Wednesday, December 11, 2013
Pierside Red Hook Bay, St Thomas
I has been over a month since Music has spent the night alongside a pier. Needing to reprovision, and to connect to shore power to equalize the battery bank, we decided to pull in to American Yacht Harbor in Red Hook Bay. First order of business, HOT SHOWERS. Then off to grab a "Safari Bus" for a special treat. These buses are 2 ton Ford/ GMC trucks with open bench seats in the back, carrying about 20-24 passengers. We road with a bunch of school kids headed home after choir practice. They all wear school uniforms. This particular school is a pink shirt and burgundy skirt/ trousers. They were all very friendly.
The special treat was a trip to the movies to watch Hunger Games 2: Catching Fire. The movie was very good, and we even were there on a Tuesday, which is Client Appreciation Night so tickets were much cheaper.
The next morning Tricia did laundry while Cary and Ginny went to school (from the salon table). Then the ladies headed off to take a bus into town to shop a Kmart and the grocery store. I changed the oil and fuel filter on the engine, and equalized the batteries.
Marina is nice, if a little exposed. We went bow into the slip, which puts the stern to the wind and waves. Next time, we will either back in or take a slip on the other side of the pier. Live and learn.
The special treat was a trip to the movies to watch Hunger Games 2: Catching Fire. The movie was very good, and we even were there on a Tuesday, which is Client Appreciation Night so tickets were much cheaper.
The next morning Tricia did laundry while Cary and Ginny went to school (from the salon table). Then the ladies headed off to take a bus into town to shop a Kmart and the grocery store. I changed the oil and fuel filter on the engine, and equalized the batteries.
Marina is nice, if a little exposed. We went bow into the slip, which puts the stern to the wind and waves. Next time, we will either back in or take a slip on the other side of the pier. Live and learn.
Stepping Out to the USVI
We decided to head over to the US Virgin Islands for a couple of weeks. With my parents coming down to visit us in the British VI for Christmas, we have to leave BVI for 2 weeks to avoid going over our allowed 30 days in 2013 and having to pay an import duty on the boat. So on Friday, December 6th, we sailed from Soper's Hole to St. John. It is considerably shorter than a trip from Kent Island to Annapolis. We had to check in with Homeland Security, and decided to do so at Cruz Bay in St John. The only empty spot to anchor in this tiny crowded harbor had only 6.5 feet of water. I know this because I was aground again. No worries, just sand, and we backed right off. After being chased out of the mooring field 3 times by "good samaritans" in dinghies, we motored around the point to Caneel Bay and picked up a National Park mooring. We then dinghies backed to Cruz Bay. In the US, all crew members need to report to clear customs, unlike in the BVI where the Captain can clear in his crew. So we all had a nice wet ride out and back. Other than that, it went surprisingly well. We also visiting the National Park Service and met a nice ranger who had lived in Takoma Park.
After getting the paperwork done, we took a mooring in Francis Bay, St. John. Most of St John is a National Park, set aside by Lawrence Rockefeller. Anchoring is very closely controlled to protect the reefs. To support boaters, the NPS has established plenty of well maintained moorings for $15/ night. The bay is well protected from the Eastern Trades, and has a nice beach, clear blue water and several reefs to snorkel, Even more, we were able to glom some free WiFi! Cary and Ginny could school in paradise.
We met a nice British couple, Peter and Christine on OoJah, a J 122 they had sailed from the UK. They were the first cruisers we have entertained on Music, enjoying sundowners with us. Peter had to leave the Goslings out of his Dark'n'Stormy because of the meds he was taking for severely bruised ribs after falling against a winch in an accidental jibe when a squall caught OoJah flatfooted on the trip from Saba. Peter and Christine are members of the Ocean Cruising Club and offered to sponsor our application for membership now that we have satisfied the one criteria of having completed an open ocean voyage of greater than 1,000 miles.
We snorkeled several days. Many reef fish even though the reefs are declining. I think they are choked with silt. We did spot a Lionfish and report it so this invader can be eradicated. We also got to swim with a hawksbill turtle. Check out the video.
After getting the paperwork done, we took a mooring in Francis Bay, St. John. Most of St John is a National Park, set aside by Lawrence Rockefeller. Anchoring is very closely controlled to protect the reefs. To support boaters, the NPS has established plenty of well maintained moorings for $15/ night. The bay is well protected from the Eastern Trades, and has a nice beach, clear blue water and several reefs to snorkel, Even more, we were able to glom some free WiFi! Cary and Ginny could school in paradise.
We met a nice British couple, Peter and Christine on OoJah, a J 122 they had sailed from the UK. They were the first cruisers we have entertained on Music, enjoying sundowners with us. Peter had to leave the Goslings out of his Dark'n'Stormy because of the meds he was taking for severely bruised ribs after falling against a winch in an accidental jibe when a squall caught OoJah flatfooted on the trip from Saba. Peter and Christine are members of the Ocean Cruising Club and offered to sponsor our application for membership now that we have satisfied the one criteria of having completed an open ocean voyage of greater than 1,000 miles.
We snorkeled several days. Many reef fish even though the reefs are declining. I think they are choked with silt. We did spot a Lionfish and report it so this invader can be eradicated. We also got to swim with a hawksbill turtle. Check out the video.
Monday, December 9, 2013
Soper's Hole
From Trellis Bay, we went to Nanny Cay marina to pick up our sails from Quantum. I was pleasantly surprised that the repairs to the genoa were under $250. They replaced two panels in the clew, and stitched up the torn sun cover. The repairs to the main were even cheaper. While we were there, we got fuel and water. We also stopped at Blue Water Divers and got new o-rings for the air tank. Unfortunately, no one in the BVI services our brand of BC. We will have to research elsewhere. I picked up a zinc for the prop at Budget Marine.
Tricia visited Linda and Bill on Sapphire and checked out Brie, their Jack Russell, and the original Salty Dawg, who was not doing well. Evidently Brie is on the mend, and Linda was very thankful for Tricia's help. They even offered us their mooring in Soper's Hole. We were happy to take advantage of the opportunity. Soon, we were moored in Soper's Hole. But we weren't sure we were on the right mooring. It was awfully close to a private dock. Then we noticed Bill and Linda's friends on Tovarisch at the mooring next to us. That must be the mooring. I decided "'Tis better to ask for forgiveness than permission", i.e. I wasn't leaving until someone kicked me off.
Early the next morning, a man came down on the dock and said "Hey, you're on my mooring!" Oops. He then introduced himself as Rees. He was a friend of Bill and Linda's. Both moorings were his and we were welcome to stay until Friday afternoon. We were planning to leave Friday morning, so everything was copacetic. Yeah, free a free mooring!
Cary and Ginny set up school at the local coffee shop and cyber cafe. We were unable to boost wifi here - everything is locked! Tricia was able to get a few more things at the Harbor Market, a Riteway right at the dock. I replaced the zinc on the propeller with the scuba tank and good BC. We also fixed the port lower spreader that was cocked upward. Ginny tried first, going aloft and jumping up and down on it. It wouldn't budge. I had to go up and remove the seizing wire under the spreader boot to get it to move. I don't know why it would slide up but not down.
Tricia visited Linda and Bill on Sapphire and checked out Brie, their Jack Russell, and the original Salty Dawg, who was not doing well. Evidently Brie is on the mend, and Linda was very thankful for Tricia's help. They even offered us their mooring in Soper's Hole. We were happy to take advantage of the opportunity. Soon, we were moored in Soper's Hole. But we weren't sure we were on the right mooring. It was awfully close to a private dock. Then we noticed Bill and Linda's friends on Tovarisch at the mooring next to us. That must be the mooring. I decided "'Tis better to ask for forgiveness than permission", i.e. I wasn't leaving until someone kicked me off.
Early the next morning, a man came down on the dock and said "Hey, you're on my mooring!" Oops. He then introduced himself as Rees. He was a friend of Bill and Linda's. Both moorings were his and we were welcome to stay until Friday afternoon. We were planning to leave Friday morning, so everything was copacetic. Yeah, free a free mooring!
Cary and Ginny set up school at the local coffee shop and cyber cafe. We were unable to boost wifi here - everything is locked! Tricia was able to get a few more things at the Harbor Market, a Riteway right at the dock. I replaced the zinc on the propeller with the scuba tank and good BC. We also fixed the port lower spreader that was cocked upward. Ginny tried first, going aloft and jumping up and down on it. It wouldn't budge. I had to go up and remove the seizing wire under the spreader boot to get it to move. I don't know why it would slide up but not down.
Aragorn's at Trellis Bay
Trellis Bay is right across from Marina Cay. It has a small market (read - not very useful), and a little artist studio/ organic vegetable shop called Aragorn's. Aragorn must be quite a character. He hosts a party every Full Moon where they have a bonfire featuring some of his metal sculptures as fireplaces.
Tricia picked up some fresh basil at Aragorn's for a delicious pesto later that night. I went in the restaurant next door and read all the revolutionary slogans and quotes on the wall. The bartender was obviously a bit of a radical. I was amused.
We met up with friends from Rita T in the harbor, and made plans to catch up with them in a few days.
Tricia picked up some fresh basil at Aragorn's for a delicious pesto later that night. I went in the restaurant next door and read all the revolutionary slogans and quotes on the wall. The bartender was obviously a bit of a radical. I was amused.
We met up with friends from Rita T in the harbor, and made plans to catch up with them in a few days.
Quick Trip for Repairs and Stores
After a few days to recuperate, we have to address the major repair items: sails and chart plotter. We left Marina Cay and sailed to Nanny Cay on Tortola. We popped the chute, using the spinnaker pole to sail dead downwind. A first for our crew on Music. It worked fine, got us moving well and dried us out. Without a plotter, we took the long way around "the Dogs" before figuring out which side of Tortola we were seeing and adjusting course.
Once we arrived at Nanny Cay Marina, we stripped the main and genoa off the boat and carried them to the Quantum Sails loft. Cary, Ginny and I had the main on our shoulders, about 150 lbs, and, wouldn't you know it, our slip was as far from the loft as possible. It felt like a mile. We left the sails with Kevin and told him to do what he needed to do.
We then motored Music to Road Town, Tortola. Tricia went in to the National Parks office to get a permit to use the park moorings, while I removed the chart plotter. Getting from the dinghy onto the ferry dock was a challenge, and Tricia ended up having to request her permit soaking wet. (Cary later saw a shark right where Tricia had been "swimming".) I went in search of Fedex to ship the plotter back to Raymarine. After a long walk to a Tortola Express office in Village Cay, I decided not to use their UPS service. $147 to ship to US, and all their boxes looked beat to heck.
We then moved to an anchorage outside the seawall near the Moorings charter base. It was very rolly, and it took several tries to get the anchor set. It was dark when we finally tucked in to dinner, cards and bed. We woke to find a large cruise ship at the pier next to us. Quite the morning surprise, especially after contemplating the night before how close we could anchor to that dock! We took the dinghy in to the Moorings complex where they were nice enough to let us tie up and come ashore, albeit tied to a sunken concrete walkway covered in green slimy growth. We noticed several boats anchored in the little cove near the Moorings, even though the cruising guide says there is no anchoring here. I think it is fairly shallow. We did see the boat we almost bought instead of Music anchored right where we had seen it 3 years ago. It looks like it hasn't been cared for since.
Tricia and Cary went to the Riteway market for groceries and the french bakery mostly for window shopping, and I set out to find Fedex. The taxi took me to an office I never would have found on foot, only to find them closed on Saturday. Tricia had mentioned a USPS office. USPS in the BVI? Might as well try, so I set out on foot again. I was able to find it. Island Express, near the Supreme Court Building. They carry the mail to St Thomas and then send it from a US Post Office. Yes, USPS. It was only $47, including insurance, so I saved $100!
Provisioning at Riteway was a dream… a big grocery store, with a no-membership bulk store right next door , (which we skipped on this occasion). Buying the groceries was easy, with the exception that only about 1/3 of the prices were marked, and food here costs about double what it would in the States. We did well though, and got just enough to weigh us down for the walk back to the dinghy, and just the right amount to fill the fridge.
Back on board, we were happy to up anchor and head back to Virgin Gorda. On the way, we went to The Baths and snorkeled. The rock formations are cool and there were a few assorted tropical fish. Tricia saw a few squid. Overall, it was nice, but not that impressive. Rough, and it was a low wind day.
Once we arrived at Nanny Cay Marina, we stripped the main and genoa off the boat and carried them to the Quantum Sails loft. Cary, Ginny and I had the main on our shoulders, about 150 lbs, and, wouldn't you know it, our slip was as far from the loft as possible. It felt like a mile. We left the sails with Kevin and told him to do what he needed to do.
We then motored Music to Road Town, Tortola. Tricia went in to the National Parks office to get a permit to use the park moorings, while I removed the chart plotter. Getting from the dinghy onto the ferry dock was a challenge, and Tricia ended up having to request her permit soaking wet. (Cary later saw a shark right where Tricia had been "swimming".) I went in search of Fedex to ship the plotter back to Raymarine. After a long walk to a Tortola Express office in Village Cay, I decided not to use their UPS service. $147 to ship to US, and all their boxes looked beat to heck.
We then moved to an anchorage outside the seawall near the Moorings charter base. It was very rolly, and it took several tries to get the anchor set. It was dark when we finally tucked in to dinner, cards and bed. We woke to find a large cruise ship at the pier next to us. Quite the morning surprise, especially after contemplating the night before how close we could anchor to that dock! We took the dinghy in to the Moorings complex where they were nice enough to let us tie up and come ashore, albeit tied to a sunken concrete walkway covered in green slimy growth. We noticed several boats anchored in the little cove near the Moorings, even though the cruising guide says there is no anchoring here. I think it is fairly shallow. We did see the boat we almost bought instead of Music anchored right where we had seen it 3 years ago. It looks like it hasn't been cared for since.
Tricia and Cary went to the Riteway market for groceries and the french bakery mostly for window shopping, and I set out to find Fedex. The taxi took me to an office I never would have found on foot, only to find them closed on Saturday. Tricia had mentioned a USPS office. USPS in the BVI? Might as well try, so I set out on foot again. I was able to find it. Island Express, near the Supreme Court Building. They carry the mail to St Thomas and then send it from a US Post Office. Yes, USPS. It was only $47, including insurance, so I saved $100!
Provisioning at Riteway was a dream… a big grocery store, with a no-membership bulk store right next door , (which we skipped on this occasion). Buying the groceries was easy, with the exception that only about 1/3 of the prices were marked, and food here costs about double what it would in the States. We did well though, and got just enough to weigh us down for the walk back to the dinghy, and just the right amount to fill the fridge.
Back on board, we were happy to up anchor and head back to Virgin Gorda. On the way, we went to The Baths and snorkeled. The rock formations are cool and there were a few assorted tropical fish. Tricia saw a few squid. Overall, it was nice, but not that impressive. Rough, and it was a low wind day.
Diving the Dogs and more
We finally had to say goodbye to Bitter End for a while. But there is more of the BVI to see. And our sails are ready.
We motored to a group of islands off Virgin Gorda called the Dogs. We picked up a park mooring off George Dog, and broke out the scuba gear. We have 2 tanks and regulators, and 3 BC's. Cary and Tricia were going to dive. When Cary hopped in, she started to sink and bubbles were coming out of her BC where they shouldn't be. It seems a fitting is broken or missing an o-ring. Disappointing since we had them professionally inspected. There was also a bad o-ring on the second tank. We ended up snorkeling instead of diving. The coral was a lot healthier, and we saw more and a wider variety of fish.
(We later found out that you can take the yellow "dive site" mooring if a commercial dive boat isn't there. If they arrive when you are on it, you have to leave. Unless you have divers in the water, in which case they wait. This would have been better than the white "lunch" mooring we took, which was rolly and a swim from the good stuff to see.)
From the Dogs we motored to Marina Cay and anchored for the night. The protected area is mostly moorings, and we had to squeeze into the back. But we had a nice night at anchor for free. I believe this is the night Ginny and I scored 3,800 points in 1 hand of Canasta to crush Cary and Tricia in just two hands. (But Cary and I beat Mat and Ginny the next night, so we're even!). For reference, we are finding not many places are shallow enough to anchor, and some places it is forbidden to anchor because of the reefs. We take free when we can get it!
We motored to a group of islands off Virgin Gorda called the Dogs. We picked up a park mooring off George Dog, and broke out the scuba gear. We have 2 tanks and regulators, and 3 BC's. Cary and Tricia were going to dive. When Cary hopped in, she started to sink and bubbles were coming out of her BC where they shouldn't be. It seems a fitting is broken or missing an o-ring. Disappointing since we had them professionally inspected. There was also a bad o-ring on the second tank. We ended up snorkeling instead of diving. The coral was a lot healthier, and we saw more and a wider variety of fish.
(We later found out that you can take the yellow "dive site" mooring if a commercial dive boat isn't there. If they arrive when you are on it, you have to leave. Unless you have divers in the water, in which case they wait. This would have been better than the white "lunch" mooring we took, which was rolly and a swim from the good stuff to see.)
From the Dogs we motored to Marina Cay and anchored for the night. The protected area is mostly moorings, and we had to squeeze into the back. But we had a nice night at anchor for free. I believe this is the night Ginny and I scored 3,800 points in 1 hand of Canasta to crush Cary and Tricia in just two hands. (But Cary and I beat Mat and Ginny the next night, so we're even!). For reference, we are finding not many places are shallow enough to anchor, and some places it is forbidden to anchor because of the reefs. We take free when we can get it!
Climb Every Mountain
Tricia and I decide to explore the Bitter End while Cary and Ginny studied. We took a nice walk along a path through the mangroves to Biras Creek Resort. A very top end resort on the side of the mountain facing east into the Atlantic. After a quick tour of the stables, tennis courts and beach, we asked if there was another path back to BEYC. "Sure, mon, its a 45 minute walk over the hill dat way." Perhaps he didn't account for our flip flops, physical condition, or the pending rain storms. 90 minutes later, Tricia and I stumbled down out of the jungle. We had found the right fork each time (2 right choices out of 2, not bad). We had conquered 2 peaks. (OK, 400 feet isn't a mountain, but we were in sandals, climbing over boulders and sliding down foot-width, muddy paths, trying hard not to grab onto the cacti for support!). Boy do they need some goats! The view of the harbor from the top was worth it.
Tricia slipped once, as the pictures show a muddy buttocks, but no permanent damage.
Tricia slipped once, as the pictures show a muddy buttocks, but no permanent damage.
After Blue Water- Mountains of Laundry
North Sound, Virgin Gorda is wonderful. It appears to be an ancient caldera. Nearly a complete circle of 400-600 foot mountains, green and verdant, surrounding a basin of clear blue water with a uniform 40-60 foot depths. Bitter End Yacht Club at the east end of the basin is a major supporter of the Salty Dawg Rally, providing us with free moorings for as long as a month. Needless to say, the harbor is full of Dawgs.
Our first order of business is to dry out. Tricia and I to Gun Creek and a taxi to Leverick Bay to do a mountain of laundry. Evidently, so did everyone else. 3 washers, 3 dryers- lots of waiting. 7 hours later, we had a HUGE bag of clean clothes, and new friends, JW and Ginny from Over Budget. Ginny and I took advantage of the time to take a taxi to Spanish Town and get "island phones". Obviously, we don't want to use AT&T in the islands and pay roaming charges. So we bought new, unlocked phones and SIM cards from a local provider. As we change islands, we will just change SIM cards and providers. Not a cheap taxi ride, but a necessary one.
That night, after unpacking our mountains of clean laundry, Mat looked at me and said, "Where is my orange bathing suit?" Frantically, we looked in lockers, thinking it had gotten put away with another pile of clothes. Mat asked me if we were missing anything else? I had no idea how to answer. There was just too much to keep track of, and I was at a loss. The next day we dinghied to Leverick Bay very early, and lo and behold, an entire load of laundry sat, undone, in a dryer. As it is typical for laundry to be pulled out of a machine by another user, I was relieved to find that it was all still there (as far as I know), and no one had stolen it or dumped it on the floor so that they could use the dryer. We were lucky, since there was still a line of boaters trying to do laundry after we left the day before. And believe it or not, we brought more laundry with us, so after another three hours, laundry was done.
Music looks like the Beverly Hillbillies Boat. All the sails, and stuff from every locker are piled on deck to dry while we air out the lockers. Interior is the same. This would be fine, if it didn't rain every hour or so. Brief, warm showers, but nothing gets dry. At least the salt is getting rinsed out. Not every Dawg's boat looks like this, and we've heard comments like, 'Oh, you're the boat with the pink blanket over the sails." Embarrassing, yes. We'll have to work on that, but the Ware Water Curse follows us wherever we go.
In addition to the drying out process, which literally took a week of hard work cleaning every crevice in the boat, the boat item in most immediate need of repair was the refrigerator. Bill on Lancer told us during our laundry foray that he had used a repair guy named Polo out of Spanish Town. So with our new cell phone, a call was placed and Albert, the technician, was sent over the next day. Albert identified the problem to be our water coolant pump, and off he went to find another one. A call from Polo told us he would have to order one. He hung up before Mat could confirm how long that would take. In the mean time, the galley cabinets were pulled apart, and stuff stacked everywhere to facilitate access to the fridge compressor and parts. The inside of the boat looked like the Beverly Hillbillies Truck too. By the next day, I was ready to put it all back, not knowing how long in Island Time it would take to get the part, but before I could get started, Albert was back, had lunch with us, replaced the pump, and was off. Only after I started to put things away did I notice a leak under the sink. Mat, fearing the worst - that our compressor had gone up, called Polo. By evening hours Albert was back again, and quickly found a leak around a hose he hadn't tightened well enough (we didn't see it!). Thankful that everything was fixed, but not completely convinced, we said a prayer, hoping it would be cold when we awoke. The next day we had cold drinks (and a few days later even ice!). We had been 10 days without refrigeration. It is doable, but we don't want to do it again.
While Mat and Tricia busied ourselves cleaning, Cary and Ginny set up school at the Pub every morning where they can get WiFi. (We could get wifi from our booster on the boat, but the girls prefer to "go" to school). The staff and other cruisers are very supportive and comment at how hard they are working. Evidently homeschooling for high schoolers is more challenging, as the younger boat kids seem to have a lot more free time than C&G. They are taking it well, and working to get caught up after the hiatus during the trip down.
Our first order of business is to dry out. Tricia and I to Gun Creek and a taxi to Leverick Bay to do a mountain of laundry. Evidently, so did everyone else. 3 washers, 3 dryers- lots of waiting. 7 hours later, we had a HUGE bag of clean clothes, and new friends, JW and Ginny from Over Budget. Ginny and I took advantage of the time to take a taxi to Spanish Town and get "island phones". Obviously, we don't want to use AT&T in the islands and pay roaming charges. So we bought new, unlocked phones and SIM cards from a local provider. As we change islands, we will just change SIM cards and providers. Not a cheap taxi ride, but a necessary one.
That night, after unpacking our mountains of clean laundry, Mat looked at me and said, "Where is my orange bathing suit?" Frantically, we looked in lockers, thinking it had gotten put away with another pile of clothes. Mat asked me if we were missing anything else? I had no idea how to answer. There was just too much to keep track of, and I was at a loss. The next day we dinghied to Leverick Bay very early, and lo and behold, an entire load of laundry sat, undone, in a dryer. As it is typical for laundry to be pulled out of a machine by another user, I was relieved to find that it was all still there (as far as I know), and no one had stolen it or dumped it on the floor so that they could use the dryer. We were lucky, since there was still a line of boaters trying to do laundry after we left the day before. And believe it or not, we brought more laundry with us, so after another three hours, laundry was done.
Music looks like the Beverly Hillbillies Boat. All the sails, and stuff from every locker are piled on deck to dry while we air out the lockers. Interior is the same. This would be fine, if it didn't rain every hour or so. Brief, warm showers, but nothing gets dry. At least the salt is getting rinsed out. Not every Dawg's boat looks like this, and we've heard comments like, 'Oh, you're the boat with the pink blanket over the sails." Embarrassing, yes. We'll have to work on that, but the Ware Water Curse follows us wherever we go.
In addition to the drying out process, which literally took a week of hard work cleaning every crevice in the boat, the boat item in most immediate need of repair was the refrigerator. Bill on Lancer told us during our laundry foray that he had used a repair guy named Polo out of Spanish Town. So with our new cell phone, a call was placed and Albert, the technician, was sent over the next day. Albert identified the problem to be our water coolant pump, and off he went to find another one. A call from Polo told us he would have to order one. He hung up before Mat could confirm how long that would take. In the mean time, the galley cabinets were pulled apart, and stuff stacked everywhere to facilitate access to the fridge compressor and parts. The inside of the boat looked like the Beverly Hillbillies Truck too. By the next day, I was ready to put it all back, not knowing how long in Island Time it would take to get the part, but before I could get started, Albert was back, had lunch with us, replaced the pump, and was off. Only after I started to put things away did I notice a leak under the sink. Mat, fearing the worst - that our compressor had gone up, called Polo. By evening hours Albert was back again, and quickly found a leak around a hose he hadn't tightened well enough (we didn't see it!). Thankful that everything was fixed, but not completely convinced, we said a prayer, hoping it would be cold when we awoke. The next day we had cold drinks (and a few days later even ice!). We had been 10 days without refrigeration. It is doable, but we don't want to do it again.
While Mat and Tricia busied ourselves cleaning, Cary and Ginny set up school at the Pub every morning where they can get WiFi. (We could get wifi from our booster on the boat, but the girls prefer to "go" to school). The staff and other cruisers are very supportive and comment at how hard they are working. Evidently homeschooling for high schoolers is more challenging, as the younger boat kids seem to have a lot more free time than C&G. They are taking it well, and working to get caught up after the hiatus during the trip down.
Thanksgiving in the Islands
Before we knew it, it was Thanskgiving. Time flies when you are hanging out in paradise. The Dawgs planned a potluck dinner at the Sandbox bar on Prickly Pear Island in the North Sound. There was a ton of really good food. There were all the traditional treats, turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes, sweet potatoes (Caribbean version with a slightly different taste), etc. as well as sauerkraut and pork (a Baltimore Dawg), El Salvadoran corn flour cakes, and a host of creative salads and desserts. Tricia's brussel sprouts were a welcome surprise, as finding green veggies, other than lettuce, is rather tough in the islands. The bird was cooked by three creative boats - dividing the turkey into thirds so that the whole bird could be cooked in the small boat ovens! We couldn't have managed a traditional Thanksgiving feast on our own even if we tried!
After stuffing ourselves, we challenged a group of Puerto Rican sailors to a volleyball game. It was a hard fought contest. Mark and Jade crewing on Minaxi teamed up with the Music crew to represent the Dawgs. I think we did well and may have won, if we were keeping score. The PR team played hard. The fact that they were six girls between the ages of 10 and 12 shouldn't detract from our victory.
As usual, we shared stories and travel tips with our fellow cruisers, creating more bonds that I hope will last for many years as we continue to sail. In spite of some rain squalls, we were appreciative of the warmth, and All were thankful for a successful voyage, for their health, and for the opportunity to be doing what they are doing.
After stuffing ourselves, we challenged a group of Puerto Rican sailors to a volleyball game. It was a hard fought contest. Mark and Jade crewing on Minaxi teamed up with the Music crew to represent the Dawgs. I think we did well and may have won, if we were keeping score. The PR team played hard. The fact that they were six girls between the ages of 10 and 12 shouldn't detract from our victory.
As usual, we shared stories and travel tips with our fellow cruisers, creating more bonds that I hope will last for many years as we continue to sail. In spite of some rain squalls, we were appreciative of the warmth, and All were thankful for a successful voyage, for their health, and for the opportunity to be doing what they are doing.
BVI Dawgs Party
Thursday night, December 5th, the BVI Salty Dawgs hosted a party for the cruisers. Many of the Salty Dawgs had delayed departures to other island to attend. We took a cab from Soper's Hole with the crew of Tovarisch, Brisa, Rita T and one other couple. Another group from Nanny Cay were there. In all, there were probably 35-40 Salty Dawgs. The island BBQ was great. Fish, chicken, ribs, peas and rice. And of course, rum drinks.
The Lashing Dawgs provided the island beat. I took a turn at percussion, strumming the gourd. Ginny and Cary did as well, much to everyone's delight.
I had a nice chat about development of the island over the last 30 years with Bennett, a local civil engineer. I was surprised that the population of Tortola was only about 7,000 30 years ago.
The Lashing Dawgs provided the island beat. I took a turn at percussion, strumming the gourd. Ginny and Cary did as well, much to everyone's delight.
I had a nice chat about development of the island over the last 30 years with Bennett, a local civil engineer. I was surprised that the population of Tortola was only about 7,000 30 years ago.
Sunday, November 24, 2013
Salty Dawg Rally Fall 2013
As part of the Salty Dawg Rally, Music was one of 116 boats departing from the US for the Caribbean. About 80 of the boats were leaving from Hampton, VA with us, and the remainder were leaving from NC, or a few from points north. Most were going to the British Virgin Islands, though a small contingent was headed for the Bahamas/FL. After listening to Chris Parker, the weather router, discuss weather forecasts, expected conditions, and departure windows, we decided to leave Hampton on November 6th. The crew had the boat ready the night before, so all we had to do was brew some hot coffee, and take in all lines when we got up in the morning. We were greeted with a beautiful fall morning as a parade of boats left Bluewater Yachting Center and headed through the Hampton Roads Bridge Tunnel, past Thimble Shoals then out to sea over the Chesapeake Bay Bridge Tunnel. Unfortunately, the wind was on the nose, and we started out motor sailing. Once through the bridge tunnel we were able to bear off on a close port reach.
The trip through the Gulf Stream was a challenge. As expected from the forecast, the seas were big and confused, and the wind had picked up. I think the max wind we saw was 39kts, but was mostly 20-25. Some boats saw 60kts. As the winds picked up, we put in a second reef, and later decided to downshift, taking down the jib and main and hoisting the storm trysail. The roller furling jammed with about four feet of jib still out. Going forward, I determined that the roller furling line had ridden up off the drum when the bow went into a wave, and was wrapped around the head foil. The fix is to remove and re-run the line. We decided to strap the sail down the best we could and deal with the furler when conditions moderated. We were taking a lot of green water over the bow. Everyone was uncomfortable, as conditions in the cabin made getting dressed for watch a real challenge, much less going forward to handle the furler mess. In addition, the autopilot was not up to steering with the confused seas, and we had to start hand steering. Tricia had the delightful experience of finding that the Nicro Solar Vent we installed in the forward head needs to be sealed offshore. She found this when two gallons of cold seawater dumped in her lap at an inopportune moment. Also, our Newfoundmetals portholes, which had previously been watertight, were not bedded well enough to keep drips out when thumped with green water. We were wet and getting thrown all over the place down below. On the up side, Tricia served a wonderful chicken pot pie, albeit after a brief side-trip to the galley floor when the oven tipped as she was pulling it out of the oven. Lesson learned. No one was burned, and it really was delicious.
During the wonky seas, and seriously crazy wind, the boat was "pooped" many times. The first time Tricia got doused with enough green water to fill the cockpit up to her knees, she thought she might just float away, and screams were heard. The novices on board quickly adjusted to steering over humongous waves, and having waves crashing down on top of them as they steered during watches. The kids, Ginny and Cary, took turns taking 6-8 hours of day watches, and did miraculously well. The three adults took the rest in two hour intervals. We were too fatigued to hand steer more than that. Tricia had more Deer in the Headlights moments, and won the Big Eye award after her first experience with a pooping.
During the daily check-ins on the SSB, we heard tales of boats who were not faring as well as us. We had met some of the owners and crew of these boats in Hampton. With each check-in, we would listen on pins and needles trying to make out what had happened…. first rudder problems with Jammin', then Ahimsa's crew had been rescued by the USCG, and removed from their boat. When we first heard Nyapa had been dismasted, our hearts sunk, and tears welled in our eyes. So many problems, so many crew in peril. Our friends on Nyapa were fighting for their lives, as were others. We prayed. And we listened to what little we could hear on the the SSB. And we prayed some more, for everyone in the fleet. We were scared for them. We were scared for us. We'd already lost our jib and autopilot, what would be next? Morale was low. Thoughts of 'Why the Hell are we doing this' crossed our minds. So we listened with each radio transmission for news of Nyapa and the others. Jammin' was being towed into port. We sailed on, finally reaching across the Gulf Stream and turning south. Boats continued to have problems, many of which we didn't' learn about until we made port. Then finally, we heard Nyapa on SSB say she was only a short way out from Norfolk under power. Cheers went up, and we felt unbelievable relief and gratitude. They were going to make it. It was a bright moment under cloudy skies.
When the winds finally dissipated, we fixed the roller furling line, but found the clew of the jib had torn. No jib for the rest of the trip. Our staysail isn't pretty, but she took us the rest of the way to Virgin Gorda. The Gulf Stream crossing found us with enough wind to use only our staysail, and storm trysail anyway, so for much of the trip the loss of our jib was not a major disadvantage. I must say, having never used a storm trysail before, I am a convert. At one point, we were sailing dead downwind with a following sea, and were prone to accidentally jibing. With a trysail, this is a ho-hum event. The sail whumps to one side and whumps back when you correct your course. No boom crashing side to side. Very nice.
Generally, we either had too much wind or too little, often in the same day or same watch. At first, I left too much sail up and we ended up having to reef or change sails in the dark. I guess I understand now why many boats reduce sail before dark as a precaution. Later, it seemed like every time I got the crew on deck to shake out a reef, the wind picked up and I decided not to. Music spent a lot of time with just the staysail and storm trysail up. We probably were underpowered a lot of the time. It made us slow and a little more wobbly, but with my family on board, I was happier not sailing "on the edge".
During the "too little" wind phases, we were treated to a show by a boisterous pod of dolphins. They raced along in our bow wave, showing off their babies. Cary, Ginny and I got video and pictures while Dave, our awesome crew member, drove. One dolphin even leapt 20 feet into the air! What a show! When the winds slowed, Tricia broke out the rod and reel and, in short order, boated a beautiful 30"mahi mahi. She was all grins, and quickly had the fish filleted and served to an appreciative crew.
Later, when we got further south in the frontal trough and squalls, we started the engine and turned into the wind to reef the main only to have the engine sputter and stop. Diagnosis Doctor? No fuel! After checking engine hours since the last fill up, I still can't account for where about 20 gallons of diesel went. Either I didn't fill the tank all the way, or we lost it over the side somehow. A mystery. One that left us with 12 gallons in jerry jugs on deck with over 800 miles left to go. With careful conservation, on arrival, we had <1 gallon left. At one point, when the rain and overcast skies had prevented the solar panels from topping up the batteries, we had to pull the portable gas-powered generator out to charge the batteries.
Most of the trip was spent under cloudy skies, one squall after another. In one of the squalls, when tucking in a reef, I tugged on the leach of the mainsail to straighten it on the boom and the leech came off in my hand. It was two days before conditions settled enough to repair with sail tape. Again, the storm trysail went into service. The crazy winds and waves were back, and about 300 miles away from Bermuda, we had some very unexpected visitors in those wild conditions. On two consecutive days, two different wrens boarded our boat. the first flew from perch to perch, ate some food we left out, and finally rested atop my head as I lay asleep in the saloon. The second wren, even smaller than the first, spent the day hopping on and off our appendages. Very friendly, that one was, but he finally pooped out and spent the night overtop the Nav station on a phone charger plug. The next day he chirped a 'thank you' to Tricia, and off he flew. Where were they going? Where did they come from? A mystery.
Probably the worst self-inflicted wound was the loss of all of Tricia's wonderful food in the reefer. The reefer has an electrically noisy motor that interferes with radio transmissions. So, I shut it off when I got on the daily radio check in. But I forgot to turn it back on. Not once, not twice, but three times, for about 6 hours each time. The reefer never recovered, the food spoiled, and we threw it all, including Thanksgiving Dinner, over the side. Once emptied and cleaned out, we turned the reefer back on, to no avail. The plate would barely get cold. Turns out the coolant pump on the reefer wasn't working well, and had to be replaced once we got to the BVI's. No refrigeration for 10 days. Not sure why the Pardey's like living without refrigeration. Boating without refrigeration is highly overrated. Cold beverages are essential.
Wait! I just thought of the other self-inflicted wound that could have been much worse. During the whole trip, we took on water through the chain locker. Ginny's bed was wet the whole time. The bilge was pumped every watch (by hand, because the auto bilge wouldn't shut off). I thought it was all from the hawse pipe. When we arrived in the BVI, I discovered that I had not bolted down a 4x8 inch inspection port in the windlass locker. Any water that got in went right into the chain locker and then into the bilge! If the hatch cover on the windlass locker had not stayed closed, this could have been a much worse problem! A duh moment. Poor Ginny had to sleep on a wet bed for the entire trip.
The last day made all the challenges we had faced fade from our memory. (I suspect all sailors have a rare form of Alzheimer's that causes us to forget the bad part of the last voyage before setting out on the next.) We had clear skies, stable trade winds, and moderate seas. We broke out the spinnaker for the run to Virgin Gorda. It was wonderful doing 8 kts for most of the day, with sunshine and smiles all around. All good things must eventually come to an end. As we approached Anegada, I went to swap out the chart card in the plotter to load the Caribbean charts. They didn't load! It seems that during one of the several times we were "pooped" by a wave in the cockpit, seawater had penetrated the card slot and corroded the pins in the reader which had failed. And the wind dropped, pushing our ETA beyond sunset. I am familiar with the approach to the harbor, and the plotter would still tell us where we were, it just wouldn't show us what was around, or what was under where we were. Despite the higher pucker factor, we entered North Sound right down the center of the channel in a blinding squall. Many thanks to Andrew on Eye Candy who responded to a radio call and tracked us using AIS, providing directions to make the turn to the mooring field at Bitter End Yacht Club. Voyage Complete! Thanks also go out to Dave, our crew, for sticking it out with us, and to the Rally, and all of its wonderful members, many of whom have helped us along the way. Thirteen and a half slow days. We had hoped it would only take ten days, but we are extraordinarily thankful. We hurt for those two crews who lost their boats (their homes). We struggle with our success, as we think fondly of those who had to turn back, and those who barely made it back (6 boats). We feel blessed, and we hope that those who faced extreme challenges will continue on in a positive direction. Best of luck to them. We made it, we learned from it, and we might even do it again, but for now we are content to sit at our mooring at the Bitter End, and dry things out. It's going to take awhile, but that's OK. We have time. The water is a sparkling aqua, and the Trades are blissful. Wish you were here.
Summary:
The trip through the Gulf Stream was a challenge. As expected from the forecast, the seas were big and confused, and the wind had picked up. I think the max wind we saw was 39kts, but was mostly 20-25. Some boats saw 60kts. As the winds picked up, we put in a second reef, and later decided to downshift, taking down the jib and main and hoisting the storm trysail. The roller furling jammed with about four feet of jib still out. Going forward, I determined that the roller furling line had ridden up off the drum when the bow went into a wave, and was wrapped around the head foil. The fix is to remove and re-run the line. We decided to strap the sail down the best we could and deal with the furler when conditions moderated. We were taking a lot of green water over the bow. Everyone was uncomfortable, as conditions in the cabin made getting dressed for watch a real challenge, much less going forward to handle the furler mess. In addition, the autopilot was not up to steering with the confused seas, and we had to start hand steering. Tricia had the delightful experience of finding that the Nicro Solar Vent we installed in the forward head needs to be sealed offshore. She found this when two gallons of cold seawater dumped in her lap at an inopportune moment. Also, our Newfoundmetals portholes, which had previously been watertight, were not bedded well enough to keep drips out when thumped with green water. We were wet and getting thrown all over the place down below. On the up side, Tricia served a wonderful chicken pot pie, albeit after a brief side-trip to the galley floor when the oven tipped as she was pulling it out of the oven. Lesson learned. No one was burned, and it really was delicious.
During the wonky seas, and seriously crazy wind, the boat was "pooped" many times. The first time Tricia got doused with enough green water to fill the cockpit up to her knees, she thought she might just float away, and screams were heard. The novices on board quickly adjusted to steering over humongous waves, and having waves crashing down on top of them as they steered during watches. The kids, Ginny and Cary, took turns taking 6-8 hours of day watches, and did miraculously well. The three adults took the rest in two hour intervals. We were too fatigued to hand steer more than that. Tricia had more Deer in the Headlights moments, and won the Big Eye award after her first experience with a pooping.
During the daily check-ins on the SSB, we heard tales of boats who were not faring as well as us. We had met some of the owners and crew of these boats in Hampton. With each check-in, we would listen on pins and needles trying to make out what had happened…. first rudder problems with Jammin', then Ahimsa's crew had been rescued by the USCG, and removed from their boat. When we first heard Nyapa had been dismasted, our hearts sunk, and tears welled in our eyes. So many problems, so many crew in peril. Our friends on Nyapa were fighting for their lives, as were others. We prayed. And we listened to what little we could hear on the the SSB. And we prayed some more, for everyone in the fleet. We were scared for them. We were scared for us. We'd already lost our jib and autopilot, what would be next? Morale was low. Thoughts of 'Why the Hell are we doing this' crossed our minds. So we listened with each radio transmission for news of Nyapa and the others. Jammin' was being towed into port. We sailed on, finally reaching across the Gulf Stream and turning south. Boats continued to have problems, many of which we didn't' learn about until we made port. Then finally, we heard Nyapa on SSB say she was only a short way out from Norfolk under power. Cheers went up, and we felt unbelievable relief and gratitude. They were going to make it. It was a bright moment under cloudy skies.
When the winds finally dissipated, we fixed the roller furling line, but found the clew of the jib had torn. No jib for the rest of the trip. Our staysail isn't pretty, but she took us the rest of the way to Virgin Gorda. The Gulf Stream crossing found us with enough wind to use only our staysail, and storm trysail anyway, so for much of the trip the loss of our jib was not a major disadvantage. I must say, having never used a storm trysail before, I am a convert. At one point, we were sailing dead downwind with a following sea, and were prone to accidentally jibing. With a trysail, this is a ho-hum event. The sail whumps to one side and whumps back when you correct your course. No boom crashing side to side. Very nice.
Generally, we either had too much wind or too little, often in the same day or same watch. At first, I left too much sail up and we ended up having to reef or change sails in the dark. I guess I understand now why many boats reduce sail before dark as a precaution. Later, it seemed like every time I got the crew on deck to shake out a reef, the wind picked up and I decided not to. Music spent a lot of time with just the staysail and storm trysail up. We probably were underpowered a lot of the time. It made us slow and a little more wobbly, but with my family on board, I was happier not sailing "on the edge".
During the "too little" wind phases, we were treated to a show by a boisterous pod of dolphins. They raced along in our bow wave, showing off their babies. Cary, Ginny and I got video and pictures while Dave, our awesome crew member, drove. One dolphin even leapt 20 feet into the air! What a show! When the winds slowed, Tricia broke out the rod and reel and, in short order, boated a beautiful 30"mahi mahi. She was all grins, and quickly had the fish filleted and served to an appreciative crew.
Later, when we got further south in the frontal trough and squalls, we started the engine and turned into the wind to reef the main only to have the engine sputter and stop. Diagnosis Doctor? No fuel! After checking engine hours since the last fill up, I still can't account for where about 20 gallons of diesel went. Either I didn't fill the tank all the way, or we lost it over the side somehow. A mystery. One that left us with 12 gallons in jerry jugs on deck with over 800 miles left to go. With careful conservation, on arrival, we had <1 gallon left. At one point, when the rain and overcast skies had prevented the solar panels from topping up the batteries, we had to pull the portable gas-powered generator out to charge the batteries.
Most of the trip was spent under cloudy skies, one squall after another. In one of the squalls, when tucking in a reef, I tugged on the leach of the mainsail to straighten it on the boom and the leech came off in my hand. It was two days before conditions settled enough to repair with sail tape. Again, the storm trysail went into service. The crazy winds and waves were back, and about 300 miles away from Bermuda, we had some very unexpected visitors in those wild conditions. On two consecutive days, two different wrens boarded our boat. the first flew from perch to perch, ate some food we left out, and finally rested atop my head as I lay asleep in the saloon. The second wren, even smaller than the first, spent the day hopping on and off our appendages. Very friendly, that one was, but he finally pooped out and spent the night overtop the Nav station on a phone charger plug. The next day he chirped a 'thank you' to Tricia, and off he flew. Where were they going? Where did they come from? A mystery.
Probably the worst self-inflicted wound was the loss of all of Tricia's wonderful food in the reefer. The reefer has an electrically noisy motor that interferes with radio transmissions. So, I shut it off when I got on the daily radio check in. But I forgot to turn it back on. Not once, not twice, but three times, for about 6 hours each time. The reefer never recovered, the food spoiled, and we threw it all, including Thanksgiving Dinner, over the side. Once emptied and cleaned out, we turned the reefer back on, to no avail. The plate would barely get cold. Turns out the coolant pump on the reefer wasn't working well, and had to be replaced once we got to the BVI's. No refrigeration for 10 days. Not sure why the Pardey's like living without refrigeration. Boating without refrigeration is highly overrated. Cold beverages are essential.
Wait! I just thought of the other self-inflicted wound that could have been much worse. During the whole trip, we took on water through the chain locker. Ginny's bed was wet the whole time. The bilge was pumped every watch (by hand, because the auto bilge wouldn't shut off). I thought it was all from the hawse pipe. When we arrived in the BVI, I discovered that I had not bolted down a 4x8 inch inspection port in the windlass locker. Any water that got in went right into the chain locker and then into the bilge! If the hatch cover on the windlass locker had not stayed closed, this could have been a much worse problem! A duh moment. Poor Ginny had to sleep on a wet bed for the entire trip.
The last day made all the challenges we had faced fade from our memory. (I suspect all sailors have a rare form of Alzheimer's that causes us to forget the bad part of the last voyage before setting out on the next.) We had clear skies, stable trade winds, and moderate seas. We broke out the spinnaker for the run to Virgin Gorda. It was wonderful doing 8 kts for most of the day, with sunshine and smiles all around. All good things must eventually come to an end. As we approached Anegada, I went to swap out the chart card in the plotter to load the Caribbean charts. They didn't load! It seems that during one of the several times we were "pooped" by a wave in the cockpit, seawater had penetrated the card slot and corroded the pins in the reader which had failed. And the wind dropped, pushing our ETA beyond sunset. I am familiar with the approach to the harbor, and the plotter would still tell us where we were, it just wouldn't show us what was around, or what was under where we were. Despite the higher pucker factor, we entered North Sound right down the center of the channel in a blinding squall. Many thanks to Andrew on Eye Candy who responded to a radio call and tracked us using AIS, providing directions to make the turn to the mooring field at Bitter End Yacht Club. Voyage Complete! Thanks also go out to Dave, our crew, for sticking it out with us, and to the Rally, and all of its wonderful members, many of whom have helped us along the way. Thirteen and a half slow days. We had hoped it would only take ten days, but we are extraordinarily thankful. We hurt for those two crews who lost their boats (their homes). We struggle with our success, as we think fondly of those who had to turn back, and those who barely made it back (6 boats). We feel blessed, and we hope that those who faced extreme challenges will continue on in a positive direction. Best of luck to them. We made it, we learned from it, and we might even do it again, but for now we are content to sit at our mooring at the Bitter End, and dry things out. It's going to take awhile, but that's OK. We have time. The water is a sparkling aqua, and the Trades are blissful. Wish you were here.
Summary:
- 1,500 ocean miles traveled
- No significant injuries
- Torn jib (OOS) and main (temporarily repaired)
- Failed autopilot
- Failed chart plotter
- Failed reefer
- Several near misses due to fittings coming loose
- Took on water through head vent, windlass locker, portholes, and down companionway. (This was probably just part of the Ware Water Curse that follows us wherever we go and should therefore not be considered significant).
- The things that failed were essentially the things that had not been replaced in the refit. Lesson learned.
Mat ( & Tricia)
Tuesday, November 19, 2013
New Plan and a Little Help
So, our original plan was to sail south from Norfolk to Stuart, FL and
visit with my folks while we completed final preps for leaving the US. At the
SSCA Gam, I had asked the question "What should I look for in a weather
window to get around Cape Hatteras from Norfolk?" 50 plus cruisers shouted
in unison "Don't Go!" Not encouraging. They all take the Intracoastal
Waterway from Norfolk to Ft Lauderdale and then hop across the Gulf Stream to the Bahamas. Music is just too tall and too deep for "the ditch". We HAD to go outside. After talking to the folks at the Salty Dawg Rally, who were all going "outside" in the deep ocean, we read up on getting from Florida down island to the Virgins and beyond. Dubbed the Thorny Path because it is upwind into the eastern trade winds, we read Bruce Van Sant's book "The Gentlemen's Guide to Passages South" about how to take some of the thorns out of the trip. Unfortunately, the answer lies in lots of short hops in good weather windows, usually at night to take advantage of land breezes knocking down the trades. Pretty well thought out, but would not allow us to give Ginny and Cary any stability to keep up with schoolwork. Everyday we would be trying to find a new WiFi hotspot to log on to school.
After talking with my parents in Stuart, Tricia and I decided to join the Salty Dawg Rally and sail from Hampton to Tortola. We would have lots of support and company for the trip. And we realized, yet again, we were postponing the inevitable. The stop in Florida to get "finally ready" was a lame excuse. We will never be "ready-ready", so we might as well go.
The SDR is 1,500 miles in the open ocean. We wanted a third experienced crew member to share night watches. Cary and Ginny are good as a team during the day, but are not ready to stand night watch just yet. At least I know I wouldn't get much sleep if they were on watch. So, we called all our sailor friends. Not surprisingly, no one could commit to be ready to leave "on or about November 4th, and arrive in 1-2 weeks". Big ask. After striking out with those we knew, I took a gamble and asked on of the staff at Fawcett's who had been a big help during the refit if he was interested in joining us. Super Dave Goldsmith signed on as a member of the Music band. He even showed up in Hampton on November 1st with a mandolin!
The pre-departure prep with the SDR team in Hampton was awesome. We made more friends, especially the family on Nyapa. Cary and Ginny were huge hits with kids and parents alike as the senior members of the Salty Pups. They even took the initiative to have Salty Pup t-shirts made up. Contact us soon as supplies are dwindling. We celebrated Halloween and Tricia's birthday in Hampton.
Departure was rapidly approaching...
Getting the Gouge
As a Plebe at men's finishing school on the Severn, we had a word for getting the inside scoop or privileged information on an upcoming test or event. It was called "Gouge". Getting the Gouge was key to success. So, in that vein, as we were gearing up to head south, Tricia and I were looking for opportunities to get the gouge. First stop was the Seven Seas Cruising Association Gam in Annapolis. A Gam is what sailors of old would hold when two ships met at sea. They would heave to and share stories and news from home. The SSCA Gam was held on the Rhode River at Camp Letts in Mayo, MD. Conditions were ideal. We had 60+ boats anchored in the picturesque little cove, with dozens more cruisers coming by car to the 3 day event. We met lots of great people and got lots of gouge. Thanks to Jim from Radio Flyer and Devlin on Moosetracks who came over to help me troubleshoot as problem with my engine. Tricia and Liz from Moosetracks shared ideas on provisioning, etc, and got on very well. At the Gam, we heard about the Salty Dawg Rally from Hampton to the BVI. 100+ boats! They had seminars later that week at Mears Marina in Eastport on weather routing, SSB radios, medical emergencies, rigging and sail management, etc. Plus cocktails and a cookout. The weather sucked, but the company was warm and friendly.
Then there was the US Sailboat Show. We bought all the stuff we had been waiting to buy, and attended more seminars on outfitting for offshore cruising, etc. By the end of the weekend, we were tired, poor, and ready to go put all this new knowledge to work.
During all this, Ginny and Cary focused on getting caught up on homeschooling. They did get to have friends over for a fun but rainsoaked sleepover on the boat for their 15th birthdays, and to attend the homecoming football game and some other events with their BFFs before heading out to points south. We also celebrated Tricia's Mom's 70th birthday.
After a hectic two weeks of receiving and installing all the parts we ordered at the boat show. A new 235 kW solar panel and controller, AIS, WiFi antenna, new lifelines, repairs to new liferaft, new storm jib, new Manson Supreme anchor, repairs to anchor roller to correct flaws from jury rig this summer, padeyes to hold things to deck underway, getting SSB radio working, and more.... we were ready to head south!
Then there was the US Sailboat Show. We bought all the stuff we had been waiting to buy, and attended more seminars on outfitting for offshore cruising, etc. By the end of the weekend, we were tired, poor, and ready to go put all this new knowledge to work.
During all this, Ginny and Cary focused on getting caught up on homeschooling. They did get to have friends over for a fun but rainsoaked sleepover on the boat for their 15th birthdays, and to attend the homecoming football game and some other events with their BFFs before heading out to points south. We also celebrated Tricia's Mom's 70th birthday.
After a hectic two weeks of receiving and installing all the parts we ordered at the boat show. A new 235 kW solar panel and controller, AIS, WiFi antenna, new lifelines, repairs to new liferaft, new storm jib, new Manson Supreme anchor, repairs to anchor roller to correct flaws from jury rig this summer, padeyes to hold things to deck underway, getting SSB radio working, and more.... we were ready to head south!
Block Island to Wickford and Beyond
Well, I am WOEFULLY BEHIND in updating the blog. Let me try
to bring everyone up to date on the remainder of the shakedown cruise. So, when you last heard from our heroes, they
had just arrived in Block Island after a successful offshore passage from Delaware
Bay. Our stay in New Harbor at BI was
short but nice. Rob, a Towboat US Captain, was nice enough to hook us up with
tokens for the public showers at The Oar. The Oar is a wonderful local bar,
with good food, great drinks, and a festive atmosphere all summer. The showers
are a different story. I was surprised to step out of my coin operated shower,
after a brief but reasonably warm cleansing, only to realize as I toweled off
that the waiting line for the restaurant can SEE STRAIGHT INTO THE SHOWERS. Glad
the shower was warm, so there was no shrinkage. The ladies didn’t have quite
the same experience, but were not impressed. Enough whining about showers. The
water in the harbor was incredibly clear. I could watch the anchor almost all
the way to the bottom, and we were anchored in 30 feet of water! Not bad at
all. We anchored next to an old Army tug that has been a fixture in the harbor
for several years. Cary and I had a swim, cold but satisfying, and Tricia made
a wonderful dinner. We were up early the next morning and underway for
Wickford.
The trip to
Wickford should have been uneventful. But it wasn’t. I had opened the dodger
window so we could see through the morning dew. As we came around the point at
North Shore, the wind came up from the quarter. Cary says “Hey Dad, isn’t that
the boat hook that you put in the end of the boom last night?” Yes, it was, and
it was about to fall out. As I tried to pull the boom in to retrieve it, we
accidentally jibed. The mainsheet caught the dodger window and ripped a seam.
And, of course, the boat hook sank out of sight. After cursing my own
stupidity, a common occurrence, we
headed up West Passage into Narragansett Bay. I noticed the sky to the
west looked dark, and checked the WX radio. NOAA was saying strong thunderstorms
and potential flash flooding were imminent. We took the opportunity to duck in
the lee of Bonnet Shores and take down the sails. After a brief squall, which
we were glad to face without sails, we were able to set the jib again as we
came under the Jamestown Bridge. We reached into Wickford Harbor doing 9 kts
under jib alone. We were met at the harbor by my best friend and classmate,
Capt Pete Andrews, owner of Safe Sea Marine Rescue Services. Pete and I go way
back to middle school days. He is also a member of Wickford Yacht Club and had
secured a guest mooring for us for our stay. WYC was WONDERFUL. The steward and
commodore both made a point of welcoming our family, and invited us to a BYOB
cookout on Friday night. The showers and facilities were brand new after
Hurricane Sandy and were excellent. Pete and his wife Susan, and the children
Sarah and Will took us to dinner at a nice Mexican restaurant at the corner of
W Main Street and Post Road (where the Irish Pub used to be). The Andrews hospitality didn’t stop there.
Pete’s parents, John and Sally Andrews, let us use their washer and dryer, and
loaned us the SafeSea Clown Car (see pic). This enabled us to run errands to
West Marine, the Wickford Marine Consignment Shop, and other places to complete
projects and reprovisioning. We also were able to get the dodger repaired at
Oaklawn Canvas. Nice job and a same day turn around. Susan, Tricia and the kids
had a nice day at Scarborough Beach while I worked on the boat. After a long,
relaxing stay, we departed Wickford to points north.
“Let me
explain, no that will take me too long, let me sum up.” We went to Padnaram,
anchored out for the night, found nothing of interest in town in the morning
and left. Went to Marion, took a Beverly Yacht Club mooring for the showers,
walked into town, girls ran in the morning, and left. Went through the Cape Cod
Canal in dreary weather, and came out into Massachusetts Bay with 20 kts on the
nose to get to Marblehead. Decided not to beat our brains out all day, and
tucked into Plymouth Harbor and took a public mooring on the outside of the
harbor for the night. It was OK, but a little exposed. Anchorage at Duxbury
looked dicey. After a quick harbor tour to sight Plymouth Rock, we set out
early the next morning for Marblehead. Sailed alongside a beautiful schooner
most of the way. Decided when we got their to take a mooring at the Jubilee
Yacht Club in Beverly. Just inside Salem and Marbehead. Cousin Chris and Jen
were there to greet us. They also us loaned us Aunt Joan’s Subaru. Cary and
Ginny took student tours at Harvard and MIT. They also used wifi at JYC and
Chris’ house to start on the Keystone Home School Course which had arrived at
Chris’ in Manchester. We went to the Schooner Races in Gloucester and had a
nice lobster dinner on the hill overlooking the harbor.
We sailed
from Beverly to Mystic in one go. We went through the Canal in the dark, and
had some excitement off of Point Judith.
I was on watch and had been monitoring a large commercial ship hovering
off Montauk. I noted a pilot boat headed that way. As I put 2+2 together, the
ship got up a head of steam for the West Passage. A quick call to Tricia and we
were able to tack and stay out of his way.
Mystic was
very nice. We stayed at the Seaport and Museum. Offseason has 2-fer-1, so we
stayed Friday and Sunday nights. We spent Saturday night anchored off Fishers
Island. If you haven’t been to Mystic Seaport lately, as I hadn’t, it has grown
and changed dramatically. There was so much to see, and such friendly people,
we really enjoyed ourselves.
From Mystic
we sailed to Duck Island and anchored behind a breakwater. In the morning,
before dawn, the tide had changed and we were dragging. As we got underway in a
rush, the engine overheated and we hurriedly made sail and tacked out of the anchorage
into a brisk breeze. We were not ready for sea, and all hell broke loose below
as we heeled over and plunged into the steep Long Island Sound chop. By the
time we got things under control, we sailed down to Bridgeport and stayed at
Blackwater Harbor Yacht Club. I had never heard of it, but it was very calm
inside the harbor.
From
Blackwater, we sailed down to City Island, NY and took a mooring with the City
Island Yacht Club. Very nice, and friendly. Great WIFI. The steward even drove
us to the market to get groceries. We stayed an extra day to wait for the right
wind at Sandy Hook.
Up early,
we motored through Hells Gate into New York Harbor and on to Atlantic
Highlands, NJ on Sandy Hook. The holding was soupy muck, so we ended up taking
a mooring. The fuel dock was not “sailor friendly” but we survived.
We had a
BEAUTIFUL sail from Sandy Hook to Cape May. We never did less than 8 knots,
solved some mechanical and electrical problems on the fly and had fun. We got
to Cape May so early, we decided to keep going and motored up the Delaware Bay,
through the C&D Canal and down to Still Pond for a quiet night at anchor
before sailing the rest of the way to Kent Island to complete the shakedown
cruise. Whew! One more quick leg in the morning and we were home in Shipping Creek.
Wednesday, August 28, 2013
Cape May to Block Island
We have been using www.passageweather.com for our long range wind and wave forecast. The prediction of 5-10 kts from the southwest was dead on. The 200 mile trip from Cape May to Block Island was as easy as we could hope for. We had to jibe a few times and sail jibe angles to keep the wind and waves at a comfortable direction. Cary and Ginny took day watches as a team. Tricia and I stood the night watches. We started with 3 hours watches, but we plan to switch to 4 hours. 3 hours doesn't give you enough time to get rested for your next watch. Music handled well. We learned a lot about how to handle sails, and started to reorganize how we store stuff to make it easier to find and get access.
Probably the only noteworthy thing to mention is the full moon. It was very bright. We felt like we were sailing in daylight. I guess I should be happy that the blog of our first open water passage is so dull. We arrived in Block Island Weds afternoon about 2 pm, completing the 200 mile trip in about 44 hours. We knew we weren't going to set a speed record with the wind conditions, and were very satisfied with ourselves and with Music. Good job team!
Probably the only noteworthy thing to mention is the full moon. It was very bright. We felt like we were sailing in daylight. I guess I should be happy that the blog of our first open water passage is so dull. We arrived in Block Island Weds afternoon about 2 pm, completing the 200 mile trip in about 44 hours. We knew we weren't going to set a speed record with the wind conditions, and were very satisfied with ourselves and with Music. Good job team!
C&D Canal
Leaving Still Pond, we headed north and entered the C&D Canal. Wind was on the nose again, so the engine got more run time. The trip up the canal was easy. Current was with us, and we got to Chesapeake City early. We took on diesel at the newly reopened Shaeffer's Canal House. The attendant mentioned that the harbor at Chesapeake City had been dredged to 10 ft three years ago, but had silted some. Some was an understatement. We quickly went hard aground in the mud. Hard enough that we had to sit for 90 minutes while the tide came in. Note to log- Chesapeake City does not have 7 feet of water. We contact Summit North Marina further down the canal. They ASSURED us they had 7 feet, and directed us to H dock. We made it as far as J dock before getting stuck. A nice boater on J dock helped us as we got unstuck and tied to the head of the dock. He said EVERYONE gets stuck at J dock. The marina manager then told me he told us H dock, but really doubted we would make it. Summit North Marina is clearly operating on the principal that they are the only game in town. It is 1/2 mile down the dock to the office, the showers and bathrooms are sub-par, and the marina is in a marsh. As the ladies went down to shower, I closed up the boat and sat in the dark to avoid the swarm of mosquitoes that rose from the swamp. The ladies made it back without being eaten too badly. No worries, as we were going to bed early to be ready to head down Delaware Bay in the morning.
Monday, August 14th we left the Chesapeake and entered Delaware Bay. There was NO WIND AT ALL. The current was with us, making the trip down the bay easy. Commercial traffic was light, but BIG. One highlight was our first porpoise sighting. They didn't come too close, but Cary got a picture. We made it to the mouth of the bay at dusk and headed out into the Atlantic Ocean. Winds were light and variable from the southwest. The current had turned, and was against us. It seemed like Cape May and Wildwood, NJ would never drop out of sight. We did it! We made it to the ocean.
Monday, August 14th we left the Chesapeake and entered Delaware Bay. There was NO WIND AT ALL. The current was with us, making the trip down the bay easy. Commercial traffic was light, but BIG. One highlight was our first porpoise sighting. They didn't come too close, but Cary got a picture. We made it to the mouth of the bay at dusk and headed out into the Atlantic Ocean. Winds were light and variable from the southwest. The current had turned, and was against us. It seemed like Cape May and Wildwood, NJ would never drop out of sight. We did it! We made it to the ocean.Still Pond, Worton Maryland
Leaving Bodkin Creek, we enjoyed a great sail across the Bay. On a broad reach, with main and jib bellied out with wind, we were hitting 8 knots in 12-15 knots of breeze. When we reached the eastern shore at Swan Point just above Rock Hall, we headed up the bay. Unfortunately, the wind was nearly on the nose, so we alternated motoring and motor-sailing as we followed the channel up past Tolchester and Worton Creek to Still Pond. As it was now Saturday, the anchorage was fairly full with a raft of about 20 powerboats. Midge and Fred Kramer, my sponsor parents from my days at the US Naval Academy, kayaked out to meet us. Tricia prepared some wonderful grilled rockfish. Fred and I traded old stories and caught up in the cockpit while Midge and Tricia had a great visit down below. Cary and Ginny spent time with both of their godparents. Midge and Fred have always been easy to spend time with, and I really value all they have done for me, and my family, including my sisters Sue and Beth, whom they have adopted. The party on the raft broke up late as the weather turned a little cold and rainy, and we were able to get a good night's sleep.
First Stop- Bodkin Creek
After the fiasco the day before with me cursing the unlucky charter boat crew for taking 3 hours to up anchor, karma stepped in and slapped me down. As I pumped the handle of my trusty Simpson-Lawrence SeaTiger 555 MANUAL ANCHOR WINDLASS, I heard a "BANG"! Ginny, who was washing down the muddy chain as it came in (with the new super washdown pump!) said "Uh Oh, Dad..." The anchor roller shaft had snapped. At this point, the chain was up and down, with just the anchor buried in the mud. After some head scratching, I decided to have Tricia motor ahead and flip the anchor. This worked well, and I was able to raise the rest of the chain and anchor. Thank god for being in 7-8 feet of water and having a Fortress aluminum anchor. All the holding power, with 40% less weight (my guess). Didn't take us 3 hours to get underway, but another chore to add to the list. Did I mention that I tried to steal the shaft bolt from the other roller only to have the head break off easily? Now I am getting underway with no way to raise the anchor if I need to drop it. Ugh!
Bodkin Creek off the Patapsco River on the way into Baltimore is a fairly unknown destination for sailors. The entrance to the creek requires careful reading of the cruising guide, as there are a series of shoals and a preponderance of crab pots. Having navigated successfully from Seven Foot Shoal to the entrance buoys at the mouth of the creek, I was surprised to see my depth sounder read 4.5 feet. We figure the transducer is 2 feet below the waterline, so depth was 6.5 feet. We officially draw 7 feet, and felt the drag as we slithered through the clay bottom and over the hump. Tricia's Dad, Bob Geisler, owns Geisler Point Marina just inside the entrance on the right, and Cappy (as his grandkids call him) was standing on the pier waiting for us. Unfortunately, a combination of an unusually low tide and recent silting had left his slips without enough water to float Music. We tried mightily to plow our weigh in, and ended up waiting for the tide to unstick us. Bob was clearly disappointed, as he had made plans to be our host for 2 days. We then headed further up the creek to Pleasure Cove Marina.
Pleasure Cove was closed for the night, but there was room and, importantly, adequate water beneath the keel, at the fuel dock. Pleasure Cove has a restaurant, the Cheshire Crab, and Bob treated us to a wonderful dinner and several stories of his adventures in 44 years as a marine contractor/ tugboat skipper on the Chesapeake. The next day, Bob ran us around Pasadena and Glen Burnie to get parts to fix the anchor rollers. As an old boat, the right replacement parts weren't available. So, we jury rigged something with trailer parts and fittings from the most AMAZING old hardware store that had everything. Cary and Ginny worked out at the Pleasure Cove Marina gym, and relaxed. We then had Cappy over for a nice chicken pot pie dinner. The next morning, Cappy came down to see us off at 0730, as we headed up the bay.
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| Geisler Point Marina |
Pleasure Cove was closed for the night, but there was room and, importantly, adequate water beneath the keel, at the fuel dock. Pleasure Cove has a restaurant, the Cheshire Crab, and Bob treated us to a wonderful dinner and several stories of his adventures in 44 years as a marine contractor/ tugboat skipper on the Chesapeake. The next day, Bob ran us around Pasadena and Glen Burnie to get parts to fix the anchor rollers. As an old boat, the right replacement parts weren't available. So, we jury rigged something with trailer parts and fittings from the most AMAZING old hardware store that had everything. Cary and Ginny worked out at the Pleasure Cove Marina gym, and relaxed. We then had Cappy over for a nice chicken pot pie dinner. The next morning, Cappy came down to see us off at 0730, as we headed up the bay.Saturday, August 24, 2013
Pressure Is Off- Time to ReGroup
After returning from Naushon, I contacted DMS for a status on the shaft coupling. All fixed and ready to launch. I was a bit dismayed to be told that removing the broken bolts from the shaft coupling DID NOT require the shaft to be pulled, so I could have saved the haul out, store and launch fees. Live and learn. We scheduled the launch for Tuesday morning, and DMS sent Ernie over to do the shaft alignment. We found that not only was the shaft .005" out (too much!), but the transmission bolts were all loose and the transmission moved when placed in gear. No wonder the coupling bolts had failed. Ernie fixed the transmission housing bolts, replaced and tightened the engine mounts, and aligned the shaft. Now I have spare bolts, and the knowledge of how to fix it if it happens again. Not that I want it to happen again. Several knowledgeable sailors have quipped that once you buy that obscure spare part, it will never break again. Here's hoping they are right.
After a quick trip to Fawcetts Marine Supply, Tricia, Cary and I motored over to Kent Island and anchored in Shipping Creek in front of Tricia's parents house (and only 1/4 mile from our house). We have access to Francis's boat to run back and forth from anchor with supplies, showers, and TV for the kids. Really a nice setup. So we took advantage. During the drive down from the Cape, Tricia and I had put together a two page list of projects to make the boat even more ready for the big trip, and to get the house rented. Renting the house was a big weight hanging over our heads. The cruising kitty doesn't survive long if we don't rent the house. Luckily, we had several promising showings and the soon had a contract starting August 1st! So, the die is cast. We are homeless!
We enjoyed two nice weeks in Shipping Creek. The weather has been FANTASTIC! Not hot and humid. Cool sleeping weather. Light and variable winds. No rain. Cary and Ginny were also able to join Tricia's parents at ocean at Bethany Beach with their cousins, Harriet and Lilly Starr. Tricia and I stayed home and worked on the boat and last minute items. We got to spend time testing systems, learning what works, and what doesn't. A sudden downpour identified numerous leaks in the cabin that took 2-3 days and a good deal of WEST SYSTEM to repair. But now they are fixed (mostly). A thunderstorm two days ago gave me a chance to shower in the cockpit (instead of the salon). It also had me wondering if our CQR is big enough. However, what I thought was dragging was more likely the anchor pulling loose and resettting itself as the squall winds were from the north, and we had set the anchor to the south. Did I mention that Shipping Creek is fairly small and pretty shallow. We were very happy to find a hole that had 7-8 feet of water. Always good to know you have 6" of water under the keel.
Finally, all appeared ready and we made plans to leave on August 14th. Then, during the night, the wind picked up and rain started. Normally, no problem. But I woke up at 3 am to the sound of the wind outside and suddenly thought of the charter boat that had anchored near us. Unused to neighbors in Shipping Creek, I went on deck to check Music's swing circle to be sure we weren't too close. Glad I did. Our neighbors were now a boat length to windward of us. Standing in a cool rain on the bow in my gym shorts, I watched as they got closer with every gust. I hailed them, and after awhile, someone came on deck. (Side note: when they woke up and turned on a flashlight, I could see it- THROUGH THE HULL! Guess the make of the boat.) They acknowledged they were dragging and said they would move. It then took them 3 HOURS to raise their anchor! Either unfamiliar with the charter boat, or a problem with the windlass. Either way, Tricia and I didn't get anymore sleep as we veered more chain, and used the motor to steer away from them as their swing moved them too close to us. So, come dawn, we slept in and were too late to leave and make our intended destination by nightfall. Pat and Francis graciously hosted us for another goodbye lunch. Then an early bedtime and underway Thursday morning for Bodkin Creek.
After a quick trip to Fawcetts Marine Supply, Tricia, Cary and I motored over to Kent Island and anchored in Shipping Creek in front of Tricia's parents house (and only 1/4 mile from our house). We have access to Francis's boat to run back and forth from anchor with supplies, showers, and TV for the kids. Really a nice setup. So we took advantage. During the drive down from the Cape, Tricia and I had put together a two page list of projects to make the boat even more ready for the big trip, and to get the house rented. Renting the house was a big weight hanging over our heads. The cruising kitty doesn't survive long if we don't rent the house. Luckily, we had several promising showings and the soon had a contract starting August 1st! So, the die is cast. We are homeless!
We enjoyed two nice weeks in Shipping Creek. The weather has been FANTASTIC! Not hot and humid. Cool sleeping weather. Light and variable winds. No rain. Cary and Ginny were also able to join Tricia's parents at ocean at Bethany Beach with their cousins, Harriet and Lilly Starr. Tricia and I stayed home and worked on the boat and last minute items. We got to spend time testing systems, learning what works, and what doesn't. A sudden downpour identified numerous leaks in the cabin that took 2-3 days and a good deal of WEST SYSTEM to repair. But now they are fixed (mostly). A thunderstorm two days ago gave me a chance to shower in the cockpit (instead of the salon). It also had me wondering if our CQR is big enough. However, what I thought was dragging was more likely the anchor pulling loose and resettting itself as the squall winds were from the north, and we had set the anchor to the south. Did I mention that Shipping Creek is fairly small and pretty shallow. We were very happy to find a hole that had 7-8 feet of water. Always good to know you have 6" of water under the keel.
Finally, all appeared ready and we made plans to leave on August 14th. Then, during the night, the wind picked up and rain started. Normally, no problem. But I woke up at 3 am to the sound of the wind outside and suddenly thought of the charter boat that had anchored near us. Unused to neighbors in Shipping Creek, I went on deck to check Music's swing circle to be sure we weren't too close. Glad I did. Our neighbors were now a boat length to windward of us. Standing in a cool rain on the bow in my gym shorts, I watched as they got closer with every gust. I hailed them, and after awhile, someone came on deck. (Side note: when they woke up and turned on a flashlight, I could see it- THROUGH THE HULL! Guess the make of the boat.) They acknowledged they were dragging and said they would move. It then took them 3 HOURS to raise their anchor! Either unfamiliar with the charter boat, or a problem with the windlass. Either way, Tricia and I didn't get anymore sleep as we veered more chain, and used the motor to steer away from them as their swing moved them too close to us. So, come dawn, we slept in and were too late to leave and make our intended destination by nightfall. Pat and Francis graciously hosted us for another goodbye lunch. Then an early bedtime and underway Thursday morning for Bodkin Creek.
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