Schooner sail

I went for a sail on the Schooner Windfall today, a gift of appreciation for being a volunteer at the School. Along with the other volunteers, several of the teachers, and Mr. Ortman (the Principal), I enjoyed a windy trip out on the waters of Pamlico Sound. The teachers had brought some fabulous snacks to share with everyone, too, which made it even better.

As we prepared to leave Silver Lake harbor, I observed something interesting about being a schooner captain in this particular place. All sailors must be aware of the weather, Coast Guard regulations, passenger needs, and obviously sailing technique. Here on Ocracoke, however, there's one additional thing a Captain needs to know: the ferry schedule. Just after pulling away from the dock, Captain Rob noticed a fully loaded ferry, still in the dock, but with engines churning up a wake behind it. He said "is there a 3:30 ferry?" (It was 3:30.) No one on the boat was sure, until the ferry started moving, at which point it became fully obvious that there was, indeed, a 3:30 ferry to the mainland. So we needed to wait while the ferry moved safely out of our way. No problem: we took a short sail around the harbor, then followed the ferry out through the Ditch.