Tuesday, 3/29
Masonboro and Wilmington
One reason for me to visit here was to see the battleship 'North Carolina' that was turned into a memorial/museum after the ship was decommissioned. I got a lift from Dave into town and to the ship early in the morning to beat the crowds, and I'm glad I did.
When I got there it was still pretty empty, but by the time I left 3 hours later there were lines everywhere.
The ship is very nicely preserved and visitors have access to a lot of the spaces, including the engine rooms, which I really appreciated. There also were many signs and posters explaining things and adding crew memories and stories, which added to the ambiance nicely. The ship is almost 80 years old.
Inside a gun turret - each shell was propelled by four bags of powder. The shell is inside the barrel at this point. Notice the 'stick men' the curators put in so you can see how the crew worked the guns.
The main conning tower entrance. This along with the gun turrets is the most heavily armored part of the ship - notice the door and wall thickness.
The rudder actuators. Almost like the Caprice. Well, maybe a touch heavier. Two hydraulic rams would turn the rudder axle.
The ship had its own beautifully equipped machine shop. They could and would repair all they could at sea,
One of the targeting computers. Estimated to be one thousands as powerful as your old ipod.
Last not least, shell storage inside the turret. The whole multi story structure with the heavy guns on top is called the turret, and everything is inside its armored walls. Notice the curved gap in the floor? The left side would rotate as the ship turned its guns, while the right part is the ship itself.
There's a watertaxi shuttle between the riverbanks - even though the ship is right across the downtown area of Wilmington, there's no bridge close, and even the ones that are have no pedestrian walkways.
I walked the pretty waterfront and then had some lunch before taking an Uber taxi back to Masonboro.
Dave was very kind to give me a lift both to a propane refill place and to a food lion for me to get new provisions. I decided to stay another night because the people are so nice here. Dave explained to me how to find and harvest oysters, of which there are plenty on the other side of the canal. I rowed across and, wading through the sticky mud, found indeed a nice number of them. The, after cleaning them, I learned how to open them with a knife (and a good glove!).
Eventually I broke my knife. The beasts hold their shells together quite tenaciously, and I can't blame them. My neighbors told me that here they usually don't bother with opening them, but just put them on the grill for 5 minutes. After that the oysters are done and open by themselves,
Wednesday, 3/30
Masonboro
I had gotten emails about some problems with the program I'm working on at my real job (I still have one) and spent a bit of time investigating the situation. It was a good day to hang out in the marina because the wind was blowing rather briskly and cold from the N. I'm a fair weather sailor when possible, and decided to wait and see how things developed.
I met Jimmy again and he suggested he'd give me a ride to the gas station to get diesel in my jerry cans instead of having to dock at a marina again for fuel. I decided to treat him to lunch but instead, when we got our order in at Chick-Fil-A he ended up thrusting his money at the cashier to treat me instead... He turned out to be 71 years old - I would have guessed him 10 years younger. By the time we got back to the marina the wind was still blowing and I decided to work some more and spend a third night here....
Thursday, 3/31
Masonboro to Carolina Beach State Park
I figured out the problem at work and sent emails detailing a solution, and then rowed across the waterway to collect more oysters. I got a taste for them now, I collected a good three dozen of them this time. They grow most where the mud is worst, unfortunately, I ended up crawling around a few times when I was almost stuck in the mud. I had a quick lunch and then decided to leave and head south a little. Dave and his deckhand helped me to get out of the marina and I let a big tug pass me before following him south. It was good to see a big vessel ahead, since where he went I felt confident I could follow. After passing Carolina Beach inlet the current against me became surprisingly strong, with up to 2.5 knots in the cut. Caprice was going through the water at 5.5 knots, but the GPS speed was only 3 knots.
Some fishing boat appeared to have met its fate here not very long ago, it's not marked on my charts...
I called the little state marina in the park and asked if I could enter, and if they would help me dock. A lady called Jeanie graciously came out of their office and took my lines.
The weather was rapidly changing from OK to rainy, but after a short break I headed into the park with insect repellent and a rain poncho (which I ended putting on and off about a dozen times). The park is really pretty and has lots of easy hiking paths.
I ended up walking over 4 miles before returning to the Caprice for an oyster feast. Grilling them is easy, safe and super tasty. I didn't even add any sauce - they have great flavor.
The rain intensified meanwhile and the prediction for tomorrow is worse. I think I might be stuck here another day...
No comments:
Post a Comment