Winter Migration drawing to a close…

Living here in Oriental this Fall and Winter has given us a new perspective of the Cruiser’s Winter Migration South. Last year, we participated in it the first time aboard s/v Alchemy, while this year we have watched the mass-maritime-exodus for points South from ashore.  While there have been the moments here and there I have been filled with a little envy, I have to say that this morning I was glad to feel a strong pull to get back aboard s/v Alchemy, and head for the salty equivalent, of the wild, blue yonder.

Tina and Scott aboard s/v Sangaris stopped in Oriental for a couple of nights and we had the opportunity to visit with them.  They hail from Annapolis, Maryland, my hometown.  The last time we saw them was at Current Cut on our way over to Abaco from Eleuthera.  We had met them on Cat Island, in the Family Islands of the Bahamas.  They were resting on a stone bench at the foot of ‘The Hermitage’ after their hike down.  We all got to chatting and before we knew it we were headed to lunch with them to grab a bite in the company of a school Principle named Allister from Nassau.

We all had such a great time, and Tina and Scott being the great hosts that they are, invited us all over to s/v Sangaris for dinner as well.  So much fun!

Sunset Dinner off Cat Island

We traveled from Cat Island to Little San Salvador with s/v Sangaris and then on to Eleuthera.  There we stayed in Rock Sound and then onward to Governor’s Harbor and through Current Cut together.  We then parted ways.

s/v Sangaris is a beautiful Manta ’42 Catamaran.

I have found it a bit of a mind bender now that we are back here in the U.S. to see cruising buddies that stop in Oriental that we haven’t gotten together with since the Bahamas.

We shared a couple of meals with the Sangarises while they were here and caught up on the journey back last year to the States and their travels since.  It was a good dose of fun and great memories of our trip last year.  It helped me to move on from the experience we had with that storm in July and remember that was just one bad, challenging day amid a myriad of wonderful, joyful ones filled with good company.

Drinking coffee at ‘The Bean’

I took some fresh baked bread I made for them last night after my HAM class to say goodbye and last minute hugs to send them on their way.  I am hoping before too long we will see them again.   Wishing them a great trip down the coast to warmer days…

The update on s/v Alchemy is that her hull stripe came out great the second time around…and while masking an entire 35 footer all over again is not what I consider an ideal use of our time, the glossy end product was worth the effort.  Today is ‘operation-cut-and-install-custom toe rail’.  We are getting closer every day.

I returned home this morning in my car from the sea wall where I captured Sangaris sailing off into the sunrise and I spotted a fortune cookie I had tucked into the side pocket of my driver’s side door who-knows-when.  I felt it may be an auspicious day to finally crack it open and see what enlightening words the fortune inside might have to report.  I definitely found it fitting but I will leave that for another blog entry in the future.

For now here is a gallery of pictures from yesterday and this morning that I took.  The sunrise pictures were of s/v Sangaris making her way out of Oriental across the Neuse to Adams Creek…I don’t have a long enough lens yet, but I posted blurry photos anyway.  Have a good weekend everyone!  Fair winds and seas to you Sangaris, until we meet again…