Catamaran Delivery, Day 6: Oriental, NC to Beaufort, NC

Last night, the wind started picking up, as expected, in the evening. We had set out every fender we had, and the crew turned in early.

I walked up to the sailor’s lounge, a small living room / kitchen / package delivery room just on shore from the docks, to get some time alone and in the warmth. I called Joy and we talked for a while; I feel badly that she’s managing much of the work of selling off my woodworking tools, emptying out the storage units we filled when we sold our house in October, and managing a number of jobs while I’m off gallivanting.

The reality, of course, is that we’re both taking on things that move us towards this life of sailing and cruising that we’re so excited for, and this trip represents a major step forward with respect to my own skill and expertise. However, it’s still hard, and the guilt is real.

My conversation was observed by one of the many roving cats of Oriental, who slipped into the lounge as I entered. I let him (her?) hang out for a bit with me, as the weather was cold and windy, but ultimately I had to coax him into letting me pick him up and set him outside.

In the morning, we had to wait out the gale, and couldn’t leave until nearly noon. Our trip to Beaufort was a bittersweet one, as the owner - whom we all had become accustomed to having on board, as part of our little crew - had to depart for home. We had a beautiful sail, however; Beaufort was only 20nm south, and once we passed the Neuse River, the wind and waves died down significantly.

Along the ICW itself, we were visited by dolphins for the first time! Our captain called out what we thought were jumping fish, but in actuality were a pod of 3, jumping and swimming alongside us for 10 minutes or so. A magical moment, and hopefully - as tradition states - a sign of good fortune.

Beaufort Docks was overpriced at $4/ft, but the town is charming. It’s also a convenient staging ground for tomorrow, when we will sail 60nm, likely anchoring out unless a marina along the way has a cancellation. We’ve not done so yet this trip, and I look forward to it. I helped clean the boat, as we had running water for the first time as well, and we filled our tanks, rinsed off the salt, and then prepared to say farewell to the owner.

As I stepped off the dock, my jeans split down the middle; while I have some various foul weather options aboard, I was glad that there was a men’s clothing store directly across the street from the docks, yet another moment of fortuitous timing on this passage.

We said goodbye, and then headed to dinner - a strong recommendation for The Black Sheep, which had wood-fired pizza and (although I passed on a whole piece for myself) excellent pecan pie. There are many gorgeous sailboats here, as well - my affection for monohulls is unabated, and I cannot wait to head home and finalize the purchase of our new boat (of which I’ll have more to say once she’s ours, officially). We also continue to move towards finalizing the sale of Wanderer, which should close this weekend; I will deeply miss her, but we’re moving up in size and offshore capability, and her new owner will inherit what I believe is one of the finest Pearson 35s on the planet, at an amazing price given our timeline.

Tonight, I have my own cabin, with a mattress and heat - a major improvement over my unheated plywood bunk! I turned in, anticipating the long day ahead, but content and ready for more adventure.