Wrightsville Beach for Yacht A Fun

After leaving Morehead City, we anchored at Mile Hammock Bay and had a good night’s sleep. From there we headed, Thanksgiving Day, to our known anchorage at Wrightsville Beach. Our fellow Gemini travelers continued to a state park marina at Snow’s Cut. In hindsight, that would have been a better option for us. But, a storm was on the way …

Beginning the 2018 trip

The last effort in New Bern was to store our Honda CRV.  Good friends are using it to help keep the battery charged while running around.  After a 20+ mile trip down the Neuse River, we luckily got a free dock in Oriental.  While doing so we met fellow Gemini catamaran owners.  We enjoyed dinner at M&M’s and shared boating …

Temporary Enclosure

It had been so cold during our 2014 trip south that Diann began an enclosure system.  I created a template for use in creating the bends necessary for the supporting tube frame. The tube parts were acquired from Sailrite. A six feet long carpenter’s level and a drywall framing square were used to determine intersecting horizontal and vertical measurements.  The …

Lots happened before leaving in November

Yacht a Fun, our Gemini catamaran continues to be our base of operations.  Our first trip south began from Oriental on Nov 10th of 2014.  It was bitterly cold.  This year, we were able to leave New Bern, NC on November 17th.  Out initial extended stay stop is to be Green Cove Springs near Jacksonville, FL You may find it …

Swinging with Winter Storm Diego

This morning around 6:30 I could hear high winds and felt our boat being tossed about. The storm had arrived in full force and I needed to get up to see if our anchor had drug from the double force of rising tide and wind. Winter storm Diego is pouring snow in our home town of Hickory, NC. Meanwhile, we …

Lofrans Royal windlass on Gemini

Back in 2014, when Diann and I anchored our way down the ICW to Miami, my legs and back worked well for retrieving our 35 pound Delta anchor. The process was simple- hand-over-hand the 5/8 inch nylon rode was retrieved (as Diann motored slowly forward); then the twenty feet of 3/8” chain was pulled up. YachtaFun’s cleat did the work …

Apples and Bacon (with eggs)

New Bern Grand Marina folks had a party to celebrate Daylight Savings Time.   It can be said that boaters don’t need too much of an excuse to socialize ! Some two dozen folks shared a pot luck that ranged from chips and salsa to a baked shrimp and cheese casserole.  Diann and I chose to take fresh sliced apple sections.  …

Wind Driven Low Water

Friday afternoon of March 2nd 2018 saw a peak gust of 51MPH at nearby Cherry Point military base.  New Bern doesn’t have a tide- but it does receive high and low water conditions .  The Trent and Neuse Rivers rise and fall based on flooding rains, or wind strength and direction. New Bern Grand Marina and areas along the walkway …

Westerbeke Glow Plug Corrosion

My goodness, it has been a while since I last did a post. Unfortunately a tornado did substantial damage to a Hickory NC rental property on Oct 23rd. Dealing wilth all the issues has certainly taken my mind off blogging about boating. Yacht A Fun, our Gemini catamaran has fortunately been running well since pulling and reinstalling the Westerbeke 30B …

New Ritchie BN 202 Compass

When Diann and I returned from Florida on our Gemini catamaran, Yacht A Fun, we were offshore overnight after leaving Fernandina Beach. The catamaran’s original compass was illuminated but was so small that we had to lean over to read the dial. Leaning over to read the dial meant that we weren’t as consistent with our course as we might …