day eight - the circumnavigator and the boat builder

Up at 5:30. Sleeping gear stowed, boom tent tucked away. Third customer of the day at The Bean, a cranberry muffin and a glass of iced tea. Keith drops by for a quick breakfast. He says a small flotilla of boats is sailing across the Neuse River to the mouth of Adams Creek to escort Mini Globe racer Josh Kali on SKOOKUM as they return to Oriental. Keith suggests SPARTINA join the flotilla at noon. I say "maybe."But the day is pretty and the breeze fresh, I tell Keith I gotta get on the water. A few minutes later he is helping me cast off. Sails up 7:45 in the harbor, tacking back and forth, enjoying the breeze. 8:00 out past the jetty. Tacking at 3.2 in the southeast wind (and of course Adams Creek Canal is to the southeast). 8:20 tack off the Whittaker Creek cannel markers. 8:50 tack. 9:05 better wind, 4.6 and approaching the entrance. Another tack, 4.8, with a good angle to Adams Creek. GPS shows 5.2. 9:30 tack. 9:35 tack, 4.8. 9:40 tack. 9:50 tack. 9:55 one last tack into the…