Where We Reach?

Openings for September

2011-08-31T04:45:00.000-07:00

Labor day weekend
Saturday September 3d, Room for one or two people on an all day trip.
Saturday October 1st, Room for up to four more people
The rest of the month, including the labor day weekend' is open for sailing adventures.

I accept daily calls and walk ups at $75 per hour with a $100 minimum. This is for the entire boat, one or six passengers.
Its a great time to sail.

Back to the Bahamas

2011-08-12T15:14:00.000-07:00

BP made a horrible mess in the gulf states and has provided money for habitat enhancement for Audubon Shearwaters injured during the spill. The wonderful oceanic birds spend most of there lives soaring over deep ocean waters. Their nest sites are located in the
Bahamas on small unpopulated rocky islands. They are crevice nesters, so there nest sites are only on islands where the limestone has eroded into little pot holes and cracks. My Earhlam College group has been working on Allen's Cay rock iguanas on the islands where the Shearwaters nest. The habitat enhancement will include "broadcast spreading" of rat poison, on the island, to kill the "non-indigenous rodents" which predate on bird eggs and the young chicks. The consequence is that the "Warfrin", might effect the resident iguanas, so our team will attempt to, temporally, remove these rare reptiles to a holding island while the extermination occurs. They will be implanted with transmitters and recaptured and returned to Allen's Cay at a later date.
I will be in the Bahamas from the 20Th of August to the 27Th. Hopefully, there will be no Hurricanes there at the same time.

See you on the 28Th.

Pleistocene Horse

2011-07-11T19:48:00.000-07:00

Twenty two years ago the Federal government "eminent domained" the Shackleford Banks and declared it a "Wilderness Area". According to the Wilderness Act, all non-indigenous animals in the wilderness must be removed if possible. The Island had been used to pasture live stock by the colonist for hundreds of years. None of the cows, sheep, goats or horses where native to north America except for the ancient ancestors of the modern horse. It was not that upsetting when the Feds. removed the live stock, brought from Europe, and the Middle East. When the removal of the "banker ponies" began the local citizens felt a little "civil disobedience" might get the attention of the Park Service. Unfortunately, the park service building on Harkers Island was burned down during this period of unrest. The definition of non-indigenous is, any plant or animal that was not in North America when Columbus arrived in 1492. That worked well for most of the Live stock but not for the horses. The modern horse owes its origin to North America. Many dog size three towed "dawn horses" wandered the continent over millions of years, speciating into as many as 33 different types before finally narrowing down to the basic horse form we recognise today. The modern horse then wandered across the frozen dry land known as Baringia into western Asia. The migration continued for hundreds of thousands of years evolving into donkeys and two modern species of Zebras In the Middle East and Africa. The modern horse, in Europe, was depicted on cave walls in southern France 35,000 years ago. Perhaps 5,000 years ago the modern horse was domesticated in central Asia and the rest is history. The conquistadors, from Spain, brought horses back to North America to complete a total circumnavigation of the globe.
Here's the mystery. When Columbus and a whole host of European travelers arrived they found no horses in North America. There are records from the Jamestown colony mentioning that they had hunted horses to eat. Where these horses the remnants of the original American horse or where they escapees from Spanish explores that had arrived 100 years before the English colony in Virginia?
About 12,500 years ago a small group of artisan hunters, skilled in making very fine spear and arrow heads, crossed the Bearing Straights on ice and land. During this time the earth was in a warming phase creating profound environmental changes. Climate change and hunting pressure from the migrating Asians and ,perhaps, disease carried by their dogs, caused the extinction of the North American Megafauna, including the horse.
I tell you all of this only because while poking around the shallow water adjacent to the park boundary I spotted an object in the water that resembled a horse tooth. Upon examination, I determined it was from a horse and tucked it into my pocket. I was happy to find what I thought was a molar from one of the island ponies. Oh yes, I forgot to tell that a simple phone call to our local congressional representative and an impending election solved the horse removal problem. Mr.Jones gladly submitted a bill to congress exempting our ponies from that pesky "federal mandate" to remove all non-indigenous animals. He also was hoping to head off the burning of the "new park service building" on Harkers Island. The horses stayed and so did the building.
When I arrived back at the dock, in Beaufort, and said good by to my guests for the day, I decided to look at the tooth again. Just as I pulled it from my pocket I noticed my favorite Paleontologist walking by the dock. As I approached, Richard remarked," Where did you get the Pleistocene horse tooth". My jaw dropped when it occurred to me that it did indeed look like the petrified teeth I had collected on the beaches of west Florida when I was a college student.
Now just imagine 13,000 years ago, sea level was at least 300ft lower then it is presently. The coast was 20 plus miles to the south and a North American horse, not a non-indigenous European horse, was standing 300 feet above sea level and either died or lost a tooth on that spot. Is that kool, or what? Proof positive that horses walked on, what is now, Shackleford Banks long before Christopher Columbus decided to pop in and ruin the aboriginal party that had been going on since the first Clovis hunters decided to have horse for dinner.
In the following weeks since I wrote this posting a guest, sailing with me, has found another horse tooth, as well as my self. On the 29th of August my Mate picked up a small molar which turned out to be a manatee premolar. It just gets better all the time. The small tooth in the middle is the manatee tooth. Some people get excited about gold and jewels an such. A 500,000 year old manatee tooth is good enough for me.

Back in business

2011-05-01T19:42:00.000-07:00

Good Fortune left the yard on Good Friday. I'm out of town fly fishing for a few days and will return to Beaufort on May 4Th. I will be available for charters until the 14Th of May and will then depart for the Bahamas for an expedition. I will return on the 25Th and be ready to charter on the 26Th or 27Th. Both June and July are starting to fill in.
I will be out of communications from the 15Th to the 25Th of May, That's not all bad.
Conch fritters and rum are better in the Bahamas.

State of Repairs

2011-03-30T16:52:00.000-07:00

This is the time of year when all us lucky boat owners get to haul out the boat, then haul out our worst clothes and begin sanding and painting. The toxic dust and hours of sander driving leaves you filthy and vibrationally exhausted at the end of each exhilarating day. I hope it never ends.

Anyway, the completion date for all this bliss is yet to be determined.

The video is graphic evidence of my dedication to this project and to all our future blissful sails.

Three at a time

2010-08-18T17:58:00.000-07:00

This photo was taken on the 7th of July 2010. We where off the west end of Cape Lookout N.C. The wind was north east at 15k. Spinner sharks where breaching in all directions and I was lucky enough to catch some of them out of the water. Two breached at the same time with a third joining them right at the end of there spin. The first two rotated four times. What a sight!
Black tip Spinner sharks have suffered population drops in the last twenty years. This activity was common in the 1980's. Not so much any more.

You may see the video of the sharks on youtube search 20100618101335.

Right Whales video 3

2010-07-26T07:29:00.001-07:00

Right Whales in MAY OF 2010

2010-07-26T06:04:00.000-07:00

These are Right whales off of Cape Lookout in late May of 2010. The female was a calf with her mother six years ago. She came back with a calf of her own this year.

The tide is running

2010-06-17T16:50:00.000-07:00

The tide refers to the increasing flow of tourists at this time of year. In order to trim the time it takes to answer all the questions you might have, and secure a reservation by credit card, you should call me at 252-241-6866. It is the best thing to do this time of year.
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I have completed the annual trip to the Bahamas to tag the elusive Rock Iguana. Cyclura cyclura ordinata is now the largest and rarest rock iguana in the world. We tagged another monster this year and a whole lot of smaller ones. It was a reunion trip with former Eharlam students dating back to 1981. We had good weather with lots of wind and a successful hunt. Photos to come.

A mom and baby right whale

2010-04-21T19:32:00.000-07:00

These shots where taken off of Shackelford Banks on April 20th. If you look closely you can see the young whale right next to the mothers head. We all also saw a Humpback Whale but it was too fast to photo. We also saw six loggerhead turtles that day. It just does not get any better.

Right Whales off the beach

2010-04-19T05:08:00.000-07:00

It has been very windy in April. We did manage to get out to Cape Lookout around the 10th. To our surprise, a whale sighting was in our future. We sailed into the Lookout bight and hove too for a lunch break. The wind was increasing to 20k so the jib was released, sheeted to Leeward and we set a course back to Beaufort inlet. Hundreds of birds and dolphins were clustered together just outside the bight. A blast of water vapor erupted from the middle of the chaos and I immediately realized a whale was the center of attention. We hove too and waited for the whale to rise again, and we where not disappointed. The Right Whale surfaced several more times right next to the boat. The seas where building towards six feet so we once more brought the jib through and headed for the inlet. Wow, This was high adventure. We, just three of us, had a fantastic sail back to Beaufort and landed with great memories.

Good Fortune will be available for the rest of April and first 9 days of May. I will be in the Bahamas with Earlham College working on an iguana project in the Exumas from the 11th to the 21st of May. I will reopen back in Beaufort around the 22d of May.
I hope every one enjoys spring and all the new life it brings.

4533 sandhill cranes

2010-03-29T07:31:00.000-07:00

That's a lot of tall birds in one place. I went to the White Water Slough National Wildlife Refuge in Douglas Arizona this winter to see a gathering of Sandhill cranes. Boy, did we see a lot of birds! Yellow headed black birds and more gave us a great thrill. The photos where taken the third week of February 2010. The "bird on the rock", is a Mexican Jay waiting for us to pass the nuts to him.

DO YOU BELIEVE THAT WINTER?

2010-03-12T05:17:00.000-08:00

Spring refit is under way between Spring showers. Lots of wood work on the cap and rub rails and paint and varnish every where. My ankle/foot is getting better. No crutches or canes, just some swelling and a slower captain.
It is not summer yet, Puffins where spotted at Cape Lookout on the 10th of March, but the sun is coming back and by April 1st we will be sailing again out of Beaufort.
I hope all is well with former sailors aboard Good Fortune and I'm looking forward to meeting a whole host of new sailors this season. 2010 is our 30th year of business, time flys when you are having fun. Or, as the frog said; "Times fun when you are having flies".

Trying To Reason With Hurricane Season or Fins To The Left Fins To The Right

2009-09-07T04:49:00.000-07:00

So far so good. El Nino has kept the big ones out in the Atlantic and the East Coast clear. My foot is much repaired but not quit back to normal. I have yet to make it to the beach, but with the help of a fine mate, and some great weather we are back in business. There are lots of dolphins off the beach, and the water is still very warm.
Good Fortune will be at the Beaufort docks until mid October and then back to Peltier Creek, in Morehead City, for the Winter sailing season.
The cessation of the Menhaden fishing industry, three years ago ,allowed millions of fish to survive to adulthood, and in time to reproduce. The increased number of menhaden has replaced the "missing link" in the food chain that has been over fished for eight decades. The benefit of all these fish is, of course, more fish of all kinds. That means more marine mammals, birds, and "game fish" for all to enjoy. When I arrived in the Beaufort area, the use of DDT, to control crop pest and disease carrying mosquitoes, had wiped out the fish eating birds. Over the last 37 years, the affected bird populations of herons, terns, ospreys, pelicans, cormorants, and gannets have rebounded. Now its time for our fish populations to do the same.
The photo was taken by Scott Taylor from and aircraft flying between Beaufort and Shakelford Banks. This occured in late August of 2009. Sharks like to get together at the end of the summer to to compare notes on the success of the tourist season. How was your summer?

August and Rehab the sailor

2009-08-02T09:56:00.000-07:00

I fell out a of a tree and landed on one leg on the 20Th of July. This has put my right leg out of commission and I'm now living the life of a mono pod. The Ortho. Doc. has assured me that I will walk on all two's by the fifth of August. With me at the helm barking orders, and Capt. Peggy womaning the for deck, I think we can, again, provide charters until the snow flies.
I may not be on the beach for a few weeks but Peggy is more then able to take up the slack.

SPRING 2009

2009-05-14T17:46:00.000-07:00

The summer is just around the corner. Most of the winter birds have left except for a few Greater Cormorants and Loons. The summer residents, turtles, dolphins and a whole array of birds are arriving every day. The water temperature is 72 degrees F, and still very clear.

The photo is a hundred, or so, Northern Gannets feeding off of Atlantic Beach in late April. You will have to increase the size of the photo to actually see the large numbers of birds. The Gannets spend the winter along the south east coast and then fly to Newfoundland for the summer. They never break a sweat.

Good Fortune on the ways

2009-03-25T19:43:00.000-07:00

Good Fortune has been hauled out of the water on my railway for the last two weeks getting a new paint job. Here are a few pics of the process. Her launch date is March 26th. I will start chartering full time on or near April 1st.

The first pic is the masking job, the second pic is the finished product.

February at the Cape

2009-03-12T06:24:00.000-07:00

The last week of February sported a few warm days so I dropped the dock lines and headed for Cape lookout. The wind was north east so the sail was calm and one tack all the way to the bight.

I launched the skiff as soon as the anchor was set. Tiller was off the deck and into the skiff and ready for dog activities on the beach. Our first discovery were two Kemp Ridly turtles freeze dried on the beach. One hundred feet down the beach we found the decayed remains of a young Minke whale. We salvaged a few vertebra and moved on. Just a stones throw from the whale, tiller stopped to investigate an adult Loggerhead turtle. We were located on a cul-de-sac beach facing north. The prevailing winter winds pile, all the sea life that dies in the bight, onto this little beach on the sound side. The cold winter temperatures keep everything dry and cool. I call this the winter grave yard. When the spring warmth arrives, the winter die off will succumb to insects and bacteria.

In the rush to get to sea, I left the camera on the bed at home. That means no good pictures of all the great finds. I took cell phone pics of all the critters but the quality is so poor I feel bad showing them. Its all I have so I will post them.

A short hike across beach brought both us to the jetty. This structure was built in the early 1900's to create a harbor for the N.C. Port. It was decided to locate the Port in Morehead City so the jetty was left to the wind and waves. After 100 years it is still there, with some of the best fish and invertebrate habitat in the state. The speckled trout were so thick that a cast into the school would immediately hook a 27" trout. Every time I pulled a fish on to the beach the dog would run in circles and bark. It was mayhem casting and snagging fish until I put a hook completely through my finger. This ended the fishing. This is why fisherman carry wire cutting tools with them. I had to push the hook through my finger and cut the barb end off. The dog continued to circle and bark during this process. The hook was removed and the fish gathered up in a discarded onion sack ,and we headed back to the skiff.

We were treated to a dolphin show just at sunset. That sure went well with an evening cocktail.

2009-02-16T13:35:00.000-08:00

This photo was taken in June of 2008 while we where having lunch at Wade Shores.

November and December Sail

2009-02-16T12:27:00.000-08:00

Good fortune has had several interesting sails this winter in North Carolina. The November sail was out the inlet and south west along Atlantic beach to see dolphins. The wind was gusting to 30k and we sailed with a doubled reefed main and jib. We knew that there was a frontal passage coming so we tacked around and headed back into the inlet. As we sailed in, rain started to stream down from the clouds to the north west. Unlike summer rain this appeared to be wispy in appearances. A quick look at the color radar revealed snow rather then rain. The front came through blowing about 50K with driven snow. Sailing in 50 knots of wind with snow is not my idea of tropical sailing, but the passengers where from a northern climate and saw nothing unusual about the afternoon sail. In fact they thought it was very exciting.

December brought another extended trip to Shakelford banks. We spent time in the maritime forest and then walked over the dune to the beach. The winter beach was vacant and festooned with winter shells. The find of the day was a nutmeg shell (Cancellaria reticulata) in very nice condition. I have found many of these in the sub-tropics but this was the first one I have found in NC. We shed our coats and finally our shoes on a day that felt like spring.

Early February brought news of a beached Wright Whale on Cape Lookout. I assembled a few interested locals and hoisted sail for the Cape. Once out the inlet it was clear that our journey was going to be a little tougher then the weather service had indicated. The forecast was for light winds from the north, what we found was 20 knot winds from the west, kicking up a nasty sea that would follow us out and pound us on the way back. We decided to sail down-wind to the "bight of the cape" and have lunch while hoping for the predicted wind shift. We ate down below in the heat of the cabin and emerged after a great lunch to find the wind had increased from the west. I knew it was going to be a long motor-sail home. A phone call let us know that the whale had beached about four miles south of our position . I knew the whale was on a small sand island off the very tip of cape lookout and not a place one would venture near, with gale force winds blowing right on to the beach where the whale was located. It was time to return, and we did ever so slowly against six foot waves about 3 seconds apart. Good fortune barely made 2.5 knots motoring into the prevailing conditions, but after about two hours of slamming into the waves we made our turn and headed into the inlet. Again, every one had a great adventure, Captain Ron was a little stressed. We did see the whale on the evening news with a great photo shot the day before when the wind was not blowing as hard. Timing is everything.

Wright Whale at Cape Lookout

2008-10-18T12:12:00.000-07:00

I have included a photo of the mother and calf whales right in front of the light house in the far background. This was taken on June 8th of 2008. My hope is to see more this fall through December. Mid December was a great viewing time last year. Keep checking the blog for updates. We are into the dolphin migration at this time. The second week of October has been great for dolphins.

Labor Day and September

2008-08-25T16:26:00.000-07:00

This posting is the 25th of August. The following seats are open.
Saturday the 30th----Open for any trip
Sunday the 31st---4 seats, Dolphin sail 9:00---2 seats 6 hr. sail to Cape Lookout 1:00 to 7:00
Monday September 1st---Open for any trip.

The weekends always fill up first in the fall. The weekdays are generally open. Please call for more information on openings during the fall season. I will attempt to keep you updated on availabilities on the weekends.

June and July events

2008-07-19T16:05:00.000-07:00

The late spring and summer has brought Right whales, at least 10 leatherback turtles, and plenty of loggerheads and dolphins . Sooty, Audubon and Greater Shearwaters were plentiful. We are moving into the snorkeling part of the season with lighter winds and clear water, August is our best month for viewing underwater.
Please call for reservations this time of year. I run the boat almost every day with very little time to deal with E-mail. The best contact number is 252-241-6866.

Spring is here

2008-03-21T04:50:00.000-07:00

Good Fortune will be at her berth in Beaufort by the 25Th of March. The spring season is the best time for cool sailing and lots of winter wildlife hanging out until it is time to move north for the summer. Loons, cormorants, gannets, seals and whales are all here until early summer. The turtles will start to arrive in late April along with our summer dolphins. Cownosed rays and ocean sunfish are inshore this time of the year. Low humidity and great spring winds make this the best time of year to sail. Warm days and cool nights, just like California at half the price.

Sharks and Whales Oh my, Oh my!

2008-01-15T06:19:00.000-08:00

Right Whales were being reported in the inlet off of Beaufort the first two weeks of December. The annual trip to the calving grounds off of southern Georgia was under way. What great luck to have a group of rare Right Whales spend time in our local waters.

Good Fortune left Morehead City, our winter port, and proceeded down the Intracoastal Iaterway at sunrise. The marine radio was already chattering about whale sightings by the seasonal Bluefin Tuna fisherman. Most of them come from New England where whales are common in the summer. They were more than happy to converse with me about exact locations of there sightings. I spent four hours maneuvering from one group of whales to another until I finally anchored in the bight of Cape Lookout for lunch and a little fly fishing.

While I sat on the back deck I noticed a large commotion in the shallows next to the beach. I quickly launched the skiff, boarded the dog, and headed in the direction of the disturbance. As I approached I noticed a very large animal with a triangular fin. No, it was not a dolphin. The dog jumped out of the boat and dashed through the shallow water right at our mystery fish. It occurred to me that Great White sharks have a triangular dorsal fin. I jumped from the skiff to pursue the dog before he became lunch in the sharks mouth. The dog was jumping around and barking at the fish when I arrived. We were both soaked and out of breath by the time I realized the animal was a shark, but not the toothy dog-eating kind. After some inspection and picture taking I went back out to the boat to consult a shark key for better identification.

The shark had a very distinctive torpedo-like nose with eyes on the side of the nose and no apparent teeth. These characteristics matched the description of an immature female Basking Shark. A plankton eater by trade, this 11-foot shark had been hit by a boat. The wounds on its back were very apparent and perhaps life threatening. When I returned to the beach I brought all the antibiotic cream I had on the boat. She lay still while I plastered the cream into her wounds and, with a rising tide, slowly maneuvered her back into deeper water. The process entailed grasping her firmly by the nose and wiggling the shark back and forth. I also pushed on the dorsal fin and lifted the pectoral fins out of the sand while continuing to wiggle. The huge shark finally broke loose from the sand and slowly swam about 20 feet. She then turned and swam back to my position. I stroked her on the head and back for a short period of time and then turned her seaward. She swam out into the bight on the surface. I followed her for about a mile until she finally submerged and disappeared.

When I worked for the Mote Marine Lab, it was not uncommon to get into the pool with dazed sharks that had been caught on a "long line" and walk them in shallow water until they were revived. We then, of course, got out of the pool. It was interesting to touch and mingle with a shark more interested in a big plate of algae than munching on one of my appendages.

This whole day was a great experience so I have included a short video of the shark encounter.
I hope you enjoy it.

Winter trips

2007-11-23T06:52:00.000-08:00

We had a great year with no hurricanes and lots of great sailing. Good Fortune is back in her winter slip in Morehead City. It is safe and convenient but we have to operate around a tidal schedule. The wildlife in the winter are very active, including dolphins, gannets, mergansers, loons,and loads of cormorants and pelicans. With a little advanced notice we are available for trips to the ocean and the barrier islands. Our winter prices have a minimum of four passengers or the equivalent price.
You may contact Capt. Ron at; 252-241-6866.

Don't forget to check with us for whale sittings!

Comment from passenger

2007-08-06T16:20:00.000-07:00

I just got this e-mail from a recent passenger who also included a photo album. With thanks, I am sharing it here - Capt. Ron

Hi Ron: Thanks for the fabulous trip on Good Fortune - we all had a wonderful time and I greatly enjoyed hearing about your interesting life and listening to your wisdom about marine biology - fascinating. Big hugs for Tiller. Many more happy sails, Marcy www.marcymorrison.com - you can see my adventures here ; )
- Marcy

The busy time

2007-07-11T19:10:00.000-07:00

The next five weeks will be very busy. The best way to book a trip this time of year is to call my cell #, 252-241-6866. I'm on the boat a good deal of the time. Returning E-mail is time consuming and difficult this time of year.

I still have many openings, you just need to call.

Capt. Ron

The Bahamas are still there

2007-07-11T17:46:00.000-07:00

The Bahamas trip this year was in late June instead of our usual trip in mid May. Yes, it was a lot hotter when I arrived. At least the boat had a generator and air condition.
We sailed for Wardrick Wells in the Exuma park and arrived after dark. Not the best way to travel in coral infested water but we anchored off shore and went into the island the next day. We had inoculated Alligator Cay with six iguanas in 1988 in the hopes of placing a population of Cycluara cyclura ordinata in a protected area in case the Leaf Cay population where some how wiped out. Getting 14 people ashore in an 11 foot Boston Whaler through rough seas with lots of nets and other gear always takes some time. Off loaded and on the beach we spent the entire day thrashing through the underbrush trying to round up the offspring of the six iguanas we had left there 19 years go. It proved very difficult because the animals where not bait sensitive and very weary of nets and nooses. Ten Iguanas where all we caught. A bit disappointing for so much effort.
We moved the boat north 10 miles the next day to Bush Hill Cay and went ashore in even worse conditions. At least the increased wind made it a little cooler. It had been two years since we had made a census of the other subspecies of ordinata. The San Salvador Iguana was inoculated on this Cay in an attempt to provide a safer habitat in a protected area. This iguana is smaller then the Allans Cay iguana but makes up for it in color variation. Blue with orange spots, orange with blue spots and yellow with green spots. The color variation is unique. We spent one and a half days, again thrashing around the island over rocks and through bushes to net just over 100 iguanas. Not a record for us, but a very good effort.
We where all sporting puncture wounds, scratches and sunburn by now. The next day we again sailed north to Alans Cay this time. The weather was windy with clouds and rain which made it difficult to attract iguanas, since they are sun lovers. We did a survey of the islands in the Alans group searching for new, untagged, animals and fresh nest burrows.
Our trip back to Nassau sailed through some more rain and high wind. Its always that way. We had large numbers of conch fritters, washed down with a fair amount of local beer that evening and made our way to the Airport the next day. It was exhausting but good, very good.

Off to see the lizzards

2007-06-21T19:18:00.000-07:00

Ron and Good fortune will be in the Bahamas from June 23 to July1 to track the populations of Rock Iguanas in the Exuma Land Sea Underwater park.
I will resume charters on or about July 2 or 3.
Really, its just a conch fritter and beer drinking contest. Hope I win!

Turtles in the hole!

2007-06-07T18:40:00.000-07:00

We sailed to the Cape Lookout turtle hole today. One Loggerhead was seen on the way out along with immature Gannets and a group of dolphins following one of the local shrimpers. We also saw several cownosed rays in the tide line off the Beaufort Inlet. We anchored in the turtle hole at slack high tide and ate lunch while we waited for the first turtle. In no time we started seeing Loggerheads all around us. The total sightings were 22 or so. The last turtle seen might have been a small Leatherback. Positive ID's are always difficult at best. This is the best time of year for turtle watching. The turtles are actively nesting now, according to the ranger, with twelve nests on the west end of the Cape so far. The snorkeling was not good due to windy conditions but the sailing was great. Smooth sailling back to Beaufort.

Update on Red-necked Phalaropes

2007-06-06T19:24:00.000-07:00

We spotted a group of sanderlings two miles off shore on May 30th. The birds were feeding on comb-jellies grouped at the edge of the tidal line. There were millions of small jelly fish and the birds were feeding amongst them. Closer inspection of a photo taken at the time and a conversation with John Fussel confirmed that the birds where Red-necked Phalaropes. These birds nest on tundra ponds and winter in small flocks feeding on weed lines in the open ocean.
What a great sighting.

Stand by for great turtle sightings on June 7th.

Three trips toCape Lookout

2007-05-30T15:54:00.000-07:00

We made three trips to Cape Lookout over the Memorial Day Weekend. The two hour ocean voyage along Shackelford banks allowed us to see a whole host of sea birds and aquatic mammals.
The birds included, Sooty Shearwaters, Greater Shearwaters, Wilson's Storm Petrels, loons and immature Ganets. The shrimp boats,while trawling, had collected dozens of dolphins,feeding behind the boat.
We saw at least 6 Loggerhead turtles in the turtle hole and two Kemp's Riddly Turtles at the jetty while we where snorkeling.
We also visited the light house and then went to Shackelford to see the horses. We also saw a deer on Cape Lookout. That's a first.

Future openings:
June 7th, turtle trip and snorkeling at Cape Lookout.
June 8th, 8 hour sail to Cape Lookout, two openings

Whales and Tales

2007-05-23T15:46:00.000-07:00

Good Fortune made two sails off shore today. The wind was North East at 16 K. Protected by Cape Lookout we sailed in smooth seas with a great wind. The wildlife was abundant and the water was incredibly clear. Dolphins could be seen ten feet under the bow. A Large pod was followed for about fifteen minutes as the young leaped from the water. We also saw a Sooty Shearwater, a rare sight in these latitudes. The fishing was good with a large blue fish and a spanish mackerel coming home with us.
This time of year a trip to Cape Lookout features a trip to the "turtle hole". There are more numbers and varieties of turtles in the "hole" then any other spot on the east coast. The numbers are greatest in June with fewer in July and August.

April 14th marine science course aboard

2007-04-18T04:56:00.000-07:00

Good Fortune and crew hosted a field trip for marine science students from Queens College on Saturday April 14th. The weather was perfect, with NE wind at 10 to 15 K and lots of sun. We had a great sail out to Cape Lookout and anchored off the west beach. We saw dozens of northern gannets and dolphins on the out bound sail. The carolina skiff was launched and students were shuttled to the beach. A dead baby dolphin and two dead loggerhead turtles were spotted and examined. The students collected at least one large knobbed whelk each. A large queen helmet, in nice condition, was also found. We also explored the rock jetty for invertebrates and algae. We crossed the island, to the bay side, and explored the spartina marsh for small fish and looked for more winter/kill turtles. Every one was hungry and tired when we returned to Good Fortune. The return trip was down wind through a water fall of diving gannets raining into the water. You don't see that every day. The spring beach holds the treasures of winter without the tourist pressure on wildlife and shell populations. This is our best shelling time.
This is what Good Fortune Coastal Ecology Sails is all about.

Capt. Ron

On the beach at Cape Lookout

2007-03-12T20:07:00.000-07:00

Good Fortune left the dock at 9:00 am and anchored at the Cape at 11:30. A fast lunch and launch the shore boat. The beach shore line was covered with fresh shells washed ashore from multiple winter storms. A large Loggerhead turtle was freeze dried on the beach. The birds present where Pelicans, loons, gannets,cormorants, and offshore the ever present bottle nosed dolphin. No other people, just the local wildlife.
We have a trip going to Shackleford Banks on the 14Th with room for one more person. It will be a 6 hr. trip, 9:30 to 3:30 for $60/person.
You may reserve at 252-241-6866

Winter shelling

2007-03-08T08:29:00.001-08:00

The weekend of the 10th of March is reported to be 65 degrees with a 5 to 10 knot breeze. The shelling on Shackleford and Cape Lookout this time of year is unequaled on the east coast. Saturday looks like the best day. We will restrict the trip to Shackleford if the ocean is too rough. the trip will depart from our winter slip in Morehead City at 9:00 am and return at 4:00 pm. The cost will be $70 per person for the 7 hour trip.
Call for reservations at; 252-241-6866

February 24th trip to Shackelford Banks

2007-02-24T15:06:00.001-08:00

It was 39 degrees when we left the dock in Peltier creek. The wind was north at 15 so we set sail east in the intracoastal waterway for shackleford banks. The plan was to go ashore and search for ponies and great shells. The horses where easy. Two groups of five each where there to welcome us to the island. They are in good shape with fat bellies and lots of hair.
The ocean beach was loaded with great shells, big and small. Dolphins swam in the surf right in front of us the whole time we where there. The trip back was filled with large numbers of cormorants, loons and more dolphins. The temperature hit 55 buy 2 pm and the wind laid down.
It was a great day for both boys and their much relaxed mom.

The boat is running again

2007-02-19T06:58:00.000-08:00

February 19th 2007

The engine room noise insulation is finally installed. In the process of removing all of the appliances from the walls including lights, fuel and oil filters and many wires, I have decided to replace most of them due to age and different levels of rust. What the heck, it's only money.
The walls are very white now and all the filters are new and shiny. One of the gizmo's I removed and did not replace was the Algae X magic fungus remover. The gismo was purchased at the Miami boat show in 1968 to clean the fuel before it reached the engine. the only thing it ever did was clog slam full of sludge and stop the engine. One hundred dollars of snake oil off the wall and into the trash.
Good fortune is now running again and ready to hit those spring beaches full of shells and other wonderful things. March and April are great for beach combing since mother nature has been left alone to do here wonders all winter. Its still too cold for swimming but the beach is loaded with treasures.

Where we reach?

2007-02-11T12:51:00.000-08:00

In the Bahamas, when a boat noses up on shore, native captains will shout for a location by asking "Where we reach, Mon?" This blog is to keep readers up on the adventures of Capt. Ron White aboard the sailing vessel Good Fortune. He'll be letting you know where he reach.