January 5, 2025
0530 Crew wakes and brews fresh batch of chai and sings “Take Me Back to Oriental”. The decision is made to go back to Oriental because of incoming harsh weather and generally the crew not really understanding the intensity of the currents and the bridges and the tides closer to the ocean and how they all work together in a way where forward momentum is not always possible.
0640 Depart the fuel dock
0645 Pisces runs aground at the entrance to Spooner Creek Channel. Crew attempts all viable maneuvers to find deep water but to no avail.
0715 Popcorn hails TowBoat US for assistance. OhNo discovers water in the engine compartment from the shaft seal. Popcorn and Swabs watch the sunrise over the Atlantic Beach Bridge. The residents of Spooner Creek watch Pisces hard aground.
0815 TowBoat US arrives
0820 TowBoat pulls Pisces into deeper water! Crew continues north on ICW.
0840 Pisces passes under Atlantic Beach Bridge for the second time in 24 hours (this time going the opposite direction) with no problem
0900 OhNo requests a stop at Morehead Gulf Docks (the same dock from the day before) to see if he can find his retainer in the trash, having unknowingly thrown it away in a handful of other paper towels during their stop the day before.
0910 The crew quickly locates the lost orthodontic gear from the marina trash and departs, wishing their new friend Bobby (the dock maser) farewell.
0915 Capt OnNo discovers he is suddenly missing one of his favorite gloves and deduces that it must be at back at the Gulf Dock. Popcorn calls Bobby on the phone to let him know Pisces was on its way back to the dock to look for the glove. Bobby is able to locate the beloved glove behind the trash can.
0920 Pisces returns again to Gulf Docks. Bobby is waiting with a net containing the lost glove. He extends it out just far enough for Popcorn to grab before Pisces again departs for Oriental.
1030 Dolphins!
1530 Pisces arrives back at Oriental and ties up at the free dock closest to Oriental Marina & Inn. As the boat is docking, Swabs tosses her bow line to Tom who misses and the line