Hopefully we’ll go into the water tomorrow (Monday). Painting the hull bottom was an excruciating job. The paint is nasty and very expensive. You don’t dare make a mistake or it’s costly. My total for bottom paint comes to $950. That does not include the other equipment and materials, or the sanding. Two years ago it was well over $3000 so it paid to do it ourselves. I think??? I can’t imagine doing it again though. We are both sore and tired of it. Colleen had quite a reaction to the solvent she used for cleanup.
I hope the stuffing box project goes smoothly tomorrow. There’s a few other incidentals before we plop into the water and sail off somewhere for a few days of rest. We plan to be in our permanent slip next Saturday, June 13th. We’ll begin stripping the deck and securing things next Sunday. The dinghy will be tied down on the bow. I’m leaving the boat in the good hands of Denis James while I’m gone. He’s not cheap either. Who is? But at least I’ll know the boat will be watched and taken care of if a major hurricane comes this way.
Can’t wait to head home to good old Twin Lakes!!!
Sunday, June 7, 2009
Thursday, June 4, 2009
June 6, 2009 – Independent Boat Yard, St Thomas, USVI
The hard work has begun. We pulled up to the Independent Boat Yard on Monday morning to have YOLO hoisted from the water for service. We were sitting on the hard (as they call it) around noon that day. Having the boat out of the water accommodates a number of hull related projects, including repainting the bottom. This needs to be done at least every other year, sometimes more.
I rented the power sander with a vacuum attachment on Tuesday and started grinding the bottom by 9:30AM. It is extremely hard work. I’m paying for the rental sander by the day so my goal is to finish as soon as possible. It didn’t take long to confirm that it would not be a one-day job. My bottom was in poor condition for a couple of reasons. Prior hull service has been done with local help, which means, you get what you pay for. These guys don’t really care about doing a thorough job. So the bottom had a build up of blisters and clumps, etc.
I also found out that the particular kind of bottom paint used in the islands is specific for the salinity of the local salt water. It’s not good for the Chesapeake and it should not sit out of the water very long.
By the middle of day two, grinding upside down, sideways, and every position imaginable, the 15-pound sander felt like 50-pounds. I didn’t know if I would be able to finish but I did. I started at 6:30AM on the second day and was so shot by days end that I was asleep before sunset. Talk about sore. I also had a bit of a reaction to the surface paint. It caused my skin to burn and itch. I had to load up with Benaodryl to sleep.
I had an additional problem with the keel of the boat. A large section of gelcoat and fiberglass had delaminated and fallen off somewhere between Annapolis and here. It’s kind of like losing a piece of skin off of the boat. I can now explain why it happened. My sump box had a crack in it. My bilge pump is located in a sump box, which is the lowest point in the hull of the boat, and where the hull meets the keel. My sump box drops down into the keel and is shielded from outside seawater by a thin layer of fiberglass and gelcoat. Once a crack appeared in the box, however long ago that was, water from my bilge could leak in behind this protective skin of the keel. It finally forced a 12 x 12-inch piece of skin to fall off. Now, outside water could actually push its way back into my boat. This explains why my bilge pump had been kicking on every 20-minutes or so. That’s been a mystery for some time.
I started out clueless about all these problems. My plan was to have a fiberglass guy come in and do repairs. After realizing my low priority status for his service work, I started picking away at it myself. Today, I finished the job. The skin is back on the keel and the crack in the sump box is no more. Those days of cracking up snowmobiles 40-years ago and doing fiberglass repairs has paid off.
Just a bit of caulking to do yet today and then Colleen and I will put a primer coat on tomorrow. Then they’ll be two more coats of this special Micron 66 paint to finish it off.
Colleen has been doing major deck work over the last few days. She has polished all the chrome and re-varnished all the deck wood. She’s working her way through the interior as well, including NEW TOILET SEATS.
Our schedule on dry dock now will be determined by the expedited delivery of a new stuffing box for the propeller shaft. This has been ordered from the states and will hopefully arrive Friday or Monday. Naturally, mine has to be an odd ball. I’m having this work by the machine shop here but I’m anxious to watch the process and help.
Bored yet, I am. Time to guit and go caulk.
I rented the power sander with a vacuum attachment on Tuesday and started grinding the bottom by 9:30AM. It is extremely hard work. I’m paying for the rental sander by the day so my goal is to finish as soon as possible. It didn’t take long to confirm that it would not be a one-day job. My bottom was in poor condition for a couple of reasons. Prior hull service has been done with local help, which means, you get what you pay for. These guys don’t really care about doing a thorough job. So the bottom had a build up of blisters and clumps, etc.
I also found out that the particular kind of bottom paint used in the islands is specific for the salinity of the local salt water. It’s not good for the Chesapeake and it should not sit out of the water very long.
By the middle of day two, grinding upside down, sideways, and every position imaginable, the 15-pound sander felt like 50-pounds. I didn’t know if I would be able to finish but I did. I started at 6:30AM on the second day and was so shot by days end that I was asleep before sunset. Talk about sore. I also had a bit of a reaction to the surface paint. It caused my skin to burn and itch. I had to load up with Benaodryl to sleep.
I had an additional problem with the keel of the boat. A large section of gelcoat and fiberglass had delaminated and fallen off somewhere between Annapolis and here. It’s kind of like losing a piece of skin off of the boat. I can now explain why it happened. My sump box had a crack in it. My bilge pump is located in a sump box, which is the lowest point in the hull of the boat, and where the hull meets the keel. My sump box drops down into the keel and is shielded from outside seawater by a thin layer of fiberglass and gelcoat. Once a crack appeared in the box, however long ago that was, water from my bilge could leak in behind this protective skin of the keel. It finally forced a 12 x 12-inch piece of skin to fall off. Now, outside water could actually push its way back into my boat. This explains why my bilge pump had been kicking on every 20-minutes or so. That’s been a mystery for some time.
I started out clueless about all these problems. My plan was to have a fiberglass guy come in and do repairs. After realizing my low priority status for his service work, I started picking away at it myself. Today, I finished the job. The skin is back on the keel and the crack in the sump box is no more. Those days of cracking up snowmobiles 40-years ago and doing fiberglass repairs has paid off.
Just a bit of caulking to do yet today and then Colleen and I will put a primer coat on tomorrow. Then they’ll be two more coats of this special Micron 66 paint to finish it off.
Colleen has been doing major deck work over the last few days. She has polished all the chrome and re-varnished all the deck wood. She’s working her way through the interior as well, including NEW TOILET SEATS.
Our schedule on dry dock now will be determined by the expedited delivery of a new stuffing box for the propeller shaft. This has been ordered from the states and will hopefully arrive Friday or Monday. Naturally, mine has to be an odd ball. I’m having this work by the machine shop here but I’m anxious to watch the process and help.
Bored yet, I am. Time to guit and go caulk.
Sunday, May 31, 2009
May 30, 2009 - St John
We are currently in Lienster Bay (St John) enjoying the sunrise. Last night was movie night on YOLO. We watched, “The Alphabet Killer”. Both of us are ready to get the job here done and get back to Iowa. I finished waxing the hull yesterday and Colleen got her first coat of varnish on the deck rails. I purchased a cordless buffer from Sears before leaving Iowa. Wow, what a great tool. The rechargeable lithium battery works continuous for a good 1-1/2 hours at a time. By then I’m shot anyway and look forward to the 45-minute charge. Colleen has also been micro cleaning down below. No matter how watertight you think the boat is, salt water will find its way inside when you sail it like a submarine.
We have a busy week coming up on Monday. I’m scheduled to be outhauled at the “Independent Boat Yard” in the morning. The clock will start ticking with a daily charge on dry dock, and the rental of a their power sander. I’ve asked for a shop opinion on a couple of hull issues that might require a professional repair. Once the hull is cleaned, repaired, sanded and primed, we’ll do the bottom paint at $300 per gallon. I guess mine will take two. I have no idea how long it will take to turn the boat around and get it back into the water. I’ll probably have an idea by Monday night.
We have a busy week coming up on Monday. I’m scheduled to be outhauled at the “Independent Boat Yard” in the morning. The clock will start ticking with a daily charge on dry dock, and the rental of a their power sander. I’ve asked for a shop opinion on a couple of hull issues that might require a professional repair. Once the hull is cleaned, repaired, sanded and primed, we’ll do the bottom paint at $300 per gallon. I guess mine will take two. I have no idea how long it will take to turn the boat around and get it back into the water. I’ll probably have an idea by Monday night.
Tuesday, May 26, 2009
UPDATE
I have made flight reservations to return to Iowa on June 16, 2009. It was hard to decide on dates. I don't dare make them to early but we would really like to get home.
May 26, 2009 - Virgin Gorda
We've been piddling and fiddling while trying to enjoy the island return. We left St Thomas a few days ago. Spent a night in Lienster Bay on St John, then hit Customs and Norman Island the next day. Actually two days there before heading to Virgin Gorda yesterday.
My major project is complete. The front water tank is repaired for the 5th time. The first two times were done by VIP Yacht Charters. They re-welded some seams. My problem is corrosion on this stainless steel tank from the inside out. I am using a product called JB Weld, which I swear by. It's a pretty pricey product that is essentially liquid metal. My two previous repairs under tough conditions were down island during the 2008 Adventure trip. The first one, I used a inferior product do to availability. It didn't work well. The second repair was limited by availability of JB Weld so I was not as thorough as I would have liked. This time, I have been buying up JB Weld everywhere we've been to ensure that I could cover the perimeter of the tank. It took two boxes of the commercial size JB Weld at $28 each but I glopped that stuff on everywhere I could get too. It's normally a two day job but I did it in one. The front cabin was totally torn up and all its components stacked in the galley. So the entire boat was a mess. My tank lifting rig consists of, back and forth hoisting steps using a spare halyard line. The boat winches do the lifting. As the tank raises, I secure separate safety lines. It's all very time consuming. Since its my third time, I was able to do it in 8 long hours. I can only hope I don't have to deal with it again. But I have my doubts. The tank is too large to remove and replace without huge expense.
We're tackling other little projects. Our next big one will be June 1. YOLO will be outhauled and placed in dry dock while we service the hull. It's in really bad shape and might require some outside services to repair some delamination of the gelcoat. Otherwise, Colleen and I will be renting tools to clean and re-coat the botton. I'm not sure how many days this will involve.
Are you bored yet? I also need to replace the "stuffing box". This is the thru-hull assembly for the propeller drive shaft. At this point, I do not know if I will have the tools for this or whether I'll need to hire it done.
My major project is complete. The front water tank is repaired for the 5th time. The first two times were done by VIP Yacht Charters. They re-welded some seams. My problem is corrosion on this stainless steel tank from the inside out. I am using a product called JB Weld, which I swear by. It's a pretty pricey product that is essentially liquid metal. My two previous repairs under tough conditions were down island during the 2008 Adventure trip. The first one, I used a inferior product do to availability. It didn't work well. The second repair was limited by availability of JB Weld so I was not as thorough as I would have liked. This time, I have been buying up JB Weld everywhere we've been to ensure that I could cover the perimeter of the tank. It took two boxes of the commercial size JB Weld at $28 each but I glopped that stuff on everywhere I could get too. It's normally a two day job but I did it in one. The front cabin was totally torn up and all its components stacked in the galley. So the entire boat was a mess. My tank lifting rig consists of, back and forth hoisting steps using a spare halyard line. The boat winches do the lifting. As the tank raises, I secure separate safety lines. It's all very time consuming. Since its my third time, I was able to do it in 8 long hours. I can only hope I don't have to deal with it again. But I have my doubts. The tank is too large to remove and replace without huge expense.
We're tackling other little projects. Our next big one will be June 1. YOLO will be outhauled and placed in dry dock while we service the hull. It's in really bad shape and might require some outside services to repair some delamination of the gelcoat. Otherwise, Colleen and I will be renting tools to clean and re-coat the botton. I'm not sure how many days this will involve.
Are you bored yet? I also need to replace the "stuffing box". This is the thru-hull assembly for the propeller drive shaft. At this point, I do not know if I will have the tools for this or whether I'll need to hire it done.
Friday, May 22, 2009
May 13 through May 19, 2009 - 851 miles - St John
I don’t know where to begin sharing the story of our trip from Provo (Turks and Caicos) to St John, USVI. We traveled a total of 851 miles including tacks for the 550-mile journey. Most of the lost miles were at the beginning of the trip before we caught a reasonable ENE wind that took us to the SW for a solid three days. We almost made it all the way to the Virgin Islands without a final tack. The whole trip took 5-1/2 days, which is not bad at all.
We had very strong 25 to 30 mph winds to start with. I had reefed the main and it stayed that way for the first 2 days. I don’t tack as well when I’m reefed so this contributed to some excessive miles. We were tacking tight the entire way. This makes for a very grueling trip. The seas were pretty rough most of the time with 15 to 20 foot crests. The boat saw lots of drenchings and slamming over the seas. We both slept on deck and were in rain gear most all of the time.
The throttle linkage failed about 40 miles into the trip. So this left us with limited engine use. I did some basic checking to see if the problem was an easy fix and determined it wasn’t. At least not easy while under these kinds of sailing conditions. Fortunately, I was able to rev the rpm’s enough manually in the engine compartment for the alternator to kick in and keep the batteries up. On day 4-1/2, I decided to clamp the throttle with vise grips, at the engine, and run at 2000 rpm's the remainder of the trip. This helped us keep a tighter tack and an extra 10% on speed.
My new hand held VHF radio, which has been a godsend, failed on us. Our onboard VHF radio antenna broke and fell off a couple weeks ago. So we now have no communications.
I wish I could describe the physical dynamics of the boat motion. You are not only healing an average of 45 degrees at all times, you are also going up and down and side to side. There’s not always consistency as to which way you’re going to pitch. You never know when the rogue wave will strike the side or the unusually high crest or deep trough will send a wall of water over the bow.
I have to hand it to Colleen for managing to put meals together. Everything tastes good out there so it never mattered what it was. But it usually involved pots and pans and stove cooking. The stove is on a swivel so it always remains flat even when the boat is healed at 45 degrees. Which was the entire trip. The hard part is physically navigating yourself around the boat without losing your grip or slipping on the floor. You really can get seriously hurt. There’s so much opportunity for injury. Everything is a major effort. Just contemplating and working up the motivation to reach 5-feet across the boat for a water bottle is a major time consuming ordeal.
We had another rare circumstance where we crossed paths with a large vessel. This one really caught me off guard. It seems you can go for days without seeing land or vessels and then, low and behold, two come together, hundreds of miles off shore in the middle of nowhere. This situation was at about 11PM. The vessel was large and well lit, but I had dozed off. My watch alarm is set for 15-minute wakeup calls for this reason. The alarm went off and when I opened my eyes, there it was crossing our bow. Panic set in of course because at first, you don’t know whether it sees you or not, or which direction it is traveling. The moon had not appeared yet and our little green and red bow lights pale in comparison to the display on this thing. It took a good fifteen seconds, which seemed like an eternity, to confirm that we were out of danger.
This is what I surmised about the vessel incident. I did see a very distance glow directly off our bow in the horizon at my last visual scan. However, I saw the same glow about the same time the night before and it turned out to be the moonrise. So I discounted it, but I’m pretty sure I was wrong. The moon didn’t rise until sometime after our confrontation. Once we were all clear of this vessel, it took a direct course off of our stern. This tells me were actually on a parallel course with this boat in opposite directions. That means this boat had made an evasive maneuver to avoid a possible collision. It was perpendicular off the bow less than 100 yards when I first saw it. Then it turned back to the opposite parallel course. A large spot light kicked in on the deck of the vessel and shined our way as it went off in the distance. Had we had a working radio, I’m sure we would have heard some choice words. Which would have been very deserving. And that’s the understatement of the year.
We arrived in Caneel Bay off of St John around 3PM of May 18th. The engine would do us know good at this point since I had no control of the throttle. So we picked up a mooring ball under sail. I hadn’t done that before but I pretty much knew how. It took three tries but so what. I knew we could do it. It’s hard to fathom the dilemmas that could have evolved had we been in the Bahamas, or Turks and Caicos islands when this engine problem occurred. This is when I decided that this form of sailing is no longer an adventure. It’s just plain nuts. The Bahamas are simply unapproachable without an engine. Particular if you are unfamiliar with them as I am. It’s typical to have to motor several miles in 6 to 10 feet of water, only under high tide, through narrow reef cuts and channel markers. The approach routs aren’t there for sailboats that have to tack. So what do you do without and engine AND without a radio?? Beats the hell out of me. But I guarantee, I would have figured out something.
To sum up, I’m not doing this again. I’m not even to the stage where I can say, I’m glad I did it once for the experience. It will take some time to get to that point. This was a very hard trip. I felt really bad at times for even subjecting Colleen to this insanity. I can’t imagine what her blog will say about it? Right now, I’m just glad were home in the Virgin Islands.
My throttle cable turned out to be broken at the shifter lever end. I was able to pull the 18-feet of cable and jacket out, buy a new one off the shelf in a marine store, and install it the next day. We are back in business and now located in Red Hook, St Thomas. I’ve made a parts run to support several projects. We plan to go off to a quiet bay and get to work for a few days. I have a billion new topics to write about regarding work scopes we face. But those could get boring.
We had very strong 25 to 30 mph winds to start with. I had reefed the main and it stayed that way for the first 2 days. I don’t tack as well when I’m reefed so this contributed to some excessive miles. We were tacking tight the entire way. This makes for a very grueling trip. The seas were pretty rough most of the time with 15 to 20 foot crests. The boat saw lots of drenchings and slamming over the seas. We both slept on deck and were in rain gear most all of the time.
The throttle linkage failed about 40 miles into the trip. So this left us with limited engine use. I did some basic checking to see if the problem was an easy fix and determined it wasn’t. At least not easy while under these kinds of sailing conditions. Fortunately, I was able to rev the rpm’s enough manually in the engine compartment for the alternator to kick in and keep the batteries up. On day 4-1/2, I decided to clamp the throttle with vise grips, at the engine, and run at 2000 rpm's the remainder of the trip. This helped us keep a tighter tack and an extra 10% on speed.
My new hand held VHF radio, which has been a godsend, failed on us. Our onboard VHF radio antenna broke and fell off a couple weeks ago. So we now have no communications.
I wish I could describe the physical dynamics of the boat motion. You are not only healing an average of 45 degrees at all times, you are also going up and down and side to side. There’s not always consistency as to which way you’re going to pitch. You never know when the rogue wave will strike the side or the unusually high crest or deep trough will send a wall of water over the bow.
I have to hand it to Colleen for managing to put meals together. Everything tastes good out there so it never mattered what it was. But it usually involved pots and pans and stove cooking. The stove is on a swivel so it always remains flat even when the boat is healed at 45 degrees. Which was the entire trip. The hard part is physically navigating yourself around the boat without losing your grip or slipping on the floor. You really can get seriously hurt. There’s so much opportunity for injury. Everything is a major effort. Just contemplating and working up the motivation to reach 5-feet across the boat for a water bottle is a major time consuming ordeal.
We had another rare circumstance where we crossed paths with a large vessel. This one really caught me off guard. It seems you can go for days without seeing land or vessels and then, low and behold, two come together, hundreds of miles off shore in the middle of nowhere. This situation was at about 11PM. The vessel was large and well lit, but I had dozed off. My watch alarm is set for 15-minute wakeup calls for this reason. The alarm went off and when I opened my eyes, there it was crossing our bow. Panic set in of course because at first, you don’t know whether it sees you or not, or which direction it is traveling. The moon had not appeared yet and our little green and red bow lights pale in comparison to the display on this thing. It took a good fifteen seconds, which seemed like an eternity, to confirm that we were out of danger.
This is what I surmised about the vessel incident. I did see a very distance glow directly off our bow in the horizon at my last visual scan. However, I saw the same glow about the same time the night before and it turned out to be the moonrise. So I discounted it, but I’m pretty sure I was wrong. The moon didn’t rise until sometime after our confrontation. Once we were all clear of this vessel, it took a direct course off of our stern. This tells me were actually on a parallel course with this boat in opposite directions. That means this boat had made an evasive maneuver to avoid a possible collision. It was perpendicular off the bow less than 100 yards when I first saw it. Then it turned back to the opposite parallel course. A large spot light kicked in on the deck of the vessel and shined our way as it went off in the distance. Had we had a working radio, I’m sure we would have heard some choice words. Which would have been very deserving. And that’s the understatement of the year.
We arrived in Caneel Bay off of St John around 3PM of May 18th. The engine would do us know good at this point since I had no control of the throttle. So we picked up a mooring ball under sail. I hadn’t done that before but I pretty much knew how. It took three tries but so what. I knew we could do it. It’s hard to fathom the dilemmas that could have evolved had we been in the Bahamas, or Turks and Caicos islands when this engine problem occurred. This is when I decided that this form of sailing is no longer an adventure. It’s just plain nuts. The Bahamas are simply unapproachable without an engine. Particular if you are unfamiliar with them as I am. It’s typical to have to motor several miles in 6 to 10 feet of water, only under high tide, through narrow reef cuts and channel markers. The approach routs aren’t there for sailboats that have to tack. So what do you do without and engine AND without a radio?? Beats the hell out of me. But I guarantee, I would have figured out something.
To sum up, I’m not doing this again. I’m not even to the stage where I can say, I’m glad I did it once for the experience. It will take some time to get to that point. This was a very hard trip. I felt really bad at times for even subjecting Colleen to this insanity. I can’t imagine what her blog will say about it? Right now, I’m just glad were home in the Virgin Islands.
My throttle cable turned out to be broken at the shifter lever end. I was able to pull the 18-feet of cable and jacket out, buy a new one off the shelf in a marine store, and install it the next day. We are back in business and now located in Red Hook, St Thomas. I’ve made a parts run to support several projects. We plan to go off to a quiet bay and get to work for a few days. I have a billion new topics to write about regarding work scopes we face. But those could get boring.
May 12, 2009 - Provo, Turks and Caicos
I'm looking at Wednesday as a departure date. I hope to make the full hop to the Virgin Islands. It could be 6-10 days. Hard telling but I think the timing is as good as it will get. Our neighbors are leaving today for the BVI. I think their boat sails itself.
I helped the 54 foot neighbor boat get off today. Yea, even the big guys have problems. We have a strong side wind that makes it tough. But to make matters worse, the are unable to pull in their entire main sail. It furls up inside the mast but there's a boring problem relating to its full function. It caused windage problems in the crosswind. Then their bow thrusters weren't working this morning. So I used the dinghy to make up for their problems. They had three people, plus me. It was still a rough exit. I hope ours goes better tomorrow. It will be just Colleen and I.
I helped the 54 foot neighbor boat get off today. Yea, even the big guys have problems. We have a strong side wind that makes it tough. But to make matters worse, the are unable to pull in their entire main sail. It furls up inside the mast but there's a boring problem relating to its full function. It caused windage problems in the crosswind. Then their bow thrusters weren't working this morning. So I used the dinghy to make up for their problems. They had three people, plus me. It was still a rough exit. I hope ours goes better tomorrow. It will be just Colleen and I.
Tuesday, May 12, 2009
UPDATE
I'm looking at Wednesday as a departure date. I hope to make the full hop to the Virgin Islands. It could be 6-10 days. It's 550 miles as the crow flies. So our tacks will make it more. Hard telling but I think the timing is as good as it will get. Our neighbors are leaving today for the BVI. I think their boat sails itself.
By the way, I used statuted miles on the blog and website as opposed to nautical miles.
By the way, I used statuted miles on the blog and website as opposed to nautical miles.
May 11, 2009 - Provo, Turks and Caicos
It was a pretty uneventful day of tackling little projects on the boat. We still have a terrible red stain on the hull from the intercoastal waterway. It's caused from a certain plant root. It is not coming off so we really look shabby. Particularly compared to our neighbor boat. A new 54 foot Jeanneau, fully loaded. The dealer is serving as captain for the owner.
We went out for another long swim today. Very nice warm water. Must prepare for many days of inactivity.
We went out for another long swim today. Very nice warm water. Must prepare for many days of inactivity.
May 10, 2009 - Provo, Turks and Caicos
First time in the water today. Well, maybe the second. Very nice. We swam for an hour or so for exercise and snorkeled to check out some of the reef. I believe this is supposed to be either the third or fourth largest reef in the world.
Colleen took a long walk to the grocery store while I did some boat work. I cleaned the deck and put some teak oil on the wood. Replaced some bad hinges. Put in new running light bulbs. Also assembled a spare bilge pump for emergencies. I found a submercible pump, bought 12-foot of plastic tubing, some wire and a cigarrette plug. So if I needed too, I can drop this thing into the bilge sump, plug it into the cicgarette lighter, run the hose to the sink and pump water.
We had homemade pizza for dinner tonight.
I'm looking tentatively at Thursday for a departure to the Virgin Islands. It won't be an easy sail but we best get on with it. We'll start out in some pretty good winds so I'll probably reef. We'll head on a northern tack for at least one day depending on wind activity. I see a slight northerly component in the wind on Friday and maybe Saturday to help with our SE tack.
Colleen took a long walk to the grocery store while I did some boat work. I cleaned the deck and put some teak oil on the wood. Replaced some bad hinges. Put in new running light bulbs. Also assembled a spare bilge pump for emergencies. I found a submercible pump, bought 12-foot of plastic tubing, some wire and a cigarrette plug. So if I needed too, I can drop this thing into the bilge sump, plug it into the cicgarette lighter, run the hose to the sink and pump water.
We had homemade pizza for dinner tonight.
I'm looking tentatively at Thursday for a departure to the Virgin Islands. It won't be an easy sail but we best get on with it. We'll start out in some pretty good winds so I'll probably reef. We'll head on a northern tack for at least one day depending on wind activity. I see a slight northerly component in the wind on Friday and maybe Saturday to help with our SE tack.
Sunday, May 10, 2009
May 9, 2009 - Provo, Turks and Caicos
We had a wonderful day with new friends from the island. We were toured all over the island and had lunch at the Conch Shack. Very cool place. They pull your lunch right out of the ocean and prepare it as you watch. Drinks later at Jimmy's Dive Bar.
The beaches, waterfront, and massive reefs make this one of the most beautiful islands I've ever seen. It's also the only island we've been to that is actually growing as a tourist hub. Massive developments in the last five years.
Since the weather for our last leg is not yet to my liking, we'll hold out here for a few more days. I'm considering a Thursday departure but that is totally subject to change.
The beaches, waterfront, and massive reefs make this one of the most beautiful islands I've ever seen. It's also the only island we've been to that is actually growing as a tourist hub. Massive developments in the last five years.
Since the weather for our last leg is not yet to my liking, we'll hold out here for a few more days. I'm considering a Thursday departure but that is totally subject to change.
May 8, 2009 - Provo, Turks and Caicos
We walked and we walked and we walked some more. The island has most everything to offer but its very spread out.
I haven't had much luck here with Marine parts. We blew out a water line to the master shower. I was hoping to replace the whole faucet assembly but that wasn't going to happen. I couldn't cap it off so I put JB Weld (liquid metal) in the joint to plug it. So at least now we can run our fresh water system.
We joined a big Friday happy hour at the Shark Bite. Met a great couple that offered to take us around the island tomorrow. Can't pass that up.
I haven't had much luck here with Marine parts. We blew out a water line to the master shower. I was hoping to replace the whole faucet assembly but that wasn't going to happen. I couldn't cap it off so I put JB Weld (liquid metal) in the joint to plug it. So at least now we can run our fresh water system.
We joined a big Friday happy hour at the Shark Bite. Met a great couple that offered to take us around the island tomorrow. Can't pass that up.
Friday, May 8, 2009
May 7, 2009 - 89 Miles - Provo, Turks and Caicos
The winds picked up for us but not really in the right direction. I knew this would happen but we still made a lot of headway and the timing would bring us into Provo in the morning light.
The approach into Provo involved another cut through the reef and a lot of shallow water. I had it well plotted on my GPS and once inside, it was well marked. We could not find an area to anchor so we went all the way to the Marina. Docking was tough in the cross wind with only one dock hand. We did it though.
The Customs agent met me at the boat. He was a nice guy and there were no problems. I did have to request access to the island since we had no cash to pay the fee. He actually gave me a ride to the bank, and back. Must not be too busy.
Everything is a long walk from here. Colleen and I walked to the grocery, a good mile and a half. We managed to use the bus system for the return. At least we tried. The customs agent warned me that individuals will pick you up that aren't authorized for service. We can used them but the usual $1 price may not apply. It didn't. We gave him $3, he wasn't happy. Next time, we'll find the real bus.
I was pretty tired after two nights of very random sleep. When we sail at night, I set my watch for 15-minute alarms so I can keep watch for vessels. It's hard to get much sleep that way. When I do, weird dreams come into play. They can't be in real time because there's not enough time to have one. My favorite is when I had YOLO sailing down city streets at night. All was well until we came to a tunnel. My dad was singing Micheal Jackson tunes when I told him to brace himself for the crash.
We went to bed early. We'll check more things out tomorrow.
The approach into Provo involved another cut through the reef and a lot of shallow water. I had it well plotted on my GPS and once inside, it was well marked. We could not find an area to anchor so we went all the way to the Marina. Docking was tough in the cross wind with only one dock hand. We did it though.
The Customs agent met me at the boat. He was a nice guy and there were no problems. I did have to request access to the island since we had no cash to pay the fee. He actually gave me a ride to the bank, and back. Must not be too busy.
Everything is a long walk from here. Colleen and I walked to the grocery, a good mile and a half. We managed to use the bus system for the return. At least we tried. The customs agent warned me that individuals will pick you up that aren't authorized for service. We can used them but the usual $1 price may not apply. It didn't. We gave him $3, he wasn't happy. Next time, we'll find the real bus.
I was pretty tired after two nights of very random sleep. When we sail at night, I set my watch for 15-minute alarms so I can keep watch for vessels. It's hard to get much sleep that way. When I do, weird dreams come into play. They can't be in real time because there's not enough time to have one. My favorite is when I had YOLO sailing down city streets at night. All was well until we came to a tunnel. My dad was singing Micheal Jackson tunes when I told him to brace himself for the crash.
We went to bed early. We'll check more things out tomorrow.
May 6, 2009 - 99 Miles - At Sea
It was a long boring day as most are these days. The good thing was that the sailing was excellent. We are due for a tack tonight but the seas are flat with a nice 15 KN wind from the ESE. It's an ideal sailing day except for the wind direction. But we'll get to Provo tomorrow morning regardless.
My port bow light burned out early last night so we sailed with a hard watch, as we do anyway. I just wasn't sure what to do if we came across another vessel. The lights are key to sharing your direction. Unfortunately, my only spare bulb is defective. I can see the tiny break in the filament. So we'll have to sail without proper lights tonight again. We haven’t seen a vessel all day so hopefully it will stay that way.
My port bow light burned out early last night so we sailed with a hard watch, as we do anyway. I just wasn't sure what to do if we came across another vessel. The lights are key to sharing your direction. Unfortunately, my only spare bulb is defective. I can see the tiny break in the filament. So we'll have to sail without proper lights tonight again. We haven’t seen a vessel all day so hopefully it will stay that way.
May 5, 2009 - 103 Miles - At Sea
Left Rum Cay around 10AM for Provo in the Turks and Caicos Islands. It's another weather window we have to take advantage of. They'll be a northerly component to the winds for part of it that might help us avoid tacking.
The days sail went perfectly as planned.
The days sail went perfectly as planned.
May 4, 2009 - Rum Cay, Bahamas
This is our regrouping day. I hope by days end, I'll have some idea what were doing next.
We met a lot of people around the marina over the course of the day. Colleen did a lot of mingling. It was a gorgeous day in a gorgeous spot.
I spent much of the day planning our next move. I was able to borrow some charts so that I could look carefully at Provo in the Turks and Cacios as an option. I also got a hold of Pam and Wally Neubaum that live in the Dominican Republic. Pam and Wally had a place at Twin Lakes for years. They threw out a couple of options for their area. I would prefer not to get positioned that far south if I can avoid it but there are some good ports there.
We met a lot of people around the marina over the course of the day. Colleen did a lot of mingling. It was a gorgeous day in a gorgeous spot.
I spent much of the day planning our next move. I was able to borrow some charts so that I could look carefully at Provo in the Turks and Cacios as an option. I also got a hold of Pam and Wally Neubaum that live in the Dominican Republic. Pam and Wally had a place at Twin Lakes for years. They threw out a couple of options for their area. I would prefer not to get positioned that far south if I can avoid it but there are some good ports there.
Monday, May 4, 2009
May 3, 2009 - 43.5 Miles - Rum Cay, Bahamas
We decideed that San Salvador had nothing for us. So off we went to Rum Cay. It was an easy straight shot. The approach to the Marina area was like no other. There is a massive reef to get around and the inside area is just as trechorous. Our guide book instructions were difficult to get a handle on but we finally did. The final legs had to be talked through with the marina attendant to avoid rocks.
This Bahamas sailing is for the birds. It's very nerve racking. The planning and ultimate follow through of navigating these shallows is extremely time consuming. You can't just stop and ask directions. Once your committed, you almost have to follow through. I plot point after point after point on my GPS setting up approach strategies.
We had a nice evening having dinner at the marina with some local fishermen. There didn't seem to be any transients other than us. This is a very pretty marina. The beaches and surrounding waters are picture perfect. This would be a great little get away if someone wanted to get lost.
I realized today that my VHF radio antenna at the top of the mast is missing. So my only radio is now the new handheld I bought before I left. We also lost a winch handle overboard yesterday.
This Bahamas sailing is for the birds. It's very nerve racking. The planning and ultimate follow through of navigating these shallows is extremely time consuming. You can't just stop and ask directions. Once your committed, you almost have to follow through. I plot point after point after point on my GPS setting up approach strategies.
We had a nice evening having dinner at the marina with some local fishermen. There didn't seem to be any transients other than us. This is a very pretty marina. The beaches and surrounding waters are picture perfect. This would be a great little get away if someone wanted to get lost.
I realized today that my VHF radio antenna at the top of the mast is missing. So my only radio is now the new handheld I bought before I left. We also lost a winch handle overboard yesterday.
May 2, 2009 - 32 miles - San Salvadore, Bahamas
We arrived on San Salvadore in the morning. I had to slow our approach down so we didn't arrive in the dark. Very beautiful waters surrounding this island of nothingness. The depths go from 25,000 feet deep to 10 feet in the distance of a couple miles. Yes, that was 25,000 feet. Not a typo.
We knew we made another mistake based on our first impressions. We had a hard time finding life on this island little loan any services. Looks like were off to Rum Cay tomorrow.
We knew we made another mistake based on our first impressions. We had a hard time finding life on this island little loan any services. Looks like were off to Rum Cay tomorrow.
Wednesday, April 29, 2009
UPDATE - SUBJECT TO CHANGE
I'm looking at weather windows. Although I thought we would be stuck here for a few days, I'm considering taking a hop down the chain a bit tomorrow. It would involve two or three days of sailing depending on where we end up dropping the hook. That homework will have to be done back at the boat with the chart and guides. So, this may be my last log for a few more days. We are also finding that internet service is sometimes hard to find. So, just because we haven't reported, doesn't mean anything is wrong.
April 29, 2009 - 0 Miles - Hopetown, Abacos, Bahamas
We fueled up today and topped off our water tank. I probably forgot to mention that my larger front water tank has started leaking again. So now we have the ability to carry only 1/3 of our normal water supply. As expected, I was down to my last 5 gallons of diesel by the time we fueled. I don't like getting down that low but we had no choice.
Finally, we have internet access so we can catch up on things. I have no idea what our next move will be. I'll be looking into that once I'm caught up. I suspect we'll be stuck here a few days. We are victims of the winds. Our travels must be to the southeast which is a dead headwind right now, and will be under typical weather patterns. I cannot imagine tacking all the way to the Virgin Islands. It literally requires three times the work, distance and time.
Finally, we have internet access so we can catch up on things. I have no idea what our next move will be. I'll be looking into that once I'm caught up. I suspect we'll be stuck here a few days. We are victims of the winds. Our travels must be to the southeast which is a dead headwind right now, and will be under typical weather patterns. I cannot imagine tacking all the way to the Virgin Islands. It literally requires three times the work, distance and time.
April 28, 2009 - 7 Miles - Hopetown, Abaco's, Bahamas
We made the short hop over to Hopetown after a morning grocery run in Marsh Harbor. We anchored outside the actual harbor figuring we would check out the area to see our best overnight options.
The waters throughout the Bahamas are very shallow. It's a way of life for boats like mine to have to gage your departures and arrivals at high tide. You simply cannot go into the harbor at low tide. We anchored in 7.5 feet of water and by low tide, we sat on the bottom.
The waters throughout the Bahamas are very shallow. It's a way of life for boats like mine to have to gage your departures and arrivals at high tide. You simply cannot go into the harbor at low tide. We anchored in 7.5 feet of water and by low tide, we sat on the bottom.
April 27, 2009 - 88 Miles - Marsh Harbor, Abaco Islands
Very long tiring day after no sleep through the night. The winds have been relentless at 30 to 35 mph with gusts even higher. We sailed fully reefed most of the time. The seas were big and Otto just can't be trusted to steer for fear of damage. No moon whatsoever, which makes it compass only. So I steered through the night and day until we arrrived in Marsh Harbor around 4PM. We would have been sooner but I picked a bad entry passage off the ocean for the condintions we had. With the high swells and wind, my route would have been very dangerous through Bahamas barrier reef.
Our final entrance into Marsh Harbor was hampered by confusing guidebook instructions. I only grounded once though. It didn't help to be dead tired. I'm getting used to it. I have a nak for getting us off sandbars.
We anchored for the night and enjoyed a couple well deserved drinks at a marina bar.
Our final entrance into Marsh Harbor was hampered by confusing guidebook instructions. I only grounded once though. It didn't help to be dead tired. I'm getting used to it. I have a nak for getting us off sandbars.
We anchored for the night and enjoyed a couple well deserved drinks at a marina bar.
April 26, 2009 - 110 Miles - At Sea
We talked with Tom in the morning and he said that he had been listening to Coast Guard chatter during the night. The transmissions involved a lost boat at Sea. He wanted to see our pictures of the overturned boat so he could report its location to the Coast Guard since we were unable to. I hope we eventually find out what happened. At this point, since the Coast Guard was involved, he assumes it was likely that there was at least one fatality, probably more. The Coast Guard would not get involved if it was simply a missing boat.
We left Walker Cay around 9AM for Hopetown in the Abaco Islands. The winds were strong and the seas were rough. The wind direction was lousy so I had to tack well off the island chain a good 40 miles to make our destination.
We left Walker Cay around 9AM for Hopetown in the Abaco Islands. The winds were strong and the seas were rough. The wind direction was lousy so I had to tack well off the island chain a good 40 miles to make our destination.
April 25, 2009 - 78 miles - Walkers Cay, Bahamas
We made it to the Bahamas. Our target has been Walker Cay. The entrance route was several miles long through a maze of target points in the shallows of the Bahama barrier reefs. It makes one realize how important the homework is each time we pick a destination. Oh, backing up a bit, we originally planned Nassua for that very reason. I did not have proper charts for the Bahamas and didn't dare try to navigate a reef without them. However, we did find detailed navigational approach instructions in a guide for Walkers Cay.
Wow, what a mistake and disappointment. Our guide is four years old and a century out of date. Walker Cay is basically abandoned. The thriving write up is all off base. There are three residents on the island. Tom, Jack, and the Customs Agent. You might ask how can they afford to station a Customs Agent here? When he gets a radio call, he meets you at a tiny one-room shack with a poster and a desk.
The Walkers Cay Resort is sadly condemned so there are no facilities of any kind WHAT SO EVER. Fortunately, we are good on fuel and water.
You would think with a population of 3, it would be impossible to be robbed. But NO, we were robbed. My one year Bahamas cruising permit, dated May 22, 2008 did me no good. The fine print clearly says that, to keep it active, you must return at least once every 90-days. So the Customs agent stole the $268 that we had in cash. He claimed he would cover the remainder of the $300 permit charge out of his own pocket. Hmmmmmmmmmm, wasn't that nice of him. I'm so thankful I could spit.
We had drinks with Tom who helped us navigate an overnight tie up arrangement. He had lived on the island for 25-years and was preparing to leave it for good. Nothing left there for him. He really was a great guy. We joined him for a rum drink on his vessel that evening. He gave us a full set of Bahama Charts and let us look at his "MORE CURRENT" Bahamas Guide.
Wow, what a mistake and disappointment. Our guide is four years old and a century out of date. Walker Cay is basically abandoned. The thriving write up is all off base. There are three residents on the island. Tom, Jack, and the Customs Agent. You might ask how can they afford to station a Customs Agent here? When he gets a radio call, he meets you at a tiny one-room shack with a poster and a desk.
The Walkers Cay Resort is sadly condemned so there are no facilities of any kind WHAT SO EVER. Fortunately, we are good on fuel and water.
You would think with a population of 3, it would be impossible to be robbed. But NO, we were robbed. My one year Bahamas cruising permit, dated May 22, 2008 did me no good. The fine print clearly says that, to keep it active, you must return at least once every 90-days. So the Customs agent stole the $268 that we had in cash. He claimed he would cover the remainder of the $300 permit charge out of his own pocket. Hmmmmmmmmmm, wasn't that nice of him. I'm so thankful I could spit.
We had drinks with Tom who helped us navigate an overnight tie up arrangement. He had lived on the island for 25-years and was preparing to leave it for good. Nothing left there for him. He really was a great guy. We joined him for a rum drink on his vessel that evening. He gave us a full set of Bahama Charts and let us look at his "MORE CURRENT" Bahamas Guide.
April 24, 2009 - 105.2 miles - At Sea
It was shortly after midnight that the wind died. I tried taking every little advantage out of the remaining breeze but it was futile. Down came the sails around 1AM.
We motored all day today with a plan to pull into Walker Cay, Bahamas on Saturday morning. The day was perfect weather with barely a cloud to be seen. This is really the first nice day that we could enjoy some sun. The temperatures are now in the mid to upper 70's I suspect.
I had it in my head after sailing north last year that the Atlantic was a greener color. As it turns out, it’s the same deep dark blue as the Caribbean. It was the Gulf Stream that we saw the unusual color last year.
I spotted something long and white off to the east of us as we motored south. I decided that we had to check it out just in case it was something in distress. It turned out to be an overturned vessel drifting exactly 90 miles north of the most northerly Bahama island. The vessel is about 25-feet long, very new, with two large outboard engines. We circled but there was no life around the boat. I began frequent VHF calls to report the vessels location. We are way too far out to reach the islands but I thought someone might be out there to relay.
The breeze kicked in around 4PM. We raised the sails for the final stretch to the Bahama island of Walkers Cay. What a beautifl evening, except for the concern over what happened with the 25-foot boat.
We motored all day today with a plan to pull into Walker Cay, Bahamas on Saturday morning. The day was perfect weather with barely a cloud to be seen. This is really the first nice day that we could enjoy some sun. The temperatures are now in the mid to upper 70's I suspect.
I had it in my head after sailing north last year that the Atlantic was a greener color. As it turns out, it’s the same deep dark blue as the Caribbean. It was the Gulf Stream that we saw the unusual color last year.
I spotted something long and white off to the east of us as we motored south. I decided that we had to check it out just in case it was something in distress. It turned out to be an overturned vessel drifting exactly 90 miles north of the most northerly Bahama island. The vessel is about 25-feet long, very new, with two large outboard engines. We circled but there was no life around the boat. I began frequent VHF calls to report the vessels location. We are way too far out to reach the islands but I thought someone might be out there to relay.
The breeze kicked in around 4PM. We raised the sails for the final stretch to the Bahama island of Walkers Cay. What a beautifl evening, except for the concern over what happened with the 25-foot boat.
April 23, 2009 - 171.4 miles - At Sea
Just as expected, the winds are perfect. I put up a full main and jib in this nice westerly wind and we are making good ground. Tomorrow we expect very light winds.
April 22, 2009 - 104 miles - At Sea
The plan worked perfectly. We left Georgetown around 10AM and hit the mouth of the sea at noonish. The winds were strong and seas were rough but we managed a 7.5 nm average until midnight. That being with a reefed mainsail and full jib. We made it across the Gulf Stream by 6AM the next morning with very little diversion from our hopeful route.
We only saw a couple of distant commercial vessel all day. A few dolphins joined me around 5PM. Now that we are past the Gulf Stream, we probably won't encounter much traffic. Vessels going north will be taking advantage of the Gulf stream.
Tomorrow will bring slightly lighter winds and then there's a lull on Friday.
We only saw a couple of distant commercial vessel all day. A few dolphins joined me around 5PM. Now that we are past the Gulf Stream, we probably won't encounter much traffic. Vessels going north will be taking advantage of the Gulf stream.
Tomorrow will bring slightly lighter winds and then there's a lull on Friday.
Tuesday, April 21, 2009
April 21, 2009 - 0 Miles - Georgetown, South Carolina
I am frantically trying to get ready to sail off to the Bahamas. Our plan as of noon today is to set sail tomorrow (Wednesday). I still need updated weather info so this is still subject to change. This may be my last entry for a long time. If things go perfect, we'll be in the Bahamas in five to seven days from tomorrow. Ha, like that's going to happen. So we could be out for 10-days easily before being in contact again. For your info, we do have our Emergency signaling device that is satelite driven direct to the Coast Guard. So don't worry. We'll be fine.
April 20, 2009 - 28.3 Miles - Georgetown, South Carolina
We didn't make it too far today. If it weren't for a good current, I wouldn't even have gone the 28-miles. It was a strong headwind for the 5 hours that we motored. Pretty chilly yet too. We decided at the last minute to hold up in Georgetown, South Carolina. I'm still strongly considering bumping out on Wednesday and heading for the Bahamas. I'll need updated weather information to plan the attack so this seems like a good place.
The scenery today was very cool early on and then the river broadened. Initially, we felt like we were in a jungle. There's no shoreline other than a dense tree forest growing out of the water. I assume its very swamp like deep into this area. All the roots are exposed making them look like they have legs.
The scenery today was very cool early on and then the river broadened. Initially, we felt like we were in a jungle. There's no shoreline other than a dense tree forest growing out of the water. I assume its very swamp like deep into this area. All the roots are exposed making them look like they have legs.
April 19, 2009 - 30 Miles - A Creek Anchorage, South Carolina
We started out the day conquering the infamous Rock Pile. This is short man made section of the Intercoastal Waterway (ICW) where they had to dynamite through solid rock to form it. It’s only wide enough for one-way traffic of our boat size so you have to put out a radio call before starting. I would never be able to backup or turnaround. If you get too close to the sides, there’s no forgiveness. We made it just fine.
Wow what a spectacular day on the waterway. I can’t even begin to describe all the interests along the way. The channel averaged about 40 yards across. It was mostly lined with beautiful waterfront homes much like an Iowa lakefront. Lots of activity since it was Sunday. There were jet skis and water skiers, and the typical high-powered jet boats out showing off. We just plowed through and made everyone else get out of our way. We were the slow moving mass in the middle of their front yards, and playground. I did have to blow my air horn once when I wasn’t sure if some young Sunday boaters had a clue that YOLO was about ready to devour them. We were actually feeling pretty large yesterday compared to the day’s traffic on this expressway.
We anchored in a small cove off of the main waterway. It was very quiet. The day was still pretty cool but once we pulled off out of the headwind, it was quite nice.
Wow what a spectacular day on the waterway. I can’t even begin to describe all the interests along the way. The channel averaged about 40 yards across. It was mostly lined with beautiful waterfront homes much like an Iowa lakefront. Lots of activity since it was Sunday. There were jet skis and water skiers, and the typical high-powered jet boats out showing off. We just plowed through and made everyone else get out of our way. We were the slow moving mass in the middle of their front yards, and playground. I did have to blow my air horn once when I wasn’t sure if some young Sunday boaters had a clue that YOLO was about ready to devour them. We were actually feeling pretty large yesterday compared to the day’s traffic on this expressway.
We anchored in a small cove off of the main waterway. It was very quiet. The day was still pretty cool but once we pulled off out of the headwind, it was quite nice.
Saturday, April 18, 2009
April 19, 2009 - Preview
Maybe, Wednesday will be the breakout day from of Charleston, South Carolina. If the weather holds as forcasted and the long term forcast is good on Wednesday morning, we would hope to bump out and leap to the Bahamas. Our distance to the Bahamas could very depending on how long we decide to hold the coast before jetting East to cross the Gulf Stream. At best were probably looking at about 600 miles. All plans are subject to alterations, dismemberments, dibockles, and twidgets. Captain can change his mind in a heart beat. And probably will.
April 18, 2009 - 52 miles - North Myrtle Beach, South Carolina
We made it another 50 miles down the ICW. It seems like we are backtracking since most of today was heading west. We scooted past the interior of Cape Fear today. The ocean inlet can cause some serious action in the inlet but didn’t experience any. The weather was gorgeous today, but still cold for my tastes.
The landscape is really interesting along this waterway. The shores are lined with homes, almost all of which have large docks, boatlifts, and some sort of marine toy. We feel like we are on parade when we cruise down some of the narrow channels, much of which is like the Des Moines River with a shoreline like Twin Lakes.
I purchased a couple of items just before leaving Iowa. They were last minute thoughts but they have proved invaluable. One is a handheld VHF radio. I also bought a good pair of binoculars. We use them constantly.
Our trip got temporarily halted today, twice. Once when a massive cruise ship had to pass us on the narrow waterway. You say, how can that be? Colleen should have pictures to prove it on her blog soon. We couldn’t believe the size of this thing. It’s the talk of the town since it’s totally out of place. We tried to pull over for it to pass when I bumped bottom. I was able to pull off pretty easily once it went by. The second stop was a dredging pipe mishap. A dredge pipe that must have been lying along the shoreline floated out across the channel when the tide came in. It stopped all ICW traffic for about 30-minutes.
Tomorrow offers some pretty interesting travels. I guess there’s a section of the waterway that is single file traffic. Too narrow to pass anything semi-large. And if you misjudge the rock banks, the boat will feel it.
I just remembered my childhood phone number from 1963? 576-1822…. Kirk, is that right? I think I hear Loons.
The landscape is really interesting along this waterway. The shores are lined with homes, almost all of which have large docks, boatlifts, and some sort of marine toy. We feel like we are on parade when we cruise down some of the narrow channels, much of which is like the Des Moines River with a shoreline like Twin Lakes.
I purchased a couple of items just before leaving Iowa. They were last minute thoughts but they have proved invaluable. One is a handheld VHF radio. I also bought a good pair of binoculars. We use them constantly.
Our trip got temporarily halted today, twice. Once when a massive cruise ship had to pass us on the narrow waterway. You say, how can that be? Colleen should have pictures to prove it on her blog soon. We couldn’t believe the size of this thing. It’s the talk of the town since it’s totally out of place. We tried to pull over for it to pass when I bumped bottom. I was able to pull off pretty easily once it went by. The second stop was a dredging pipe mishap. A dredge pipe that must have been lying along the shoreline floated out across the channel when the tide came in. It stopped all ICW traffic for about 30-minutes.
Tomorrow offers some pretty interesting travels. I guess there’s a section of the waterway that is single file traffic. Too narrow to pass anything semi-large. And if you misjudge the rock banks, the boat will feel it.
I just remembered my childhood phone number from 1963? 576-1822…. Kirk, is that right? I think I hear Loons.
Friday, April 17, 2009
April 17, 2009 - 51 Miles - Carolina Beach Anchorage, North Carolina
We anchored last night in the middle of a military base. They train Marine and Navy troops here. When anchored, we are not allowed to go to shore. There’s nothing on shore anyway but a desolate wasteland. What a birds eye view though of some cool military training exercises. We watched four of the militaries heloplanes (I made that up) doing landings and take offs right by our anchorage. It went well into the night. These planes are combination airplane/helicopters. They fly like a plane but then rotate their propellers into a helicopter mode and can land on a dime.
This cold is ridiculous. Waking up to 39 degrees is just not right on a boat. We got an early start this morning and went further up the ICW. Our choices for sailing versus the ICW are not easy. We have to consider the weather, and ICW inlet locations as to where we can get on and off the ICW. They are few and far between. So if the inlets (or outlets) are too far apart, we can’t do one in a day’s time. Now we are pretty well located to get out into the ocean but the weather is wrong. The skies have cleared and the winds have diminished, but it’s going to be coming straight up the coast. I vowed that I wasn’t going to tack to the Virgin Islands. So our plan for tomorrow is to continue on the ICW.
This cold is ridiculous. Waking up to 39 degrees is just not right on a boat. We got an early start this morning and went further up the ICW. Our choices for sailing versus the ICW are not easy. We have to consider the weather, and ICW inlet locations as to where we can get on and off the ICW. They are few and far between. So if the inlets (or outlets) are too far apart, we can’t do one in a day’s time. Now we are pretty well located to get out into the ocean but the weather is wrong. The skies have cleared and the winds have diminished, but it’s going to be coming straight up the coast. I vowed that I wasn’t going to tack to the Virgin Islands. So our plan for tomorrow is to continue on the ICW.
April 16, 2009 - 43.7 Miles - Mile Hammock Bay Anchorage
Captain’s prerogative, I changed my mind on the offshore sail plan. Last night was very cold and windy. The offshore forecast for the early morning was a little intimidating with 25 mph winds and gusts to 30. Although they were to tame down a bit later in the day, we needed the entire day if we were to make Wilmington, North Carolina. So we took the Intercoastal today. It proved to be the right thing to do. Tonight’s low is supposed to be 38 degrees. This is getting old. My attire this morning included an attractive pink sweater from our throwaway stash of warm clothing. The sweater, when was not worn in the traditional way, it was a very well wrapped headdress. A stocking cap would have been nice.
We pulled anchor around 7:30 AM this morning. I call Colleen the anchor monkey since it's such a pleasant job out here. The anchor usually comes up totally caked with mud. She wears rain gear just to keep the mud off her fine clothing.
This Intercoastal motoring with a 5.5-foot keel is very tiring. One wrong move and were stuck. Today required my 100% attention at all times. After 8-hours, I’m shot. Imagine driving your car down a gravel road using only a GPS navigation screen. You don’t get to look at the road, because in my case, it’s underwater. Then imagine that the GPS charts are not always perfect so you need another form of location verification. For me it’s the depth gauge. My eyes have to go back and forth between my computer screen and the depth gauge. When it’s raining, I have to tuck my computer up under the dodger, requiring me to walk back and forth between my depth indication and my computer. Today, I put the computer right in front of the depth gauge since it was sunny and damn hard work.
The dredged channel depth averages about 10-feet, which is plenty for me. But the average water depth outside this 50-foot wide roadway today was 3 to 5 feet. Now if you think 50-feet is wide, try steering a 46-foot boat down it for 8-hours. Occasional oncoming traffic comes into the picture. You glue your eyes to the depth gauge. When it starts to fall in increments of 1/10th of a foot, you start to get nervous. When it gets under 10, you have to figure out whether you’ve been slipping to the right or left of the channel. So you make a slight adjustment according to your best guess as to where the center is. Watch the depth, you’ll know momentarily if it was the wrong way. You do this constantly, back and forth. When it gets down to 7 and then 6 feet, you really panic knowing that it may be to late. So you take a guess and make a hard adjust.
We only had one fatality today. We went from 6 mph to zero in a second or two. Fully grounded on a shoal. The GPS said we were perfectly centered in the channel, but the depth gauge told me the water depth was 5-feet. The wind was strong and I wasn’t sure which way might be to freedom. A tow charge is $500; so I tell myself, don’t screw this up. As it turned out, the wind was forcing us further into trouble. I tried reversing but it wasn’t enough to overcome the mud and the wind. So I hit forward with full right rudder and it slowly swung the bow into the wind. It was the right maneuver. We slowly worked our way off the shoal and found our way back into the channel. The mud is somewhat forgiving if you don’t get too deep into it.
We saw lots of dolphins early today. They seem to like the Intercoastal, at least near Atlantic openings. I do look forward to the days of warm breezes where my morning checklists consist of lines and sails rather than engine oil and coolant. We probably get very close to 10 miles per gallon of diesel, in case anyone was wondering. That’s not really that bad for a 38-ton boat. Thank goodness diesel is pretty cheap right now.
Our overnight tonight is just about halfway to Wilmington, North Carolina from Bueafort. Slowly but surely, we’ll make our way down the coast. I have a 2002 YOLO crew friend, Denise McCauley, in Charleston, South Carolina that we are hoping to catch up with if we can time it right. One day at a time.
We pulled anchor around 7:30 AM this morning. I call Colleen the anchor monkey since it's such a pleasant job out here. The anchor usually comes up totally caked with mud. She wears rain gear just to keep the mud off her fine clothing.
This Intercoastal motoring with a 5.5-foot keel is very tiring. One wrong move and were stuck. Today required my 100% attention at all times. After 8-hours, I’m shot. Imagine driving your car down a gravel road using only a GPS navigation screen. You don’t get to look at the road, because in my case, it’s underwater. Then imagine that the GPS charts are not always perfect so you need another form of location verification. For me it’s the depth gauge. My eyes have to go back and forth between my computer screen and the depth gauge. When it’s raining, I have to tuck my computer up under the dodger, requiring me to walk back and forth between my depth indication and my computer. Today, I put the computer right in front of the depth gauge since it was sunny and damn hard work.
The dredged channel depth averages about 10-feet, which is plenty for me. But the average water depth outside this 50-foot wide roadway today was 3 to 5 feet. Now if you think 50-feet is wide, try steering a 46-foot boat down it for 8-hours. Occasional oncoming traffic comes into the picture. You glue your eyes to the depth gauge. When it starts to fall in increments of 1/10th of a foot, you start to get nervous. When it gets under 10, you have to figure out whether you’ve been slipping to the right or left of the channel. So you make a slight adjustment according to your best guess as to where the center is. Watch the depth, you’ll know momentarily if it was the wrong way. You do this constantly, back and forth. When it gets down to 7 and then 6 feet, you really panic knowing that it may be to late. So you take a guess and make a hard adjust.
We only had one fatality today. We went from 6 mph to zero in a second or two. Fully grounded on a shoal. The GPS said we were perfectly centered in the channel, but the depth gauge told me the water depth was 5-feet. The wind was strong and I wasn’t sure which way might be to freedom. A tow charge is $500; so I tell myself, don’t screw this up. As it turned out, the wind was forcing us further into trouble. I tried reversing but it wasn’t enough to overcome the mud and the wind. So I hit forward with full right rudder and it slowly swung the bow into the wind. It was the right maneuver. We slowly worked our way off the shoal and found our way back into the channel. The mud is somewhat forgiving if you don’t get too deep into it.
We saw lots of dolphins early today. They seem to like the Intercoastal, at least near Atlantic openings. I do look forward to the days of warm breezes where my morning checklists consist of lines and sails rather than engine oil and coolant. We probably get very close to 10 miles per gallon of diesel, in case anyone was wondering. That’s not really that bad for a 38-ton boat. Thank goodness diesel is pretty cheap right now.
Our overnight tonight is just about halfway to Wilmington, North Carolina from Bueafort. Slowly but surely, we’ll make our way down the coast. I have a 2002 YOLO crew friend, Denise McCauley, in Charleston, South Carolina that we are hoping to catch up with if we can time it right. One day at a time.
Wednesday, April 15, 2009
April 15, 2009 – 25 miles - Beaufort, North Carolina
We made it to our inland destination at about noon today. We are now at the mouth of the Atlantic Ocean once again, and below Cape Hatteras. 200 miles of the Intercoastal Waterway. Wow, it was a challenge at times. We did get bottomed out briefly today in the final stretch. We took the cutoff to our anchorage and ran into 5-feet of water. We later saw the note in our guide that clearly says the cut is no longer serviced (dredged). I was able to free the boat and work our way back out. There were two ways in so we altered plans to the longer route.
Our plan for tomorrow, if the weather holds, is to bump out for a day sail in the Atlantic. That means we will exit the ICW and sail southwest to Wilmington, North Carolina. It’s will be an aggressive 75 mile sail with no time to spare. The wind direction should be perfect. This is the kind of thing I had hoped to take advantage of. This will put us at an equivalent attitude of just south of Little Rock, Arkansas. I’m hoping the weather starts to get warmer. This cold sailing is getting old.
I haven’t looked beyond tomorrow yet. One day at a time. All is well. YOLO is holding up well but the real test will be tomorrow. We’ll dinghy in tonight and seek out a local sailing pub. It’s always good to see what the locals have to say about what were doing. If they think were nuts, we have a plan B.
Our plan for tomorrow, if the weather holds, is to bump out for a day sail in the Atlantic. That means we will exit the ICW and sail southwest to Wilmington, North Carolina. It’s will be an aggressive 75 mile sail with no time to spare. The wind direction should be perfect. This is the kind of thing I had hoped to take advantage of. This will put us at an equivalent attitude of just south of Little Rock, Arkansas. I’m hoping the weather starts to get warmer. This cold sailing is getting old.
I haven’t looked beyond tomorrow yet. One day at a time. All is well. YOLO is holding up well but the real test will be tomorrow. We’ll dinghy in tonight and seek out a local sailing pub. It’s always good to see what the locals have to say about what were doing. If they think were nuts, we have a plan B.
April 14, 2009 – 49.1 miles – Orient, North Carolina
The weather continues to be the only interesting topic. Solid overcast, rain and rainy mist, in the 50’s. The day went well. The water levels are much more manageable now. The events two days ago were hair raising. We crossed one of the sounds (large body of water) in high winds. The winds create tide conditions that dropped the water level significantly. Frankly, I’m not sure how we made it without grounding. I guess I said that before, but I still can’t believe it. So, today was great.
Saturday, April 11, 2009
April 11, 2009 - Coinjock, North Carolina
I’m a ball of nerves after today’s travels. We covered about 40 miles down the Intercoastal Waterway. The waterway is loaded with bridges, most requiring draw bridge passage. We had several different bridge designs to deal with. We even went through a lock. Three of the bridges were fixed at 65-feet. I carefully measured and YOLO barely slips under them with a few feet to spare.
If the bridges and protocol weren’t enough, the Currituck Sound crossing was enough to unnerve even the locals. We were chased by a storm but it helped our speed. Navigation was quite the experience. The hopeful water depth is about 11-feet but I went through extensive areas of 5.5 to 6-feet where YOLO must have been plowing the bottom. My draft is 5.5-feet. I’m not sure how we made it through without grounding. Grounding is common and it can happen right in the designated channel.
We pulled off at the Midway Marina in Coinjock, North Carolina for the night. We will regroup here and plan ahead for the Albmarle Sound. I looks like we won’t want to tackle that tomorrow do to more high winds. The tides inside these waterways are wind driven, not lunar. So the high winds can push the water out of the large bodies of water and into the tributaries making it too shallow to pass. We’re learning. I must say, this is not fun.
If the bridges and protocol weren’t enough, the Currituck Sound crossing was enough to unnerve even the locals. We were chased by a storm but it helped our speed. Navigation was quite the experience. The hopeful water depth is about 11-feet but I went through extensive areas of 5.5 to 6-feet where YOLO must have been plowing the bottom. My draft is 5.5-feet. I’m not sure how we made it through without grounding. Grounding is common and it can happen right in the designated channel.
We pulled off at the Midway Marina in Coinjock, North Carolina for the night. We will regroup here and plan ahead for the Albmarle Sound. I looks like we won’t want to tackle that tomorrow do to more high winds. The tides inside these waterways are wind driven, not lunar. So the high winds can push the water out of the large bodies of water and into the tributaries making it too shallow to pass. We’re learning. I must say, this is not fun.
April 10, 2009 - Portsmouth, Virginia
This undertaking is far greater than I ever anticipated. Navigating the ICW (intercoastal waterway) is going to be exciting, adventurous, possibly dangerous, amazing, and scenic. I purchased a guide book that is going to prove invaluable. I'm reluctant to even suggest what my day to day logs may consist of from here on out.
Colleen spent the day exploring the areas of Portsmouth and Norfolk. I spent the day in a coffee shop catching up on business. The winds were way too strong to start out so we decided to spend a second night here.
Colleen spent the day exploring the areas of Portsmouth and Norfolk. I spent the day in a coffee shop catching up on business. The winds were way too strong to start out so we decided to spend a second night here.
Friday, April 10, 2009
April 9, 2009 - Portsmouth, Virginia
We got up and snuck into the marina for showers. Pretty slick. A free hot shower. Then off we motored at high tide to Portsmouth, Virginia. We passed all the massive Navy ships and terminal around the Norfolk, Virginia area. Then we dropped anchor off of a marina (once again).
I had an alternator problem that turned out to be manageable. I had fears of needing a machinist to pull out a broken stud but one thing lead to another, and I'm all fixed up.
We enjoyed the happy hour appetizer menu in the marina restaurant and shared BVI stories with a local.
I had an alternator problem that turned out to be manageable. I had fears of needing a machinist to pull out a broken stud but one thing lead to another, and I'm all fixed up.
We enjoyed the happy hour appetizer menu in the marina restaurant and shared BVI stories with a local.
April 8, 2009 - Salt Pond Marina - Virginia
Our return to Salt Pond Marina was pretty much like our last departure from the same place. We spent a lot time grounded in the channel. We hit low tide coming in and you just don't do that. It took about an hour to rise enough for us to complete the mission.
We anchored away from the marina rather than pay their fee. It was a very calm night.
We anchored away from the marina rather than pay their fee. It was a very calm night.
Monday, April 6, 2009
April 6, 2009 - Annapolis, Maryland
We had a nice sail yesterday. It was a bit cold but it was a nice day. Otto is working pretty well. We'll spend Monday running last minute errands while Colleen's parents are still here with the car. Our plan is to leave Annapolis tomorrow morning if the weather situation stays as predicted.
Sunday, April 5, 2009
April 5, 2009 - Annapolis, Maryland
Our first guests arrived yesterday. Colleen's parents, Bill and Carol Ristau of Eagle Grove, Iowa. Our plan is to go out for a Sunday day sail today and shake out some more boat bugs. At this point, I'm considering our departure for Tuesday.
I had a wild hair yesterday and bought a new (used) dinghy. It looks like new. We put it in the water yesterday with the serviced engine and it runs great.
I had a wild hair yesterday and bought a new (used) dinghy. It looks like new. We put it in the water yesterday with the serviced engine and it runs great.
Friday, April 3, 2009
April 3, 2009 - Annapolis, Maryland
What a busy day. And an expensive one. I spent a ton of money on tools that I once had and either gave up or took back to Iowa. Gotta have tools. Then the unexpected, I bought a dinghy. It's used but its looks brand new. Compared to my old one, it looks like the Cadillac that Colleen and I drove out here. With the serviced 15 hp yamaha, it will be a treat to all THAT JOIN US DOWN HERE!!
Boats are a challenge. I have worked feverishly on the water system, windless (anchor motor), well, mostly the water system. And we've been cleaning and cleaning. If the weather would improve, we'd actually be anxious to sail.
Boats are a challenge. I have worked feverishly on the water system, windless (anchor motor), well, mostly the water system. And we've been cleaning and cleaning. If the weather would improve, we'd actually be anxious to sail.
Thursday, April 2, 2009
April 4, 2009 - Annapolis, Maryland
We made it to Annapolis and we slept on YOLO last night. The boat was launched late yesterday afternoon. I was able to check out most of the systems and all is well. The engine started instantly. I couldn't believe it. There's much more to do but were here. The weather is aweful. It's cold and wet so sailing is not too appealing. We're thinking early to mid next week??
Monday, March 30, 2009
March 30, 2009 - Chicago, Illinois
Colleen and I have dispersed our personal belongings to various storage locations in Iowa. We left on Sunday for Annapolis, Maryland. The borrowed Cadillac is packed full for the one way trip. As the words to the classic song, Love Shack, explain; "its as big as a whale, we're about to set sail". The Cadillac will be driven back to Iowa by Colleen's parents once we're settled.
Tuesday, March 24, 2009
March 24, 2009 - Des Moines, Iowa
Wrapping things up in Des Moines. Colleen and I will start driving toward Annapolis this coming Sunday. YOLO is scheduled to be launched on April 2, 2009.
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