Sat. 8/21/04

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	*Letter from Periauger:* Oriental to Goose Creek Saturday, 21 August Today started off thrillingly for me and my crew - and became more thrilling, and then too thrilling! I awoke beside the Oriental Town Dock at sunrise to a brisk 12 knot breeze from the west, but the wind had the smell of a day that will bring thunderstorms later. By the time my crew came down I had been waiting for almost 3 hours in great anticipation of sailing from Oriental to Goose Creek. After my crew had finished breakfast aboard Kiwi, the owners of my friends Kiwi and Destiny, and my new friend Absolute, where my crew sleeps, checked out of the Oriental Harbor Marina (whose owners had generously given them free dockage, I guess because of my special historic status). My crew settled into my hold with duffle bags, suntan lotion and foul weather gear (I guess humans can sense the chance of rain also) wearing their nifty Periauger Odyssey T-shirts. I like Mike, Ried and Ray as much as the first group - or maybe better because these guys are lighter! Larry Babits, my chief historian, was also with us and was thrilled to be aboard a boat he has wanted to see built for 20 years - a dream come true! My Captain Bill briefed the crew, and with helmsman Ken on my tiller and the others on oars, they rowed me away from the dock and out past my shrimp boat friends into the open harbor, where Destiny was circling to keep watch while my crew hoisted my sails. (See the pictures my commander took. I do look good!) We set sail out of Oriental harbor into the open river at about 6.5 knots - my top speed! The crew was sitting down toward my leeward side (the side opposite the wind), helping to keep me going straight and adjusting my sails. Destiny put her sails up and had a huge smile today when her bow wave showed she was charging along at 8 knots! I wish someone would take a picture of her for a change! Kiwi and Absolute showed up a little later way off to one side, and Destiny gradually sailed away from us farther out into the river because her keel was too deep to sail closer to shore where I was. She took a picture of me all alone - and free! Destiny was never too far away, however, and she and I caught up to Kiwi and Absolute where they had anchored ahead near a shoal marker outside Broad Creek to wait for us. By now the winds were staying up between 14 and 20 knots. My crew dropped one sail and Ken brought me up smoothly behind Kiwi so they could tie up to her. With the help of Noel and Myra, my crew jumped off and had lunch, while Destiny went racing back and forth cavorting on the wind. I could see that John was having a great time but the speed and waves and the tilt of the boat must have made it difficult for Joannie to make lunch down below! After lunch, the sails went up and Bill took me down wind again. After an hour, the sky was darkening to the southwest, and the wind was steady now at 16 knots and edging up. I saw lightning in the direction we were going, and it wasn't long before I saw Destiny furl her sails, and Bill furled mine at about the same time. In the worsening seas, Destiny came close by with Joannie at the helm, and John caught my tow line tossed by Bill. More lightning was flashing, and I heard Absolute call from 12 miles up ahead to say they were in torrential rain and wild winds. I was worried about the lightning hitting the ground a mile or so away, but I heard Bill comment, with dark humor, that we were safe because Destiny had a much taller mast (63 feet to my 26)! My commander radioed that the winds were now steady at 24 knots, and my crew held up well as we rolled and pitched in the waves behind Destiny. Joannie and John got us safely into the narrow ICW canal and out of the heavy waves. A few miles along the canal, commander John announced that he was slowing Destiny down from 6.5 knots to 3 knots because he had run aground on a shoal near the middle of the canal some weeks ago. He slowly moved forward with me still in tow, keeping away from the side where he had gone aground before. And guess what? He found the shoal on the other side of the middle - right at the mile post where he thought it would be. Like the other time, the bottom came up really fast in a spot where it should not be shallow. Well, he had prepared us for it by asking Bill to have the crew put out oars at the ready so they could stop me from sliding into Destiny's stern. However, my crew's emergency stopping effort was too little too late and we hit Destiny! Destiny was fine, but my cypress is softer and so I have a slightly dented nose. Nothing too serious; mostly cosmetic. I have a very strong nose! Once Destiny powered herself off the shoal we were on our way again. About a mile further we watched in suspense as Destiny approached a tall bridge that looked too low for her tall mast. My crew were placing bets (again!) on whether she would clear it. All eyes of my crew were watching the mast go under that bridge, but Destiny won the bet! We continued on with a new thunderstorm running down on us. We knew we would get some more rain on us with this one, so Bill suggested that they transfer the four of my crew (Ken, Ried, Ray and Mike) to my friend Kiwi Magic, who was right behind us. Once that was done - and very smoothly by all concerned - Kiwi went on to our anchorage about a mile ahead. While Joannie maneuvered Destiny, John, Bill and Larry tied me up to the side of Destiny with her nice soft fenders between us, and we followed Kiwi in to the anchorage. Noel and Myra invited everyone over to Kiwi for a "debriefing" and dinner and unwinding from this exciting day. Commander John already had his dinghy in the water behind Destiny so he ferried everyone around from boat to boat in some drizzling rain. What a day! Thrilling on some counts, a little too thrilling on others, but very satisfying because of the professional way that everyone handled me and the situations. Off to a sound sleep on calm waters, and snugly tied to Destiny, as you can see in the photo. My new friend Absolute is where my crew will sleep tonight. It looks cozy. Periauger

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