Day
12 Thursday, April 27, 2017
You can monitor my trip at the link: Little Star's Progress Live
We
awoke this morning to a beautiful sunrise and glassy waters. The reflection of the trees across the bay
was an inspiring sight. We prepared
sausage, eggs, and toast for our last anchorage before Oriental.
From
the forecast, we assumed that we would be able to sail the last few
 |
| Early morning in Broad Creek |
miles of
our journey; however, there was little wind.
As usual, we met a number of boats heading north. It’s the time of year when the “snowbirds”
are heading back north. As we were
moving along, Jim commented that the steering was feeling a bit stiff. He checked the speed and it had dropped down
to 4.5 knots. We stopped, put the boat
in reverse and out popped a crab pot float.
These things are the scourge of
 |
| Nice home in Broad Creek |
the Waterway. Luckily we had not rapped the line in the
prop. That sometimes requires a trip
under water with the mask and snorkel.
We pulled into Oriental at around
10:00. As usual, Jim backed Little Star into a finger dock in the
back corner of the marina. He is a
master at backing this boat. I have a
lot to learn in this department. These
boats have a phenomenon known as “prop walk in which the stern of the boat
moves towards the port when the boat is in reverse making them very difficult
to put into tight places. Jim is really
good at it, however.
Once we had the boat secure, we set out
on a walk looking for the biking group that Jim will be riding with. I was amazed by the number of small tents
that people packed together in parks, lawns and fields. Jim’s group,
 |
| Beautiful fisherman leaving Oriental |
Blennerhassett
Cycle Club, is an interesting group of folks that include riders of all skill
levels who enjoy riding and social fellowship.
It is my understanding that the club was established sometime back in
the late 1800’s and continues to this date, with weekly rides and monthly
meetings. According to Jim, most rides
end with some sort of social gathering.
While Jim joined his biking friends for
a short ride around town, Janine and
I went to the “The Bean” Ice Cream Shop for
a Norma Backwards which is a
 |
| The Bean |
slushy with ice cream, coffee and ice. After that, we walked about a mile or so to
the West Marine to check on the windless that was to be delivered to their
store. It turned out to be there so I
paid for it and then tried to figure out how I would get it back to the
boat. My first option, Uber, was not an
option nor was a cab; so I decided to start walking with it. It weighs 30 pounds and the long walk would
probably present a problem. The store
manager said that if I we could wait for a half hour, he
 |
| Blennerhassett Cycle Club Enclave |
would be heading that
way as he traveled home. I, of course,
jumped on that offer.
 |
| Duane (standing) and Jay |
Later in the evening, all of the members
present at this gathering crowded into the cockpit to be treated to Jim’s
favorite cocktail, the Dark and Stormy; a rum drink made with Goslings Black
Seal Bermuda Black Rum that is floated atop of ginger beer on ice with a wedge
of lime. The group included Steve, Ann,
Kathy, Jay, Candace, Carol, Duane, Vickie, Mack, Janine, Jim and me. We all laughed at jokes, told truths and lies
for probably 2 hours before we headed for dinner at the Toucan Grill and Fresh
Bar which is a part of the Oriental Marina.
This highly compatible group was most enjoyable and
 |
| l-r Ann, Kathy, Carol, Vicki, and Mack - Jim's arm |
accepting of us not
bikers. I had been eating frequent large
meals (as I was reminded by my Kentucky cousin) so I limited my dinner to a
burger and chips. It was a great time.
I received significant kidding when I
informed the group it
 |
| l-r Steve, Janine and Candice |
|
|
|
was 3 minutes past 9:00 and into my sleep time.
No comments:
Post a Comment