Thu. 9/2/04

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Letter from Periauger:

Manteo, Thursday, 2 September

Today was another day of great sailing with some adventure thrown in.

Kent took some pictures of the rudder repairs, so check those out to see how it was done.

Bill and John (mostly Bill), with the advice of Scott Whiteside, repaired my rudder in time for a sail at 1130. Claude and Yvonne were taken out for their "dollar" ride by Bill, Bert, Kent, Robbie and Ted. After some tricky maneuvering to get away from the pilings at the Marsh Light docks, they rowed me out and set sail. Glorious!

In the afternoon, they took me out again with one of the special guests I spoke of yesterday: Ann Jones, site manager of the Newbold White House Quaker Homestead Museum (and my future home). She was thrilled - like a kid with a new toy - and got more of a ride than she had expected, as you will see.

My crew - Bill, Ken, Joannie, John, Kent, Burt and Ted - took me through my paces for Ann.

Ted took the helm for a while and seemed to enjoy himself. He had to get used to my idiosyncrasies, and had just about mastered them when he miscalculated my ability to turn in time to miss a soft shoal on one side of the channel they were trying to enter. I stopped promptly when we went aground!

John and Bert dropped my sails while Bill went for yet another swim for me! The crew got out their oars, and John jumped in to help Bill push us off the muddy shoal. That worked fine, and John got back on board. But Bill waited a little too long. Because, as he said, he "did not have eight foot arms," he was left hanging on the side of the boat as we rowed back out into deeper water in the channel. As we made our way down the channel with John and Ken and Bert and Kent rowing, Joannie ran astern to help Bill get back aboard.

They rowed me down the long channel until John gave my crew some relief from rowing by hoisting the foresail for a short time. It was then that he noticed that my foremast's step tenon had broken in the same way the aft mast had done. However, this time he managed to avoid breaking my mast.

We drifted in toward the dock, where they had a sad little surprise for me. Buddy, my trailer, was waiting for me. I was hauled aboard, my sails removed, my masts unstepped and my rudder removed. They packed me up nicely for a ride home to Hertford tomorrow. Jim Burns, whom I have not yet met, will come from Hertford with his truck and pick me up. I am resigned to a day of diesel fumes tomorrow, but it will get me home ahead of hurricane Frances.

Destiny and Kiwi Magic will be sailing back tomorrow, the lucky boats.

I don't know exactly what the future has in store, other than my grand entrance into Hertford harbor at 1000 on September 11th. I do know that my commander will take good care of me. He did say that he plans to keep me away from harm during hurricane Frances. Also, there are already other towns who want me to visit for their maritime festivals in September and October.

It has been a grand and exciting Odyssey from Beaufort to Hertford. It sure took a lot of volunteers to accomplish the expedition! I thank every one of them - even the ones who's duty time was canceled because of hurricane Charlie, my broken mast, and now the threat of hurricane Frances. I commend you all on a job well done.

Thanks for listening!

Periauger


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