Day 12: Back At Camp Sea Gull

Ahoy there from the Sea Gull Pier!

The day before leaving Ocracoke Island, the crew of the Jeanie B. spent an exciting morning on Portsmouth Island, home to a former lightering port and life-saving station. Here, we collected clams along the shore of the island for dinner that night, and explored the island's uninhabited buildings, woods, and marshes before returning to the sea shore to relax on the pristine beaches of the national park. After returning to Silver Lake, we prepared a lowcountry boil with fresh clams, Pamlico shrimp, and local veggies to share with friends we had met on the island! The next day, yesterday afternoon, we departed the Outer Banks for an overnight sail back to the Neuse River, upwind across the Pamlico Sound. Arriving the next morning in Oriental, we enjoyed a healthy dose of caffeine and pastries from The Bean, a local coffee establishment on the waterfront.This afternoon, we made our way back to camp and enjoyed the last evening on the boat with a hearty steak dinner. We finished off the night by reflecting on the trip and what new skills we had learned, and how we can apply them to challenges in our everyday lives.

Day 9: Ocracoke Island

Ahoy there from Silver Lake!

Despite the light wind coming from the Pamlico River, we arrived in time to enjoy dinner out on the Island at the Back Porch Restaurant. We dined on such delicacies as crab beignets, bacon-wrapped scallops, and housemade seafood spaghetti! This morning was filled with wonderful foods, too, as reported from the boys during their breakfast free time. After some noontime rain showers, the weather broke so we could go on a kayaking adventure along the sound-side shores and inland sloughs of Ocracoke. For dinner, we enjoyed sous vide chicken with a recently discovered (from the restaurant), fantastic red wine reduction. This meal effectively rounded out our 24 hour long gastronomic adventure. Tomorrow, we plan to explore Portsmouth Island, a former lightering port and life saving station.

Day 7: Edenton & Indian Island

Ahoy there!

The Jeanie B. has been logging serious miles since our time in Manteo. Our first destination was Edenton, a small town on the Chowan River about 50 NM from Manteo. We spent the day sailing west across the Albemarle Sound with great wind, and were able to arrive in time for an evening movie at the local cinema! Everyone enjoyed the chance to sit in the air-conditioned theater while watching Dawn of the Planet of the Apes, although the low in Edenton that night was around 60 F, an anomaly for this time of the year! We spent the better part of Friday exploring the 300 year old town, visiting the Original NC Supreme Court, where official meetings still take place, on occasion. We also walked through historic neighborhoods and visited the second oldest church in North Carolina: St. Paul's Episcopal Church. To finish off the morning, we headed to a local soda fountain for milkshakes and pressed sandwiches. After re-provisioning for the trip to Ocracoke, we departed Edenton for the Pungo-Alligator River Canal, which is part of the Intracoastal Waterway, or ICW, and is informally known as "the ditch". After sailing through the night, we arrived midday at Indian Island at the mouth of the Pamlico River, which feeds into the Pamlico Sound. After exploring the island and swimming, we enjoyed homemade spaghetti squash and french tomato sauce for dinner. Tomorrow morning, we plan to set sail across the Pamlico Sound for Ocracoke!

Day 4: Manteo

Ahoy there from The Manteo Waterfront!

We arrived here yesterday afternoon from the sound, going through the Old House Channel to arrive in Shallowbag Bay. The boys then had time to explore the town before a dinner of thyme chicken and squash. This morning, we attempted to go to Jockey's Ridge State Park but were thwarted by inclement weather. We instead spent the day studying navigation, relaxing, and preparing for our sail through the Albemarle Sound to Edenton tomorrow morning. The evening was spent rebuilding the dinghy motor and then taking a waterway trip around Festival Park, which was followed by some delicious local pizza.

Day 2: Anchored in Parched Corn Bay

Ahoy there!

After a 12 hour sail from Camp, we arrived in Parched Corn Bay to conclude the day with a dinner consisting of beef ribs and collard greens.

Throughout the day, the kids developed their navigation and boat handling skills as we transited the nearly 75 NM route to our anchorage on the northwestern edge of the Pamlico Sound.  Following a morning of navigation and line handling lessons, the kids took over operation of the SS/V Jeanie B. By the afternoon, they were plotting our position and working as a team to adapt to the ever changing conditions in the sound.

Tomorrow, we will continue our adventure as we set sail for Manteo.

Learning how to handle lines

The boys are learning how to properly cast off from the dock,  and how to handle the lines

Day 12: Back At Camp Sea Gull

Ahoy there!

We departed Ocracoke after watching the thrilling Argentina Soccer shoot out, making our way across the Pamlico Sound during the night and arriving at the Neuse River by early morning despite the heavy waves and wind. By day break we were within site of Oriental, just in time to get coffee and a muffin at The Bean, a local coffee house. We then sailed on to camp where a Port versus Starboard Watch Basketball Game ensued, as well as several naps. For our final banquet, we ate over 16 pounds of steak along with mashed potatoes and green beans, with a boatmade cheesecake for dessert to celebrate Jace's birthday. After dinner, we reflected on the trip and what we enjoyed, in addition to what we saw ourselves doing in the future with our newfound skills.