Ashore at Cape Lookout

   The next morning we had breakfast in the cockpit, and then dinghied ashore and walked along the shore and dunes until Teresa became agitated by the empty beer cans and bottles that littered the otherwise pristine beaches. She then cajoled me into helping her collect as many as we could carry back to our trash bag aboard Lastdance, and I felt darn good about doing it!
   We had a great sail back to Beaufort. Then, after furling our jib in the Morehead City ship channel and just outside the small secondary channel leading into Beaufort, the engine wouldn't turn over. I thought it was a starter/electrical problem but nothing I did changed the fact that we were engineless in the 2 knot current. We sailed slowly under the main and waited for Boat US, thankful for my Unlimited Towing policy
   Once back at Town Creek Marina, friends Ted, Linda and Dan joined us with 5 pounds of fresh caught shrimp, half of which we boiled in Old Bay. The other half we sauteed in butter and herbs. Linda also brought along a pound of excellent cole slaw and after three, 2 liter bottles of wine, the impromptu party dwindled to an end, all agreeing that it doesn't get any better!
   With Lastdance under repaired, I'm spending as much time as possible with my daughter-in-law and grandkids as well as planning for my departure. I get underway on May 4th for the first leg of my voyage back to Maryland. I’ll first sail to Belhaven where I’ll leave Lastdance in order to attend Teresa’s daughter’s graduation back in Raleigh. On the 11^th I’ll get underway again, bound for Norfolk where I’ll re-enter beautiful Chesapeake Bay. I’ll most likely stop on the Rappahannock, Solomon’s Island and then Annapolis before sailing into Baltimore’s to rendezvous with friends for our annual Memorial Day weekend raft-up. Teresa will fly in on the 22^nd and participate in three days of revelry in Inner Harbor before flying back to Raleigh.

   Sailboat Bill in s/v Galena is sailing back from his winter adventure in the Bahamas. He’ll be about a week behind me but with my five day layover in Belhaven, he might catch up with me, in which case we’ll end our journeys the way be began them, sailing in company and enjoying the camaraderie of sheltered anchorages, and lots of the demon rum.  Who knows, maybe he’ll sail along to Baltimore. Sail on!

Teresa at the helm of Lastdance off Shackleton Bank

22 April - Technically, I’ve already been sailing this year but that was aboard s/v Audrey with Jon and Michelle. Easter Sunday I unbridled Lastdance from her doubled-up winter lines and cast off with Teresa in a warm southeast breeze. Teresa had not sailed in several decades, and then, only on a Hobie-Cat. This was her first sail aboard Lastdance and it was a perfect day for it, with 15 knots of wind on a sparkling blue ocean.

   Departing Town Creek Marina, we entered Gallants Creek which took us to the bascule bridge separating Beaufort from Pivers and Radio Islands. Once clear of the bridge, I turned the helm over to Teresa. This was my first venture on this meandering waterway and I was wary of charted shoals that may have shifted during the frequent storms this past winter. Teresa carried out my maneuvering commands carefully while I scanned and counted the buoys and markers that took us into Taylor Creek channel. When satisfied that we had enough room to head up, we raised our main sail and then proceeded into the ship channel where we unfurled the jib with a flourish. Then, with the engine silenced and only the sound of wind and our wake rippling astern, we steered a dogleg easterly course to the sea, on a broad reach.

   Once on the ocean, it became chilly and the wind stiffened. As Lastdance kicked up her heels, I could see that Teresa was experiencing the first thrills of harnessing the wind in a well found ship. We heeled further as we pointed higher and seeing Teresa’s broad grin as she steered an arrow-straight course, I thought, yes, she loves it!  Everyone had been teasing us about the “big test.” Knowing my passion for the sea, they’d ask, “Will she like sailing,” Until today all I could say was, “She’s been on the boat for weekends.” That always drew a skeptical glance but now she was sailing, clearly doing a good job of it and enjoying herself.

   This was a challenge to Teresa for several reasons. There was of course, the trial of doing something new and different, with an element of adventure and even danger. But, we were also both aware that sailing is what I do; it defines who I am and we couldn’t help consider what would it mean to our relationship if she didn’t like it? If there were any doubts, they were dispelled on a brisk sunny day off the coast of North Carolina as this adventurous woman sailed my little ship with joyful abandon.

   Teresa’s trick on the helm lasted all afternoon but as the wind increased and whitecaps formed on building waves, we tacked and came about on a course that took us back to Beaufort inlet. We sometimes surfed lazily in small following waves and Teresa sometimes let Lastdance get away from her but she’d quickly recover. Then, after an hour and one accidental jibe after a sudden wind shift, we slipped into the lee of Shackleford Banks. An hour after that, we were secure in our slip and sharing a glass of wine with our friend Ted Jones of s/v Ocean Gypsy. Ted had come over to help us with dock lines and as we talked of the day, Teresa came to understand the simple pleasure and camaraderie of post-sail yarn spinning.

   Back in Raleigh, Teresa treated me to a delux pedicure which in addition to removing "barnacles" from my feet, it felt incredibly good. Good enough that I finally finished up my taxes; ironically on Tax Freedom Day. Theoretically, that is the last day all of an average American’s wages for the year go to paying taxes. The rest of the year’s earnings are all ours…for now!

   I left Raleigh last Saturday and drove to Brooklyn to see my mom and brother, and then went to Philadelphia for my six month neck scan. The initial results are good but I have to go back in June for a 3 day battery of test, also routine. Hope all will be well with that…what a “pain in the neck huh?”  
  

Teresa's smile and soft gentle nature brightened up a cold rainy weekend aboard Lastdance

March 13 - It’s hard to believe it’s already March but with the weather moderating, I got out for my first sail of 2009 aboard s/v Audrey, a Pearson 36 owned by Jon and Michelle who are dock mates here in Beaufort. We’ve been doing alternating dinners and happy hours aboard our respective boats along with Ted Jones and Malla. Ted used to be the owner and publisher of Coastal Cruising magazine and he is now retired and living aboard s/v Ocean Gypsy.  With these new friends, I trekked to town when the waterfront shops in Beaufort hosted a cocktail evening.
We got a belly full of wine and hors d’ourves along with great conversation with the shopkeepers and locals who offered tons of information about Beaufort “then and now.”

   My Aunt Mary used to say, “When one door closes, another opens.” With those words in mind when a brief relationship in Tennessee ended, I went in search of an open door, not really sure of what I would find. I found Teresa, a kind and gentle woman with remarkable grace and beauty.  We learned a great deal about each other on the phone and internet and then I drove to Raleigh for what I thought might only be a simple date.

   I stayed for two days and departed with the knowledge that I had crossed a major threshold in my life and so with Aunt Mary’s voice in my head, I realized that one door had closed and another had indeed just opened for me. Since then, Teresa has been to Beaufort where we hunkered down during a weekend of chilly and rainy weather. We shared an evening with Jon and Michelle aboard Lastdance where we enjoyed salmon risotto, several bottles of wine, two large bars of dark chocolate and a bit of grappa! They invited us aboard s/v Audrey for breakfast the next morning and we passed away several hours sipping mimosas and woofing down a great breakfast prepared by Michelle.

   Teresa and I then drove to Smithfield, NC to hook up with John and Gail (s/v Tranquility) who were driving home from Florida. We had dinner with them at a Texas steakhouse where my ribeye was marginal but being there with Teresa and these great long-term friends was a special acknowledgment of their warm acceptance of her into my life. I then continued on to her home in Raleigh where I got to lounge around in “Arab pantaloons,”…Don’t ask!  I’ve been back to Raleigh several times and each day has brought me closer to this wonderful woman and we are both eagerly looking forward to going sailing together and much, much more in the future. 
   I'm having a new main sail made and in chatting with my sailmaker, he mentioned that he was making a sail for a guy up in New Bern who also had a Pacific Seacraft. 
"He's also from up north, you might know him, his name is Nolan." 
I asked, "Bill Nolan?" 
"Yeah, thats the guy, do you know him?" 
Bill used to sail out of Morgan Marina in NJ and it's been 11 years since I last saw him. He called later in the day and we talked about the old days sailing on Raritan Bay and we made plans to get together before I sail north in May.

   Ted said a heartfelt farewell to Malla who returned to Seattle after a month aboard s/vOcean Gypsy. Hopefully, she’ll return soon and continue her voyage of exploration with Ted.  Jon and Michelle departed today to haul out s/v Audrey until the fall when they’ll return to continue their voyage south. I’m sitting here alone again but eagerly anticipating returning to Raleigh tomorrow to see Teresa. She resigned from her weekend job beginning April so I’m looking forward to her coming to Beaufort more often so we can do some sailing together. 
   Before I head to Raleigh, I’ll be stopping at CampLejeune to join my good friends John and Denise in seeing off their son Kevin. He is a US Marine, Lance Corporal and is deploying to Iraq this Sunday and ironically, he will be based with my son Christopher in Al Asad. I guess it’s just part of the cycle of life but it pains me when I recall them as little boys together at our annual Christmas dinners. Now they are men going in harms way…Godspeed Kevin and Christopher and all our brave warriors who walk the walls and guard the gates for us.
   “Sailing with Carol” has been released on Amazon. Just go to www.amazon.com  then click on books, type in Sailing with Carol and order a dozen copies. Writing it has been a long but cathartic journey for me and I don’t think I could have moved forward had I not told Carol’s story. I have moved forward though and I know Carol would be happy with both the book and how my life has progressed; she was just that way.

Jon & Michelle

February 18^th – There I was reading a good book and listening to Jimmy Buffett aboard Lastdance one night last week when Jimmy begins singing about oysters and beer. The seed was planted and before I know it, I'm up at the Sandbar woffing down a dozen steamed oysters and enjoying "a cold one." Now I've had oysters raw, oysters Rockefeller, oyster stew and fried oysters but this was my first taste of perfectly salty steamed oysters and there was something really relaxing about sitting at the bar shucking my own oysters with echos of Jimmy Buffett singing Tin Cup Chalice on my mind. 
   The weather has improved dramatically since Superbowl weekend but I think I’m going to rename this town Blowfort. The wind just never stops blowing, often over 25 knots for days at a time. Fortunately, temperatures have been in the 60’s almost every day so I get to open hatches and give Lastdance a good airing out. Nights have been pretty warm also and I’ve not had to use my second heater even once at night since early February.

   It’s been a quiet month but I get to Michelle’s every few days to get “beat up” by my grandkids. Furi has perfected his jab-right hook combination to a point I felt boxing gloves were in order before he breaks my nose. I made another Sunday afternoon visit to Cru’s Wine Bar and the Back Street Pub and kind of like spending my time doing that and meeting the tourist who think I’m a local until I unleash the remnants of my Brooklyn accent on them. Michelle was here for an overnighter with Ali and Furi and we had a great time watching the Land Before Time. I made biscuits with the kids in the morning while Michele succumbed to the effects of a gently rocking boat. We then went fishing off of Lastdance and took photos to send to Christopher in Iraq. He is back in Al Anbar province in Al Asad and we hear from him regularly. He says things are quiet and reasonably comfortable compared to his 2005 deployment when he and his men from Kilo Company lived in an abandon railroad station and were engaged in frequent fighting.

   I met Jon and Michelle the other day. They’re a really nice English couple who just became American citizens and are off s/v Audry, a Pearson 36. They are here for a month after getting whacked by a nasty storm north of Frying Pan shoals during a winter voyage to Florida. Michelle whipped up a great Thai dish and with some fresh sourdough bread, we laughed and talked our way through 2 bottles of wine and half a bottle of port. Good cruising etiquette required that I reciprocate so we did it all over again on Lastdance last night with my shrimp risotto, 3 litres of wine and a few glasses of grappa. This is such a tough way to live huh?

Company Cdr.Christopher on left and Kilo Company platoon leaders, 3/2 Marines

January 20 - It's ironic that today, as Burak Hussian Obama became president, in large measure on his promise to end the war, my son Christopher returns for a second tour of duty in that shithole. I'm sure Chris would rather be with his wife and children but he is a Marine with a strong sense of duty. I'm very proud of his service but there are times I wish he was a baker or candlestick maker but then I think...

"Good people sleep peaceably in their beds at night only because rough men stand ready to do violence on their behalf."  

Rough Men
By
Russ Vaughn

There's a character trait that's decided by fate
Comes (sadly) to many, far too faint, far too late.
They won't face the aggressor, stand up to his ire
They have not the will to fight his fire with fire.
So they bend over backwards to see all sides as fair,
Till they're faced with the breath of the dragons fire.
Like our brethren in France, who'd know better than we,
Yet seem never to learn, seem doomed never to see.
 
Yes, it seems there are some who're determined by fate,
To possess not the courage to step up to the plate,
Who shrink from all threat because nothing's worth war.
But how can they know lest they've been there before?
Thank God some have courage, the will, yes, the grace,
To stand for the shirkers, stand strong in their place.
Thank God we have stalwarts who'll stand for us all,
Who will rise to the challenge, who will rise to the call.
 
The faint—hearted, who fear, whose reaction is flight,
Have no comprehension of those who will fight.
To hide their own trepidation they attempt to demean
The rough men, who defend them, as barbaric, obscene.
Yet these rough men stand ready, hard weapons to hand,
To put appeasers behind them, draw a line in the sand,
To preserve for the cowards what they won't defend,
So their own unearned freedom won't perish, won't end.
 
To appeasers, rough men are coarse government tools.
To rough men, appeasers are delusional fools.