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What will a race start look like in this weekend’s One Design Regatta? Kinda like this. These are FJ’s at the start of the 2017 Sailpack Regatta. Saturday will see FJ & 420 sailboats out there, plus keelboats racing under PHRF rules.

3:33p Almost another inch of unneeded rain came down this afternoon. At least it all happened rather quickly. The cooler after rain temps feel nice.

The Bow To Stern crew report almost 50 boats now signed up for this weekend’s regatta. From Mark Fields:

12:50p Blood drive today at Oriental Methodist Church:

8:24a Rain? A slight chance this afternoon, then It’s 50-50 for Saturday. If it does rain Saturday, the forecast does indicate it isn’t likely to be a lot.

Good breeze for a regatta, 10-15 knots on the Neuse Saturday.

5:15p Fifty grand. The Whittaker Creek dredging fund grew by about $3,500 today – getting to $50,008.21. That %$# 21 cents.

4:34p The 1st Annual Bow To Stern One Design Regatta is this weekend. The Bow To Stern crew says they have 40 boats lined up to participate. TownDock talked with Mark Fields and Jim Edwards:

More about the regatta at this link. Call 252-249-2424 for more info.

4:15p Twas so sunny and dry this morning. Afternoon had other ideas. Dark clouds. Lightning. Another 1/3 inch of rain.

11:02a The Whittaker Creek Dredging fund grew by $2,000 this morning. Suzanne Gwaltney (Sail/Loft Realty) and Marsha Paplham (Marsha’s Cottage) each donated $1,000 to the fund, and encouraged other businesses to do the same – even if, like theirs, they are not on Whittaker Creek. Gwaltney spoke of the economic impact a healthy Whittaker Creek had on all of Oriental.

The progress of the fundraising is tracked here.

There are two projects on Whittaker Creek – restoration and dredging. Here is an overview.

10:01a The newest potential storm in the Atlantic is Invest 99. A storm that forms at this low latitude rarely tracks our way. Early models predict it will head through the Caribbean towards the Gulf of Mexico.

Sunny & near 90 today & Friday. A chance of rain joins us Saturday.

4:35a It’s time again for the once a season Tourism Board Breakfast, Thursday morning starting at 8:00a. It’s in the back room at Brantleys. This meeting is an opportunity to network with area business owners. More at this link.

12:30p The Silos has something new starting today – ordering online. Takeout orders can be made online at silosnc.com – click here.

It works – TownDock crew tested it for lunch.

11:24a Storm 5 is now upgraded to Subtropical Storm Ernesto. Ernesto ain’t comin’ here, or anywhere close to here.

8:12a Sailcraft Service Boat Yard is moving to their new offices today, one building over from the old one. Internet and phone services are also moving today, so your calls and emails may go unanswered for a few hours. After that, a new & larger office. Email is info@sailcraftservice.com.

7:43a There’s another storm out there – SubTropical Depression 5. It won’t bother us; computer models show it’s on track to visit Ireland.

Thunderstorms are possible later this afternoon and a high near 90 today. But here’s the important part: mostly sunny.

4:24p A hefty addition to the dredging fund today – up about 14 thousand. The total now stands at $45,758.21. Whittaker Creek businesses contributing funds today included Whittaker Creek Yacht Owners Association, Inc., M&J Marine Services (Sailcraft Boat Yard) and Whittaker Pointe Marina. More details here.

9:19a The Tourism Board is having their quarterly meeting at Brantley’s this Thursday. Local businesses and non-profits are invited to meet and network with others in the community. Come early for breakfast and stay for the meeting at 8:30a. The Tourism Board will be discussing the Dredging of Whittaker Creek and the impact it can have on local businesses.

With that in mind, a handful of businesses have now donated to the fund.

4:34p New dredging $ total as of today – $31,658.21.

3:54p An update on Whitaker Creek Dredging: Businesses on the creek have begun to donate $ to the dredging fund.

Late last week Deaton Yacht Service donated $1,000, and pledged to put in another $1,000 every week until their $6,000 goal was reached. They added another $1,000 today.

Today Henry Frazer (Windward Ventures, Inc, DBA Sailcraft Marina) put in $1,000 and pledged to reach a $6,000 goal on installment payments.

Whittaker Creek Yacht Owners Association (slip owners) has sent in a check believed to be at least $6,000 (we’ll know when it arrives at Town Hall.)

More news coming this week. And there should be a new $ total to report later today.

1:35p Ladies. Gentlemen. TownDock readers. A distinguished yachting event is returning.

The Cardboard Boat Races at Paradise Cove Marina are back. Saturday Sept 15. Paradise Cove Marina used to be a bar. It’s now a home… but the venue and marina and boat ramp are still there. Get your cardboard and duct tape ready. More info is at this link.

10:02a There’s a couple sailing events coming up. Both are easy to participate in.

This weekend August 18 & 19 is the Bow To Stern One Design Regatta – the 1st Annual. All sorts of small(er) boats are supported – you can use one of Bow To Stern’s boats or bring your own. You can race. You can even choose just to join the sailors for dinner Saturday night (it’s Brantley’s fried chicken.) The entry form is here.

Coming Saturday September 1 is the 25th Annual Greens Creek Challenge. All sailboats 20 ft and under are eligible. There are awards, and an ever present rubber chicken. This regatta is sponsored by the Oriental Dinghy Club. The registration form is at this link.

Click here for a look at the 2017 Greens Creek Challenge.

7:43a Sunday marked the 49th Annual Watermelon Sunday at The Bonds. Fay Bond and family served up about a hundred watermelons to hundreds of happy humans. It’s about a perfect way to spend an August Sunday afternoon. Photos here.

Rain off n’ on today, highs just mid 80s. Mid week some rare dry is forecast.

12:58p Sometimes (like today) it looks like it might rain for watermelon Sunday. Over the years Fay Bond has been asked if there is a rain date. She has a great answer:

“Wait 5 minutes.”

7:51a It’s watermelon Sunday – the 49th annual. Today, 4p.

7:44a A couple 70% chance of wet days today & Monday. Come mid-week, we get a few days of sunny & dry.

8:02a While you’ll see a 50% chance of rain today – there actually is a pretty good forecast for the Dragon Boat races (or whatever your outdoor plans are.) The hour-by-hour forecast indicates sunshine and little chance of rain til mid afternoon, 3p ish. Later this afternoon and this evening rain does get more likely.

The Dragon Boat Festival schedule looks like this:

• 9:00a Parade Of Teams
• 10a-12noon Racing
• 12:30p- 3:00p Racing
• 3p (ish) Awards

It’s all in Grace Harbor @ River Dunes.

Sunday brings an Oriental Tradition. Watermelon at the Bonds.

4:14p Tonight playing at The Red Rooster, The Great Randle. Music starts about 7p.

Saturday there’s a fundraiser for the Ol’ Front Porch Music Festival at New Village Brewery. It all starts up around 5:30p. There will be brats on the grill, and live music. All the details right here..

7:52 Today has an unusual feature. Unusual lately, anyway. There is no chance of rain. Sunny and near 90.

7:43a There is dragon boat practice today, but the races are all Saturday at the 2018 Oriental Dragon Boat Festival. It all takes place at River Dunes.

There are 11 teams, including four from Cherry Point:

• New Beginnings – Hope Clinic
• Oriental Dragon Masters – Oriental Dragon Boat Club
• BSA Waverunners – Boy Scout Troop 683
• Dragons With A Cause – Local cancer survivors
• JoJo Working Hope – JoJo Working Hope Foundation
• Fossil Floaters – Nutrien, Aurora
• Neuse Winds Freedom Riders – Marines Cherry Point
• Chesty Pullers – Marines Cherry Point
• Devil Dog Dragons – Marines Cherry Point (sponsored by Deatons)
• Salty Serpents – US Navy Marines Cherry Point
• River Dunes Dragons – sponsored by River Dunes

The parade of teams is Saturday 9a (lots of dragon theater involved.) The races begin at 10a. Plenty of space alongside to see the races, and food n drink vendors to help you survive the day.

3:25p There are 11 dragon boat teams in this weekend’s Dragon Oriental Festival. We’ll have a rundown of the teams right here Friday.

Tonight is Astronomy Night at New Village Brewery. There are meteors out there to see tonight and through the weekend. Lili writes in:

The Perseid meteor shower, which runs annually between July 13 and August 26, will peak this week. Derived from debris dropped by Comet Swift-Tuttle, it is always the most reliable shower of the year, delivering up to 100 meteors per hour at the peak. You won’t see as many meteors in the evening as you will after midnight, but you still might catch an earthgrazer, which is a slow-moving and long-lasting meteor, traveling horizontally across the sky.
Come on out to The New Village Brewery on Thursday night and you may get to see some shooting stars. Telescopes not required. You are also invited to bring a dessert to share that you think is out of this world.

8:39a You need to brush up on those woodworking skills, maybe try out a new piece of equipment. You want to learn something new and exciting – like sculpture welding. Shop Class has what you need. New classes are starting tonight and on the 11th, as well as later this month. You can check out the schedule and more events in What’s Happening.

As of yesterday, the Whittaker Creek Dredging fund has raised $27,452.

1:36p There may be another grant on the horizon for the Whittaker Point restoration. Officer Blayney asks residents to not feed the animals. Roads will close in October for cars and music. This and more from Tuesday’s Town Board Meeting.

9:22a It will be warm today (really warm.) Tomorrow, too. Highs in the low 90s, but the heat index may reach 103. NOAA says the heat index is what it feels like in the shade when the relative humidity and temperature are factored together. Consider taking it easy.

Debbie has been upgraded to a Tropical Storm with winds at 45 mph. She’s way out in the Atlantic and won’t bother us.

3:51p Sub-Tropical Storm Debbie has formed in the Atlantic. No concern for us – Debbie is mid-Atlantic between Bermuda and the Azores, and forecast to stay farrr away.

1:31p Tonight’s town meeting will include a discussion of the just received $916 thousand dollar grant to restore Whittaker Point. Between recent news about Whittaker Point and dredging Whittaker Creek… it can get confusing. This article can help…

9:28a It is just a week and a half away. August 18 & 19 is the 1st Annual Bow To Stern One Design Regatta. The folks at Bow To Stern have made an impression supporting youth sailing, including multiple collegiate and high school regattas. This event invites sailors young, old (and in between) to participate. From Mark Fields with Bow To Stern:

7:43a Humidity has replaced the rain. Temps will reach the lower 90s and a thunderstorm may roll through in the afternoon.

It is the first Tuesday of the month. That means a Town Board Meeting. Tonight’s agenda is here.