SHIP'S LOG:
In case any of you think that is some kind of obscene statement, let me assure you that it is very nautical. It is a saying the comes from the British Navy - wooden Ships & Iron men. During the days of sail and canons, the British Navy used iron for their canon ball shot. These cannonballs were stacked in a pyramid configuration on a brass tray called "The Monkey." Due to the fact that brass and iron have different properties, they expand and contract at different rates at different temperatures. When it was cold enough, "The Brass Monkey" would contract more quickly than the iron canon balls and would cause the pile to fall apart spilling the canon balls all over the deck. Hence, when it got cold enough for this to happen, the very proper British Naval Seamen would accurately not that "it was cold enough to freeze the balls off a Brass Monkey." Don't believe me, then look it up.
That aside, it is going to be cold enough tonight down here in sunny Florida to do the deed. NOAA, that bastion of weather accuracy is call for temperatures at Fort Pierce to dip into the low 30's, perhaps even into the high 20's. I had really thought I had left all that behind. Now I have to dig out the cold weather stuff again and wrap up for sleeping tonight. That won't be so bad, it's tomorrow morning that I am not looking forward to facing.
Speaking of the toilet, I thought that I had a leak in the forward head flushing system. I dismantled everything around the pump and thought I had found the gasket in the pump leaking. However, after cleaning the pump, it pumped just fine and did not leak, at least not that I could see or feel. I am happy for that as dismantling that pump to put in a new gasket would have been a foul smelling though easy task, so long as I could keep breakfast from coming up!
It has been rather windy today, right out of the north which probably accounts for the dropping temperatures, that and the fact that there ain't a could in the sky. There will be some serious radiational cooling tonight!
Brad stopped by and we made plans to finish installing his radar tomorrow. Since it is boat, he gets to climb the mast. I'll just be pulling wires which is fine with me. I have enough difficulty going up my mast let alone one on a strange boat. It is nice though to help someone out like this. I can learn a lot through the process which will undoubtedly come in handy some time in the future, but hopefully not on this trip.
Itchy foot is setting in and that means as soon as I can, after dinner with Jerry and Lucille, I will haul anchor and start heading South again. As I mentioned, I won't be going far but the fact that I want to keep going is a good sign. I thought there for awhile that I had completely lost the
travelin' jones," but it is back and I am interested "in seeing what is over the horizon." I realize that I have only about two more months down here before I have to start back and I want to get to where I can div e over the side and not be afraid of hypothermia setting in. Right now, the water temp here in Fort Pierce is 65 degrees which doesn't sound all that bad . . . so long as you are not in it.
Wednesday, January 12, 2011
Tuesday, January 11, 2011
Where'd The World Go?
SHIP'S LOG:
When I got up this morning at the usual time, about 6:15am, it seemed darker than usual. In fact, I looked at my watch to check the time. The time was right and while dawn was still an hour away, it should have been lighter. I made coffee and went up to the cockpit and couldn't see a thing. We had FOG! And I mean a real Sherlock Holmes-London-Pea Souper!Looking forward I could just make out the bow of ABISHAG and then only because I followed the furled Genny down to the bow. It was, as many before have said, like being inside a light bulb, and in this case, a rather small light bulb. I expected it to burn off rather quickly but it stayed for lunch, dripping water everywhere, making everything cool and clammy and damp. Probably wouldn't have bothered a Mainiac(a resident of Maine) but I haven't been in a fog on a boat in quite a long time. It is a very strange sensation, feeling very alone and still knowing that one of the Carnival Cruise Liners could be bearing down on you and you would never know it until it ran you down. The only saving grace is that no Carnival Cruise Liner could get into where I was anchored but that wouldn't stop the local crazies. At least one went by in what sounded like a runabout doing what sounded like top speed. The boat would have been too small for radar( not that it wouldn't fit but that it would have been considered unnecessary bu the owner). I have no idea where he was going or if he got there, but he went by me like a shot. I doubt he even knew I was there.
Fog left after lunch and Brad Smith, owner of the Freya 41 anchored near by, came by and asked for help taking down his old radar dome. with nothing planed for the day, it was a good way to spend the afternoon. The job was easy and only had the typical snags that accompany most such projects, like of the four bolts that held the unit in place, one ( the last one) had a rounded head so that trying to unloosen the nut just spun the bolt. It to a bit of finagling with some vice grips and a fair amount of Anglo-Saxon expletives before the task was complete. Brad has a large Pyrenees dog - think Newfoundland - who is friendly to the extreme. It is not the type of dog I would recommend for living on board as it probably eats more than Brad does and as Brad noted "tends to leave large piles on deck. . . " which he did to show his judgement on the job we had performed.
There is another boat just beyond Brad's. It is a Nauticat 44, a large motorsailer. It is a really comfortable boat for people who are more interested in comfort than speed in getting to where they are going. It looks pretty much set up for cruising, with bikes and solar panels and extra fuel and water canisters tied to the rails, but no one has been on it since I got here. Brad said they showed up about four days before I did. Six people got off, queried him as to the best place to land their dinghy, and headed off to the spot he indicated never to return. They didn't even show up after last Thursdays exceptional weather to check and see that everything was alright. Their anchor could have dragged putting them in danger of grounding. Their anchor rode could have been at the point of chaffing through. There could have been a leak hose or and electrical problem, a hundred little things could have gone wrong. But no one has been by to check the boat. It is possible that what we are witnessing here is the end of a dream. Perhaps they wanted to go cruising and after a taste, some, perhaps all, decided it wasn't for them. And no they have packed up and left. I hope that's not the case but it is a possibility and I gather it happens more than people know. I'll have to ask Jerry to check the local papers and see if a Nauticat 44 is being offered for sale "at a discounted price."
When I got up this morning at the usual time, about 6:15am, it seemed darker than usual. In fact, I looked at my watch to check the time. The time was right and while dawn was still an hour away, it should have been lighter. I made coffee and went up to the cockpit and couldn't see a thing. We had FOG! And I mean a real Sherlock Holmes-London-Pea Souper!Looking forward I could just make out the bow of ABISHAG and then only because I followed the furled Genny down to the bow. It was, as many before have said, like being inside a light bulb, and in this case, a rather small light bulb. I expected it to burn off rather quickly but it stayed for lunch, dripping water everywhere, making everything cool and clammy and damp. Probably wouldn't have bothered a Mainiac(a resident of Maine) but I haven't been in a fog on a boat in quite a long time. It is a very strange sensation, feeling very alone and still knowing that one of the Carnival Cruise Liners could be bearing down on you and you would never know it until it ran you down. The only saving grace is that no Carnival Cruise Liner could get into where I was anchored but that wouldn't stop the local crazies. At least one went by in what sounded like a runabout doing what sounded like top speed. The boat would have been too small for radar( not that it wouldn't fit but that it would have been considered unnecessary bu the owner). I have no idea where he was going or if he got there, but he went by me like a shot. I doubt he even knew I was there.
Fog left after lunch and Brad Smith, owner of the Freya 41 anchored near by, came by and asked for help taking down his old radar dome. with nothing planed for the day, it was a good way to spend the afternoon. The job was easy and only had the typical snags that accompany most such projects, like of the four bolts that held the unit in place, one ( the last one) had a rounded head so that trying to unloosen the nut just spun the bolt. It to a bit of finagling with some vice grips and a fair amount of Anglo-Saxon expletives before the task was complete. Brad has a large Pyrenees dog - think Newfoundland - who is friendly to the extreme. It is not the type of dog I would recommend for living on board as it probably eats more than Brad does and as Brad noted "tends to leave large piles on deck. . . " which he did to show his judgement on the job we had performed.
There is another boat just beyond Brad's. It is a Nauticat 44, a large motorsailer. It is a really comfortable boat for people who are more interested in comfort than speed in getting to where they are going. It looks pretty much set up for cruising, with bikes and solar panels and extra fuel and water canisters tied to the rails, but no one has been on it since I got here. Brad said they showed up about four days before I did. Six people got off, queried him as to the best place to land their dinghy, and headed off to the spot he indicated never to return. They didn't even show up after last Thursdays exceptional weather to check and see that everything was alright. Their anchor could have dragged putting them in danger of grounding. Their anchor rode could have been at the point of chaffing through. There could have been a leak hose or and electrical problem, a hundred little things could have gone wrong. But no one has been by to check the boat. It is possible that what we are witnessing here is the end of a dream. Perhaps they wanted to go cruising and after a taste, some, perhaps all, decided it wasn't for them. And no they have packed up and left. I hope that's not the case but it is a possibility and I gather it happens more than people know. I'll have to ask Jerry to check the local papers and see if a Nauticat 44 is being offered for sale "at a discounted price."
Monday, January 10, 2011
I Moved Today!!!!!!!!!
SHIP'S LOG:
I have really been rooted here in Fort Pierce and I have had no reason to move. But a reason showed up today - I had to get the holding tank pumped out. It didn't entail all that much and the municipal marina is about a mile away but it was an interesting trip.
First of all, I had to get the boat ready to move. All of those things I have been doing almost every morning for the last three moments I suddenly had to think about and make sure they all got down. Nice to be sure for instance that there is lube oil in the engine and the raw water seacock is open. things like that.
Next I had to haul up the anchor which was really fixed in the sand/clay/mud bottom. Not the easiest pull out of the trip by a long shot but after about 15 minutes, she came up. At least it didn't have the "malodorous fragrance" of that mud up in North Carolina!
Next I had to wend my way out from Faber Creek to the ICW. Sounds a simply thing but the channel and the depth sounder were at odds with one another. Luckily, I still had the track I used to get in here on the GPS and so I simply followed it out, even though the soundings made me nervous.
Next was crossing the ICW Channel into the Municipal Marina. I hailed them and found that the channel on the chart was no longer usable. It was a victim of the winter of 2004 and is shoaled badly. They didn't dredge it because it is now loaded with sea grass the favorite munchie of the Manatee and so is as protected as they are. There is a new channel to the marina but according to the GPS/ Chartplotter, it is only between 2 - 4 foot deep. It creates a rather uncomfortable feeling going down a channel where the cart says there is no channel and not a hell of a lot of water either. I took that one really slow but there was really plenty of water.
Got to the marina and got pumped out - free! Bought 25 gallons of diesel - $90.38! and then went right back to Faber Creek and anchored petty much where I have been for the last few days.
It really was strange moving after all this time. I didn't quite feel comfortable or all that confident and yet I only went about a mile and docked( and un-docked) like an old pro. I also have to say that I feel more comfortable on the boat now than I ever have before. Actually, when I am off too long, I feel antsy to get back. Part of it is nautical paranoia - worrying about the boat and whether it is still there and OK, and part is just that it is home now. Perhaps it is just "The Rapture of the Deep!!
I have really been rooted here in Fort Pierce and I have had no reason to move. But a reason showed up today - I had to get the holding tank pumped out. It didn't entail all that much and the municipal marina is about a mile away but it was an interesting trip.
First of all, I had to get the boat ready to move. All of those things I have been doing almost every morning for the last three moments I suddenly had to think about and make sure they all got down. Nice to be sure for instance that there is lube oil in the engine and the raw water seacock is open. things like that.
Next I had to haul up the anchor which was really fixed in the sand/clay/mud bottom. Not the easiest pull out of the trip by a long shot but after about 15 minutes, she came up. At least it didn't have the "malodorous fragrance" of that mud up in North Carolina!
Next I had to wend my way out from Faber Creek to the ICW. Sounds a simply thing but the channel and the depth sounder were at odds with one another. Luckily, I still had the track I used to get in here on the GPS and so I simply followed it out, even though the soundings made me nervous.
Next was crossing the ICW Channel into the Municipal Marina. I hailed them and found that the channel on the chart was no longer usable. It was a victim of the winter of 2004 and is shoaled badly. They didn't dredge it because it is now loaded with sea grass the favorite munchie of the Manatee and so is as protected as they are. There is a new channel to the marina but according to the GPS/ Chartplotter, it is only between 2 - 4 foot deep. It creates a rather uncomfortable feeling going down a channel where the cart says there is no channel and not a hell of a lot of water either. I took that one really slow but there was really plenty of water.
Got to the marina and got pumped out - free! Bought 25 gallons of diesel - $90.38! and then went right back to Faber Creek and anchored petty much where I have been for the last few days.
It really was strange moving after all this time. I didn't quite feel comfortable or all that confident and yet I only went about a mile and docked( and un-docked) like an old pro. I also have to say that I feel more comfortable on the boat now than I ever have before. Actually, when I am off too long, I feel antsy to get back. Part of it is nautical paranoia - worrying about the boat and whether it is still there and OK, and part is just that it is home now. Perhaps it is just "The Rapture of the Deep!!
Sunday, January 9, 2011
Sunday, A Day Of Rest
SHIP'S LOG:
It is not as though I have been extremely busy recently but Sunday is a day of rest and so, after moving the boat a hundred yards or so to a slightly better spot to anchor, I went to Jerry's and we watched football. following the game, Jerry took me to the Yacht Club where he is a member for a prime rib dinner. It was quite the place, two banquet halls, a dinning room and bar, waiters, bartender, fitness facilities, a real blue blazer, Breton Red Pants place. It is moire social that really boating with over three hundred members and only 90 or so boat owners. It is a beautiful spot and the food was fantastic, but it is not like home. And afterwards, I rowed back to ABISHAG for the night. Like I said a day of rest.
One slightly disturbing thing: last night a couple of guys in a run-about cruised by after dark. They were a couple of hundred yards away, heading toward Thumb Point but made a sharp and unnecessary turn toward the three boats in the anchorage. I was in the cockpit as they approached and was heading out to check the anchor setting. When I switched on the flashlight they veered off and did a slow cruise by the other two boats. They didn't stop but continued on in the direction that were originally headed in. They could have been coimplketely innocent and they probably were, but they also could have been casing the boats for some future criminal activity. Dinghy theft is epidemic in some places in Florida and you are warned not to leave your dinghy in the water at niught and to always lock it up when you go ashore. It wasn't a pleasant experience for what it could have been, but nothing really happened. Paradise isn't always paradise.
It is not as though I have been extremely busy recently but Sunday is a day of rest and so, after moving the boat a hundred yards or so to a slightly better spot to anchor, I went to Jerry's and we watched football. following the game, Jerry took me to the Yacht Club where he is a member for a prime rib dinner. It was quite the place, two banquet halls, a dinning room and bar, waiters, bartender, fitness facilities, a real blue blazer, Breton Red Pants place. It is moire social that really boating with over three hundred members and only 90 or so boat owners. It is a beautiful spot and the food was fantastic, but it is not like home. And afterwards, I rowed back to ABISHAG for the night. Like I said a day of rest.
One slightly disturbing thing: last night a couple of guys in a run-about cruised by after dark. They were a couple of hundred yards away, heading toward Thumb Point but made a sharp and unnecessary turn toward the three boats in the anchorage. I was in the cockpit as they approached and was heading out to check the anchor setting. When I switched on the flashlight they veered off and did a slow cruise by the other two boats. They didn't stop but continued on in the direction that were originally headed in. They could have been coimplketely innocent and they probably were, but they also could have been casing the boats for some future criminal activity. Dinghy theft is epidemic in some places in Florida and you are warned not to leave your dinghy in the water at niught and to always lock it up when you go ashore. It wasn't a pleasant experience for what it could have been, but nothing really happened. Paradise isn't always paradise.
Saturday, January 8, 2011
Wind, Wind, Wind
SHIP'S LOG:
When you want wind, it never seems to be around. when you don't want it, you get more than you need or want. Today, it is the latter with winds 15 to 20m gusting to 25 to 30. It made going to get the batteries in Jerry's boat a rather "wet" procedure, as his boat doesn't have a lot of freeboard and wave, stirred up by the wind, kept climbing aboard. And this after I had just dried out from a couple of days before.
The batteries are all in place an working just find. It took a bit for me to figure out how to reboot the battery monitor, but Chuck, who knows seemingly everything, put me on the right path and BINGO, all is right with the world . . .except for the wind.
It is in the 70's and that's fine with me, except for the wind, and it will be so for the next few days . . . .and the wind is supposed to died down tonight.
Tomorrow Jerry and I will overdose on football at his place, no wind there, and hit a dive called "ARCHIE's" which supposedly sells more Bub than any other place around. Reported to have the greatest burgers and fries, and no wind to speak of. It is something like "The Seahorse" in Noank and "Hughie's" in New London used to be. Evidently the lady who owns it has an ongoing war with the City of Ft. Pierce over something, probably zoning or some such nonsense, especially since it is right in the beach, but hopefully it will survive intact and unchanged, at least until tomorrow.
It is great to be electrically back together. Before the new batteries were installed, I literally had to run the engine to run anything electrical that was part of the boat, like the propane system for cooking, or had to hook things up to my portable generator, like my laptop and charges for the phone and the handheld radio. It was a royal pain and noisy as well, and that meant I had to select the proper time to run stuff so as not to"dist rub the neighbors." Well, no more of that, the new batteries stay charged up and topped off by the wind generator and no one new has dropped a hook where I am. That will probably change before too long as it is getting to the time when people start looking for a place to spend the night at anchor. Of course, the wind may discourage most as it is right out of the West and that is the most exposed direction in this anchorage. It is fairly well protected on all sides except the West and when the wind dies down tonight, it will be a comfortable spot as it was last night. The wind is supposed to shift to the North/ North West over night and drop to 5-10 and be from the East tomorrow, again 5 to 10.
I'll be sticking for awhile, probably another week and then head off south, at least to Stuart and/or Port St. Lucie. I wonder what the wind will be like there?
When you want wind, it never seems to be around. when you don't want it, you get more than you need or want. Today, it is the latter with winds 15 to 20m gusting to 25 to 30. It made going to get the batteries in Jerry's boat a rather "wet" procedure, as his boat doesn't have a lot of freeboard and wave, stirred up by the wind, kept climbing aboard. And this after I had just dried out from a couple of days before.
The batteries are all in place an working just find. It took a bit for me to figure out how to reboot the battery monitor, but Chuck, who knows seemingly everything, put me on the right path and BINGO, all is right with the world . . .except for the wind.
It is in the 70's and that's fine with me, except for the wind, and it will be so for the next few days . . . .and the wind is supposed to died down tonight.
Tomorrow Jerry and I will overdose on football at his place, no wind there, and hit a dive called "ARCHIE's" which supposedly sells more Bub than any other place around. Reported to have the greatest burgers and fries, and no wind to speak of. It is something like "The Seahorse" in Noank and "Hughie's" in New London used to be. Evidently the lady who owns it has an ongoing war with the City of Ft. Pierce over something, probably zoning or some such nonsense, especially since it is right in the beach, but hopefully it will survive intact and unchanged, at least until tomorrow.
It is great to be electrically back together. Before the new batteries were installed, I literally had to run the engine to run anything electrical that was part of the boat, like the propane system for cooking, or had to hook things up to my portable generator, like my laptop and charges for the phone and the handheld radio. It was a royal pain and noisy as well, and that meant I had to select the proper time to run stuff so as not to"dist rub the neighbors." Well, no more of that, the new batteries stay charged up and topped off by the wind generator and no one new has dropped a hook where I am. That will probably change before too long as it is getting to the time when people start looking for a place to spend the night at anchor. Of course, the wind may discourage most as it is right out of the West and that is the most exposed direction in this anchorage. It is fairly well protected on all sides except the West and when the wind dies down tonight, it will be a comfortable spot as it was last night. The wind is supposed to shift to the North/ North West over night and drop to 5-10 and be from the East tomorrow, again 5 to 10.
I'll be sticking for awhile, probably another week and then head off south, at least to Stuart and/or Port St. Lucie. I wonder what the wind will be like there?
Friday, January 7, 2011
Is It Supposed To Be This Cold In Florida?
SHIP'S LOG:
Actually, it wasn't that cold, I just wanted to be in solidarity with those of you who really are freezing. But after several days of weather in the 70's, having the night time low in the 40's and the high today in the mid 60's, well . . .it does seem rather cold.
ABISHAG held tight last night in the midst of some rather nasty gusts. I did get up a couple of times just to make sure that we hadn't moved and we hadn't. As I am sure that I have mentioned before, the sounds and motions on your boat at night seem different and more ominous than they do in the daytime.
Two boats left this morning and three came in a Valiant 42, a Caliber 44+ and an Admiral 40 Catamaran. It was interesting to watch each of them 1.) find the pocket; 2.) scope out what they thought was the best spot; 3.) maneuver into position; & 4.) set their anchor. In a nice steady 15 with gusts to 25, no one did it on the first go round. The Valiant crew took the longest, actually setting and retrieving 4 times until they got it exactly right. I think the guy(girl?) on the bow handling the anchor was not happy with the person on the helm. In that they were using a chain rode, they also had to attach the snubber to the chain and slack it each time, and then retrieve the whole ball of wax for each reset.
The woman on the bow of the Caliber handled it better and they only reset twice. And the guy at the helm, once the anchor went down, came forward to help out. They really did it nicely but reset a second time because they didn't like the way the Nauticat 44, which has been here before I got here, was swinging.
The Admiral 40 did the circular drive by a half a dozen times, stopping here, stopping there, checking depth and wind and spacing, before dropping their hook. They have an advantage because they have less draft than anyone else so they can go a little bit further into the thin water, but in the wind they really swing and never the same way as monohullls which is which cats tend to anchor next to cats. As there are none here, they anchored a little farther away from the rest of us . . . . . just off my bow.
I was having breakfast at sunrise in the cockpit at 7am when I heard this incredible roar in the distance. It sounded like a whole bunch of motorcycle but then I recalled that the fishing tourney is on and that it was the 30 or so Sportfishers headed out after sailfish. They are staying at the Ft. Pierce Yacht Club on the Ft. Pierce Inlet and have to maintain a slow speed as they depart. Once clear of the Inlet they put the hammer down and boy to they make some noise.
Still didn't get the batteries, so ABISHAG is still not whole. I am sure that it will be tomorrow. Doing such things as shopping while living on a boat can be an exercise in planning and logistics and luck, not just for you but for everyone involved. Such things are often better done in a marina that offers free courtesy car use. Then again, who can afford to stay at a marina. In the last month, weather and circumstances have made that possibility something of a future choice, way in the future. The only reason I will visit a marina any time soon is to fuel up and unload - garbage, recyclables and pump out the infamous "black water" from the holding tank . . . . or unless something else goes BOOM!
Actually, it wasn't that cold, I just wanted to be in solidarity with those of you who really are freezing. But after several days of weather in the 70's, having the night time low in the 40's and the high today in the mid 60's, well . . .it does seem rather cold.
ABISHAG held tight last night in the midst of some rather nasty gusts. I did get up a couple of times just to make sure that we hadn't moved and we hadn't. As I am sure that I have mentioned before, the sounds and motions on your boat at night seem different and more ominous than they do in the daytime.
Two boats left this morning and three came in a Valiant 42, a Caliber 44+ and an Admiral 40 Catamaran. It was interesting to watch each of them 1.) find the pocket; 2.) scope out what they thought was the best spot; 3.) maneuver into position; & 4.) set their anchor. In a nice steady 15 with gusts to 25, no one did it on the first go round. The Valiant crew took the longest, actually setting and retrieving 4 times until they got it exactly right. I think the guy(girl?) on the bow handling the anchor was not happy with the person on the helm. In that they were using a chain rode, they also had to attach the snubber to the chain and slack it each time, and then retrieve the whole ball of wax for each reset.
The woman on the bow of the Caliber handled it better and they only reset twice. And the guy at the helm, once the anchor went down, came forward to help out. They really did it nicely but reset a second time because they didn't like the way the Nauticat 44, which has been here before I got here, was swinging.
The Admiral 40 did the circular drive by a half a dozen times, stopping here, stopping there, checking depth and wind and spacing, before dropping their hook. They have an advantage because they have less draft than anyone else so they can go a little bit further into the thin water, but in the wind they really swing and never the same way as monohullls which is which cats tend to anchor next to cats. As there are none here, they anchored a little farther away from the rest of us . . . . . just off my bow.
I was having breakfast at sunrise in the cockpit at 7am when I heard this incredible roar in the distance. It sounded like a whole bunch of motorcycle but then I recalled that the fishing tourney is on and that it was the 30 or so Sportfishers headed out after sailfish. They are staying at the Ft. Pierce Yacht Club on the Ft. Pierce Inlet and have to maintain a slow speed as they depart. Once clear of the Inlet they put the hammer down and boy to they make some noise.
Still didn't get the batteries, so ABISHAG is still not whole. I am sure that it will be tomorrow. Doing such things as shopping while living on a boat can be an exercise in planning and logistics and luck, not just for you but for everyone involved. Such things are often better done in a marina that offers free courtesy car use. Then again, who can afford to stay at a marina. In the last month, weather and circumstances have made that possibility something of a future choice, way in the future. The only reason I will visit a marina any time soon is to fuel up and unload - garbage, recyclables and pump out the infamous "black water" from the holding tank . . . . or unless something else goes BOOM!
Thursday, January 6, 2011
Let's Sing Along, "What A Drag It Is . . . . ."
SHIP'S LOG:
I got up this morning around 6:30, made morning coffee, and sat up in the cockpit listening to NOAA and watching the dawn. Unfortunately, just after dawn, all hell broke loose. Some cold front that had been forecast, by you know who, came through like I am not quite sure what, but it wasn't weak. The rain fell(almost an inch in an hour) and the winds blew and I mean seriously blowing. Later weather reports pegged the gust between 55 - 60 mph. It was "blowing stink" as they say up in God's country.
I threw one a rain jacket and turned on the engine because it was clear that ABISHAG was dragging. She hadn't broken loose but it was clear that she was moving a little with every gust. I checked the anchor rode and it was taut and the anchor weight rode was taut as well. There was no way I could reset them right then. I let out some more rode but it really didn't correct the situation. I was still moving toward BRIGADOON.
I put the engine in gear and moved to take the strain off the anchor rode. That stopped the backward drag but it really didn't alleviate the situation. I also had no way to know how long this particular "non-forecasted" storm would last, a few minutes or a few hours or all day. By now I was soaking wet on top of all the rest, the blown rain and spray having found every point of access in the rain gear. In between the gusts, I worked the anchor out. I first brought in the anchor weight and then in small steps the anchor itself and motored around the other boats in the anchorage, trying to find a good spot. As I passed by one boat, the owner commented "Looks like you had a bad time of it there, but you did good getting out."
After a few circuits of the anchorage, which was a small pocket of deep water surrounded by shallows, I headed back to where I had been, knowing that if I could get the anchor to bite, I would have swing room in the wind. I made the mistake of dropping the anchor where I wanted the boat to be rather than dropping it where, after the rode played out and the boat settled in place, it would be where I wanted it to be. The anchor bit and held but playing out the scope left me too close to BRIGADOON and another boat in too much wind. ABISHAG "sails" a lot at anchor, even with the anchor weight, and in all this wind , she was really dancing.
After about 45 minutes, I knew I would have to haul the anchor move and reset. The rain had stopped at this point and I couldn't get any wetter, so I hauled up and move and dropped the anchor. Got a good bite and played out the scope and ABISHAG settled in place just about where I had wanted her to be. It was then a question of taking bearings and making sure that she was staying in place. I did and she was and once that was confirmed, the wind gust stopped and the the wind settled to a reasonable 20-25 and gust to 30. By evening, it was down to 5-10. Whatever this front was, it produced one of the greatest sunsets I have ever seen. I tried to get pictures and if they come out I will upload them.
The weather tomorrow is supposed to be breezy but after this morning, it will have to really be breezy to be of much concern. Jerry was unable to kick free and the batteries will have to wait until tomorrow. I got to meet t5he owner of BRIGADOON, a Fryda(?) 41, who lives in an apartment ashore while he readies his boat to got to Panama. His name is Brad Smith and he has a Pyrenees Dog named "POO" who is as big as a horse and is still a puppy. He lives a shore and comes out to the boat to work.
Despite the "exciting adventure" of this morning, I think I would rather be on the hook in a storm than at a dock. My caprails are scared and stripped of finish from the days spent on docks before and during this trip. Having the boat bang against the dock and fight the docklines holding her in place can't be a good thing. On the hook, sure you may drag but at least the boat gets to react naturally to the weather and so is under less strain. Hey, it's just my opinion.
Tomorrow, I will help Brad install an ARIES Wind Vane he bought and I will pick up my batteries so that ABISHAG will be well again. Supposed to be back in the mid 70's again and no rain.
I got up this morning around 6:30, made morning coffee, and sat up in the cockpit listening to NOAA and watching the dawn. Unfortunately, just after dawn, all hell broke loose. Some cold front that had been forecast, by you know who, came through like I am not quite sure what, but it wasn't weak. The rain fell(almost an inch in an hour) and the winds blew and I mean seriously blowing. Later weather reports pegged the gust between 55 - 60 mph. It was "blowing stink" as they say up in God's country.
I threw one a rain jacket and turned on the engine because it was clear that ABISHAG was dragging. She hadn't broken loose but it was clear that she was moving a little with every gust. I checked the anchor rode and it was taut and the anchor weight rode was taut as well. There was no way I could reset them right then. I let out some more rode but it really didn't correct the situation. I was still moving toward BRIGADOON.
I put the engine in gear and moved to take the strain off the anchor rode. That stopped the backward drag but it really didn't alleviate the situation. I also had no way to know how long this particular "non-forecasted" storm would last, a few minutes or a few hours or all day. By now I was soaking wet on top of all the rest, the blown rain and spray having found every point of access in the rain gear. In between the gusts, I worked the anchor out. I first brought in the anchor weight and then in small steps the anchor itself and motored around the other boats in the anchorage, trying to find a good spot. As I passed by one boat, the owner commented "Looks like you had a bad time of it there, but you did good getting out."
After a few circuits of the anchorage, which was a small pocket of deep water surrounded by shallows, I headed back to where I had been, knowing that if I could get the anchor to bite, I would have swing room in the wind. I made the mistake of dropping the anchor where I wanted the boat to be rather than dropping it where, after the rode played out and the boat settled in place, it would be where I wanted it to be. The anchor bit and held but playing out the scope left me too close to BRIGADOON and another boat in too much wind. ABISHAG "sails" a lot at anchor, even with the anchor weight, and in all this wind , she was really dancing.
After about 45 minutes, I knew I would have to haul the anchor move and reset. The rain had stopped at this point and I couldn't get any wetter, so I hauled up and move and dropped the anchor. Got a good bite and played out the scope and ABISHAG settled in place just about where I had wanted her to be. It was then a question of taking bearings and making sure that she was staying in place. I did and she was and once that was confirmed, the wind gust stopped and the the wind settled to a reasonable 20-25 and gust to 30. By evening, it was down to 5-10. Whatever this front was, it produced one of the greatest sunsets I have ever seen. I tried to get pictures and if they come out I will upload them.
The weather tomorrow is supposed to be breezy but after this morning, it will have to really be breezy to be of much concern. Jerry was unable to kick free and the batteries will have to wait until tomorrow. I got to meet t5he owner of BRIGADOON, a Fryda(?) 41, who lives in an apartment ashore while he readies his boat to got to Panama. His name is Brad Smith and he has a Pyrenees Dog named "POO" who is as big as a horse and is still a puppy. He lives a shore and comes out to the boat to work.
Despite the "exciting adventure" of this morning, I think I would rather be on the hook in a storm than at a dock. My caprails are scared and stripped of finish from the days spent on docks before and during this trip. Having the boat bang against the dock and fight the docklines holding her in place can't be a good thing. On the hook, sure you may drag but at least the boat gets to react naturally to the weather and so is under less strain. Hey, it's just my opinion.
Tomorrow, I will help Brad install an ARIES Wind Vane he bought and I will pick up my batteries so that ABISHAG will be well again. Supposed to be back in the mid 70's again and no rain.
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