EPILOGUE:
The conditions we were operating under and my being sea sick the first 2 days did not allow me to write as much as I would have liked to at the time, thus the reason for this epilogue. I hope to add here a little depth and explanations to the daily blogs.
Day 1 -- November 6, 2013
The decision to go North to enter an East going eddy in the Gulf Stream was a mistake. The extra distance and slow entry to the Gulf Stream cost us at least 1 day travel time. This tactic looked so good in the Animations of the Gulf Stream that Chris Parker showed us in the webinar discussions.
The east going eddy was there but the seas were very confused with pyramid shaped waves. The waves proved to be rough but not too high, generally in the 6 – 8 foot range. A good part of the time we transited this area was at night when we had no visibility so I don’t know how high the waves were then. Occasionally a rogue wave would hit us on the beam and cascade water under the skirts of the enclosure getting us a little wet, but it was warm water.
In retrospect now we really should have just gone straight out from Beaufort Inlet and crossed the Gulf Stream in a straight line fashion and taken whatever northing the Gulf Stream gave us.
Day 2 -- November 7, 2013
I was still feeling Mal de mar but not incapacitated. I stood my watches and took my turns at the helm but volunteered for no more. We just slogged across the Gulf Stream and found the South going eddy and started South just as the winds clocked to the North. We were able to exit the Gulf Stream before the waves built too high due to the North wind.
It was difficult to determine when we left the Gulf Stream because the water temps never dropped below 78 degrees. In fact, we carried an average of 78 degree water temp all the way to Tortola were the temp rose to 82 degrees. That’s a lot of very warm water still in the Atlantic in mid-November.
Day 3 -- November 8, 2013
During the night we saw some Rally boats on the AIS display on the Chart Plotter. One was as close as 5 nm but we didn’t get a visual. Until now I didn’t think an AIS transponder belonged on a sail boat but after this ocean passage I’m convinced that it is really necessary to have to aid in avoiding collision at sea when sailing at night.
The moon has been low on the horizon these first few days and sets before 9:30pm. So the nights are very dark. It is an act of trust and hope (we don’t hit anything) that we sail through the night and not being able to see anything but lights on another vessel. AIS and Radar are very nice tools for night sailing.
Day 4 -- November 9, 2013
We troubleshot the Marine VHF but to no avail – it was dead. The night before someone had accidentally kicked the command Mic plug in the cockpit and broke the housing. I suspect some wires in the connector had shorted and caused the VHF to fail.
We also troubleshot the water maker. We found that if we took all weigh off then it would start and run but once we got underway it would shut down – sucked air. Oh well we thought we had enough water to complete the trip.
Day 5 -- November 10, 2013
The day was marked with apprehension about the weather forecast of a Gale center that that might develop near us. We concentrated on getting as far South as quickly as possible today.
Day 6 -- November 11, 2013
This was a GREAT sailing day. We really enjoyed the respite.
One thing I noticed now that things were calmer is I have virtually no short term memory. I would read the weather forecast e-mail from Chris Parker on the computer at the nav bench and by the time I had gone to the cockpit – just 5 steps away – I had forgotten the details. I think and hope that this is associated with the sleep deprivation I’m experiencing. I can get no more than 4 hours of uninterrupted sleep at a time.
Day 7 -- November 12, 2013
Finally after days of dragging the fishing hand lines we had a fish on! It was a Mahi Mahi. Beautiful. This really added a ZING to the trip and the eating was GREAT.
Today we found that it was increasingly difficult to make connections via the SSB to WINLINK stations on the US coast. We are more than 700 miles from the coast now. We are on our OWN!!
Up till now we have been pretty much able to connect any time of the day. Now we can get connections but only during two time intervals per day. Usually between 6am – 9am and 4pm till 8pm.
Day 8 -- November 13, 2013
Pretty uneventful. Just a nice sailing day in warm temps making good distance to our destination.
Day 9 -- November 14, 2013
Just another day of travel. Kind of monotonous now. We just take turns at the helm and watch the miles tick by.
Day 10 -- November 15, 2013
WOW what a night. We caught up to that stalled cold Front that passed over us the day before yesterday and now we have to sail through it. Unfortunately it has grown and Chris Parker says it is 100 miles wide now. Great – a full day of travel through strong North winds, clouds, and frequent squalls. I’ve never done this before while coastal cruising. I would like to be somewhere else right now but we just have to slug this out.
Day 11 -- November 16, 2013
We didn’t find the trade winds at 24 degrees north. The cold front had upset them. We had to drop to 22 degrees North before we finally found then and then the living was easy – or so we thought. That night the sailing was great. The Autopilot handled it easily and we took two and half hour shifts allowing the others to get caught up on some much needed sleep. Looked like easy sailing from here on.
Day 12 -- November 17, 2013
Last night around 5pm we saw squalls pop up all around us. It was not a good night. We had squalls and strong winds with building seas all night long. To compound the uncomfortable sailing conditions the AIS showed at least 3 boats within 10 miles of us and we had no visuals on them.
It was tough. We expected a better night but it didn’t come. Bob and Mona had the worst shift with the strongest winds till midnight. I took it till 2:30am and then Steve took it till 5am when Bob and Mona came back.
During Steve’s shift the lights of Tortola showed and then the weather moderated and it was a nice sail into Sopers Hole by 8am. We were all in the cockpit to greet the very welcome arrival.
We took a slip at the Sopers Hole marina to gather our wits, connect to the free WiFi, and take a LONG HOT Shower on land.
Well like the Bahamas , not all is as advertised. The WiFI had been down for more than a week, and the Marina Shower – men’s at least – did NOT work. Oh well the food mart was open with good stocks and the Restaurants served great food.
Welcome to the BVIs.
Tuesday, December 10, 2013
Sunday, November 17, 2013
Arrived Kicking and Screaming
No we did not have a new born baby. It was our entry to the BVI. Mother nature was not going to go easy on us.
After yesterday's HALCYON blog the weather turned very ugly. We had squalls to the right, squalls to the left, squalls in front and behind. It started around 4:30pm and dogged us till about 2am then moderated a bit.
Ohhh how disappointing. We really expected a great night like the previous but did not get it. Oh well with just 75 miles of ocean sailing ahead we plugged along.
We saw the lights of Tortola around 3:45am. Ohh what a welcome site. They say you can smell the land after being at sea for several days. I think I did. I had a strong smell of spicy chicken soup and no one was cooking.
We arrived at Sopers Hole or better known as West End around 8am. We tied temporarily to a mooring ball and greeted our safe arrival with an ice cold Heinenken. Hey when you have been traveling all night it's never too early for a beer.
We cleared the deck and dumped the dinghy back in the water. Bob headed to customs to clear us in so we could get off the boat.
Once completed we headed to the dock and took a slip. We were right in front of the harbor grocery store and a Pusser's bar. I'm drinking a Pusser's Pain Killer while I write this tonight. The rest of the crew has already gone to bed. I mean it was either a trip to BOMBA SHACK for the full moon party or go to bed at 8:30pm -- you can tell how tired we all are.
It's been a great trip and with about 1400 Sea miles I am now an official Blue Water Sailor.
More anecdotes to follow now that we have arrived and the boat is not demanding so much attention.
After yesterday's HALCYON blog the weather turned very ugly. We had squalls to the right, squalls to the left, squalls in front and behind. It started around 4:30pm and dogged us till about 2am then moderated a bit.
Ohhh how disappointing. We really expected a great night like the previous but did not get it. Oh well with just 75 miles of ocean sailing ahead we plugged along.
We saw the lights of Tortola around 3:45am. Ohh what a welcome site. They say you can smell the land after being at sea for several days. I think I did. I had a strong smell of spicy chicken soup and no one was cooking.
We arrived at Sopers Hole or better known as West End around 8am. We tied temporarily to a mooring ball and greeted our safe arrival with an ice cold Heinenken. Hey when you have been traveling all night it's never too early for a beer.
We cleared the deck and dumped the dinghy back in the water. Bob headed to customs to clear us in so we could get off the boat.
Once completed we headed to the dock and took a slip. We were right in front of the harbor grocery store and a Pusser's bar. I'm drinking a Pusser's Pain Killer while I write this tonight. The rest of the crew has already gone to bed. I mean it was either a trip to BOMBA SHACK for the full moon party or go to bed at 8:30pm -- you can tell how tired we all are.
It's been a great trip and with about 1400 Sea miles I am now an official Blue Water Sailor.
More anecdotes to follow now that we have arrived and the boat is not demanding so much attention.
Saturday, November 16, 2013
Halcyon Days -- almost
WOW making great progress towards Tortola. Motor sailed all night and most of the morning.
Life is good - nice breeze, mild swells, and favorable wind direction. We are just ticking the miles off to Tortola.
Here it is 4:58PM AST and we are 81 miles from destination. Should make it by tomorrow morning if the gremlins let us.
Today while motoring the engine quit. Troubleshooting found that the return valves were crossed and all the return fuel went into the wrong tank. Corrected that and the engine fired right up but the winds were favorable so we shut it off and went under sail completely.
This afternoon we hooked one fish but it broke the leader. Then when I quit my shift I went below and heard a thumping sound. I investigated and found the free wheeling prop shaft had picked up some trash (Plastics being saved till we land) and wound around the shaft coupler. We cleared that and while doing it shifted to reverse to stop the shaft rotation. Once cleared we could not shift forward -- too much reverse pressure on the shaft without the engine turning. We heaved to and got the shifter free. We started the engine went forward and one of our fishing 150 lb test lines broke -- wrapped around the prop. Well I don't think it will hurt since the prop shaft is still turning free. Too much motion in these 6 foot swells to safely dive on unless absolutely necessary
We are still sailing along and will only run the engine if necessary.
If no more issues we should make Soper's Hole in Tortola sometime late morning tomorrow.
I'm ready to sight land and kiss the earth..
Life is good - nice breeze, mild swells, and favorable wind direction. We are just ticking the miles off to Tortola.
Here it is 4:58PM AST and we are 81 miles from destination. Should make it by tomorrow morning if the gremlins let us.
Today while motoring the engine quit. Troubleshooting found that the return valves were crossed and all the return fuel went into the wrong tank. Corrected that and the engine fired right up but the winds were favorable so we shut it off and went under sail completely.
This afternoon we hooked one fish but it broke the leader. Then when I quit my shift I went below and heard a thumping sound. I investigated and found the free wheeling prop shaft had picked up some trash (Plastics being saved till we land) and wound around the shaft coupler. We cleared that and while doing it shifted to reverse to stop the shaft rotation. Once cleared we could not shift forward -- too much reverse pressure on the shaft without the engine turning. We heaved to and got the shifter free. We started the engine went forward and one of our fishing 150 lb test lines broke -- wrapped around the prop. Well I don't think it will hurt since the prop shaft is still turning free. Too much motion in these 6 foot swells to safely dive on unless absolutely necessary
We are still sailing along and will only run the engine if necessary.
If no more issues we should make Soper's Hole in Tortola sometime late morning tomorrow.
I'm ready to sight land and kiss the earth..
Friday, November 15, 2013
FOUND --Back door to a Cold Front
What a rough night we had. That cold front that passed us the day before stalled and now we have to go through it again only slower.
We sailed through it last night and it was surreal. The winds were 25-30 kts with gusts to 38. We had both sails reefed and set. We virtually flew through the waves. We maintained speeds in excess of 7 kts with bursts to 10. We had a narrow wind angle to maintain so it was all hand steered. It was a white knuckle operation in the dark with frequent rain squalls. We traded the helm every hour.
This morning was still bad till around 9am then it cleared and the wind dropped. We have been motoring since 11 am with calming seas.
We will enter the trade wind belt soon. We can see those fluffy clouds in the distance.
Should be a nice night motor sailing in the moonlight finally.
Sail ON!
We sailed through it last night and it was surreal. The winds were 25-30 kts with gusts to 38. We had both sails reefed and set. We virtually flew through the waves. We maintained speeds in excess of 7 kts with bursts to 10. We had a narrow wind angle to maintain so it was all hand steered. It was a white knuckle operation in the dark with frequent rain squalls. We traded the helm every hour.
This morning was still bad till around 9am then it cleared and the wind dropped. We have been motoring since 11 am with calming seas.
We will enter the trade wind belt soon. We can see those fluffy clouds in the distance.
Should be a nice night motor sailing in the moonlight finally.
Sail ON!
Thursday, November 14, 2013
More Sailing
The front came through last night and we had a squally night. The wind finally clocked to N-NE at 25-30 with gusts to 35.
That's a lot of wind but on the ocean not to bad. We have been sailing today at 6+ kts with spurts to 8,9, even 11 knots. Today will be the day we make the most miles.
Unfortunately that front that went over last night stalled at 24 north an we must now sail through it again. Winds will be light on the other side but boy we have had the rain today.
We don't mind because all the miles made good are bringing us closer to Tortola at 18N.
Once we hit 24 north the trade winds should kick in and hopefully the ride will be easier.
We also cross the Tropic of Cancer and officially enter the TROPICS!!! Yeah!!
That's a lot of wind but on the ocean not to bad. We have been sailing today at 6+ kts with spurts to 8,9, even 11 knots. Today will be the day we make the most miles.
Unfortunately that front that went over last night stalled at 24 north an we must now sail through it again. Winds will be light on the other side but boy we have had the rain today.
We don't mind because all the miles made good are bringing us closer to Tortola at 18N.
Once we hit 24 north the trade winds should kick in and hopefully the ride will be easier.
We also cross the Tropic of Cancer and officially enter the TROPICS!!! Yeah!!
Sail Day
The night was rife with squalls. Nothing severe but we had to negotiate them.
Today we had solid wind and made great progress South and east. We hit the magic 65 Longitude so it's a straight ride to Tortola from here once the winds clock to the NE-E. Right now it is all SW.
The waves are a little confused and we take some spray in the cockpit -- feels good since the water temp is 80 and the air temp is 85.
No fish today but maybe tomorrow.
Everything well aboard. No crew complaints except bruises -- captains a brute... Kidding
Today we had solid wind and made great progress South and east. We hit the magic 65 Longitude so it's a straight ride to Tortola from here once the winds clock to the NE-E. Right now it is all SW.
The waves are a little confused and we take some spray in the cockpit -- feels good since the water temp is 80 and the air temp is 85.
No fish today but maybe tomorrow.
Everything well aboard. No crew complaints except bruises -- captains a brute... Kidding
Wednesday, November 13, 2013
Mahi Mahi -- Fish ON
Yes we caught fish today. Four in fact all dolphin Tuna. We kept 2 and threw the rest back. We are hand fishing with 150 lb test line and funky lures.
We had a fine dinner of fresh Mahi and Asian Salad.
We had a rough night sailing and little sleep. Today we motored awhile and then finally sailed and sailed briskly till dark/dinner.
We had to shorten sail before dark because squalls were predicted.
Progress is good but a little slower than expected.
The SSB email is connecting with difficulty. We are more than 700 miles from Florida and the ground stations we use.
If we can't post our position directly then check the rally site for updates. This blog may not be updated everyday too until we arrive but I will try.
We had a fine dinner of fresh Mahi and Asian Salad.
We had a rough night sailing and little sleep. Today we motored awhile and then finally sailed and sailed briskly till dark/dinner.
We had to shorten sail before dark because squalls were predicted.
Progress is good but a little slower than expected.
The SSB email is connecting with difficulty. We are more than 700 miles from Florida and the ground stations we use.
If we can't post our position directly then check the rally site for updates. This blog may not be updated everyday too until we arrive but I will try.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)