9.04- Super-yacht on "A-Dock"

"Patti Lou" tied up to A-dock

(click on image to enlarge)

We don't see a lot of yachts over 100' here in Oriental - they usually head down to Beaufort or up to Norfolk for stop-overs.

This foreign-flagged luxury yacht found a spot along "A" Dock at Oriental Harbor Marina this evening, and the crew quickly got to work getting the saltiness off the deck.

You can see a shot this 3,600 horsepower vessel underway (max. 22 kts.), and some interior shots, at her builder's web site:
http://www.queenship.com/crescent/legacy.php?lid=2

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6.23- "Buoy Maker"

"Buoy Maker" sails down Raccoon Creek into Oriental Harbor

"Buoy Maker" is a beaut of a boat I regularly spot sailing around local waters. Here she is on a run out of Raccoon Creek into the anchorage of Oriental harbor after buzzing the Town Dock.

Now, I would call Buoy Maker a "gaff-rigged catboat," but certain people I know insist that that is a redundancy...

One of those people is this really really really old dude (and for you folks who live outside of Oriental, add another two or three "really"s) who thinks he can sail, tells me that if it has any other sail rig, it is not, by definition, a catboat of any sort whatsoever.

This nameless person insists, for instance, that the boat I called a "catboat" in my May 5 2009 DP is not a catboat at all, but a "non-such."

Well, the nameless critic may be from one of our Yankee states wherefrom catboats originate (state remains nameless to protect identity), and he may have owned a catboat or two (gaff-rigged, of course), but I maintain that a catboat can have ANY sail rig at all provided it is only one sail, there is no standing rigging (the mast is free-standing), and the mast sets way forward near the bow.

In any case, my critic and I can certainly agree that "Buoy Maker" is 100% "Catboat."

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4.16- Skywatch Friday - April showers on the way

Looks like some weather is moving in
(Click image to enlarge)

Today's Skywatch Friday picture comes from this past Monday April 13th. Rain, thunderstorms, rain and more storms was was forecast for Tuesday into Wednesday (correctly as it turned out: see the rainy skies in my Tuesday posting, below), but Monday was a fresh spring day.

The cumulus clouds came in from the west like a vast army during the day Monday...

The rain and thunder sure did come all day Tuesday and into Wednesday morning, and now we can look forward to explosive growth in local gardens and farm fields...

We can also expect less pleasant explosive growth in the many patches of standing water left throughout the area as warmer sunny days approach - Yes, the mosquito larvae are sure to be active in the wake of the rains, and folks around here will not be surprised if the Culicidae make their '09 mass debut this weekend.

(I have noticed a few skeeters around here and there already, but I haven't needed to purchase any DEET yet, so they have not really officially arrived)

Well, and so it goes... April showers bring May flowers and Summer bugs. At least the dreaded flying bloodsuckers are a harbinger of "The Season" around here, and will be closely followed by swarms (we hope) of Aliens...

Indeed, even on Monday, I spotted a couple of land-borne Aliens on the Dinghy Dock snapping photos of the Point Pride Seafood Co. trawlers docked on the other side of Raccoon Creek... we have also been seeing increasing numbers of water-borne Aliens at Town Dock, the local marinas and at anchor in Oriental Harbor - as seen in background, below :

(click image to enlarge)

HAPPY SWF EVERYONE!

I look forward to seeing the other Skywatch pictures from around the world on the other SWF sites listed at:

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3.12- Skywatch Friday - Sunrise over Chadwick Point

The sun rising over Chadwick Point (home of Point Pride Seafood)

Today's picture is from a boating trip earlier this week... a neighbor and I joined mutual neighbor Capt. Miller on his May Craft 1900 for a trip across the River Neuse, into Turnagain Bay, and through the "Indian Ditch" connecting Turnagain with Long Bay. (see prior post, below)

We left from the Wildlife Ramp on Smiths Creek and were crossing the mouth of Smiths Creek / Oriental Harbor just as the sun peeked over the point. An itinerant catamaran was at anchor in the harbor.

The rising sun illuminated the web of contrails left in the dry atmosphere by the many high-altitude commercial airplanes moving up and down the East Coast flight corridors.

HAPPY SWF EVERYONE!

I look forward to seeing the other Skywatch pictures from around the world on the other SWF sites listed at:

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12.19- SkyWatch Friday - Scow-Schooner "Nina"

Capt. Dayton Trubee of the "Nina," a gaff-rigged scow-shooner, climbs the mizzen-mast ratlines with First Mate Ingrid Code at the helm as they cruised Oriental Harbor looking for a good spot to drop the hook

This beauty ("Nina," homeport Baltimore MD) came into Oriental Harbor near sunset this evening.


I was going to do a bit of research and write something up discussing this type of boat here on ONCDP, but my first Google revealed that the story of this very boat herself (including an explanation of the Australian flag atop her mainmast) is already online:


I highly recommend reading the TownDock.Net "Shipping News" article about "Nina" when she was here in Oriental almost four years ago... very interesting story... Read the 2005 TownDock.Net story here

Since then, in 2007, Nina had some work done at the de Rouville Boat Shop in NJ.

Also in 2007, the Nina's First Mate, Ingrid Code, has also written this article in Wooden Boat about another schooneer, "Steadfast."

Also, SEE SOME MORE OF MY PICTURES OF "NINA" at my other blog, "The Dinghy Dock."

HAPPY SWF EVERYONE!
I look forward to seeing the other Skywatch pictures from around the world on the other SWF sites listed at:


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11.15- Tow time

A newly-anchored itinerant sailor with a motor-dinghy gives a tow to another itinerant in her two-armstrong powered "Dink"

I met this young woman at the Dinghy Dock today as I was riding by.

She had come ashore to go grocery shopping, leaving her "old man" on their sailboat at anchor out in the harbor (not in camera shot above).

She had rowed ashore in a "Dink" dinghy.

When she returned to the Dinghy Dock after a couple of hours, she found the winds had grown fairly stiff... about 15 to 20 knots... out of the Southwest.

(Notice two of the anchored sailboats in the picture are pointing straight into the fresh breeze... the third/middle sailboat, flying Netherlands flag, is not pointing into the wind only because she is aground)

Finding it impossible to row the light dinghy straight into the wind far enough to reach her boat, the woman had been embayed for at least an hour before I showed up.

As we were chatting, another sailboat came into the harbor and began trying to anchor.

We watched as her captain dropped anchor, hoping he would dinghy ashore soon and maybe be able to help the woman return to her boat. The anchor dragged, and the sailboat drifted towards another anchored boat. The guy weighed anchor, motored around, and tried again. Anchor dragged again. Guy weighed, moved and dropped the hook yet again.

By this time, another woman had walked up to the Dinghy Dock, introduced herself, and explained she was waiting for the guy out there trying to anchor to come pick her up.

By this time there were four of us watching this guy try to anchor... Watching someone struggle with anchoring, particularly in a Southerly or Southwesterly blow, is considered better-than-TV entertainment in Oriental.

After the guy dropped anchor again, we saw him finally lowering his dinghy from the stern davits into the water. Great, we all thought... one woman was waiting for the guy to come take her to his boat, the other woman was hoping the guy could tow her dinghy back to her boat, and myself and another guy were watching all the drama with great interest.

The guy got in his dinghy, hauled in the painter, and started motoring... away from the dinghy dock! Where is he going, the watching crowd wondered in chorus, while at the same time noticing that the guy's sailboat was swinging awfully near it's anchored neighbor.

The guy motored his dinghy about a hundred feet ahead of his sailboat on the starboard side, then stood up in the dinghy.

"He's dropping a second hook" we all said, again in chorus.

So the guy dropped his second anchor from the dinghy, motored back to his sailboat, went aboard and hauled in his hawsers to satisfaction, neatly pulling his sailboat away from the threatened neighbor.

He then came ashore, and happily gave the stranded rower a tow back to her "old man" just as the sun set.

Another exciting 90 minute drama at Oriental anchorage!

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11.02- Anchored in the Roadstead

Six sailboats at anchor on the Neuse River near the entrance to Oriental Harbor.

While Oriental Harbor is a popular anchorage on the ICW, some boats prefer to anchor out in the Neuse River outside the harbor breakwater near the channel from the ICW into the harbor... an area I generally refer to as "Oriental Roads."

These six boats are from Maine (at least four of them are)... I found them anchored out in the river as I sailed out to Oriental Marker No. 1, then to Whittaker Creek No. 1 and back to the harbor.

I took this picture while I was sailing back into Oriental Harbor just as the sun set.

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10.26- Harbor full

Boats anchored in Oriental Harbor after sunset

(click on picture or here for full size)

There were a total of 17 boats at anchor in Oriental harbor tonight as the sun set. Mostly sailboats, but a few trawlers.

Town Dock and many transient slips at the marinas were also full.

Many of these boats are "snow-birds" heading south on their winter cruises. A few are probably boats that have been parked up north during hurricane season for insurance purposes... Hurricane season ends on November 1, and boats will then begin moving en masse along the Intracoastal Waterway past Oriental as they move back south of the North Carolina/South Carolina border, where insurance policies often do not cover risks during the season.

Here is another view of the harbor, looking back towards the Oriental Harbor Marina and the Point Pride Seafood docks:

(click on picture or here for full size)

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9.21- "Kandy Bar"

A cruiser relaxes and reads aboard his vessel, "Kandy Bar," while at anchor in Oriental Harbor.
(Click here for full size)

This handsome boat (for a stink-pot, that is) is a "Ranger R21"... it was built by a company called "Fluid Motion," but is sold by "Ranger Tugs"... The R21 has a sleeping berth, but the newer "R21 EC" ("extended cabin") adds 18 inches to the pilothouse, and includes amenities such as a galley, pressurized water and sink, and built-in head.

"Fluid Motion" and "Ranger Tugs" are owned by the same guy, John Livingston, out of Kent, Washington... Another company, "Martini Marine" also claims to be the manufacturer, though they do so on the Ranger Tugs internet domain. I can't really find out why there are three different company names associated with the boat.

To add to the confusion, these boats were also manufactured and sold as "C-Rangers" in some sort of marketing agreement with the folks who make the very similar "C-Dory," but that was apparently a short-lived arrangement.

There were also two "C-Dory"s (I don't know what the plural is... "C-Dories"?) tied up in Raccoon Creek today... probably some sort of meet-up, or maybe they were cruising in convoy.

According to the "C-Brats Online Forum," there will be a NC gathering of these types of boats here in Oriental, at Whittaker Pointe Marina, next weekend...

I will try to drop by and get some pics of a bunch of these Ranger and C-Dory boats gathered together, and maybe learn a bit more about them to share with everyone (like what's the deal with the three different "Ranger" companies?)

According to Ranger Tugs, the Ranger 21 is based on Bristol Bay fishing trollers...

Bristol Bay is home to an apparently very competitive Salmon gill-netting fishery, and is the largest sockeye salmon fishery in the world.

By regulation, the Salmon trollers are limited to 32 feet in length, and do have a distinctive style... According to Wikipedia, the 32 foot limit is prompted in part by the extreme 30 foot tides, dangerous and uncharted shoals and other navigational limitations, but I wonder if it has more to do with fishery management... will have to research)... See some examples of the Bristol Bay trollers (with 20 inch drafts!) from one manufacturer, Rozema Boat Works.

Also, as I did in my discussion of much-closer menhaden fishing industry (no sockeye around these parts), I recommend the following video of the Bristol Bay commercial fishermen's extremely dangerous and hard work... at the end of the video, related videos of Bristol Bay trollers at work will appear:



All in all, I'd say that life on a 21 foot Ranger is much more relaxing than on a 32 foot Bristol Bay troller! I'm sure the captain in today's picture would agree.

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8.30- Stuck in the Mud

A Texan sailor whose boat ran aground in the bottom-mud of Oriental Harbor tosses a tow-line to a local fishing boat.

[Addendum: Those visitors who know Capt. Ted of the Aurora, and want to give him a hard time about running aground, you may want to check out the rest of the pictures on my other blog, The Dinghy Dock, August 30 posting. Please give him my best and Godspeed as his journey continues. -Capt. Ben]

This itinerant sailboat (approximately 40 foot boat, home-port is Parker, Texas) ran aground in the soft mud of Oriental Harbor while seeking anchorage near dusk this evening.

After running aground, the sailboat captain used his dinghy to set an anchor, and unsuccessfully tried to "kedge" the boat off her ground.

Soon after the failed kedging attempt, a passing Boston Whaler with an 80 HP outboard offered to help tow the boat off... she gave it a good try for about ten minutes, but this sailboat was good and stuck as the sun was setting.

Guessing the sailboat draws 6 feet or more, probably with a full keel (she looks to be a blue-water sailer), stuck in 5.5 feet of water with the wind blowing towards even shallower water.

We'll see if and how she makes it out of the mud tomorrow.

[8.31 Addendum - She did make it out the next morning by motoring back the way she came in (the wind-tide had also risen a half foot or so overnight.)

After a day out sailing, she came back and anchored in a deeper part of the harbor. I sailed out in the Bauer dinghy, and met the boat's captain.

She is the "Aurora," and has been the home to Captain Ted and his wife since they sailed from Port Aransas, TX last November. The couple expect to winter over in the Chesapeake Bay and then... maybe bahamas, maybe who knows?

The "Aurora" is a 39 foot (deck length... bow sprit adds another 9 feet) "Lord Nelson" blue water sailboat built in Tawain. Capt. Ted explained a bit of the history of the "Lord Nelsons," but about all I retained was that it was essentially an adaptation of an earlier design, the "Hans Christian."]

Hopefully, we will also find out why there is a faux goose standing on the bowsprit!

[8.31 Addendum - Capt. Ted explained that the goose is the boat's "guard-goose," whose so-far-successful mission is to keep elephants off of the boat.]

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7.26- Seven Boats Rafting

These seven sailboats were rafting in Oriental harbor anchorage earlier this evening.

This weekend brings the Rotary Club's Tarpon (that's a fish) Tournament to town, and while powered fishing vessels full of tarpon anglers dominate the harbor scene, this group of sailboats from New Bern NC, Hampton Roads VA, Boston MA, and somewhere in MD dropped anchors, rafted together, and had a big party. After an hour or so, the boats dispersed.

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6.08- Itinerant Season

Itinerant boater season is at flood tide here in Oriental... more than a dozen boats at anchor in the harbor and Smith Creek. Here are the seven visible from the Dinghy Dock this evening:



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