Boat Talkers vs. Non-Boat Talkers

In some of the previous posts, you have seen references to the confusion that can exist between Boat Talkers (that would be the group of people who do not call a rope a rope) and Non-Boat Talkers (that would be the group of people who would ask "do you mean the red rope or the black rope?").

Boat talkers never call something by its land name.  For instance, a room with a bed would never be called a bedroom, it would be called a cabin.  The area where you cook would never be called a kitchen, it is the galley.  Of course everyone is aware that there are no bathrooms on a boat, merely heads.   But, at least in most cases, if you have a decent sailing primer, a Non-Boat Talker can actually figure out what a Boat Talker is saying if they use the proper term for something on the boat.  Things become much more complex when a Boat Talker moves to "Boat Slang".  For instance,  the primer calls the sail at the front of our boat a jib.  Except most Boat Talkers call it a ginny.  Try looking that up in the primer.

And then, there are so many words that seem to mean close to the same thing.  Take the back of the boat.  Pretty simple concept--t-h-e--b-a-c-k--o-f--t-h-e--b-o-a-t.  Just a few of the Boat Talker words for that general area include aft, stern, transom, sugar scoop (and there are more). 

Just when you think you might have the hang of some of this slang, ask your captain how fast you are going and their reply is likely to be, "Over water or over land?".  Ask how hard the wind is blowing and the reply might be "True or Apparent?".  Ask what the compass reading is and you will likely get "True or Magnetic?"  Oh my, the Boat Talkers really must not want anyone else to understand them.  Maybe they could devise the next code for the NSA.

Then there is the world of non-verbal communication so many Boat Talkers use--but I will save that for another post.

Top 10 Things River Duners should know about Oriental

10.  Oriental is the sailing capital of North Carolina with about 850 residents and over 3000 boats.
  9.  http://www.towndock.net/ is one of the best local websites.  It contains:
                           -Local and Marine Weather Forecasts
                           -Webcams showing several areas of town including one showing the Neuse
                           -Information about upcoming events
  8.  Oriental is an area where many people retire.  The average age is (how to say this diplomatically) old.  Seems like the younger people live in surrounding areas.
  7.  The Bean has killer coffee and homemade baked goods (as well as ice cream) and  gets a limited supply of the Sunday Washington Post and New York Times.  You will not be a stranger for long if you stop in for morning coffee at The Bean.  June can help you with your morning puzzles.
  6.  If you are brave enough to dock at the town dock (across from The Bean), the people sitting on the front porch of The Bean will be discussing your technique and possibly the way you have outfitted your boat.
  5.  Of the regulars at The Bean, you will see that the people who think they know it all are pretty annoying to the other people who think they know it all.   To those of us who know we are dumb as bricks, it is pretty amusing.
  4.  There is a rich varierty of "goings on" in Oriental, from farmers' markets to art shows to musical and theatrical productions.  There is an outdoor Sunday morning church service at the local park overlooking the Neuse from May to October.
  3.  Dogs wander freely in Oriental. Most of them are known by name and are so "famous" that a calendar was produced "The Dogs of Oriental."
  2.  There are two competing local weekly papers.  You have to read them both to really understand what is going on.
  1.  There are at least weekly sailboat races.  Some of these are serious and at others, everyone who finishes puts their name in a hat and a winner's name is drawn.

Sea Sickness

At a party last night, several friends asked about how Gay coped with motion sickness.  Ever since finding these "shockingly" amazing bands, there is nothing to cope with.  Some sailing friends of ours who sail the Great Lakes area recommended them.  We tried one and now keep four on our boat so we always have plenty for guests who are queasy. 

http://www.reliefband.com/main.html

Return from Ocracoke

To return to Oriental, we took the ferry from Ocracoke to  Hatteras (instead of the Cedar Island Route) and drove through the outer banks up to Nags Head and crossed Roanoak Island and drove through Manteo and little Washington.   The ferry ride to and from from Ocracoke (on Sunday we drove all the way up to Avon to look for a New York Times before finally abandoned the quest) was the most interesting ferry ride of all we had taken.  One entire leg of the ferry trip was completed backward.  To achieve that, the ferry spent several minutes pivoting against the pilings on the Hatteras side. Then the ferry bounced between the pilings like a pinball game. We had waves that crashed not only over the bow of the ferry but also over the hood of our truck.  A word to the wise--never take your own car to Ocracoke or Hatteras (rent one).  The amount of salt water that we had to drive through was amazing.  We will always make sure that any used car we buy has not spent time on the Outer Banks.

During the two months Gay was in NC, we had the chance to explore the Outer Banks from Nags Head down to Lookout.  And of course, we spent time on the Crystal Coast down below Lookout.  While each area has its charms, so far, Emerald Isle and Lookout Bight (along with Shakelford Banks) are Gay's favorites.  Ken, diplomatically, finds each appealing in different ways.

Two nights in Okracoke (via ferry)

Take away the sun and the warmth, add in gale force winds, rain and general gloom and Ocracoke is not so much fun.  The only people enjoying themselves seemed to be the serious surf-casters and the kite boarders.  While it is always nice to curl up with a good book, frankly River Dunes is a much nicer, cozier place to do that.  Under these weather conditions, the landscapes looked bleak and forlorn.  Accomodations were adequate at the Castle but frankly, nothing cozy, warm or comfortable about them (give me the River Dunes cottages anyday).  The high points on the island included some of the best Thai food found anywhere at Thai Moon (carry-out only, cash only).  Nice dinner at the Back Porch.   There are miles and miles of unspoiled Atlantic beach that would certainly be a draw in nice weather.  Next time around, will definitely sail (that way getting there will be half the fun), stay on the boat and plan the trip around sunshine.

One if by land, Two if by sea (or sound)

While waiting for the "perfect" weather window to head to Ocracoke, we missed the good weather in Okracoke.  We certainly could have headed that way numerous times, but each time, the sail one way or the other promised to be bumpy (or we had guests or there was something fun at the club or in Oriental that we did not want to miss...).  Not that we (the boat or the humans) couldn't handle the bumpy ride, but Ken had wanted Gay's last "long" sail to be pleasant.  So now, instead of sailing, we are taking the ferry from Cedar Island and will stay at the Castle for a few days.  Gay's long anticipated boat trip to Ocracoke will likely have to wait until next hurricane season (since the plan, at this moment, is to head far south with the boat after the holidays and stay somewhere in the Keys/Bahama/Caribbean until next hurricane season--when we will return to River Dunes).  Now that these plans have actually been committed to writing, we will see what Murphy (of Murphy's Law) thinks of them.  We will report on Ocracoke through the eyes of a first timer next week.

Seriously delicious soft shell crab at Broad Street

For all you folks in the Oriental area, you have to try to soft shell crab appetizer at the Broad Street Grill.  Do not miss it.