Sea of enchantment...

Heading out from Beaufort, NC.

We’re in the St. John’s Yacht Marina after our first offshore passage and all I can think of to describe the jaunt is “enchanting.” 

This leg was about 240 miles from Beaufort, North Carolina, to Charleston, South Carolina.  Basically, we were sailing south from Beaufort for a hundred miles or so and hanging a right for a hundred miles into Charleston.  On this course, we would avoid the Frying Pan Shoals which have claimed many a boat over the years.  The charts were littered with “wreck” markings in the shoal area so we opted to go around the area but staying a little offshore.  Plus, the twenty-somethings wanted to say they’d sailed in international waters.  Potentially, we could have gotten out to sea with no wind and sat looking at each other for hours as Oblivion bobbed in the water.  That was the real downside potential for this planned course.  But that didn’t happen.

Sunset from Oblivion.

Why do I call it enchanting?  Because everything went right as far as the sailing.  I’ve never seen anything like it.

Despite having the threat of thunderstorms every day, not one storm was encountered.  In fact, I don’t know that anyone could have scripted the weather better.  With the winds coming from our rear quarter, a following sea, and picking up the Gulf Stream’s reverse current (The Gulf Stream runs south to north but part of the current catches the land mass at Hatteras and forces it to curve back around, flowing south along this part of the East Coast at the Carolinas.), it was as close to perfect as anything I’d ever seen.  We even only had to fly one of the two sails for much of the trip to maintain a good speed and boat stability.

Not only was the weather ideal allowing us to sail five, six, and sometimes hit seven knots, but the Atlantic was very generous to us in terms of entertainment and experiences.

Just outside of Beaufort, we saw many naval vessels including a couple of destroyers and an aircraft carrier that was launching six Ospreys, the helicopter-airplane hybrid used for troop movements.  We also saw the Coast Guard using a skiff and Chinook helicopter for training as well as a few cargo vessels and interesting yachts.

Dolphins swimming alongside.

In addition to the naval show, the dolphins really turned out for our trip.  We had four encounters in the two daytimes at sea.  Pods of dolphins would swim up alongside of the boat and then take turns swimming and frolicking around the bow of Oblivion as we made five knots.

While the dolphins provided the daytime entertainment, at night, it was time to take the bimini back and take in the incredible intergalactic show that can only be seen when you are offshore.  While thunderstorms provided a lightning show in the distance, the skies directly above Oblivion were incredibly clear.  Because we didn’t have a moon for much of the night, the Milky Way was spectacular as were the seemingly frequent shooting stars that streaked across the sky. 

But not everything was enchanting.  With the exception of Karen, everyone reported pangs of sea sickness especially the first day.  After our first lunch at sea of baloney sandwiches, I reported my sea sickness by throwing up over the side of Oblivion with the grace and style of a super model.  Afterward, Karen merely said, “That was good baloney.”  I have no idea how she acquired such a sweet reputation.

Karen's sarongs provided heat relief.

Also, the sun was a bit intense by day two.  Karen used wet sarongs to shield us from the direct sunlight and provide a little relief from the heat.  It worked well. 

The other aspect of our trip that wasn’t enchanting was our efforts at casting a fishing line in the hopes of reeling in a big catch.  All we did was contribute lures and fishing line to the sea.  We were no threat to the fish in the Atlantic.

Overall, the trip was enchanting.  It’s one of the best offshore sailing passages I’ve ever experienced.  I’m glad the twenty-somethings could experience it before they had to pack up and head back to their working lives in Baltimore.