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Date:Tue, 8 Nov 2022 11:58:00 GMT
Getting ready to sail
Finishing Last in StyleLast weekend the 5th there was a fun race and we finished last. But we tested several points of sail. I was very glad to see that wing and wing is very easy on this boat. We also found that even close hauled you need to let the main out a little more than you might expect to balance the weather helm.
The last week we have spent getting ready for the trip south. Going through the storage unit, buying maps, planning meals, stowing things and finding out how and where to store our cars. We have been talking to folks about where to stop and good fuel and anchorages etc on the route south.
It looks like weather is not going to allow us to do the gel coat repair right at the moment so we will try to do it later. The insurance company has agreed to issue a check in advance and then perhaps we can have the work done in the spring.
The forward vaccuum pump has been holding so it looks like we will not need to split the line just yet but I'm saving all the parts to do it later. We are getting closer to the launch of our youtube and patreaon sites. Sam has been working overtime on videos. I also have tons of pictures to upload and I know I've been remiss but I'll get them up and posted. Especially of the races here on the river.
The wind picked up last night to around 20kts and the lines started slapping on the mast a little bit with each gust. The lines were also creaking a little bit as the boat pulled away from the dock in the wind. Learning each noise the boat makes is important and also comforting. we are looking forward to leaving the dock and starting our adventure for this winter.
Date:Sat, 12 Nov 2022 13:51:00 GMT
Getting Ready to Sail #2
Storms on the dockLast Night the winds peaked at 38Knots and were steady at 27-30. We were pressed hard against the dock and Sam and I took down the awning for a second time in 25-30 Knots of wind. We wrapped line around the sail covers and made sure all the lines were set. There were waves breaking over the breakwater wall at Blackbeards. We went to sleep in 30knots at about 2300.
Yesterday we ran last minute errands and spent the afternoon and early evening at the storage unit vaccuum sealing food and organizing. We will be up there again today. The boat is a wreck while we are finding places to put food and supplies. You would think we were going trans-atlantic but we're only going for a couple days at a time as we head south. It looks like the weather will give us 10-25 Knots from our Starboard quarter the entire trip to Charleston which is likely our first stop. But you never know... we could go on to Brunswick or Jacksonville depending on how we feel.
Several of our friends and acquaintances have left already heading south and we hope to meet up with them as we continue on to the Keys. We are also considering the Bahamas as well.
The decisions about what to bring and what not to bring are sometimes difficult because we really don't know what we will be doing for the next 6 months. Things like warm or cold weather gear, rain gear, extra rope for projects I want to do that might be more expensive in Florida, etc. This boat has no Bimini so it is a weat sail in the weather and even 60 deg and wet for extended periods can be very cold. We did find a new HH coat for My mom yesterday. I have my wet weather gear from Alaska including pants and that is my current plan. We still need a coat and pants for Hannah. That is on the list for tomorrow.
We will be leaving the cars here at Blackbeards and so this is our return location at the present time for perhaps March or April. We are putting off repairs of the Gelcoat and the new bottom paint for the Spring.
Date:Mon, 14 Nov 2022 13:49:00 GMT
Getting Ready to Sail #3
Tomorrow's the day!We spent the day yesterday packing food and sealing food again. But we found homes for everything and the boat is almost ready to sail. Today will be a last day dealing with cars and last minute preparations. We had dinner last night with friends. We had home made pizza! We have to have a place to put our cars for the next few months. So one we are leaving with a repair shop and the other we are leaving with the Marina. Then we spent the evening looking at charts and discussing possible anchorages along the way. We decided to stop at Charleston first. Then after that probably St. Marys.
Date:Tue, 15 Nov 2022 20:56:00 GMT
We're OFF!
Day 1 Adams CreekWe finally got underway about 11am and we are now at anchor in Adams Creek at about 1530. It was a windy day with 20g25 out of the east south east with light rain and about 58 deg. Baro is 30.0. The autopilot is on the fritz and it appears the pump is not getting power. I'll have to check it later. We are rafted up with our friends B, S, and K. WE had the motor the whole way as the winds were direct headwind and we want to make our weather window offshore.
Date:Wed, 16 Nov 2022 10:01:20 GMT
WAKE!
Day 1 pt 2 Adams Creek Anchorage It's 3am and you can hear the rain and the wind howling through the rigging. We're rocking gently on about 75 feet of Anchor chain. The rain comes and goes in waves as well. We say we like the silence of sailing vs motoring but there is actually a lot of sound. If you know what the sounds are it's quite comforting. The lapping of water against the hull or the gentle slapping of lines against the mast. I try to keep the lines tight and away from the mast so they don't slap till the wind goes over 20knots so I can tell if I need to pay attention to the wind based upon how the lines and howl sound. Hannah has a little Frog wind chime that we have in the main salon and when it starts ringing we know there are waves or a wake over about 1 1/2 feet. It doesn't ring all the time but when it does you know it's moving a little more. This is our first real cruise since 2001 and it brings back so many memories. It feels good to be on the water again. We took this creek and anchored here in 2000. That time we dragged the anchor in a storm. Today we know better how to anchor and all is fine. I was up at this time before trying to reset the anchor and we were worried we'd drag ashore. When we brought Grace down from Maryland last year we saw many of the same sights along the way as well but we knew we were going to dock and this morning we really don't where we are going or for how long. We have tentative plans but nothing solid. We're traveling with some good friends who we met this spring and they want to go the Bahamas or the Keys so we decided to come along for the ride. Of course there are lots of people going south right now after the Hurricane including several from Blackbeard's. We hope to meet them along the way as well. I think I'm addicted to the freedom and excitement of not knowing what the future will bring. It's a lot of work on a boat and if you don't enjoy fixing things then this is not the life for you, but in the end for me it's very worth it. After decades working for other people it's good to be back running my own life again. Though, I might say, I'm really working for the sea. The wind and waves ruin all plans I think. There, the wind is quieting down again and the latest squall line is passed. The run from Blackbeard's to Adam's creek was a little blustery. We had 20g25 knots out of about 120 and decided to just motor as tacking back and fourth would have made us miss our weather window for going off shore tomorrow. It was choppy on the Neuse but we made about 5-5 1/2 knots the entire way. We Anchored at the mouth of the Creek at about 15:30 and our friends came and tied up next to us. The raft up went really well till about 18:30 when a very large power boat entered the creek at about 30 knots and sent a huge wake our way. We were just finishing dinner of baked potatoes and baked beans with some corn and freshly baked ginger molasses cookies. Mom was teaching K a new version of Solitaire and B and I were talking about the Mandela effect and it hit. Immediately the frog chime went crazy and as I went up to the cockpit to see the two boats were rocking fiercely and the masts and spreaders were nearly bumping into each other. The bumpers did their job and no damage was done but it taught us a lesson about not rafting up except in a no wake zone. The lifelines nearly hooked each other and I was worried the bumpers would pop. I'm glad we had both our sets of bumpers out! We finished dinner and cleaned up and then un-rafted in the dark. That was the easy part. We just untied the lines let them drift back and about 50-60 feet off our port stern then dropped the anchor in 15 knots of wind and let it pull them back. When we released the lines we released the bow before the spring and so the bow fell away pushing the stern very close to us. We should have released the spring before the bow. If we had been trying to get off the dock in a wind we could have done the same maneuver and it would have worked better. So that was our second scare of the night that their stern pulpit would hit our mizzen boom. All went off however with no contact and we sighed and went below. I tried to contact the Tennessee phone net on the ham radio at 20:45 but the propagation was not good enough and though I could hear stations in the distance I wouldn't have been able to check in. There is a lot of electronic noise from the other systems on the boat so I turned off the freezer to use the radio, but as I just noticed, I forgot to turn it on again so I just did now. The temperature was still below freezing but I don't like forgetting things like that. Tomorrow we plan on leaving about 06:30 or right after sun-up providing the rain has stopped as we are in an open cockpit. I know I have rain gear but the rain is supposed to stop by 0700 and there's no reason to get wet at the start of the day for just 30min. So, we'll see when we leave exactly. We are meeting friend for lunch in Beaufort, so we will anchor early in Taylor Creek and dinghy in for lunch. We still plan on going out slack tide and will spend tomorrow night off shore. According to the forecast we should have a beam to broad reach off our starboard for the next 2-3 days at 10-25 knots and seas less than 5 feet! It should be a nice run to Charleston SC St. Mary's GA. I'm hoping the forecast is correct because our auto pilot didn't want to work yesterday. We were doing some work near it a couple days ago getting ready to leave and we might have broken a wire so the hydraulic pump is not turning on. This will save us power if we have to sail the entire way on the wheel but I'm hoping to fix it underway tomorrow. As we are motoring down Adams Creek for a few hours I'll empty the starboard lazerette and check the wires. I'm not going to do much more because I don't want to possibly mess up the hydraulic steering. It was working fine a couple weeks back so I'm hoping the motor didn't choose now to die and we can just re-attach a wire. People are going to wonder what is up as we motor by with everything tossed in the cockpit and Sam and I headfirst in the lazerette with our feet in the air.
Date:Sun, 20 Nov 2022 19:01:00 GMT
Arrived Charleston
First stopover heading southWe are at anchor in Charleston Harbor. How was the journey? So we left from Beaufort NC in the late afternoon on Wednesday the 16th. Winds were barely 5 knots as we motored out to sea. I was worried we wouldn't even be able to sail. Then when we got out about 3-4 miles the wind picked up and we started sailing south. The sunset leaving Beaufort was amazing but cold. Even before the sun was completely below the horizon you could already see stars in the eastern sky. We were on a broad reach all night with calm water. Just off out of sight of land with a gentle glow on the north western horizon it was silent and dark with only the light movement of water along the hull. We were making about 4 knots with 8-10 knots of wind. All through the night we traded positions with our friends who were sailing with us. I could hit 6-7 knots if I turned 15 deg to starboard but that heading would take us directly to Frying Pan Shoals so I couldn't hold it for long. The best course was to accept the 4 knots and be clear the shoals. In the early hours of the morning the winds started picking up and the waves increased. Sam and Hannah both took shifts at the wheel as our autopilot wasn't working. Sometime in the last couple weeks it decided to stop and I didn't know until we left for Beaufort. I was a long night. It's nights like these that make sailing such an amazing life/sport. There's a silence off shore that is difficult to explane unles you experience it. It's one of the things I was hoping to find on our return to sailing. Sure enough it was there once we were far enough off shore.
In the morning the wind picked up to 20g30 and the swells were up at 8-10 feet with waves 3-5 feet and breaking. There were large rollers that came in at about 15 feet when they stacked up. It was rough and cold. when the wind was still climbing around 18-20knots I noticed the sail was not flying right and the shackle at the foot of the sail was gone. So I got Sam up on deck and we reefed the main. Then I reefed in the Genoa as well. It was good because the wind continued to climb. Our friends saw several peak gusts at 38knots. I was very pleased at how well the boat was doing. It was not as wet as I thought it would be and with the cold wind wet would have been really miserable. Spray? yes, but no crashing waves. Sam and I took turns at the wheel and then really close to Frying Pan when we were changing positions the boat rolled fairly unexpectedly and a wave hit us on the starboard stern quarter and pushed me head first into the forward main winch on the port side. I tried to grab the dodger but it came out of my hand wrenching my elbow. As I went down my middle finger slammed into the cockpit combing and I hit my face on the winch cracking a piece off my front tooth. But picking my self up I must admit it could have been worse. I think I cracked the bone on my finger as it swelled up something purple on the inside of my hand even though I hit it on the back. But feeling rather embarrased at not holding on I went below for a nap. The sea is both beautiful and terrifying and should alwasy be respected. Posiden took his toll that day as my stocking cap that Hannah made me from baby alpaca yarn whet into the water as I hit my face on the winch. I guess he wanted my hat.
The boat did very well and even without stressing the rigging and reefed we were doing 7-8 knots though the day and hit a peak of 9.6. It was a very tiring day. As we rounded the shoals I cut in toward land to let the shoals block the following seas and sure enough it did. The wind was strong but the swells were only 4-5 feet, still with whitecaps but nothing like before. It had been a tiring two days so we decided to put in at Georgetown so we changed our course inland. However after discussion later that afternoon with the seas calmer we decided to continue on through the night to Charleston.
As we approached Charleston the winds were not cooperating. They were slaking and moving more north making tacking difficult and time consuming. Our friends made it to the Harbor before the wind died but we didn't. It died while on a starboard tack making 2 knots... So then came the choice, start the motor and go into Charleston at 10pm against the tide or just stay another night offshore. We opted to heave to near the cargo ship anchorage offshore and get some sleep. In the preceding 3 days none of us had more than about 10 hours sleep so we were ready for a nap.
After his watch at about 3 am Sat morning Sam woke me up as the winds had freshened and changed direction. We had drifted quite a ways during the night. So we adjusted the sails and started heading into Charleston at about 4 knots on a beam reach in 7-10 knots of wind. It was a nice easy sail and at about 9am we were racing Calista, a Bayfield 36 into the harbor at about 6 knots. We chatted and exchanged contact information on 17. I called them to say good morning because they also had red sails. "The cutter with red sails following our red sails good morning!" After we chatted for a bit I saw him raise the inner jib/cutter behind his Genoa and I knew it was on so I let out the reefs in our sails and we raced side by side most of the way into the marked channel. We turned on the motor and waited till we were in the mouth of the Ashley river to drop the main sail. Turning into the anchorage south abeam the Battery we set anchor in 18 feet of water and had dinner with our friends on their boat.
Date:Mon, 21 Nov 2022 23:21:00 GMT
Arrived St Mary's GA
Cruising at Last!We left Charleston at 9am and headed out into the ocean.
A bit on Jib preventers:If you put them too close to the mast then it's an awful lot of stress on everything especially with over 600sq feet of sail. Not to mention the boom it's self, but if you move them too far back the stretch in the rope is enough that they just pull through and fold to the other side anyway. We chose about 2/3 down the boom and tied to the midship cleat. It worked but during an unintended jibe we nearly broke the rope and I was afraid we were going to pull off the deck cleat. They are designed for sideways movement not upwards. So we moved the line to a midship fitting for jib sheets. That didn't work as well because the line was too vertical and didn't keep it from moving. Still, it did prevent a crash jibe. I think the horse with a boom brake is probably better but I wouldn't want to to have to cross the lines all the time.
I have decided I like night sailing. You can feel the boat better when not distracted by what you can see. I could almost sail with my eyes closed just listening to the sound of the sails and feeling the boat's movements. The nights are beautiful and lonely but then I like being alone and the stars are simply amazing.
In the morning we were on our final leg to St. Marys and suddenly our friends boat dropped off AIS and I realized I couldn't see their sails. They had been within 2 miles. I decided to turn on the autopilot and of course I couldn't turn past -8 AGAIN. We started making calls on the radio and no one had seen them even the other two boats that were also near by. All we knew was a short radio call saying they had lost all power. So we called the coast guard to report a ship in distress and started searching for them. Finally we did find them when we got close enough to land to get a cell text message through. And we followed them into St. Marys. Getting the main down in these conditions is miserable and took us nearly 30 minutes. The lines always tangle around the front of the mast with the steaming light. The topping lift was tangled in the lazy jacks and the spare halyard. Trying to untangle that mess with waves crashing over the deck and the boat pitching 15-20 deg in every direction is not easy. And need I remind you I can't turn port? ugh...
The sea should always be respected. We are very careful with jacklines and life vests as overboard in those conditions would be very dangerous. I can't imagine doing things like this without the big deck we have.
We keep the lazy jacks tight along the boom when we stow the sails and then deploy them as we drop the sails. That way they don't get tangled in the battons when you hoist the sail. But with everything flopping around in the wind and waves I think the tangle and effort to deploy them is worse than haveing a batton caught.
As we arrived in St. Marys inlet it was cold rainy and miserable with breakers on the beam all the way down the entrance. It took us an hour just get in. We motored to town and anchored in front of the town docks with all the other cruisers and since our friends still don't have proper power they are coming over for dinner and hot water if they want. There were several cool boats there but our favorite was a wooden 38ish foot double ender ketch with a hard dinghy. Amazing boat.
We will be staying here for Thanksgiving and to make repairs to my steering and their electric. Oh and Hannah's new pump siphoned all the water back into the main tanks... We will have to re-design the drinking water system.
Date:Wed, 23 Nov 2022 22:54:00 GMT
St Mary's GA
Lunch Icecream and Fudge!Today we slept in. Every muscle in my body hurts. I feel like I am recovering from a car crash. Eventually we got up, washed up, washed our hair and decided to go into town. But we are moving slow.
Our dingy lift is working great. We added a sling/harness to the motor so we can lift it into the boat without worrying about dropping it overboard. We met our buddy boat at the dock and went to lunch at the Greek resturant right off the water. It's called "The Riverside Cafe" It's a marvelous little place and the food was excellent! I would recommend it to anyone anchoring here. The town is small and a couple of the shops are going out of business. (which is sad) due to flooding from storm surge repeatedly. There's lots of nice stuff for gifts to send home. There is home made fudge and icecream here as well at the "Market on the Square". The town is friendly to boaters and the waterfront park is beautiful. There is a bait shop with bathrooms right off the dinghy dock which is free and trash cans right by the dock. There are hanging swinging benches and a playground for kids. We are staying for the Boater's Thanksgiving at the hotel here tomorrow.
The marina mentioned in the guide books is gone, washed away in the hurricane. But some of the broken pilings are still there. So where you see a marina on the charts don't anchor there because at low tide you'll be sitting on broken log pilings punching holes in your boat. The river has a swift current and of course there are winds going against or sidewise to the current so give your self plenty of room from other boats. The anchorage is big with room for 20 boats or more. It was pretty full when we got here. The depths range from 8-25 feet and it holds well but make sure your anchor likes to be turned around because the current shifts.
I'm going to bed early tonight and Hannah is making a custard pie and stuffing for Thanksgiving dinner tomorrow. I think we're going to work on the steering perhaps Saturday or Sunday.
Date:Thur, 24 Nov 2022 23:12:00 GMT
St Mary's GA
Cruiser's Thanksgiving
Date:Sat, 26 Nov 2022 00:12:00 GMT
St Mary's Ga 2
RelaxingToday was an easy day. We went to Seagles for a breakfast pancake buffett for the cruisers. Then with the help of some WONDERFUL locals from the yacht club we got a ride to do wash and shopping. While Hannah was doing that Sam and I took apart the port lazerette and found the steering problem and fixed it. Some of the led ballast had slipped into the way of the steering ram. All we needed to do was move the ballast around so it won't happen again. I also helped our friends fix their solar panels which had fallen down in the waves. Then we went to get fuel with the same wonderful folks and went to dinner at Riverwalk Cafe/Bar and had a great meal. I would highly recommend both Seagles and Riverwalk. The food was great the service friendly and the atmosphere relaxing and fun. So it was a relaxing day... ;) Now it's time for bed. Oh... I also met a seriouis sailor, Phillip on s/v Ness. We had a pleasant conversation about our journey's and hope to meet up with him again as we head south.
Date:Sat, 26 Nov 2022 04:48:05 GMT
Re-Stocking
Putting Things Away It's 23:30 and we're still up inventorying and putting groceries away. We also did laundry so there are clothes hanging all over the cabin. We would put them out on the lifelines, but it's wet and foggy out. Tomorrow we are going to test a voltage converter (DC-DC buck-boost) to keep a steady 14 volts to the radios even when the house batteries start to drop after heavy usage.
Date:Sun, 27 Nov 2022 23:02:00 GMT
Fernandina Beach FL
Nice walk and getting ready to head south again.We left St. Mary's and motored over To Cumberland Island in hopes to walk around the island but found the docks closed due to damage. We considered pulling the dinghy's up on the beach but ran aground before reaching the beach and didn't want to wade through the water to haul the dinghy to shore for 5 yards so we opted to skip it and go on to Fernandina. We motored over and anchored just off the main part of town and dinghy'd into see the town. When we arrived this was sitting next to us so we had to go for a visit!
Of course we found fudge, ice cream sandwiches, and a wonderful dinner at the Salty Pelican. We checked out the Oldest bar in Florida and generally enjoyed the town for the day.
Date:Mon, 28 Nov 2022 21:32:00 GMT
Fernandina Beach FL 2
Baking Bread!Today we relaxed for the day and Hannah made fresh sour dough bread for the next leg of our journey south. We re-organized the boat a little bit and planned the trip on windy. I am able to get internet from the Salty Pelican from the anchorage! It looks like it's going to be pretty calm winds, I'm not sure if we're going to be able to sail much. But it's supposed to get cold here the day after tomorrow so we need to get farther south!
Date:Wed, 30 Nov 2022 01:21:00 GMT
Motoring to St. Augustine
Calm winds and glassy seas.When we went to leave at 0700 the anchor wouldn't come up. We tugged and pulled and eventually hauled up what looked like an old wooden mast. The chain was wrapped around it 3 times. We finally managed to free it after about 20 minutes of working with it. Upon checking the charts there were several old wrecks noted on the charts! I guess we were lucky not to get completely stuck. It pays to read the fine print!
After we got the anchor free we headed out the inlet under power in calm winds. Normally we would have just sailed slowly but we opted (since we were trying to get south before it cooled down on Wednesday, to motorsail. We had about 5 knots of wind off the beam so it was enough to keep the sails full and give us another knot of speed, perhaps saving a little fuel. It was an uneventful sail and a comfortable ride at about 6-7 knots all the way to St. Augustine. The trip was about 8 hours total including freeing the anchor.
We we arrived we opted to get fuel and water from the Municiple Marine on the south side of the bridge. The bridge is on demand on channel 9. We docked easily and put on fuel and water. The problem came on leaving the dock. We were being pushed down the dock toward other boats backwards by the current and the wind was pushing us against the dock. After 2 failed attempts one of the other boaters who had brought their dinghy over from a mooring ball helped us pull Grace forward to the far end of the face dock to give us more room. Then I hit the bow thruster to push us off the dock and we gently pulled forward at an angle leaving the dock behind. The entire maneuver took us about 15 minutes. One of the problems we have is that the bow thruster takes a lot of electrical power and we can't always charge it up fast enough with the motor so we have a limited number of attempts before we have to recharge the battery. It means we have to get it right the 1st time or we have to be very judicious about it's use. It's terrible to need it and have it just poop out and quit! That didn't happen this time, thank heavens, but I was afraid it would because I used it alot. Anyway, after leaving the dock in the dark, we called the bridge and waited. The current was pushing us toward the bridge and I opted to make a circle to hold position but there was one of the party/tour boats that was barreling along from our port stern quarter out of sight. When I made a starboard turn all of a suden I was looking at this power boat bearing down on me broadside and we both put it in reverse. Then he started complaining about me on channel 9! I was a bit upset so I defended my self. I think he didn't see my lights and was thinking he owned the road. Not to mention he had all his party lights on and probably didn't see me at all. Just one little sail boat with one white light from the stern against his lit up Christmas light display.
We went back under the bridge and anchored on the east side of the channel just north of the bridge in 18 feet of water. ST. Augustine is beautiful when all lit up at night! Date:Wed, 30 Nov 2022 23:55:00 GMT
Camachee Cove Yacht Harbor
Generator ProblemsThis morning we got up and went to turn the Generator on and it would only click!. UGH. After about 30 minutes of trying to figure it out we opted to have someone else look at it. We called around and Camachee Cove said they could take us and have someone look at it tomorrow. So we motored over there and went in slip M15. They were very accomodating and nice. It's a wonderful facility. The depth was a little low for us so it was a high tide maneuver but all went well and we got into the tight slip without a hitch or a bump. I can't say enough good ab out them. helpful, reasonable, accomodating, and they are dredging out the marina so that depth will typically be 8 feet or more through out the marina. There is a chandlery on sight, a small boat yard, a resturant or two and a pool. Someone came out to look at our Generator in less than 24 hours and a diver cleaned and checked our bottom the next day. Amazing!