SHIP'S LOG:
This morning I listened to the weather on the radio, read it on three different sites online, and as crappy as it was supposedly going to be, I decided to leave Willoughby Bay and make for the ICW. I figured that if it was really bad, I would anchor off Hospital Point, the start of the ICW.
From 9- noon, I would have said that the weather people(that means NOAA) were right in their predictions. I had to get the anchor up by motoring ahead, hauling in the rode, motoring ahead a little more, bring in more rode, and again and again, until I got the whole deal on board. It was not a lot of fun in that wind. But the wind was the key as I got out of Willoughby Bay and headed south under Jib and Mizzen. Passing the Newport news shipyard, I went by some incredible big naval vessels, including a couple of carriers. You just can't imagine just how big these ships are. Thank goodness they were not moving at the time. They were simply impressive.
When I got to Hospital Point, the wind had not really died but shifted to its favorite position on this trip, right on the nose. So it was sails down and motor on and into the ICW. Initially it was very disappointing. It smelled like Northern New Jersey by the refineries and both shores had docks and wharves in various states of disrepair. After awhile however, the land turned more "pastoral" and under developed and it became more like I expected the ICW to be. It was actually quite lovely but I had to be careful not to wander from the center of the channel less I go aground.
I had to do the hurry up and wait at two bridges, waiting for them to open. At one I was joined by two military rubber boats armed to the teeth with soldiers for what purpose I don't know. The strangest thing is the lock at Great Bridge which does not lift you up or down but rather is intended to keep the salt water of the Chesapeake out of the ICW. One side of the lock has rubber bumpers and the other side is steel and concrete. The rubber side requires you to do your own tie-off while in the lock, the "hard side" has helpers. Nothing really much happens. You go in, they close the lock door bind you, then they open the lock door in front of you and you leave. I am not sure how effective the whole process is as the water flowing by my boat as I sit dock south of the lock is toward the lock!
There are two free docking areas on either side of the Great Bridge. The one north was "filled" with boats. There would have been room for more but everyone was spread along the dock with generous spacing which, if kept to a reasonable amount would have allowed several more boats to dock there . . .like me! So I tied up on the south side . . .the low class neighborhood. Heck, when you close your eyes, its all the same.
One the south dock was a couple from Texas in a Has Christan 38. Mounted on the bowsprit was a Canadian Goose Decoy. When I ask the lady on board its purpose, she said, "It keeps the elephants from walking on the deck!" Obviously she has been sailing much too long!
I really have no idea where I am going tomorrow except south. Or even if I am going tomorrow. I'll just have to wait and see. It ia hot and humid and I have no schedule!
Wednesday, October 27, 2010
Tuesday, October 26, 2010
A Lay Day - A Good Call!
SHIP'S LOG:
I took a "Lay Day", a racing term which means a day off, to lay up and get things ready for the next race. It was a good call because the rains came instead of sunshine and it would have been miserable just getting the hook up, let alone going anywhere. But it was perfect for giving me a reason to update logs, put all the phone numbers into my new phone, read up some more on the ICW and the bridges I will be encountering and laying out a course for tomorrow should the weather cooperate. It was time well spent and enjoyable.
The helos started right after reveille at 06:00 and were at it all day. The swooped and spun and went away and came back and buzzed my little ship several times until I took some pictures of them, then they stayed away. They were all sizes and all were big and noisy.
The weather cleared out about 1pm and the day became summer-like, hot and humid. It is the type of weather I am looking for but I don't think there are many more days like that on the books for Norfolk and so I will continue south.
I am starting a pool, the ICW Grounding Pool. It is said no one and I mean no one gets down the ICW without going aground . . . several times. These grounds are for the most part "soft" as the bottom is mud and sand. I have purchased TowBoat/US Unlimited towing service to get myself off but I would like to know how many times you think I'll kiss the bottom. There are 1089 miles between here and Miami, take your best guess.
You know the best part of a day off? You can do whatever you want, even if it is nothing at all!
I took a "Lay Day", a racing term which means a day off, to lay up and get things ready for the next race. It was a good call because the rains came instead of sunshine and it would have been miserable just getting the hook up, let alone going anywhere. But it was perfect for giving me a reason to update logs, put all the phone numbers into my new phone, read up some more on the ICW and the bridges I will be encountering and laying out a course for tomorrow should the weather cooperate. It was time well spent and enjoyable.
The helos started right after reveille at 06:00 and were at it all day. The swooped and spun and went away and came back and buzzed my little ship several times until I took some pictures of them, then they stayed away. They were all sizes and all were big and noisy.
The weather cleared out about 1pm and the day became summer-like, hot and humid. It is the type of weather I am looking for but I don't think there are many more days like that on the books for Norfolk and so I will continue south.
I am starting a pool, the ICW Grounding Pool. It is said no one and I mean no one gets down the ICW without going aground . . . several times. These grounds are for the most part "soft" as the bottom is mud and sand. I have purchased TowBoat/US Unlimited towing service to get myself off but I would like to know how many times you think I'll kiss the bottom. There are 1089 miles between here and Miami, take your best guess.
You know the best part of a day off? You can do whatever you want, even if it is nothing at all!
Monday, October 25, 2010
Goodbye Chesapeake, Hello ICW
SHIP'S LOG:
I am no longer in the Chesapeake Bay. I dropped anchor in Hampton Roads, in a little place called Willoughby Bay, hard by the Newport News Shipyard. All of the cruising guides warn about the heavy traffic here yet it was all but deserted when I came through today. I do not expect that such will be the case every day in the future!
Before I left the York River Yacht Haven, I was able to indulge myself with two things you never get enough of when you cruise: hot showers and doing laundry! I am sure that it doesn't sound like a big deal, but OH!, to be able to take a 15 minutes shower and and to get all the clothes that could walk to the laundry clean again!
The weather, according to NOAA, was, once again, not the weather that showed up. I was able to sail down the York, motor sail part of the way to Norfolk, but the last turn , once again, was wind on the nose, and 25 knots of it as well. Aside from the occasional sea that slammed aboard, it also rained on and off during the day. I was a damp, chilly , windy day but I made it to Norfolk and got out of the Chesapeake at last. I played tag with a frigate. I am not sure what he was up to but whenever I tried to pass her, she upped and move further down my course and waited for me to get there and then, because of the new security laws and regulations, forced me to adjust course.
ABISHAG only draws 5 1/2 feet, so sailing in 13-15 feet of water is no big deal. At home, I do it all the time. Down here, where I don't have local knowledge of the water, it can cause some anxious moments when the depth sounder begins that upward shallow water creep. I can look around and see the "locals" sailing where my charts say they can't and it takes a certain amount of will power to stick to the course I have laid out that I know is safe, at least it has sufficient water. One thing I have discovered and that is that marks and buoys are magnetic! If you look at them long enough they attract you to them. Even when you have no need to go near them and indeed want to stay away from them, I find myself being drawn to them. May be it is a
hold over from the racing days, but marks seem to attack me like you wouldn't believe.
The Chesapeake's farewell gift was rain. It rained on and off all day. And even once the hook was down, the rain continued. True, I did get the gift of a rainbow, but it faded and the rain returned. Now the wind is blowing, about 15 knots and I am watching the GPS scribe an arc around my anchor. The wind is expected to lessen tonight (that's NOAA talking) but it is good holding ground and it is a safe spot.
There must be some type of helicopter train facility for the navy or army or somebody, because they are all over the place. I got buzzed a couple of time coming in to anchor. I gather that they start flying as soon as dawn breaks so I will have an early wake-up call tomorrow. I may give myself a day and stay put. This was the last "real" spot I "had to get to" on the trip. The rest of the way it is merely a question of staring and stopping whenever I want. I'll have to see if I can follow through on that!
I am no longer in the Chesapeake Bay. I dropped anchor in Hampton Roads, in a little place called Willoughby Bay, hard by the Newport News Shipyard. All of the cruising guides warn about the heavy traffic here yet it was all but deserted when I came through today. I do not expect that such will be the case every day in the future!
Before I left the York River Yacht Haven, I was able to indulge myself with two things you never get enough of when you cruise: hot showers and doing laundry! I am sure that it doesn't sound like a big deal, but OH!, to be able to take a 15 minutes shower and and to get all the clothes that could walk to the laundry clean again!
The weather, according to NOAA, was, once again, not the weather that showed up. I was able to sail down the York, motor sail part of the way to Norfolk, but the last turn , once again, was wind on the nose, and 25 knots of it as well. Aside from the occasional sea that slammed aboard, it also rained on and off during the day. I was a damp, chilly , windy day but I made it to Norfolk and got out of the Chesapeake at last. I played tag with a frigate. I am not sure what he was up to but whenever I tried to pass her, she upped and move further down my course and waited for me to get there and then, because of the new security laws and regulations, forced me to adjust course.
ABISHAG only draws 5 1/2 feet, so sailing in 13-15 feet of water is no big deal. At home, I do it all the time. Down here, where I don't have local knowledge of the water, it can cause some anxious moments when the depth sounder begins that upward shallow water creep. I can look around and see the "locals" sailing where my charts say they can't and it takes a certain amount of will power to stick to the course I have laid out that I know is safe, at least it has sufficient water. One thing I have discovered and that is that marks and buoys are magnetic! If you look at them long enough they attract you to them. Even when you have no need to go near them and indeed want to stay away from them, I find myself being drawn to them. May be it is a
hold over from the racing days, but marks seem to attack me like you wouldn't believe.
The Chesapeake's farewell gift was rain. It rained on and off all day. And even once the hook was down, the rain continued. True, I did get the gift of a rainbow, but it faded and the rain returned. Now the wind is blowing, about 15 knots and I am watching the GPS scribe an arc around my anchor. The wind is expected to lessen tonight (that's NOAA talking) but it is good holding ground and it is a safe spot.
There must be some type of helicopter train facility for the navy or army or somebody, because they are all over the place. I got buzzed a couple of time coming in to anchor. I gather that they start flying as soon as dawn breaks so I will have an early wake-up call tomorrow. I may give myself a day and stay put. This was the last "real" spot I "had to get to" on the trip. The rest of the way it is merely a question of staring and stopping whenever I want. I'll have to see if I can follow through on that!
Sunday, October 24, 2010
A Friend In Need Is A Friend Indeed!
SHIP'S LOG:
Another glorious day. In other words, NOAA got it wrong again! I am not sure where they are getting their info these days, but down here in Chesapeake Bay, they have really been "quite a bit shy of the mark!to say the least. Today was supposed to be 5-10knots out of the south west, shifting in the early afternoon to south. To be fair, they got the first part right, the morning breeze came out of the south west though a bit more than 10. It was closer to 15 but it made the run down Mobjack Bay electric. There seems to be a permanent chop of a foot or so in the Bay and it is exhilarating punching through it which ABISAHG does easily. The wind directions allowed sailing from the anchorage, a mile or so out into the Bay and then down the Bay into the Chesapeake. I made excellent time and good speed - 6+ knots - and was right on the course I had laid out this morning.
As it approached noon, I kept waiting for the wind to clock south which would allow a reach up the York River to Yorktown where my friends would be waiting. But alas and alack, it was not to be. It was as though someone had done a "cut & paste" of the weather for the last few days for the wind did clock around, not to the south but . . .wait for it . . . to the west! right on the nose for the trip up to Yorktown. As a result, it was two(2) hours of motoring to get up the river to the York River Yacht Haven. I hate motoring like that. Into the 15! knots of wind and the 2-3 foot chop it kicked up.
Up in the river, some sailing club was holding a race the likes of which I had never seen. They had a standard starting line but there must have been an unknown count down to the start. When the race started, the boast (there was only one class) were on both sides of the line and took off in the direction they were headed when the start was sounded. After say about five minutes, they all tack and headed for a buoy a couple of miles away that they were using as a windward mark. It was a real chaotic start and the weather leg was even more fun when a barge decided to invade the course. I would have liked to stick around to watch it but it really was difficult to follow and the course seems rather vague to say the least.
During the morning sail, toast Guard lost track of one of their helicopters. It is very disconcerting to hear the Coast Guard calling out on channel 16 basking if anyone had seen their helicopter. It turned out that it was safe, just a malfunctioning radio, but it was spotted by some boaters who dutifully called it in.
There was another call from a boat that was taking on water. Naturally the conversation between the captain and the Coast Guard monopolized channel 16 and rightfully so. I am happy to report that all are safe even though the captain was not able to "de-water his boat." Evidently that is a new Coast Guard tern for pumping the water out of your boat and keeping it out. It sounds really strange to hear it. Because of this emergency, which happened just as I was preparing to enter SARAH Creek where the York River Yacht Haven is, I was forced to use my cell phone to contact the dock master and get the help I needed to dock ABISHAG. I am still not very good at this but I am getting better. When they call this place a "YACHT haven" they are not just whistling "DIXIE!" At the dock, I had to look up at every other boat. All of them came with stairs to get on and off. It was humbling, but I was able to dock without incident . . . . sort of. I got the spring line ashore. And I went back to hand off the stern line and as I bent down to clete it, my cell phone and blue-tooth device slipped out of my pocket and into the drink! I was not happy and God and I had this long conversation about and the necessity of this particular loss overboard. In the end, I had to accept that it just was they ways thing went.
My friends, the Leclercs showed up moments after the dive by my phone. They had done some grocery shopping for me and after loading up ABISAHG, we took off in search of a Verizon Store. Finding one was easy but I was overwhelmed by the number of people in a phone store buy phone and such on a Sunday afternoon. It took a couple of hours to acquire a new phone I have a list of all my cell phone numbers on my computer, unfortunately, not this computer! So over the next few days, I will have to use email and the Internet to reconstitute my contact list. What a way to spend the afternoon. However, we were able to visit and share and all in all, it was a great day.
I am not sure where I will head tomorrow, perhaps the Black River, perhaps Hampton Rhodes (Roads?). I'll just have to wait and see how I am feeling tomorrow. At least I haven't gone overboard . . . . . . . . . .yet!
Another glorious day. In other words, NOAA got it wrong again! I am not sure where they are getting their info these days, but down here in Chesapeake Bay, they have really been "quite a bit shy of the mark!to say the least. Today was supposed to be 5-10knots out of the south west, shifting in the early afternoon to south. To be fair, they got the first part right, the morning breeze came out of the south west though a bit more than 10. It was closer to 15 but it made the run down Mobjack Bay electric. There seems to be a permanent chop of a foot or so in the Bay and it is exhilarating punching through it which ABISAHG does easily. The wind directions allowed sailing from the anchorage, a mile or so out into the Bay and then down the Bay into the Chesapeake. I made excellent time and good speed - 6+ knots - and was right on the course I had laid out this morning.
As it approached noon, I kept waiting for the wind to clock south which would allow a reach up the York River to Yorktown where my friends would be waiting. But alas and alack, it was not to be. It was as though someone had done a "cut & paste" of the weather for the last few days for the wind did clock around, not to the south but . . .wait for it . . . to the west! right on the nose for the trip up to Yorktown. As a result, it was two(2) hours of motoring to get up the river to the York River Yacht Haven. I hate motoring like that. Into the 15! knots of wind and the 2-3 foot chop it kicked up.
Up in the river, some sailing club was holding a race the likes of which I had never seen. They had a standard starting line but there must have been an unknown count down to the start. When the race started, the boast (there was only one class) were on both sides of the line and took off in the direction they were headed when the start was sounded. After say about five minutes, they all tack and headed for a buoy a couple of miles away that they were using as a windward mark. It was a real chaotic start and the weather leg was even more fun when a barge decided to invade the course. I would have liked to stick around to watch it but it really was difficult to follow and the course seems rather vague to say the least.
During the morning sail, toast Guard lost track of one of their helicopters. It is very disconcerting to hear the Coast Guard calling out on channel 16 basking if anyone had seen their helicopter. It turned out that it was safe, just a malfunctioning radio, but it was spotted by some boaters who dutifully called it in.
There was another call from a boat that was taking on water. Naturally the conversation between the captain and the Coast Guard monopolized channel 16 and rightfully so. I am happy to report that all are safe even though the captain was not able to "de-water his boat." Evidently that is a new Coast Guard tern for pumping the water out of your boat and keeping it out. It sounds really strange to hear it. Because of this emergency, which happened just as I was preparing to enter SARAH Creek where the York River Yacht Haven is, I was forced to use my cell phone to contact the dock master and get the help I needed to dock ABISHAG. I am still not very good at this but I am getting better. When they call this place a "YACHT haven" they are not just whistling "DIXIE!" At the dock, I had to look up at every other boat. All of them came with stairs to get on and off. It was humbling, but I was able to dock without incident . . . . sort of. I got the spring line ashore. And I went back to hand off the stern line and as I bent down to clete it, my cell phone and blue-tooth device slipped out of my pocket and into the drink! I was not happy and God and I had this long conversation about and the necessity of this particular loss overboard. In the end, I had to accept that it just was they ways thing went.
My friends, the Leclercs showed up moments after the dive by my phone. They had done some grocery shopping for me and after loading up ABISAHG, we took off in search of a Verizon Store. Finding one was easy but I was overwhelmed by the number of people in a phone store buy phone and such on a Sunday afternoon. It took a couple of hours to acquire a new phone I have a list of all my cell phone numbers on my computer, unfortunately, not this computer! So over the next few days, I will have to use email and the Internet to reconstitute my contact list. What a way to spend the afternoon. However, we were able to visit and share and all in all, it was a great day.
I am not sure where I will head tomorrow, perhaps the Black River, perhaps Hampton Rhodes (Roads?). I'll just have to wait and see how I am feeling tomorrow. At least I haven't gone overboard . . . . . . . . . .yet!
Saturday, October 23, 2010
As Capt. Nat Said," Gentlemen Never Go To Weather!":
SHIP'S LOG:
With apologies to Capt. Nat, sometimes going to weather is unavoidable, like today for example. I made a cardinal mistake in boating, trying to run to a schedule. After all, the most inefficient way to get anywhere is by boat and the most inefficient boat is a sailboat. But I wanted to be in Yorktown on Sunday night to meet with friends and so I figured that going to Mobjack Bay was doable and then Yorktown would be a snap.
I motored out of Anti-poison Creek and Little Bay and up went the sails and and off I went on a reach. Wonderful! Cleared Little Bay and hardened up to close hauled and was flying again. Outstanding!! It was a grand sail. There were 2-3 foot waves, with an occasional 4 footer that if hit right, put water on the deck. Otherwise, ABISHAG just went through them with little muss of fuss and little loss of speed. Weighing 11 tons, she develops a lot of kinetic energy and it takes quite a bit to slow here down. It started off chilly ( we had a frost warning last night !) but it warmed through the day and got up into the low 70's. It was almost like a June day back home.The angle of the sun produced some incredible glare off the water and it was a good things someone invented polarized lenses for sunglasses. There were a number of sailboats headed south along the same general route and while we were all cruisers, there was a little informal racing that took place for awhile.
At WOLF TRAP Light, those going south continued to sail while those of us headed into Mobjack Bay for the evening took the wind on the nose and it meant down with sails and on with the motor. The angle was such that you could not even motor sail into Mobjack By. It was motor or continue south and since my standard rule is anchor down by 4pm, it was motoring time. Several miles up the Bay on the north side is the East River. Up it a couple of miles is a wonderful stretch of quiet water and it was there I dropped my hook. Before I had finished with all of my anchoring procedures, two more boats showed up to join me in anchoring in this lovely spot. I spent about 20 minutes fixing the main which had jammed on its furler which it does from time to time and then made supper. The couples from the other two boats got together and proceeded to get in the bag. For four(4) people, they sure made one hell of a lot of noise. Trust me, nobody is that funny. When they finally bid each other adieu, they exchanged "Websites," all I have is a blog! I supposed that I could have gone over and crashed the social gathering, but alas, my dinghy is still in need of repair and "don't float." I am hoping that I can get a large enough vinyl patch to so the trick in Yorktown.
Someone asked how the fuel gauge is working. Evidently too well. It seems to accurate read the fuel amount, unfortunately it can do nothing to prevent the amount of fuel in the boat from decreasing!
From Yorktown to Hampton Roads, and the start of the ICW is a day, two if I really drag it. There is no reason to rush but there is also no reason to delay either. I will get there when I get there. Very philosophical!
With apologies to Capt. Nat, sometimes going to weather is unavoidable, like today for example. I made a cardinal mistake in boating, trying to run to a schedule. After all, the most inefficient way to get anywhere is by boat and the most inefficient boat is a sailboat. But I wanted to be in Yorktown on Sunday night to meet with friends and so I figured that going to Mobjack Bay was doable and then Yorktown would be a snap.
I motored out of Anti-poison Creek and Little Bay and up went the sails and and off I went on a reach. Wonderful! Cleared Little Bay and hardened up to close hauled and was flying again. Outstanding!! It was a grand sail. There were 2-3 foot waves, with an occasional 4 footer that if hit right, put water on the deck. Otherwise, ABISHAG just went through them with little muss of fuss and little loss of speed. Weighing 11 tons, she develops a lot of kinetic energy and it takes quite a bit to slow here down. It started off chilly ( we had a frost warning last night !) but it warmed through the day and got up into the low 70's. It was almost like a June day back home.The angle of the sun produced some incredible glare off the water and it was a good things someone invented polarized lenses for sunglasses. There were a number of sailboats headed south along the same general route and while we were all cruisers, there was a little informal racing that took place for awhile.
At WOLF TRAP Light, those going south continued to sail while those of us headed into Mobjack Bay for the evening took the wind on the nose and it meant down with sails and on with the motor. The angle was such that you could not even motor sail into Mobjack By. It was motor or continue south and since my standard rule is anchor down by 4pm, it was motoring time. Several miles up the Bay on the north side is the East River. Up it a couple of miles is a wonderful stretch of quiet water and it was there I dropped my hook. Before I had finished with all of my anchoring procedures, two more boats showed up to join me in anchoring in this lovely spot. I spent about 20 minutes fixing the main which had jammed on its furler which it does from time to time and then made supper. The couples from the other two boats got together and proceeded to get in the bag. For four(4) people, they sure made one hell of a lot of noise. Trust me, nobody is that funny. When they finally bid each other adieu, they exchanged "Websites," all I have is a blog! I supposed that I could have gone over and crashed the social gathering, but alas, my dinghy is still in need of repair and "don't float." I am hoping that I can get a large enough vinyl patch to so the trick in Yorktown.
Someone asked how the fuel gauge is working. Evidently too well. It seems to accurate read the fuel amount, unfortunately it can do nothing to prevent the amount of fuel in the boat from decreasing!
From Yorktown to Hampton Roads, and the start of the ICW is a day, two if I really drag it. There is no reason to rush but there is also no reason to delay either. I will get there when I get there. Very philosophical!
Friday, October 22, 2010
Onward Down The Chesapeake Bay!
SHIP'S LOG:
The first part of the day wasn't particularly pleasing. The promised 15-20 knots showed up but they came more from the NNW than from the North West. As a result, the wind was basically directly behind and throw in the 2-3 foot waves, with an occasional 3-4 footer, along with those occasional gusts of 25, and you can understand that the morning wasn't particularly pleasant. I am not sure if any boat handles seas directly astern particularly well, but ABISHAG doesn't particularly like it. Holding a course was a real pain. I could settle in for a while but the slightest drifting in attention and suddenly a wave would catch you and you were 2o or 30 or 40 degrees off course thanks to getting slapped with a wave on the rump. I would have top go through a whole bunch of yawing back and forth to get back on course and await the next lull in attention. Pitching and rolling and yawing, ABISHAG and I did it all this morning. I motor-sailed, mostly with just the main up. With out a pole for the Genny. the rolling and pitching would cause the Genny to collapse and occasionally snap open with a bang. Not good for the sail or my nerves.
The afternoon was a different story. Not that the wind change but the course did. Dead down wind became a reach as I head off toward Little Bay and Anti-poison Creek for the night. The motor off and with a partially furled main and slightly furled Genny, we screamed across the Bay toward the western shore. It was a fun ride but the chop kicked up by the wind was severe. I would really like to come back some day and sail the bay when it isn't such a mess. ABISHAG seems to handle this type of wind and seas rather well on this point of sail. She has a very comfortable motion.
When I was anchoring the boat for the night, I manage to drop my anchor weights over board as I was trying to attach them to the anchor rode. To say that I was a bit perturbed is to damn with faint praise. I do have an old anchor which I use as a lunch hook for the dinghy and so I used that in place of the anchor weights. It is less weight but it should work fine. I'll just let out extra rode if warranted. Heck, most people don't even used anchor weight but I use them all the time and feel "naked" without them. That makes two(2) book hooks and and two anchor weights lost over the side on this trip. Hope I have enough stuff to last til I get back. ( I had a very stiff drink after all was done to settle my nerves. Unfortunately, that was also the last of the rum!)
MASTER'S PERSONAL LOG:
I think what really irritates me about loosing the weights, and the boat hooks, is that it was totally unnecessary. I violated my own procedures and took a short cut and that cost me. I have been very carefully about following the procedures I have set up, but the times I have not I have learned a lesson. I also find that if I lay a course into the chartplotter, checking it as I do so, that I should always follow it when I am navigating. Things don't always look the same on the water as they do on the chart. True, they both eventually harmonize, but when you don't know a place, when you can't quite jive what you seed with what you think you should see, you've got to trust the work you have done before hand. Already, I have encountered missing buoys and marks and marks and buoys that aren't on the charts. Again coming into Little Bay I encountered two fish weirs not on the map and not marked in any way. It pays to be overly cautious or you will eventually pay.
The first part of the day wasn't particularly pleasing. The promised 15-20 knots showed up but they came more from the NNW than from the North West. As a result, the wind was basically directly behind and throw in the 2-3 foot waves, with an occasional 3-4 footer, along with those occasional gusts of 25, and you can understand that the morning wasn't particularly pleasant. I am not sure if any boat handles seas directly astern particularly well, but ABISHAG doesn't particularly like it. Holding a course was a real pain. I could settle in for a while but the slightest drifting in attention and suddenly a wave would catch you and you were 2o or 30 or 40 degrees off course thanks to getting slapped with a wave on the rump. I would have top go through a whole bunch of yawing back and forth to get back on course and await the next lull in attention. Pitching and rolling and yawing, ABISHAG and I did it all this morning. I motor-sailed, mostly with just the main up. With out a pole for the Genny. the rolling and pitching would cause the Genny to collapse and occasionally snap open with a bang. Not good for the sail or my nerves.
The afternoon was a different story. Not that the wind change but the course did. Dead down wind became a reach as I head off toward Little Bay and Anti-poison Creek for the night. The motor off and with a partially furled main and slightly furled Genny, we screamed across the Bay toward the western shore. It was a fun ride but the chop kicked up by the wind was severe. I would really like to come back some day and sail the bay when it isn't such a mess. ABISHAG seems to handle this type of wind and seas rather well on this point of sail. She has a very comfortable motion.
When I was anchoring the boat for the night, I manage to drop my anchor weights over board as I was trying to attach them to the anchor rode. To say that I was a bit perturbed is to damn with faint praise. I do have an old anchor which I use as a lunch hook for the dinghy and so I used that in place of the anchor weights. It is less weight but it should work fine. I'll just let out extra rode if warranted. Heck, most people don't even used anchor weight but I use them all the time and feel "naked" without them. That makes two(2) book hooks and and two anchor weights lost over the side on this trip. Hope I have enough stuff to last til I get back. ( I had a very stiff drink after all was done to settle my nerves. Unfortunately, that was also the last of the rum!)
MASTER'S PERSONAL LOG:
I think what really irritates me about loosing the weights, and the boat hooks, is that it was totally unnecessary. I violated my own procedures and took a short cut and that cost me. I have been very carefully about following the procedures I have set up, but the times I have not I have learned a lesson. I also find that if I lay a course into the chartplotter, checking it as I do so, that I should always follow it when I am navigating. Things don't always look the same on the water as they do on the chart. True, they both eventually harmonize, but when you don't know a place, when you can't quite jive what you seed with what you think you should see, you've got to trust the work you have done before hand. Already, I have encountered missing buoys and marks and marks and buoys that aren't on the charts. Again coming into Little Bay I encountered two fish weirs not on the map and not marked in any way. It pays to be overly cautious or you will eventually pay.
Thursday, October 21, 2010
A Glorious Day! ! ! ! !
SHIP'S LOG:
Today was glorious though it didn't start out as such. I needed fuel( 35 gallons worth), a pump out and some ice blocks. I hit one marina that had the fuel and the pump out but no ice. i took on more fuel than I expected and had to pump out more than I expected. This particular marina has a pump out hose with a clear plastic section that allows you to view the "holdings" of your holding tank. A great way to start the day! Actually, most marinas will not pump fuel or anything else because of insurance concerns. The most they will do is hand you the hose and get out of the way, but it seems to work out OK . . . .so long as you don't "have a spill." Then the EPA and all those other agencies get involved and the fines get ridiculous.
I tried to get ice at three other marinas. As I approached the first two, boats slipped in ahead of me. It was really frustrating but the third one, which was literally "up the creek" and looked sort of run down had no one at the dock so I swooped in, got my ice and beat a hasty retreat.
I motored out into the Patuxent River, raised a reefed Main and Genny and took off down the river to the Bay. I hung a right at the mouth and made it all the way to the Potomac on a single tack. I was accompanied by the boys and girls from the Navy flight training school at the Patuxent Naval Air Station who today were doing "Touch and Go". This maneuver is training for aircraft carrier landings. When you land, you slam the throttles forward so that you have enough power to take off again should your "hook" miss the arresting wires. It is amazing how much noise can come out of one of those little planes and there were whole squadrons of them doing it all day. My course also took me by the Naval Targets in the bay and while no one was dropping bombs or firing missiles, there were lots of planes doing low-level attack approaches to the targets in the water. While I am sure they missed by miles, the noise rattled the filings in my teeth.
The sail was glorious.The winds were between 10 and 15, with gusts to 25, which churned up 3-4 waves in the shallow bay. It was warm and the sun was shining, I could not have asked for a better day. IT was one hand sailing all the way. I seriously would have used the wind-vane steering, but it has been too long since I actually sail ABISHAG. The only sour note was the trip up the Potomac River. Turning up the river, the wind was on the nose and so were the waves. I had hoped to get up to St. Mary River but settled for Jutland Creek instead. If all things go as are hoped for, I will be in "Anti-poison Creek" in "Little Bay" in Virginia tomorrow.
Today was glorious though it didn't start out as such. I needed fuel( 35 gallons worth), a pump out and some ice blocks. I hit one marina that had the fuel and the pump out but no ice. i took on more fuel than I expected and had to pump out more than I expected. This particular marina has a pump out hose with a clear plastic section that allows you to view the "holdings" of your holding tank. A great way to start the day! Actually, most marinas will not pump fuel or anything else because of insurance concerns. The most they will do is hand you the hose and get out of the way, but it seems to work out OK . . . .so long as you don't "have a spill." Then the EPA and all those other agencies get involved and the fines get ridiculous.
I tried to get ice at three other marinas. As I approached the first two, boats slipped in ahead of me. It was really frustrating but the third one, which was literally "up the creek" and looked sort of run down had no one at the dock so I swooped in, got my ice and beat a hasty retreat.
I motored out into the Patuxent River, raised a reefed Main and Genny and took off down the river to the Bay. I hung a right at the mouth and made it all the way to the Potomac on a single tack. I was accompanied by the boys and girls from the Navy flight training school at the Patuxent Naval Air Station who today were doing "Touch and Go". This maneuver is training for aircraft carrier landings. When you land, you slam the throttles forward so that you have enough power to take off again should your "hook" miss the arresting wires. It is amazing how much noise can come out of one of those little planes and there were whole squadrons of them doing it all day. My course also took me by the Naval Targets in the bay and while no one was dropping bombs or firing missiles, there were lots of planes doing low-level attack approaches to the targets in the water. While I am sure they missed by miles, the noise rattled the filings in my teeth.
The sail was glorious.The winds were between 10 and 15, with gusts to 25, which churned up 3-4 waves in the shallow bay. It was warm and the sun was shining, I could not have asked for a better day. IT was one hand sailing all the way. I seriously would have used the wind-vane steering, but it has been too long since I actually sail ABISHAG. The only sour note was the trip up the Potomac River. Turning up the river, the wind was on the nose and so were the waves. I had hoped to get up to St. Mary River but settled for Jutland Creek instead. If all things go as are hoped for, I will be in "Anti-poison Creek" in "Little Bay" in Virginia tomorrow.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
