6/13/15
Southport NC
Posted by Bill

Today was a great day. It started with the Lone Palm sailing regatta. We crewed our friends Ben and Marguerite boat, a Beneteau First sailboat. Every boat was positioned at the start based on the performance rating of the boat, and we were second to last to start. We had a crew of 6 including the 4 of us and also fellow dock neighbors, John and Sylvia. This was the first time we all had sailed together and the first time on this boat, and everyone was well over 50. We started in Southport, sailed up the Cape Fear river about 2 miles, down the river into the Atlantic Ocean and back to Southport. Winds were generally out of the south at 10-18 knots, and we had to honor all of the navigation buoys, which made for a lot of tacking in the Cape Fear river. Ben’s boat is fast, and it points almost dead into the wind, which really helped us. After 2 hours of sailing, we blew past the finish line at the Southport waterfront, a large crowd at the American Fish Company deck bar cheering us on. We thought we had finished 3rd, but found out later that we were 2nd! It was great fun!!! We worked our asses off, it was hot as hell, and we needed multiple libations to quench our thirsts!

We also had a fantastic dock party on D dock in the evening. Our dock neighbors, John and Maryann, do an annual lobster party to support their church’s lobster sale. They provide lobsters for everyone and we all bring appetizers and side dishes. It was an absolute blast!! The people on D dock are really nice and lots of fun to hang with. Thanks to John and Maryann for providing the lobsters, and everything else they brought!

All in all…a really fun day!!