2009 Tice's Shoals Raid

[Bob23]

BREAKING NEWS!
Well, not really but I got your attention, didn't I?
A few of us are tentatively planning to converge over at Tice's Shoals sometime during the Memorial Day Weekend. Among them are Peter, (C19) me, (C23 Koinonia) and Dennis, (Morgan 30). Don't know what day yet but I've about had it with work and need to unwind with a cold beer, good friends and a classic Tice's sunset. Hey!..that sounds like a drink! Maybe I'll invent it! A Tice's Sunset. Let's see...gotta have some rum in it, maybe Pussers! And some lime and/or orange juice.
Anyway, as usual, all is subject to change, weather and avaliability. I usually monitor ch. 16 on the vhf; no cell phones if I can help it.
Bob23...ready for a vacation!

[Bob23]

   I, being determined to move Koinonia out of the state marina in Forked River down to her home port of Surf City, embarked yesterday in total fog. It was scary/cool. However, with the SE wind, I was faced with motoring all the way, not something I particularly look forward to. At times, visibility was no more than 10 boat lengths. So I decided to play around with plotting my gps coordinates on the chart, plot a compass course and see where I ended up. I plotted the course to the B1 turning bouy and to my complete surprise, nailed it dead on. Well, I missed it by 10 feet, if the truth be known.   
   By this time, the fog looked to be burning off above but we still had very limited visability. The weather was warming up, I was supposed to be at work in the afternoon, so I made the only logical choice: raised both sails and headed for Tice's Shoals sailing blind and using a course I plotted on the chart. Again, nailed it almost dead on. And you thought Koinonia was just another pretty face! She can navigate too!
   No one there, I rowed around a bit and fearing the weather service could have been correct in thier forecast of afternoon thunderstorms, pulled the hook and set a course for Long Key Marina on a port tack. Now the 23's do seem to have a bit of leeway and not point all that high and as the winds picked up to 18-23 knts, she sure lived up to her reputation. After a few tacks and a few hours, and the weather having cleared up almost completely, (thanks, NOAA) I motored in to slip # whatever because the numbers are not facing the water. Once again, the folks at Long Key are wonderful.
   Hopefully, the weather forecast of NNW winds this afternoon will hold and I'll end up on my home mooring once and for all. Although, I have to admit, that being in a marina has it's advantages. Protection from storms, a quick trip to open and deep water, not to mention commardarie. (spelling) Long Key is a great blue collar, mostly fisherman type marina. Not many white-panted yachties here. Everyone's pretty friendly and even though it's dominated by mostly powerboats, they'll lend you a hand when you need it.
   Bob23, out

[peterg]

Hi Bob,
   Were you parked in all that fog by BI around 10 or 11 AM yesterday with a hard dinghy towed behind you? We motored by in a Hunter 34 that we were relocating from Barnegat to Forked River around that time and were just able to make out a sailboat and dinghy off our starboard side as we GPS'ed past. The weather gods got it right today for your trip down the bay- a really strong NW that I guessed to be hitting 15-20 knots fairly steadily. Just got back from a couple hour sail on the mighty Beagle and was glad I had a reef in, as I was single-handing. Can't say enough about the improvement of mid boom sheeting and the extra two feet of bowsprit for handling. Boat was steady as a rock, even in the higher gusts. About the Memorial Day Tices Shoal Compac Cosmic Convergence, we will be having company on Monday for a barbecue, but could make it over on the other days. Met a couple over at Mariner's Marina who just bought a C19 and moved it this weekend to Long Key- Bill and Ciel- and they'd probably be interested in going to Tices, also. I'll try to get in touch with them.
Peter G

[Bob23]

   'Twas I! That was just after I'd reached it, started motoring south, changed my mind and headed north to B1. I saw that ship emerge from the fog as a ghost ship might have appeared....cool!
   We departed Long Key at about 2:45 under single reefed main and still bested 4.8 gps knots. Had to jibe a number of times and had a delightful sail all the way to Surf City. After we passed Sandy Island, the wind died a bit so I shook out the reef. We arrived at about 5:30 or so and found my mooring lines all tangled so we had to deal with that.
   The Memorial Day Tice's Shoals Compac Cosmic Convergence. Man, does that sound like a new age gathering. Will Shirely McClain be there? I hope to be up there for at least one overnighter this weekend but we'll see how the weather is. Last time I checked, they were calling for rain this weekend...hope they are wrong. I guess I'll email you or call on the shoe-phone.
Bob23...at my home port in Surf City, NJ