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Passage South

29 November 2010 | St. Thomas, USVI
by Jen & Maxwell
So the plan was...

Scratch that. We know better than to make too many plans.

This cruising season is about the Caribbean. Last year we enjoyed exploring the Bahamas while Anastasia "broke us in." So, we thought, "lets take the next natural step and go a bit further." We had "planned" to first head out to Bermuda...plans falling apart can now commence. As of Nov. 5th we were wide open to leave. All necessary upgrades and to-dos were completed and our crew, Dan, was available after that date. So we started watching weather and the waiting began. It seemed like weeks went by! A window would come and then just before we would go it would slam shut. Perhaps we are too cautious...but you will not catch us joining the 1500 anytime soon...

Safety is our #1 concern and if we can avoid 40kt winds we will gladly do so. The weather continued to produce unacceptable windows for sailing to Bermuda and we were wasting precious cruising time! It called for a new decision to be made and our route was adjusted. It all happened so fast. On Saturday we were leaving the next morning for Bermuda. Saturday afternoon we were not going anywhere on Sunday. Saturday afternoon, +30 minutes, we were leaving for the Caribbean on Sunday...at dawn! And we did!

It was a 6am departure from Dan & Kelly's dock in Chisman Creek in Yorktown. The sunrise greeted us eagerly as we set out into the Chesapeake Bay. The crew was jazzed and ready. For this trip we thought it best to bring along another member to break up night watches and spread the load. With Dan along we got SO much more! Quickly he was dubbed "ABS Morris." (Able Body Seaman) Dan was energized and willing to do anything. He was extremely capable and so helpful. Good decision and great crew.

Later in the morning of the first day we nosed into the Atlantic Ocean crossing the Chesapeake Bay Bridge Tunnel. We had little wind and gentle waves, which had us motoring for most of the day.

Uneventfully, we rounded Cape Hatteras, which has always loomed out there, but it was a nonissue this day. We gave it a wide berth and sailed on by. No biggie. But catch it on another day and it will be understood why they call it "The Grave Yard of the Atlantic".

Under the advice from Chris Parker (weather routing service) we had elected to hug the coast until after Cape Hatteras and look to cross the Gulf Stream between Cape Lookout and Cape Fear. Unfortunately, a Cold Front in the forecast came out to be stronger than originally anticipated and we made the difficult decision, while still able, to divert to Beaufort, NC. As disappointed as we were to head back in on only the 3rd day of the trip, it would prove to just be a 36hr delay. And, it allowed us to see some friends and take aboard water and fuel. All in all it was the right and prudent call for us. Wednesday afternoon we were back at it! Heading East.

The layover in Beaufort didn't slow our spirit one bit. Anastasia's crew was ready to go again. We settled once more into our 3-hour nightly watches. This was much better with three people as each member would get at least 6 hours of sleep at a time. Also different for this trip, we installed lee cloths for the two sea berths, which made the bunks nice and cozy. The nights ahead would make sure that those cloths were indeed used with rolly seas.

Offshore, we saw few other boats. And once the Coast Guard became silent on the VHF, we rarely heard any other traffic. Our daily routine began with a conversation with Chris Parker updating the weather forecast and his recommendations for routing via SSB radio at 6:30AM. For breakfast we would have either oatmeal or cereal. Around noon we would send out our daily position report email to family and friends and also receive a GRIB file for more weather information again by SSB Radio. At the beginning of the trip lunch would usually consist of something warm, towards the latter end with the rising temperatures lunch was something cool. Through the duration of the trip sails were constantly being adjusted, reefed, raised or taken down. The engine would be turned on and run for a few hours or more and then turned off as the breeze freshened. The longest continual time period the diesel was run was for 20 hours. Minor repairs where made, things checked, cleaned and checked again.

The heaviest weather we experienced was 24 hours out of Beaufort lasting into the evening of the third day as a secondary/weaker cold front pushed south. During that time period we experienced 25kts sustained gusting to 30 out of the north. Anastasia really comes to life in these conditions and we see why she is such a comfortable and proven blue water boat. On a port tack broad reaching to the southeast we were averaging 6.5kts. with just our Yankee Jib flying. At times we witnessed 10kts of boat speed as we surfed down 10 ft. waves. By sunset of the third day the winds had moderated and with it the seas.

A radar target or AIS contact usually broke the monotony of the passage, or a FISH ON. A grand total of three Mahi Mahi were caught, two within a 24 hour time frame. Jen had to experiment with new ways to prepare Dorado, and a few times it was asked what could we have for dinner other than fish. Needless to say our freezer is packed with Mahi that we will be chipping away at over the next few weeks.

Midway through the trip we were constantly dodging squall lines moving to the southwest. A few were quite impressive complete with waterspouts, but never getting too close. We were incessantly monitoring the radar to plot the appropriate course attempting to dodge the worst of them.

Some of the friends we saw in Beaufort also became a highlight in our at-sea daily activity. Steve and Ruth on "S/V Clear Day" were friends we met last season on the way to the Bahamas and this season they are heading down the east coast to the Keys and then off to the Western Caribbean. Maxwell and Steve set up a little impromptu SSB net checking in every 6hrs just to chat and have a few laughs. We would plot positions and discuss weather...it was a little something to look forward to in an otherwise constant groundhog day.

Toward the end of the trip, that is kind of what it started to feel like. The days were monotonous. We had stopped fishing because there was no more freezer space to keep the meat. Jen would try to cook something exciting as long as she could remain upright in the galley. A task that challenged all crew was pouring a simple cup of coffee. Poor Dan...aka Cheerio, by the second bowl...he managed to keep all of the cheerios and milk contained.

For Thanksgiving we counted our blessings and missed our families. Mostly, we thought about the cheerful homes and bountiful meals they were enjoying. Jen tried her best to keep the fellas' spirits' up with baked BBQ chicken, macaroni & cheese and green bean dinner. It was yummy!

The last few days of the trip thoughts of landfall fueled our motivation. We had reached our desired longitude and we turned south. 1-8-0 DEGREES TRUE! Trade winds filled in with a brisk easterly flow. The last 12 hours Anastasia had to be deeply reefed to prevent a pre-dawn arrival into St. Thomas. It was on Dan's 9-12 watch that the first sight of land was called out. A faint glow on the horizon confirmed the Virgin Islands were indeed ahead. As the sun joined us at dawn we caught our first glimpses of the green mountainous terrain. Beautiful.

We were safely docked at American Yacht Harbor in St. Thomas by 9AM on Saturday morning. Thirteen days after our departure from the Chesapeake Bay. Over the last two days we have caught up on much needed, uninterrupted sleep, been rearranging Anastasia's interior-back to normal living quarters and cleaning her from stem to stern.

Trip Statistics:
Time: Chesapeake to Beaufort, NC: 52hrs / 2.16 Days
Beaufort to St. Thomas, USVI: 236hrs / 9.83 Days
Trip Total: 288hrs / 12 Days
Miles: Chesapeake to Beaufort, NC: 243 nautical miles
Beaufort to St. Thomas, USVI: 1,243 nautical miles
Trip Total: 1,486 nautical miles
Engine hours: 131.7 total
Fuel Burned: 62 gal. total
Fish: 3-Mahi Mahi 36", 29", 37"

Comments
Vessel Name: Anastasia
Vessel Make/Model: 1982 Baba Ta Shing 35' (Flying Dutchman Hull #51)
Hailing Port: Gloucester, VA
Crew: Maxwell & Jen
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Team Anastasia

Who: Maxwell & Jen
Port: Gloucester, VA
Sailing Anastasia

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