M/V Fairport C

Here is the route of the latest trip aboard M/V Fairport C, a Grand Banks 52.  We made the trip straight through in 67 hours.  Aboard  were John and Denise, the owners and the professional Captain, Andrea who is a friend of the owners.  Andrea is captain of a 72 footer which is now in Florida.  She is an excellent captain and knows boat systems inside and out.  We had a good trip with guidance from a weather router, which is why we pushed to get into San Juan by Thursday.

We started with from Long Island in the Bahamas and left at 2200 hrs on 11/26.

I will post other photos in a few days.

Home Again!

I am home again and can upload more photos and video of the trip.

Jack Zacks - Yacht Broker with Sparkman & Stephens

Larry Cohen - Dentist

Darlene Roberts 

Larry Kron

Hampton before departure

Cutter Loose in Hampton

Saudade in Tortola

The meaning of Life, the Universe, and Everything

Arrived in Tortola

We left Hampton as scheduled on Saturday at 1300 hrs to avoid the Nor'easter that was due to hit on Wed. Larry Cohen (7th passage down) and I (4th passage) had commented that the forecast presented was the best we had seen for a trip down.  The first day and night were uneventful and we started across the Gulf Stream at 0900 the next morning.  The Stream as the calmest I have experienced until just before sunset when a squall appeared on the radar.  The squall became a constant storm that persisted all night and into the next day before it dissipated.  Winds were 35 to 40 with gust to 50 with heavy rain and lightning.  After arriving in Tortola we were told that this was a small area of low pressure when we left that had developed into a large area that coincided with the fleets arrival in the area.  Beyond that weather improved and we proceeded to get south down the rhumb line as quickly as possible to get out of the path of the NE'er.  Most of the early passage was fast with the strong winds - up to 9kts.  By Tuesday we were fairly consistently making 7kts with an occasional 8kts.

The Crew upon arrival - Larry Kron; Larry Cohen; Darlene Roberts; Jack Zacks; Me - yes I did not shave!!

The Beach at Nanny Cay

The Crew of Cutter Loose upon Arrival

The biggest mechanical issue was that we lost the autopilot on the first day and had to hand steer until we finally were able to fix it after 6 days.  We slowed down toward the end to arrive at the marina entrance at daybreak.  We were the 11th boat to arrive, with cutter loose having arrived the next day.

Our path down was as follows:  http://www.findmespot.com/spotadventures/index.php/view_adventure?tripid=317612.

With this event, sailing for the year is now done.  I fly back on Friday and begin planning my next event.  I am trying to be a crew member on the ARC Europe which leaves in May.   Fingers Crossed...

The Caribbean 1500

I am now due to head to Hampton on Wednesday.  Amtrak has announced the cancellation of service for tomorrow.  The marina in Hampton is at the indicated location and have the second highest level of impact.
With a target departure date of Sunday (conditions premitting) I need to be there to ensure that the boat is ready.  If Amtrak is cancelled again on Wed. I will need to drive down and return later to pick up the car.

Updates from Yachts en-route to Hampton

29 October

Thanks to those yachts not yet in Hampton who emailed in with their progress reports! We heard from the following, in addition to the news we posted yesterday about a few boats in Annapolis and on the Chesapeake... FROM JIM ON KIA ORANA: "Hi- Kia Orana in 30-40k presently, but safe and sound at the dock in Smith Creek at the mouth of the Potomac. Plan to resume on Weds., make it there by late Thurs., 1 Nov. Jim Burdick" FROM THE CLUB CARP CREW: "Report from Club Carp. We plan to leave Annapolis Wednesday PM and arrive in Hampton Thursday PM. We will be staying at my cousin’s (Charlie Huffman) dock next to Chris Hall's place at Bluewater Yachting Center. We will have a car to get to the events. Club Carp Crew, Jeff Woody Hansmann Larry Roland Glenn Haberbush" FROM BILL ON ALTHEA "Thanks for the updates.  Althea is still in the C & D.  I expect to head south Wed, hopefully we will arrive Thurs or Friday. Again, the updates have been very helpful in keeping us informed. Bill Ewing Althea" FROM NEIL & SHAUN ON ESCAPADE "We sailed all night Frdayi night and arrived at Blue Water in the wee hours Sat morning in order to be ahead of the weather. We are on the floating dock just outside of Surf Rider restaurant at Blue Water.    We drove back to our hometown Saturday afternoon to deal with hurricane issues here and plan to return to Blue Water mid day Wednesday.   We look forward to seeing everyone. Neil and Shaun s/v ESCAPADE"

HMS Bounty was abandoned 90 miles SE of Hatteras.  14 of the 16 crew members have been rescued.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2224706/HMS-Bounty-Hurricane-Sandy-path-2-missing-16-strong-crew-replica-forced-abandon-ship.html

http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2012/10/29/hurricane-sandy-ship-abandoned-ship-coast-guard/1665339/

Here are photos of the ship from when I was in Belfast Maine in August.  One interesting thing about that stop for the boat is that they performed a Man Overboard Drill that was monitored by a Coast Guard team.

Sandy Update

Today's forecast is for sustained winds of 35 to 45 mph and gusts to 60 with over 5 inches of rain.  Tonight the wind gusts are predicted to be 65 until they begin to diminish after 0900 tomorrow.  Many power outages are expected due to the combination of wind and rain and the fact that  there are still a lot of leaves on the trees.  Delaware, Pennsylvania and New Jersey have announced a state of emergency.  Septa, Patco, DART and Amtrak have all suspended Service and all flights in and out of Philadelphia have been cancelled.  Delaware has even implemented a driving ban on all roads unless you are an emergency worker or officially designated as essential personnel for specific industries such as food, fuel or health care.

The track appears to be further south than in previous projections.

I had been scheduled to leave today for Hampton and the Caribbean 1500, which is targeted to depart on 11/4, but that is now pushed to Wed.

Hourly sustained Wind Forcast for Wallingford, PA - This is NOT THE Coast

This storm is different from hurricanes we usually see, in that they usually track parallel to the coast and push the water more to the north.  This one will aim directly at the Jersey coast and water will be pushed onto the coastline.  Together with a Full Moon tonight and High tide at 2030 hrs tonight, flooding is expected to exceed any past record. 

I will continue to post through the storm.

The Calm Before the Storm

Eau de Vie came out of the water yesterday and all canvas and sails are off and stowed. Winterization will be completed tomorrow.   Saudade arrived in Hampton this morning and is secure.  It will be good to get down there and get familiar with the boat.

Sandy looks like it will make a direct hit on our area Monday night into Tuesday.  The spiral below is the expected position at Monday 11:00.  This is when I will leave for Hampton to join the boat.

Weather Watch

Saudade is leaving for Hampton today from Newport.  Today and tomorrow the weather forecast is fine, but Saturday's forecast is bad and getting worse.  I am not planning to join the boat until next week (depending on how Sandy will impact the Chesapeake) but I did ask Larry to consider transiting the Delaware and C&D Canal if conditions dictate.

The Current National Weather Service Forecast is below
 ANZ089-251500-  500 AM EDT THU OCT 25 2012      .SYNOPSIS FOR MID ATLC WATERS...A WEAK COLD FRONT WILL DRIFT S  ACROSS THE CENTRAL WATERS TODAY AND DISSIPATE TONIGHT. A HIGH  PRES RIDGE WILL BUILD IN FROM THE N LATE TODAY AND  TONIGHT...THEN WEAKEN FRI INTO SAT.    HURRICANE SANDY NOW WELL S OF THE AREA IS EXPECTED TO TRACK N TO  NEAR 28.1N 76.3W BY 2 AM SAT...NEAR 31.2N 73.7W BY 2 AM SUN...  NEAR 34.5N 70.5W BY 2 AM MON...THEN BECOME A STRONG  POST-TROPICAL LOW NEAR 37.5N 70.5W BY 2 AM TUE. SEE THE LATEST  NATIONAL HURRICANE CENTER ADVISORY FOR HURRICANE SANDY.  $$  SEAS GIVEN AS SIGNIFICANT WAVE HEIGHT...WHICH IS THE AVERAGE  HEIGHT OF THE HIGHEST 1/3 OF THE WAVES. INDIVIDUAL WAVES MAY BE  MORE THAN TWICE THE SIGNIFICANT WAVE HEIGHT.     ANZ085-251500-  BALTIMORE CANYON TO HATTERAS CANYON OUT TO 36N 70W TO 34N 71W  500 AM EDT THU OCT 25 2012    TROPICAL STORM CONDITIONS EXPECTED SAT  HURRICANE CONDITIONS EXPECTED SUN AND MON    TODAY  VARIABLE WINDS 10 KT OR LESS...EXCEPT OVER N PORTION NE  10 TO 15 KT EARLY. WINDS BECOMING NE 10 TO 20 KT THROUGHOUT  LATE. SEAS 2 TO 4 FT.  TONIGHT  E TO NE WINDS BECOMING 15 TO 20 KT. SEAS BECOMING 3  TO 5 FT.  FRI  E TO NE WINDS 15 TO 20 KT...EXCEPT OVER S PORTION  INCREASING TO 20 TO 25 KT. SEAS BUILDING TO 4 TO 7 FT...EXCEPT  OVER S PORTION TO 7 TO 11 FT LATE WITH S SWELL...HIGHEST SE.  FRI NIGHT  E TO NE WINDS INCREASING 20 TO 30 KT. SEAS BUILDING  TO 7 TO 12 FT...EXCEPT OVER SE PORTION 12 TO 17 FT LATE. HIGHEST  WINDS AND SEAS S. SCATTERED SHOWERS AND TSTMS DEVELOPING MAINLY  S.  SAT  N PORTION...NE WINDS INCREASING TO 25 TO 35 KT. SEAS  BUILDING TO 9 TO 16 FT. HIGHEST WINDS AND SEAS SE. S PORTION...  E TO NE WINDS INCREASING TO 35 TO 45 KT. SEAS BUILDING TO 16 TO  26 FT. HIGHEST WINDS AND SEAS SE.  SUN  TROPICAL STORM CONDITIONS EXPECTED THROUGHOUT...EXCEPT  OVER SE PORTION HURRICANE CONDITIONS EXPECTED TO DEVELOP.  MON  TROPICAL STORM CONDITIONS EXPECTED...EXCEPT OVER E  PORTION HURRICANE CONDITIONS EXPECTED.  $$

Getting ready

I am slated to leave on Monday for Hampton to meet the boat which is also expected to arrive on that date. The big question is the weather.  Hurricane Sandy is expected to track out to Bermuda around that time according to the American Model but the European Model has it tracking up the East Coast, possibly making landfall over Long Island.  This could affect both the boat's arrival date as well as mine.  If the hurricane tracks up the coast, I would be at the boat to ensure that Eau de Vie was secure.  I am scheduled to move Eau de Vie to Worton Creek on Friday.

Professional weather routing is part of both the Caribbean 1500 and the Salty Dawg Rally.  Last year the Salty Dawg used Chris Parker who has a reputation of being more conservative than many other forecasters.    We had a window that we selected that enabled us to leave on November 6th, after a low had passed through Hampton.  Most of the other boats in the Rally waited for a more conservative window 4 days later. As it turned out that low remained over the Atlantic and developed into Hurricane Sean, but Chis's direction kept us well west of the bad weather and we did not have more than 30 kts of wind at any time

This time of year is very turbulent and the most important decision you make is when to leave.

More to follow...

Caribbean 1500

I am crewing again on the Caribbean 1500.  http://www.worldcruising.com/carib1500/route.aspx
This year I am aboard Saudade, a Tayana 48DS.





At this point there will be 5 of us on the boat, including Larry Cohen who was a crew member with me on my first 1500 in 2009.  I am in the process of packing and making sure that I have not forgotten anything, especially my passport as that is not something that I usually take sailing.  The key is to limit the amount of gear that I take while having enough for leaving in November and being hot by day 3.

More to follow from Hampton...

To update you all that may not have heard, I have decided not to sail to Europe next year with Eau de Vie, but I still want to do the voyage as a crew member on another boat.  There are several reasons for this decision including the lack of capacity for water, fuel and energy generation, which all can be overcome at a cost, and most importantly, once I get there and the crew leaves, I would be alone.  The time spent sailing back from Maine alone was lonely once the day was done and I had cleaned up after dinner.

That being said there is still Bermuda, the Bahamas, and the Caribbean to consider.  Stay tuned as the plans evolve.

OK, its been far too long since I have posted on the blog and a friend pointed that out last weekend.  I will therefore be posting more often.  

Jim Elliott

Ron and Maryann - S/V Cavu

Al and Ann

Last weekend was the Annapolis Boat Show and I attended Thursday and Friday.  The highlight for me was seeing friends. David and Patty; Kurt and Monica, Jim and Norm, Corky and Deb; Al and Ann; Ron and Maryann; John and Linda; Denise and finally Jim.

The good thing about the boat show is that you can get good deals on a lot of equipment.  The bad thing is you can see so many good deals that you blow your budget.  Do I need the new Kiwi Prop or the Air Breeze wind generator?  No, not need but highly tempting....  My biggest purchase was new fowl weather gear from Helly Hansen at almost half off.  Yea, I know its Yellow and White but my existing Bibs and boots are also yellow.

The other good thing about the boat show was the party's.  There was a good get together with the Salty Dog Rally from last year and a get together with the Caribbean 1500, including Davis and his band performing at the Ram's Head,

I will be on the 1500 again this year for my 4th trip to the Caribbean.  This year I will be on a 48' Tayana and we will leave on 11/4, weather permitting.  More to follow...

Catching Up

OK, it has been a while since I had an internet access.  The last marina I stayed in (Sandwich, Mass at the eastern end of the Cape Cod Canal) claimed internet but it did not reach my slip.  I am now in Brielle, NJ (Manasquan Inlet) as it is one of only 3 inlets in NJ that I would attempt.  The other 2 are Atlantic City and Cape May.  Since my last post I have been basically single handing from Boothbay Harbor.  Not that I have not had offers for folks to be crew, but there are always timing and logistical considerations on when and where to pick them up and drop them off.  The exception has been that I have had Lucas Gunhart with me from Labor Day to last Sat.  He is beginning to study Sailing and he sailed with me from Block Island to Oyster Bay.  The engine problems with air in the fuel lines are now resolved as they were caused by a vacuum guage on the primary fuel filter that was installed in Boothbay on the way up.  This was to diagnose a problem with loosing RPM for short periods that was caused by a loose fitting.  Once that guage was removed, the problem went away.

Enough of that... from Boothbay I went to Portsmouth, NH and then to Marblehead for 2 days.  Dolphin Yacht Club only charges $30 and you get access to there clubhouse - great deal as the other clubs charge $50.  From there I went on to Scituate and ran across Bob and Laura Fleno - Bob sailed with me on Ilene on the Caribbean 1500. 2 years ago.  They left last year for 2 years of sailing in the Caribbean but came back a year early. I sailed from there to Sandwich, because I was not sure about the resolution of the engine issue and wanted a clean start at the head of the Cape Cod Canal.  3 days in Cuttyhunk, 3 days in Block and then up the LI sound, including 3 days in Oyster Bay  Today was City Island to Brielle and tomorrow is Cape May.  I will be home soon and can't wait.

Here are shots from the trip...

Why do people put stupid names on their boats?

Or have an OK name ...

And put something stupid on their boom?

I prefer to just live the good life and enjoy - Try the Oysters they are Great!

Cuttyhunk Rocks!!

And it doesn't get any better!

Boothbay Region Boatyard - BRB

I am having parts arrive here by noon today and they will have them installed by 3:00.  If you are in the area needing service this is the marina.  They are the local Yanmar dealer and they come highly recommended.  They troubleshot my problem the last time I was in and, although it could not be pinpointed at that time they were able to look at it on the day I needed and install an new vacuum sensor on the fuel filter system to help confirm if it was a fuel problem.  They are great to work with and knowledgeable.

I sailed here yesterday from Boothbay Harbor, having run the engine only about 30 minutes total.  In the 6 miles traveled, I past 3 lighthouses.  They are every where and all beautiful, but you overwhelm people with too many photos.  Here are the 3 from yesterday though.

Boothbay Harbor Entrance

Boothbay Headlands

Sheepscot River

Maine Cruise

I have not been connected to the Internet and had time to post updates for a bit.  Today I have both as I am in Boothbay Harbor waiting for parts to arrive on Monday.  The last 2 nights have been rainy but there is plenty of good food here.  Following the Corinthian Cruise, Grace and Rick joined me as crew for the next week.  Southern Harbor on North Haven; Fox Island Thoroughfare, Bucks Harbor and Little Cranberry Island to see Freda.  From there we headed to Tennent's Harbor and here to Boothbay Harbor.  The Marina is the Carousel Marina - where the musical was filmed.  Barb would love the photos of the filming in the marina --- Not.  As I need to remain, Grace and Rick left yesterday and I am now solo.  This is a true test of whether I will enjoy sailing solo for long periods.  The game plan going forward is slow and safe - it helps having no deadlines or commitments.  Below is a pictorial review of the trip so far...

Cuttyhunk - The storm that missed us...

Fog Happens

Then it begins to clear - Southport near Boothbay

The mini cruise starts at Boothbay Region Boatyard

John Pasley and J. Jay Maunter

Calm with rain in the distance - missed us again.

Replica of a 1920's /30's commuter

Yes there is sun as well!!

Mini Cruise at anchor - Maplejuice Cove

The main cruise at Buck's Harbor

Eau de Vie at Buck's Harbor

Parade of boats out