SHIP'S LOG:
Daytona . . . .Still! ! ! ! !
Hey, it could be a lot worse. I could be "rotting" on the hook in Cape May, NJ! At least here it is sunny and bright and WARM. The mornings and evenings have been cool, but the days are hot and sunny . . . . except for those storms, that is.
The Halifax Sailing Club ran another "Learn to Sail" Event for adults today and got a pretty good turn out. There must have been pretty close to 20. They got a morning of instruction and some sailing in before noon, got a lunch and then more sailing afterward. The after lunch part consisted of everyone lining up and sailing in formation - 100 yards this way, everybody tack - 100 yards this way everybody jibe - follow the leader around the marks and don't crash into any anchored boat. This group was better than last week's, less capsizing, fewer T-Boning incidents and crashes. Everyone appeared to have fun.
The anchorage has filled up with big boats, both power and sail. Ia ma beginning to think that the actual bottom bear no resemblance whatever to the charts. Of course, after 7 years of hurricane and other storms, it is doubtful that the charts most people have are anywhere up to date, me included.
More boats passed by today heading north. The great migration northward has begun in earnest. I get the impression from the cruisers I have met, especially those from Canada, that while they might go north, the boats do not. Somewhere between here and home, the boats are put up for the "summer" and will be returned to the water only in the late fall for the run south. Seems quite the reverse of what we do at home. The again, if you are making this trip every year, it saves a lot of wear and tear on the boat if you pick it up half way to your sunny destination. Easier on you as well.
I laid out the courses that will take me out of Florida, well at least to Fernandina Beach which is within spitting distance of Georgia. St. Augustine to Fernandina Beach is 55 miles and that is really a push. I might have to break it in half if I can find some good anchorages. I have a couple mapped out but until you see the "real ground," you never quite know what you have. I am not all that concerned about it though. It will all work out in the end. I still have a couple more "grounding sites" to get by, though I don't expect them to be a problem either . . .unless I find new ones!
Saturday, April 2, 2011
Friday, April 1, 2011
What Is That Bright, Shiny Object In The Sky?
SHIP'S LOG:
Still on the hook in Daytona!
It actually got down into the 50's last night. Yeah, I know, I know, but down here that's cold. It made up for it during the day by getting up into the 80's. That was a good thing. i could open up the whole boat and let her air out and dry out. By late in the afternoon, the dampness had gone and thing were more back towards normal, at least for down here.
Rowed ashore and picked up some ice and a few odds and ends and then curled up with a good book in the sunshine. It was actually a bit "breezy" today as NOAA likes to say, blowing in the 20's but the fact that there wasn't a cloud in the sky and the temp was warm more than made up for it. I did a little repair work on my "Swedish" flag and the ensign. Both have gotten rather tattered from being blown against the shrouds and I will probably have to retire them once I get back. But they have been up everyday of the trip and they won't come down until it is over, if there is anything left to them.
I called Annie in St. Augustine and let here know I would probably be there by the end of next week. She seemed excited that we would have the chance to get together, especially since I missed her on the way down. (I didn't even know she lived in St. Augustine!) I am still waiting for Rich & Martha to get back from the left coast and they should be in Monday or Tuesday and I'll make a stop in Palm Coast.
Other than that there is not much going on . . . and I am enjoying that!
Still on the hook in Daytona!
It actually got down into the 50's last night. Yeah, I know, I know, but down here that's cold. It made up for it during the day by getting up into the 80's. That was a good thing. i could open up the whole boat and let her air out and dry out. By late in the afternoon, the dampness had gone and thing were more back towards normal, at least for down here.
Rowed ashore and picked up some ice and a few odds and ends and then curled up with a good book in the sunshine. It was actually a bit "breezy" today as NOAA likes to say, blowing in the 20's but the fact that there wasn't a cloud in the sky and the temp was warm more than made up for it. I did a little repair work on my "Swedish" flag and the ensign. Both have gotten rather tattered from being blown against the shrouds and I will probably have to retire them once I get back. But they have been up everyday of the trip and they won't come down until it is over, if there is anything left to them.
I called Annie in St. Augustine and let here know I would probably be there by the end of next week. She seemed excited that we would have the chance to get together, especially since I missed her on the way down. (I didn't even know she lived in St. Augustine!) I am still waiting for Rich & Martha to get back from the left coast and they should be in Monday or Tuesday and I'll make a stop in Palm Coast.
Other than that there is not much going on . . . and I am enjoying that!
Thursday, March 31, 2011
Rainy Day III: The Reprise - "Hey, Noah, Any Room In The Ark?"
SHIP'S LOG:
Location: Unmoved in Daytona!
Today, the weather decided not to wait until late in the day to"act up," it basically started first thing in the morning. A crappy way to start your day. I was barely into my second cup of joe when the rain started. Slowly at first,then more, then less, then more, something like someone playing with the water faucet. Then came the thunder and the lightning. My friends at NOAA noted that " there is a chance for an abundance of frequent lightning!" On that score they were dead on accurate. Lightning flashed up and down and sideways. It was spectacular to watch really quite beautiful to see, but all the time in the back of your mind it the thought that it might just consider your mast as a lightning rod, and in my case two of them, and "make the connection." Thank God none of the bolts tested the grounding system on ABISHAG, though some seemed closer than others.
Thunder on the other hand always seemed right overhead. About every fifth blast I could feel it though the hull as well as through the air. Most of the peels were sort of high pitched and tinny, but the ones I felt through the hull really had the bass turned way, way up. As "Perfect Peter," the computerized voice of the NOAA Weather Forecasts says, "When the Thunder roars, get indoors!" He also says "Exclamation Point" since the range of emotions in his voice run the gamut of from "A" to "B!"
Then of course there was the hail. It came in various sizes: golf-ball; 3/4 inch, quarter -size, penny - size and pea size. Thank God there wasn't a lot of it. I gather that there are times when it falls like rain. As it was, this was more like sprinkles when they happened.
Then there were the tornadoes - three of them in the general vicinity, including one that landed on "Launch Pad 39-A" at the Kennedy Space Center. Didn't see one, didn't want to see one. Probably couldn't see one if it came for all the rain. Then again they say that it sounds like a passing freight train. Doesn't work here though as there are railroad track less then a mile away inshore and they are very busy.
Well the upshot of it all is that everyone in this anchorage stayed in place. We got a nice 3.7 inches of rain. The wind gusts seemed to top out at 50mph, though farther south in Melbourne where I was just a few days ago, they got a few that topped out in the 70's! No damage from the hail, at least nothing serious and perhaps the best thing is that the crappy weather is going away. It will leave the wind for Friday, but the sun will return and over the weekend it should turn disgustingly hazy, hot and humid once again. I was talking to someone in Connecticut today who said they were looking at 6-12 inches of snow. Some people have all the luck!
Location: Unmoved in Daytona!
Today, the weather decided not to wait until late in the day to"act up," it basically started first thing in the morning. A crappy way to start your day. I was barely into my second cup of joe when the rain started. Slowly at first,then more, then less, then more, something like someone playing with the water faucet. Then came the thunder and the lightning. My friends at NOAA noted that " there is a chance for an abundance of frequent lightning!" On that score they were dead on accurate. Lightning flashed up and down and sideways. It was spectacular to watch really quite beautiful to see, but all the time in the back of your mind it the thought that it might just consider your mast as a lightning rod, and in my case two of them, and "make the connection." Thank God none of the bolts tested the grounding system on ABISHAG, though some seemed closer than others.
Thunder on the other hand always seemed right overhead. About every fifth blast I could feel it though the hull as well as through the air. Most of the peels were sort of high pitched and tinny, but the ones I felt through the hull really had the bass turned way, way up. As "Perfect Peter," the computerized voice of the NOAA Weather Forecasts says, "When the Thunder roars, get indoors!" He also says "Exclamation Point" since the range of emotions in his voice run the gamut of from "A" to "B!"
Then of course there was the hail. It came in various sizes: golf-ball; 3/4 inch, quarter -size, penny - size and pea size. Thank God there wasn't a lot of it. I gather that there are times when it falls like rain. As it was, this was more like sprinkles when they happened.
Then there were the tornadoes - three of them in the general vicinity, including one that landed on "Launch Pad 39-A" at the Kennedy Space Center. Didn't see one, didn't want to see one. Probably couldn't see one if it came for all the rain. Then again they say that it sounds like a passing freight train. Doesn't work here though as there are railroad track less then a mile away inshore and they are very busy.
Well the upshot of it all is that everyone in this anchorage stayed in place. We got a nice 3.7 inches of rain. The wind gusts seemed to top out at 50mph, though farther south in Melbourne where I was just a few days ago, they got a few that topped out in the 70's! No damage from the hail, at least nothing serious and perhaps the best thing is that the crappy weather is going away. It will leave the wind for Friday, but the sun will return and over the weekend it should turn disgustingly hazy, hot and humid once again. I was talking to someone in Connecticut today who said they were looking at 6-12 inches of snow. Some people have all the luck!
Wednesday, March 30, 2011
Rainy Day II - The Sequel : "Comes The Deluge!"
SHIP'S LOG:
There is something about the weather in Florida, when they get a thunderstorm it is no ordinary thunderstorm, not by a long shot. I have already gone through two of these impressive storms, one in Ft. Pierce, micro-burst included; and one in Miami, with enough lightning, thunder and hail for anyone. Today, I got my third and hopefully my last taste.
There was a 50% chance of rain today, according to NOAA's breakfast weather forecast. I wasn't going anywhere, so it didn't much matter. It actually started out hot and sunny but by mid afternoon, the clouds took over and it got very still, so I flipped on the weather radio. It is never a good thing when you tune into NOAA and catch the announcement that they are suspending regular broadcasting because of a "sever weather situation." Trust me, that gets your attention. Then the started talking about severe thunderstorms, damaging lightning and golf ball size hail headed my way. There was not a lot for me to do but close up the boat, check the chaffing gear, put out another 10 feet of road(90 feet in 8.9 feet of water) and wait.
The sky to the west grew black and the wind started to pick up. The guy near me, who has a slip in the nearby marina but was anchoring out, pulled up his hook and started off to his slip. He had to go south through the mooring field, then turn into the ICW and head north and turn west past the mooring field( he had to avoid a shoal) and headed into the channel to the marina. He just started in when it hit. And I mean HIT! The wind picked up to a nasty 40mph and the rain came down like a fire hose had been turned on me. I instantly lost sight of the guy moving the boat though he was less than 100 yards away. I don't know what the wind leveled off at but the gust were enough to put my starboard rail in the water. I actually thought for a moment that ABISHAG was going to capsize.This was worse than the other two storms. The engine went on, as did the PFD and I went over in my head how to launch the life raft! The radio was screaming about "tornadoes" and "waterspouts", the wind was howling, the lightning flashing, the thunder crashing and the rain was blotting out everything from view. Thank God it lasted no more than 15 minutes. It was about as intense and hair-raising as it gets. Perhaps it is because Florida is so flat, or maybe because it is a peninsula, or maybe it is the cost of the great weather, but they get some incredible thunderstorms down here. I can't recall anything close to the three I have been through down here.
Once it was over, the warnings and watches were canceled and we settled back into 10-15mph winds from the Southwest, probably for the rest of the night, with a chance of showers. It almost seems a relief! I hope the guy who was moving the boat was OK. Trying to get through the narrow channel into the marina and then into his slip and then trying to tie-up the boat in the slip in all that wind and rain - he probably would have been better off just staying where he was.
Unfortunately, the weather for tomorrow doesn't lot all that hot. There is a 90% chance of rain and winds will be 15-20mph. I can deal with that, but they are talking more thunderstorms and that is not something I want to go through again, especially if they are anything like what I just went through. The weekend is supposed to be nice but I have to go through Thursday and Friday to get there. Well, one day, one storm at a time.
There is something about the weather in Florida, when they get a thunderstorm it is no ordinary thunderstorm, not by a long shot. I have already gone through two of these impressive storms, one in Ft. Pierce, micro-burst included; and one in Miami, with enough lightning, thunder and hail for anyone. Today, I got my third and hopefully my last taste.
There was a 50% chance of rain today, according to NOAA's breakfast weather forecast. I wasn't going anywhere, so it didn't much matter. It actually started out hot and sunny but by mid afternoon, the clouds took over and it got very still, so I flipped on the weather radio. It is never a good thing when you tune into NOAA and catch the announcement that they are suspending regular broadcasting because of a "sever weather situation." Trust me, that gets your attention. Then the started talking about severe thunderstorms, damaging lightning and golf ball size hail headed my way. There was not a lot for me to do but close up the boat, check the chaffing gear, put out another 10 feet of road(90 feet in 8.9 feet of water) and wait.
The sky to the west grew black and the wind started to pick up. The guy near me, who has a slip in the nearby marina but was anchoring out, pulled up his hook and started off to his slip. He had to go south through the mooring field, then turn into the ICW and head north and turn west past the mooring field( he had to avoid a shoal) and headed into the channel to the marina. He just started in when it hit. And I mean HIT! The wind picked up to a nasty 40mph and the rain came down like a fire hose had been turned on me. I instantly lost sight of the guy moving the boat though he was less than 100 yards away. I don't know what the wind leveled off at but the gust were enough to put my starboard rail in the water. I actually thought for a moment that ABISHAG was going to capsize.This was worse than the other two storms. The engine went on, as did the PFD and I went over in my head how to launch the life raft! The radio was screaming about "tornadoes" and "waterspouts", the wind was howling, the lightning flashing, the thunder crashing and the rain was blotting out everything from view. Thank God it lasted no more than 15 minutes. It was about as intense and hair-raising as it gets. Perhaps it is because Florida is so flat, or maybe because it is a peninsula, or maybe it is the cost of the great weather, but they get some incredible thunderstorms down here. I can't recall anything close to the three I have been through down here.
Once it was over, the warnings and watches were canceled and we settled back into 10-15mph winds from the Southwest, probably for the rest of the night, with a chance of showers. It almost seems a relief! I hope the guy who was moving the boat was OK. Trying to get through the narrow channel into the marina and then into his slip and then trying to tie-up the boat in the slip in all that wind and rain - he probably would have been better off just staying where he was.
Unfortunately, the weather for tomorrow doesn't lot all that hot. There is a 90% chance of rain and winds will be 15-20mph. I can deal with that, but they are talking more thunderstorms and that is not something I want to go through again, especially if they are anything like what I just went through. The weekend is supposed to be nice but I have to go through Thursday and Friday to get there. Well, one day, one storm at a time.
Tuesday, March 29, 2011
A Surprise From NOAA
SHIP'S LOG:
Surprise, surprise, it didn't rain today. It did everything else but no rain, at least as I write this. It was, however, misty drizzly, cloudy, co,d and generally awful, but no rain. I gather that this will change tomorrow and Thursday in a big way. Florida has been rather dry this winter and they really do need the rain. Lots of marsh fires and wildfires all over the place because of the lack of rain. So before the entire state burns down, they really should get some rain.
It can get just a bit boring on a boat when you are stuck in place. Reading is a way to pass the time but after awhile, your butt gets sore from just sitting. It seems as though coming up with the energy to do maintenance or some of the little projects that could use doing is hard to come by when the weather is crappy. It just seems to suck the life and enthusiasm right out of me.
I am about three days traveling out of Georgia. It will be more than three days as I have stops to make but in actual travel time, just three days, perhaps four. I started looking ahead to Georgia because I have to change my mindset again. Georgia is the state of tides, 7 feet on average, and is also the state that has done the least to keep the ICW passable. I made it down OK but there was a lot of very thin water in Georgia and a lot of very narrow channels in the ICW. And in Georgia I will begin to hit the dead-zones for cell coverage adn Internet access. Where there are big population centers, everything will be fine. Away from them though it will be no signal and no calls and no blogs. I am still unsure whether or not to go outside and give Georgia a pass altogether, but that call can wait til St. Mary and depends really on whatever NOAA has to say . . . . not that I trust them all that much
Surprise, surprise, it didn't rain today. It did everything else but no rain, at least as I write this. It was, however, misty drizzly, cloudy, co,d and generally awful, but no rain. I gather that this will change tomorrow and Thursday in a big way. Florida has been rather dry this winter and they really do need the rain. Lots of marsh fires and wildfires all over the place because of the lack of rain. So before the entire state burns down, they really should get some rain.
It can get just a bit boring on a boat when you are stuck in place. Reading is a way to pass the time but after awhile, your butt gets sore from just sitting. It seems as though coming up with the energy to do maintenance or some of the little projects that could use doing is hard to come by when the weather is crappy. It just seems to suck the life and enthusiasm right out of me.
I am about three days traveling out of Georgia. It will be more than three days as I have stops to make but in actual travel time, just three days, perhaps four. I started looking ahead to Georgia because I have to change my mindset again. Georgia is the state of tides, 7 feet on average, and is also the state that has done the least to keep the ICW passable. I made it down OK but there was a lot of very thin water in Georgia and a lot of very narrow channels in the ICW. And in Georgia I will begin to hit the dead-zones for cell coverage adn Internet access. Where there are big population centers, everything will be fine. Away from them though it will be no signal and no calls and no blogs. I am still unsure whether or not to go outside and give Georgia a pass altogether, but that call can wait til St. Mary and depends really on whatever NOAA has to say . . . . not that I trust them all that much
Monday, March 28, 2011
Sunny Florida? ? ? ? ? ?
SHIP'S LOG:
Way back when, on my way down through this area in December, I groused to one bridge tender about how cold it was, He replied, "We are the "Sunshine State." We say nothing about warmth!" Well, looks like they can't say anything about "sunshine" either! Well, at least not for this week anyhow. The 30% chance of rain today came through and it has been pouring big time since before noon. Even though it is raining, NOAA says there is only a 50% chance of rain in Daytona. Somebody ought to stick their head out the window or something. According to NOAA, there is basically a 50% chance of rain every day through Friday. It is a good thing I wasn't planning to go anywhere or that I didn't have to be anywhere because I ain't going anywhere. Despite all the claims about how wonderful rain gear is, unless you are in an enclosed pilothouse ( I don't have one of those, traveling in a sailboat in the rain is no fun at all. It is damp cold and uncomfortable and despite all your efforts and all your gear, you get damp, cold and uncomfortable and the boat gets damp, cold and uncomfortable. It is best to stay put, light up the stove, crack open a bottle of wine and enjoy a good book.
Despite the rain, I took advantage of an offer from Mike Talover, a member of the Halifax Sailing Club and did a little shopping. He seems quite a nice guy and he wants to make sure I have all I need while I am here. He is very hospitable, unlike the people of Miami. The Club is on a piece of land owned by the city and right next to the sewage treatment plant. It has been around for 50 some years and is a real "every-man's club," just like TYC. It feels like home in a way.
I am currently at mile 831 on the ICW. It seems to be counting down a lot faster than it was counting up but then it always seems to me, whether it is true or not, that you get back faster from a place the getting to it. I've got no anticipated date for my return besides"eventually" as I will move with the weather - warm weather move fast/cold weather don't move.
Mike told me about the guy whose boat is anchor next to me. It is a 42 footer and he keeps it in a marina not a quarter of a mile away. But every couple of weeks, he "cruises" to the anchorage in front of the Sailing Club and "anchors out" for a week or two, living on his boat. At least he is not jost living at the dock.
PS: The spellcheck for this site is not working so forgive any errors.
Way back when, on my way down through this area in December, I groused to one bridge tender about how cold it was, He replied, "We are the "Sunshine State." We say nothing about warmth!" Well, looks like they can't say anything about "sunshine" either! Well, at least not for this week anyhow. The 30% chance of rain today came through and it has been pouring big time since before noon. Even though it is raining, NOAA says there is only a 50% chance of rain in Daytona. Somebody ought to stick their head out the window or something. According to NOAA, there is basically a 50% chance of rain every day through Friday. It is a good thing I wasn't planning to go anywhere or that I didn't have to be anywhere because I ain't going anywhere. Despite all the claims about how wonderful rain gear is, unless you are in an enclosed pilothouse ( I don't have one of those, traveling in a sailboat in the rain is no fun at all. It is damp cold and uncomfortable and despite all your efforts and all your gear, you get damp, cold and uncomfortable and the boat gets damp, cold and uncomfortable. It is best to stay put, light up the stove, crack open a bottle of wine and enjoy a good book.
Despite the rain, I took advantage of an offer from Mike Talover, a member of the Halifax Sailing Club and did a little shopping. He seems quite a nice guy and he wants to make sure I have all I need while I am here. He is very hospitable, unlike the people of Miami. The Club is on a piece of land owned by the city and right next to the sewage treatment plant. It has been around for 50 some years and is a real "every-man's club," just like TYC. It feels like home in a way.
I am currently at mile 831 on the ICW. It seems to be counting down a lot faster than it was counting up but then it always seems to me, whether it is true or not, that you get back faster from a place the getting to it. I've got no anticipated date for my return besides"eventually" as I will move with the weather - warm weather move fast/cold weather don't move.
Mike told me about the guy whose boat is anchor next to me. It is a 42 footer and he keeps it in a marina not a quarter of a mile away. But every couple of weeks, he "cruises" to the anchorage in front of the Sailing Club and "anchors out" for a week or two, living on his boat. At least he is not jost living at the dock.
PS: The spellcheck for this site is not working so forgive any errors.
Sunday, March 27, 2011
Daytona Days
SHIP'S LOG:
I am still in Daytona Beach, actually behind the beach and in the ICW. I discovered, when the wind shifted to the west, that I am also very near a sewage treatment plant!I have also discovered that the chart of this area is wrong and that the 13foot minimum depth is a myth. Possibly before the 2004 hurricane season it was accurate, but not any more. I haven't kissed bottom, but if I should do, it is all gooey mud!
I forgot to mentioned my encounter with Red Nun "18" north of New Smyrna Beach. As you recall from last December, it was the last place that I went aground where I needed the guys from TowBoat/US to come calling. It was also a spot where the shoal/sand bar/whatever was right in the middle of the channel. I had plotted my course very carefully but it looked different in real life looking out of the cockpit. Of course, it was all reversed from last December as I was going south then but north now. As I approached the buoy, I slowed way, way down, not wanting to go aground again. This tactic evidently enraged the large powerboat behind me who went roaring past and went around the buoy no problem. I just followed in his wake and again, no problem.
Not having seen a manatee except for the close encounter of the underwater kind in Miami, I am besieged by them in Daytona. They are HUGE! The come slowly trolling to the surface, snort for air, and then slowly dive back down to feed and to do whatever manatees do underwater. All day today, they came up from the south, surfaced on one side of ABISHAG and then dove under her. Well I won't be able to say I've never seen a manatee again.
The next few days promise rain. When ever "Perfect Peter" gives an actual percentage for the possibility of rain, it always rains. Doesn't matter if it's 30% or 40% or 10%, when he gives a percentage number, it always rains. Based on that it will rain Monday & Tuesday & Wednesday. I suppose I can't complain though. It has been rather dry down here this winter. And it could be worse, it could be snow!
I am still in Daytona Beach, actually behind the beach and in the ICW. I discovered, when the wind shifted to the west, that I am also very near a sewage treatment plant!I have also discovered that the chart of this area is wrong and that the 13foot minimum depth is a myth. Possibly before the 2004 hurricane season it was accurate, but not any more. I haven't kissed bottom, but if I should do, it is all gooey mud!
I forgot to mentioned my encounter with Red Nun "18" north of New Smyrna Beach. As you recall from last December, it was the last place that I went aground where I needed the guys from TowBoat/US to come calling. It was also a spot where the shoal/sand bar/whatever was right in the middle of the channel. I had plotted my course very carefully but it looked different in real life looking out of the cockpit. Of course, it was all reversed from last December as I was going south then but north now. As I approached the buoy, I slowed way, way down, not wanting to go aground again. This tactic evidently enraged the large powerboat behind me who went roaring past and went around the buoy no problem. I just followed in his wake and again, no problem.
Not having seen a manatee except for the close encounter of the underwater kind in Miami, I am besieged by them in Daytona. They are HUGE! The come slowly trolling to the surface, snort for air, and then slowly dive back down to feed and to do whatever manatees do underwater. All day today, they came up from the south, surfaced on one side of ABISHAG and then dove under her. Well I won't be able to say I've never seen a manatee again.
The next few days promise rain. When ever "Perfect Peter" gives an actual percentage for the possibility of rain, it always rains. Doesn't matter if it's 30% or 40% or 10%, when he gives a percentage number, it always rains. Based on that it will rain Monday & Tuesday & Wednesday. I suppose I can't complain though. It has been rather dry down here this winter. And it could be worse, it could be snow!
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