Hertford Grand Arrival

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	*Letter from Periauger:* Hertford, Saturday, 11 September Yesterday, Friday Sept. 10th, just when I thought they were putting me out to pasture with my bovine friends (or is it porcine here in North Carolina?), they took me into Hertford to the town docks and slid me gently off of Buddy into the waters of Hertford Harbor. Hallelujah!! It was John, Ted, Kent S., Kent C., Champ Cox, Don Johnson, Richard Haas and Terry Facey who stepped my masts, rigged my sails and sailed me down the Perquimans River to a private dock they said belonged to Dr. Joe Haskett. They sailed me back and forth for a long, delicious time. I spent a cozy night there, but it was lonely. And then early this morning, John brought a slightly different crew back with him to Haskett's dock. In the early morning drizzle (which only bothers humans, not me) John, Ted and Don Johnson, and my old friends Larry Babits, Bill Andersen, Ken Ries and Mike Butler, climbed aboard. But first they brought me Monty Spindler - back from surgery at last! I was really glad to see him, since he is my "mid-wife" and buddy from construction days and rowing trials. Well off we went - but under tow by Jay Gregory's boat from Sutton's Landing. (He really should give Boat a name.) The wind was from the north - the wrong direction for them to sail me through the Highway 17 bridge. But after about a mile, my friend the wind changed his mind and veered off more from the east. So my sails went up and off we went! We had one little mishap when Ken Ries pulled too hard on my foremast halyard and popped off the cleat. He almost went for a swim, but hung on to the halyard until he had swung back over the boat! Nice technique! "Boat" tried to find the cleat, but to no avail. So on we went, with Monty at the helm, John by his side on the main sheet, Bill and Ken on the foredeck and the rest on oars or foresail sheets, as required. As we lined up to sail through the highway bridge, a whole swarm of shiny and colorful kayaks and canoes came up to say hello to me. We didn't get to talk much because the paddle boats were kept at a safe distance by the Coast Guard Auxiliary boats and by the Wildlife patrol boat. Humans sure can spoil the fun! We sailed majestically under the 32 foot highway bridge, then sailed around a bit between the bridges. My commander pointed out the photographers from the Virginian Pilot and UNC-TV high on the bridge. He said he was killing time so he could pass through the Hertford swing bridge at exactly 0945, but it just meant more sailing time for me. Boy, what a noise when we sailed through the swing bridge! People up on the road and the bridge were waving and cheering. I'm glad my crew was paying more attention to sailing me than I was. I heard the chatter in the channel behind me, which was choked with my paddle boat buddies. What a site that must have been! The wind dropped off some, but we ghosted majestically into the harbor. There were hundreds more people, cheering and waving. There were some power boats all tied together off to one side (I heard they call it "rafting up', and it looks like what I did with Destiny in Goose Creek anchorage about three weeks ago). We sailed slowly but surely past the town dock up stream toward other crowds (I love it!), and then tacked back (look that one up, you landlubbers!) toward the dock. As the band was playing, Monty took me to a sweet, slow landing; Ken threw a line to Kent S. and John threw a line around a piling and we came to a stop. Some guy in a red coat called Mayor Sid came down to welcome us to Hertford, as though we hadn't just been there the day before! Go figure! Bill, Mike and Kent S. stowed my sails and secured my rigging and equipment. The rest ran off to some kind of ceremony, but I had lots of visitors to admire me and ask questions. In the early afternoon I was taking a nap, when, to my delight, they untied my lines and piled on for some more sailing. Off we went to Winfall - but not very fast. My friend the wind had left behind only a few zephyrs to play with. The Gregory Boat came to our rescue again and towed us to Winfall, where we were cut loose and I ghosted oh so slowly up to the dock (with a few strokes from two sweeps). On the way to Winfall, the crew had a special presentation for Ken Ries. It seems that Bill had purloined one of Ken's sacred ballast rocks (on which Ken had written his initials) two weeks ago. Bill, John and Mike hatched the idea inscribing the rock with the names of everyone on the Odyssey. Bill made a speech and Ken accepted the now priceless rock with good humor. We stayed in Winfall listening to the blue-grass music and rhythm and blues on the loud (very loud) speakers. Lots of people came up to admire me. Then John had the crew hoist my sails at dockside, they cast off my lines and we drifted away from the dock. We did pick up enough light breezes to get us back to Hertford before night fall (I'm trying out some of that human sarcasm...). What a wonderful two days! I hope they keep surprising me this way. That way I can write about some new adventures. Bye for now. Come and see me in the water at the Hertford town dock, behind the police station. My commander says there is more to come, and he will put a schedule of events on my web site. Periauger

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