11/08/2009, Beaufort, NC
Here is sunrise from sunrise. The clouds are at the Gulf Stream. We were there...
Best laid plans... We had a great weather window and motor sailed to the edge of the gulf stream. Excitement was high, some nerves were running, and everything seemed to be perfect... Then the engine started to sputter... a quick check found sediment in the fuel filter, lots of it... indicating a bad load of fuel that we had taken on in Oriental NC. After a few minutes of discussion, we aborted the passage with some disappointment.
We did get to see another beautiful sunset and a bunch of dolphins playing around the boat. That was magical.
Being 35 miles off shore, we could not make it back to Beaufort by dark, so we sailed slowly back to the channel marker, arriving about 2 am. We then Hove-to (Which is a way of parking the boat in the middle of the ocean) until 5:30... as the sun came up we motored slowly into Beaufort. The day was spent tracking down someone to "polish" our fuel and clean our tanks... unfortunately, not something we are set up to do (easily) ourselves. We inflated the dingy, mounted the engine, added oil, rowed to town and buy a gas can... rowed back to the boat as the sun was setting.
We will review the weather tomorrow and weigh all of our options...
Here is video of us leaving Oriental (after taking on bad fuel!) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uN4a4bt-G8Q
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Comments [1]
11/06/2009, Oriental NC
Pete goes up the mast to check the rigging and remove the Wireless wind instruments ( we are trying to track down something that is interfering with our Single Sideband Radio.)
We are expecting a freeze here as the high pressure slides over us. That same high will provide us with a good start to cross the Gulf Stream tomorrow night and Sunday. We are all excited and a little nervous! Fuel is topped off with extra jugs filled in the stern lazerette. Water is filled to the brim with extra jugs.
We have storm sails all set to go if we need them. Secondary anchor is stowed with it's chain the sail locker. Fridge is filled... now we just continue to watch the weather...
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11/05/2009, Oriental NC
Arrival at Oriental NC
We had a wonderful day sail 52 miles from bird islands to Oriental NC. Mostly under sail doing as much as 7.5 knots which is theoretical hull speed for Sunrise.
The morning started with the retrieval of the two anchors we had put out the night before... one to the north and one to the south, since the wind was forecast to and did clock 360 degrees overnight. We devised a strategy for undoing the one wrap and retrieved both anchors with only a few minor " learning experiences". Then we sailed 52 miles across Pamlico Sound, often out of site of land, but never in more than 20 feet of water!
Tomorrow we start with the final preparations for our crossing to the Virgin Islands.
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and that you made a later port of call at Oriental.
i hope you got my other email.
best j&h
I realize that I did not give Pete a suitable introduction. He is from Dorset also. He grew up sailing with his family, including a year they spent doing an Atlantic circle: sailing to the Azores, Portugal, Canaries, across 21 days to the Caribbean. He has helped deliver several Swans from the NE to Florida. He own's "Sea Pod" which he has been working on in preparation to solo sail.
When we were in Portland ME, taking the offshore medical course, Pete and his brother were there also. After a dinner out and some other discussions we felt he would make a good addition to the boat. We were right. Smart, thoughtful and quick to act. Willing to do anything on board. He also generates some good conversation being a philosopher.
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11/04/2009, Off Hatteras
Bill and Pete in the Old House Chanel near Oregon Inlet, NC.
After a full day of sailing we are anchored off Hatteras NC in what seems like the middle of nowhere! We had to divert to here because the weather forecast changed roe tonight's wind. We had planned on a nice little anchorage near long Shoal... and then they forceasted a wind shift to the south, then southwest wind. So we found this little string of islands called the Bird Islands, just north of Hatteras inlet. The islands didn't even show up on the radar... We had a great sunset and now we can see the lights of Hatteras of to the east. Beyond we can see the clouds forming over the Gulf Steam as the cool north winds hit the warm waters. Tonight is not the night for a crossing! We heard that Saturday might have west or south or light and variable winds... which would be good for a crossing.
Today we sailed with the Spinnaker a lot and worked Pete on the deck so he could get familiar with the foredeck. And then we put him on the anchor when we deployed two of them in our current position. Why two? One for the current North wind and one for the south wind. In both cases, the second anchor with also back up primary should it drag.
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11/03/2009, Manteo, NC
Note the boat in the background.
We had a short day motoring and sailing to Manteo, NC. We were not sure we could make it through the Roanoke Chanel to travel south of Manteo until we spoke to "Tamure". This couple had been out several times including once for 5 years when there kids were small. And they had been up and down the East Coast many times. They called there friend in Manteo to get some local knowledge and "Comraderie" gave us the green light.
The green light gave us all a chance for a shower or bath, a walk around the village and a Tex-mex dinner out on shore.
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love love love
11/02/2009, Conjack bay, NC
The interstate of the boating world.
We got up at 0530 so we could beat the rush hour traffic... Rush hour? What are you talking about... During the rush hour, they don't open the draw bridges... so we wanted to get south of the Norfolk traffic... and we got to the southern most Norfolk bridge at 0635... and watched them close the bridge... until 8:30. Ah well, we got to circle around as the other boats arrived. Quite an assortment. Big motor boats, elegant sailboats, Rugged looking offshore boats, spacious trawlers... all circling like wagons on the prairie. Then as 0830 approached, they all started to jockey for position like Race boats at the starting line... and in the middle of the mix was a tug boat with a huge barge of sand.
The bridge opened and the melee started... each boat jockeying for position to squeeze through the tiny opening, with the barge pushing like some big spatula squeezing the last stragglers ahead of it. As we moved further south, the boats spread out according to speed. The four sailboats in a line traveling at about 6.5 knots. As we got clear of the bridges, things calmed down and the helm could think more about where we were in the channel more than where we were in relation to other boats and trying to understand what they were doing.
We did end up being passed by Andrew III, who is owned by the parents of one of our friends from Dorset. There are also a couple Valiant 40s here including "Tamere" who stopped by to chat with us about kids on boats.
Pete Mithoefer joined us in Portsmouth... flying in to help us with the crossing. More on him later.
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11/02/2009, High Street yacht basin
Birds on a line in Norfolk
It was kind of crazy coming into Norfolk, so we didn't get any great photos of the aircraft carriers, destroyers, and many other Navy Vessels in Norfolk. Your tax dollars at work!
We also forgot to take a photo of our overnight spot. Look at the locator button on the right side and zoom in. If we had time and inclination, it would have been a fun place to get off and explore, right in the middle of Old Town Portsmouth. We were in there with two other boats from Montreal!
Now we are waiting for a bridge to open on the Inter coastal Water Way (ICW) which we will take to Pamlico Sound.
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10/31/2009, Deltaville, MD
Bill and Isobel stand watch while Monitor steers.
A short hop today across the bay to Deltaville, VA. Winds were SW which prevented us from sailing directly to Norfolk. We decided to sail on one tack, close hauled, from Onancock to Deltaville. We will leave early tomorrow to sail with a NE wind to Norfolk.
The wind generator is working now. As is the AIS, which needed a software upgrade. AIS lets us see other big ships on our chart plotter, and gives us their speed, direction and closest point of approach.
One reason for being in here early was to be on the SSB radio to listen for Herb the weather guy. Although we never spoke to him, I did speak to Aleray (SP?) a sailboat out near Bermuda. That was fun. We also listened to Herb give routing information to several boats out in the Atlantic.
Inside the creek, here, you wouldn't know that it was blowing 25 out on th ebay. Peaceful, with crickets singing to the full moon that has clouds racing in front of it. Although it is a perfect night for Trick or treating, we haven't seen one kid out yet (Isobel doesn't know what she is missing)... I guess we will have to eat all the treats!
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10/30/2009, Harborton, va
We showed up on their door step... or nearby at the town dock. And they took us in, fed us, washed our clothes, helped us on the boat, encouraged us, gave subtle and not so subtle suggestions, gave us charts with annotations and careful instructions. They lent us cars, found us a car seat, and cooked and cooked. Lara's aunt Helen and Uncle Joey.
They are sailors from way back, and generous, and generally fun to be around. Joey helped install the new wind generator (the first one returned under warranty), then worked on our anchor and rode. And then he poured over the charts with us, and convinced Lara that a dingy motor would be a good idea (Ed had already tried!).
Helen cooked wonderful dinners and breakfasts... then she cooked stuff to put in the freezer for us to pull out when we are at sea... then she cooked stuff for us to eat tonight... then she cooked some more!
I have the SSB working and will be able to update the blog from sea via Single Side Band (HF) radio. Not photos or video. We will also be able to receive weather charts from NOAA as well as forecasts and Raw weather data (GRIB) files that will help us determine our best route south. Hopefully we will also get weather routing info from Herb Hilgenburg in Burlington Ontario.
An early start tomorrow will hopefully put us in Norfolk tomorrow night. Pete Mithoefer will meet us in Norfolk to make the passage to the US Virgin Islands. We will then be leaving the boat to come home for Thanksgiving! Anyone know a good place in St Thomas to leave a boat for a week?
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