Log Book: November 10th

Conditions: 25 knots W

Location: Deep Point, NC

We left the security of the North River this morning and headed across the Albermarle Sound with Teshtego (Matt and Diane). For the first mile or two we just motored. The gusts were so fierce that by the end of the day my cheeks were red with wind burn. The waves beat on the hull and constantly rolled the boat up and down, crashing hard after each wave crest. It was kind of a miserable existence, forcing us to diligently navigate and steer instead of relax. Dad finally looked at me and said "let's put the main up" I looked at him like he was crazy. How could he possibly want to go faster than this? None of the other boats in sight had sails up, everyone was battling with the motor alone like us. A double reef in the main (to make it smaller and therefore slower) and a few bone crushing waves later the mainsail was up and we were powering up the wave crests and seemingly flying over the troughs. The rest of our afternoon was enjoyable thanks to Dad's daring. Down the sound and into the Alligator River we finally got a close up of the Carolina shore that wasn't a marsh land. They aren't kidding when they call it "the land of the pine." Huge pine trees coated the shores, not a house, road, telephone pole, or water tower in sight. Between thick pine forests there were empty stretches of scorched and barren trunks. Dad said he suspected that the pines in the area were frequently hit by lightening causing forest fires. The only other thing to say about North Carolina here was that it was flat. We spent the night in a small anchorage with at least fifteen other sailboats. After the sun went down Dad and I were treated to a vivid star strewn sky. Going to bed in high spirits.

What we ate: artichoke, tomato soup, etc

Spotted: mile marker 100 on the ICW