October 27, Wednesday. SM 245 - 285
More strong southwest winds right on the nose in the ICW again. Not much to report. Now seeing dolphins in schools of 2 to 6. Some followed us for a little while while Jason was on watch. We are doing 1 hour on 1 off during the day.
Motoring today, but with some fair current most of the day. Several swing and lift bridges to pass with limited opening schedules. Surf City Bridge, Figure Eight Is. Bridge and Wrightsville Beach Bridge. We adjusted our speed to arrive on schedule which slowed us up on the first bridge, had to hell bent for election for the next and just made it. Exciting pass as a dredge was arriving northbound at the same time as we did southbound. We asked the bridgetender to make the call on who should go thru first. He told us to call the dredge, so we contacted on VHF channel 13 (same as the bridge channel). I offered to give way, but he was a little later than us and suggested we go thru first which we did, though it was a little hairy being so close to him.
We arrived in Wrightsville Beach at 3 pm and fueled up at the Seapath YC. I was able to talk them into letting me shower while still at the fuel dock. Nice folks. We anchored very close to the public dingy dock and decided not to bother with putting the engine on the dink which we have been towing since Norfolk. Then a quick row over to it for some shopping. We had scoped out a grocery store (Roberts small but has most everyting) only two blocks away from info in Skipper Bob's Anchorages Along the Intracoastal Waterway. Great resource with lots of good info on the towns and bridges as well. Had a home made italian dinner onboard and then dingyed back to town to see game one of the world series at a nice sports bar (also only two blocks away). Lots of young students and surfers in town as we are close to UNC Wilmington.
Walked by the beach, lots of surfers out there wearing wet suits in the warm 74 deg. water. It was not a beach day however as it was still very windy and mostly cloudy.
Thursday, October 28, 2010
Beaufort, NC to Camp Lejeune, NC
October 26, Tuesday: Intercoastal SM205-245
More heavy south winds in the forecast kept us inside on the ICW once again, even though this is the inlet here is the perfect opportunity to go off shore, after 3 days in the swamps. We finished our laundry while sipping coffee at a nice water front cafe right next to our dock. Headed out at 11 am. As we got to the bend in the channel that allowed us to raise sailf. It was blowing 20 so we unfurled the genoa only and were racing along at 7 knots on a beam reach until the next turn at Morehead City. This put us closehauled and with the wind now gusting to 30 knots the boats heading was all over the place wsith every gust and with lots of traffic it was too dangerous so we furled the genoa and motored to the next bend. At this point the winds were a steady 20-25 and at a direction we could motor sail. We tried the foresail alone close hauled and it worked beautifully. Went from 4.5 knots motoring to 7 knots motor sailing into the wind. This held up for several hours until the channel gradually turned more south at which point we had to furl the foresail as well.
As we got close to Camp Lejeune the marine helicopters were flying all over. We got buzzed directly overhead by one flying fast and at about 200 feet, quite a site with these big birds. We anchored in a dredged area adjacent to the middle of the base with around 20 other boats. Had a relaxing early evening arriving at 5:30. So we watched sunset in the cockpit over a couple of beers as the smell of grilling meat wafted around the anchorage from many of the neighboring boats.
More heavy south winds in the forecast kept us inside on the ICW once again, even though this is the inlet here is the perfect opportunity to go off shore, after 3 days in the swamps. We finished our laundry while sipping coffee at a nice water front cafe right next to our dock. Headed out at 11 am. As we got to the bend in the channel that allowed us to raise sailf. It was blowing 20 so we unfurled the genoa only and were racing along at 7 knots on a beam reach until the next turn at Morehead City. This put us closehauled and with the wind now gusting to 30 knots the boats heading was all over the place wsith every gust and with lots of traffic it was too dangerous so we furled the genoa and motored to the next bend. At this point the winds were a steady 20-25 and at a direction we could motor sail. We tried the foresail alone close hauled and it worked beautifully. Went from 4.5 knots motoring to 7 knots motor sailing into the wind. This held up for several hours until the channel gradually turned more south at which point we had to furl the foresail as well.
As we got close to Camp Lejeune the marine helicopters were flying all over. We got buzzed directly overhead by one flying fast and at about 200 feet, quite a site with these big birds. We anchored in a dredged area adjacent to the middle of the base with around 20 other boats. Had a relaxing early evening arriving at 5:30. So we watched sunset in the cockpit over a couple of beers as the smell of grilling meat wafted around the anchorage from many of the neighboring boats.
Tuesday, October 26, 2010
Belhaven, NC to Beaufort, NC
October 25 Monday:
This was a very wet day and another long one with 60 nautical miles covered. Intracoastal mile 136 to 205 (These are statute miles which start at 0 in Norfolk). More heavy south winds 15-20 to start. We were able to sail at times in Pemlico Sound and the Nuese River, but had several canal portions Goose River Canal and Adams Creek. We had rain showers early then a dry spell before we saw a very nasty thunder cloud with an honest to God roll cloud in front. This is an indication of a mature storm with a heavy wind shear and down flow which creates an eddy in front of it and forms a long hot dog shaped cloud fairly low compared to cloud base. We were flying the main and genoa just prior to that, but as we had to change course ( you guessed it) right back into the teeth of the wind we furled all sail. The wind was up to 20-25 now and we were making slow progress up wind as we watched the squall approach. When it hit the winds went to 35 for about 30 minutes and the 4 other boats near us disappeared in the much reduced visability in the down pour. We have ski goggles just for such weather as this so we donned them and were able to face forward into the pelting rain that stung the remaining portions of our face that were uncovered. It was hard to keep the bow into the wind as any deviation from dead into it would quickly want to blow the bow around. We were hand steering and working hard at it for about an hour before the squall fully passed. The wind slowly abated and in another hour it was back down to 10 knots as we passed by Oriental ( a hot spot for sailors) Most of the boats we were near headed in there as it was getting dark soon, but undaunted by last nights close calls we pressed on once again. This time our ETA was 7 pm and the dark portion was going to be near Beaufort and Morehead City which are lit up very well, so it was not going to nearly as tough as the night before. Ran into thunder storms in Adams Creek canal, just to add to the excitement of the day, but no heavy squall this time just a little St Elmo's fire on the masts (just kidding, but I did unplug all the stuff that was charging and shut the inverter off).
There is a split in the intracoastal 3 miles out from Beaufort. Port channel for Beaufort, starboard for Morehead City. We called the bascule bridge for Beaufort at this point to check the schedule and found we would be a few minutes late for the 6:30 opening and would have to wait until 7 to pass. So we speed up and calculated we could just make it.....until we hit some foul current. As we were about to give up and slow down, an idea came to me. We could go around by Morehead city which has a fixed bridge at 65 feet and come in the back way! So we took a hard right just making the fork in the channel and went the back way. Well as it turned out the current was worse on that side and we only saved 5 minutes after all that.
We took a slip at the Beaufort Docks Marina and were able to dry out and get a hot shower. The Marina recommened the "Rib Eye" sports bar across the street so we could catch Monday Nite Football (go Giants, who kicked the Cowboy's butt and broke Tony Romos' collar bone, actually I don't like it when anybody gets anything more than a bruise so, sorry Tony) .
This was a very wet day and another long one with 60 nautical miles covered. Intracoastal mile 136 to 205 (These are statute miles which start at 0 in Norfolk). More heavy south winds 15-20 to start. We were able to sail at times in Pemlico Sound and the Nuese River, but had several canal portions Goose River Canal and Adams Creek. We had rain showers early then a dry spell before we saw a very nasty thunder cloud with an honest to God roll cloud in front. This is an indication of a mature storm with a heavy wind shear and down flow which creates an eddy in front of it and forms a long hot dog shaped cloud fairly low compared to cloud base. We were flying the main and genoa just prior to that, but as we had to change course ( you guessed it) right back into the teeth of the wind we furled all sail. The wind was up to 20-25 now and we were making slow progress up wind as we watched the squall approach. When it hit the winds went to 35 for about 30 minutes and the 4 other boats near us disappeared in the much reduced visability in the down pour. We have ski goggles just for such weather as this so we donned them and were able to face forward into the pelting rain that stung the remaining portions of our face that were uncovered. It was hard to keep the bow into the wind as any deviation from dead into it would quickly want to blow the bow around. We were hand steering and working hard at it for about an hour before the squall fully passed. The wind slowly abated and in another hour it was back down to 10 knots as we passed by Oriental ( a hot spot for sailors) Most of the boats we were near headed in there as it was getting dark soon, but undaunted by last nights close calls we pressed on once again. This time our ETA was 7 pm and the dark portion was going to be near Beaufort and Morehead City which are lit up very well, so it was not going to nearly as tough as the night before. Ran into thunder storms in Adams Creek canal, just to add to the excitement of the day, but no heavy squall this time just a little St Elmo's fire on the masts (just kidding, but I did unplug all the stuff that was charging and shut the inverter off).
There is a split in the intracoastal 3 miles out from Beaufort. Port channel for Beaufort, starboard for Morehead City. We called the bascule bridge for Beaufort at this point to check the schedule and found we would be a few minutes late for the 6:30 opening and would have to wait until 7 to pass. So we speed up and calculated we could just make it.....until we hit some foul current. As we were about to give up and slow down, an idea came to me. We could go around by Morehead city which has a fixed bridge at 65 feet and come in the back way! So we took a hard right just making the fork in the channel and went the back way. Well as it turned out the current was worse on that side and we only saved 5 minutes after all that.
We took a slip at the Beaufort Docks Marina and were able to dry out and get a hot shower. The Marina recommened the "Rib Eye" sports bar across the street so we could catch Monday Nite Football (go Giants, who kicked the Cowboy's butt and broke Tony Romos' collar bone, actually I don't like it when anybody gets anything more than a bruise so, sorry Tony) .
Elizabeth City, NC to Belhaven, NC
October 24;
Long day did 73 miles. We were able to motor sail the first 15 miles to the Aligator River (anyone for a swim?) Then the wind was on the nose and we had to motor the rest of the way. The swing bridge a few miles in, opened on request. 20 knot head winds made the next 20 miles slow, but with the sun out the spray did not seem to bother too much. Made the entrance to the canal section at 4:30 so we decided to press on since this canal is around 200 feet wide. The moon was due up at 7 pm so with a 6:10 sunset we still had some twilight when we saw the moon. Although it took another hour before it was much help. The GPS started showing us on the land when we could plainly see we were in the middle of the canal, and furthermore the autopilot decided to start "loosing its' mind" and swerving off. Bad timing as we were counting on both these aids to keep us mid channel in the dark. To add to our worries we started to come into civilization at that point and there were unlit docks sticking out into the channel. A strong flashlight and Jason's eagle eye kept us out of trouble (unless you count the one dock we didn't see until the very last minute while I was supposed to be looking, oops!)
After we exited the canal the balance of the trip was much less stressful. Half the markers were lit. One little incident, though an unlit day marker happened to be located just under the fat course line on the GPS which obscured it Not seeing it there we weren't looking for it with the flashlight, so we only saw it when it was 20 yards abeam of us. Quite a little shock, we had to get back on one steering one watching again until we got into Belhaven. We anchored at 9:30 just inside the breakwater along with 2 other boats. Calm and restful spot after a tense time in the dark for the last few hours. Had left overs and crashed.
Long day did 73 miles. We were able to motor sail the first 15 miles to the Aligator River (anyone for a swim?) Then the wind was on the nose and we had to motor the rest of the way. The swing bridge a few miles in, opened on request. 20 knot head winds made the next 20 miles slow, but with the sun out the spray did not seem to bother too much. Made the entrance to the canal section at 4:30 so we decided to press on since this canal is around 200 feet wide. The moon was due up at 7 pm so with a 6:10 sunset we still had some twilight when we saw the moon. Although it took another hour before it was much help. The GPS started showing us on the land when we could plainly see we were in the middle of the canal, and furthermore the autopilot decided to start "loosing its' mind" and swerving off. Bad timing as we were counting on both these aids to keep us mid channel in the dark. To add to our worries we started to come into civilization at that point and there were unlit docks sticking out into the channel. A strong flashlight and Jason's eagle eye kept us out of trouble (unless you count the one dock we didn't see until the very last minute while I was supposed to be looking, oops!)
After we exited the canal the balance of the trip was much less stressful. Half the markers were lit. One little incident, though an unlit day marker happened to be located just under the fat course line on the GPS which obscured it Not seeing it there we weren't looking for it with the flashlight, so we only saw it when it was 20 yards abeam of us. Quite a little shock, we had to get back on one steering one watching again until we got into Belhaven. We anchored at 9:30 just inside the breakwater along with 2 other boats. Calm and restful spot after a tense time in the dark for the last few hours. Had left overs and crashed.
Norfolk, VA to Elizabeth City, NC
October 23
Early to rise for a 6:30 am departure in order to make it for the first opening of the Deep Creek Lock at 8:30. Arrived 8 am due to a quick pass thru the Gilmerton Bascule Bridge as it was the weekend no hold up during rush hour. Lock tender had a hard time getting the down river gate closed. He and his dog checked it 4 times, then proceeded to take 5 times longer than usual to raise us up the 6 feet necessary to get to the level of the Dismal Swamp. Finally got all the flood valves open and the last 3 feet went as we had originally anticipated. The lock tender then has to get in his truck drive up a 1/2 mile to the lift bridge and open that for us, he does this 4 times a day (nice work if you can get it). We locked thru with 4 other boats and were joined by another that had overnighted at a bulkhead just on the other side of the lock. We did some calculations and found that 5.5 knots would get us to the South Mills lock in time for the 1:30 opening.
The Dismal Swamp Canal is only about 50 feet wide and has some overhanging trees you need to avoid. We saw a bald eagle fly right in front of us and perch in a tree that we then passed. We were no more than 30 feet from this awesome creature. Neat to see him fly so close, he was really a big one. Got to the South Mills lock a little early and with current carrying us into it we anchored while the other boats tried tomotor and steer backwards in the current.
This lock was quick only took 20 minutes vs 1 hour and a half for the first. This got us back down to the level of the Posquatank River. 19 more miles down a very meandering path to the free public docks at Elizabeth City. As it was the week end no cocktail party throw by the town with the free beer wine and cheeze and crackers. As we tied up several folks on the dockside walk assisted us in between pairs of pilings fore and aft. The only spot left was 11 feet wide as indicated in bold yellow numbers on the bulkhead. As Kia Ora is only 10' 8" on the beam we squeezed thru, good thing we didn't have the fenders out.
Stan, a friend I made last year while repairing my engine here for 7 days, happened to be one of the folks helping on the dock. He just happened to be sailing south earlier than last year just like us. Another small world incident. Shared a few pops and caught up on the past years misadventures. We had dinner aboard and went to Thumpers for some baseball.
Early to rise for a 6:30 am departure in order to make it for the first opening of the Deep Creek Lock at 8:30. Arrived 8 am due to a quick pass thru the Gilmerton Bascule Bridge as it was the weekend no hold up during rush hour. Lock tender had a hard time getting the down river gate closed. He and his dog checked it 4 times, then proceeded to take 5 times longer than usual to raise us up the 6 feet necessary to get to the level of the Dismal Swamp. Finally got all the flood valves open and the last 3 feet went as we had originally anticipated. The lock tender then has to get in his truck drive up a 1/2 mile to the lift bridge and open that for us, he does this 4 times a day (nice work if you can get it). We locked thru with 4 other boats and were joined by another that had overnighted at a bulkhead just on the other side of the lock. We did some calculations and found that 5.5 knots would get us to the South Mills lock in time for the 1:30 opening.
The Dismal Swamp Canal is only about 50 feet wide and has some overhanging trees you need to avoid. We saw a bald eagle fly right in front of us and perch in a tree that we then passed. We were no more than 30 feet from this awesome creature. Neat to see him fly so close, he was really a big one. Got to the South Mills lock a little early and with current carrying us into it we anchored while the other boats tried tomotor and steer backwards in the current.
This lock was quick only took 20 minutes vs 1 hour and a half for the first. This got us back down to the level of the Posquatank River. 19 more miles down a very meandering path to the free public docks at Elizabeth City. As it was the week end no cocktail party throw by the town with the free beer wine and cheeze and crackers. As we tied up several folks on the dockside walk assisted us in between pairs of pilings fore and aft. The only spot left was 11 feet wide as indicated in bold yellow numbers on the bulkhead. As Kia Ora is only 10' 8" on the beam we squeezed thru, good thing we didn't have the fenders out.
Stan, a friend I made last year while repairing my engine here for 7 days, happened to be one of the folks helping on the dock. He just happened to be sailing south earlier than last year just like us. Another small world incident. Shared a few pops and caught up on the past years misadventures. We had dinner aboard and went to Thumpers for some baseball.
Annapolis MD to Norfolk, VA
October 19-22:
Took two lay days in Annapolis while Jason visited his girlfriend Kate in Baltimore. Tuesday was repair day. Readjusted the autopilot belt and replaced the strarbord running light, replaced the kill guys. Wednesday Andria loaned me her XK6 Jag convertible (you go girl what a ride) parked at the end of the subway line and took the metro into DC and went to the Air and Space Museum. A redo since I have been there last made it a great experience. The IMAX theater had a 3D movie on the Hubble Telescope, do incredible it literally brought tears to my eyes.
Thursday got a bit of a late start since Jason was getting a ride from his girlfriend from Baltimore and I had to get a ride from Andria from Edgewater. Wind was southwest at 15-20 we sailed with main and genoa and the wind veered just perfectly to allow us to stay on one tack. At dusk the wind veered into the north at 20 so we tried to sail on foresail and genoa. This worked ok, but without polling out the jib we had to tack downwind. The seas were too big, slewing us back and forth thru 45 degrees on our heading so it was hard to keep wing and wing for very long before jibing the foresail so tacking downwind worked much better. We sailed thru the night with a beautiful 3/4 moon ligting our way. We purposefully stayed near the western shore to avoid being in the shipping lanes and this worked out teriffic. There was a lot of traffic, but it was typically several miles away. The wind died at around 10 pm and we motored until 4 am when I came on watch. The wind filled in from the SW and we raised the main and genoa on a close reach into Norfolk Harbor. A naval cruiser followed us in and called to remind us we needed to stay clear by 500 yards. This required us to furl the genoa and motor closer to the wind to get to the starbord side of the channel. She only identified herself as US warship number 64 ( I guess if the terrorists knew her real name it would make her easier to find??). We fueled up at Tidewater Yacht Marina and for $12 got us use of the dingy dock, showers and laundry while we anchored nearby at Hospital Point. Had a great dinner at the Beer Garden on High Street, followed by some baseball at Barons Bar and Grill.
Took two lay days in Annapolis while Jason visited his girlfriend Kate in Baltimore. Tuesday was repair day. Readjusted the autopilot belt and replaced the strarbord running light, replaced the kill guys. Wednesday Andria loaned me her XK6 Jag convertible (you go girl what a ride) parked at the end of the subway line and took the metro into DC and went to the Air and Space Museum. A redo since I have been there last made it a great experience. The IMAX theater had a 3D movie on the Hubble Telescope, do incredible it literally brought tears to my eyes.
Thursday got a bit of a late start since Jason was getting a ride from his girlfriend from Baltimore and I had to get a ride from Andria from Edgewater. Wind was southwest at 15-20 we sailed with main and genoa and the wind veered just perfectly to allow us to stay on one tack. At dusk the wind veered into the north at 20 so we tried to sail on foresail and genoa. This worked ok, but without polling out the jib we had to tack downwind. The seas were too big, slewing us back and forth thru 45 degrees on our heading so it was hard to keep wing and wing for very long before jibing the foresail so tacking downwind worked much better. We sailed thru the night with a beautiful 3/4 moon ligting our way. We purposefully stayed near the western shore to avoid being in the shipping lanes and this worked out teriffic. There was a lot of traffic, but it was typically several miles away. The wind died at around 10 pm and we motored until 4 am when I came on watch. The wind filled in from the SW and we raised the main and genoa on a close reach into Norfolk Harbor. A naval cruiser followed us in and called to remind us we needed to stay clear by 500 yards. This required us to furl the genoa and motor closer to the wind to get to the starbord side of the channel. She only identified herself as US warship number 64 ( I guess if the terrorists knew her real name it would make her easier to find??). We fueled up at Tidewater Yacht Marina and for $12 got us use of the dingy dock, showers and laundry while we anchored nearby at Hospital Point. Had a great dinner at the Beer Garden on High Street, followed by some baseball at Barons Bar and Grill.
Cape May, NJ To Annapolis, MD
October 17, Sunday:
After 3 lay days in Cape may due to the high NW winds we were able to get underway. Last night we had a coctail party aboard the Ziraffe, Lisa and Danielle from Canada hosted a great BYOB party on the same floating dock we were on good fun with new friends.
Winds were down to 15-20 NW and we gave it a go. Heavy slogging up Delaware Bay with reefed main and jib. We were able to stay on the same tack all the way up the bay. Winds slowly dropped from 20 to 15 and by the time we entered the Chesapeake and Delaware Canal at dusk it was down to 10. We continued on in the dark thru the canal which is well lit on both sides. I got quite a shock when around the bend 200 yards ahead of us appeared a ship about the size of the empire stated building. No kidding this car carrier had a weather deck about 10 stories high. We edged over as far to the right as we dared in the dark and it seemed like we could reach out and touch the ship as it passed. It was the Bosporous Highway a monster of vessel. We overnighted at Chesapeake City 2/3 of the way thru.
Early the next am we set off for Annapolis in calm winds, sunny and cool but warming weather. Motored all the way getting in at 4pm. Docked at Eastport YC. Very friendly folks. The bartender Juanita, knew Tom Rock, Gary Franke and John MacGonnagle from duck hunitng on the eastern shore near her home town. Eastport YC races J80's like our own WYC and have been to Winnipesaukee as have our guys come down and raced here in Annapolis. They remembered Ed Philpot, Kevin Hayes and a bunch of others, small world. Stayed at cousin Bob's in Edgewater had a nice meal while watching the Yankees and Rangers on TV.
After 3 lay days in Cape may due to the high NW winds we were able to get underway. Last night we had a coctail party aboard the Ziraffe, Lisa and Danielle from Canada hosted a great BYOB party on the same floating dock we were on good fun with new friends.
Winds were down to 15-20 NW and we gave it a go. Heavy slogging up Delaware Bay with reefed main and jib. We were able to stay on the same tack all the way up the bay. Winds slowly dropped from 20 to 15 and by the time we entered the Chesapeake and Delaware Canal at dusk it was down to 10. We continued on in the dark thru the canal which is well lit on both sides. I got quite a shock when around the bend 200 yards ahead of us appeared a ship about the size of the empire stated building. No kidding this car carrier had a weather deck about 10 stories high. We edged over as far to the right as we dared in the dark and it seemed like we could reach out and touch the ship as it passed. It was the Bosporous Highway a monster of vessel. We overnighted at Chesapeake City 2/3 of the way thru.
Early the next am we set off for Annapolis in calm winds, sunny and cool but warming weather. Motored all the way getting in at 4pm. Docked at Eastport YC. Very friendly folks. The bartender Juanita, knew Tom Rock, Gary Franke and John MacGonnagle from duck hunitng on the eastern shore near her home town. Eastport YC races J80's like our own WYC and have been to Winnipesaukee as have our guys come down and raced here in Annapolis. They remembered Ed Philpot, Kevin Hayes and a bunch of others, small world. Stayed at cousin Bob's in Edgewater had a nice meal while watching the Yankees and Rangers on TV.
Saturday, October 16, 2010
Northport LI, NY to Cape May NJ
October 13&14 Wednesday & Thursday:
After a nice layover in Northport (thanks Pat and Linda) we got underway at 8:30 and were able to fuel up at Seymore's Marina. No ice or pumpout, but we were able to make do, cool enough the blocks of ice we started with over a week ago are only half gone. Winds north at 10 so we are motor sailing with all plain sail on a sunny and warmish day. Wind went South east so we furled the jib. We had nice views of the planes taking off from Laguardia and hit Hells Gate at slack ebb as planned. Lots of traffic in the East River and lower bay. Passed a tall ship that was motoring up river, with masts just clearing the bridges. Skyline of Manhattan was very nice with a minimum of smog. Wind went south as we exited the Verazanno Narrows toward Sandy Hook so we furled the foresail and main. Saw a clear sunset over Sandy Hook and settled into the watch rotation. We started with 2 hour watches until 1 pm then went to 3 to enable a little more undisturbed rest. Just as I came off watch at 7 pm I noticed a little water on the cabin sole. The forward bilge does not drain into the main bilge anymore (long story) so I check it and saw it was more full than I had every seen it. Checked the main bilge and it was also near overflowing into the cabin. The automatic bilge pump I recently installed was no longer pumping and the stern gland leaks a fair amount under power. With thoughts of having to turn around and head back to Sandy Hook I started to scope out the problem. I later found the oil absorbing cloth log that I had put in the bilge caught up in the bilge pump and turned it on its' side. So the float was no longer functioning. In the meantime I rigged up the old manual bilge pump and ran a hose out the comanionway and over the side. With this in place I was able to drain the main bilge and assure myself that we were not taking on water. Then came the nasty task of lowering the water int the forward bilge. This I normally have to hand pump about twice a year. I was using the hand pump into a bucket and it was quite frustrating as the hose did not want to stay either in the pump or in the bucket. I got soaked in the process and emptied about 30 buckets this way, which got things under control. After changing clothes and unwinding a bit Jason whipped up some hot dogs, sauerkraut and backed beans under way with seas around 2-3 feet. Without the sails up we were rolling pretty good even in these modest seas because they were on the beam.
I was a very clear night with quite a few tugs heading up and down the coast, stars were spectacular (Jupiter and Orion were the best) after moon set at midnight. Wind slowly backed into the east and we were able to start sailing again at 7 am when I came on watch. Atlantic City is light up so much we could see it from 2AM until we finally got by at 9AM. Reached Cape May at noon and docked at South Jersey Marina. The forecast was for heavy NW winds for the next couple of days so we felt better at the dock vs. anchoring. Last fall we met a couple that dragged the anchor in much less winds and had to be hauled off the mud. Once the engine was shut down I could access the bilge pump and straighten out the problem. Fortunately it worked just fine once reset and the oil log removed.
October 15, Friday (my BD)
Lay day in Cape May with winds gusting to 50 out in the Delaware Bay. Fixed the electric transfer pump I bought to help pump the forward bilge and finished emptying it the easy way. We got a ride from the dock master up to the Aviation Museum nearby. It used to be a Naval Air Station with a bunch of training going on during WWII. Very nice and worth the trip, they have everything from Stearman biplanes to a F14 swing wing Tomcat fighter and an actual V2 rocket. Lots of helicopters for Jason to drool over(remember he just got his commercial helicopter license).
The sailors around us organized going together to the Lobster House which is only a block away. We had 12 of us. We wound up seated next to Vincent and Cecile from France. They just retired from owing and operating a ski lodge in the French Alps. Jason let it slip that is my BD so they had a nice big piece of chocolate oblivion cake brought out with a candle. They sang the BD song in French since the majority of the folks were French or French Canadian (merci, mon ami). Had a nightcap at the Lucky Bones on the way home and watched some of game 1 of the Yankees Rangers pennant series.
October 16 Saturday.
Another lay day in Cap May. Winds even stronger today lots of 45 knot gusts in Delaware Bay according to the buoy data I just checked out. Doing minor repairs and laundry. We considered taking the bus to Atlantic City from here, but it's 50 miles and a two hour ride with all the stops, so we canned the idea and are taking it easy tonight. Eat on board, a couple of pops at Lucky Bones to watch game 2 and early to bed, as we plan on slogging it up the Bay tomorrow against 15 to 20 knot winds which will be pretty much on the bow most of the trip until we get to the Chesapeake and can turn south again some 12 hours later.
After a nice layover in Northport (thanks Pat and Linda) we got underway at 8:30 and were able to fuel up at Seymore's Marina. No ice or pumpout, but we were able to make do, cool enough the blocks of ice we started with over a week ago are only half gone. Winds north at 10 so we are motor sailing with all plain sail on a sunny and warmish day. Wind went South east so we furled the jib. We had nice views of the planes taking off from Laguardia and hit Hells Gate at slack ebb as planned. Lots of traffic in the East River and lower bay. Passed a tall ship that was motoring up river, with masts just clearing the bridges. Skyline of Manhattan was very nice with a minimum of smog. Wind went south as we exited the Verazanno Narrows toward Sandy Hook so we furled the foresail and main. Saw a clear sunset over Sandy Hook and settled into the watch rotation. We started with 2 hour watches until 1 pm then went to 3 to enable a little more undisturbed rest. Just as I came off watch at 7 pm I noticed a little water on the cabin sole. The forward bilge does not drain into the main bilge anymore (long story) so I check it and saw it was more full than I had every seen it. Checked the main bilge and it was also near overflowing into the cabin. The automatic bilge pump I recently installed was no longer pumping and the stern gland leaks a fair amount under power. With thoughts of having to turn around and head back to Sandy Hook I started to scope out the problem. I later found the oil absorbing cloth log that I had put in the bilge caught up in the bilge pump and turned it on its' side. So the float was no longer functioning. In the meantime I rigged up the old manual bilge pump and ran a hose out the comanionway and over the side. With this in place I was able to drain the main bilge and assure myself that we were not taking on water. Then came the nasty task of lowering the water int the forward bilge. This I normally have to hand pump about twice a year. I was using the hand pump into a bucket and it was quite frustrating as the hose did not want to stay either in the pump or in the bucket. I got soaked in the process and emptied about 30 buckets this way, which got things under control. After changing clothes and unwinding a bit Jason whipped up some hot dogs, sauerkraut and backed beans under way with seas around 2-3 feet. Without the sails up we were rolling pretty good even in these modest seas because they were on the beam.
I was a very clear night with quite a few tugs heading up and down the coast, stars were spectacular (Jupiter and Orion were the best) after moon set at midnight. Wind slowly backed into the east and we were able to start sailing again at 7 am when I came on watch. Atlantic City is light up so much we could see it from 2AM until we finally got by at 9AM. Reached Cape May at noon and docked at South Jersey Marina. The forecast was for heavy NW winds for the next couple of days so we felt better at the dock vs. anchoring. Last fall we met a couple that dragged the anchor in much less winds and had to be hauled off the mud. Once the engine was shut down I could access the bilge pump and straighten out the problem. Fortunately it worked just fine once reset and the oil log removed.
October 15, Friday (my BD)
Lay day in Cape May with winds gusting to 50 out in the Delaware Bay. Fixed the electric transfer pump I bought to help pump the forward bilge and finished emptying it the easy way. We got a ride from the dock master up to the Aviation Museum nearby. It used to be a Naval Air Station with a bunch of training going on during WWII. Very nice and worth the trip, they have everything from Stearman biplanes to a F14 swing wing Tomcat fighter and an actual V2 rocket. Lots of helicopters for Jason to drool over(remember he just got his commercial helicopter license).
The sailors around us organized going together to the Lobster House which is only a block away. We had 12 of us. We wound up seated next to Vincent and Cecile from France. They just retired from owing and operating a ski lodge in the French Alps. Jason let it slip that is my BD so they had a nice big piece of chocolate oblivion cake brought out with a candle. They sang the BD song in French since the majority of the folks were French or French Canadian (merci, mon ami). Had a nightcap at the Lucky Bones on the way home and watched some of game 1 of the Yankees Rangers pennant series.
October 16 Saturday.
Another lay day in Cap May. Winds even stronger today lots of 45 knot gusts in Delaware Bay according to the buoy data I just checked out. Doing minor repairs and laundry. We considered taking the bus to Atlantic City from here, but it's 50 miles and a two hour ride with all the stops, so we canned the idea and are taking it easy tonight. Eat on board, a couple of pops at Lucky Bones to watch game 2 and early to bed, as we plan on slogging it up the Bay tomorrow against 15 to 20 knot winds which will be pretty much on the bow most of the trip until we get to the Chesapeake and can turn south again some 12 hours later.
Tuesday, October 12, 2010
Cuttyhunk Is, MA to Northport, LI, NY
October 9, Saturday:
Cuttyhunk MA to Mystic CT
The very high winds slowly abated and veered into the NW overnight. A bright morning with 10 knot NW greeted us for our 8AM departure. Our course to Mystic included a reach to exit the balance of Buzzards Bay and then on the wind for the balance. We started out with all plain sail (Main, Fore and Genoa) and the wind quickly picked up to 15 knots which had us making 6.5 knots over the ground. Altering course to the west once exiting Buzzards Bay had us close hauled. The wind continued to build to 20 so dropping the foresail was called for. I needed to go number 1 before starting this, I quickly found we were heeled over so far the lid on the commode would not stay up, so I decided to try it like the ladies do sitting down. Well you know what they say about the best laid plans.............about the time my pants were around my ankles and I went to sit, we hit a freak wave and I was literally tossed out of the head, crashed into the dinette table and did a summersault onto the sette. As much as it hurt (and I have the mother of all bruises covered by a rasberry as a momento) I had to laugh, lying there as I was with my pants down!
We eventually got the foresail down and were able to make good time for a few more hours. We passed by one of the biggest passenger ships I have ever seen off Block Island, I called her bridge on VHF channel 13 (ship to ship channel) and found she was the Crown Pincess, bound for Portland ME. Lots of leaf lookers apparently. The wind backed to the west right on the nose, so we furled the sails and motored the last 10 miles arriving in the Mystic River at dusk. I spoke to the Mystic Seaport about a slip for the night, but they were booked. They did recommend a nice anchorage just up river which we were able to take advantage of. Very shallow there we had to raise the centerboard while anchoring as Kia Ora only draws 3 feet with the board up.
After a nice pot roast dinner with fresh carrots, potatoes and onions we took the dingy to town and found our way to the Harp and Hound, a fun Irish Pub.
Sunday morning was very cool with frost warnings in the area overnight, but it warmed up quickly and we took in the Mystic Seaport. Lots of shipbuilding history and ongoing restorations including the last remaining american whaling ship the Charles W. Morgan. Great day, they had a chowderfest going on and lots of extras. The replica of the Amistad was there. You may remember the story of the only successful slave Mutiny and their acquittal championed by John Quincy Adams. They sail on good will tours and have just returned from Cuba. The Growler, a training tug from Kings Point was visiting and I met some future KP alums who had "sailed" her up from the academy.
October 11, Monday:
Mystic CT to Northport, LI, NY
The basqule bridge just down stream of the Seaport only opens once per hour at 40 minutes past, so we made an early start and cleared the bridge at 7:40 AM. Clear and cool with light NW winds to start. We motor sailed under main alone until the wind backed into the west at 15 then motored the balance of the 80 miles to Northport. Arriving at 8 PM we had to weave our way thru the dense mooring field to a very narrow unlit entrance to my brother-in-law Pat's. The shallow channel at low tide made it even more challenging. We started dragging the centerboard at the entrance, which is a nice early warning indicator as it just pivots back, so up board and on the anchor just in front of their beautiful waterfront home. Due to the narrow channel we did a bahamian moor, which ment we dropped the main anchor backed up 150 feet and dropped a second. Then retrieved 75 feet from the first anchor rode while letting out on the second so we could stay in the middle of the channel.
Had nice hot showers and a wonderful home cooked meal with mahi-mahi, lobster and chicken that my sister-in-law Linda put together (thank you, thank you!)
Tuesday is a lay day, planning for the cruise thru hells gate and down the Jersey Shore overnight Wednesday. Our plan is to arrive there in the East River at slack ebb tide (3 PM tomorrow) to allow for an easy transit and a following current all the way out the Verrazano Norrows to Sandy Hook NJ, then overnight to Cape May before the blow forcast for Thurs nite and Friday. Jason took the mountain bike down town to get a hair cut as everybody here is working today. He came home with a happy birthday cheeze cake for me, what a guy!! When Jamie, my nephew got home, he noticed the fish jumping right out front of the house so he and Jason ran down to the boat to try their luck and landed a 14 inch blue fish, Jamie landed a 28 inch stripper yesterday right off the dock.
Cuttyhunk MA to Mystic CT
The very high winds slowly abated and veered into the NW overnight. A bright morning with 10 knot NW greeted us for our 8AM departure. Our course to Mystic included a reach to exit the balance of Buzzards Bay and then on the wind for the balance. We started out with all plain sail (Main, Fore and Genoa) and the wind quickly picked up to 15 knots which had us making 6.5 knots over the ground. Altering course to the west once exiting Buzzards Bay had us close hauled. The wind continued to build to 20 so dropping the foresail was called for. I needed to go number 1 before starting this, I quickly found we were heeled over so far the lid on the commode would not stay up, so I decided to try it like the ladies do sitting down. Well you know what they say about the best laid plans.............about the time my pants were around my ankles and I went to sit, we hit a freak wave and I was literally tossed out of the head, crashed into the dinette table and did a summersault onto the sette. As much as it hurt (and I have the mother of all bruises covered by a rasberry as a momento) I had to laugh, lying there as I was with my pants down!
We eventually got the foresail down and were able to make good time for a few more hours. We passed by one of the biggest passenger ships I have ever seen off Block Island, I called her bridge on VHF channel 13 (ship to ship channel) and found she was the Crown Pincess, bound for Portland ME. Lots of leaf lookers apparently. The wind backed to the west right on the nose, so we furled the sails and motored the last 10 miles arriving in the Mystic River at dusk. I spoke to the Mystic Seaport about a slip for the night, but they were booked. They did recommend a nice anchorage just up river which we were able to take advantage of. Very shallow there we had to raise the centerboard while anchoring as Kia Ora only draws 3 feet with the board up.
After a nice pot roast dinner with fresh carrots, potatoes and onions we took the dingy to town and found our way to the Harp and Hound, a fun Irish Pub.
Sunday morning was very cool with frost warnings in the area overnight, but it warmed up quickly and we took in the Mystic Seaport. Lots of shipbuilding history and ongoing restorations including the last remaining american whaling ship the Charles W. Morgan. Great day, they had a chowderfest going on and lots of extras. The replica of the Amistad was there. You may remember the story of the only successful slave Mutiny and their acquittal championed by John Quincy Adams. They sail on good will tours and have just returned from Cuba. The Growler, a training tug from Kings Point was visiting and I met some future KP alums who had "sailed" her up from the academy.
October 11, Monday:
Mystic CT to Northport, LI, NY
The basqule bridge just down stream of the Seaport only opens once per hour at 40 minutes past, so we made an early start and cleared the bridge at 7:40 AM. Clear and cool with light NW winds to start. We motor sailed under main alone until the wind backed into the west at 15 then motored the balance of the 80 miles to Northport. Arriving at 8 PM we had to weave our way thru the dense mooring field to a very narrow unlit entrance to my brother-in-law Pat's. The shallow channel at low tide made it even more challenging. We started dragging the centerboard at the entrance, which is a nice early warning indicator as it just pivots back, so up board and on the anchor just in front of their beautiful waterfront home. Due to the narrow channel we did a bahamian moor, which ment we dropped the main anchor backed up 150 feet and dropped a second. Then retrieved 75 feet from the first anchor rode while letting out on the second so we could stay in the middle of the channel.
Had nice hot showers and a wonderful home cooked meal with mahi-mahi, lobster and chicken that my sister-in-law Linda put together (thank you, thank you!)
Tuesday is a lay day, planning for the cruise thru hells gate and down the Jersey Shore overnight Wednesday. Our plan is to arrive there in the East River at slack ebb tide (3 PM tomorrow) to allow for an easy transit and a following current all the way out the Verrazano Norrows to Sandy Hook NJ, then overnight to Cape May before the blow forcast for Thurs nite and Friday. Jason took the mountain bike down town to get a hair cut as everybody here is working today. He came home with a happy birthday cheeze cake for me, what a guy!! When Jamie, my nephew got home, he noticed the fish jumping right out front of the house so he and Jason ran down to the boat to try their luck and landed a 14 inch blue fish, Jamie landed a 28 inch stripper yesterday right off the dock.
Friday, October 8, 2010
Next Big Sail South
October 4
Well I'm on my way south aboard Kia Ora again heading to the sunshine state. This year a much earlier start then last years October 30 shove off. Final destination for this trip is Sarasota. Once in Florida I'm planning on taking the St. Lucie Canal into Lake Okechobee and on to the west coast thru another canal.
I have a friend of the family onboard crewing. Jason Larrere, who has just graduated and has his comercial instrument helicopter licence (go Jason!). We provisioned and got things stowed away, including the newly refurbished dingy and a mountain bike on deck. With the long drive down to Falmouth from Gilford and what not we didn't shove off until 2:30. The winds were NE at 15 and we had a very pleasant sail under partly cloudy skies to Kennebunkport. The rebuilt clutch on the autopilot is working great, a big relief since this was the first time I had to check it out. Pulled into Kennebunkport at 7PM, totally dark, but with the GPS and a good look out it was dicy but OK. Docked at Chicks Marina, which is convenient to downtown.
After a nice meal onboard, we walked down to Allisons Resturant and watched the Patriots distroy the Dolphins.
October 5 Tuesday:
Got a decent start shoving off at 8AM. Winds NE at 15 to 20 and waves 6-12 feet. The quartering waves are giving the autohelm quite a work out. It only took a little over two hours to drain the deepcycle battery to the point the autopilot kicked off on low voltage. With the starting battery we cranked up the engine and got the voltage back up to enable the autopilot to do it's thing. I hand steered for a while, because I'm using my last spare drive belt and I was afraid of wearing it out, but so far so good. I will rotate the belt a quarter turn every week so the same spot at wheel center doesn't get all the wear. We are making great time past Cape Ann doing over 7 knots most of the time under main and jib alone (foresail furled), so in spite of the frequent rain showers we decided to keep on piling up the miles and went straight for the Cape Cod Canal. We hit the current just right arriving at the canal entrance at 10 PM so we blew thru with the GPS showing 12 knots a couple of times (whoa..a new record). Onset Mass is just south of the canal and we picked up a mooring for the night.
October 6 Wednesday:
The forecast was for gale force NE winds and heavy rain, so we slept in. The forecast was right for the rain but the heavy NE winds did not materialize. We stopped over at the Point Independence Yacht Club for fuel, water and, a holding tank pump out. They were gracious and let us leave the boat at the fuel dock while we took showers and and put all out wet clothes in the dryer. They opened up the club for us so we could watch TV while wating for the dryer. I was a little embarrased when the dockmaster came back because with every thing in the dryer I was sitting there in my underwear (oops! where's my blue blaser?). With the winds west at 10 and the rain letting up we decided to try to make Newport. Got underway at 3pm and were motor sailing with the main and jib for an hour up Buzzards Bay when the wind filled in from the south west at 20 knots (another little detail the forcast missed). So we went to plan B (or was this plan C? hard to keep track with the fickle weather) which was to head into New Bedford. The cruising guide was touting the merits of the Old New Bedford Yacht Club, so we headed for that. Docked where the GPS said it was only we turned out to be at the Pope Island Marina. Which was OK since the ONBYC had more laid up fishing boats at thier docks than pleasure boats.
I got in touch with Gary Langley who lives nearby. We sailed in company from Ft. Pierce Florida to Norfolk VA this past spring, both of us single handling. He got us on the right track and recommended a fun sports bar, the Ice Chest a mile north on Rt 6. Good food great prices, lots of fun (Octoberfest on tap, yeah).
October 7, Thursday:
With the forcast for heavy west winds, we elected to take a layday. West Marine was right across the street so we took full advantage. Replaced the starting battery, changed the oil, replaced the rusty chain on the anchor and repaired the mainsail cover zipper attachment (thanks Jason..... hey Terry he can sew now!). With us in town a second nite Gary Langley's car was now out of the shop, so he picked us up and showed us the hot spots in New Bedford. Had a nice meal in the historic waterfront district and Fresh Catch. Nice view of the harbor, but sad to see so many of the fishing fleet idle. Behaved ourselves and only hit one bar (Old Ale House)after dinner.
October 8, Friday:
Forecast was iffy but we didn't want to have to take two laydays in a row (three if you count Onset where we sat around in the rain.... and our underwear if you remember most of the day) so we decided to try our luck against the wind. When we got to the hurricane barrier (yes New Bedford had one and they can close the gate if necessary to protect the harbor from storm surges etc.) it was closed!! After calling on VHF channel 13 we found out the Army Corps of Engineers was doing repairs, so we couldn't get out of the harbor unti for another 2 1/2 hours. We returned to the dock and decided to take in the New Bedford Whaling Museum. Terrific idea. It has the largest ship model in the world, a half scale whaling ship the Lacoda. The thing is like 60 feet long! and inside!! They also has a 1/3 scale Concordia Yawl which was functional and spectacular. Well worth the visit.
Got underway after listening to the forcast for the umteenth time. We started out with a single reefed main and full jib, but no foresail. This was perfect for the first 45 minutes then the winds picked up and were blowing a steady 25 with higher gusts. At that point I would rather of had the second reef in the main, but it was too rough to try to change for the short trip we had left to get to Cuttyhunk Island. The boat handled it very well powering thru the 6 foot chop and we even had it steering itself without the autopilot. I was plenty wet, the rail was in the water most of the time, and we had to motor the last mile directly upwind. The harbor entrance is very narrow and shallow. With the wind now gusting to 32 (confirmed from local bouy readings we heard later) it was hard to keep the bow from blowing out of the wind. This made it a handful coming in the narrow channel, not the time you want the wind to catch the bow and do an involuntary 90 degree turn, which she was doing if you missed a beat with the steering only a few moments before on the way in.
We picked up a mooring are safely in for the night as the wind howls outside, flaps the plastic cover on the mountain bike, and creeks and groans the mooring line thru the chock and by the bobstay. Hope it lets up a little so it will be quiet enough to get to sleep. Looking to take advantage of some more fair NW or even N winds tomorrow which should be 15 gusting to 20 as we head west up Rhode Island Sound and then Long Island Sound.
Well I'm on my way south aboard Kia Ora again heading to the sunshine state. This year a much earlier start then last years October 30 shove off. Final destination for this trip is Sarasota. Once in Florida I'm planning on taking the St. Lucie Canal into Lake Okechobee and on to the west coast thru another canal.
I have a friend of the family onboard crewing. Jason Larrere, who has just graduated and has his comercial instrument helicopter licence (go Jason!). We provisioned and got things stowed away, including the newly refurbished dingy and a mountain bike on deck. With the long drive down to Falmouth from Gilford and what not we didn't shove off until 2:30. The winds were NE at 15 and we had a very pleasant sail under partly cloudy skies to Kennebunkport. The rebuilt clutch on the autopilot is working great, a big relief since this was the first time I had to check it out. Pulled into Kennebunkport at 7PM, totally dark, but with the GPS and a good look out it was dicy but OK. Docked at Chicks Marina, which is convenient to downtown.
After a nice meal onboard, we walked down to Allisons Resturant and watched the Patriots distroy the Dolphins.
October 5 Tuesday:
Got a decent start shoving off at 8AM. Winds NE at 15 to 20 and waves 6-12 feet. The quartering waves are giving the autohelm quite a work out. It only took a little over two hours to drain the deepcycle battery to the point the autopilot kicked off on low voltage. With the starting battery we cranked up the engine and got the voltage back up to enable the autopilot to do it's thing. I hand steered for a while, because I'm using my last spare drive belt and I was afraid of wearing it out, but so far so good. I will rotate the belt a quarter turn every week so the same spot at wheel center doesn't get all the wear. We are making great time past Cape Ann doing over 7 knots most of the time under main and jib alone (foresail furled), so in spite of the frequent rain showers we decided to keep on piling up the miles and went straight for the Cape Cod Canal. We hit the current just right arriving at the canal entrance at 10 PM so we blew thru with the GPS showing 12 knots a couple of times (whoa..a new record). Onset Mass is just south of the canal and we picked up a mooring for the night.
October 6 Wednesday:
The forecast was for gale force NE winds and heavy rain, so we slept in. The forecast was right for the rain but the heavy NE winds did not materialize. We stopped over at the Point Independence Yacht Club for fuel, water and, a holding tank pump out. They were gracious and let us leave the boat at the fuel dock while we took showers and and put all out wet clothes in the dryer. They opened up the club for us so we could watch TV while wating for the dryer. I was a little embarrased when the dockmaster came back because with every thing in the dryer I was sitting there in my underwear (oops! where's my blue blaser?). With the winds west at 10 and the rain letting up we decided to try to make Newport. Got underway at 3pm and were motor sailing with the main and jib for an hour up Buzzards Bay when the wind filled in from the south west at 20 knots (another little detail the forcast missed). So we went to plan B (or was this plan C? hard to keep track with the fickle weather) which was to head into New Bedford. The cruising guide was touting the merits of the Old New Bedford Yacht Club, so we headed for that. Docked where the GPS said it was only we turned out to be at the Pope Island Marina. Which was OK since the ONBYC had more laid up fishing boats at thier docks than pleasure boats.
I got in touch with Gary Langley who lives nearby. We sailed in company from Ft. Pierce Florida to Norfolk VA this past spring, both of us single handling. He got us on the right track and recommended a fun sports bar, the Ice Chest a mile north on Rt 6. Good food great prices, lots of fun (Octoberfest on tap, yeah).
October 7, Thursday:
With the forcast for heavy west winds, we elected to take a layday. West Marine was right across the street so we took full advantage. Replaced the starting battery, changed the oil, replaced the rusty chain on the anchor and repaired the mainsail cover zipper attachment (thanks Jason..... hey Terry he can sew now!). With us in town a second nite Gary Langley's car was now out of the shop, so he picked us up and showed us the hot spots in New Bedford. Had a nice meal in the historic waterfront district and Fresh Catch. Nice view of the harbor, but sad to see so many of the fishing fleet idle. Behaved ourselves and only hit one bar (Old Ale House)after dinner.
October 8, Friday:
Forecast was iffy but we didn't want to have to take two laydays in a row (three if you count Onset where we sat around in the rain.... and our underwear if you remember most of the day) so we decided to try our luck against the wind. When we got to the hurricane barrier (yes New Bedford had one and they can close the gate if necessary to protect the harbor from storm surges etc.) it was closed!! After calling on VHF channel 13 we found out the Army Corps of Engineers was doing repairs, so we couldn't get out of the harbor unti for another 2 1/2 hours. We returned to the dock and decided to take in the New Bedford Whaling Museum. Terrific idea. It has the largest ship model in the world, a half scale whaling ship the Lacoda. The thing is like 60 feet long! and inside!! They also has a 1/3 scale Concordia Yawl which was functional and spectacular. Well worth the visit.
Got underway after listening to the forcast for the umteenth time. We started out with a single reefed main and full jib, but no foresail. This was perfect for the first 45 minutes then the winds picked up and were blowing a steady 25 with higher gusts. At that point I would rather of had the second reef in the main, but it was too rough to try to change for the short trip we had left to get to Cuttyhunk Island. The boat handled it very well powering thru the 6 foot chop and we even had it steering itself without the autopilot. I was plenty wet, the rail was in the water most of the time, and we had to motor the last mile directly upwind. The harbor entrance is very narrow and shallow. With the wind now gusting to 32 (confirmed from local bouy readings we heard later) it was hard to keep the bow from blowing out of the wind. This made it a handful coming in the narrow channel, not the time you want the wind to catch the bow and do an involuntary 90 degree turn, which she was doing if you missed a beat with the steering only a few moments before on the way in.
We picked up a mooring are safely in for the night as the wind howls outside, flaps the plastic cover on the mountain bike, and creeks and groans the mooring line thru the chock and by the bobstay. Hope it lets up a little so it will be quiet enough to get to sleep. Looking to take advantage of some more fair NW or even N winds tomorrow which should be 15 gusting to 20 as we head west up Rhode Island Sound and then Long Island Sound.
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