar 44 that they just bought. So what did we do? We did what boaters always do when hanging around the docks, we sat around with a few drinks, and we swapped stories. We also got in to a little mischief, which is completely typical of dockside behavior.

The mischief involved a bike that Charlie had borrowed. He rode it out on the dock and parked it next to Tarwathie, as we sat in the cockpit and told stories. Wouldn't you know it, a gust of wind came along, it toppled the bike and splash down it fell into the water. Time for a Chinese fire drill, one would think. I rummaged around to find the small Danforth anchor that we use on the dinghy. I thought that we could use it as a grappling hook. Before I got it though, Terry fetched a double
boat hook. Someone else had lashed together two 12 foot boat hooks to make a single 20 foot long hook. It worked like magic. In less than a minute, they hooked the bike and pulled it up. In two more minutes of fishing they also hooked and retrieved the bike's basket which had fallen off. It made a good afternoon and a source for yet another story to tell on yet another day. Such stories tend to improve with each telling, so that after a number of years, they are truly amazing.

We're likely to stay at Ocracoke for several days because high winds are expected to come Monday and Tuesday. After leaving Ocracoke, we'll head for Manteo and perhaps spend a couple of days there. We probably won't get to Elizabeth City until next weekend. That's fine. We're in no hurry, and we're exploring places we haven't been before.