After an especially exuberant night with over 20 kts. of wind, we didn’t wake up so much as gave up early in the morning. I wanted to try to describe the motion Escape Velocity goes through dealing with the high winds and surge coming off the Neuse River. First she bounds out to the end of her lines and you can feel them bring her up short and pause as she stretches them just a touch, and then she zeros in on 7 of her best fenders and buries herself into them, like James Harrison buries himself into an opposing quarterback or anyone who is not a Pittsburgh Steeler. Much squealing and I imagine groaning as the fenders are compressed, at this point the attentive Skipper is listening for the tell-rail thunk of wooden piling making contact with his boat’s rubrail, at which point he is up and outside with flashlight before it can happen again.
She’ll do this three times in a row and then, in a hip-hop kind-of move she inexplicably slows down while heading out to the ends of her lines, pitching you forward, and dips down throwing your natural Circadian Rhythm to hell in a hand basket. Repeat all night.
By morning it was blowing 25+kts. and EV was doing the evil dance with gusto. 1,2,3, rest, dddiiippp! Suddenly, I think I was down in the master stateroom brushing my teeth, I noticed I wasn’t lurching around and there was no howling of wind through the rigging. While we had planned an earlier start, it was time to go. The 50′ Hunter in front of us was still here waiting for her owners to come to after a night of drinking. I knew they wouldn’t be getting an early start.
Waiting for a rising tide is always tough for me. When it’s time to go I gotta go.
The Neuse was benign and it was great to be moving again, even though the daily threat of violent thunderstorms were predicted. No joy from the electronics room concerning autopilots after a $398 repair bill. The B&G promptly gave a “trip” message and the wheel pilot acted like it was on crack. At least it made some noise.
By 6:30 pm we caught up to a very nasty looking thunderstorm. We decided to go for an alternate anchorage just off the Pungo River and barely got the hook down when it hit. Tons of rain, only 20 knts of wind. No services, remote, but a lovely spot. Marce does it again.
