One of the advantages of trailer sailing in coastal Carolina is that you can easily drive to where the wind is (or where it is not). Charts of local wind gradients show that for every 10 miles closer to the coast you get, the winds will be about 10% stronger than at New Bern. When the forecast for a planned trip to Core Sound, which is immediately behind a low-lying barrier island, showed winds of 14-18 knots, I decided sail the Pamlico River instead. 30-40 miles of barrier islands, marshes, & forests would ameliorate the winds to the 8-12 knot range. South Creek is one of the prettiest creeks in this area. It weaves between marsh & forests for 8 miles to the river. The protected sailing in 7-8 knots gave me a chance to re-rig my steering lines. I use a continuous loop of line through blocks tied at the mast & port/starboard toe rails to control the tiller, while I steer standing in the cabin. In light wind standing forward keeps the stern up, resulting in a little extra speed. Moving the forward block to the bow cleat improved the set-up & also allows me to steer while working forward of the mast (only recommended in the light air). On the Pamlico the winds were 10-11 knots. On the outbound run the steering lines needed regular attention. On the returning broad-reach they allowed me to fiddle with lunch, the radio, and everything else while the boat steered itself a lot of the time. Afternoon thunderstorms brought winds of 12-13 knots & a beat into choppy water. I find that it's difficult to fine steer with lines in those conditions. The best that I can do is use them to tie the tiller in one position & crack off the main a little until the boat will maintain a constant heading. Average speed loss doing that seems to be about 6-8% though. Round trip from Aurora NC to Durham Creek: 30 NM/ 8 hours Fionnula, M-15