Moonrise: Ship's Log |
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| Yacht Delivery back to New York |
Picture Gallery: all of the pictures from this leg All-in-one version: for easy printing View this leg in Google Earth |
This time there were just three of us on the boat, as everyone else
was tied up with work commitments; although they let us know they were
terribly jealous! This shorter crew made for less sleep and more work,
but it was still a fun trip.
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Wed 25 Apr 2007 21:15:00 [US/Eastern dst]
I arrived at St.Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands, after a long flight from
Oakland (via Dallas and San Juan, Puerto Rico). I left Oakland at
6:40 am, so that’s just under 12 hours of travelling (taking the
3-hour time difference into account). After a taxi ride across the
island – which itself was almost an hour – J picked me up and took
me back to the boat by dinghy. And that’s about it for me, I'm off
to bed!
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Thu 26 Apr 2007 11:30:00 [US/Eastern dst]
We’ve already had some excitement! At about midnight, Jenny
noticed that the dinghy had gone – it had come adrift from its
position alongside the boat and drifted off. Fortunately the wind
is into the cove we’re anchored in, so we knew it was probably in
the cove somewhere. At first light, we upped anchor and motored to
the dock, where J and Jenny were able to borrow a skiff and go and
retrieve the wayward dinghy, which was stuck in the mangroves at the
back of the cove.
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Thu 26 Apr 2007 13:30:00 [US/Eastern dst]
At noon, we went to check me out of the country – J and Jenny being US citizens don’t need to. It was raining so hard that J and I got our foul weather jackets on to brave the torrent, only to discover that this is carnival day, so the whole town is blocked up. So, we decided to explore our options. After talking to two US immigration officials by phone, it seems I do not need to check out of the US if we go straight to New York. Here's hoping that's right... it certainly would make life simpler.
Now we’ve cast off for Maho Bay, St. John's, to finish preparing
the boat there. And the rain has stopped, at last!
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Thu 26 Apr 2007 17:32:00 [US/Eastern dst]
We arrived in Peter Bay (slight change of plan) at 2:20 pm.
This is a beautiful little bay on the north side of St. John’s,
and pretty much deserted apart from one other boat. A great
place to do our preparation, which mainly consists of scrubbing
the hull – it’s pretty well covered in marine growth, which has
a huge effect on our speed.
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So that was my snorkelling experience in the U.S. Virgin Islands.
Hard work, but fun for all that. Of course, after we got out,
we saw 2 turtles swimming by!
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Fri 27 Apr 2007 08:00:00 [US/Eastern dst]
The engines are on! The dinghy has been stowed on deck, and we're having a hasty breakfast, and a huge last glass of icy water.
Fri 27 Apr 2007 08:17:01 [US/Eastern dst]
Position: 18° 21.270' N 64° 45.472' W; sailing under full mainsail, mzzen, jib; 0.9 kt 333 T; 1421 miles since Oxford, Maryland
We dropped the ball, and sailed off! A very stylish sailing start,
with J man-handling the mizzen sail to get us onto a sailing reach
from the mooring.
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Fri 27 Apr 2007 10:04:00 [US/Eastern dst]
We're still sailing, as we leave the Virgin Islands behind us. It's beautiful sailing, with lovely weather; we're hand steering, but it's effortless. We phoned home with last of our cellphone coverage — the islands are now 7 miles behind.
Fri 27 Apr 2007 13:34:00 [US/Eastern dst]
Position: 18° 57.280' N 64° 50.121' W; sailing under full mainsail, mzzen, jib; 7.0 kt 357 T; 1458 miles since Oxford, Maryland
I've been sleeping since J took the watch at 11:00. All three of us are somewhat seasick; Jenny has been sleeping too, and J spent a little time singing to the fishes from the rail, but has since been fine.
Our watch schedule this trip is: 3 hours on primary watch, manning the
helm and keeping lookout; followed by 3 hours on secondary watch,
during which we have to be in the cockpit, but can sleep; and then
3 hours off-watch. This is a less relaxed schedule than the previous
trip, and it looks like we'll be taking advantage of most of our
sleeping opportunities.
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Fri 27 Apr 2007 16:56:00 [US/Eastern dst]
Position: 19° 17.851' N 64° 50.880' W; sailing under full mainsail, mzzen, jib; 7.7 kt 356 T; 1478 miles since Oxford, Maryland
On watch again, after sleeping all off-watch. We're currently having some nice weather after a squall, and still sailing well, 55 miles north of Tortola. In fact, the boat has been more or less sailing herself since the Virgin Islands.
J is sadly still having sudden visits to the lee rail, though Jenny and I are feeling better. This definitely seems to have been one of our worst experiences for seasickness all round; something to do with the shortness of the waves.
Fri 27 Apr 2007 17:10:00 [US/Eastern dst]
Position: 19° 19.569' N 64° 51.027' W; sailing under full mainsail, mzzen, jib; 7.3 kt 355 T; 1480 miles since Oxford, Maryland
A ship is passing to port, heading south, about 3.5 miles off.
Fri 27 Apr 2007 20:19:00 [US/Eastern dst]
Position: 19° 40.843' N 64° 53.060' W; sailing under full mainsail, mzzen, jib; 7.1 kt 354 T; 1502 miles since Oxford, Maryland
Off primary watch. Still good sailing, though the wind is a bit lighter.
Partly cloudy but still hot.
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Fri 27 Apr 2007 22:55:00 [US/Eastern dst]
It's turned squally, and we're now getting some strong blows. J is tracking squalls on radar.
Sat 28 Apr 2007 08:00:00 [US/Eastern dst]
Position: 20° 58.589' N 64° 59.732' W; sailing under full mainsail, mzzen, jib; 7.1 kt 356 T; 1580 miles since Oxford, Maryland
I've just finished sleeping through my 3 hours of secondary watch, and I'm very ready for more sleep in my off-watch. Presumably I'm not fully attuned to the sea yet.
My watch was quiet again; just 1 squall which suddenly popped up on radar 7 miles away, looking like a ship, then passed astern of us. The moon is nearing full, which is great for night watches.
The day now is bright and sunny, and looking like another hot one!
Sat 28 Apr 2007 10:51:00 [US/Eastern dst]
Position: 21° 17.033' N 65° 01.425' W; sailing under full mainsail, mzzen, jib; 6.0 kt 357 T; 1599 miles since Oxford, Maryland
Sure enough, it's hot. I took a shower — luxury — but by the time I'd dried off, re-stowed the shower, and sorted out some clean clothes — all the while lurching from one handhold to another as the boat rolls — I was covered in sweat again. Just in time to cover up with sunscreen — definitely no-shirt weather in the cockpit.
The good news is I have a huge icy drink. The icemaker normally gets emptied on a passage, as the door can't keep the ice tray in, but since the tray is still frozen in place, it's OK for now.
We're now 172 miles from the start as I go on watch.
Sat 28 Apr 2007 14:18:00 [US/Eastern dst]
Position: 21° 39.043' N 65° 03.901' W; sailing under full mainsail, mzzen, jib; 6.8 kt 353 T; 1621 miles since Oxford, Maryland
I'm just off primary watch, so it's time for a late lunch! We're listening to my iPod, which, as my laptop power adapter failed just before the trip, is carrying a load of music I put on months ago. And what an eclectic mix. So far Moroccan Rai music, Jewish Klezmer, Tango Nuevo from Argentina... What next?
Sat 28 Apr 2007 19:08:00 [US/Eastern dst]
Position: 22° 08.354' N 65° 07.194' W; sailing under full mainsail, mzzen, jib; 6.3 kt 359 T; 1651 miles since Oxford, Maryland
Just had a tasty fish dinner by J. It's getting cooler now, so
I've got a shirt on at last.
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Jenny has been knitting — what, she's not sure — and I'm reading Moby Dick.
Sun 29 Apr 2007 02:00:00 [US/Eastern dst]
Position: 22° 47.250' N 65° 08.572' W; sailing under full mainsail, mzzen, jib; 4.5 kt 0 T; 1690 miles since Oxford, Maryland
What a long watch! I just finished my secondary watch. The wind has been steadily dying, apart from one nasty squall around midnight, so J is probably going to start the motor (unfortunately).
Sun 29 Apr 2007 05:40:00 [US/Eastern dst]
Position: 23° 09.190' N 65° 12.131' W; sailing under full mainsail, mzzen, jib, motor; 6.0 kt 351 T; 1712 miles since Oxford, Maryland
Sure enough, soon after I got to bed, I heard the engine going. The good news is that it's not too deafening, as we're using just the starboard engine, and that at about 900 RPM, which is all we need to keep at about 6 kt.
It was a fair bit cooler during the night, and now with the sun just about to rise it feels almost chilly — in a T-shirt and bare feet. Jenny is on secondary watch, and is snoozing on the lee bench completely wrapped in a blanket.
There are still one or two squalls around, but not causing us any trouble at the moment.
Sun 29 Apr 2007 08:29:25 [US/Eastern dst]
Position: 23° 26.274' N 65° 14.738' W; sailing under full mainsail, mzzen, jib, motor; 6.9 kt 351 T; 1730 miles since Oxford, Maryland
The Tropic of Cancer: we left the tropics as we crossed the Tropic of Cancer northbound.
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Sun 29 Apr 2007 08:36:00 [US/Eastern dst]
We've now covered 300 miles; it's 540 to Bermuda. We're sailing over the Nares Plain, a flat stretch of sea bottom about 5 km below us. We still have beautiful weather, and the wind is up a little, but more astern, so we're still running the starboard engine.
The watch rota is a lot harder than it was in December; with only three of us on board, we only get 3 hours' cabin time per 9 hour rotation; though another 3 hours is secondary watch time, during which we can sleep in the cockpit. When we had 6 on board, it was 3 hours of watch total followed by 6 off, a much nicer set-up.
Sun 29 Apr 2007 18:40:00 [US/Eastern dst]
Position: 24° 29.960' N 65° 26.050' W; sailing under full mainsail, mzzen, jib, motor; 6.2 kt 347 T; 1795 miles since Oxford, Maryland
We just had dinner: burgers, by me. We're now running on the port engine, to rest the starboard; the wind is almost dead.
It's now 1070 to NY as the crow flies, with 363 miles run.
We're still crossing the Nares plain, and there's still no traffic,
just the wide, empty, placid sea.
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Mon 30 Apr 2007 02:20:00 [US/Eastern dst]
The sea is incredibly calm — after coming prepared for heavy Atlantic conditions, it's almost like sailing on a lake. The calm conditions really increase the sense of being lost in the middle of nowhere.
Having seen no sign of life since we started — no ships or planes, no fish or whales — the calm was starting to seem eerie, almost as if we'd sailed into the twilight zone. But then just after midnight, a ship popped up on radar, 10 miles due west. It crossed about 7 miles behind us, heading south-east. Since that one sign of life — just a small cluster of lights in the distance — we once more have the visible sea to ourselves.
The conditions are beautiful, despite the solitude — gliding along under the light of a nearly-full moon, the moonglade on the water, gazing at the sea and stars, is just wonderful. Even at 2 in the morning when the captain can't be roused to take his turn at the helm.
Mon 30 Apr 2007 08:00:00 [US/Eastern dst]
Position: 25° 45.997' N 65° 47.074' W; sailing under full mainsail, mzzen, jib, motor; 5.6 kt 343 T; 1873 miles since Oxford, Maryland
I'm on watch again, and the conditions are much the same — incredibly
calm and just about windless. After a refreshingly cool night, it's
already starting to get hot.
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Mon 30 Apr 2007 08:16:00 [US/Eastern dst]
We're now at our farthest point from land — 390 miles from the Bahamas, and 391 from Bermuda. We've covered 442 miles, and a crow would fly 983 miles to NY.
Mon 30 Apr 2007 09:21:00 [US/Eastern dst]
Position: 25° 53.620' N 65° 49.345' W; sailing under full mainsail, mzzen, jib, motor; 6.1 kt 344 T; 1881 miles since Oxford, Maryland
We're trying to decide on our course. The latest forecast from the weather service is for bad winds against the gulf stream north of Bermuda; their advice is to wait in Bermuda a week — which means I would have to fly home from there, since sailing on to New York would take more vacation than I have. An alternative would be to head east and cross the gulf stream sooner, and farther south, maybe even make landfall at the Chesapeake and work north from there.
J and Jenny are crunching the numbers...
Mon 30 Apr 2007 10:29:00 [US/Eastern dst]
Position: 26° 00.953' N 65° 51.604' W; sailing under full mainsail, mzzen, jib, motor; 7.2 kt 344 T; 1889 miles since Oxford, Maryland
We are running both engines now, trying to open our options a little.
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Mon 30 Apr 2007 12:25:00 [US/Eastern dst]
Waterspout! There are big squalls ahead, two of them 6 miles off either bow; from the starboard one, we watched as a waterspout extended down gradually from the clouds until it touched the sea. For a while it whirled up great clouds of spray on the sea, then gradually contracted up again.
The starboard squall is still huge on radar, the biggest one we've
seen this trip; we're going to run through to its left. J has
increased speed to try to shoot past it.
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Mon 30 Apr 2007 13:23:00 [US/Eastern dst]
We're now steaming between the squalls: though they're barely a mile away to each side, and several miles across, it's still oddly calm here. A solid bar of black cloud lies ahead, though.
Just for atmosphere, I'm reading Moby Dick...
Mon 30 Apr 2007 13:29:00 [US/Eastern dst]
Position: 26° 23.233' N 65° 56.006' W; sailing under full mainsail, mzzen, jib, motor; 8.1 kt 345 T; 1912 miles since Oxford, Maryland
The rain has hit us, and it's torrential! But in a few seconds we got all the side curtains rolled down and zipped up, and suddenly we're indoors!
Mon 30 Apr 2007 13:39:00 [US/Eastern dst]
Position: 26° 24.539' N 65° 56.383' W; sailing under full mainsail, mzzen, jib, motor; 8.3 kt 0 T; 1913 miles since Oxford, Maryland
We seem to be past the worst of it — nothing too bad really, just
a soaking, though the swell has become distinctly more pronounced.
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Mon 30 Apr 2007 14:16:00 [US/Eastern dst]
We've motored into an area where the water is just like glass —
there are swells, but their surface is absolutely smooth. As we were
making our way through the squalls we had seen this as a light area
of sea ahead, but now we're here
it's quite amazing. We've all gone completely camera-happy trying
to capture what it looks like.
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Mon 30 Apr 2007 14:54:00 [US/Eastern dst]
We just — and suddenly — left the area of glassy water. There are lots of flying fish about. Amazing flyers, they pop out of the water and fly along just above the surface, turning now and then, for 10 or 20 yards before dropping back to the water. I hadn't realised that flying fish can really fly, but here they are; occasionally one will dip to the point where its tail touches the water, then lift again so it's flying clear of the water, and carry on for quite a distance.
It's still warm, at 28°C, but now completely overcast.
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Mon 30 Apr 2007 16:45:00 [US/Eastern dst]
There's another ship! Passing ahead of us, to the west.
We've now set our course for Bermuda. According to the current forecast, if we head for the gulf stream, we'll get there with a strong north-east wind blowing. That kind of wind against the strong current will create awful conditions, so a stop until it blows over is the only sensible course. We should make Bermuda in about 2 days.
Unfortunately, it probably means that I'll have to fly home from there, since my vacation won't be enough to cover me for the next leg; but at least it seems there are a couple of people who could fly out to take my place, so J&J will still have crew.
I would have loved to sail into New York past the Statue of Liberty,
but it can't be helped.
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Tue 01 May 2007 02:03:00 [US/Eastern dst]
I'm just on watch. We just passed a ship which appears to be stationary; presumably not anchored, since it's still deep. Maybe a fish processing ship.
The 02:00 watch is horrible — another 3 hours in bed would have been just
fine. Jenny, who's on secondary watch, is sacked out on the side
bench; I can't wait to take her place, but it leaves me with no-one
to talk to for the whole watch.
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Tue 01 May 2007 05:00:00 [US/Eastern dst]
Secondary watch. It's getting chilly; so much so that I'm wearing shoes for the first time, and using a blanket in the cockpit. We're now 250 miles from Bermuda.
The line of squalls and glassy patch that we passed yesterday was
obviously a front, and its passing has brought this cooler north wind.
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Tue 01 May 2007 14:05:00 [US/Eastern dst]
We've done 660 miles, and it's 188 to Bermuda, so we should be there tomorrow night.
It's getting hot again but with a cool edge to the breeze now, which is nice. I had a shower and actually feel clean now.
The sea is very placid, and the horizon almost dead flat in all
directions; the sky is now virtually clear.
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Tue 01 May 2007 19:00:00 [US/Eastern dst]
We just had an amazing sunset. The sea is calm and very glassy
again, and
the sky is perfectly clear, except for a slight haze around the
horizon. All three of us were snapping the sun as it set, lighting
up the whole western surface of the sea with beautiful colours; and
as this was happening, the near-full moon was rising exactly
opposite. Jenny says she saw a tiny green flash as the sun set,
though J and I missed it.
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Tue 01 May 2007 19:47:00 [US/Eastern dst]
Now it's dark, and the moon is shining brightly, but there's no moonglade — the sea is too glassily smooth! Instead there's just one, or sometimes two or three, reflections of the whole moon. I can see the oceans of the moon reflected in ours, the reflections are so clear.
On the other side of the boat, the same thing is happening with Venus.
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Tue 01 May 2007 20:26:00 [US/Eastern dst]
I just spent some time up at the bow with J (both of us tethered on) — I can as well watch from up there, and out of earshot of the engines, the only sound the hissing of the cutwater as it parts the sea. It's a beautiful place to just stand and watch the moon, Venus, and the stars. So far, it's a much milder night than the last, which is very pleasant.
The horizon haze seems to be turning into a light fog, so I’m
back in the cockpit watching the radar. Now it's fully dark,
and all the stars are individually dancing on the waves on the
port side, while the bright moon does the same to starboard.
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Wed 02 May 2007 05:13:00 [US/Eastern dst]
The wind came up on my secondary watch, so it got noticeably chillier — and rollier. I'm actually wearing a jacket for the first time.
Jenny and I have just set the jib and trimmed the main and mizzen, so we're now making 8 knots with reduced engine RPMs. That should make it a bit easier for J to get some sleep (and me, in a few hours!).
The fog has gone, and the air is crystal clear to the horizon.
With 70 miles to Bermuda, we should be there (at the entrance to
the reefs) about 1 or 2 pm.
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Wed 02 May 2007 11:05:00 [US/Eastern dst]
Land-ho — Bermuda is in sight ahead. We still have some way to go, as the entrance to the inner harbour is at the north end of the island.
The breeze is still quite cool, but at least we're not needing
jackets any more — and it looks like my foulies are going to
stay unused this trip.
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Wed 02 May 2007 13:01:00 [US/Eastern dst]
J&J are getting their paperwork in order for Bermuda customs. They require an absurd amount of information from visiting boats, including models, makes and serial numbers for all our safety equipment, a complete list of stores, and so on.
The islands themselves are fairly unspectacular from this distance;
low-lying, and heavily built up. They're surrounded by
reefs, and the harbour we're heading for is in a large lagoon
towards the north end; since the entrance is very narrow, we have
to get clearance to enter from Bermuda Radio.
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Wed 02 May 2007 17:30:00 [Atlantic/Bermuda dst]
We're anchored! After 850.3 miles run from the Virgin Islands (by the boat's GPS), we're safe and sound and properly checked in.
The entrance was interesting. Having come up to the north of the
islands, we entered the harbor through a narrow cut with steep,
rocky walls on both sides (the Town Cut). It looked barely wide
enough for us,
but somehow cruise ships come through this same gap — in fact,
there's one docked in the harbour now.
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Once checked in, we just had to pull out into the bay and anchor.
This was a prolonged struggle due to a sticking windlass, and the
anchor chain having got fouled up in the locker while sailing (a
very common problem). But now we're safely anchored, and relaxing
at last.
Wed 02 May 2007 22:13:00 [Atlantic/Bermuda dst]
Position: 32° 22.744' N 64° 40.351' W; anchored; 2289 miles since Oxford, Maryland
We just got back from dinner, courtesy of the boat, at
a nice restaurant, the White Horse, on the waterfront. Excellent
food, and nice cocktails.
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Now we're all back aboard the boat, which fortunately is still
lovely and warm, and definitely ready for bed.
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Thu 03 May 2007 19:10:00 [Atlantic/Bermuda dst]
Ahoy! There's much merriment here in Bermuda, as we're having our first Dark and Stormies of the voyage.
We spent the day sleeping, and touring Fort St. Catherine, which was very neat. They have a huge basement where the magazine was, all well preserved, including a little horror section which is totally unsigned and unlit, and which you just wander into all unsuspecting. Lots of big guns on display, and great views over the crystal-clear blue water around the islands.
Now we're in the Captain's Lounge in Hamilton, Bermuda, having
some well-earned drinks.
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Fri 04 May 2007 21:00:00 [Atlantic/Bermuda dst]
It's totally pouring here, so not much is happening today. I
decided to straighten the seat covers in the cockpit, and discovered
that the non-skid mats underneath were wet and slimy, so that
project exploded into a full scrubbing out of the cockpit. Later
we went over to get some engine oil for an oil change — 20 gallons,
$230!
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Tomorrow we'll be getting fuel, which is $5.25 a gallon here! (It's
about $3 in the U.S.) Quite a price when you need 300 gallons.
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Sat 05 May 2007 22:00:00 [Atlantic/Bermuda dst]
Welcome to the hotel Bermuda — you can check out any time you like, but you can never leave! Last time J and Jenny were here, with Rachel that time, they kept getting delayed by bad weather; and it looks like it's happening again. A low pressure that we've been keeping our eyes on is now forecast to blow up into a fairly large storm, which will make the Gulf Stream pretty intolerable for a while. It looks like we could leave Wednesday, which might just give me time to fly home before next week; but it's very tight.
It's pretty frustrating — I would love to sail into NY, and I
don't want to leave J&J half-way through the voyage if at all
possible. (They could manage without me, it would just mean a
lot more work and less sleep.) But if I'm going to fly out, I'd
like to leave as soon as I can, to salvage as much vacation as
possible.
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On the way down we stopped off at the Crystal Caves, a pair of show caves a few miles south. These are beautiful caves, although fairly small, festooned with fantastic rock formations, and both leading down to water which connects to the sea; in fact, one of the cave tours finishes with a walk along a floating pontoon.
We went on to Hamilton, and Jenny hit the shops while J and I
went hunting for a marine store where J was hoping to get a new
outboard. After a long walk and some hunting, we found it —
closed. Luckily there was someone there, and while they didn't
have the engine J wanted, he at least got some info.
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We headed back by ferry and bus to the Swizzle Inn, where we met Jenny for dinner. The Swizzle is probably the most famous pub in Bermuda, and although pricey, the food (and cocktails) were fantastic.
We've been very impressed with how well-run Bermuda is. The
public transport is modern, extensive, and (so far) reliable;
the attractions are well-kept and well organised; and there seem
to be good planning controls in place, as all the development in
historic areas like St. George's is in keeping with the traditional
building styles — I don't think we've seen one building which
doesn't have the traditional Bermudan whitewashed rain-catching roof.
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Sun 06 May 2007 22:00:00 [Atlantic/Bermuda dst]
We're still in Bermuda, and still watching the weather. It's now looking like the wind should be slacking off by Tuesday, so if we leave mid-day Tuesday (after picking up fuel), then we should hit the Gulf Stream Wednesday, when things should be quite calm, and should get to NY on Saturday. So I’m going to hang on a bit longer and see how things work out.
Today is a bit of a maintenance day on the boat. J changed
the engine oil — a big job, with 10 gallons being exchanged in
each engine — and we did some work on the varnish. Since we're
forecast to get some of the big winds tonight, we also adjusted
our position in the anchorage, and we've been generally battening
down for gales.
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Mon 07 May 2007 18:10:00 [Atlantic/Bermuda dst]
Position: 32° 22.747' N 64° 40.709' W; anchored; 2289 miles since Oxford, Maryland
We kept on eye on the wind conditions all night, since it's been pretty stormy since yesterday evening. The wind hasn't really been all that bad — up to 30 knots or so — but J spent much of the night in the cockpit in any case.
It's been the same all day, which is pretty annoying, since there's
not much motivation to get out and explore. Jenny and I finally
took the dinghy to shore for a last (hopefully) shop and to stretch
our legs a bit. There wasn't much going on ashore by that time,
though.
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One nasty surprise was that the memory card I'd been using in my camera since we got to Bermuda has failed — so I've lost all my Bermuda pictures. Fortunately, Jenny has kindly donated her (much better) pics for my use.
Tue 08 May 2007 08:39:00 [Atlantic/Bermuda dst]
Position: 32° 22.747' N 64° 40.754' W; anchored; 2289 miles since Oxford, Maryland
Unfortunately the wind is still blowing up to 25 knots, and — much worse — the seas outside the reef are up to 14 feet. Pretty nasty stuff to set sail into.
Our fuel pickup is set for noon today, so I guess we'll re-evaluate
at that time. The wind is forecast to calm down by then, but the
seas will only go down slowly, so we'll see.
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Tue 08 May 2007 09:05:00 [Atlantic/Bermuda dst]
We've just been approached by a harbour patrol boat, checking the position we're anchored in — apparently there's a cruise ship coming in, and they want to make sure that the channel is clear for it. Apparently we're good where we are, though one other boat has been asked to move.
Tue 08 May 2007 09:48:00 [Atlantic/Bermuda dst]
Position: 32° 22.747' N 64° 40.758' W; anchored; 2289 miles since Oxford, Maryland
The latest weather charts are still showing a decent weather window; but now another low-pressure area is forecast to move across Bermuda in a couple of days, so if we don't get out today, J and Jenny are going to be stuck here for a while. I'm a bit concerned about the wave heights, but things are calming down for now — though not as fast as I'd like.
Tue 08 May 2007 11:15:00 [Atlantic/Bermuda dst]
Position: 32° 22.747' N 64° 40.762' W; anchored; 2289 miles since Oxford, Maryland
Nasty weather! The dinghy's onboard and stowed, ready for sea
(and the move to the fuel dock), but it's still blowing 22 knots.
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Tue 08 May 2007 12:33:00 [Atlantic/Bermuda dst]
We're docked for fuel. The cruise ship that we were warned about came in about an hour ago, but there is apparently another one coming in which will be docking very close to where we are. We spoke to Bermuda Radio, who told us that the ship has been delayed, and we should have time to get our fuel.
The fuel is going to be delivered by truck, and will be duty-free, which takes the sting out of the cost a little (normally $5.25 a gallon here). You have to buy 300 gallons to get that deal, which is about what we need.
Tue 08 May 2007 14:23:00 [Atlantic/Bermuda dst]
Position: 32° 22.747' N 64° 40.772' W; anchored; 2289 miles since Oxford, Maryland
We've just taken on our fuel, which is a tedious process —
taking well over an hour — but it went smoothly. The weather has
settled a bit, but not as much as we'd like; the waves are still
pretty high outside the reef.
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Tue 08 May 2007 15:34:00 [US/Eastern dst]
We've cast off!
Tue 08 May 2007 16:23:00 [US/Eastern dst]
Position: 32° 24.113' N 64° 35.877' W; motoring; 6.2 kt 39 T; 2294 miles since Oxford, Maryland
We're plugging along under power towards the sea buoy, into a stiff
head breeze — definitely a boisterous ride, but we're going to
turn north-east past the buoy, and should be able to get some
sail set.
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Tue 08 May 2007 20:10:00 [US/Eastern dst]
I just got off primary watch, after 3 hours of hand steering in pretty nasty, lumpy conditions. Before we left, we spoke to a few other boaters, who all said the same thing — "you're leaving TODAY?!". (This includes 3 Norwegian girls, who are preparing to sail for the Azores en route back to Norway.) Still, conditions have been manageable, at least, and the weather in Bermuda is set to turn bad again, so I think it's as well we left when we did.
The seas settled down noticeably during my watch, and things aren't so bad now, but still not terribly comfortable. We all went through a patch of pretty bad seasickness as we were motoring out of the islands, but having turned downwind, that seems to have subsided. Still, hand steering in these conditions, with the seas on the quarter, is at least great exercise — we're all going to have great shoulders after this. We're motorsailing, with the jib and mizzen up, so the engines aren't working too hard.
Wed 09 May 2007 08:11:00 [US/Eastern dst]
Position: 33° 46.027' N 66° 07.021' W; motoring; 7.4 kt 307 T; 2413 miles since Oxford, Maryland
Just went off-watch, after a hideous 2 am watch. Good news is we're now using the autopilot.
Wed 09 May 2007 11:00:00 [US/Eastern dst]
Position: 33° 58.742' N 66° 26.838' W; motoring; 7.3 kt 305 T; 2434 miles since Oxford, Maryland
On watch again, after an unsatisfactory attempt at getting
some sleep down below — the engine noise and the rolling make
it pretty well impossible.
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And, of course, we're going through the process of acclimatising to the sea all over again. The first 3 days of any trip are always pretty rough — we're feeling queasy and out of sorts, and the continuous movement is just an annoyance. After that, though, it couldn't be more different; we're in tune with the motion of the boat, and sailing becomes a genuine pleasure. The three of us were discussing the huge number of cruisers we had met who had got all the way around Central America by harbour-hopping from one port to another. For these folks, even an overnight trip was a big deal. It seems sad — if sailing affects them the same way it does J, Jenny, Rachel and me, then they're missing out on all the best parts of sailing.
Personally, I’d like to fast-forward a day or two right now...
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Wed 09 May 2007 14:10:00 [US/Eastern dst]
We've been visited by dolphins at last! A few of them came to play in our bow wave for a few minutes.
Wed 09 May 2007 21:09:00 [US/Eastern dst]
Position: 34° 41.190' N 67° 32.092' W; motoring; 10.7 kt 315 T; 2502 miles since Oxford, Maryland
On watch since 8 pm. Nothing much going on, although we had another brief dolphin visit earlier. It is distinctly colder now, despite the wind being from the south-east; long trousers and shoes are being worn, even during the day. Yikes!
We're still motorsailing, and still rolling uncomfortably with the wind and seas on the starboard quarter.
Thu 10 May 2007 08:11:00 [US/Eastern dst]
Position: 35° 46.025' N 68° 54.574' W; motoring; 8.7 kt 301 T; 2596 miles since Oxford, Maryland
I just finished my dawn watch. The seas seem to have calmed somewhat,
and our speed is up to 8.5 knots, which is great. However, it's solidly
overcast with a lot of rain, so we have all the cockpit panels
buttoned down, making a real greenhouse. I don't know if that's the
cause, but it seems a lot warmer; I’ve just pulled a layer of
clothing off.
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Thu 10 May 2007 14:25:00 [US/Eastern dst]
Afternoon watch. The wind has shifted a little south, so we've gybed. We're still motorsailing, though; the apparent wind is still just 8-9 knots, and close to dead astern, which is always very awkward. It's definitely warmer, in any case, which is nice.
I just finished reading "the Sea Wolf", by Jack London. On to Shackleton's "South".
Thu 10 May 2007 16:50:00 [US/Eastern dst]
Position: 36° 18.172' N 70° 07.361' W; motoring; 6.8 kt 297 T; 2663 miles since Oxford, Maryland
We just set the mainsail, at long last. I did the deck work, which is definitely a time to be tethered on; the boat rolls pretty wildly when we head in to the wind to hoist sail, and the high, wide cabin top doesn't offer too many handholds.
We're still running both engines, but hopefully the extra sail will reduce rolling and give us a bit more drive; just as well, since we seem to be fighting a 1.5 kt head current of late, so our speed has been down.
Thu 10 May 2007 18:23:00 [US/Eastern dst]
Position: 36° 25.495' N 70° 21.506' W; motoring; 9.0 kt 303 T; 2677 miles since Oxford, Maryland
We just had dinner, for which I made pizza. I'd forgotten just
how hard it is to work with a red-hot gimballed oven in a boat
that's rolling wildly, so it was a bit of a mess, but it tasted OK.
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Fri 11 May 2007 08:03:00 [US/Eastern dst]
Position: 37° 15.609' N 71° 51.511' W; motoring; 3.3 kt 302 T; 2765 miles since Oxford, Maryland
What a long night that was! I spent an hour of my 11 pm watch trying to dodge a massive squall that was developing in front of us. When I realised that it was turning into a huge line of solid rain, I gave up and turned us into it, watching out for sudden winds. The wind stayed reasonably consistent, except for its direction; I had to make some sail tweaks and course changes to keep us sailing. But the rain came down in torrents, finding every leak in the dodger (and there are many). It also found a leak right over the nav desk, and flooded the computer we use for weather and logging our course — right now it's drying out, in hope that it may be of use again.
By the end of my 3 hours, it looked like we were past the worst, and that's when J took over. Unfortunately, the squalls and rain continued; and to make it worse, the wind all but died, so we had to strike the jib. The main and mizzen are up, but sheeted flat, just to help with the rolling.
By the time Jenny came on at 5:00 am, ending my secondary watch,
I was glad to get below out of the hideous weather. Worst of all
was that we hit an adverse current, which has taken over 4 knots
off our speed! It's also setting us well to starboard — the
north-east — so this could be the east-running turn of the Gulf
Stream. If so, that sucks, as we were hoping to cross south of
there — but of course the stream is pretty unpredictable.
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Fri 11 May 2007 12:35:00 [US/Eastern dst]
We just had a major dolphin visit — about 10 dolphins swimming under the bow, and the water was so clear it seemed we could see every detail on their skins. All three of us were on the bow, and many pictures were taken, so let’s hope there are some good ones in there.
Apart from that, we're still struggling with the rotten current;
J has increased the engine speed a little, but we're still just
making 3 knots over the ground for 8.5 of water speed.
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Fri 11 May 2007 16:59:00 [US/Eastern dst]
Back on watch, and thank God, there's been a change over the last 3 hours — we have passed out of the Gulf Stream, which was obviously setting east and causing our problems. Now we're doing 8.5 kt through the water, and getting 8 over the ground — much better.
The sea conditions have also changed; the water is now almost flat calm, and there's a heavy haze in the sky ahead. No sign of squalls.
Fri 11 May 2007 19:36:00 [US/Eastern dst]
Position: 38° 07.678' N 72° 34.500' W; motoring; 8.1 kt 334 T; 2828 miles since Oxford, Maryland
We've just plunged into a dense fog bank, so it's a radar watch now. It's still calm, but much colder, so we've buttoned up the cockpit again; there's not much point in going outside to scan the horizon now. J has just put out a call on the radio to let other traffic know that we're listening on the radio if they have any concerns.
Sat 12 May 2007 02:14:00 [US/Eastern dst]
Position: 38° 53.979' N 73° 01.641' W; motoring; 7.5 kt 335 T; 2879 miles since Oxford, Maryland
On the misery watch again. It's not as foggy as it was, although
there still seems to be some about; but it's freezing cold. We're
now just 70 miles from land, 95 from the entrance to New York
harbour, and we're starting to see more traffic; Jenny saw a cruise
ship and a freighter on her watch. There are some lightning flashes
about, but nothing too serious-looking yet.
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Sat 12 May 2007 05:10:00 [US/Eastern dst]
What a hideous watch! We ran into the ultimate nightmare — a fishing fleet. Not only are there dozens of boats covering a huge expanse of ocean; not only are they all zooming around in crazy patterns like a bunch of drunken ballet dancers; but when they're showing their fishing lights — which they are — they all have right of way over us, regardless of what direction they're going in.
I've spent the last 2 hours picking my way through this chaos, and it's been pretty stressful. When you have boats heading towards you from opposite directions, and they both have right of way, it's pretty hard to figure out. Even worse is when you think you've set a good course to pass a boat's stern, but then she suddenly reverses direction! That happened twice tonight; the second boat actually called up to apologise.
Well, it's J's problem now; though I think we're pretty much through the worst of it.
Sat 12 May 2007 11:27:00 [US/Eastern dst]
Position: 39° 57.178' N 73° 34.720' W; motoring; 8.3 kt 340 T; 2947 miles since Oxford, Maryland
We're cruising along in a stiff breeze and bright sunshine, though it's still rather chilly. We're getting towards the New York approaches, with the Ambrose light now 24 miles away, so traffic is getting heavy. We're heading up between the traffic lanes, so we shouldn't have any close encounters.
We're motorsailing, with the wind close to the bow, so not
getting a lot of help from the sails, but still making a decent
8.3 kt.
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Sat 12 May 2007 13:29:00 [US/Eastern dst]
Land-ho! Land is now visible to port — the New Jersey coastline, 14 miles off. We're still heading north towards the Ambrose Light.
We just had another huge battle with the fishing industry — we ran
into a huge area of buoys in the water, probably crab pots.
Getting a line tangled in the props is something we'd definitely
rather avoid; the boat has line cutters on both props, but if
they failed, things could get very expensive. Dodging them
involved Jenny (my watch back-up) at the wheel, and me standing
out in the freezing wind as spotter.
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Sat 12 May 2007 16:51:00 [US/Eastern dst]
We just passed under the Verrazano Narrows Bridge into New York
Harbour! The Statue of Liberty and Manhattan are visible ahead.
Still cold!
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Sat 12 May 2007 17:46:00 [US/Eastern dst]
We're docked! Motoring up through the harbour was amazing, with world-famous landmarks in every direction, and the Staten Island ferry cruising past. We got loads of pictures while nibbling on a tray of appetisers that Jenny whipped up.
We're now at Liberty Landing Marina, in New Jersey, with views straight
across the Hudson River to Manhattan.
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Sun 13 May 2007 14:50:00 [US/Eastern dst]
Position: 40° 42.627' N 74° 02.607' W; docked; 3000 miles since Oxford, Maryland
Last night was pretty quiet, at least for Jenny and me —
J was off to a stag party in the city,
so Jenny and I had a little walk around Jersey City, and got some
Indian takeaway. That was about all the excitement I could handle,
so I crashed out for a sound night's sleep — at last.
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So I came over to JFK fairly soon, mainly cause my shoulder was killing me from hauling the heavy bag. I'm not very impressed with the airport; or terminal 8, anyhow. There are basically no cafés airside, so I hung around on the land side, where there are just 2 or 3 tatty little concessions. The terminal 8 airside (where I am now) is tiny, about the size of a normal gate lounge.
Oh well, takeoff in 40 minutes; it's a long direct flight back
to San Francisco, but I have two thick books and an iPod.
Trip Statistics
| Crow-flies distance: | 1425.2 nm |
|---|---|
| Distance covered: | 1584.5 n.m. 0.0 n.m. hove-to 716.7 n.m. motoring 867.4 n.m. under sail 3000.2 n.m. since |
| Elapsed time: | 16 days, 4h 16m 6 days, 17h 1m moored none hove-to 4 days, 3h 2m motoring 5 days, 8h 12m under sail |
| Speed average over leg: | 4.08 kt (97.94 m.p.d.) 6.97 kt moving total (167.30 m.p.d.) 7.24 kt motoring (173.69 m.p.d.) 6.76 kt under sail (162.36 m.p.d.) |
| Fastest speed over leg: | 10.88 kt (Sat 12 May 2007 16:16:00) 8.95 kt under sail (Fri 27 Apr 2007 08:57:01) |
| Best day's run: | 187.0 nm on 01 - 02 May 2007 |
Note that "Crow-flies distance" is the straight distance between the leg start and end points; "Distance Covered" is the actual run over the ground. Similarly, "Speed average over leg" is our effective speed average over the ground.
In the log entries:
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