Dec 13 - Spirit of Christmas - SCOO Commodores

If you missed the Spirit of Christmas parade, you missed a golden opportunity to see what teamwork can do! For the first time anyone can remember, SCOO entered a float in Oriental's Spirit of Christmas parade (not be confused with SCOO's unforgettable Fourth of July float in 2003!).
In early November the SCOO board (Dick Mannion in particular) called to see if we would consider putting together a Sailing Club of Oriental float for Spirit of Christmas parade. Sounded like a fun idea and we started planning. Our first step was to decide how the float would represent SCOO -- that was the easy part -- then the real challenge, how to put it all together...that's where teamwork comes in...Catherine gets the ideas and I have to figure out how to make them work. I did some sketching and decided to build benches (in the shape of the bow of a boat, of course) in the center of the float, adding burgees, lights, etc. Several emails later our plan began to take a definite shape -- Larry Jones provided a flatbed trailer, Stu Ackerman had the perfect size American flag, Will Huff offered his signal flags, Ed Braun located the SCOO sail and burgees, George Duffie repaired the trailer lights and hooked up the inverter, Karen vanGamper designed and hand lettered the signs, I built the benches, painted the names of all the commodores and their year of service on the inside of the signs , provided the lighting and put all the pieces together. The final results were amazing!!!
On December 6, the SCOO float was hooked up to George Duffie's truck with Jerry Crowley at the helm and his wife Cheryl Crowley as his first mate. With SCOO's current commodore Larry Jones out of town, Vice Commodore Earl Evens gallantly stepped in and wearing the unique SCOO Commodore Hat, sat at the bow of the float. PHIL HECKHAUS 1988, GINGER HOWE 1989, STEWART ACKERMAN 1993, DON KRAUS 1995, ART TIERNEY 1996, GEORGE SCHENCK 1999, WILL HUFF 2000, CALEB MARSH 2001, CARL BAXLEY 2003, DOUG SLIGH 2005, GEORGE DUFFIE 2006, and ED BRAUN 2007 were seated to Earl's port and starboard looking mighty fine in their white captain hats, white shirts, red bowties, khaki pants and blue blazers.
Many great comments have been heard about the float from participants and spectators. Picture have been submitted to the SCOO website for you to enjoy.
My admiral and I thank everyone who helped make the Spirit of Christmas SCOO float a success.
Carl Baxley
Click on this link to view SCOO float with Commodores at the Spirit of Christmas Parade

Oct 2 - Commodore's Cup (posted 10/5/08)

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Click on this link to view photos 3
Click on this link to view photos 4

Sept 10 - Regretta (posted 10/30/08)

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Click on this link to view photos 2

July 7 - Cape Lookout alternate (posted 7/26/08)

Due to forecasted weather conditions of high winds, seas of 4-6 ft. and thunderstorms the cruise to Cape Lookout was canceled. As it turned out the decision was a good one because that is exactly what we had - high winds, rough seas and thunderstorms. It is no fun to be out there with high winds and thunder and lighting all around.
All was not lost however. We enjoyed a potluck at the home of Jay and Karen Parker. After dinner Karen entertained us by playing the accordion and piano. Hearing some of the old tunes was especially enjoyable. In addition, Earl brought along oyster shell and seed oysters to demonstrate how oyster restoration is done on a small scale. The canal behind the Parkers house is now the home of a few oysters, placed there to help clean up the water. Due to pollution concerns the Dept. of Marine Fisheries has prohibited the harvest of shellfish from this area.
Maggie Arndt suggested and has agreed to captain a Cape Lookout cruise in August at a time when a good weather window is forecasted. Preparations will consist of an e-mail announcement to the membership - no exercise of preparing appetizers, pot luck dishes etc. Call your friends and we'll meet at Cape Lookout and do whatever - shell collecting, beachcombing etc.,etc.,etc.
Attendees: Tom and Ellie Finta, Dick and Gerda Lampe, Richard and Renee Dumont, Gerry and Cheryl Crowley, Will and Nancy Huff, Bill and Maggie Arndt, Andy and Mary Anton, Jay and Karen Parker, Earl and Sandy Evens.

June 30 - Gone with the Wind (posted 7/24/08) (photos added 8/5/08)

Attached are a few selected pictures of the above-captioned cruise; twenty-four club member couples attended, as well as a number of invited guests. Although 24 boats had planned on attending, only 12 were able to cruise to the event due to low water at their departure points. The Harbor Club at River Dunes was beautiful with afternoon swimming and socializing; the evening included a Rhett Butler, Scarlett O'Hara look-a-like contest and a short trivia contest about the production of the classic movie. The Harbor Club provided a breakfast to all that docked overnight. The facilities at River Dunes were outstanding with several boats topping off their tanks at their fuel dock. All had a wonderful time and many thanks to JC Cappelmann, Harbor Club Manager, who rolled out the "red carpet" for our land-based activities.
Durl & Debbie Evans, Cruise Captains
Click on this link to view photos 1
Click on this link to view photos 2
Click on this link to view participants

June 20-21 - Broad Creek Picnic / Summer Soltice Race (posted 6/24/08)

Friday, June 20th, 2008, fifteen boats voyaged to lower Broad Creek for the annual SCOO Summer Solstice Cruise. Fourteen boats were docked at either the Lind's dock or the adjacent neighbor's dock, greeted by the host all decked in yellow, the fifteenth anchored in the creek. Wind Melody had to sail into the creek where Carl Monell was able to fix his starter motor. Thanks, Tom F. for ferrying Carl to the disabled boat! Later, while playing horseshoes, we discovered there was a ringer amongst us (Gordon Kellogg played in college).
Friday, over 40 people gathered on the Lind's deck for a potluck and BBQ. Skippers and crew representing the vessels Full Tilt, Take 5, Pressandro, Spindrift, Miranda, Miss El, Dutchess of Oz, Fancy Tramp, Symmetry, Merry Mary, Topsy II, Wind Melody, Renee, Walkabout, and Blue Norther had a great time. Included were prospective members Seth and Sue Hiller, Diane and Michael Paling and Tomas and Susan Omanski.
On Saturday, most vessels competed in the Whortonsville Yacht and Tractor Club Race, in the rain, out on the Pamlico Sound. Rumor has it that the race was slightly delayed due to one member snagging the start line. Another dragged a crab pot, slowing his sail, of course! The weather cleared up in time for the evening potluck dinner.
Sunday, the remaining fleet sailed home on what turned out to be a sunny day.
ERIC LIND
Click on this link to view photos.pdf

July 18 - Summer Moonbeam (posted 7/23/08)

Click on this link to view report & photos

June 4-5 - South River Cruise (posted 6/10/08)

A good time was had by all at the SCOO South River Cruise on Wednesday, June 4-Thursday, June 5. For the trip over, winds ranged from 12-18 knots, depending on what time people sailed over. Because 15-20 knot winds from the southwest were forecast for Wednesday night, the anchorage site was changed from the off the graveyard to the southwest side of the river, just past the HC marker.
The following boats and owners participated:
Tenacity: Ron and Jane DeMers
Shuhshuhgah: Leslie and Ron Surma
Apple Crate: Bob and Linda Applegate
Warrior Woman: Pat Webster, with guests Tom and Cynthia Cochran
Sea Shell: Mary Ann and Walter Brown
Fancy Tramp: Diane and Walter Paling
Lulu: Hans Nickstadt
Carl and Penny Monelle, on their boat Take Five had to withdraw due to unexpected doggie surgery. John and Julie Rahm on Island Chariot radioed cruise captain Pat Webster that south winds had blown so much water out of Pierce Creek that they were aground at their slip! So, they had to withdraw. These last minute changes necessitated some reassigning of host-guest boats. The DeMers graciously agreed to change from being guests to opening up Tenacity as a host boat at the last minute. Bob and Linda Applegate allowed Pat Webster to crash their elegant hosting, also at the last minute. Everyone's adaptability was much appreciated, and not surprising among Oriental sailors.
Sea Shell and Lulu were the only two boats with working dinghy outboards (Pat had really bad dinghy motor karma on Tuesday). Strong winds prohibited previously planned paddling to host boats so Walter and Hans graciously provided water taxi service.
What I particularly enjoyed about this format, in part necessitated by not being able to go ashore, is that it allowed for us to chat in small groups for two hours. On Apple Crate, we each told the story of how we arrived in Oriental, and even had an interesting and kind-spirited discussion about politics. It gave me a better opportunity to know people.
At about 1840 guests were taxied back to their boats. A peaceful quiet night on the river was experienced by all.
Pat Webster
South River Cruise Captain

May 19-23 - Bald Head Is / Charleston (posted 7/15/08)

This cruise started with nineteen boats participating in the first leg which ended with a great buffet meal featuring northern Italian cuisine at the White Oak River Bistro in Swansboro. These boats included Maggie's Magic (Bill and Maggie Arndt), Ground Breaker II (Ed and Sandy Braun with Tom and Corky Farley), Whisper (Doug and Lew Carmichael), Manana (Ed and Lee Duer), Season Ticket (Durl and Debbie Evans), Topsy II (Sandy and Earl Evens), Miss El (Tom and Ellie Finta), Godspeed (Will and Nancy Huff), Symmetry (Larry and Roberta Jones), Pressando (Gordon and Ann Kellogg), Island Chariot ( John and Julie Rahm), Rakamah (Ralph and Harriet Scharr), Trachelle II (George and Marilyn Sechrist), Calculation (Doug Sligh and Mary Ann Parham), Quixotic (Art and Elise Tierney), Ii Gatto (Joe and Paula Valinoti), and Beverlee Jane (Bob and Gay Webster with Bob and Marlene Miller). Capt. Whidby (Warren and Kathy) succumbed to the Sunday storms and opted to return home on Monday.
Tuesday's objective was to make it to the Wrightsville Beach area but fate presented our cruise with some surprises. An unexpected closing of the Camp Lejuene firing range at 9:00 AM stopped most of the fleet at m.m. 235 (Trachelle II just made it through) and the boats anchored in the ICW to await the 12:00 PM opening. A forecasted band of afternoon thunder storms caused several boats to return to Swansboro; however, Calculation, Symmetry, Rakamah, and Miss El braved the forecast and proceeded to a windy night anchorage at Mile Hammock Bay (m.m. 244.5). Larry Jones enjoyed swimming activities while in the bay doing a bottom inspection and cleaning. One passing boat radioed the Oriental fleet to see if the town of Oriental was evacuating because of all the Oriental boats seen on the Waterway.
Wednesday saw the early arrivals at the Bald Head Marina enjoy sight seeing and a get together for cocktails. The boats that had returned to Swansboro Tuesday evening arrived at the marina mid-afternoon on Thursday. A reception was organized in the BHI gazebo attended by Topsy II, Godspeed, Symmetry, Pressando, Island Chariot, Rakamah, Trachelle II, Ground Breaker II, and Manana.
After the Bald Head Island event, nine boats continued on to Charleston including Maggie's Magic, Miss El, Godspeed, Symmetry, Pressando, Rakamah, Calculation, Quixotic, and Il Gatto. The group stayed at the Charleston Maritime Center Marina and enjoyed many Spoleto events and, of course, the fine Low Country dining. The group left Charleston at various times and the last arrival back in Oriental was on June 13.
Submitted by Tom Finta and Gordon Kellogg, Cruise Captains.
Click on this link to view photos

April 22-23 - Commissioning Day (posted 4/23&29/08)

Eventually, the weather was our friend - but for five or so days preceding Commissioning Day, the forecasts were not reassuring! With a forecast of high winds, cool temperatures, and thunderstorms, we rescheduled Commissioning Day Eve events and the Commissioning Day dinghy parade and picnic to the rain dates--which had only a slightly better forecast. On Tuesday morning, Symmetry left her dock on the Bay River in the rain with a 20 kt wind from the Northeast. Sailing up the Neuse at speeds often exceeding 10 knots, our typical 5-6 hour sail to Oriental Harbor took just over three hours, a new record! Around 5 pm, our adrenalin levels had subsided, the rain stopped, the sun appeared, and the Cocktail Hour was underway. Had George Duffie been on the scene, we would have attributed the sudden great weather to his plea for divine intervention - but in this instance, guess it was just good luck. The inclement weather forecast discouraged several members who had intended to come for cocktails, dinner, and the dinghy parade the next morning. The hearty sailors who did participate in the dinghy parade included the Brauns, Wolfingers, Surmas, Slighs, and Paul Bogardus/Peter Freeman/Sue Gill.
Wednesday morning, the skies were clear, the wind was still blowing from the NE, and the chop was building in Oriental Harbor between the old harbor and the channel into Pecan Grove. Led by the Commodore's dinghy, the fleet of five dinghies, adorned with flags and pennants, worked their way through the chop to the far shore. Prizes for the dinghy parade were awarded to Ed and Sandy Braun (Most Ridiculous Hat) and Elaine and Bob Wolfinger (Dirty Spark Plug).
The Commissioning Day ceremonies included a new twist, the CONDITIONAL BOAT BLESSING. Instead of the traditional ceremony wherein each SCOO vessel and crew are blessed by name, former Commodore George Duffie's variation requires that before the Blessing can take effect, the Captain and Crew of each SCOO vessel must execute a successful MOB or WOB recovery (within the next 90 days). This innovation stemmed from the cancellation, due to bad weather, of the Neuse Shakedown MOB exercise planned by Rear Commodore Earl Evens. The ingenious thing about George's version of the exercise is that essentially all SCOO members with boats are mandated to participate. (Of course, George was quite correct in pointing out that practice and mastery of MOB recovery procedures are essential - and that all of us should practice MOB exercises every sailing season.).
Because of the efforts of the Social Committee, led by Beverly and Ralph Mott, and Event Organizers George and Charlotte Schenck, the picnic was very well organized and successful, with over 80 SCOO members attending. Smithfield did a fine job with the catering - good food, plenty of it, and efficient service. Thanks to all who assisted and participated!
Cruise Captains: Larry & Roberta Jones
Click on this link to view photos 1.pdf
Click on this link to view photos 2.pdf

April 9 - Chilli Cookout - Mathews Point (posted 4/11/08)

On a cool, breezy, misty day SCOO held the annual Chili Night at Matthews Point Marina. Members reported good sailing conditions with winds out ofthe north gently urging boats toward Clubfoot Creek. Members assembled at 3:00 pm to enjoy four delicious pots of Chili and many lovely hors d'oeuversand desserts. Due to circumstances, some boaters were not able to attend. Four couples drove over, and five couples arrived by boat. Those in attendance were: Judy and George Smith on Windbag, Ellie and Tom Finta on Miss El, Gerda and Dick Lampe on Blue Norther, Jane and Ed Bliss on Out ofthe Blue, and Karen and Henry Van Gamper on Kory. Those driving were Dottie and Dan Miller, Harriet and Ralph Scharr, Mary Ann and Walter Brown and Elaine and Bob Wolfinger. Special thanks goes to Elise and Art Tierney who could not attend, but sent a batch of chili anyway. We truly appreciated the use of the Matthews Point Marina facility. After dinner many of us sat in the clubhouse enjoying the view and theconversation. The following morning, those on boats shared breakfast itemsin the clubhouse, and helped to clean the facility afterwards. The fog of morning gradually gave way to bright sunshine, and we departed for homeanticipating a pleasant journey.
Submitted by, Karen Van Gamper

April 2 - Neuse River Shakedown (posted 5/13/08)

High winds forced the cancellation of the on the water event - MOB drills. Considering all the thought created by the possibility of doing a MOB drill it left an awareness that we all need to practice and be able to handle the boat in emergency situations.
Fortunately the weather was not so severe that we couldn't have our potluck at Pecan Grove as scheduled. By setting up on the west side of the building we were out of the high winds and comfortable. In total, it turned out to be an enjoyable afternoon for all. Attendance was estimated to total in excess of 70 people.
Special thanks go to:
Bev Mott - Social Committee
John and Sue Alison - in charge of the potluck
Committee members who helped with the set up and clean up
Earl Evens