by Jen
11/20/2009, Georgetown, SC

Yes, we did not make it to Charleston on our offshore adventure. However, it was quite the adventure. In fact, the word adventure doesn't seem to be the adequate word for the experience. Here is a "blow by blow" of our first offshore "adventure," for lack of a better word.

Tuesday & Wednesday:
We spent the morning preparing Anastasia for her first trip with us in the Atlantic! We stowed EVERYTHING, or so it seemed. Maxwell worked up on deck, freeing it of the usual cruising clutter, while down below I tucked away all that had a chance of flying through the air. I thought I did a good job and once Maxwell was through, I gave him a big thumbs up. Around 11AM we pulled the hook, secured it too in place and headed for the wide-open sea. All morning we both had a nervous anxiety about leaving. We timed our departure according to the time we would round Cape Fear, not wanting to come around it in the dark. So having to wait to leave when we were all ready to go left us with idle hands, nervous for activity. We were glad to be underway.

The channel leading to the ocean was violent with confused currents. But have no fear, Ian, our 50hp engine pushed us through toward blue water. Lucky for us there were two other sailboats leaving with us. Seahawk and Johanna would prove to be with us throughout the rest of the day and the night to come. It is nice to have someone to call on the radio and know they are just a few miles off. It makes the open water seem just a bit smaller and less challenging.

NOAA, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, had forecasted 15-20 knot winds for the day, subsiding to 10-15 knots around midnight. We were on a run with the wind to our backs sailing for a while wing on wing. That is when you have your main sail and head sail pulled to opposite sides of the boat. Under this point of sail you can go pretty fast and not feel it. We averaged 6 knots for most of the afternoon and into the night with the intention of reducing sails once darkness came. Once the sun went down and into the evening, the winds did not diminish, but instead increased. Unfortunately, we were not able to get Johann, our self-steering wind vane, to work properly in these conditions. Because of the heavy followings sea, Johann could not make the quick corrections needed to keep us from jibing. That is when the wind crosses our stern too far to one side and causes the sail to whip across powerfully with the possibility of causing damage. Thank goodness we always rig a preventer. With a double-reefed main sail only (main reduced down to it's smallest size), we still made over 6 knots and saw gusts as high as 30+ knots. Because of this we would have to hand steer on this point of sail until Cape Fear when our course would change.

We had originally planned on 3-hour watches through the night so that we both could get some sleep and be rested for day two of the trip. Once we realized that Anastasia would need to be hand steered for most of the night on one of the most difficult and demanding points of sail, the watches went out the port hole. What we ended up doing was steering as long as one could while the other slept in the cockpit beside you and then waking them up to take over when fatigue set in. And it did. In the heavy seas and winds it was imperative to concentrate on the compass and wind instruments constantly. Very tiring and intense. Around 3AM it became very evident that the weather was not going to change quickly enough for us to recoup our energy lost during the night to be ready for another round in the dark the next night. Even if the wind died completely, it would still take time for the 7-10 foot waves to subside. And, it had started to rain. The contingency plan was put into action. We had two inlets selected in case of this very situation, Masonboro and Southport. At this point, we were too far south for Masonboro since we had rounded Cape Fear already, in the dark because we had covered so much ground so quickly, so we made a hard turn West into Southport Inlet.

Through the night Maxwell was at the helm much more than I, always letting me sleep just a few minutes longer. Just before dawn, which seemed would never happen, I took the helm and let him sleep for a while. The path into Southport took more than 3 hours. With the new day's first light I finally got a look at these waves we had been rolling over all night. HUGE! The biggest we have ever sailed in. But the water was a gorgeous green blue. Stunning! Once Maxwell was awake and we were talking about our "adventure" so far, a large pod of dolphin came rushing toward us, jumping up out of the waves like Flipper. They surfed with us for a good 20 minutes. They were just what we needed right at that moment. It was almost as though they were giving us that boost of spirit to make it the last little bit.

The lead photo was taken when we saw the dolphins. You can get an idea of what the conditions were from this shot.

Arriving into Southport around noon, we quickly selected an anchorage in a creek, dropped the hook and hit the bed, falling quickly into the deep sleep we had been dreaming of throughout the night before.

Thursday:
Awake at 5:30AM, rested fully from the previous two day's activities. We again hoisted anchor and headed south inside, on the ICW. Mile marker 310. The weather was the warmest we have experienced so far on the trip. Maxwell even started the day in shorts and by noon I was in a tank top and shorts too. Even though we were motoring all day, the scenery was beautiful. Large luxurious homes lined our path for most of the day. All in all it was a relaxing day in the sunshine broken up by a few bridge openings. Our anchorage for the evening was just off of the ICW, in South Carolina at mile marker 376. Good day! We had meat loaf, wild rice and cabbage for dinner, then off to bed.

Friday:
We were again up before the sun and departed our quiet little anchorage. Today we only needed to make 25 miles to Georgetown, SC. We arrived at the anchorage in downtown Georgetown about 11AM, greeted by Maxwell's Dad and Uncle Jack. They are on their way north on the ICW bringing up Maxwell's Dad's new Trawler purchased in GA and this is where our paths have crossed. It is nice to see our family along the way so far! In fact, tonight, Maxwell's sister Lindsay and her boyfriend Ben are coming to meet us here in Georgetown for the weekend. I am sure we will have a great time! We are ready to have some down time after our "adventurous" week!

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by Jen
11/17/2009, Beaufort, NC

Saturday:
On Saturday morning we pulled up the anchor and couldn't get out of the South River fast enough! I am sure that if we were anchored there in better weather, we would have fond memories of the spot. It is really a nice place, quiet, undeveloped and very serene.

Our destination this morning was a quick motor across the Neuse River to Oriental, NC. Maxwell and I visited Oriental last year when we were on our boat acquisition quest. It is so different approaching from the water.

We were not initially intending to visit Oriental on our trip south. However, the electrical problems left us with no choice. My Dad was kind enough to drive through the night on Friday to meet us first thing when we arrived on Saturday. Once we made it to the anchorage in downtown, we inflated the dinghy and ferried the master electrician aboard. While Maxwell and He worked on all of our wiring woes I took the opportunity to drive about town. I hit the post office, grocery store and the hardware store. I have come to like the small businesses in these quaint towns. Like Deltaville's True Value, this hardware store has everything! The people are SO friendly and helpful. I was dubbed a "Water Gypsy" by the gray haired employee who I am sure has worked there for the last 30 years. I took this as a compliment and said, "Why yes I am!" I ended up there twice, and Maxwell once by the end of the day. That is not unusual for us when we are in the middle of the project.

Oriental was very wet ashore from the storm that had just passed. Two or three of the streets downtown had water standing so high that they were impassible. The fellas worked all day and had figured out most all of the problems. That was enough for us to take a load off with a stroll around downtown and dinner.

Sunday:
By 9:30 my Dad had figured out what was wrong with our wind generator and by noon we had a fix. Yeah!! Now we have no ground leaks and functioning wind driven power! My Dad was off back to Virginia by 1pm. I don't know what we would have done without him. Well yes I do, and it would have run us about $95 and hour! Thanks Daddy!!

The rest of Sunday was spent enjoying the elusive sunshine and warm air. We cleaned up a bit and relaxed in the cockpit until sunset. Once it was dark we went ashore for a shower. We happened to find a yacht club with open doors and nice bath facilities. I would be telling a story if I said that I thought it wasn't against the rules to be there...but, we really needed showers! And these were free!! Maxwell is adjusting very slowly to walking on the wild side. But afterwards, he was feeling much better.

Monday:
Another early morning on the move. We hoisted anchor at sunrise and made the half-day trip to Beaufort, NC. It is such a cool place! We anchored just off of the town docks in the heart of this waterside city. Our plans from here are to head offshore so we did not go ashore to explore. We didn't want to go through the trouble of preparing the dinghy. We will save that excursion for the second half of the trip on our way back North.

We rigged some new halyards and sheets and cleaned up in preparation to head out into the Atlantic for a leg to Charleston, SC. We cleaned up the clutter from the decks and started stowing anything that wasn't secured in place. After that we sat back in the cockpit and enjoyed the evening. The warm air and bustle of activity all around us excited us both for what is still to come in this adventure.

Tuesday:
Ok, so we said that we would sleep in to get some rest for this big step we are taking today but somehow I am wide awake at 5:30 thinking about our to-do list. Today we are leaving for Charleston, SC. It is our first open water experience! This is exciting and scary all at once. It should take us between 46hrs to 58hrs. This means sailing shifts and night watches, oh my! The time difference is variable of course because we will be sailing and depending on the wind, our speed will fluctuate. Our approach into Charleston needs to be planned so that we arrive in daylight and on the right tide. I know my Captain has this well under control.

While we are there we hope to visit with Doug & Sheryl, our friends we met who sailed on Prudence, a Southern Cross 35. Now they are the publishers of a great magazine Carolina Currents and have settled in beautiful Charleston. They have promised to be our personal tour guides while we are in town. Can't wait to see them again!

So at this point, we will be off for a few days on the high seas! Cross your fingers that it goes well and that we have steady winds. We love you all and could not do this without you!!

P.S. I have updated our SmugMug page with a few more photos and now they are in order! And, per your request Rob Lewis, I am working on the maps! I have updated our Lat Longs on this blog so you should be able to click the link on the right to see our current position.

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by Jen
11/15/2009

Check out SmugMug for our ICW Photos.

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by Jen
11/14/2009, Oriental, NC

Sunday:
We made it! Sunday came and we were ready! Our kind friends, who we have mentioned many times before, Dan & Kelly, once again offered us a slip at their dock for our final Bon Voyage. Both of our parents Rob, Kay, Howard and Pam, my sister Melanie, Maxwell's sister Lindsay and her boyfriend Ben, Maxwell's cousin and aunt Jennifer and Maggie, Dan and Kelly and very importantly...Bailey, our sweet boxer were all there to wish us farewell. The photo below is of all of those important people!



Sunday was a clear, warm day on the water. There was no wind to speak of so we motored the entire way to Hospital Point where we anchored for the night. Maxwell and I both commented on how interesting it is to see these places that we have been so familiar with all of our lives on land, now from a different perspective. Once the sun began to set the lights of downtown Norfolk started to glow. I have to confess, that is where my observations come to a close...we were in bed by 6:30, sound asleep. Those who know us well, know that we are not late night folks to begin with but the preparations for leaving and the excitement of it actually happening really tuckered us out! The night was uneventful, quiet and still.

Monday:
We were up early before the sunrise. Our first peek out of the companionway was met with dense fog in every direction. I noticed the night before that there was another sailboat anchored about 200' away from us and this morning he was nowhere in sight. The roaring hum of Monday morning traffic churning on the streets nearby inspired us to take on a quick project while the fog burned away. We needed to finish the insulation of the refrigeration tubing where it exits the icebox. Since it seems to be fixed and will not be removed for replacement we went ahead and filled the gap with "Great Stuff" expandable foam. Quick and easy! After that, another survey of the fog showed signs of it dissipating enough for us to get underway. We pulled up the anchor and started the journey down the ICW. Mile marker: 0.

It was quite impressive passing by all of the industry on the banks of the Elizabeth River. The Norfolk Navy Ship Yard had a HUGE ship hoisted up in dry dock for repairs. We look SO tiny next to most all of the vessels we were passing.

We went through our first bridge! The Gilmerton Bridge opens at 8:30 sharp. We found ourselves quickly in a line of other boats passing through. Unfortunately, we missed the second bridge opening by 8 minutes and had to wait another hour for it to reopen. This really was not a big deal other than the fact that it added about 5-6 more boats to our train. I have found that I like there to be one or two other boats, not twelve AND, I am pickier still in that I would like for those one or two boats to be sail boats, we seem to think more alike.

Our first locks were the Great Bridge Locks. They were really exciting! Another first for us! We pulled in on the port side and tied up to the wall. The water slowly rises to the level on the other side and PRESTO!! We are able to pass!! Once we were through we tucked in behind two other sailboats for the rest of the days journey, or so we thought. We seem to be the slowest one in the group. We dropped behind, which was fine by me, losing sight of the boat ahead. Only to find EVERYONE tied up at the marinas in Coinjock, NC. Now so far we have been on the boat for over 24hrs and have spent NO MONEY!! Marinas=Money, so we push on. The sun started to wave it's goodbye for the day and we persisted toward our planned anchorage. It has been a long time since we navigated in the dark but once our anchor was set, we sat back and gave ourselves kudos for a job well done. We ended up at the 56.5 mile marker, Good Day Team!

Maxwell decided to fish for a bit while I made dinner. We ate and rested for a few minutes before calling it a night around 8pm, proud of ourselves for lasting so long. One last look outside revealed an extremely still, ever present darkness. Quietly whispering "you are safe to sleep here." And we did.

Tuesday:
Cockle Doodle Doo! Or should I say: Maxwell Doodle Doo! One of the two hit me at 5:30am! Time to get going! We wanted to be underway at first light in hopes that we could outrun all of the marina patrons for at least a few hours. No trouble hoisting the anchor and we were once again on the move. Our destination for the day was the Pungo River, just south of the Fairfield Canal. We crossed the Albemarle Sound first thing with no trouble and headed into the Alligator River. We did however, have a small incident here. I was at the helm following a motorboat through the channel toward the Alligator River Bridge. I passed through a green and red day mark pair and was directed by my charts and charplotter to hang a right as I headed onward to the bridge. The motorboat did as my charts said to do and I followed. Well, that was wrong. He went aground, hard aground. And thanks to Maxwell who saw it immediately and took the helm! He was able to maneuver us into reverse and avoid us from going hard aground as well. So yes, we did go aground, but not hard aground. I guess the difference is a gray area whose edges are defined by you being able to get yourself off or if you require assistance. We hit and heeled over to starboard but when he gunned the reverse we came off and were able to turn around where my charts said the shallow water was. They say, "everyone goes aground" so I am glad that experience is behind us however I'm not naive enough to think it won't happen again.

We made it down the Alligator River, through the Fairfield Canal and into our anchorage for the night, just off of the Pungo River. Mile marker: 126.

So far we have found that the canals are pretty monotonous. They are not wide enough to sail through and are pretty much a straight shot so it gets really boring at the helm. During these moments, the thought of going offshore soon seems exciting but I am sure once that moment is at hand, I will be nervous.

Wednesday:
Who knew that fate would throw us the remnants of a tropical storm to deal with right out of the gate. Sure, we are an adventurous couple, but come on! Lets ease into it! The one good thing about Wednesday was that we were able to sail the entire day. We started out with a single reef in the main and raised the staysail about an hour into it. We came down the Pungo River, across the Pamlico River, into Goose Creek, through another canal (the best one yet), down Bay River, into the Neuse River and finished up at anchor in the South River. Mile marker: 178

All day we had winds of 15-23 knots steadily with gusts reaching 27 knots. It rained most of the day with heavy showers at times. Thankfully, this was a tropical storm so it was not too cold. Anastasia was at her best with the sails full and a slight heel making 7 knots at times. Now we are a heavy operation with this lady weighted down with provisions for the winter but I do have to mention that in the heavier weather she really shines. We even overtook another sailboat motoring and a large trawler coming down Bay River.

This anchorage would prove to be our spot until the storm passed. Well sort of...keep reading. We set the anchor along the north shoreline in preparation for the gusty NE winds they were forecasting. Our anchoring system is working really well. I go up on the bow and Maxwell is at the helm. Together we choose an attractive spot (speaking on our neato headsets, no yelling required), Maxwell does a perimeter sweep, checking depth, and we come back to the middle and drop the hook. Most times it goes really well and only one try is needed.

So, we had dinner (tomato soup and grilled cheese!), read for a while, and then were off to bed. I will not go into what hour it was as this topic is something we have started to receive some ridicule about! So we were sleeping and the winds were high but we paid them no mind as this was in the forecast. It wasn't until our anchor alarm started sounding at 2am that we hopped up to discover what the conditions really were. We were getting 25-30 knots from the SE!! That was not in the forecast! It had pushed us back toward that north shoreline enough to sound the alarm which is set up to detect movement beyond 120 feet. Ok, so we assessed the situation and Capt. Maxwell assured me that we would be fine and he widened the alarm's radius. The only drawback was that we were no longer shielded from the wind by the shore. We went back to bed and I slept with one eye open waiting for the winds to come around to where they should be.

Thursday:
We awoke to slightly different conditions. It was beautiful outside. The sky was still overcast but clearing to the East. Little did we know that this serene setting was to be short lived. By noon, the winds had increased and shifted to the NW. Come on NOAA!! What happened to the winds from the NE? Not good enough for us to spend another night unprotected. So, we pulled up the anchor and moved to another area in the river. This move offered more protection but not complete shelter from the wind. However, at this point, it is the best we could do.

Thursday was long, windy and wet. If there ever was a leak anywhere on the boat it was a geyser this day. Drip, drip, drip! So much water outside, all of it trying to get inside! Ugghhh!

Also, we found that we have a leak of power in our electrical system going to ground. Where you ask? We don't know! My husband is great at many things and I hope that one day in the future we can add electrical work to that list. As for right now, I am still waiting. Luckily, my Dad is itching to visit us already and was willing to drive to Oriental, NC to assist with the fix.

For the evening activities, we had dinner and then you guessed it...time for bed. Who wouldn't want to go to bed after such a dreary, depressing, defeating day!

Friday:
Overnight the winds outside roared. So far these were the most intense conditions we had experienced with the storm. In the early morning hours we were rocked awake and then back to sleep again, over and over. Maxwell got up to check on the anchor while it was still dark. I rolled over and snuggled back in assured that he had the situation under control.

With the morning light the weather was unchanged from the night before. But today was going to be better! We made sure of it! We found things to do to keep our spirits up instead of continuously peering outside at the dreadful weather. Maxwell started on splicing the new sheets and halyards we bought before leaving Deltaville. I decided to make a batch of chips and salsa from scratch, and spent much of the rest of the day reading. Every once and a while there would be a wave set come through and knock us off balance but overall the mood was quite high inside the warm belly of Anastasia.

We had a great dinner and a blueberry dessert as cheers for a good day. The rest of the night was quiet as we went to bed early in preparation for the move to Oriental bright and early Saturday morning.

Saturday:
We got into Oriental with no trouble. The town is pretty flooded right now so I couldn't make it to "Beans" the local coffee shop for internet. Actually, I am aboard Daphne, a Nor Sea 27. She is single handed by a really nice girl, Teresa, about my age. My battery is dying on the computer so I will write more later when I can. Sorry for any typos, no time to edit.

Until then...

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by Jen
11/03/2009, Deltaville, VA

We need to get OUT OF DODGE!!! It seems that we are going to be the last boat heading South for the winter. This past week has moved slowly by with long days of much last minute work. If you read the last post, I was giddy with excitement about our new refrigeration unit. I said was. On Thursday of last week it decided to stop working. Come on!! Give us a BREAK! Somehow the refrigerant leaked out of the unit and it was no longer able to cool. We called the manufacturer and they were extremely pleasant and referred us to Deltaville Boatyard for a fix. Luckily, since this machine is brand-spankin-new, this is a warranty issue and more of an inconvenience than a real problem. I have decided that real problems cost money. Free things that slow us down are just inconveniences. Yesterday the guy from the boatyard came back to check in on the re-charge he did on Saturday and there were no leaks! Yay! I have ice again!

My Dad has stuck with us over the past week helping to finish the last minute projects. He has completely redesigned our navigation panel above the chart table beautifully. We upgraded our VHF and also the stereo system. Check out this before shot.



It was made out of plywood and had been reconfigured a number of times. A roller coaster of rainbow wires were revealed once he removed the old panel. Now, everything is tie wrapped, labeled and secured in place. This satisfies my obsessive compulsive disease immensely. Here is the finished panel.



We have also been installing the new Garmin 3006C Chart Plotter in the cockpit, the new Nauticast B AIS system, mounting solar panels and the wind generator! I will hopefully update the SmugMug page soon with some photos of our progress.

Hopefully, Sunday is the day! The day that we can Get Outta Dodge! Stay tuned to see if we make it. Cross your fingers!

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by Jen
10/26/2009, Deltaville, VA

So much has happened since we returned to Deltaville just over a week ago. Maxwell's parents threw us an awesome "Bon Voyage" party on the 18th. We were so excited to see all of our family and friends that showed up to support us! It was a happening that we will never forget. I hope to have some photos to post on SmugMug soon.

Monday morning came as expected with a long list of "to dos." It is hard to believe that in one week's time we have completed: installation of the life raft, repair of the galley stove, installation of refrigeration, mounting the jerry can rails, upgrading the roller furling blocks, more provisioning and general organization!!

The life raft started as most projects usually do: We thought it wouldn't take too long...and then we always realize, it will. After we decided on placement, the moment of drilling four 3/4" HOLES in our boat was at hand. I let Maxwell do the honors. We then filled the holes with epoxy filler and waited 24hrs to re-drill. We did it this way to make sure that the deck's core would be completely sealed against moisture. Thanks for that tip Ben & Pam on Cricket!! Anastasia has a nice headliner that we took down for this project. After bolting the life raft mounting bracket to the deck house it was time to reinstall the headliner. We found that holding a cordless drill above your head constantly for an excess of 45 minutes makes it exponentially heavier!



This is what lies behind the headliner. The bolts for the bracket were well hidden once we replaced the panel.



Finally, we have a brand new Avon 4 person offshore life raft complete with a hydrostatic release! So, in the event that the boat were to sink so quickly we could not deploy the life raft, it will automatically release once submerged by a few feet. Nice feature that I hope to never use! Maxwell made the comment that somehow Anastasia looks more "hard core" now we have fitted the life raft. I said, "heck yeah she does, rock and roll!"

To see the rest of the life raft installation photos check out the SmugMug gallery "New Life Raft."

I think that I mentioned in a previous blog entry that our galley oven has never worked for us. I love to cook so this just would not do! On this job we rallied my Dad for the fix. It took him an afternoon to diagnose the bum thermostat and another week for the part to arrive. Armed with the right tools and replacement parts he fixed the stove in a few days. Not only does my oven ignite and maintain temperature, the burners on the stove top now self-ignite where they didn't before. He did a top notch job! Thanks Daddy!

Another project we had my Dad help with was the refrigeration installation. It went so smoothly in only a day and a half! Once we chose a location for the condenser, we ran the copper lines, mounted the evaporator inside the box, and ran the wiring. We went with the Adler Barbour Cold Machine unit. As far as boat projects go, this was pretty easy and simple. I now have ice!! Cocktail time!!



Here is the converted ice box. We now have almost 4 cubic feet of refrigeration bliss! Bring on the cold stuff!



Here is the condensing unit. We chose to put it under the galley counter. I gave up two drawers so that it would have a well ventilated spot. Fellow Cruisers know that this is a big sacrifice. To see the rest of the refrigeration photos check out our SmugMug gallery "Installing Refrigeration."

We had planned on adding boards on the forward deck, mounted to the stanchions to serve as a securing place for the jerry jugs, one on each side. Most cruising boats have this setup in one way or another. We happened to see a Tayana 37 with a great idea for these boards. They used the recycled plastic decking boards that you can get at any home improvement store. We went to Lowes and found a nice brown one, 16' in length, 8' for each side. This product will do well in this application because these boards endure a lot of wear and tear. No sanding or varnish needed! Definitely a plus!

We haven't been totally happy with the roller furling. It has been really hard to furl the sail. We decided to upgrade to stanchion mounted blocks for the line. This will make pulling in the sail much easier as we have almost eliminated all friction. When Maxwell was installing one of the new blocks on the pullpit he somehow dropped the block. It disappeared instantly into the cold water and sank to the bottom of the creek-bed below our slip. In an effort to save $30 he went for a swim. He donned his bathing suit that had been packed away for warmer waters and a snorkel mask. I was impressed, he found it on his second try! Funnier is that neighbors a few boats down dropped their keys into the water a few hours later and Maxwell volunteered to go back in! He found them on about the eighth try, and as a thank you they gave him a bottle of rum!! Woo Hoo!! Needless to say, a wetsuit is now on the list.

One thing that we have noticed upon our return to Deltaville is the cruiser population out in Jackson Creek. It is such a great place to anchor and we have even run into a few boats we met in Annapolis. One night we were invited to visit Wendy & Dave on Elysium, a Westsail 42. They gave us some great pointers on the Bahamas. Right about now they are waiting for a weather window to make the jump from Norfolk to Bermuda. The following night we entertained Steve & Kirsten and their two little ones, Emma and Maddie from Hook, a Morris 30. They left Maine in July and are heading for the Bahamas like us. I love cruising! Everyone is an instant friend...it is a great group from which to belong!

This week we are trying to finish up the last of the equipment installations. Saturday, the 31st is our last day here at Deltaville Marina. It has been a great summer here but it is time to move out! We are going to spend about a week in the area swinging on the hook after we leave the marina and then start our journey South. This is a week or two late by our original plans but, considering the obstacles we have overcome this summer, we are pleased with our progress.

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