Six of us, on two sailboats, headed across the Mississippi Sound and spent an overnight at Horn Island. Horn Island is a very natural place, being part of the Gulf Islands National Seashore, and the least visited and largest of the Mississippi Barrier Islands. Jim Boernge and his wife CJ, along with CJ's daughter Phyllis and her friend Piper, sailed on Short Circuit. Millie Newman and myself sailed on Pequod.
We anchored both boats close together about 200 yards off the northern side of Horn Island. The anchor riding sail I built worked quite well for steadying Pequod at anchor.
The dinghy rides to shore were more exciting than necessary because the outboard motor really did not want to run.
Horn Island is about 15 miles long and almost a mile wide. It really takes a beating when hurricanes hit the Gulf, but the ecosystem's speedy recovery is a true testament to the healing powers of nature. 
We found a dead sea turtle washed up on the beach. Blood coming out of its head suggests it was struck by a fast boat.
A short hike across the island brought us to the Gulf side. On this day the swells were small and stingrays were swimming in the clear blue water.
We returned as the sun was setting and dinghied back to the anchored sailboats. There we rafted up and fixed supper. 
Short Circuit's Salon was home to an enjoyable evening, with a feast of porkchops, boiled shrimp, baked beans, rice, salad, and wine.
The next morning, a school of dolphins entained us by playing near the boat. About noon, we weighed anchor and they escorted us for awhile. 
The weather was absolutely perfect.
The wind was a sailor's dream. How often does the wind allow you to sail both ways and use the spinnaker most of the way?
1 comment:
Wunderschöne Bilder!!
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