Sharon
11/27/2007, Atlantic City

This is the weather information for the next day from NOAA:

THIS AFTERNOON
NW WINDS AROUND 20 KT WITH GUSTS UP TO 30 KT. SEAS
4 TO 6 FT.

TONIGHT
NW WINDS 15 TO 20 KT WITH GUSTS UP TO 30 KT. SEAS 3 TO
5 FT.

WED
NW WINDS 15 TO 20 KT...BECOMING NE AROUND 10 KT IN THE
AFTERNOON. SEAS 2 TO 4 FT.

WED NIGHT
SE WINDS AROUND 10 KT...BECOMING S 10 TO 15 KT WITH
GUSTS UP TO 20 KT AFTER MIDNIGHT. SEAS 2 TO 4 FT.

THU
SW WINDS 10 TO 15 KT...BECOMING W 15 TO 20 KT IN THE
AFTERNOON. GUSTS UP TO 25 KT. SEAS 2 TO 4 FT. A CHANCE OF SHOWERS.

We have stayed in Atlantic City during these very heavy winds. There is a Coast Guard station right next to the marina we are in and have seen the teams leave on occassion during the last two days to do some sea rescues. We have been cosy and warm down below and are keeping up with school, laundry and making great friends on the dock.

Our plans are to leave here by around 10 am tomorrow morning as the winds and seas are settling down a little. We will be in Cape May Harbor before sunset which is around 4:30 pm at this time of year. We will be on our way again by Thursday morning, before the winds pick up too much. We should be up the Maurice River, at Boatbuilder Bill's place by the end of the day.

Our Zimbabwean friend Eric is planning on coming down on Saturday, Dec 1 to bring us a car. Philip will probably go back to North Jersey with him on Saturday to attend an important meeting on Sunday. He will then come back down to where the kids and I will be and we'll get our boat settled down there and do some leg work regarding the schooner.

Will keep you posted as things progress.

Cruising Phase

Comments [2]

Sharon
11/26/2007, Trump Marina, Atlantic City, NJ

A week ago today we were all packed up and ready to leave aboard Jabulani, but due to a cold front (which produced snow in other parts of New Jersey) we delayed our departure until Wednesday, Nov 20th. Wednesday we cast off from the Fuel Dock at Liberty Harbor Marina with Pastor Eric Simons throwing off our docking lines and we were off, headed South (not as far South as originally planned - but more on that another day). That first day we motored most of the way to Sandy Hook and found a dock in the Atlantic Highlands on the southern part of the Sandy Hook Bay, because we knew that another cold front was about to come through. The kids enjoyed stretching their legs at a local park before the rain started (see pic). We spent two days there during the worst of the weather, doing school on-board and baking delicious choc-chip cookies - these seemed to come out better in my boat galley that I could ever produce them on land. As soon as we felt the weather was going to give us a break we headed out and made a run for Manasquan Inlet, we ended up doing so well that day that we pushed on and spent the night in Barnagate Bay which would give us a shorter sail the next day. Yesterday we planned on leaving the dockside and getting off to another good day of sailing at around 7:30 am to arrive in Atlantic City by around lunch time.
Philip said that I should not even bother coming out, rather to keep warm and dry inside and he would cast us off and motor us out of the Inlet himself. A few minutes later while starting to prepare us some coffee down below I felt the boat lurch forward and knew that we had run aground!! Oh my!! Our biggest learning after spending valuable time and effort and almost losing the dinghy (retrieved by the state police) while trying to kedge off with an anchor, was that no matter how simple the task seems, two pairs of eyes are always better that one. Also, that channel markers are not just a suggestion. We finally were under way again by just before 10 am and made it into Atlantic City by 4:30 pm, which is where we are right now. Enjoying Donald Trump's wifi connection in his Trump Marina. We will need to hole up here for another few days due to another cold front, but should be on our way again by Wednesday and easily make it into Cape May on the same day. We are enjoying our time on board. Here are some links to video footage from our trip on YouTube:

Cruising Phase

Comments [2]

Philip
11/18/2007, Jersey City

Dear Friends and Family

With a light snow falling here, we feel the rising excitement about our departure tomorrow.

If you would like to see us off, meet at the dock at 14h00.

Here are directions to find us:

Liberty Harbor Marina, 11 Marin Blvd, Jersey City, NJ 07302,

It is easy to find, here are my directions, but they may differ from what you get with google, depending on your starting address:

1) Take I-78E towards the Holland tunnel.
2) Drive straight on as if you are going to take the tunnel into the city.
3) The very last exit before taking the tunnel, is the Jersey City Exit, take it. (it used to say 14C, but I believe it no longer does)
4) As you come off the off ramp take the first road to your left ( or any on the next few if you miss the first one), and duck back under the highway overpass (I-78).
5) Turn left again, (be careful not to get back on the on ramp of I-78 going the other way!) and proceed to the light at Grand Street.
6) Turn Left again into Grand street, and after a few blocks you will come to Marin.
7) Turn right at Marin into the marina, and we are on "A -dock".

Cruising Phase

Comments [2]

Philip
11/10/2007, Jersey City

Another great day aboard Jabulani! We arrived at Jabulani from our temporary home in Rockaway where we have been staying with our friends Norm, Rhorie, and Rachel.

Our first guests were friends from COLA, our home school group. Eric, Maria, and kids arrived after getting a bit lost in Jersey City. They are wonderful people, and we are so grateful they came out, braved the cold weather to visit us on Jabulani. God Bless you guys.

We had tea, enjoyed their company and shared the greatr things that is happening in our lives these days.

After they left, I fixed a small electrical problem, and installed a new LED cabin light. SHaron got to stow a lot of food and gear for next weeks departure.

Cruising Phase

Comments [0]

Philip
11/03/2007, Jersey City

Jabulani has had several guests lately. We got an unexpected call from two friends from our church in South Africa, wanting to visit us. They had been following our blog, and after having toured the whole world, were in our neck of the woods when we received their call. James and Megan regaled us with tales of their travels. After taking the last year off, they have traveled Australia, New Zealand, much of Asia, including India and the Philippines. Then onto the Middle East, and eventually looked us up after traveling across the US in a van from California. During their travels they have visited an Every Nation church (http://www.everynation.org) in many countries. God Bless you guys, stay in touch!

Cruising Phase

Comments [0]

Philip, S wind, 5-10 kts
09/22/2007, Approaches to New York Harbor

We departed from our slip in Jersey City at 1830 on Friday evening with the intention of spending the night sailing off-shore, checking Jabulani's readiness for our Caribbean departure. The forecast called for glorious weather, south winds 5-10kts, seas 1-2 ft, with above average temperatures for late September. The weather was so nice, we decided to enlarge the crew at the last minute with Sharon and the kids. Originally the trip was planned without women and children aboard, so that we could rough it a bit. All told, we had Eric, Bill, Sharon, Luke, Ruth, and Philip aboard.

The south wind required us to motor south towards to open ocean, under the Verrazano-Narrows Bridge, before bearing off towards the East, parallel with the Southern shore of Long Island Sound under full sail. The sunset was awesome as we weaved between the boats in the busy harbor, and Sharon had prepared a great chicken dinner that was well received. About this time Eric showed some signs of sea sickness, so he was encouraged to get some sleep, while Bill and Philip talked about the awesome night, the great weather, and how well Jabulani sailed.

Around 2200 Philip turned in for 2 hours sleep, and at midnight found Bill all excited about Jabulani steering herself. Apparently, Bill had found that he could lash the tiller in place, and for the last hour had Jabulani steering a straight course of 110T on her own. Philip relieved Bill on watch as he went below to get some sleep, and was joined by Eric. The night sky was magnificent, and the occasional phosphorescence and the good company made for a truly wonderful experience.

Around 0200, we tacked over on a reciprocal course and headed back after having made our easting as far as 73 34' W, about 3 or 4 nautical miles south of Long Island. Bill joined us and we enjoyed great conversation as the three of us got to know each other better. This was Eric's first time off-shore on a boat, so it was interesting to get his perspective on his observations.

Just before dawn, some low cloud filled in and the wind died, reducing our speed from an average of 4.5 kts to 3-3.5 kts. In the grayness of the dawn we could see several fishing boats coming out for the day, and the kids started to rouse from their beds. Soon Sharon had breakfast for all of us, and we had to start the engine as the wind died down to a whisper.

We motor sailed up the Hudson, and tied up to our slip a few minutes before the rain came through. The voyage was a success, everything performed well, and we covered around 60-70 nm in total.

Cruising Phase

Comments [3]