Dockside

2009-12-18 09:57:42

Dec.16, 2009 2000hrs
34° 43.3’ N
076° 41.9’ W
Morehead City, NC
By Keith Barkwood

     We sailed 1290 miles from St. Thomas to Morehead City, NC.  During that time we changed two seasons in a week.  All those layers we shed so few short weeks ago are once again finding their way onto deck.  No one aboard the schooner can say we didn’t have a grand adventure.  What began as a quick jaunt through the Bahamas to Florida kept veering north, port by port.  Fernandina Beach turned into Jacksonville, then Charleston.  At one point we thought we were going to attempt rounding Cape Hatteras for Norfolk, but the leviathan took care of that.
     So there we were, motor-sailing on one engine, making a good 6 knots when the beast struck.  It came at us slowly and gradually in the dark of night, grasping us with its massive tentacles yet doing it so gently that we were caught completely unaware.  The only indication of the assault was a reduction in speed.  When our speed dropped to below 2 knots we knew the beast was onto us.  Our suspicions were confirmed when the rudder was rendered inoperable by the monster's bulk.  The captain’s first instinct was to fire up the other engine in an attempt to flush the beast off.  Alas this only riled the beast to slow us down even further.  The only logical options were to fight the beast hand to tentacle, or surrender to its whims until it bored of our vessel.  The good ship Virginia always looks to peace, so off went the engines and along came the wait till daylight.  It was a long uncomfortable four hours till the sun rose in the east.  The leviathan did its best to prevent any forward progress, but we outlasted his interest with our limitless patience.   As the morning sun lit the sky, all evidence of the beast was gone.  The engines regained their ability to propel us forward and we set our sights towards Morehead City. 
    We had some incredible sailing during our journey.  At one point we were making 7 knots with just the stays’l set.  The seas were rough, causing a few casualties as mugs took flight.  We brought the topsails down to deck for the winter in an effort to get a jump on the down-rigging.  It was amazing how quickly it changed from summer to winter.  It seemed that the moment we crossed through the western wall of the Gulf Stream we were back in winter.