Day 62, October 3rd, 2009
Pretty blowy today but manageable. There had been a local race first thing in the morning. One little boat limped back, having broken her tiller. The skipper managed to shove his boat hook into the rudder bracket and bring her back to the slit was thinking on his feet, I thought. Both Periwinkle and Twice 's Nice started the day with a pump out and then we were off. What a treat to be able to get the sails out!! We started with just the jib and then reckoned that the wind had died a bit and could put out the main as well. That only lasted 15 minutes or so, before double reefing. Then all was good and it was hang onto your hat, work the main and zip down the river!!! Dear old Periwinkle was up to 7.8 knots by GPS at one point, thats against a current of about .5 knots!!!!
We anchored at a pretty spot called Pacer Point, sheltered nicely from that strong wind. It was near a public access ramp where fishermen were putting their boats in and out. John and I went for a short walk around there and found these nuts on the ground, rather like a walnut in a soft outer shell and an inner hard shell. I thought they might be pecans but were the wrong shape. On returning to the ramp, we met a "Good Ole Boy". We'd seen him put his boat in the water shortly after anchoring. He was dressed in a plaid shirt, rubber hip waders over overalls, long scruffy hair and beard with a cap. When we asked him about the nuts he replied "Why thats the scaly bark hickory nut" with a thick southern drawl. It took several repetitions before we got it right. "Good eatin'". We mentioned we had watched him put his boat in the water just a short time before and he told us he was a commercial fisherman - he had just been out to place his nets and would come back in the morning to pull them in again - catfish! He laughed when I asked him if I could take his photograph "Am I going to be in the National Geographic?!"
Pretty blowy today but manageable. There had been a local race first thing in the morning. One little boat limped back, having broken her tiller. The skipper managed to shove his boat hook into the rudder bracket and bring her back to the slit was thinking on his feet, I thought. Both Periwinkle and Twice 's Nice started the day with a pump out and then we were off. What a treat to be able to get the sails out!! We started with just the jib and then reckoned that the wind had died a bit and could put out the main as well. That only lasted 15 minutes or so, before double reefing. Then all was good and it was hang onto your hat, work the main and zip down the river!!! Dear old Periwinkle was up to 7.8 knots by GPS at one point, thats against a current of about .5 knots!!!!
We anchored at a pretty spot called Pacer Point, sheltered nicely from that strong wind. It was near a public access ramp where fishermen were putting their boats in and out. John and I went for a short walk around there and found these nuts on the ground, rather like a walnut in a soft outer shell and an inner hard shell. I thought they might be pecans but were the wrong shape. On returning to the ramp, we met a "Good Ole Boy". We'd seen him put his boat in the water shortly after anchoring. He was dressed in a plaid shirt, rubber hip waders over overalls, long scruffy hair and beard with a cap. When we asked him about the nuts he replied "Why thats the scaly bark hickory nut" with a thick southern drawl. It took several repetitions before we got it right. "Good eatin'". We mentioned we had watched him put his boat in the water just a short time before and he told us he was a commercial fisherman - he had just been out to place his nets and would come back in the morning to pull them in again - catfish! He laughed when I asked him if I could take his photograph "Am I going to be in the National Geographic?!"
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