September 23, 2011 Friday
"Solstice" was hauled out @ 1430 hrs this afternoon. Annapolis was chosen as the place for repairs and improvements because it was on our route and has everything a "yachtie" could want or desire. It is truly a boaters paradise. There is expertise and services at every level of boating. Additionally, one of the former owners and yacht broker of Rogue Wave Yacht Sales lives here and knows this Valiant 40 and others as know one else. He owned lived-aboard and sailed "Solstice" for 10 years. How wonderful, assuring and unique to have a yacht broker that extends service beyond the sale and becomes a friend. Bernie Jakits is one of those special people the lives, breathes, sails and sells high quality yachts. When I called him and stated that we were coming to Annapolis, he immediately arranged a reputable shipyard and attended the vessel with recommendations. Then we were invited to his home and a restaurant. Since then, in our absence, he has gone to the shipyard and supervised on-going repairs on the keel and mast. It doesn't get any better than that! Anyone looking to buy a top quality yacht would be fortunate to have Bernie as a broker. We have been blessed to have him as the broker that sold us our yacht. It was a great first step on our voyage.
So, at 1430 hrs Solstice was lifted out of the water and we were able to see the damage that resulted from hitting that underwater obstruction (rock?) in Port Austin, MI. The leading edge of the keel was dented about the size of a slightly flattened grapefruit . The aft end or trailing edge of the keel had some lead missing in a section about 4 inches long x 2" high: No other visible damage was seen. I was really surprised since we came through all of that debris on the Delaware River. All in all this is an easy repair with fiberglass and will never be be a cause for concern. That's one of the perks of having a lead keel: stability and protection from groundings. Every yachtsman will ground the yacht at some time in their sailing life. Hopefully, it won't be on rocks, reef or other damaging obstructions. The most usual groundings are on sand and mud.
The Annapolis Harbor Boatyard has a great reputation for quality work and repairs. Bernie Jakits doesn't deal in second rate "anything". "Solstice" needs an alternative source for charging the batteries. This will free us up from having to go into expensive marinas and using shore power. Right now we have the capacity to charge the batteries using the alternator on our Volvo Penta diesel engine. Whenever we are motoring, we are charging the batteries. Diesel fuel isn't cheap so we have decided to add a solar panel and wind generator on the yacht to produce the energy needed to charge the batteries. We have two separate battery banks: house battery and engine cranking battery. The reason for this is to ensure that the engine battery is never discharged. It will always have the power needed to star the engine and charge up the house batteries if they become undercharged. The cranking battery is isolated by electrical switches so that it can't be used for anything other than cranking the engine.
The solar panel chosen to go on top of the Bimini (canvas cover that gives shade and protects the helmsman from the sun) is a BP 220 Watt that measures 69" x 39" x 2" and weighs about 45 lbs. This unit will put out a max of 220 watts under full sun and ideal conditions. In practical terms, this never happens. A more realistic figure would be to cut that in half to 120 Watts or less. Still this is constant energy being fed into the battery during sunlight hours. In the tropics, it is significant.
The second jewel in the production of electrical DC energy in a D400 wind generator. Using wind energy to generate electricity, this unit has the capacity to crank out 500 Watts, however, 100 watts is more likely in a 15 kt tropical trade wind breeze. The beauty and practicality of this unit is that it is working in unison with the solar panel and keeps on charging after the sun goes down. With these two units, we should have enough DC electricity generated to handle our freezer/refrigerator, microwave, running lights, radar, SSB and VHF radios, AIS, Auto Pilot, and reading lights. Not all of these units are on at the same time. Our house battery bank consists of three 200 amp hour batteries: 600 amp hours. We can reasonably expect to utilyze 300 amp hours. That's quite a lot of DC energy if it's monitored and used efficiently. We have a monitoring system aboard that indicates how many amps are coming in and going out. Should we need more amps, the engine is there with two 50 amp alternators! We should never have to count on that resource. Our solar panels and wind generator will keep the batteries fully charged under most conditions. We will be able to anchor for days, weeks, months and use our dinghy and outboard motor to go to shore for shopping, water and other needs.
The next item to checked out is "precious" our 2003T Volvo Penta 43 hp diesel engine. She is running beautifully but spitting out some oil in the raw water exhaust system. This puts a sheen on the water that is unacceptable. I have a Volvo specialist that is determining what is causing it. Right now the thought is that the oil cooler core is the culprit. Anyway, he will continue until it is solved. It is illegal to run a system that puts an oil sheen on any waters in the USA and many other countries.
The SSB (single side band radio) is our means of keeping in contact with the world, friends and family, when we are on long ocean passages with no other means of communication. We can use it to send email, make calls thru the Ham Radio network to our family and keep informed on Wx systems and news. It's our window to the world. It's not working right at the moment and to my chagrin as an Amateur Radio Operator, I don't know how to solve the problems. Therefore, an expert is needed to get it up and running flawlessly. It may have to be replaced with a more modern unit.
That's where we're at in the big haul-out before the long voyage to the South Pacific. It won't be cheap but absolutely necessary as we won't get another chance to have the expertise and facilities at hand in one place. Since these improvements and repairs will take time, Phyllis and I will be traveling South to visit our friends, family, Doctors and Dentists and any other things that we need to take care of before the long voyage. We plan to be back in Annapolis for Oct 14th to finish off the Annapolis Boat Show and attend a Valiant Owners Get Together sponsored by Bernie Jakits and his partner Kate Christensen of Rogue Wave Yacht Sales at their private docking facilities at their home. This should be very interesting since several Valiant Owners will be there and we'll get a chance to see other Valiants and get information on systems, routing and places to go.
Tuesday, September 27, 2011
Thursday, September 22, 2011
A few pictures of Halifax, out of Halifaxand on the way to Annapolis, Enjoy
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| On our way out of Halifax |
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| beautiful home along the shores of Halifax |
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| More beauty |
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| Just a beautiful yacht |
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| Add caption |
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| Same yacht up closer |
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| Don doing a mom pose |
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| John and Karin |
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| Auburn Angel |
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| A foggy morning when we arrived in Halifax |
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| Thre really are beautiful sunsts on the sea |
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| Lighthouse leaving Halifax |
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| Our friends John and Karin on their yacht Auburn Angel |
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| Sunrise |
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| Just a magnificent tmoon |
Just another beautiful sunset.
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| Just another sailboat going the opposite direction. |
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| The moon that looked like the sun. |
| Beautiful sunset |
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| Sailing peacefully before we encountered the total mess. |
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| This was some depris around our anchor chain when we got the next morning. |
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| Luckly for this was seen during the day |
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| Seagull on a hugh log |
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| Big container foating by our yacht, Pretty scarey |
Saturday, September 17, 2011
Pictures from when we started our trip
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| Singer Castle on Lake Ontario |
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| Beautiful Mural in Brockville |
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| Waiting to go through one of the many locks |
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| The fishing village of Leland Mi our 4the stop after leaving Dougal MI |
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| A waterfall in the middle of Leland |
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| Lighthouse on Lake Ontario |
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| Hundreds of geese in Crysler Marina |
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| More geese in front our yacht |
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| Dino MCDonald helping us through the Welland Locks |
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| Don at the helm as we go through the Locks |
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| Going through the Lock |
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| Phyllis helping with lines at the lock |
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| Phyllis and nephew Robbie at the Harrisville Marina |
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| Another castle on the Lakes |
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| Our first overnight sunset |
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| another sunset |
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| The Bridge as the people in Michigan say, The Mackinac Bridge |
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| Going through another lock |
Friday, September 16, 2011
NEW LONDON, CT TO ANNAPOLIS, MD: DISTANCE 340 NM
September 11, 2011
We departed Crockers Boatyard @ 0930 after taking on fuel and pumping off the sewage holding tank. We had a great time with our friends and family. New England is very special to me and I have always regretted not going back to live in Connecticut. Phyllis is a Southern girl by choice and doesn't like cold Wx.
I had calculated that the Ebb tide for the Race would start around 1000 hrs. The wind was blowing out of the SE at 10-15 kts. One doesn't want to be in The Race with an opposing wind against current but in this case there was no other choice so I went through at slack water. Wind against current sets up a nasty uncomfortable chop. My plan was to head for Montauk Point which is the Eastern tip of Long Island. We were motoring with the current and wind on the nose so setting sail was out of the question. I had checked out the depths around Montauk Point and there are several shoals with adequate depths for our draft which is 6 ft. We went over several areas with depths of 19 ft and wind against current set up seas around 8 ft: short and steep. A Valiant 40 can handle this without any concern whatsoever: It's just uncomfortable in the short run. As soon as we cleared Montauk Point and got into deeper water, the seas dropped down to 4-5 ft and continued to decrease throughout the day. There was a noticeable SE'ly swell running with a NE'ly chop but it wasn't uncomfortable. When it comes to yachting and, boating in general, people pay a lot of money to be miserable! There just has to be touch of masochism in those that choose this way of life. I think Romanticism overrules the stark reality that this is a hard life. It becomes easier in the Trade Wind Belt with long passages and fairly constant balmy wind.
Anyway, the trip to the Delaware Bay was unevenful and required a lot of motor sailing: set sail, take it in, motor, motor sail. If there is a any kind of cross sea and light wind, the sails will flog back and forth with is annoying and wearing on them. Under these conditions, it's best to drop them and motor on. A good part of this trip has been just that: motor on. To date we have put on 500 engine hours. I calculate the the engine burns about 0.7 gal per engine hour. Do the math and you can figure that we have spent in excess of $2000. in fuel! Not to mention the misery. The Erie Canal looks better all the time!! In Ike and Tina Turner's song "Proud Mary": "we never ever do nothing easy". Rollin, Rollin keep right on rollin.
September 14, 2011
Now we get to the lower Delaware Bay and have to anchor to wait on a favorable flood tide. This is an area that I know well since, in my tugboat life, I used to lighter Super Tanker ships at Big Stone Anchorage. So I headed for Big Stone and dropped anchor outside the anchorage in 14 ft of water. All was quiet and wonderful. We had a three hour wait on the flood tide. Just when I thought that all was going well, a S'ly wind came up at 10-15 kts. Remember wind against current? The Delaware River is ebbing South and the Wind is blowing from the South into it: a nasty vicious chop! All of this set the boat sideways into the seas and put such a strain on the nylon anchor rode that it chaffed through and parted: we lost my beautiful wonderful Mason Supreme Anchor. A lesson learned under these conditions: use only chain. I learn fast: we got underway and I set up another 45 lb CQR anchor on chain. The future has us with all chain. The reason I had used nylon line with 30' of chain was for easy retrieval by hand. With chain I have to crank on the anchor windlass 40 turns for every 30 ft. Normally I put out at least a 5:1 scope and, preferably 7:1 scope. If the water is 20 ft, I am paying out 140 ft. Let's see, 40 cranks for every 30 ft = 187 cranks. The gearing on the anchor windlass is low so it's not hard just time consuming.
Loosing the anchor was the easy part. The last way up the Delaware River from Ship John Light to Artificial Island anchorage was the most harrowing I've had in this vessel: a trip up the River Stix into Hades. Remember all that flooding in the Northeast? Well, the Delaware River received all the deadwood and debris from all the tributaries and floated in down in islands of logs, refrigerators, barrels and everything else imaginable. Whole trees floating down the River and it was nighttime. I stood on the bow with a spotlight and directed Phyllis, at the helm, to come left or right. I was sure we would loose the propeller at the very least due to underwater trees. To not have done so is just a stroke of luck in a sea of debris that I never want to see again. Finally, we chose the closest anchorage I could find and "dropped the hook". We were both exhausted so I set up the anchor alarm on the GPS and went to bed.
September 15, 2011
reanchored in Reedy Island anchorage to wait on the the Ebb tide going through the Canal. The debris wasn't as bad in this anchorage but everywhere else there were huge floating islands of debris. We had a three hour wait on the Ebb Tide so we prepared everything for the remainder of the trip through the C & D Canal to Annapolis.
We weighed anchor at 1230 hrs and started towards the Chesapeake and Delaware Canal. Slack water was predicted for 1333 hrs. The trip through the Canal was uneventful and beautiful but there was some debris to steer around. We anchored that evening at Turkey Pt in a place called "Jacobs Nose". A quiet anchorage that was recommended by a former co-worker and Chesapeake Pilot. Wonderful to have these resources at hand!!
September 15, 2011
We left "Jacobs Nose @ 0745 for Annapolis: distance 60 nm. We had a very restful night and this morning is bright and clear. An Ebb tide is flowing with us and the wind is just aft of the stbd. beam. We motor sail using the jib sail for an extra knot of speed. We're making 6.4 kts. As we enter the Upper Chesapeake Bay the Ebb is with us and we carry this all the way to Annapolis at 7.1 kts. There is a Cold Front to the North of us but we beat it into Annapolis Harbor and pick up mooring buoy #37. I contact the shipyard that will do the work on "Solstice" and have picked up a mooring just a "stones throw" from their dock. We have brought "Solstice" back to her home and one of her former owners who happened to be the broker who sold it to us.
September 16, 2011
Today is a busy day of arranging how we will install the solar panels and wind generator on "Solstice". We went to the shipyard floating dock and discussed the details with Kevin McPadden. He is a "yachtie" and former owner of a Tayana 37. Knows yachts. We will be here for several days until we can haul the boat out for inspection, repairs and installation.
We departed Crockers Boatyard @ 0930 after taking on fuel and pumping off the sewage holding tank. We had a great time with our friends and family. New England is very special to me and I have always regretted not going back to live in Connecticut. Phyllis is a Southern girl by choice and doesn't like cold Wx.
I had calculated that the Ebb tide for the Race would start around 1000 hrs. The wind was blowing out of the SE at 10-15 kts. One doesn't want to be in The Race with an opposing wind against current but in this case there was no other choice so I went through at slack water. Wind against current sets up a nasty uncomfortable chop. My plan was to head for Montauk Point which is the Eastern tip of Long Island. We were motoring with the current and wind on the nose so setting sail was out of the question. I had checked out the depths around Montauk Point and there are several shoals with adequate depths for our draft which is 6 ft. We went over several areas with depths of 19 ft and wind against current set up seas around 8 ft: short and steep. A Valiant 40 can handle this without any concern whatsoever: It's just uncomfortable in the short run. As soon as we cleared Montauk Point and got into deeper water, the seas dropped down to 4-5 ft and continued to decrease throughout the day. There was a noticeable SE'ly swell running with a NE'ly chop but it wasn't uncomfortable. When it comes to yachting and, boating in general, people pay a lot of money to be miserable! There just has to be touch of masochism in those that choose this way of life. I think Romanticism overrules the stark reality that this is a hard life. It becomes easier in the Trade Wind Belt with long passages and fairly constant balmy wind.
Anyway, the trip to the Delaware Bay was unevenful and required a lot of motor sailing: set sail, take it in, motor, motor sail. If there is a any kind of cross sea and light wind, the sails will flog back and forth with is annoying and wearing on them. Under these conditions, it's best to drop them and motor on. A good part of this trip has been just that: motor on. To date we have put on 500 engine hours. I calculate the the engine burns about 0.7 gal per engine hour. Do the math and you can figure that we have spent in excess of $2000. in fuel! Not to mention the misery. The Erie Canal looks better all the time!! In Ike and Tina Turner's song "Proud Mary": "we never ever do nothing easy". Rollin, Rollin keep right on rollin.
September 14, 2011
Now we get to the lower Delaware Bay and have to anchor to wait on a favorable flood tide. This is an area that I know well since, in my tugboat life, I used to lighter Super Tanker ships at Big Stone Anchorage. So I headed for Big Stone and dropped anchor outside the anchorage in 14 ft of water. All was quiet and wonderful. We had a three hour wait on the flood tide. Just when I thought that all was going well, a S'ly wind came up at 10-15 kts. Remember wind against current? The Delaware River is ebbing South and the Wind is blowing from the South into it: a nasty vicious chop! All of this set the boat sideways into the seas and put such a strain on the nylon anchor rode that it chaffed through and parted: we lost my beautiful wonderful Mason Supreme Anchor. A lesson learned under these conditions: use only chain. I learn fast: we got underway and I set up another 45 lb CQR anchor on chain. The future has us with all chain. The reason I had used nylon line with 30' of chain was for easy retrieval by hand. With chain I have to crank on the anchor windlass 40 turns for every 30 ft. Normally I put out at least a 5:1 scope and, preferably 7:1 scope. If the water is 20 ft, I am paying out 140 ft. Let's see, 40 cranks for every 30 ft = 187 cranks. The gearing on the anchor windlass is low so it's not hard just time consuming.
Loosing the anchor was the easy part. The last way up the Delaware River from Ship John Light to Artificial Island anchorage was the most harrowing I've had in this vessel: a trip up the River Stix into Hades. Remember all that flooding in the Northeast? Well, the Delaware River received all the deadwood and debris from all the tributaries and floated in down in islands of logs, refrigerators, barrels and everything else imaginable. Whole trees floating down the River and it was nighttime. I stood on the bow with a spotlight and directed Phyllis, at the helm, to come left or right. I was sure we would loose the propeller at the very least due to underwater trees. To not have done so is just a stroke of luck in a sea of debris that I never want to see again. Finally, we chose the closest anchorage I could find and "dropped the hook". We were both exhausted so I set up the anchor alarm on the GPS and went to bed.
September 15, 2011
reanchored in Reedy Island anchorage to wait on the the Ebb tide going through the Canal. The debris wasn't as bad in this anchorage but everywhere else there were huge floating islands of debris. We had a three hour wait on the Ebb Tide so we prepared everything for the remainder of the trip through the C & D Canal to Annapolis.
We weighed anchor at 1230 hrs and started towards the Chesapeake and Delaware Canal. Slack water was predicted for 1333 hrs. The trip through the Canal was uneventful and beautiful but there was some debris to steer around. We anchored that evening at Turkey Pt in a place called "Jacobs Nose". A quiet anchorage that was recommended by a former co-worker and Chesapeake Pilot. Wonderful to have these resources at hand!!
September 15, 2011
We left "Jacobs Nose @ 0745 for Annapolis: distance 60 nm. We had a very restful night and this morning is bright and clear. An Ebb tide is flowing with us and the wind is just aft of the stbd. beam. We motor sail using the jib sail for an extra knot of speed. We're making 6.4 kts. As we enter the Upper Chesapeake Bay the Ebb is with us and we carry this all the way to Annapolis at 7.1 kts. There is a Cold Front to the North of us but we beat it into Annapolis Harbor and pick up mooring buoy #37. I contact the shipyard that will do the work on "Solstice" and have picked up a mooring just a "stones throw" from their dock. We have brought "Solstice" back to her home and one of her former owners who happened to be the broker who sold it to us.
September 16, 2011
Today is a busy day of arranging how we will install the solar panels and wind generator on "Solstice". We went to the shipyard floating dock and discussed the details with Kevin McPadden. He is a "yachtie" and former owner of a Tayana 37. Knows yachts. We will be here for several days until we can haul the boat out for inspection, repairs and installation.
Friday, September 9, 2011
BOSTON HARBOR TO NEW LONDON, CT
September 6, 2011
We departed East Boston Shipyard and Boston Boatworks Marina at 1000 hrs this morning after taking on 35 gal diesel and pumping out the sewage holding tank. The marina was quite rolly during the day due to traffic and wind on the river. At night it calmed down quite a bit.
The Wx forecast was for NE'ly wind 15-20 kts with 5-7' seas. Hurricane "Katia" was still South of Bermuda but delivering swells to the New England coast. It was time to make for Cape Cod Canal and then onto New London, CT: distance 136 nm. We chose New London because we have family and friends in the CT area and there is a ery well protected marina there.
Also, we took on our first guest aboard for the trip to New London. Once outside of Boston Harbor our course was SW'ly. There was a 6' SE'ly swell running plus the seas generated by the NE'ly wind. Our guest got seasick and suffered all the way to the Cape Cod Canal. I decided to pull into the marina at Sandwich which is on the Eastern end of the CCC. It was a good decision because we were exhausted and beaten up by the rough seas and rain. The Sandwich Marina is very well protected and quiet. We enjoyed a good nights sleep.
September 7, 2011
Looking over the Wx forecasts this morning, it became obvious that Hurricane Katia was going to affect the Mass, Rhode Is and CT shores. The Wx report gave seas on Buzzards Bay at 2-4' and then 5-7' in Rhode Is and Block Is Sounds. The following day they would increase to 7-9' then 7-10' and 12- 14' out of the SE. It was time to go and make good time into Long Is which better protected against a S''ly swell. The wind was fresh out of the NE at 15-25 kts. I double reefed the mainsail and shortened the jib. Our guest took Dramamine which worked miracles. Once we cleared Buzzards Bay, we started to make the best sail we have ever had under heavy Wx canvas. Our average speed was 7.6 to 8.2 kts: it was exhilarating with very little heel. We made excellent time but had to hold up for "The Race" at the entrance to Long Island. On the Eastern End of Long Is, there is a narrowing of the two headlands to the North and South. Flooding and Ebbing of Long Is. take place through an area called "The Race" and the currents exceed 4 kts. It can be a dangerous place to navigate if there is wind against current as this kicks up nasty violent swirling waters and eddies at "The Race". In our case, we had a 7 ft SE'ly swell feeding into Long Is. The Race runs NW to SE so we had to wait for a flood tide to coincide with the SE'ly swells. I killed about 2 hours waiting for our moment. We had been getting tropical moisture all day long with torrential downpours. Everything we had was soaked through but the sailing was fantastic.
At 0220 on September 7th the tide changed to a flood at "The Race" and we ploughed through at 6.8 kts without problems. New London is just to the North and West of Race Rock. It was still raining with heavy downpours so I decided to wait until daylight to navigate the New London Ship Channel. Daylight is the best aid to navigation!
We started into the New London Ship Channel at 0630 hrs. Our destination was Crockers Boatyard and Marina at Shaws Cove. I chose this Marina because of the great protection it offers against storms and hurricanes. I was about one mile away from the marina when the worst torrential downpour and wind started. It was so heavy that there was no visibility and the rain with the wind hitting us in the eyes, made it necessary to wear eyeglass protection even though it made it worse. Didn't really matter, there was nothing to see anyway.
The only thing I could do under these circumstances was to choose one of the navigation buoys and hold position by stemming the current. I did this for two hours until there was a break in the rain and then made a run for the marina. There is a railroad swing bridge that has to open before you can enter the marina. I called and they opened immediately. Since the marina is really well protected, the wind diminished once inside and we had no problem docking. Now the incredible end of this is that 2 hrs later there was sun and blue skies. In the words of Mark Twain, "If you don't like the New England weather, wait a minute"
We'll be here until Sunday morning. Then we sail to Cape May at the mouth of the Delaware River. We'll navigate up the river to the the C & D Canal and then on through to the Chesapeake Bay and Annapolis. I plan to haul the boat out in Annapolis and install Solar Panels and a Wind generator. This will free us up from having to use expensive marinas for electricity. Additionally, I'll take care of all the other minor problems that need fixing.
We departed East Boston Shipyard and Boston Boatworks Marina at 1000 hrs this morning after taking on 35 gal diesel and pumping out the sewage holding tank. The marina was quite rolly during the day due to traffic and wind on the river. At night it calmed down quite a bit.
The Wx forecast was for NE'ly wind 15-20 kts with 5-7' seas. Hurricane "Katia" was still South of Bermuda but delivering swells to the New England coast. It was time to make for Cape Cod Canal and then onto New London, CT: distance 136 nm. We chose New London because we have family and friends in the CT area and there is a ery well protected marina there.
Also, we took on our first guest aboard for the trip to New London. Once outside of Boston Harbor our course was SW'ly. There was a 6' SE'ly swell running plus the seas generated by the NE'ly wind. Our guest got seasick and suffered all the way to the Cape Cod Canal. I decided to pull into the marina at Sandwich which is on the Eastern end of the CCC. It was a good decision because we were exhausted and beaten up by the rough seas and rain. The Sandwich Marina is very well protected and quiet. We enjoyed a good nights sleep.
September 7, 2011
Looking over the Wx forecasts this morning, it became obvious that Hurricane Katia was going to affect the Mass, Rhode Is and CT shores. The Wx report gave seas on Buzzards Bay at 2-4' and then 5-7' in Rhode Is and Block Is Sounds. The following day they would increase to 7-9' then 7-10' and 12- 14' out of the SE. It was time to go and make good time into Long Is which better protected against a S''ly swell. The wind was fresh out of the NE at 15-25 kts. I double reefed the mainsail and shortened the jib. Our guest took Dramamine which worked miracles. Once we cleared Buzzards Bay, we started to make the best sail we have ever had under heavy Wx canvas. Our average speed was 7.6 to 8.2 kts: it was exhilarating with very little heel. We made excellent time but had to hold up for "The Race" at the entrance to Long Island. On the Eastern End of Long Is, there is a narrowing of the two headlands to the North and South. Flooding and Ebbing of Long Is. take place through an area called "The Race" and the currents exceed 4 kts. It can be a dangerous place to navigate if there is wind against current as this kicks up nasty violent swirling waters and eddies at "The Race". In our case, we had a 7 ft SE'ly swell feeding into Long Is. The Race runs NW to SE so we had to wait for a flood tide to coincide with the SE'ly swells. I killed about 2 hours waiting for our moment. We had been getting tropical moisture all day long with torrential downpours. Everything we had was soaked through but the sailing was fantastic.
At 0220 on September 7th the tide changed to a flood at "The Race" and we ploughed through at 6.8 kts without problems. New London is just to the North and West of Race Rock. It was still raining with heavy downpours so I decided to wait until daylight to navigate the New London Ship Channel. Daylight is the best aid to navigation!
We started into the New London Ship Channel at 0630 hrs. Our destination was Crockers Boatyard and Marina at Shaws Cove. I chose this Marina because of the great protection it offers against storms and hurricanes. I was about one mile away from the marina when the worst torrential downpour and wind started. It was so heavy that there was no visibility and the rain with the wind hitting us in the eyes, made it necessary to wear eyeglass protection even though it made it worse. Didn't really matter, there was nothing to see anyway.
The only thing I could do under these circumstances was to choose one of the navigation buoys and hold position by stemming the current. I did this for two hours until there was a break in the rain and then made a run for the marina. There is a railroad swing bridge that has to open before you can enter the marina. I called and they opened immediately. Since the marina is really well protected, the wind diminished once inside and we had no problem docking. Now the incredible end of this is that 2 hrs later there was sun and blue skies. In the words of Mark Twain, "If you don't like the New England weather, wait a minute"
We'll be here until Sunday morning. Then we sail to Cape May at the mouth of the Delaware River. We'll navigate up the river to the the C & D Canal and then on through to the Chesapeake Bay and Annapolis. I plan to haul the boat out in Annapolis and install Solar Panels and a Wind generator. This will free us up from having to use expensive marinas for electricity. Additionally, I'll take care of all the other minor problems that need fixing.
Monday, September 5, 2011
REFLECTIONS & CONSIDERATIONS ON "THE LONG WAY"
When Phyllis and I bought the Valiant 40 located on the Great Lakes in Douglas, MI, , there were several options to get her back to salt water: the Mississippi River via the Chicago Sanitary Canal, Lake , the Oswego Canal leading into Lake Champlain and "the long way" up the St Lawrence River and out into the Atlantic Ocean. The Valiant 40 has a 57 ft keel stepped mast weighing 1200+ lbs. My own inexperience in unstepping a mast and removing all the rigging with consequent setting up and retuning gave me pause to the Erie Canal and other considerations. My dislike of emasculating anything given the remnants of male chauvinism (Phyllis might say "full blown") pointed to the long difficult passage up the St Lawrence Seaway. Thirty years in the Merchant Service as a tugboat Captain has not sweetened my temperament but it gave me the navigational and seamanship skills to take a vessel anywhere. Tug boating is a rough demanding affair that requires good seamanship and endurance. Nothing fancy aboard tugs: you make do with what you have and improvise the rest.
So it was to be the long way up the St Lawrence Seaway. I've always had a fascination with the "high latitudes". In the past I had sailed around Cape Horn on a 54' steel hulled sloop. Then I made another trip, with a friend, on a car ferry from Puerto Montt, Chile to Puerto Navales. This encompassed 700 nm of the Patagonian Channels. I knew that the St Lawrence Seaway would be nothing compared to the howling winds of Tierra del Fuego and Cape Horn. In all these considerations, I have a partner who is adventurous, daring and trusting. She will endure hardships for the common goal. Once committed, she'll "hang tough" until the end. Being with Capt. Bligh isn't easy but there are 50 years of love and understanding that works for the "common weal". We work well together and get things done.
It is difficult to appreciate just how long the trip really is. It was 900 miles from Douglas, MI to Cape Vincent which is at the mouth of the St Lawrence River. From there another 1800 miles to Halifax, NS and then 370 nm to Boston. We found ourselves very vulnerable and dependent on our 43 hp Volvo Penta diesel engine. Should any mechanical failure ocurr, it might mean a haul out and a winter in the Northern climes. Already we were late in starting out from Lake Michigan. This meant that we weren't able to spend time in some really beautiful places along the way. Also, we had to work with Wx windows. On the Lower St Lawrence, the predominant wind is from the SW. It goes light at night and pipes up during the day to 20-25 kts. If the winds come around to the NE or E and blow against the NE'ly current, it sets up an uncomfortable chop. One tries to avoid this by staying in port until the winds change. All this works until Montreal and the Wx is warm and pleasant. From Montreal to Quebec (just 140 nm upriver) things change: the tides and current go from almost nothing to 18' at Quebec. The winds are still predominantly SW but, due to frontal systems, the NE -E wind kicks in and blows in a cold air mass off Labrador and the cold waters of the St Lawrence. Watch standing at night becomes a long cold hardship. Fabulous clear skies and stars so close you feel you could reach out and touch them. Whales and seals spouting in darkness that surrounds you. Then fog and no visibility. Suddenly, a break in the fog and mountains 4000' high with a light house that indicates "be careful, don't come too close". On and on with current and wind carrying us to our destination--the brass ring is just ahead.
So it was to be the long way up the St Lawrence Seaway. I've always had a fascination with the "high latitudes". In the past I had sailed around Cape Horn on a 54' steel hulled sloop. Then I made another trip, with a friend, on a car ferry from Puerto Montt, Chile to Puerto Navales. This encompassed 700 nm of the Patagonian Channels. I knew that the St Lawrence Seaway would be nothing compared to the howling winds of Tierra del Fuego and Cape Horn. In all these considerations, I have a partner who is adventurous, daring and trusting. She will endure hardships for the common goal. Once committed, she'll "hang tough" until the end. Being with Capt. Bligh isn't easy but there are 50 years of love and understanding that works for the "common weal". We work well together and get things done.
It is difficult to appreciate just how long the trip really is. It was 900 miles from Douglas, MI to Cape Vincent which is at the mouth of the St Lawrence River. From there another 1800 miles to Halifax, NS and then 370 nm to Boston. We found ourselves very vulnerable and dependent on our 43 hp Volvo Penta diesel engine. Should any mechanical failure ocurr, it might mean a haul out and a winter in the Northern climes. Already we were late in starting out from Lake Michigan. This meant that we weren't able to spend time in some really beautiful places along the way. Also, we had to work with Wx windows. On the Lower St Lawrence, the predominant wind is from the SW. It goes light at night and pipes up during the day to 20-25 kts. If the winds come around to the NE or E and blow against the NE'ly current, it sets up an uncomfortable chop. One tries to avoid this by staying in port until the winds change. All this works until Montreal and the Wx is warm and pleasant. From Montreal to Quebec (just 140 nm upriver) things change: the tides and current go from almost nothing to 18' at Quebec. The winds are still predominantly SW but, due to frontal systems, the NE -E wind kicks in and blows in a cold air mass off Labrador and the cold waters of the St Lawrence. Watch standing at night becomes a long cold hardship. Fabulous clear skies and stars so close you feel you could reach out and touch them. Whales and seals spouting in darkness that surrounds you. Then fog and no visibility. Suddenly, a break in the fog and mountains 4000' high with a light house that indicates "be careful, don't come too close". On and on with current and wind carrying us to our destination--the brass ring is just ahead.
Saturday, September 3, 2011
HALIFAX, NS TO BOSTON
August 31, 2011
We departed the Royal Nova Scotia Yacht Squadron Marina at 0836 hrs this morning. It was a beautiful day with light SW'ly winds. The Wx forecast was for the wind to veer into the NW at 10 kts. This would make for great sailing as it comes off the land and puts us on a beam reach- any boats' best point of sailing. So we motored along waiting for the wind change. Finally, at 2100 hrs the wind veered into the NW so we set the main and "jenny". The favorable wind lasted until 0130 hrs the following morning and then died out. A great pity for it was beautiful sailing while it lasted. So we start the engine and motor along.
September 1, 2011
0630 hrs the wind has veered around to the NE @ 10-12 kts so we set the main sail and jib. With a NE'ly wind we can't sail a direct course to Boston so it requires making several long tacks on a broad reach. Our course to Boston is plotted out to be 253 deg; the wind is blowing 225 deg and changing direction slightly to a more E'ly direction. By 1900 hrs the wind goes light and the seas become confused and lumpy. Time to start the engine and motor sail.
Sept 2, 2011
Wind pattern for the Gulf of Maine is fresh winds during the daytime and falling light to calm at night. We are experiencing this and continue to motor throughout the night. There is a S'ly swell developing and the seas are confused. We're able to sail from 0900 hrs until 1230 hrs and then the winds are too light to cope with the 8' S'ly swell that is predominant. It causes the wind to spill out of the sails and they flog around which is very annoying and uncomfortable. So we douse the jib and motor sail with the mail sheeted in flat. Once again at night, the wind falls out leaving the big swell from the South.
September 3, 2011
There is no wind and it's becoming obvious that we'll have to motor the rest of the way. The 8' S'ly swell is causing the mail to flog so we drop and secure it. The rest of the trip into Boston is uneventful and a SW'ly wind starts blowing but not much help to us at this point. There are quite a few lobster trap lines about 40 nm outside of Boston. This requires a vigilant watch so we don't pick up a line in the propeller.
1300 hrs all secured at East Boston Shipyard and Boatworks Marina slip #10. Call Customs for clearance. At 1430 hrs a CBP agent shows up at our dock and clears the vessel with no paper work. How nice is that!!
We'll be here until Tuesday and then head out for Cape Cod Canal and the Connecticut Shore. We have family and friends in CT so a stop will give those that want to see "Solstice" a chance to do it.
We departed the Royal Nova Scotia Yacht Squadron Marina at 0836 hrs this morning. It was a beautiful day with light SW'ly winds. The Wx forecast was for the wind to veer into the NW at 10 kts. This would make for great sailing as it comes off the land and puts us on a beam reach- any boats' best point of sailing. So we motored along waiting for the wind change. Finally, at 2100 hrs the wind veered into the NW so we set the main and "jenny". The favorable wind lasted until 0130 hrs the following morning and then died out. A great pity for it was beautiful sailing while it lasted. So we start the engine and motor along.
September 1, 2011
0630 hrs the wind has veered around to the NE @ 10-12 kts so we set the main sail and jib. With a NE'ly wind we can't sail a direct course to Boston so it requires making several long tacks on a broad reach. Our course to Boston is plotted out to be 253 deg; the wind is blowing 225 deg and changing direction slightly to a more E'ly direction. By 1900 hrs the wind goes light and the seas become confused and lumpy. Time to start the engine and motor sail.
Sept 2, 2011
Wind pattern for the Gulf of Maine is fresh winds during the daytime and falling light to calm at night. We are experiencing this and continue to motor throughout the night. There is a S'ly swell developing and the seas are confused. We're able to sail from 0900 hrs until 1230 hrs and then the winds are too light to cope with the 8' S'ly swell that is predominant. It causes the wind to spill out of the sails and they flog around which is very annoying and uncomfortable. So we douse the jib and motor sail with the mail sheeted in flat. Once again at night, the wind falls out leaving the big swell from the South.
September 3, 2011
There is no wind and it's becoming obvious that we'll have to motor the rest of the way. The 8' S'ly swell is causing the mail to flog so we drop and secure it. The rest of the trip into Boston is uneventful and a SW'ly wind starts blowing but not much help to us at this point. There are quite a few lobster trap lines about 40 nm outside of Boston. This requires a vigilant watch so we don't pick up a line in the propeller.
1300 hrs all secured at East Boston Shipyard and Boatworks Marina slip #10. Call Customs for clearance. At 1430 hrs a CBP agent shows up at our dock and clears the vessel with no paper work. How nice is that!!
We'll be here until Tuesday and then head out for Cape Cod Canal and the Connecticut Shore. We have family and friends in CT so a stop will give those that want to see "Solstice" a chance to do it.
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