On a Broad Reach: June 2012

Heading North, second leg, Vero Beach FL to Bristol RI

For this leg of our trip we solicited assistance from fellow PYC member Bill Pelletier. Since we were going open ocean most of the way, and considered going around Cape Hatteras, one more person on board was necessary. Our plan was 3hr shifts through the night and longer shifts during the daylight hours. Bills expertise with sail shaping, single side band (SSB), weather, electronics and diesel maintenance would prove invaluable.

Thursday May 31st. Bill met us at the C&J bus station for the 4am departure to Boston Logan. An inflatable kayak was packed in one of the three overly stuffed bags we checked with Jet Blue. Unfortunately, I got stopped at security for my kayak paddles, apparently I can not bring them aboard. I had to go back to the counter and check them for and additional $40. Our seats were scattered amongst the families all heading to Orlando FL. We arrived on time, picked up the rental car and off to Vero Beach we go. Before going to the Marina we had a very large breakfast/lunch at the River Front Cafe in Vero.

Ferrying Bob and Bill to the boat on the inflated kayak was a little unstable and wet but successful. Our boat ( Élan ) got a quick clean and then moved to the dock for fuel. Docking took a couple of attempts because wind was not cooperating. With bow and spring line help we managed to pull the stern in. We settled up for fuel, three weeks of mooring fees and one night slip fee. With assistance from the dock master we moved to a slip and secured our lines for the evening. Our agenda for the day was too full, shopping for food, forgotten items and boat supplies from West Marine. The West Marine in Vero was an Express and did not have all the safety items we needed. Bob and Bill decided to go to the one in Fort Pierce. Our plan was to leave early the next morning, however time was getting short and there was still more to accomplish.

The decision was made to leave later and not push the tired people so hard. A good decision. So we had cocktails, relaxed a bit chatted with our slip neighbors and enjoyed a visit from their cat. Time to get some sleep.

June 1 Friday. After a good night sleep we took advantage of the City Marina shower facilities. Bob and Bill did some more shopping, returned the rental car and took a cab back. I was still trying to find room for all the provisions. Our departure from the Marina was dependent on an out going tide. The bridge heights and the Ft Pierce Inlet had to be taken into consideration. The weather was overcast but a nice temp. We backed out of the slip like pros and navigated under the first bridge with very little clearance for the wind meter. The antenna did tickled one of the navigation lights hanging from the bridge. hmmmm

At Fort Pierce Bob could see the boats coming into the inlet from the ocean just pounding in the waves. The inlet itself was not bad, but the exit was a bit nasty. The tide was going out and the the waves coming in from different directions across shallow water. As we got clear we charted a course for the gulf stream. The weather of, course, got much worse. We could see a big storm system over Florida coming our way. We sat in a pocket for a bit but that ended with storms hitting from both sides. The rain pounded making the canvas leak at a fairly good clip. We were soaked. The wind was up aprox 20 -25kts, the seas were about 4-8 with the frequent 10 to 12 footer. The seas were confused causing a pitching and yawing motion which caused a bout of sea sickness, going below was no longer an option. Brief trips would result in longer periods of recouping in the cockpit. This storm lasted through the night with crew trying to get sleep during 3 hour shifts. The aft cabin was designated as the cabin of choice for trying to sleep. During this time the aft head had to be pumped out and several other minor issues resolved. We were all in full foul weather gear and clipped in for safety. Bill and I did see an interesting sunset as the sun popped out under the storm clouds and left them diffused with red haze.

June 2, Saturday. The day improved as the swells became more manageable and the wind died down. We tried, somewhat unsuccessfully, drying out clothes and shoes. Eating was tricky at best, and not everyone wanted much in their stomachs. Bob had already removed the contents of his stomach a couple of times. Fixing the head in a storm seemed to cause a nasty reaction. Bill and I did manage a breakfast of yogurt and kashi cereal, and some oranges. As we got accustomed to our shifts we were able to get some sleep. Bob set up the salon bench as a bed with a restraining board and that seemed to keep us in place a bit better. Sleeping in the cockpit also worked well. The aft cabin was noisy with engine winch noise right in your ear. If tired enough that didn’t bother you, but you did roll around a bit so had to strategically place pillows and whatever else was available to hold you in place. For lunch Bob heated up some of his goulash, it was nice to have something hot, but we were still not ready to eat much at this point. The evening meal was flutter-nutters for Bill and I and ham and cheese sandwich for Bob. The night shifts worked well starting with a very nice sunset and moon rise. The moon is almost full and lights up the water with wonder reflections.

June 3 Sunday. The seas have calmed down even more and the sky is blue and clear. The gulf stream is pushing us along at about 8 to 10kts with an overall average at this point of 7.7kts. Not bad. The weather forecast shows more of the same with buiding seas and wind for tonight and tomorrow. The charts for the entry to Beaufort NC are clear but the ICW is another matter. We heard that there are some bridges that could be too low, currents could be a problem, barges and of course the depths in the channel are questionable. But the direction of the wind for the next several days makes the route around Hatteras impossible. The weather router on the SSB is hard to hear and we think there may be some corrosion or other problem with the contacts. That will be checked when we get into the ICW.

The meal for the day was lasagna, it was again good to get something hot into the belly. We are all felling a bit better, and taking advantage of the stove while the seas are calm.

As the afternoon wears on the seas are beginning to build and the wind is diminishing. Not a good combination. The sails flap hard and sound like a gun going off. That doesn’t help the sleepers. There is just not enough wind to fill the sails but we are still going 8 to 9+kts.

Well, the seas continued to build into the night and by morning it was significantly difficult to manage the waves, 6 to 8’ and peaking at 12 to 14’ where they were converging. At the point where we went over the shelve, it changed from 2400' to 900’ and over the course of the next two or three hours the seas became more unpredictable. When leaving the gulf stream on way into Beaufort the seas again were turbulent and we surfed along trying to maintain our course. Bill and Bob took one hour shifts to keep from getting too exhausted and tried to rest in the cockpit until getting back on helm.

Monday June 4

When I came on deck early in the morning the first thing I saw was a wall of water behind Bob at the helm, It was breaking at the top and I think I had a minor heart attack. Bob and surrounding area was all soaked. I just sat down and watched, incredible! Bob and Bill did a remarkable job keeping us moving toward Beaufort trying not to get pushed northward towards Cape Hatteras and the surrounding shoals. It was a wild ride at best, terrifying at worst. The inlet to Beaufort was another interesting challenge. Fortunately the tide was not ripping out against the opposing winds but it was still pushing us around. You could see where this could be another nightmare approach. Once inside we had a RR bridge and at 65’ bridge to navigate. We made it through with no problem and we were on the ICW northbound. YEAH

The water was calm, weather sunny and warm, and the crew happy campers to be on a relatively flat stable surface. The scenery was marsh, nice houses on the water front, very quiet, except when the larger power boats and even larger barges went by. It was really very nice.

A team decision was made to head to Whitaker Creek Marina and stay for the night. We could tie up in a slip for $50 including electricity and water. The dock master rode his bike down to meet us after giving us directions on how to approach. The tie up was an interesting process. Katuck wanted all lines out and he would secure us, he ran around the dock leaving lines untied while setting up the "tie-up". He was a nice guy and there was no wind, so no problem, and eventually we were all secure. He took me to the store in his little red mercedes to buy more provisions, waited and then brought me back. Upon returning to the boat with extra goodies, the boys were having wine and relaxing. Bob fired up the gril and we had steak, asparagus, potatoes and garlic bread with another bottle of wine. It was delightful. After dinner the boys went to the showers and I walked around and met some folks living at the marina. The marina circles a small island and is rather crowded with boats. I took pictures and then walked back to boat with Bob. After a bit of a clean up we headed to bed in our own cabins and our own stable bed. It was a real treat.

Tuesday June 5. Before our 7am departure from the Whitaker Creek Marina we took on water and tightened up the steering cable, checked the oil and added less than a quart. It appears that the quadrant, v shaped arm set up, that the cables wrap around has moved a bit to starboard. We were in very heavy seas for two days and our physical indicator on the steering wheel is also a quarter turn off from where it was. Also the steering control arm which was centered is now more starboard by about and inch or two. We will call John Tarling from Landing Boat Supply, and maybe give Frasier from Cabo Rico a call.

The sky was overcast and rain predicted. We are back in rain gear but it is not unpleasant. A red tug was chugging along behind us against the dark sky and made for a great photo op.

The Neusse river opens up and got fairly choppy as we made our way along the ICW northward. We stopped in Bellhaven for fuel and would have tried to find the infamous fried bologna sandwich, with chili, place, but the rains came and we moved on to the Alligator-Pungo river canal. It was close with stumps on either side and an occasional obstruction sticking up out of the murky water.

We encountered our first fixed bridge at 65’ and made it under just fine. The Wilkerson bridge at 64' was another story, we did run our antenna along the underside of the bridge, and let our a cheer as we made it through with wind instruments still attached. We made the rest of the trip up the canal just ahead of a large storm passing close behind us.

We were all deck out in foul weather gear and passed a french boat with half naked crew, I am sure they thought we were nuts as did we think of them, however they were heading into the storm and will probably show a lot less skin very soon. When exiting the canal we decided to find a spot out of the wind and anchor for the night. There was a stiff breeze around the corner and our spot was quiet and pleasant, until the FA18’s started maneuvers. Talk about extremes. Dinner was very civilized with fine china, elegant wine, soft music, great food and the pleasant sounds of jet wash. It was a good time for all.

Wednesday June 6 - During the morning engine check we discovered the cause of our intermittent charging problems. The alternator hot lead was broken. Bill and Bob took turns connecting the entire fuse holder and spade lug. It was successful and we were charging properly again. We departed our anchorage at 8:05A and headed up the Alligator river. It was choppy but not bad. However, along the way there was a somewhat familiar smell which we tracked down, and discovered that the expansion tank overflow was overflowing. Bob initially thought that this was because of overfilling of the coolant earlier in the trip.

After going through a swing bridge we headed up Ablemarle Sound. It was very choppy and windy so we decided to sail. After unsuccessful efforts to get the main sail out we aborted and just put up jib and staysail. Now, we were not racing, but it was noted on several occasions that we were pulling away from the other sailing vessels behind us.

As we headed out of the sound and into the more picturesque North River, Bill discovered that the channel was narrow and the side was solid mud. He did give me a good opportunity to get a close up shot of an osprey. We backed off the mud after the photo op and carried on with only a few pithy remarks regarding the “grounding”. Now we are all experienced. We safely made it to Coinjock and tied up along side a 1200’ dock. There were already several sailboats there and the dock master, JW, tucked us right up close to the forward boat. We chatted with some of the sailers and watched more sailboats and very large power boats come in throughout the evening. We also spoke with a man who had just bought a Sailboat that was kept at Regatta Point Marina, It turned out to be our slip mate Carls' 47’ Catalina. Small world. This dock was very well managed with separate power and sail docking space. You could watch the barges go by and knew you would encounter them later down the canal. After Beers, showers, cocktails, fiddle faddle with main sail and an impressive prime rib dinner, Bill treated, we went to bed with an early wake up call set.

Thursday June 7: A successful exit from the dock at 6:15am got us on our way behind two earlier departing boats. On our way two power boats passed us, but one asked us to slow down so they could pass. This part of the North Landing river is very peaceful, with lots of nesting ospreys with young ones. This is so different from further south were there was virtually nothing. All the sailboats ended up together at each bridge waiting for scheduled openings, three lifts and one lock.

Our ride to Norfolk VA was very interesting as was the ride through the city. We were going with the tide and current. The water was calm and the weather sunny and warm. The naval shipyard was impressive with 4 aircraft carriers, at least 10 Ageais cruisers, guided missile frigates, numerous Sea Hawk helicopters, OV-10 Osprey, numerous Marine landing craft assault ships, swedish square rig replica, large tankers arriving and waiting off shore, barges, several cruisers from Norway, and a newer navy stealth cruiser. It was also fun to see all cruise ships and tall ships lined up at Virginia beach.

Our heading leaving Norfolk was 034 degrees, and we were making good time. Unfortunately, there was a rather large storm cell approaching. Bob and Bill got to deal with the worst part of that. The winds reached about 25kts plus and the wind indicatior stopped indicating, after what Bill thinks was a static discharge from the frequent, violent lightening. Bob thought there was a "WTF option" in the system to allow a wildly spinning indicator to say I'm out of here. It was an impressive if not threatening show for several hours. There was a Marine bulletin advising all in the area to head to safety. The deep red cells and rain line motivated the boys to triple reef everything and go into storm mode. I came on my shift after the worst of it. The storm was right on our stern but heading west. We kept watch for the bulletins and local weather forecasts. As the night progressed the storm stayed behind us, the winds picked up and we made good time at 7 - 8kts. But, there was still another storm cell to deal with.

Friday June 8: Bob took the early am shift and I headed to the salon bench for some sleep. Our shifts got a little overlapped as we supported each other through the night storm. During the day the wind and seas dropped demonstrating why the Atlantic is called "the pond". Bill gave me some pointers on sail shape and tell-tails while adjusting the sails on his shift. It was a good learning experience for me. The shifts got messed up a bit with sleep catch up. The boys made there usual pithy comments throughout the day. The wind picked again about 5pm and we were back at 7kts. I made cookies, Bob dumped the head, added lubricant to the autopilot, planned dinner which turned out to be an antipasto type dinner; assortment of cheeses, crackers, leftover meats and ice tea. Bill was supposed to make banana bread, the bananas are ready.

Most of the afternoon was calm. The seas began to build again after dinner and wind picked up to about 20kts. the swells were with us so we were running before the wind and moving along at about 8+ kts. I saw the sunset (looked like a water color scene) and sunrise on my watch. The boys saw the moon rise, but initially thought it was a boat since it came up blood red orange. A bit eerie.

Sat June 9: The seas calmed during the early am hours but we continued to make good time.

The sunrise looked strange as it came up through the clouds and then disappeared later in an overcast sky. With the overcast sky and calm seas it felt like a very lazy day.

Bill worked on the steering wheel cover, Bob watched and then went down for a nap. He left his foul weather bibs on to prevent the rain from catching us. It worked fairly well since the storms kept passing around us. I took a shower and ended up flooding the forward cabin. I forgot to turn on the sump pump. It gave me an opportunity to clean the head and forward cabin floors, not what I had in mind. I need to do some work on the shower curtain, the hooks are not hooking.

Hot dogs for lunch and we plan to have dinner at anchor in Newport RI.

Sea condition is glassy gray with surface fog, a few sprinkles, but what a change from our earlier start on this trip. This was all well and good until the engine started overheating. So now, no wind and gimpy engine made our estimated arrival time at Newport much later than expected. We backed down the engine and it did cool. A decision needed to be made; do we go into Block Island or continue on to Newport. The swells and current were with us so we headed to Newport and arrived there at 1am. We picked up a mooring, shut down and went to bed.

Sunday June 10: Early morning in Newport is beautiful. No wind, glassy surface and warm. The crews were boarding the racing boats and preparing to head out for the days race. Since there were rolex emblems on many boats, I assume it was a rolex cup race; there are so many races here.

Our departure time was delayed due to the engine’s failure to start. So, the boys spent about an hour diagnosing the problem, determined it was electrical and tried to trace the source of the problem so we could get the engine started and head to Bristol.

Bob pulled out the manual, Bill was face down in the engine hold when they discovered the emergency start button. Just above the engine there was a label indicating where the start button was. It would have saved an hour if they had seen that first. However, a new thermostat, new impeller and other maintenance will be installed/performed when we get home. It appears the radiator cap is not working properly and there was not enough water in the engine. With that discovery, they added water turned on the stove and Bob made coffee and breakfast. After a spin around Newport harbor we made the 1 /12 hr ride to Bristol. The engine performed nicely all the way.

My cousin Jay gave us directions to his mooring, which was not there, so we headed to the dock and pulled in. At high tide there was enough water to keep us floating, who knows what low tide will bring.

We unloaded the boat, chatted with Jay’s neighbor Chris who was working on his new sail boat. Bills wife Tracy volunteered to come get us so we loaded up her van and headed out to brave the congested highways.