seriously
asleep. Out and around Cape Hatteras... Okay, we've done that.
Bill and Shirley
S/V AT EASE
Lookout Bight, NC
Web Posted October 31st, 2001
Bill and I are in the backwoods of "Virginny" at
Yankee Point Marina. We have been here for twelve days, longer than we had hoped
but things
always take longer than you think they will in a boat yard. We got the
bottom job done and a few other boat repairs completed. We are waiting
for a part that should come in today.
The Marina yard is having an oyster fest tomorrow and Bill wants to fill
his belly with oysters before we head south, but if all goes as planned,
we will leave Sunday.
This is an absolutely gorgeous area with trees at their peak color right
now, but Yankee Point Marina isn't close to anything. Since we don't
have a car, finding a place to buy groceries and wash clothes is always
a challenge. Another boater told me about they had heard of a bus that
would take you to town, so I got a phone number from the marina office,
who knew very little about the bus, other than that you had to call for
the bus to come get you.
Bill had lots of boat chores, and I had lots of clothes that needed
washing so I bravely called the number and asked about riding and
whether I could take my dirty clothes with me. Understand that I had a
huge sail bag of clothes and didn't have a clue what this bus would be
like.
The dispatcher explained that I would need to go to Kilmarnock, 13 miles
away. The cost to ride the bus is $1.00 per stop, and $1.00 per county.
What a deal! The van, not bus, just happened to be fairly near where I
was and picked me up in 15 minutes. The van is actually a part of Area
Agency on Aging. Some of their passengers include the elderly, people
without transportation who need to get to work, drunk drivers who have
lost their driver's license, and boat bums like me. It seems to me a
great use of service that I thought was only available to the elderly.
The bus driver pointed out the post office, library, and grocery store
on the way in to town, then let me out right at the door of the
Laundromat, thank goodness--me with my big red bag of dirty clothes
slung over my shoulder, and told me to call the office when I was ready
to go home.
While the clothes were washing, I asked Phyllis, the young African
American female laundry caretaker, how to get back to the post office.
She said, "Oh that's too far to walk. Let me see if anyone is going
that way." She asked Connie, another African American, if she would
take me and said not to worry about my clothes, she would watch them for
me. Connie not only took me to the post office, but waited for me and
took me to the library. Giving me a big hug, she carefully explained
that when I left the library, I was to stay on the sidewalk on the right
side of the street, turn right at the U-Haul and I would be back at the Laundromat in 10 minutes.
When the clothes were finished and packed in their big red sail
bag, I left them with Phyllis, and went across the street to buy a few groceries. Shoppers in the grocery were warm and friendly. I
found a pay phone and called for the van, which luckily was just coming
into town with another load of folks and picked me up at the
Laundromat within 10 minutes. Meeting the people on the van was a delightful experience
itself. They told me stories of their lives, engaged each other in
conversation, and gave me a sense of being at home and welcome in a new community.
I will be sorry to leave this backwoods Virginny.
Shirley
Web Posted October 18th, 2001
AT EASE is "on the hard", in the yard and on stands,
at Yankee Point Marina off the Rappahannock River. We pulled out on
Tuesday and anticipate being here at the yard for about a
week. AT EASE didn't look bad after a pressure wash to get the growth off. There were a
scattering of barnacles but the bottom paint put on last year
held up well. We'll do a light sanding, put on one more coat, and get
back in the water by Friday. While here, I installed the new Broadwater
galley stove which seems to be a good hunk of hardware and Shirley
seems pleased as well. I'm anticipating significant output from that
oven so we are planning a reprovision trip to stock the pantry after
leaving here. Certainly can't do much along those lines now.
This is rural Virginia... surrounding land is wooded and laced
with rivers and navigable creeks which are lightly developed with
attractive retirement and summer homes (mostly). Lots of boats, power and
sail, tucked into coves and at private docks. Even this far inland
there are active crabbers working their traps daily. There are a number of marinas, many new ones, including this one which is only a few
years old. Within the marina there is a marine store, of sorts, and a
coke machine sets outset beside the ice machine. No groceries. No restaurants. Nothing else short of a limited country store 3.5
miles away and a small community, Kilmarnock, about 13 miles away. The
low density of people and services feels a lot like Arkansas, but
without the associated rural poverty so characteristic of much of
Arkansas. Our impression of coastal Virginia is pretty positive so far. Green,
neatly groomed and relatively prosperous. And now blooming with bright
fall colors so vivid in the crisp, clean and sparkling fall air.
I have a few chores remaining. I have to pull the dinghy to
shore, flip it over and scrape the marine growth from its bottom. I had the
anchor chain regalvinized and will have to mark lengths on it when it
returns. It's always so difficult to judge how much chain we have out and
any paint tends to chip away as it is pulled back aboard through the windlass gypsy. And we use the plow anchor
(CQR) pretty well all
the time having been disappointed with the Danforth anchor while
fails to set pretty often even in this coastal mud. Our Fortress anchor, however, really digs in and holds well but is a bit undersized
for me to be confident in any heavy weather. We broke out the sewing
machine and Shirley mended our sail cover for the boom. The cold led us to
rig our weather clothes, the canvas on the life lines on each side of
the cockpit. Mornings are pretty brisk with a heavy frost this
morning and maybe a mild freeze last night.
The flood of cruisers heading south has really begun and we
hear them checking into the morning high frequency radio net up and down
the SE US coast with many already deep into the Carolinas and into Florida probably. Our friends on Nocturne, Ray and Terre, left today
heading for a meeting with friends in Pamlico Sound, NC. We enjoyed
running into them again but look forward to trading new sea stories when
next we see them. Other cruisers are out and about their boats. The
standard greeting is "Heading south?" The answer universally
seems to be an emphatic "Yes". We hope to get out and cruise up the creeks today or tomorrow to
explore the area from a different perspective. We're getting restless
though... ready to head south and stay ahead of the bad (read COLD)
weather coming. I'm still wearing shorts, guarding my personal record
for consecutive days in shorts, but finding those wool sweaters are
really calling me and it is challenging now to step into the water when
I beach the dinghy... sandals are not much protection from the shock of
that chilling water.
Bill and Shirley Martin
S/V AT EASE
Yankee Point Marina, VA
Web Posted October 10th, 2001
Well the boat show is over and, like the typical Christmas, it was somewhat
disappointing. But even a disappointing day in Annapolis is still
pretty cotton picking good. There seemed to be just a few less exhibitors
this year and no new gadgets that we fell in love with and just
had to have. We did manage to purchase a new galley stove (Broadwater)
that Shirley is excited about, and did purchase a night vision
scope which I am so far pretty disappointed with but just found a new
adjustment which I intend to try (tonight) before shipping it back to
whence it came. I also bought a new filtering system for diesel algae
(Algae-X) which has been advertised in a few of the magazines but as
far as I know has not yet been evaluated by Practical Sailor or other independent
sources. I may have just installed a high tech pet rock but if
it will cut down on changing diesel filters I'm ready to experiment.
We spent two days at the show, wandering from tent to tent,
and saw a few old friends. We were disappointed we did not
see anyone from Arkansas or the Iron Mt Yacht Club...
probably another big party there kept folks from heading
to Annapolis. Perhaps more exciting than the show has been
the gathering of cruisers who are in one stage or another
of preparation for the annual exodus south. For those
familiar with Annapolis, Back Creek and Spa Creek are just
jammed with boats anchored unbelievably close to one to another. Even
with two anchors it just looks frightening. Yet, even with two gusty
blows in recent days, each exceeding 20 kts at the mast head (not sure
of surface), I only heard of one dragging and he was chased down by a
fleet of dinghies that did tug and tow duty. Annapolis Harbor itself is,
of course, largely occupied by the newly erected floating docks associated
with the show. However, there are a hosts of boats, some pretty
impressive and just BIG, anchored just off the harbor in unprotected
water. Pretty lumpy water they're setting on. Much worse with
all the traffic produced wakes interacting with the collision of Severn
River current and Bay tide.
We're setting in Weems Creek on an Academy mooring ball and
doing just fine thank you. Just prior to the show, more
boats came in and anchored here and there but there is
still plenty of room and most folks are painfully
courteous in the creek and at the dinghy landing. Most are US boats
but there are several Canadians, some Brits and one French boat just
showed up. Picture the various moored boats, surrounding wooded bluffs
with trees just beginning to turn, all bathed by delightfully cool
days (with frankly chilly nights) and bright sun. Most afternoons, the
various Academy rowing teams do their training runs through the creek,
even some mild weaving as they move through the anchored boats.
Annapolis residents themselves seem really into boats with day
sailors out pretty well all the time, kayakers (sp?)
galore and even a few private racing sculls. We'll be sad
to leave. But leave we will. I've pretty well completed
most of my immediate boat chores and we have partied,
visited and chatted with just about everybody we know in
the area. Time to head south. I've made an appointment
with Yankee Point Marina on the on the Rappahanock for a bottom
job and a little roller furling work. From there it's off to Florida
and from there across to the islands yet again. We're looking at
an offshore trip around Cape Hatteras to Beaufort, NC just to say we've
done it. I really would rather do this than go back down through VA
to NC via the ICW. I've had enough ICW for awhile. Weather considerations
will make that decision for us.
Bill and Shirley
S/V AT EASE
Annapolis, MD
Web Posted September 25th, 2001
We're anchored in Weems Creek, just a mile or so from downtown. The creek
is perhaps a quarter mile across at its mouth, and goes in a half mile or so
before one comes up against bridges too low for most boats to pass.
Water is 10-15' deep, mildly brackish. Around the creek are bluff
shores, heavily wooden with striking homes tucked in among the trees.
At night, at the homes light up, one becomes aware of the expanse
of glass overlooking the water. It is quite and peaceful mostly but
the Severn River is very busy during the weekends, churned up to a confused
chop by wakes and roily from the collision of current heading down
and tide heading up. This turbulence finds its way into the creek, especially
toward the mouth, and creates a not uncomfortable but active action
in the anchored boats.
Actually, anchored is somewhat a misnomer.
Most boats are tied up to mooring boys, placed by the Naval Academy
and where they deploy their fleet of sailboats if threatened by hurricanes.
These are free to cruisers here in Weems, and in several other
area creeks, until such storms when the Navy comes by and politely asks
folks to vacate. There are other boats anchored among the moorings,
that includes us for now, and I suspect there will be more as the
boat show crowd gathers. More boats are coming in daily,
and quite a range indeed. Most are crewed by couples, some
young and some retired and some it's difficult to tell.
Motor- sailers, trawlers, sloops, ketches, cutters, some sleek and
new and most salty, well traveled and clearly lived on.
I think our AT EASE fits into the latter
category. Yesterday, we had forewarning of a front coming
through with some reportedly intense storm cells within,
reportedly arriving in the mid afternoon. I made a run
into town, down the Severn and around into Annapolis past
the Academy, and encountered swells of 2-3' where river and
bay met. Our new Caribe dinghy performed wonderfully. It was a dry ride,
but bumpy, and it took some care and throttle work to keep from flying
off the crests and crashing down into the troughs. Coming back, the
dinghy ran even better without the crashing and banging. Later,
when the storm hit, we were on a friend's boat, and got a radio call
that our anchor was dragging. Back to the boat in a hurry to board and
let out more chain. That pretty well stopped us but by then we were near
a private mooring, empty, so I tied on it as well for insurance. Even
in the rain, two other boaters came out in their dinghy's to offer help.
Today, we'll move alongside another friend to raft for the
day. They plan to leave tomorrow and we will then occupy
their Navy mooring for the remainder of our stay here. Maintenance is still never ending. Anchor chain must twist as it
comes in over the windlass and down the hawsehole into the
locker. Months ago, we got some monofilament fishing line
on our chain and this kept it from twisting naturally.
Now, with frequent use, we have accumulated some snarls
and binds in the chain making it more difficult to deploy. This
looks like a good opportunity to let out the 200' of chain and then retrieve
it more neatly. The chain is also rusting pretty badly and it needs
to be regalvinized. I'm a bit intimidated by the workload involved
in getting that off the boat and to a place for regalvinizing.
Bill and Shirley
S/V AT EASE
Annapolis, MD
Web Posted September 21stth, 2001
We've come back to Annapolis to collect mail and found more of
our friends anchored. I suspect we will tarry for awhile,
maybe pass for now on doing the Eastern Shore of Maryland,
maybe not. In any event, the pressure is off and we have
no particular schedule we have to meet for now. We do want
to see the boat show here (Oct 4-7) and then will start
moving south again for the winter, pausing for a haul-out and bottom
job in Virginia enroot. Cruisers abound here and there will just
be more as the show date approaches. We had barely gotten our anchor
down when another cruiser dinghied up and invited us to a party of
cruisers planned for tonight.
Everyone is glued to radio and television. As a spectator, I
am encouraged by the responses of Americans. But I am not
inspired by the melodramatic patriotism. That will pass,
it always does, and while better than nothing the
superficiality of it all is distasteful. What impresses me
is the level of discussion out there in the "heartland" where
people are suddenly aware there are major issues in the world to which
they were massively indifferent and unaware. To that degree, terrorists
objectives have been met... Americans are making an effort to become
more knowledgeable about Islam and aware of the intrusive and insensitive
way we have treated Islamic and Arabic countries, especially the
poorer ones, through several administrations. We are becoming aware that
Arabic politicians, in non-democratic countries, have been very successful
in characterizing the US as anti-Islamic and anti-Arabic rather
than anti-totalitarian.
Economic issues have been distorted by these
spin-masters to the point that their citizens don't recognize our concerns
about economic or political issues but instead see US policy and
presence as attacks against their religion, hence their basic beliefs
and culture. These awareness's, while terrorist goals, will also make
us a better and stronger country. We do, however, have to make a major
effort to educate the Islamic and Arabic world as to what we are attacking
and, at the same time, demonstrate to them we are willing to defend
and protect and support their culture and religion. Pretty major effort
and one which will take more time, probably, than the military operations.
Oops! I've gotten preachy again. But, with apology, it's hard
not to have one's thoughts dominated by such
intrusive contemporary events.
Bill and Shirley
S/V AT EASE
Annapolis, MD
Web Posted September 17th, 2001
We went into Washington yesterday, riding Amtrak in to Union Station. Initial
impressions... very few folks on the streets and many police.
The state of emergency had been canceled so no military presence was
noted apart from some helicopter traffic. We walked immediately by the
capital, then down the mall to the Vietnam and Korea memorials, then
back to Union Station via the White House. As the day progressed, more
people were on the street, some locals, but some tourist types as well.
Flags everywhere. The police were very visible, some standing on
corners, vehicles parked in the middle of intersections and simply in
the street. New traffic barriers were everywhere, especially around the
capital and the White House. Interestingly, security was not especially
evident at Union Station. We did not see the Pentagon from the rail
line.
Security at the base continues to be heavy with roving water patrols for
the riverside boundary and walking posts around the entrances and exits.
However, people are clearly less intense and seem to be relaxing back
into something like a routine. Word is this will be more relaxed at
noon today. I'm afraid that with all the extra security presence there
are still serious flaws in the effectiveness of the additional efforts.
I can't help feeling that this is more psychological... it makes us feel
better to be doing something and/or to see something being done. I'm
afraid the security succeeds in hassling average folks rather than in
inhibiting anyone skilled or motivated to breach security.
We will be leaving today and heading back into the Annapolis area,
perhaps to St Michaels or Oxford, MD. We still want to do the boat show
before we start back south and we need a brief boat yard period for
bottom paint and some rigging work and hope to get that done in
Virginia. It will be nice to get back into a cruising mode and back
around other cruisers.
Web
Posted: September 13th, 2001
We are tied up in the on base marina at Quantico, a Marine Corps base
located about 27 miles out of Washington and right on the Potomac river. We came up the Potomac yesterday with the television going
in the cockpit as this horrible story evolved.
Washington declared a state of emergency restricting
physical access via road and, of course, shutting down
the airports. They also closed the Potomac to commercial and recreational
boats at Washington. We knew the base had gone to a high state
of security and wondered if we could get in. As it happened, they were
still getting their security in place and we came in and tied up without
problems although a boat just before us had been turned away. Now
there are combat equipped sentries in the marina proper and armed patrol
boats in the river. We've seen many helicopters moving in and out
of the base, some of these are the special use helicopters configured
for VIP transport in Washington such as the president uses, and
some are, I suspect, being used for casualty recovery. The combat air
patrols over Washington actually fly over us as well as they make their
sweeps of the city and an AWAC is visible from time to time. I've made
sure the sentries in the marina know we are aboard, but even with that
I have not wanted to be moving around the marina after dark. I'm sure
these young Marines are pretty excited. I know I would be.
I just spoke to an Army officer who was at his office in
the Pentagon yesterday. He says he was adjusting
television watching the Trade Centers in New York
when everything went black... power off, black smoke and
fireball. Debris slammed into the outer wall but neither the blast nor
the debris broke the window in front of which he was standing. He was
thrown to the floor and ended up with badly bruised buttocks but was incredibly lucky that the glass did not shred him. He says
both he and the officer sharing his office with him
knew immediately that the blast was part of what had
just happened in New York. They grabbed a somewhat hysterical
secretary and departed, manually overriding the closed fire doors,
into smoke filled hallways where they had to guess at the safe exits
from the building. Once out, there was confusion. They eventually
were told to go home until they were contacted. He was walking
down I-95 in his dirty, smoke stained uniform when some college students
gave him a bike. He rode the bike for about 6 miles until out of
the area and then got a ride home. He described the blast damage as largely restricted to the first ring, with fire and debris
blown onto the roofs of the remaining four rings,
where the fire did more damage. What a wake up call
for America! There really is no defense against this
sort of suicidal attack. We will react, and probably over react, with
increased security measures which will make life more complicated for
Americans and will make it a bit more difficult for terrorists to make
other successful attacks.
However, there will be other attacks and there
will be more casualties and we will all feel much less secure. In fact,
security was always an illusion. We are at war. This
is a different kind of war, but it is a war. It is not
a "crime" and I hope it will not be treated as a crime. To call
it a crime is to actually deny the magnitude of the
event and confuses us as to an appropriate response.
Was Pearl Harbor a "crime scene"? Were Japanese
airmen tried as simple murderers? The rules for this war will be
different. I'm not even sure this could be considered a "war
crime" given the "new" rules. We may
not even know the rules at this time but they will
require some different applications of military force. The neat
and clean use of aircraft, smart stand off weapons and missiles will probably not be sufficient. People will likely have to
cross borders and use a more personal form of
violence to counter this threat.
I think we will stay put here until things settle
down and certainly until Washington opens up again.
We would still like to go into Washington but
suspect that it will be far from "business as usual" for quite
some time into the future. Cell phone service is not very good... too
many calls probably. We did get voice messages from several friends but somehow the calls did not come through.
Bill and Shirley
S/V AT EASE
Quantico, VA
Web
Posted: September 9th, 2001
Annapolis has been its usual, special self. Shirley and
I have both enjoyed walking these marvelous streets in the historic
district, many brick and all rich with a flavor of times gone by. We
sampled the fare at several restaurants... some better than others but all
rather expensive. The scenery is spectacular, regardless of where one
looks. We have visited other boaters, some who we haven't seen in months
and months, and other friends with whom we have enjoyed wonderful times
even in the last few weeks. Truly one of the real delights of cruising has
been discovering and rediscovering old-new friends in the different
anchorages as we wander. Shirley has been doing her thing again... meeting
local, non-boating folks who have graciously invited us into their homes
and introduced us to their friends. With this, we have had rather
privileged access to Annapolis and even the Naval Academy that would not
have been otherwise possible. What a cosmopolitan community... we met a
retired Army officer, Grant Walker, who is a historian at the Academy and
an assistant curator at the Academy museum. We met his wife Annick, a
Belgian national, and their friends Allen, an engineer with electronics
background (originally British and now dual American) and Carol (French
but originally from Haiti) who had a career with the World Bank and
traveled extensively around the world. What fascinating conversation that
led to over dinner, and how interesting to find commonalities in all our
experiences. Grant later led us on a personal tour of the Academy museum
with wonderful background and insights into his area of personal
expertise, the age of sail and the 17th and 18th century models of Royal
Navy ships, carved in exact detail and created at the time the ships
themselves were actually constructed. He has a book pending publishing...
we're eager to get a copy.
We have taken advantage of the numerous marine services
available here. I've had our propane tanks upgraded and recertified, had a
spare alternator rebuilt, had our refrigeration tweaked so that it now
draws less power but is more reliably cold, and even bought a small,
folding bike. It appears that we have the energy problems under good
control, at least for now. We're able to largely manage daily energy needs
with our alternate sources (wind and solar) with relatively brief engine
runs likely most, but not necessarily every, day. I now have good enough
instrumentation to monitor energy so very much better. The bike will give
us more range when visiting in various ports but we are not yet sure they
will be worth the lost space and additional clutter on the boat. Hence,
only one for now. It has been handy here what with my ranging out into the
town to get marine "stuff".
We've been anchored out, just off the Academy, while
here and the ride has been bumpy most days but not really uncomfortable.
This anchorage has given us a ring-side seat to view the essentially daily
sail boat races at the mouth of the Severn, both Academy racers and groups
from the community. Everywhere one looks there are boats, both motor and
sail, of every imaginable size and shape, coming and going or just planted
here and there. It's hard to believe that the numbers will grow so very
much larger during the boat shows. One wonders were additional boats could
fit but apparently they do. We have found that the Navy Station for
Annapolis has a marina which they state is unsheltered (couldn't be worse
than where we have been) but which apparently has space (mooring balls)
even during the shows. This morning, with weekend boat traffic and tide
and current in opposition, the water is churned into a veritable
maelstrom. We popped up the anchor and motored in to fuel and water, then
upstream to Weems Creek, where some good friends have been tucked away, to
grab one of the Academy's mooring balls for an overnight. There's a three
boat potluck meal tonight then out tomorrow morning for the Potomac and
Washington. Shirley's plans are to take shorter days underway with stops
in mid afternoon so we can explore ashore. From here, that probably means
The Solomons (Patuxent River), then two stops on the Potomac somewhere...
Mt Vernon and somewhere else maybe. Will have to look over the cruising
guides to see what's available.
The weather has been absolutely delightful. Good
snuggling weather at night and sunny and moderate during the days.
Warnings about the humid heat of the Chesapeake have not been realized at
all. Guess we have just been lucky. However, they were right about the
flies and we now have two fly swatters in play.
Bill and Shirley
S/V AT EASE
Annapolis
Web
Posted: September 3rd, 2001
With some new friends from S/V Tumbleweed, Bob and Jill Thompson, we went
into Kilmarnock, intending to walk the mile or so down a country road from
the small harbor where we anchored. Within a quarter of a mile a local gentleman
offered a ride. I was wearing a Marine Corps tee shirt and he volunteered he was
a former Marine as well. Very nice man... he drove us around the town and left
us with a very warm feeling about the whole community. I suspect he would have
picked us up even if I had worn a Navy tee shirt but then one never really
knows. Kilmarnock is a community that tries. The local art show was impressive
and well attended. We lunched later at an apparently popular cafe and were
struck with the numbers of older, retired folks much like us only better dressed
of course.
We departed there enroute to Annapolis but stopped overnight at St
Mary's River which enters the Potomac just above its entrance into
Chesapeake Bay. St Mary is also the site of the original colonial capital
of Maryland and there is a reconstructed state house, a 17th century
plantation and a replica 56' brig-rigged, square sailed, three master from
that era, all on display. The ship was a treat... tarred hemp standing
rigging and wooden deadeyes and blocks. Topmast were in place on the main
and foremast and the mizzen had a spanker on a boom. I saw her sailing
with main, foresail, and topsails and she moved remarkably well even when
tacking back and forth to move down the river. It's a well done replica
with no messy auxiliary engine. Would love to have sailed her. Other
displays in the historic area were interesting but confusing.
They have built "aesthetic" reproductions on sites away from
the original and had some apparently original sites located there as well
so it was a bit confusing to both of us. However, it is a strikingly
beautiful area. Along the shore there are farms and homes. frequently on
prominent bluffs, surrounded by manicured and expansive lawns and bordered
by lush patches of forest and lawn- like pastures of brilliantly green
grass bordered typically by white wooden fences. Today we stood on a bluff
near the historic site, overlooking the horseshoe bay below. There were a
dozen or so anchored sailboats, including AT EASE, and trawlers, with
dinghies here and there trailing creamy wakes in the blue and otherwise
calm water. Add to that scene a crisply cool Fall morning with dry and
clear air under a brilliantly blue sky... My, my, my. Tomorrow, it's off
for Annapolis.
Since our departure last year, we will pass the 3000th total nautical
miles within the first mile tomorrow. Down the St Mary, left on the
Potomac and out into the Bay. Hoping for some air to sail with but how bad
can it be?
Bill and Shirley
S/V AT EASE
St Mary's River, MD
Web Posted: August 31st, 2001 -- Kilmarnock Wharves, Virginia
Well Sarah Creek was a busy stay for S/V AT EASE and crew. We met
interesting fellow cruisers, ate some great seafood and did some
inter- boat visiting while I spent time busily crawling about the boat
armpit deep in the wiring and 12 volt system yet again. This time I was
going for a solution to lingering and unexplained energy losses which have
plagued us for months. I installed new monitoring equipment as well as a
new voltage regulator and alternator. Unfortunately, the regulator was
faulty and created more problems which took a couple of days to resolve.
The supplier, West Marine, graciously sent a new unit overnight and, once
installed, seems to be working correctly. By selectively turning equipment
on and off we have discovered surprising energy losses. Our refrigerator
draws not just 7.4 amps (which I thought very high), but 9.4 amps. Our
TV/VCR uses 15 amps when playing but actually draws 2 amps just sitting
plugged in but turned off... probably the internal memory and moisture
control. That accounts for the 3-4 amps loss which I could not explain
earlier.
Hopefully we have the energy management problem under better
control now. We motor-sailed from Sarah Creek back out into the Chesapeake
and then up the Rappahannock River to Urbanna, another very old Virginia
town with its own pre-revolutionary buildings. Nice little anchorage and
very well protected. One of those scattered thunderstorms did come through
with gusty conditions and lightening but all boats managed well and
anchors stayed in place in this good holding ground. We've marked this as
a hurricane hole should one be needed. Anchoring out, we quickly met two
other cruisers, one out a year and the other had been in Northern Europe
for 10 years and had just returned. More inter-boat visiting, dinners and
outings together. A local marina manager very graciously offered dinghy
access, and local knowledge, and the town is truly accessible by foot with
marine supplies, groceries, drug stores, etc... We enjoyed our stay.
We left for Kilmarnock, a small town up Indian Creek (which opens into
the Bay proper), where a Labor Day Arts Festival has attracted attention.
The trip in was just another beautiful day. Bright sun and hazy conditions
out on the bay, with good wind but right on the nose again. The
"creek" is substantial with heavily wooded shores and some
residential development. Most homes have piers and docks with power and
sail boats. As it meanders in from the Bay, the creek narrows but there
remains a good, deep channel and a sheltered anchorage is readily
available. From the city wharfs on the creek, it is about a mile up a well
marked road to the town proper and we haven‘t made the trip yet.
Probably will over the next day or two, or may wait for some friends to
join us in this anchorage, probably today. I plan to do some more boat
chores and some reading. Time to don the diving gear and do a little
cleaning on the bottom. An embarrassing amount of grass is all too visible
around the waterline. I also need to clean the small paddle-wheel that
tells boat speed. I've been relying on the GPS to give that information
but the boat instrument is helpful in identifying current as well as
speed. While the weather has been hot during the day, the nights have been
cool and there is a touch of Fall in the air with geese flying and
raucously calling, and a pleasant coolness in the mornings. We have used
our boat canopy only twice, the weather having been so moderate, but will
put it up today... just because. It has been nice to get through the worse
of the summer without air conditioning and without much discomfort.
Chesapeake Bay has been wonderful thus far. There truly are thousands of
possible anchorages and areas to visit. Everyone we meet suggests their
favorites and the list is getting longer and more impossible. It's easy to
see why the Bay is so popular among boaters... everything we have seen has
been beautiful as well as replete with historical significance, and even
more interesting and exciting places are just up the road.
Now the technical stuff ... I installed the new alternator,
three stage voltage regulator and a Link 1000 instrument system to monitor
the boats 12 volt system. Everything checked out initially but when I got
underway, on a Sunday so no help immediately available, problems emerged.
It's not the first time that I've found brand new equipment being faulty.
The regulator failed to cycle so the alternator stayed in bulk charge
until the batteries were at 15 volts... then I shut it down. From then on,
the regulator blew fuses each time I turned it on; it had blown one fuse
even earlier. Drats! Had to wait, of course, until Monday to call for help
but West Marine was very helpful and apologetic and sent a replacement
regulator overnight. Installed that and everything has worked well since.
With the Link 1000 I can actually monitor amperage used and the status of
the battery bank (voltage and amperage). By selectively turning on/off
equipment, and with use of a neat hand tool that measures amperage (which
I borrowed... got to have one of those), we discovered surprising energy
drains. The new refrigeration, which I knew to use a whopping 7.4 amps
hourly when ctive, in fact uses about 9.4 amps. Making ice is pretty
expensive, energy-wise.
Even more surprising, our TV/VCR uses 14 amps when playing but even
just being plugged in it draws 2 amps. This undoubtedly has something to
do with moisture control and maybe even internal memory but is
outrageously extravagant in energy use. If we leave it plugged in, we lose
energy and if we don't the moisture/humidity is such that it won't come on
until it sets with energy for a period of time and dries out. We can hurry
that along with a hair dryer but there goes the energy again. In any
event, this accounts for the 3-4 amps of energy loss per hour that I
couldn't understand before. We have a respectable battery bank now (440
amp hours capacity) but using the recommended 50%-85% rule for charging,
we really only use 35% (154 amps) of that capacity most of the time.
Hence, losing up to 96 amps a day unnecessarily really cut into our
reserves and had us charging up to twice a day even with our alternate
energy sources (wind and solar). Solutions... well, we both like ice so
the fridge keeps on ticking. We haven't enjoyed or used our TV all that
much so suspect it will gather more dust even in the future. Both Shirley
and I prefer reading and reading lights are less energy expensive than the
TV.We are both more energy conscious and will likely save amps just from
more judicious use of lights, fans, radios, etc... Bottom line, we like
our electricity and like how it improves life quality, so will charge as
often as necessary but will be more conscious of our energy budget.
Bill and Shirley
S/V AT EASE
Kilmarnock Wharves, Virginia
Web
Posted: August 20th, 2001
Yesterday and today we did the Williamsburg, Jamestown and Yorktown visits. What a wonderful opportunity to travel from the
first successful English colony, through the first
representational government in America (Hourse of
Burgesses), to the end of the English colonial experience...
all in the space of a few hours and a few miles. Both Shirley
and I have enough of the romantic within to easily picture scenes
from 1607 Jamestown (midst heat and bugs and swamp), 1774 Williamsburg
(and that superb common green and simple small town that was
the Virginia capitol), and 1781 Yorktown, with the vision of those columns
of redcoat soldiers marching to Surrender Field to the tune of "A
World Turned Upside Down". Quite an experience. Williamsburg is especially well done and a marvelous walking tour. The
employees, in period dress, are all apparently well
informed and very helpful. We had dinner in a tavern
across from the Raleigh Tavern where members of the Burgesses
met unofficially and passed resolutions after having been disbanded
by the British Governor for their less than loyal leanings.
We rented a car and drove about this peninsula with so
much US history jammed into such a small space. We
saw the Confederate field fortifications which had
been built atop the British fortifications from 80
years earlier, and looked out across a field where once 25,000 fought which today would be the frontal area assigned to perhaps a
250 man company. That was war up close and personal.
The road side markers all along the peninsula were
so numerous we finally stopped reading so we could
cover some ground. The National Park Service and their Virginia counterparts
have done a wonderful job of preservation, restoration and presentation. We're anchored off of Sarah Creek, York River, near a large
and modern marina. Immediately across from us is
Yorktown. Within a biscuit toss of our route in, the
French fleet of 1781 stood off of Yorktown and participated
in the shore bombardment and blockaded the British fleet while
bottling up Cornwallis' command. There are still remains of sunken
British ships in these waters. Cape Gloucester, our side of the York,
was also fortified by the British but this has not been preserved.
I would love to simply wander these woods to see what
artifacts have been overlooked but suspect I would
not be the first such hopeful. The trip up from
Norfolk was a treat... open water again after miles and miles
of the tightly channelized Intercoastal Waterway (ICW). Departing the
Navy Base Marina we entered the main shipping channel, pausing to graciously
grant right-of-way to a huge container ship, and then motor- sailed
out past Hampton and Fort Monroe, over the Bay Bridge Tunnel, and turned
back into Chesapeake Bay proper. The sun was bright and it was hot
but there was a haze that blurred the horizon until one could not distinguish
between water and sky. We had all three sails up given a forecast
of 5-10 kt winds, but this was overly optimistic. What wind was
there we probably made. The water was starkly flat... greasy flat...
with wakes from occasional fishing boats prominent and traveling on
into infinity. Moving into Sarah's Creek for
anchorage was another adventure... nature's way of
paying us back for the uneventful trip over. Immediately
outside of the twisting entry channel we bumped aground. No big
deal... low tide and all. Groundings are remarkably commonplace along
the ICW and in the Chesapeake. Every boat we meet describes these common
experiences. It does seem it happens to us all too often, but we usually
manage to get free without help. I shut the engine down to wait and
decided to try and pull-push us free with the dinghy.
Generally, planting the bow of the inflatable against
strategic locations on the hull, and then pushing
the boat much like a tug, seems to be the best approach.
It worked again and I pushed the boat into the channel. Behold...
boat floating. Behold... no engine. Shirley quickly dumped an
anchor off the bow and I tugged one out astern. This time the sticky solenoid was not the culprit... everything came on but the
starter failed to turn. Finally found a marginally
loose connection on the starter (imagine a largely
inaccessible starter and a very hot engine) and
tightened it. Yanmar came alive yet again. Into the anchorage we went
to discover old friends from the Bahamas, Nocturne and N'Joy, and a fun reunion. Ray, Terre (Nocturne) and Betty
(N'Joy)
accompanied us on part of our history jaunt while
Dick stayed aboard N'Joy working on boat projects
and tweaking a recently rebuilt diesel. We're
waiting here for some mail to catch up and I'll use this as an opportunity
to do some boat chores which have been piling up. From here,
on up the Chesapeake, probably over to Mobjack Bay and the Severn River
next and then north generally toward Annapolis. Folks keep telling
us to go to Baltimore where one can safely anchor in the middle of
the inner harbor and conveniently see the town. We will make it a point
to go past the mouth of the Choptank River just to check out James
A. Michener's descriptions in his book "The
Chesapeake".
Bill and Shirley Martin
S/V AT EASE
Sarah's Creek, York River, VA
Web
Posted: August 14th, 2001
We enjoyed our stay in Oriental but still have trouble seeing how this
could be the "Sailing Capitol of North Carolina". We did enjoy the
excellent marine store located immediately within the harbor, and
enjoyed the people we met. Free, courtesy bikes from the marina store
were a blessing. Supposedly a great assemblage of blue water sailors
now call this home. Sure enough, the lady ahead of us at the grocery
store was a 10 year live aboard, originally from California, now a home
owner in Oriental. Certainly was a friendly town and there are now
several marinas and yards capable of doing extensive work. We took the
opportunity to upgrade dinghy and purchased a Caribe RIB (10'3") which
is a pleasure and really suitable for pretty rough conditions and for
longer range explorations. We haven't put it on deck yet and that will
be a test. Also, it tows with really pronounced oscillations because of
the single tow ring... may install dual tow rings to settle the beast
down.
We motor-sailed up to Belhaven for an overnight stay. Not a very
interesting stop but it was an interesting trip up the Neuse River and
the Pamilco Sound. Certainly big water and the shores are not overly
developed. Seems like it would be really interesting gunkholing but
shoal water. We motored up the Pongo River, into the Alligator and out
into Abermarle Sound. It has the reputation of being a rough crossing
under any weather conditions. The combination of shallow water and
typically brisk winds creates big swell action. For our crossing, we
had 15-20 kts and a following swell up to 4'. Drove the autopilot
crazy... really did overwork it. We shifted to the Monitor, our wind
vane self steering system, and the boat settled down and tracked. Felt
like we were back off shore and was a pleasant change to the highly
channelized routes we had more recently experienced. Even the brief
squall was appreciated as the rain cooled us and made the returning sun
welcome. En route the fuel filter had to be replaced.. The engine
started reving up and down, getting progressively worse until I couldn't
put it off any more.
We ducked behind a point into sheltered water and
down below I went. I guess I should have known I couldn't go a day without
doing something dirty inside the engine compartment. This was among our
longest days... 79 NM. We arrived after dark at
Coinjock, NC and stumbled around briefly trying to find the marina
(which advertised a 32 oz prime rib meal) but really had no problem
tying up along side their simple, long wharf. A brief comment on
motoring the ICW after dark... seriously not recommended and hence forth
to be studiously avoided by the intrepid crew of AT EASE even if a 32 oz
prime rib lays ahead beckoning. The route in was snake-like in a creek
bed with snags and stumps encroaching from shore into the channel. The
markers which were lighted were easy to see. The markers without lights
almost impossible until right on them. I've always complained about
those folks who move at night blasting everything in their path with
huge searchlights. However, if we had not both been so busy navigating
and managing the boat, I certainly would have broken out our light and
blasted away.
From Coinjock, more motoring up the ICW in tight channels and then out
into Currituck Sound, another open body of water and beautiful vistas,
and finally the Chesapeake-Abermarle Canal where timing is everything.
Bridges abound and have their own schedule for opening, not at all
during rush hours. Plus there is a lock which only operates hourly. We
stopped just short of the lock at a boatyard with good reputation
(Atlantic Yacht Basin) where I switched out batteries as our Napa
batteries purchased in the Bahamas were already pretty soft. We stayed
with 6 volt golf cart batteries but upgraded from the 110 amp hr model
to 220 amp hrs. More Russian roulette with the maze of wiring but
finally got everything hooked up and operating yet again (I think). I
guess the real test of that will be time. This exercise, crouching down
inside the lazarette locker and bending and twisting to get at wiring
bent on hiding in the recesses, was made more memorable by a steady and
cold rain. I did finish, but it was too late to go on into Norfolk
proper so another night at a marina. I believe this last change will
pretty well solve our electrical woes for a while.
Optimist, I am.
Bill and Shirley Martin
S/V AT EASE
Web
Posted: August 9th, 2001
We arrived in Beaufort, NC on Thursday (last) and anchored off
the waterfront. The ICW run up from Mile Hammock Bay took us through
more of Camp Lejeune (got to watch aircraft making gun runs on ground
targets), and Swansboro, NC, which has grown into another boating and
summer home Mecca. It all seems pretty well developed and then
overdeveloped. Beaufort is another jewel, nestled within a larger
community and essentially a suburb of Morehead City which has a relatively
large, commercial port. Lots of pleasure boats here, both sail and motor.
Anchorage is limited but there always seems to be room for one more. The
city operates a series of small docks and basins along the waterfront and
makes slips available, provides essentially free downtown parking, and
provides a courtesy dinghy dock. The marina proper, and the local maritime
museum, offer free courtesy cars to use locally. This seems to be a city
which really does want visitors, not just tourists. There is a large
historic district with the now familiar pre-revolutionary and pre-civil
war homes, all marked with their assumed construction dates and names of
the original owners. With the museum, the historic sites, tree lined
streets and overall open and friendly people, we have enjoyed our
exploratory walks. The restaurants all strive for their unique atmosphere
and ambience... overall they succeed admirably. Even Saylor has enjoyed
the town... she's had her first opportunity to romp on sandy beaches since
the islands. I suspect the costs of living here are exorbitant but the
costs of visiting are relatively more modest. We paid our share, both in
the local eateries, and a marvelous bookstore recommended to us by our
friends, W L and Muriel. A few new, and a few old, boat problems were
issues while in Beaufort. Seemed like I was crawling about in the dim and
dark recesses just about every day. Alternator problems and the continuing
evil spirits which live in 12 volt systems, especially in salt water
environments. We left this morning with one functioning alternator (and
instructions to get a spare) and a new book of charts of the ICW to make
me feel better in these confusing waterways. As we backed out of the slip,
a loose line off the stern fouled our propeller. Panic stop, tied up again
alongside a restaurant (just at lunch so had an audience), and donned
SCUBA paraphernalia to dive on the prop and clear same. Emerged
successfully (as in alive and with a clean prop) and left a second time
with good cheer and wishes for safe voyage from all. We departed for a 30
mile run to Oriental, which declares itself to be the sailing capitol of
North Carolina. With our "new" chart book, we bumped aground
within a mile or two. Local fisherman tells us "You can't go there...
all filled in... go there instead". Went there instead. A beautiful
motor up creeks and waterways with pleasant homes in small clusters all
around. Leaving this to enter the Neuse River is impressive. It is the
broadest river in the US and enters Pamilico Sound which I understand is
second only to the Chesapeake in size. We crossed this to Oriental where
we again found our old nemesis... thin water. Bumped ashore just off the
harbor entrance and this time were hard enough aground to have to call for
Tow Boat US to tug us free. Considered just anchoring with my keel
overnight but then what kind of sailor would do that... within sight of
probably several hundred blue water sailors many of whom have
circumnavigated the world. Ignominiously crept into the very limited
anchorage (almost 7' deep here) and dropped a hook. It's hot... really
hot. We may pay for the pleasant weather we have enjoyed to date. Looking
forward to going ashore and checking out what's new here. Lots of
waterfront construction noted and another big marina just north of
Oriental. That's all new since our last visit.
Okay, more work on the boat. The alternator, supposedly examined and
repaired in Jacksonville, continues to put out only about 50 amps; half
its capacity. This makes battery charging a long, loud process. We went
into a slip and arranged for a mechanic/electrician to come aboard and he
directed me into a tedious but overall helpful search for corrosion on
terminals or loose connections, etc... Found a few potential problems and
fixed them, but did not resolve the main issue. I installed my spare
alternator, supposedly rebuilt in Marathon last year, which produced
the same 50% output. Puzzling. I bypassed everything from the alternator
to the batteries, also bypassed the voltage regulator, to eliminate
problems but none of this was successful. I did identify an approximately
one volt loss as current went through the battery isolator... a bit much
but didn't seem like the ultimate culprit. The mechanic I brought aboard
produced the following theory finally. The one volt drop (impedance)
overloaded the alternator, given that it was slaving away in the
overheated engine spaces. The isolator then would get hotter as the
alternator tried to push current through, thereby causing the alternator
to work harder to get more current through.... see where this is going?
Finally the alternator failed (by 50%). However, when he broke down both
alternators another element of this mystery emerged. The rat fink who
charged me to rebuild the alternator, which he knew was to be a spare,
back in Marathon, FL had really only replaced one diode and spray painted
the box so it looked as if it had been worked on. Trash, it was! Did bring
a chuckle or two to the local pros. I had to search for the humor. Had
just got most things put back in order when we discovered the solenoid on
the LP system was not working. More 12 volt evil spirits. Crawling here
and there with my now familiar jumpers and meters, I found 12 volts to
both sides of the solenoid. Being the experienced pro that I am, I
suspected that wasn't right so promptly tried to trace the wiring to find
the short. No luck... all buried in thick harnesses in impossible
locations. So I opted for the more direct approach... tapped in to the
side which should be grounded and took it to ground. Wow! It worked!
Shirley and I can understand why this life style ceases to be appealing to
so many in the first year. Lots of trials and tribulations along with all
the adventure and excitement. I'm remembering the central core of mental
health is the ability to adapt to changing life circumstances.
Now which locker did I store that adaptability in?
Bill and Shirley Martin
S/V AT EASE
Oriental, NC
Web
Posted: July 27th, 2001
We left Myrtle Beach, after our stay had been extended by our suddenly
pesky diesel, and motored up the ICW enroot to Camp Lejeune. It was a
70 mile day, from 0700 to 1900, mostly routine motoring through highly
developed coastal areas. The shores, both inland ICW side and the
visible Atlantic beach area, were lined with housing, mostly condos on
the beach side and private homes on the ICW. I can't begin to imagine
the expenditure of wealth this represents... assuming something like a
quarter million each (pretty conservative), the amount of wealth
committed to housing in this area is stunning. It's not quite like
Florida with its row after row of row after row of condos and hotels...
somewhat more green and distance separating the homes on the ICW (but
not the beach), but the overall effect, mile after mile after mile, is
just breathtaking. And more construction underway... bigger... better.
Further, almost every home has its own pier, frequently with a sport
fishing boat tied or hoisted at the pier head. These piers extend from
the homes, across wide expanses, sometimes 100 yds, of grassy marsh to
deeper water. By themselves the piers represent a significant
expenditure of money. We really are a disgustingly wealthy country, all
in all. All the small towns, Wrightsville, Topsail, even modest old
Swansboro, seem to have been taken over by the homes. No businesses,
apart from the marina here and there. No convenience stores, no grocery
stores, no gas stations, no video stores... just homes. Probably many
of these are seasonal only. Wow!
Once we got to the New River Inlet, the "adventure" started. As soon
as
I made the turn inland, the water shoaled to 7' or less, the channel
narrowed to less than 50', the markers moved out to about a mile apart,
and we started bumping and banging on the bottom but still kept moving.
I was simply afraid to try and turn around... no room. Shirley, trooper
all the way, was below trying to relay information to me from the charts
and GPS interface. I was on the helm hyperventilating, trying to
compress the wheel with my steely grip, and screaming out such helpful
and commanding things as "where are we... where do I turn... should I
turn... what marker is next... is there another mark... why did I want
to do this?" Shirley, calmly and deliberately, would tell me "Steer
352 for a mile... bare a bit more to the port side of the channel...
keep the red to the right", etc... Found a new bridge not on the map.
Had to guess at its height until we were immediately on the center
pilings. Did I mention we had a 20 kt wind and ebb tide with current.
I really do think that was the scariest and trickiest passage through
shoal water and channels that we have made. Arriving off Lejeune was
such a relief, such a pleasure. Much like surviving a parachute
jump... really glad it was over. However, it wasn't. The Camp Lejeune
marina said "Come on in... you draw 5'6"... no problem... just stay in
the channel", they said. Half way in, bumping and banging on the bottom.
Out we went to anchor, about a half mile off shore but in only 8' of
water. "Better out here", we said, "more wind to keep us
cool."
We went in by dinghy today and chatted with the folks in the marina.
Really friendly. One of the workers drove us into the Marine Exchange
for some shopping... offered to come back at our call and pick us up.
However, I wanted to walk around the base so Shirley and I did our
shopping (neat new Exchange) and then walked about two miles back to the
marina. We ran into another former Marine, now a cruising sailor, who
we had met earlier in the Bahamas. Really friendly group here. All
urged us to come into the marina but we don't trust the channel, would
be the largest boat in the marina, and really like being out where we
get more air. We did discover we can get to the Officer's Club from the
water. They have their own pier. We'll stick around here a few days.
Lots of military training going on. Biggest concentration of Marines
anywhere (40,000). We have an anchorage with close air and artillery
support. The firing gives us a sound and light show in the evening
hours. Better than television.
Bill and Shirley
S/V AT EASE
Camp Lejeune, NC
Web
Posted: July 24th, 2001
Off and moving north yet again. We left Georgetown the morning of the
22nd and motored up the ICW toward Southport, south of Wilmington, NC,
via Myrtle Beach. Before leaving Georgetown, we took a trolley tour of
some of the pre-revolutionary homes and then did our own walking tour of
the historic district. Still a beautiful little village, but we
discovered one of the secrets was Federal money. The town waterfront
was damaged by a hurricane, Hugo, and that led to grants which funded
much of the picturesque waterfront development. To bad... would have
rathered this was civic pride and not Federal largesse. Still and all,
a neat and special little town worth a return.
Our motoring was largely uneventful and overall beautiful. The ICW
follows a river which is bordered by "islands" and old rice
plantations,
all of which are being developed. The movie, "The Patriot" was filmed
in this area and loosely, very loosely, based on the exploits of Francis
Marion, the Swamp Fox, a revolutionary hero of fact who lived in this area.
Let's see... boat problems. Sure! Tossed another of those "heavy duty"
fan belts I bought. Anchored briefly in an adjoining creek and changed
the belt. Motored then on to Barefoot Landing in Myrtle Beach. This is
on the ICW, beside a large... really large... shopping center with
restaurants, some outlet stores, and the requisite tee shirt and cap
shops. They wisely provide free dockage assuming that boaters will step
across the wharf and shop. We did... found a bookstore and had a great
meal. Later we visited with other cruisers including a boat from South
Africa and another from New York. Sharing experiences is not only fun
but part of the learning curve all of us "cruisers" seem to be
experiencing.
Today we got underway... briefly... but had an overheating engine after
I tossed another fan belt. Replacing the belt did not solve the
problem... still overheating. Finally had to call for a tow and went
into a local marina where a diesel mechanic quickly solved the problem.
An air block was created by the initial overheating and this prohibited
water flow from the receptacle container to the heat exchanger. I had a
variety of replacement belts, acquired in various locales, most of which
were not "approved" replacements. Enough of that... only the approved
henceforth. Remember that "learning curve" comment?
We plan to continue on to Southport tomorrow... perhaps just as well. t has been rainy and humid all day so not a great day
to motor along the waterway.
Bill and Shirley
S/V AT EASE
Myrtle Beach, SC
Web
Posted: July 21st, 2001
We motored up from Charleston to Georgetown (SC) via the Intercoastal
Waterway, acting on recommendations from many that the waterway in the
Carolina's and Virginia provided the most scenic, and least shoal,
routes. Well, yes and no. Lots of salt marsh and grass, pelicans
galore and other aquatic bird life, one bald eagle, and a few other
cruising boats. Intermittently, t ere were narrow and very shoal channels.
AT EASE, with a modest 5'6" draft, stirred the mud more than once. On these narrow channels, there is some limited barge
traffic. Luckily, I met two of them on one of the longer and deeper
stretches and could side alongside at a comfortable (?) six feet
separation. Shudder to think of what would have happened if I had met them in a
turn. Actually, I know exactly what would have happened. Their
wide swinging turn would have forced me out of the channel and aground,
commenting extensively upon their seamanship as they churned merrily
and indifferently along their way.
The scenery did get better as we moved north and the
channels were deeper and wider. From north of Charleston to here, the water
turns from coastal dirty to a deep, ice tea brown which is hard to
believe. The Black River drains a huge swamp area with numerous
cypress and other vegetation that apparently leaches tannic acid into the
Winyah Sound and surrounding tributaries. I suspect brown algae also but who
knows? We certainly do have that ICW mustache, a brown curl of
discoloration, on our bow now so we fit right in with the other, so marked,
boats. The salt marshes gave way to low, marshy, pine forest as we got
closer. Pretty country! We loved Charleston with its oddly positioned homes, each
hundreds of years old and many with their documented history proudly
displayed. We even saw the "George Washington slept here" and
"was entertained here" placards. The prevalent "Charleston Single" is a
multi-stored home, with a one room-wide end facing the street and the long
axis, the front of the house, on a 90 degree axis from the street. Down the
alley-like walks between homes, and in front of the wide verandas and
porches, are jewel-like gardens just glimpsed from the street, but each a
pleasant surprise and joy. The more interesting streets themselves,
many brick or cobblestone, are heavily shaded by massive live oaks
thickly festooned with Spanish moss. Doesn't take much imagination to
be transported back in time.
Now on to Georgetown which is itself an old city, the
third oldest in South Carolina. It has its own
pre-revolutionary and antebellum buildings and its restored historic district, right on the
waterfront, and has a boardwalk along the
creek, commercial fishing wharfs and marinas, and a complimentary dinghy dock for cruisers. The
access to the community harbor is via a creek, maybe 150' wide, which
accommodates dockage as well as anchored boats. Dockside are a line of
shrimp boats, with a seafood market on the pier, some tour boats and small
marinas. Pretty tight quarters. The community is so very picturesque,
it looks suspiciously like what a Hollywood set designer would create
if he were looking for a rustic, small fishing village (a "Message
in a Bottle" sort of village), to feature in a film. We're anchored within
50' of the waterfront... close enough for folks ashore to wave and
call out greetings... and they do. Beautiful, it is. Looks like we're
going to be here for a few days.
Bill and Shirley Martin
S/V AT EASE
Georgetown, SC
Web
Posted: July 17th, 2001
We made a late start from Beaufort, about 0900, for our run up to
Charleston. It ended up being a 78 NM trip, but a nice offshore run
in
about 12 kts sustained wind and 2-4' seas. Sailing would have been
wonderful but we had to motor sail to make better time. Sailing we
would have made about 4, maybe 5, kts. Motor sailing we averaged over 6
and ran 7 some of the time. Schedules really are the bane of cruisers.
It was another beautiful day with clear skies and a wonderful coolness
which was a blessing after the high heat and humidity of late.
We really enjoyed Beaufort and their Water Festival was the extra days.
We heard the Parris Island Marine Corps band play the predictable march
music, and later a group from that band played some 60's rock and roll.
They did a great job... much better than the rock groups we paid to
hear the next night. We also did our own walking tour of the historic
district's beautiful old homes. The shady streets, numerous live oaks,
the friendliness and quiet elegance of the community were all
impressive. Probably the best community we have seen since Ocean
Springs, MS, and very supportive of cruisers. The community provides a
free dinghy dock, the city owned marina provides a courtesy car and
there is even a liquor store that will come and pick up boaters to take
them shopping. Definitely a place to visit again.
The run to Charleston was not without incident, of course. An
electrical short emerged in my instruments and disrupted service to the
GPS controlling my autopilot. While I have a backup, I went below to
sort things out. While entangled in wire and with my typical confusion
about things electrical, Shirley took over the cockpit duties. She had
heard a Coast Guard announcement regarding a boater in distress and
their request to "Keep a sharp lookout" and by golly she did. An
impressive amount and variety of flotsam and jetsam required her closer
inspection. Good for her! Had there been someone in the water, her
attentiveness could have made all the difference. I finally found the
short and got all those little electrons flowing in the proper
directions again but am even more convinced that evil spirits live in 12
volt systems.
There was a shockingly beautiful sunset as we entered the ship channel
off Charleston. That's right... but the time we got in, fighting the
outbound tidal current, it was dark. Stumbling around a strange harbor
at night is never pleasant but not as dangerous as it could have been
given the really reliable GPS-computer maps and some helpful cruising
guides. We were able to grope our way into a marina, actually right
beside Patriot Point with its assortment of ships. The aircraft carrier
Yorktown, a relatively contemporary diesel submarine, a WWII destroyer
and a Coast Guard cutter are open as museums and well worth the day
necessary to see them all.
Docking was again an adventure. There was a "helpful", and I'm sure
highly paid, dockside technician who somehow believed, in spite of a
vigorous current and visual evidence to the contrary, that he could
simply hold two to the lines we tossed, saving the cleats on the dock
for someone who really needed them I suppose. As our 30,000 pound boat
moved down current, Shirley and I provided some spirited instruction,
then direct assistance, and finally got the boat under control and
parked.
We have acquired an impressive collection of marine growth and barnacles
on our hull and on our dinghy since returning to the US. This coastal
water is apparently a much better environment for growth than was
present in the islands. The hull looked good when we left the Bahamas.
Now, with the water so murky, and dirty, and the current so significant,
I'm unwilling to dive to clean the bottom. I suppose I'll wait until we
get further north into less troublesome water for that chore.
We'll be moving from the marina today, having spent yesterday touring
the ships on display. We plan on anchoring off of the city marina,
which provides courtesy dinghy access for a small fee, and which is
beside the historic district of Charleston. Both of us are looking
forward to being able to walk and see the sights, check out the
restaurants and soak up ambiance of this remarkable city. I suspect we
will be here several days before moving on. Chesapeake Bay will just
have to wait.
We have a series of stops planned in small and hopefully
interesting communities along the route. From here to Georgetown, SC,
then to North Carolina for stops at Southport, Jacksonville, Beaufort,
Oriental, Bath and Washington. Then comes Virginia and its mix of
rivers and small towns. We still hope to reach the Chesapeake with
enough time remaining for a good visit before heading south again.
Bill and Shirley
S/V AT EASE
Web
Posted: July 5th, 2001
What a contrast of experiences. Today, taking advantage of our rental
car, we took our laundry ashore to a local Laundromat. Third world
experience, overall, and shared with a polyglot of folks indeed. Then we
drove to Parris Island again to visit a very well done museum, of Parris
Island and Port Royal Sound in particular and the Marine Corps more
generally. Following this, a marvelous meal, sitting on a veranda, along
the waterfront in Beaufort, just off of the most impressive
waterfront park we have seen. This is a community dating itself from about
1520's or so, occupied variously by the American Indians (of course), the
Spanish, the French, some Scots, Confederates, Yankee Aggressors, and then by
the genteel South Carolinians. Wonderful waterfront mansions, many predating the
War of Northern Aggression, and even those following done in the antebellum
fashion. We ended the evening sitting on the foredeck watching fireworks
displays, impressive and protracted, from both Parris Island and from Port
Royal, while listening to a stirring CD of Sousa marches. Not too shabby, all in
all.
Bill and Shirley
S/V AT EASE
Beaufort, SC
Web
Posted: July 1st, 2001
We have arrived at Parris Island, S.C., tucked inside of Port Royal
Sound and just east of Beaufort and Port Royal. Hilton Head, the well
known Resort is to our immediate south. We motored up from Savannah
yesterday, via the Intercoastal Waterway (ICW), a series of dredged
channels and some canals through creeks and rivers, inland or at least
protected from the sea. The ICW runs from the NE US around the coast to
Texas. We tend to avoid it generally... too shallow and narrow, and
very busy with recreational traffic. Also, there are numerous bridges
which slow things down either by congesting boat traffic or while one
waits for them to open the bridge. However, since we were already 20
miles inland, at Savannah, it saved us some time.
We left New Smyrna Beach enroot to St Augustine, a one day trip, on
Tuesday (June 26). Typical Florida day with light winds and building
thunderstorms all around us but it was a nice motor-sail up the coast.
In St Augustine we stayed in a marina which gave us immediate access to
the historic district and the old fort. There is a small, contained
area within the historic district where locals dress in period costume
and perform typical day to day tasks much as was done in the late 1600
to early 1700 period. Their blacksmith shop brought back memories and
the tools and the smells could probably all have been found in granddad's blacksmith shop. We met a couple, Michael and Carmen on S/V
Euphoria,
first seen back in Nassau and Georgetown, and had a great evening with
them in one of the numerous restaurants on the harbor shore. The next
morning we were off to Savannah.
The trip up took us pretty far offshore, about 50 miles at its extreme,
and was about a 180 NM trip overnight. Weather conditions were about
the same as above so we motor-sailed the entire route making good time
and letting the new autopilot and computer do their thing. Off
Jacksonville, with its Navy base, we saw a Navy missile submarine within
a mile in front, still on the surface 20 miles out (too shallow to
dive). Really big boat even at that distance. A Coast Guard cutter was
circling about two miles off and I suspect she was escorting the
submarine. We did another movie marathon in the cockpit as it got dark and
watched The Patriot and The Perfect Storm.
Taking turns standing watch left us both feeling pretty good the next
day for the run up the Savannah river and into the ICW where we went
into a marina about 10-12 miles outside of the city proper. A cab ride took us
into the historic river district where we did tourista stuff for the
afternoon and early evening. Really another pleasant city with its beautiful and tranquil squares, and its many interesting
restaurants and bars. They've done a good job of
restoring their old river front warehouses and
buildings into shops and such. Had a great meal before heading
back to the boat. The ICW is a challenge. The
channel is sometime quite narrow with encroaching
shoals which are not well marked. Moving inland, just out from
Savannah, we rubbed the muddy bottom but I was able to spin the boat
off with a quick turn. Coming out, at the same turn, I found going high was no better than the first attempt to go low. This
time I was stuck. Fortunately, had left at low tide
so within 30 minutes had more water under the boat.
That, plus a passing sport fisherman's wake, bounced
me off. This all made me anxious the rest of the ICW trip from Savannah
to Port Royal. I had plotted a course on the computer which kept
me in the deeper water. The autopilot did a wonderful job, I think better than I could do, following this course with its many
twist and turns. The trip
really was beautiful. Bright sunlight and billowing clouds, grassy
swamp lands to one side or the other with islands with bluffs no higher
than 10-12'. Beautiful homes here and there with their own docks and
priceless views. Some more congested areas with houses one after another,
all well kept and impressively expensive I'm sure. As we got closer
to Hilton Head, the homes became more frequent and more impressive,
finally transitioning to the Florida-like condos and glitzy marinas
which really change the character from tranquil nature to commercial
clang.
We did have more equipment problems but probably well
within the range expected in a working boat. The
fresh water system had been plagued by a trickling of
water, much but not all of the time. I had switched pumps
out, taken each section of pipe apart and checked all the electrical
connections without solving the problem. Finally got around to
checking the filter... clogged of course. Leave it to me to not check
the obvious and simple solution first. Smelt smoke at one point at
sea but could not find the source and nothing seemed to get worse. Later
discovered this to have been the battery isolator cooking because of
a loose or corroded connection. This drained the engine starting battery
which required me to jump start the main engine a few times. The
starting battery also drives the electric kill switch, which failed to
work. Replaced the isolator in New Smyrna and the battery in Savannah
and everything works again. I did notice some surging in RPM and
in output from the alternator. Suspected some voltage regulator wiring
and replace that with an apparent fix. Feeling pretty good about getting
the problems fixed. I'm really pretty well at a loss with things
mechanical. My approach is to open things up and then wave menacing
looking tools until the recalcitrant part is suitably intimidated
and starts working again. Working good, so far. We
arrived off Parris Island, the Marine Corps recruit training center for
the east coast, mid afternoon and had sundowners in the cockpit while
listening to chanting platoons heading for evening chow. I went to
boot camp here almost exactly 40 years ago and was able to find an anchorage
off the area where our old barracks were located. Immediately behind
the barracks were the grassy, swamp lands and Port Royal Sound with
the lights of Port Royal visible at night across the sound. We're planning
on getting ashore and wandering the base in the next few days and
are hoping for a good July 4th show as well. We'll be moving just up
the inlet to Beaufort sometime in the next week or so, and will be hanging
around Hilton Head during the middle of the month meeting with an
old Navy friend and his family. Have I mentioned that
we are having a ball? The anxieties in the ICW and
the pretty minor mechanical and electrical problems are just spices that
add to the flavor of those marvelous times offshore or at anchor in beautiful
vistas we have dreamed about for so long. What a wonderful opportunity
this has been for us. Wish we could share it with all of you.
Bill and Shirley
S/V AT EASE
Parris Island, S.C.
Web
Posted: June 25th, 2001
(Webmaster's Note: Bill &
Shirley's At Ease is featured on the front cover of
Good Old Boat
sailing
magazine in the July-August issue. It will be on the magazine stands
from now until August 31st. Saylor even made the inside cover!
Look for it now at larger selection magazine stands and read the five page
article about them. DeGray Lake got good mention of their
experiences here getting ready to go cruising)
S/V AT EASE is underway again with her full crew back aboard. Shirley
and I arranged for last minute repairs to repairs at the Rybovich boatyard
and then left Lake Worth about noon on Tuesday the 19th. Forecast was for
scattered thunder storms, 10-15 kts of wind from the east, and 2-4' seas.
That would have been wonderful for a run up to Ft Pierce (about 50 miles).
In fact, we had about 5 kts from the NE, too close to our course to do
much good so we simply motored most of the way. As should have been
expected, we discovered more maintenance issues as soon as we got
underway. I was puzzled by some erratic action from the new autopilot,
especially in track mode, and by the inconsistent read of data from the
computer and GPS to the autopilot. Took me two days of staring at it and
worrying about it before I finally tracked the problem to a failure to
connect a signal ground wire. Autopilot worked great after that was fixed.
Even better after I got some ferrite filters onto the SSB and data lines
to cut down on RF interference. The foils on the forward roller furler had
parted (pin had fallen out somewhere) and allowed the sail to slip out of
the slot enough to become jammed. I can
still use the sail (I got the two sections together enough) but the sail
cannot be dropped. Probably will have to take the whole thing down
somewhere down the line and repair the furler.
We anchored overnight a Ft Pierce and departed about
noon (low tide) for an overnight run up the coast to New Smyrna (about 100
miles). Weather was about the same but we could get
some value from the light wind so motor-sailed the
whole route while letting the autopilot drive the
boat. Watch standing was routine apart from dodging several fishing boats.
Radar makes that all so much easier. Shirley took charge of entertainment,
prepared a wonderful pork roast for dinner and then hauled
the TV to the cockpit for a movie marathon. We went past Cape Canaveral
about midnight and were treated to a light show from a thunderstorm
banging away over land. The airbursts of light were really spectacular. Arrival at New Smyrna was routine apart from a tricky
entrance through Ponce de Leon inlet and a narrow
channel into the marina. We were greeted at the dock
by friends from the Bahamas who have been here several
weeks. This is a nice, relatively small community with stores easily
accessible by foot plus our friends have access to a car. The marina
is community owned and operates to a large degree on the honor system.
Quite a change from the aggressive exploitation of cruisers seen
in so many marinas, especially in Florida.
From here we plan on a day sail to St Augustine for an
overnight anchorage, then out for a couple of days to
Savannah. It's a long drive up the river to the city,
about 25-30 miles, but we believe the city will be
worth the effort. Then up to Port Royal Sound (Hilton Head) for several
days before moving on to Charleston. We expect to move up the ICW
through the Dismal Swamp and the Carolinas, probably up to Norfolk, and
then off into the Chesapeake in the Annapolis area.
Bill and Shirley
S/V AT EASE
New Smyrna, FL
Web
Posted: June 16th, 2001
AT EASE is out of the yard period with repairs largely completed. Deferred
the upgrade on the galley stove... too long a waiting period while the
replacement was shipped. Everything else was completed. I did my own list
of maintenance tasks while just sitting in the yard (rebedding
hardware, tuning rigging, lube and anticorrosion stuff) and believe I have
a more functional boat now in pretty good condition for further
cruising. Shirley took advantage of the yard period to head for Arkansas
and a round of grandmotherly visits. I had intended to run up the coast
alone and pick her up in Daytona upon her return (6/17) but was delayed in
the yard just too long. Plan now is for her to fly into Daytona and then
rent a car to drive down to Lake Worth where she will rejoin the hardy
crew of S/V AT EASE. We'll leave here in the next few days to start up the
coast and will probably move fairly quickly out of Florida and then more
slowly once we are off the GA and Carolina coasts. I'm looking forward to
visiting both major Marine Corps bases: Parris Island and Camp Lejeune. I
know that (tongue in cheek) will be exciting for Shirley as well. When I
was with a Marine Amphibious Recon unit, we were billeted right on Onslow
Beach, with the Intercoastal Waterway immediately behind our barracks. I
used to watch the sail and motor boats moving up and down just a
biscuit-throw away, but apparently a lifetime beyond my reach. I intend to
sail slowly by and only hope I see a Marine or two outside, watching the
passing boats, so I can wave. Not smugly, mind you, but with
affection.
Once underway, I'll get to use my new toys. The new autopilot has a
multifunction display at the steering pedestal in the cockpit and is
interfaced with the computer navigational system. I can plot a route
(track), with multiple waypoints, on my computer-based electronic
mapping/charting system, and then direct the autopilot to drive that
route. I will have data ranging from speed over ground, average speed,
distance made good, distance to next waypoint, cross-track error, etc...
displayed real time. If it were not for that pesky traffic,
especially those boats bigger than me, I could drive the boat from the
navigational station below. All this is not tied in with my radar. I'll
have to wait until I get a more modern radar that will electronically talk
to the other instruments. No hurry... the radar has done well and is very
valuable, especially at sea and during the night. Really eager for THE
MATE's return. Have missed her but am also glad she was off playing while
in the yard. Yards are just hot, dirty and uncomfortable. Not much way of
getting around that. With Shirley back, the boat will feel more like home
again and it will be nice to have my best friend back to adventure with
once more. I believe we're both ready to get underway again. Looking
forward to getting offshore and feeling the boat come alive and to see new
places grow on the horizon.
Bill and Saylor S/V AT EASE
Lake Worth, FL
Web
Posted: June 7th, 2001
Well S/V AT EASE is back in a yard. After 7-8 months of living aboard and
sailing her, AT EASE has developed a list of equipment problems. I thought
sailors might be interested in the details. I came into the yard to repair a
refrigeration unit that went kaput just days before our return to the
States. Added to the refrigerator, the electric autopilot, chafing on the
main halyard immediately above the head of the sail, and a LPG solenoid that
went bad. Optional upgrades... I had 1" SS tubing wielded between the
stern pulpit and the first stanchions on each side - more secure mounts for
the solar panels. I also had the diesel looked at. I was getting low oil
pressure readings at lower RPM. The mechanic believes it is the sender unit
and not the oil pressure else the low pressure alarm would have been
triggered. While waiting on others, I tackled my own list of repairs. I
removed, cleaned, corrosion guarded, and rebedded the stanchions, retuned
all the rigging (needed more tension), replaced another automatic bilge
switch and cleaned the bilge, pickled my watermaker since inland water is
such poor quality, and redid some splices around my windless which had been
getting pretty hot during operation. I lubed or corrosion guarded everything
I could reach on deck. The salt environment is just viciously corrosive. I
am replacing my refrigeration unit with a newer, maybe better, unit.
However, I have now talked to three people from the refrigeration
company, each has seemed very competent, and each has given me different
information. That is why I opted to just replace the old unit with a new
unit. Seems simpler than working out what all is wrong. These folks have
extended my stay now about a week beyond that which would have been
necessary had they just gotten their act together from the beginning. It is
just frustrating to be held prisoner in a marina by service folks who don't
quite have their act together. Hope the delay will be worth it, as defined
by a cold refrigerator (and beer) at the end of this multi-week nightmare.
Have I mentioned that I don't like being in boat yards?
I upgraded from an old Autohelm 3000 to an Autohelm ST4000 which is now
integrated with my computer navigation system and GPS. Riggers rounded
masthead extrusions with files and we put in a new main halyard to fix the
chafing problem (likely the result of a new mainsail used over the last six
months and riding differently at the head of the sail). Living
in the yard is less than ideal. The yard is in a bad area. There is good
security here but nothing really within walking distance except for
dangerous neighborhoods. Hard to even get to small "Mom and Pop"
groceries to fetch food for Saylor and self (Shirley is visiting in
Arkansas). Purchasing two bags of ice daily just to sustain my cooler in
this heat and humidity... eggs, butter and such, not beer. Honest!
Even the yard's marine store is minimal. They seem very willing to order
anything I need but all that leads to a longer stay. I don't want to stay
any longer. My brother plans to come next week and stay with me for a few
days while I move north. What I hope is that I will get out of here before
he arrives, move about five miles and anchor off of an area, accessible via
dinghy, with a Publix Supermarket and a West Marine within a mile or so, and
reprovision with food and other odds and ends of light bulbs, shackles,
etc... Then maybe AT EASE will be able to get back in her natural element,
moving again in her graceful strut out there where swells are regular and
clutter is less. Unfortunately, moving north will be more via the ICW than I
would prefer. I always want to move offshore but there are so few inlets
back into anchorages, or the ICW, that inshore runs are really necessary.
What inlets exist tend to be separated by distances just too far for a day's
run and just to short for an overnight run. Bummer! Motoring up the ICW on
Florida's East coast is to be snarled in urban sprawl with narrow, congested
channels and an unbelievable plethora of bridges, many of which open only on
their schedule independent of boat traffic. Imagine, if you will, trying to
"park" a sailboat in a narrow channel, among many other (typically
motor) boats, backing or stalling, circling if possible, ducking and
dodging, while some bridge operator decides to open. Oh boy, we're really
having fun now!
If all this sounds like something less than an enthusiastic endorsement
of the Florida Playground... you got that right! Don't come here! Don't
spend money in Florida! Quit eating oranges and drinking orange juice!
Mickey Mouse is just another rodent! No wonder they screwed up their
election... Flori-DUH!
My note seems a bit, only a bit, too caustic but maybe this gives some
balance to the paradise-described and exuberance of earlier reports. Both
Shirley and I are looking forward to getting into Georgia and the Carolinas
where we really do want to do some distance on the ICW. We want to stop at
some of the cities and many of the small towns, some of which are friendly
to cruisers and some of which are more dominated by local culture which I
fondly remember from years past. Hope things haven't hanged all that
much over the years.
Bill and Saylor (sans Shirley)
S/V AT EASE
West Palm Beach, FL (pending final ransom payment)
Web
Posted: May 29th, 2001
We left Bimini about 1030 local time to ride out of
Alice Town harbor on a high tide. Our stay in Bimini was pleasant with our
guests (John and Divya) aboard but overall we found Bimini somewhat
frustrating. The waters surrounding Bimini were characterized with a
pronounced swell, which made anchoring seem like we were underway in the
open sea. Alice Town harbor was flat but very constricted with
unmarked flats and bars and poor holding. Further, the entrance into
the harbor was also obstructed by unmarked bars and constriction,
complicated further by
heavy sport fishing traffic with courtesy learned from New York taxi
drivers. We went on a newly installed mooring buoy but even that was fraught
with problems. The owners had well secured the moorings to the
bottom and the surface line, barely long enough, had a large, rubber
hose ring with float attached but with no pendant for securing the boat
to the mooring. Given the strong current, it was hard to identify the
problem. We ended up with John in the dinghy motoring to the buoy and
attaching one of my dock lines, then doubling the line back to me on the
boat for securing. After two days of alternating current, my dock line,
the light line securing the float to the mooring, and the mooring
itself, were badly tangled and wrapped, requiring another trip in the
dinghy to release it all. I think the Bahamian owners of the moorings
have some basic engineering to work out.
The distance from Bimini to Lake Worth (80 NM) was just too long for a day run
and just too short for a day-overnight run. I opted to leave at high tide and
then anchor offshore at some popular reef area where John, Divya and Shirley did
some further snorkeling. About 1600 we upped anchor and headed for Florida. The
weather forecast was for 10-15 kts from the SW, seas 2-4', and scattered showers
and thunderstorms. Instead, we had wind more like 10 kts initially, building to
15 overnight, from the E-SE, with continuous thunderstorm activity (lightening
and thunder) around us during the entire run. Seas built overnight to about 4-6'
with some 8' to keep us alert. Wind was relatively stable with some gusts up to
about 20 kts during squalls. I ran northwest under all working sail but brought
in or put out the staysail several times as wind shifted from our starboard beam
to astern. Saylor, because of a mix of recent diet, seasickness and simple fear
associated with all the thunder and lightening, developed a nasty case of
diarrhea which made the somewhat crowed, wet and musty shelter of the cockpit
even more pungently interesting. It rained pretty continuously so we were in
foul weather gear all night for the warmth as much as for dryness. After dark, I
kept the radar on to track ship traffic and we had quite a bit during the early
and later portions of the crossing. Only one was confusing (strange light
configuration) and it took me quite some time to decipher the heading and then
maneuver to avoid. We ended up turning into him and passing along his port side
to cross astern… by then he was within a half mile… closer than I like. The
adrenalin did help keep us awake. With quartering waves from astern, steering
was very active. The Monitor, our self-steering windvane, performed wonderfully
all night. What a pleasure to watch it work while we didn't have to work. All
hands were appreciative. I hope I can remember to give it a double drink of
WD-40 when we have our celebratory arrival drink later.
I had forgotten how very busy the VHF gets on the US coast. We were bombarded
all night with radio traffic… mostly from the Coast Guard. It is still
surprising how very many calls they get for assistance from vessels with various
problems… groundings, failed engines and even taking on water. Those guys
really are busy with calls even if all they do is pass the requests on to
commercial firms for towing, etc… I get the impression that current guidelines
have them deploying their own assets pretty rarely. When called, it seems to me
they get more involved filling out their forms and asking a long series of
questions (i.e. "How many souls aboard?" and "Do they have life
jackets on?", etc… ), when the caller has their hands full with a boat in
distress. I suppose the information is important but think priorities get
confused.
We arrived predawn by 1-2 hours so we hove to off shore until daylight
and then ran into Lake Worth inlet. This is a pretty busy harbor with much
holiday boat traffic and probably routine ship traffic. We found an
anchorage, called Customs to check in and were told we had to be docked to
even report arrival. Okay… up anchor and off to a marina that allowed us
to tie up to their fuel dock briefly. I spent a hour tallying up all our
purchases ("Hmmm… was that 6 or 10 oranges we bought at Hawkbill
Cay?"), compulsively anxious less we miss something which would then
expose me to bureaucratic retribution, and was then asked only "Any
non-US passengers?" and "Have you bought one of our decals
yet?". The $25 decal seems to be pretty important to somebody. In any
event, we're officially home (and down came the yellow flag).
There is a popular cruiser's anchorage in the extreme northern end of
Lake Worth bight, well protected and within short distance access to a
shopping center and grocery store. We motored there on the ICW, dodging
busy holiday traffic, and anchored. First things first… down came the
dinghy and motor. Quick shower and then off to the shopping center for a
wide-eyed ("Look at that Shirley!") tour of the giant Publix
supermarket, and large pizza with extra cheese to fix our junk food
craving. We asked about a theater and both customers and clerks at the
pizza place gave us options within a short distance. "Within walking
distance?", we asked. "Walking! You mean… like WALKING? Well
no… further than that." We're back in the US. After our travels
over the last six months, with few significant maintenance problems apart
from battery replacement, things are wearing out on AT EASE. I will be
putting her into a service marina for some needed repairs and
upgrades.
Our electric autopilot, an ancient Autohelm 3000, broke a week or two
ago. Our refrigerator went out while in Bimini… my inept troubleshooting
succeeded in accomplishing little. Back to an icebox, it is. Coming down
from Port Lucaya, I noticed my main halyard fraying immediately above the
sail attachment. I whipped the halyard for our crossing to Florida but on
arrival noted the whipping had frayed and even more of the main was
frayed. Probably a broken sheave at the mast head. That needs fixing too.
I have a failed "Y" valve behind the head, needed for
redirecting to the holding tank, so that needs replacement. I'm going to
try and get a bronze fitting. Tired of broken plastic. Shirley had one
layer of glass, the internal layer, break on her oven door. She did a
hasty repair. We put a sheet of stainless steel plate up behind the oven
door, and it has produced a continuing flow of fresh bread and baked
goods. However, she wants an upgrade to a new propane galley stove. The
safety valve, guarding against propane malfunction, has failed and we had
to bypass that about a month ago. I'll get that repaired/replaced while
here. I'm also getting some hot wiring around my windlass when it is used.
Need someone to check that out. Then there are the usual broken fittings,
burned out bulbs, and such that simply are unavailable out in the islands
without lengthy delays and customs problems. That doesn't seem like too
long a list given how hard we have used AT EASE. I have taken Bahama
charts off my electronic navigation system and replaced them with
Florida-US East Coast charts. I guess I need to purchase some sailing
guides for this area and then do some homework getting ready for the run
up the coast. Between repairs and homework, I should stay busy while
Shirley flies home for a visit with family.
Bill
and Shirley
S/V AT EASE
Lake Worth, Florida, USA
Web
Posted: May 23rd, 2001
Plans are made to be changed. About 20 minutes before casting off lines
from Port Lucaya to head to Florida, John Hixson and his friend, Divya,
contacted us with the news that they could come over. They flew into
Freeport to join us for the trip back. We did another day at Port Lucaya and then left for a wonderful sail back across the Northwest
Providence Channel to Bimini. Under all working sail, and in sustained
15 kt SE winds, we had a close to perfect day out of sight of land and
in really deep water. Brisk wind and wave action (4-6' mostly), and the
predictable beautiful, inky-dark deep water of the Channel. We ducked
and dodged supertankers (five met enroot) but other than that the
crossing was uneventful. It was even leisurely with the Monitor (our
self steering windvane) doing the bulk of the work. Shirley spent what
seemed much of the day in the galley sending a never ending supply of
snacks and fruit, and a few blended drinks, up into the cockpit for crew
replenishment. Seems like when the wave action gets up, she has to
reassure herself she is still able to make that galley come alive. In
between creations, we had to call her topside for sail tweaking and
such. Pretty complete, this sailor-lady.
Although we were doing 5.5-6.5 kts much of the day, the trip was long
and we ended up motor-sailing the last quarter just to get in before
dark. We rounded the NW corner of the banks off of Great Issac
Lighthouse, slipped past the Hens and Chickens Cays and anchored off the
west shore of Bimini (Paradise Point) about 1900. The hulk of a beached
sailboat lay ashore to suggest holding may not be good with westerly
weather. Winds had stayed pretty well at 15 kts from the E-SE all day
and night but during the night a swell developed from the S-SW and we
rolled and bumped throughout the night. Shirley's first words this
morning were "Make it stop!" I tried moving north around the island
but
the wind-driven waves from the east, mixed with the S-SW swell, made for
even worse conditions. We ended up nosing into Bimini Harbor (Alicetown) through a shoal and narrow channel to anchor in an equally
shoal and narrow area at the northern end of the harbor. It was then
only a short dinghy ride into town to walk the strip, look at yet again
another Straw Market, visit another Bahamian grocery store, and stop by
another Hemingway Home and Favorite Bar ("Honest, this was his favorite
place and he lived here too!") for a drink.
Shirley, John and Divya have gone snorkeling. I have a healing finger,
a clumsy cut while sharpening a knife, so I am home care taking. Saylor
and I are well prepared to fend off boarders, or to do a little boarding
ourselves if the plunder looks promising. No likely targets yet but it
is early afternoon.
We expect more snorkeling tomorrow, reefs and a shipwreck just south of
here around Gun Cay, and then we will look for a window to run up the
Florida Strait and over the stream and into Lake Worth. I'm feeling a
bit sad at leaving the Bahamas... we have had a wonderful time. But then
we will have the SE US coast to look forward to and the summer in
Chesapeake. Plus we do plan on returning to the Bahamas next year
before we move on south and down the island chain.
Bill and Shirley
(with John and Divya)
S/V AT EASE
Alicetown, Bimini, Bahamas
Web
Posted: May 20th, 2001
We left Nassau the morning of the 16th… and an auspicious beginning
it was. Within 50' of the slip we were aground (soft bottom). Very narrow
access lane in this marina and it was only 30 minutes beyond low tide so
we initially planned to just wait for higher water but what wind and wake
action there was tended to push us further ashore. My outboard was stowed
aboard AT EASE and I resisted getting it down and back on the dinghy. A
German couple in the adjoining slip graciously mounted their outboard and
he used this to tow our bow around where I was able to use my main engine
to push us off the mud/sand bottom. Of course we were the entertainment
for the pier while everyone had their second cup of coffee. Mustering our
tattered dignity, we exited the harbor smartly, all flags flying and a
defiant tilt to our chins. Weather has changed. Still bright and clear, a
stationary high predominates, but wind is diminishing and we had only
about 10-12 kts from the NE as we moved into the Tongue of the Ocean for
our run NW to the Berry Islands
This is deep water so Shirley deployed the fishing line and we later did land a
barracuda. It truly was a beautiful sail for about 25 of the 35 NM trip… wind
finally laid and we motored the last segment. The water was a deep indigo, an
inky base highlighted by the bright, white, foamy wash of water breaking off the
moving boat. We did have an over flight by a US Coast Guard helo that, I'm sure,
dutifully reported on Shirley who was working on her tan line. We anchored off
Chub Cay but did not bother going ashore. Shirley caught two more fish at the
anchorage, cleaned and cooked them on the grill while I cooked pork chops in the
galley. Pretty good meal for sail-fare. After some map work, our route began to
take shape. We decided to move to the northern Berrys, to Great Harbor Cay, and
stay overnight. Then, off across Northwest Passage to Port Lacaya on Grand
Bahama (near Freeport) for a final marina visit prior to moving back to Florida.
The morning started dead calm and really didn't change very much. We had some
5-6 kt wind for some of the morning but most of the 40 NM trip was by motoring.
Beautiful scenery between the series of Berry's drifting by on our port and the
outrageously brilliant sea everywhere else. Mid afternoon we had a serious
equipment failure. The cap on the end of the motor drive shaft on our Autohelm
simply cracked into two parts and defied my attempts at repair. The repair took
two hours… the repair lasted five minutes before once again littering the
cockpit deck. Slaves to the wheel once more, alas, alas! No wind so no Monitor
to fall back on. We anchored at Great Harbour Cay, just south of Great Stirrup
Cay where the cruise ships anchor and ferry passengers ashore for a touch of
island life. There was a huge cruise ship there, took up a goodly portion of our
horizon, but we saw no signs of those pesky and pale denizens of the monster.
The harbor area we chose is considered a good hurricane hole and is beautiful as
well as large… easily several miles across and sheltered from just about any
direction. Some places are a bit shoal but hundreds of boats could anchor here.
We shared the anchorage with two other sailboats and one bedraggled Bahamian
fishing boat (who decided to run his generator all night long).
Although a mile off shore, we had to use bug screens for only the 4th or 5th
time since leaving. Shirley did catch a small "Big Eye" tuna, which
was tasty. The trip to Port Lacaya is one of the longest, one day efforts we
have made… 57 NM across the very deep and busy Northwest Channel. The morning
started with a brisk wind up to about 10 NM steady from the SW and we took
advantage of this to sail as long as possible. The weather faxes from the night
before suggested we would run out of wind as we moved north, and so we did. Not
only had to start the motor but we had to steer again as the Monitor (our self
steering wind vane) could not hold course in such light air. Made for a long day
of watch standing but Shirley and I traded off steering in one hour shifts so no
one got too bored. Fishing again in the deep water… donated two lures either
to strikes by large fish (broken steel leaders) or something. The radar was up
and running as I anticipated much ship traffic… saw only one container ship
and very few other boats all day long. More work on those tan lines! More books
consumed. More hours spent just watching the ocean, and the colors, and the
waves, and being drugged by the comfortable motion of the boat in this calm sea.
Port Lacaya is very touristy… hotels and condos and big power boats
predominating in the marinas. Bright pastel colors on the surrounding buildings,
which all look new, and a level of cleanliness and order and bustle we haven't
seen in quite some time. There is a cluster of shops and bars and restaurants
near the marina and we spent the early evening wandering and people-watching. We
ate at a pleasant, pub-like restaurant, a former Pusser's, that had a great menu
of English foods. In the plaza next to the restaurant, a band and singer worked
their way through island's music while a mix of tourists and locals and numerous
children danced and pranced the night away. Plumb pleasant, it was! We expect to
stay another day or so… would love to find some wind to drive us across the
Gulf Stream. It's about 80-90 NM to Lake Worth, Florida. We anticipate leaving
in the early to mid afternoon for an overnight run, arriving about daylight off
the Lake Worth inlet. The weather is so stable now, after being so troubled for
that three week or more period, that no real wind is anticipated. That will make
for a long night of watch-standing and steering but we are, of course, dauntless
seafaring types who, with sun-seamed faces and salt-reddened eyes, laugh in the
face of such adversity. Can't wait to get to Florida, and the land of marine
stores, to get a replacement for that pesky autopilot!
Bill and Shirley
S/V AT EASE
Port Lacaya, Grand Bahama, Bahamas
Web
Posted: May 15th, 2001
Underway again. Our guests, W.L. and Muriel McCaskill,
arrived at the marina about 1800 05/08/01 and we had a wonderful meal at
the Poop Deck restaurant in the marina. Early the next morning we checked
weather, found things about the same, and decided to head south to
Norman's Cay. We were underway by 0830 with a smooth departure from
the pier in spite of a 15-20 kt wind pushing us against the dock, and a
typically congested marina with little maneuver room. We ran a reciprocal
of our course here planning to swing further south to Norman's Cay but
changed horses in mid stream and went back to Highborne Cay for the
reefs. Winds stayed about 15-20 kts and seas were 2-4' with some
occasional higher. We sailed with a reefed main, yankee and staysail, rail
pretty close to the water, and boat speeds hanging from high 6's to low
7's.
Beautiful day but the early part of the trip involved winds on our beam
and swells coming up our port quarter so the boat had a pronounced
corkscrewing motion. At the halfway point we swung more easterly into more
of a reach with beam swells. We arrived at Highborne Cay well before dark
and set anchor close to where we had stayed several days earlier. I knew
we had good holding there. In spite of the unsettling boat motion coming
down from Nassau, crew revived and consumed ration of steak (and grog) for
evening repast. All slept well after a day of sun and boat handling. All
hands headed ashore for a walking tour of the island. This is privately
held but they have a marina and some rental homes on the island and
allowed, if not encouraged, our visit. We wandered a couple of miles down
an ocean front beach considering whether any of the garbage and trash
needed recycling aboard AT EASE… nothing was that attractive but if any
of you need any plastic shreds or scraps, I know a plentiful source.
We made the return trip to AT EASE in a dinghy low to the water but
manned by a capable crew. Our guests were introduced to an endemic malady
in the islands, Dinghy Butt, a condition caused by butt immersion in
saltwater or spray. We've been on the beaches here multiple times. We have
never had anyone else on the beaches. How nice! Some old friends came into
the anchorage… NOCTURNE and N'JOY. Had a great cockpit sundowner on our
boat today and tomorrow will go to N'JOY for sunset honors. A pleasure to
see these new/old friends again and have the joy of their quick-fire sense
of humor and consistently good cheer. Friday (05/11/01), we went
snorkeling, tried a drift dive, over some reefs immediately north of our
anchorage. We were marginally more exposed to wind and swell, still 15 (+)
kts and 2-4' waves, and there was considerable tidal current as well. I
stayed in the boat to keep track of the swimmers. At one point, moving
from reef to reef, swimmers held on to the side of the boat while I slowly
motored. It was pretty slow and a bit boring for me in the boat, but was a
life threatening, endurance contest for swimmers in the water... each in
their own way keeping this a secret until later when they, in mass, seemed
to question my judgment... go figure! Beautiful reefs and some fish but
between wave action and current it made for tiring swimming.
On Saturday, we moved to Allen Cays, only about 5-6 NM
away, and anchored inside the lagoon-like bay.
Although there were four other boats in the
anchorage, there was still a sense of isolation. We did the
usual beach visits to see the protected iguanas that live there, and wandered around inside and outside the bay looking for
interesting reefs. We did find some interior reefs
that were accessible but had to watch out for a
strong, ebb-tide current even there. As they rounded the
reef point, both Shirley and Muriel made a break for Africa but, with
the trusty dink, we bested the current and retrieved all hands. On
Sunday, back to Nassau with an early start in perfect conditions. Winds
15 kts from the NE, subdued swells at 2-4' from the north, and just
enough puffy clouds to make the bright blue sky more striking. We raised
all working sail, turned on the Monitor to steer, and sat back to watch
the world go by. Quite a few boats moving, given the superb weather,
all moving north. Just close to a perfect sail with enough boat
action to rock us all into a blissful stupor.
Arrival in Nassau was
almost a disappointment. Monday was our tourist
day... we walked downtown and toured the several blocks
of cruise ship, duty-free, tourist shops. The Bahamian Straw Market
is the central feature of this area. This is a multi-storied building,
maybe as large as 1/2 block, with one booth after another of individual
"shops", mostly selling caps, straw products, shirts, wraps and dresses with some wood carving and hand-made jewelry.
There are over 500 such booths... Muriel and Shirley
were determined to miss not one. They succeeded. We ended with a wonderful, water-front meal at Crocodiles,
a cruiser's hangout in the harbor, and returned to
AT EASE to feast on Bahamian Rum Cake, with extra
rum of course, to close out the day and the week. I
think all this would be considered in keeping with Arkansas' rich nautical
heritage... what a marvelous week!
Bill and Shirley with W L and
Muriel
S/V AT EASE
Nassau, New Providence, Bahamas
Web
Posted: May 6th, 2001
On May 3rd, we moved from Hawksbill Cay to Highbourne Cay at the head
of
the Exuma chain. Another late start. I downloaded the weather faxes before
leaving. Seems the weather faxes, and the area SSB radio nets, all come on about
the same time. I have been opting for the weather info and have not been
checking into the Cruiseheimer's net so have lost track of several of our
friends whom are now pretty well distributed around the Bahamas.
Bright blue skies when we left with building cumulus
clouds during the day. Winds up to 20-25 kts from the NE throughout the day
with a steep 2-4 ft chop, maybe somewhat higher, and
swell mostly from the north, the residual from a pretty good size,
stalled front hanging over the northern Bahamas which has been
dominating our weather for a couple of weeks. I sailed with reefed main
and yankee only, left that staysail alone, and was close to over-powered
even with that. The port rail was at the water with occasional waves
coming aboard and running down the walkway. Wonderful, exhilarating
sail with a comfortable boat action even though we were banging away
into the waves and sending sheets of spray over the deck. We were moving good and up to 7.5 kts at one point but the waves
became stiffer as the day wore and dropped our speed down to about 5 kts
overall.
Arrived to find only one other sail boat at anchor... the rest were
mega-yachts (motor) up to 150'. I bought some fuel for the dinghy… a steal
at only $3.00 a gallon (without the oil mix). We went ashore to
explore but that didn't take long. Nothing really ashore except for the
expensive marina and a store which opens only when customers make
arrangements in advance. Some beautiful reefs surrounding this place but the
weather is not really conducive to diving or snorkeling. Wind continues
20-30 kts and at daybreak today we had a pretty heavy squall with rain
lasting for a good hour. I was too lazy then to rig for collecting the
rainwater, didn't want to get cold or wet, so let it all stop before I
rigged. No rain since, of course. Weather faxes all indicate the weather
will continue for the next four days, at least. That will make essentially
10 days with winds 20+ kts; some intervals as low as 15 kts. We need
to get to Nassau (30 NM) to pick up some guests by Tuesday and would like to
get into a marina there to re-provision and get some minor repairs and
parts, but understand the harbor is full of other boats waiting for weather
windows to move north and/or return to the States. It seems to work that way…
everyone moves or no one moves.
The conditions of the last couple of weeks have kept most people in marinas or at anchor. Most seem to consider
these conditions just too uncomfortable. We'll go anyway in the
next few days and worry when we get there about anchoring or berthing. May 5th... left Highbourne about 0815 or so. Anchor up and
underway with reefed main, yankee and staysail. Made the decision
after awakening to winds down to 15 kts and bright blue skies with
partly scattered clouds. Real contrast to the night before which had
us surrounded with the most prominent cloud-frontal activity I
can remember seeing. The sunset was awesome... and a 360 degree
phenomena... with shades of gold, red and russet, black and gray and ivory
white and formations billowing and piling one upon the other. Strangest
thing I have ever seen in the sky. Felt like we were in the eye of a
hurricane. Calm here, even clear sky, and surrounded by suggestively
violent weather.
The sail was wonderful. AT EASE was moving (about 320
degrees) at, or even over, 7 kts much of the morning with a 2-4 (sometimes 6)
foot swell still from the north. The monitor worked like a champ... the
harder it blew the better it steered. T'was just a pleasure to watch it
work. The wind did build over the morning until we were getting 20+
kts again, and the weather started to deteriorate with intermittent rain
and more cloud cover. I did notice that I could monitor rain squalls
on the radar. I want to believe it was a rain squall that swam up to
us... if not, we were possessed by the Bermuda "THING" cause
we sure didn't see anything else out there. We did have to motor the last few miles directly into the
wind and fight the Nassau harbor current. Nassau is full! A large number of
the Bahamas cruisers have been stuck here for weeks waiting for
weather to head north. Big water from here up through the Tongue of the
Ocean. We lucked out and got a slip in Nassau Yacht Haven Marina... our
first marina stay in over three months. Kind of exciting to get
back to anywhere with supermarkets and shopping, even marine parts.
As we greased into the slip, no mean feat of seamanship if I say so
myself, the boat to our starboard was having a party that went on
until midnight or so. When we were off shopping, right about dark,
this party decided they needed to retie my boat. Did I mention they had
been drinking? I understand the evolution was done in three
languages. Took me about a half-hour to clean all that up and get re-secured.
Pizza! We had pizza again! Joy to the world!
Bill and Shirley
S/V AT EASE
Nassau, New Providence, Bahamas
Web
Posted: May 3rd, 2001
We have been stuck in Staniel Cay, riding at anchor off of an area
known
as Big Major's Spot... the place where the pigs come down to meet your dinghy...
for the last week. The wind has been blowing stink (20-30 kts) and wave action
has been pretty dramatic off shore in the sound and uncomfortable on the banks.
We have been eager to get underway, to Nassau, to pick up guests next week. We
did have a couple of nice days ashore at Staniel.
On our first trip, we ate at the Staniel Cay Yacht Club and I believe
it must have been the best meal I have eaten ashore in the Bahamas
(Lobster... four courses... somewhat European style). The second day was
just wandering around. Both of us were a bit cabin-fevered from being
stuck on the boat in the blow. We took some unwanted clothes and such in a
bag with the intent of donating it to the Bahamians. This is an obviously
poor community. We headed for the church, were redirected from there to a
bar, and then had to convince the matron that the bag wasn't just garbage.
Unappreciated, we felt.
I went looking for the post office. The little store behind the house
said they would take the envelopes if they had postage stamps... they did
not. "Where", he asked, "might the post office be?"
Well it was in the green shed just down the hill from the store.
"Well", said I, "no answer there." Nice Bahamian says,
"I'll call the postmaster at home". Nice gesture. No answer.
"Where do they live", says I. "Why, just in the green house
next to the green shed, of course." No answer. "Now what",
says I. They sent me to the other end of the bay, to another store, where
the nice ladies even had stamps and took my mail. "When might this go
out", says I. "Three-four days, Mon... when the mail boat
come." Great experience.
Today's sail was just wonderful. We left under blue skies and 15 kt
winds with two foot chop on the banks. I put a reef in the main just to
contend with those pesky 30 kt gusts we have been getting, but took it
out about halfway through the day. We had both headsails out. We did 30 NM... a
comfortable distance leaving late (1100) and arriving early enough to get the
anchor down well before dark (1600). Brisk winds and beautiful water with
building seas during the day and a couple of light showers just to keep things
cool. I played with the windvane self-steering, the Monitor, which I have not
used in a couple of months. I didn't have the lines set up right on the wheel
drum and the boat
wandered through 45 degrees, right and left, until I realized my error.
Once led correctly, the boat settled down and tracked within 10 degrees (swing)
of the rhumb line and corrected to the mildly variable winds and gusty
conditions much better than I could have, had I been on the wheel. We got in to
Hawksbill Cay and got the anchor down in about 11 ft of water just as a shower
hit. Riding now with about 15 kts of wind from the NE-E under the headland. Now
it's Miller Time.
Bill and Shirley
S/V AT EASE
Hawksbill Cay, Exumas, Bahamas
Web
Posted: April 26th, 2001
We're on the move again… finally. Our stay in George Town was
wonderful but we were ready to leave some time ago. We were stuck awaiting
the return of our "repaired" lap top from the states. Then, when
it finally arrived after four weeks, worked an hour before failing again,
we were caught in a weather system that sustained winds over 20 and up to
low 30's for a full week. To leave George Town, one must move out
into Exuma Sound, which is open ocean for all practical purposes, and move
north some distance before coming back on the Bahama Banks. Within a mile
off shore the water is measured in the thousands of feet deep. That water
was well stirred after a week of wind and a prominent swell from the east
of 6-8 ft made exit difficult.
The day before we left, I dove on the boat and scrubbed the bottom (pretty
fuzzy) and even had to scrub the anchor chain. Even with that, the residual on
the chain became pretty smelly after a few hours in the chain locker. We're
trying a bleach/water mix to kill both smell and residual vegetation. The
morning of departure, we motored across the bay to a fuel dock and took on 55
gallons of diesel and topped off water. We only needed about 5 gallons or so of
water between our water maker and rainwater collected. We needed to make a few
provisioning stops in town but they ran us off the fuel dock and we moved into
Kidd's Cove, a small bay just outside of the George Town piers, to anchor
briefly while we ran ashore one last time in the dingy. It was a race.
Tide was going out and the Cove is less than our draw. Wouldn't be the first
time I had anchored with my keel but we did want to leave. As it was, we left
clouds of sand in the water and probably polished the bottom of the keel yet
again before we reached deeper (relatively) water.
As soon as we neared Conch Cut, the exit from the harbor proper, we were hit
with big swells right on our beam. The boat was wallowing in these deep swells
with a prominent roll sometimes reaching 40 and onetime reaching 50 degrees… a
quick, sharp roll with equal counter roll to the other side. Pretty unpleasant
movement and a serious test of our readiness to go to sea. We had believed we
were ready but setting at anchor for almost two months had made us too casual.
The sounds from the interior of the boat were awesome… cans, pots and pans,
storage locker contents, etc. Took a while to get everything packed and quiet.
Putting up a staysail helped some but the wind had fallen to about 10-15
kts, from the starboard, after quarter, and the sail was only partially
stabilizing. To compound problems, the autopilot did not work. This was not the
time to take things apart and track wiring so, with a firm chin and steely eye (
later a sore neck and shoulder), I hand steered in those conditions for the 27
NM we traveled that day. Saylor positioned herself in her at-sea compartment
(the cockpit well immediately under my feet and leaning against the wheel and
autopilot), and Shirley did her thing fussing about below stowing and tweaking,
or supervising me in the cockpit.
It was beautiful. We stayed about a mile or so off shore. Deep, deep blue
seas swelling up all around, with frothy white water topping many. A few
flying fish, a few sea birds, and very few other boats. To our port, the string
of islands and reefs and rocks with huge plumes of spray and ominous lines of
rollers smashing ashore. Of starboard, just the endless lines of swells and
whitecaps leading to the horizon. Still some cumulus puffs here and there but
mostly bright, clear and blue skies. The air so clean you could taste it. It
felt wonderful to be moving again. Shirley did some calculations and decided we
would overnight at Norman's Pond, just north of Lee Stocking Island. The cut
through the reefs there was well marked and we could get in by mid afternoon
with plenty of light and good visibility. She knows I tend to push on too far
and arrive at anchorages in the pink, afterglow of sunset… not a good time to
be moving around reefs and such. We entered Adderly's Cut a couple of hours
before high tide and motored around inside looking for some protection from
swell, wind and current, and for deep water. As always, choice of anchoring
location is a compromise. There was one other boat in the area and we ended up
not far from them. Overnight, the wind shifted moving us farther out, and the
current and swell, that which survived the reefs offshore, had us rolling most
of the night. Pretty bumpy anchorage over all.
We left early the next morning for the run on into Staniel Cay where some
friends were anchored with a broken boat. Joe and Holley, on New Horizons, had a
starter failure and he had to fly to Nassau with the starter for a rebuild. We
were anxious to see them and render any help or support to Holley who was
staying on the boat. They were on a mooring ball so the boat was safe, but…
Offshore again for about 20 NM and then through another cut to continue on up
the Bahamas Bank. Wind had settled to about 10 kts, right on the stern, and
swells were down to about 4-6 ft but still mostly on the beam. Rolly but not as
active as the day before. I put up main and yankee, had to pole the yankee and
use a preventer on the main. From the troughs to the crests, especially
with the marked roll, we were filling and dumping the sails all morning. I kept
the engine running with low RPM just to maintain consistent power. Once we
moved through the next cut (Galliot) and were back on the Banks, the wave action
settled to about 2 footers and I could move on and off course enough to keep
some air in the sails but still had to run the engine. The change in water color
is so striking. From indigo blue to an aqua, crystal clear, screen with
strikingly clear bottom, in water never much deeper than 20 feet or so and
frequently less than 10.
At some point, probably as we came off the Sound onto the Bank, Shirley's troll
picked up a barracuda about 30" long. We have heard other boaters talk
about eating barracuda but we're not sure we are ready for that. I did fillet
the monster, pretty bony, but we probably will use it for bait. A boat about 20
miles behind us called to say they had caught two dolphins, (webmaster's
note: we more commonly see this as "mahi mahi" around these
parts), one very large (that
got away at the boat), and another about 30 lbs that they were dressing out on
deck. We keep hearing of others catching these delicious fish but so far our
fishing has not been very fruitful. We anchored at Big Major's Spot, off Staniel
Cay harbor, but 1600 and got the outboard back on the dingy in time for Saylor
to get ashore and see the huge pigs that live on the beach. They are semi-pets
and have been fed by so many cruisers they now meet each dinghy to see what
treats are in store. Disappointed they were.
We ended the evening at Staniel Cay Yacht Club for dinner (best meal yet in the
Bahamas) where we had lobster and steak with our friends on New Horizons. Then
it was a dark, I mean DARK, run with the dinghy, about 1.5 miles, across the bay
to try and find our boat. Found it quicker than I thought but took some motoring
around in the anchorage. We had, of course, forgotten to turn on an anchor light
when we left. Just before daylight this morning, Saylor came down from the
cockpit and stood up along our bed, nudging me and whining. I think she was just
anxious about a squall and front coming through but the effect was as if
she were telling me "You better get up and check the boat… weather
coming in." Pretty good sailor, that Saylor. Bill and Shirley S/V AT
EASE
Staniel Cay, Bahamas
Web
Posted: March 13th, 2001
Well the Cruiser's Regatta is well started. This is a remarkable
enterprise put together by transient cruiser's in the month or two after the
first of the year when folks start arriving here. It is a full week of activity,
ranging from Beach Party motif to Variety Shows, Dance Contest, Sand Sculpture,
children's events, and of course sail boat races. Some of the latter are serious
(your life's at stake) and some are fun. The in harbor race has two prizes...
one for fastest time and one for biggest fish caught during the race. There is
even a party hosted by the islander's for the cruisers where food and drink are
free for all.
There was a relatively spontaneous "Dingy Bridge" formed from
Stocking
Island across Elizabeth Harbor to George Town with something like 300 dingy's
involved. A Bahamian flag was passed across and presented to Exuma Market. This
market deserves special mention. They serve as the mail box for cruisers,
receive messages and faxes, and sponsor the Dingy Dock which serves George Town
and provides free water for cruisers (of uncertain quality and usually
brackish}. In return, the cruiser's shop there for grocery needs. Synergistic
and damn smart.
I'm playing in the volleyball tournament. Volleyball is a serious activity
here with about five courts permanently set up on what is known
as Volleyball Beach. It is "fun" volleyball, which of course means no
prisoners. I've enjoyed the volleyball so much I am sure there will be withdraw
to contend with after we leave.
We've met such interesting and diverse folks down here. Yet we are all
really much more alike than we are different. There are some younger
couples, apparently in their 30's, a few in their 40's and most in their
50's and up. Most have come here annually for years and cruise elsewhere
during the rest of the seasons. Some are here for extended vacations of
several months... haven't figured out how they manage that and still have a
life "back there". There is an international flavor but it is
heavily dominated by Canada and the US with many French Canadians who really
do seem like a different nationality than the other Canadians we have met.
Several South Africans are here and more than a few Germans. The other
countries are less represented.
Trips to town are an adventure. We time our excursions to meet the
various supply ships that bring in produce, groceries, propane or other
products. One learns the shipment schedules rather quickly. While one can
generally get most basics, you may have to shop for them on specified days
rather than when the mood strikes. There is no shortage of booze, as a
general rule. Marine stocks are very limited and basic. The cruiser's net in
the mornings allows boats to announce their needs and expertise and spares
seem available much more often than one might suspect. Even the odd parts
for specific equipment and models seems to be magically available more often
than not.
There are a couple of very small hotels, a couple of very small
restaurants and a couple of bakeries, and a couple of dive shops. Conspicuous by
their absence are tee-shirt shops. Even the marinas are very limited although
one can purchase water and diesel and rent slips if needed. Most folks do like
us and just anchor out. We have been using our water maker daily and have had no
shortages. Anchoring here is quite comfortable with good wind and solar power to
augment the diesel. We usually run the engine only when working the SSB for
email or voice transmission, or to charge some or produce hot water about every
other day.
Bathing has been somewhat optional with salt water showers not all that
uncomfortable. What we have found is we brought too many clothes and too few
books. We are leaving shortly for the "formal" dinner dance of the
regatta. Plans were to wear long pants but I do have my building record of
consecutive days in shorts so think I will stick to formal shorts... that
probably means I will wear underwear too.
Bill & Shirley Martin S/V AT EASE
Web
Posted: March 2nd, 2001
Yesterday we went exploring in the dingy, going to the end of Stocking
Island and crossing the reef between Stocking and Elizabeth Island, about a two
mile trip. We motored across a shoal sand bar and into the pool immediately
inside the reef and watched breakers come in looking for the best exit. The
breakers were about every 20 seconds, up to 3-4 feet high and pretty steep faces
but I saw another dingy manage to cross without mishap so we tried as well.
Pretty scary to see that green water rear up just in front of the boat and a bit
wet when it broke around us but we got through with a crash and jolt falling
into the trough.
Outside there were several dingys, some anchored, and several snorkeling
swimmers working the reefs. We motored for a while looking for a beach to park
the dingy but no joy... all sharp coral or rocks. I did get in too close during
this search and we ended up crashing through two more waves before we got back
outside the surf. We anchored and started snorkeling. The water was
typically clear, about 20-25' deep at the edge of the reef and shallowing onto
the reef itself. Underwater was a mix of sand, some granite, and coral. Colors
and variety were not expecially striking. There were some fish, mostly in close
to the reef and on the bottom, ducking in and out from under ledges, even a
grouper or two and some yellow-tail snapper that were big enough to shoot but
they were so deep I didn't want to risk the spear and wasn't sure I could
retrieve it.
The swell was a bit disconcerting and brushed the bottom and moved the
fish back and forth even as we bobbled and surged on the surface. There
wasn't much in the way of current but I was still leary of approaching the
reef face too closely with the wave action so prominent. I'm sure the
fishing would have been better but it just seemed too risky. We saw no
lobster. They're there... we see others who get one or two, and hear of
others who have been successful but I have yet to find one. Shirley wants
fish... I want lobster (garlic butter stands ready).
By the way, crossing the reef back into Elizabeth Harbor was a hoot with
the surf pushing us across. The foaming crest parked immediately behind our
transom and pushed us across at about the speed of sound, or there abouts. Neat!
Bill and Shirley
S/V AT EASE
Web
Posted: February 25, 2001
Things are getting pretty routine here in George Town. The big issue is
the upcoming Cruiser's Regatta, followed by the Family Islands Regatta,
and the associated parties and races. One
interesting cruiser's race... A series of staging lines is bouyed, some
hundreds of yards apart. Up to six boats move to each of these lines,
apart from the actual starting line, and then anchor. All sails must be
down. When they start, they must raise anchor, hoist sails and move to the
starting line (they may motor until then). From there, the race is
on. There are 440 boats in the harbor now but it really does not
seem especially crowded. There are more US boats, probably, but the number
of Canadian boats is really surprising and frankly there may be more of
them. There is a significant sprinkling of other nationalities present,
English, French, German, Spanish and at least one Irish boat, so there is
an international flavor to the radio and to the beach gatherings. As might
be expected, the range of boats by size, character and style, varies
greatly. We've seen boats as small as 25' and as large as 96'.
Overwhelmingly, most are sailboats and most are 40-50', center cockpit,
sloops and ketches. There are a few trawlers and sport fisherman but not
many. Most couples are about our age but there are a number of young
couples, some with young children onboard. Many are live aboards, but most
seem to be winter cruisers coming from their homes and returning to their
homes and careers in the spring. Not sure I know how they manage that much
time off.
Semi-organized activities include singing, bridge, softball, volley ball,
cooking. Fishing, diving and snorkeling are more individually driven
activities. Plenty to do without going to town where the night life
is largely restricted to the two hotels... haven't really seen any
interesting restaurants here. There is a fair amount of visiting back and
forth among boats, sundowners and dinner and such, and it really is
delightful to run into boats seen earlier in various anchorages. We're
still hanging on the anchor, tucked in behind Stocking Island, across
Elizabeth Harbor from George Town proper, and really go to town rarely. We
do go to Volleyball Beach pretty well every day for volleyball
and conversation. The wind has picked up again to 15-20 kts, mostly from the
E-ESE and this has limited our snorkeling but has not been otherwise
uncomfortable at all. The weather is remarkable. Bright sun, which itself is
hot enough to cause perspiration, combined with the brisk breeze, actually
makes it cool. I think I'm getting closer to the WIOCDS (World Indoor and
Outdoor Consecutive Days in Shorts) record.
Between the wind generator and solar panels we have been producing more
energy than we have used, even to the point that I have been running the
water maker to use up some of the surplus. Given that water sells here for
.60 per gal, the water is appreciated too. I took the Ham License test on
Friday and passed the Tech, Code and General portions so will get a license.
Studying for that has occupied a good deal of time over the last week or so
since we arrived here and I have gotten behind on boat chores. We need to
restitch an area of our staysail which broke some stitches in a 30 kt wind.
I need to do some plumbing... putting in an inline cutoff valve on our
lavatory sink drain so it won't siphon in water when we are on a port tack
and healed. I had been having trouble with my 6
volt batteries not holding a charge for very long and finally just replaced
the whole bank with some NAPA batteries I bought here. I went on the local
cruiser's net offering to give away the old, compromised batteries and they
were gone in a hurry to a couple of grateful cruisers who were also having
battery problems of one kind or another. That
cruiser's net is remarkable. Folks come on with all sorts of questions and
problems and seem to always get very helpful responses and even volunteer
time to work on engines, refrigeration, electrical systems, etc... A 96'
motor cruiser from England, enroute to the Pacific via Panama, came on this
morning looking for charts of Panama and the Galapagas Islands, and looking
for one or two more crew members for Pacific cruising. Wonder if he got any
takers?
Shirley has been busy with boat chores and with baking bread. She has
polished and cleaned most of the hull and has been cleaning the rust from stainless steel and fighting the battle of sand and salt
in the boat. The boat looks great... and so does she. She's experimenting
with different bread receipes ranging from sourdough to whole wheat and even
a salt water bread which was lovely. With fresh bread and a tin of New
Zealand butter I think we can last out the season right here. Under the
heading of expedient repairs, one layer of glass in the oven door just
shattered (who knows why). Her repair was to take a sheet of stainless steel
and mount it inside the oven door. She has continued to bake away with
hardly a pause. Under the lessons learned, and
relearned, heading. We really do need a new dingy with more powerful engine.
In many of the anchorages, we've been confronted with long rides across chop
and current; these rides are wet, wet, wet... We've been impressed with the
Caribe RIB's. They have large tubes and, with the RIB hull, are much drier
rides. With a 15 HP engine, one can really have the range necessary to
explore, take care of chores, and do all the other things a "family
car" has to do. While I'll be looking here, I expect the purchase will
really have to wait until we get back to the US (the Land of the Great PX).
Just heard on the VHF... last night a sail boat inbound into George Town
harbor hit a reef at the entrance, drove the keel up through the hull and
sank. That reef has accounted for other boats in the past. Good rescue
effort this morning from cruiser's who noted the wreck this morning and
rescued three men. Boats have been moving among the anchorage collected
clothing, tooth brushes and such for these fellows.
Hope things are going well there.
Bill and Shirley and Saylor
S/V AT EASE
Web
Posted: February 15, 2001
Dear IMYC:
Seem to have trashed one of my computers... got some salt water on the
display screen and the screen got strange, then worse and finally blank as
the salt corroded something. It dripped in from a less than tightly
fastened porthole. Guess will have to go through the hassle of sending the
computer back to Texas for repair. Lucky I had my old lap top computer on
board as a spare so we can still navigate and communicate. The
weather is beautiful. I just can't describe the color of the water, just
crystal clear and a brilliant aqua blue. Last night, under a full moon, I
could still see the bottom in about 15-20 feet of water. There is a beach
in front of us and two abandoned hogs, about 3-4' tall with small bodies
and long legs, that live in the scrub brush. Boaters over the years have
fed them so they come out of the brush to meet every dingy that goes
ashore. I'm not sure how Saylor will react, or how they will react to
Saylor, but we will find out today. Shirley and I have been
snorkeling here every day. The fish hang at the live coral reefs and are
colorful beyond imagination. The movie, Thunder ball, a Sean Connery
"James Bond" movie, was filmed here in the 1970's or so. There
is an underwater grotto now called Thunderball, where you swim into a cave
which quickly opens into a pool. In the roof of the cave, there is a break
to the sky so the sun shines down into the pool and creates beautiful
colors and patterns in the water. We're going to dive there today.
This is very much what we have been looking for. Absolutely
beautiful. We went to shore yesterday
and feel like we have found at least a foreign country, versus another
version of south Florida. The people are as friendly as can be, and live in
relatively small, simple houses, typically of concrete construction. There
are two small groceries, in houses themselves, embedded among the houses.
These are very limited in choices and only a relative few items of each,
but really do have enough for replenishment. They remind me of the country
(and I mean country) stores of childhood. The "streets" are
really more like golf cart lanes and some people on the island drive golf
carts. There are a few pickup trucks. The land does have dips and hills of
a sort with the highest elevation about 50'. Water is from cisterns and
collected from rain.
Some wells are dug but the water is a bit brackish from these. They do
have DVD satellite receivers for TV and probably Playboy Channel,
certainly CNN. I'm not sure you can travel far enough to get away from
television. There is a nurse on the island, a US RN, who provides all
medical care for people and for animals apparently. Power comes, I assume,
from large diesel generators but I'm not sure of that. There is a small
shop selling tee shirts and such with Staniel Cay on them. There is a
yacht club with a few slips and a pier, a bar and restaurant, a few
cottages for rent, and that's about it. There are at least two other bars
on the island, really more like cottages themselves, and an airport for
charter flights from elsewhere. There is a municipal dock where all cargo
is offloaded and it is about the size of a tennis court. Not much else
here.
The folks make their living from the sea or from tourists and boaters.
Not enough dirt on the islands for much beyond simple gardening. There are
at least 40-50 boats in the area, mostly cruising sail boats like us, and
many local boats mostly just drawn up on the sandy beaches. Wish you all
were here. Shirley and I are doing great and Saylor is tolerating us well.
Bill and Shirley and Saylor
S/V AT EASE
Web Posted: January 22, 2001
We're back in Boot Key heading up the Keys looking for an opportunity to jump
across the Stream to the Bahamas, probably from about Key Largo. Maybe next
week. Another front coming through today with northerly winds (again).
Enjoying Boot Key and getting some boat maintenance chores done (added hard
solar panels to the cockpit lifelines, got Sailmail receiving (via SSB) and
expect to get the sending part ironed out shortly, receiving weather faxes
now). I have my new main (full batten) up and working. I already need to
scrub the bottom of both the dingy and the boat because of vegetation.
Life is getting a bit more routine with daily chores both on the boat and
simple housekeeping tasks. Just keeping the crud off of stainless steel
seems like a full time task. Then, of course, there are the 12 volt demons
which have to be exorcised from time to time. We both have become water and
energy conscious. We spend about a third of our time in Marinas for the
access to laundry, water and provisions. The rest of the time is on the
hook. Our water maker will make about 1.2 gal per hour but we really need to
be out of anchorage and in clean water to use it so typically we don't turn
it on. Florida is not very conducive to anchoring in "out of the way" spots
so we end up in designated anchorages which are inevitably dirtier or more
polluted. The dingy, and that reliable 5 HP kicker, are pretty important for
mobility but we have pretty well accepted that a ride in a dingy is always
wet... the only issue is how wet. We read voraciously and trade books at
every opportunity. Even bad books are better than none. I'm reminded of
years ago in the Navy when I would wander ships reading bulletin boards and
No Smoking signs just to have something to read. We are both very weather
conscious and find that a major part of daily interaction with others has to
do with weather conditions. We simply are not as insulated from weather as
when we lived ashore. We are typically pretty busy. Boredom has simply not
been an issue.
Saylor has adapted pretty well. She would clearly prefer running free in the
woods, or even around the docks, but pretty well has to be restricted to the
boat or on a leash. She will use the deck for toileting, but just resists
that if at all possible. She has learned that the dingy is her route ashore
typically and we have to watch her as she will jump in the dingy and just
wait for us to notice. Please picture her looking back over her shoulder,
sitting in the dingy, waiting for us to finally understand her all to clear
communication. She must think we are intellectually challenged because it
takes us so long to understand.
As everyone has said, it really is the people you meet that is most
memorable. We've met such a range of wonderful people and do run into the
same boats over and over as we move. We had two other Lord Nelson's in
anchorage at Key West... a 35' essentially identical to ours and a 41'. We
discovered more boat history from those couples. There were 85 41' boats
built and only 28 35' boats; At Ease is hull number 17. Both couples had
been cruising about 1-2 years and each was planning a return ashore in the
near future, each with different reasons. Lately we've been cruising with
boats we first met in Biloxi (Point Cadet) and ran into again in Key West (a
Crealock 37', a 30' Baba and a 27' Columbia). The Pacific Seacraft
tentatively plans to cross over to the Bahamas with us but their plans are
pretty flexible so we shall see. One issue we've noticed is that cruising
together requires the faster boats to slow down and the slower boats to
struggle. Creates some tension which is unfortunate but it is a real issue.
A kt difference in speed over a full day is a significant difference. We
find we are a bit faster at this point... maybe our bottom is cleaner than I
thought. Motor sailing is typical. Even when there is wind, one is still
confronted with the need to get to that next safe anchorage before dark. The
alternative, overnight sailing and watch-standing, is just not very wise in
these coastal situations.
Good Old Boat magazine is doing a feature article on At Ease, now scheduled
for July issue. A couple spent a day with us in Key West interviewing and
taking pictures of the boat. A neat experience... hope the article is good.
We spent a good month in Key West with John Hixson and even had some
opportunity to sail locally. The weather was not good (I know that's
relative). One front after another, every 3-4 days with cold bursts into the
50's sometimes but mostly in the 60's. More significantly, the fronts have
been from the north with high winds (20-30 kt is not unusual and 15 kts has
been routine). No good anchorages around Key West and the marinas are very
expensive and tend to get appreciably higher around events like Race Week,
Christmas and New Years. It was great seeing John again. He really has
become a traditional Conch and seems to feel very much at home in the Keys.
We've got another front coming through tonight but this is a relatively
sheltered anchorage and the rain will be the most limiting factor. Hope the
weather has finally started clearing for you guys and you are back to that
wonderful community on the Lake that we remember so fondly.
Keep in touch.
Bill and Shirley Martin, S/V AT EASE
