Rendezvous Info:

Hello to Carolina Cape Dorians!!!

The Carolinas Fleet of the CDSOA, Inc. is hosting the South River Shakedown Cruise and Raft-up, May 3-4, to kick off a series of events this summer and fall. All Cape Dory owners, both members and non-members, and families are welcome to attend.

Yes, our "shakedown cruise" for the weekend of May 3-4 is fast approaching, and we wanted to give you some heads up as we look forward to this worthwhile event.

As you know, the intent of this cruise was discussed briefly at our 2003 Fleet Meeting. We have an ambitious schedule with several cruises planned. The Ocracoke Cruise is the longest event (8-9 hours one way, about 4 days total) on Memorial Day, and nothing pours water on an exciting weekend faster than equipment problems. Also, you need to shake the dust off of your sailing shoes and get back into the nautical groove! Our busy lives inadvertently causes our Cape Dorys to languish inactive for protracted periods of time, giving us no real assurance that required and complicated systems will function adequately when called upon to perform. This is not, as you know, a failing of any Cape Dory boat, but rather the harsh environment we keep our boats in, and Murphy's Law trying to express itself whenever and wherever possible. So, to keep things working properly, find things that need repair, and generally inspecting our beloved boats to ensure seaworthiness, the "shakedown cruise" has been proposed.

The general idea is to make your vessel ready and come to the cruise location, bringing with you tools and materials you may need to make small repairs and/or test system functionality. Additionally, you may have a special tool someone else does not, such as a Loos Tension Gauge for rig adjustments, or have special knowledge to help another Cape Dory Sailor. Or, you may have everything "shipshape" on your own vessel, and would like to lend a helping hand to others in some routine task. Let's network our resources, spend some time with fellow sailors, and have fun at the same time! Mosquito activity is unknown, so it would also be prudent to have some bug spray in your travel gear.

Itinerary:

The float plan is as follows:

You can cruise to South River at your own pace, arriving either Friday evening or Saturday daylight hours.

The entrance to the river is a Flashing Green "1", at 34°59.37'N, 76°35.39W, aligning the channel with Flashing Red "2", at 34°58.89'N, 76°35.05'W, and can be found on NOAA Charts 11548 and 11544. The entrance is a little tricky in that there is a narrow segment between markers #1 and #2, and you can go aground if you're not in the middle of the channel. As you negotiate between these two markers, look astern frequently to assure you're lined up within the channel. You then enter a curved segment to the right, fairly well marked, but with more reported markers than on the chart. Under less than optimum conditions, my advice is to douse the canvas and motor in after passing #1. We intend to raft up, weather permitting, between Green Day Marker #5 and Flashing Red #6, where the river widens somewhat with depths between 9-11'.

Hailing and general conversation will be on VHF channels 16 and 72, respectively. The raft-up will last as long as is feasible, with drinks, cocktails, and snacks the later order of the day before supper time. We'll break up the raft before the evening hours, and continue our refurbishing efforts through early Sunday, when it will be Captain's Choice on choosing a departure time. As always, navigation is the responsibility of the Captain, as well as the safety of vessel and crew. The information contained herein is intended as a guide, and not for explicit navigational purposes.

Lou Ostendorff plans to take a few photographs during the festivities, and if you have any intention of becoming famous among your fellow Cape Dorians, it's not the time to be bashful. Additionally, Lou is planning an awards ceremony and will present an award to that worthy Cape Dorian Crew that meets the criteria. Of course, telling you now about the award criteria would preclude all the fun anticipated, so let's just say that all participants will be eligible.

Please check this page often as we will include more information as it becomes available. Good luck with your cruising preparations, and hopefully we'll see you on May 3rd!

Web Site Info:

Neuse River Foundation, Inc.

North Carolina Coastal Boating Guide, courtesy of "North Carolina Department of Transportation"

Cape Dory owners are invited to join the flotilla anywhere along the route. Sail with us the whole way or just for a couple of days -- whatever suits your schedule.

If you have any questions regarding this event, please contact Cruise Captain Lou Ostendorff, 919-676-7437, e-mail at louosten@ipass.net.

Print a copy of the itinerary (PDF, 129KB).

Can't bring your boat? If you'd like to crew on one of the participating Cape Dorys, please let us know and we'll find a berth for you.

Please check this page often as we will include more information as it becomes available.