Southwinds Sailing June 2004 - Southwinds Magazine

Beach (NC) in a calm breeze, which built to 15+ knots from theeast. After starting out sailing as a full-contact sport with thebuoy, Murray Seidel’s Sundance blew through the last leg underspinnaker to take first.The next Jackson Beverage-sponsored WBORA event, theMichelob Mini Series, also attracted a fair number of boats onMay 8. Tolerating light winds and a beautiful day, sailors ranthree short races just offshore of Wrightsville Beach (NC) beforeadjourning to King Neptune’s for the after race party. First placeawards were presented to Cothran Harris (Double Dare) withthree bullets in Racing and to John Karlof (Epsilon) in Cruising.Yacht Club crest on the back of a building down along the river,Mick Roberts replied, “Oh, that’s old. It was painted there along time ago, kind of as a joke. They did it when there was noyacht club and they would say ‘we have 120 slips, but they areall already rented.‘ ”The marinas line the creeks. One might think-by the veryway boats are so snuggly placed-of Fort Lauderdale and its rivers.Hurricane tides rip into the area every now and then, yetthere was no apparent damage to what had to be “experienced”real estate, and repairs from the last storm had already beenrepaired. Triton Yacht Service, where the event was hosted,ETCHELLS “SPRING FLING” REGATTAAPRIL 17-18, ORIENTAL, NCBy Jim KransbergerThere must be something special, very specialabout a regatta for Etchells sailors heldin Oriental, NC. While their numbers werenot exceptional (fourteen boats), they camefrom all over the Eastern United States andCanada, too. Oriental is located on the IntracoastalWaterway, in the middle of nowhere.Therein lies a great deal of the regatta’s charmand attractiveness.Oriental is on the southeast side ofPamlico County, maybe 30 miles from anythingmore important. It is like a movie setfrom a ’40s film. There may be more, but aquick count of restaurants found three - Mrs.Syl’s Kitchen (where the village meets forbreakfast), M&M’s (near the marina area andconvenient for lunch) and Oriental Steamer(where you wait your turn for a table). Howgreat-how simple. Like a flashback of a childhoodmemory at an old cottage and the trappings of the endlessnessof another time and place.Oriental’s a bit like a fishing village that’s been discovered.There are three fisheries within the Oriental harbor. All threestill look like bits and pieces of “Cannery Row” with their tincladbuildings and aging wharfs. Behind one, on a small fingerpoint, a new building is being constructed that will replace oneof the older structures, but there appears to not be any particularrush towards completion. When asked about an OrientalLammens, Druggs and Hulric take Etchells Spring Opener at Oriental Dinghy Club. Photo by JimKransbergerlooked ready for the movers, high on a cross hatch of railroadties. It’s being lifted above high hurricane tide levels at the insistenceof their insurance company.The annual event host is the Oriental Dinghy Club. TheOriental Dinghy Club facility is locally known as Triton YachtServices and supplies the club its space. Saturday’s first racebegan in light seasonal winds and built through the day to anice sailing breeze for the fourth race. It was a great day forHank Lammens and crew (Zarco Duggs and Arlo Hulric) whenNEWS & VIEWS FOR SOUTHERN SAILORS SOUTHWINDS June 2004 37