JAC cruise

Fri 29 June.
Summary: Delaware done; trials and tribulations; Cape May; the Atlantic, and New York.
JT, JAC and I motor-sailed from Annapolis, out the top of the Chesapeake Bay and along the canal that links it with the Delaware B ay. Chesapeake City is mid-way along the canal. And we anchored there in exactly the same spot that I used last year.
We rowed our ‘rubber ducky’ 40 m to the waterfront bar/restaurant and found the Europa Cup’s England v-Italy match about to start. With beers in hand, we sat beside a voluable ex-Navy Italian cook and a Kenyan ex-national football player – both dressed in Italian shirts. I barracked for the Poms; JT stayed neutral. England was outplayed and ‘out-shot’ on penalties, which caused ‘Luigi’ to don a pair of Italy hats drawn from his pockets and to blast two whistles at max. volume.
At 0200 next morning we arose and set forth to catch the tide. As the current flows through Delaware Bay at between 2-3 kts and the wind was forecast to be dead-ahead, JAC’s motor and mains’l needed the current’s help.
Also forecast was a line of thunderstorms, for which a Small Boat Alert had been broadcast on Chanel 16. The line was supposed to have crossed the coast somewhere (hey, we didn’t know/comprehend the locations) between 0900 and 1100, so at 1200 I was satisfied that we had missed them …
… until 1230 ish, when the skies to leeward filled with black cloud. Leeward? yes, definitely yes:. and not just cloud but forked lightening and thunder. Moving fast? Most definitely yes; towards us. We quickly reduced sail to the second reef (JAC had her genoa furled) and felt the first rain as we did so. Just as quickly, JT and I reefed ourselves, removing our shirts in anticipation of a soaking.
The first gust of 20-25 kts hit us from astern. The rain fell heavier and heavier, colder and colder, for it came from great orographic heights. Darkness increased and visibility decreased. This might have been fortunate, as the lightening was striking close by, but it wasn’t, because at that time we were ¾ nm off Cape May, the Atlantic entrance to Delaware Bay, and we were negotiating a twisting path between shoals to avoid the shallows.
The wind veered quickly and increased to 30-35 kts. Our orientation to the wind, the shore, the shoals and JAC’s course became tricky. At the helm, I appreciated JAC’s new chartplotter (and, Jim, its position at the wheel) which helped greatly (even though I had to continuously remove the rain being blown near horizontally onto its cover.
The first ‘thundersquall’ eased, but within minutes another and then another hit us, each with winds from different directions. The strongest gust registered at 47 kts: not that I had much time to look. With those wind speeds JAC’s wind generator screamed its generating power. JT handled the mainsheet like a Laser’s, feathering nicely to both reduce and maintain power. Both of us became chilled through, and we used one lull to don needed clothes.
The line took about 45 mins to cross us, and within an hour we were safely alongside the Jersey Shore Marina in Cape May. The showers there were enjoyed, despite the fact that they seemed to be in constant motion.
Cape May, a US historic landmark of Victorian clapboard and shingle houses, tastefully maintained for holiday makers, retirees and B&Bs is a delightful place. That acknowledged, how many Aussies would tolerate a charge of $5 p/person/day (three days for $10) to access the sandy beaches?
JAC re-entered the Atlantic ocean at 1400 on Tues 26th Jun. This enabled us to sail most of the 96 nm sail to New York overnight. And what a pleasant sail it was. The offshore, 18-20 kt breeze came from just aft the beam, helping JAC to comfortably maintain 6-7 kts (7.7 being the max) for the passage.
And so we rounded Sandy Hook, entered first New York harbour and then the Hudson River, and motored past Liberty Island (with lots of pictures of the statue), Ellis Island, and along Manhattan. We were looking for an inexpensive marina or mooring. Optimists? definitely, but we did pretty well to find and book four nights at the West 79th Street Boat Basin. It’s a municipal facility, basic, run down and shabby: not at all like one of the boats alongside: the magnificent 170 ft sloop, Erika 12 (look her up).
We’re within walking distance of Broadway (Central Park too) and so last night JT and I treated ourselves to the new production of Evita (starring Ricky Martin as Che). It was good.
Today we’ve been busily since early morning giving JAC her first proper clean since we joined her. Not only did she need it, but Peter and Karlyn Johnstone-Hall are due to join the crew today. Indeed, I’ve been expecting them for the past two hours, which explains why this is being typed in a Broadway Starbucks.
We’ll stay here a couple more nights, and then head up the East River to Long Island Sound – where we’ll help with the American 4th July celebrations.
Live life
Martin

Back with JAC

I’m drafting this in Chicago airport, in transit to Richmond, Va, on 12 June.
Apprehensive? you bet: excited too, perhaps. It’s been 11 months since I left JAC in the boatyard at the southern end of the Chesapeake Bay. In the days leading up to the 27 hr trip from home my sleep was fitful. Leaving the security of family, friends, home and routine for months of cruising adventure is a challenge. But what is living without challenge?

The challenge this time isn’t as great as 18 months ago when I first joined JAC, in Florida, after becoming her owner. Then , I didn’t know the boat, and didn’t know whether I could handle her. Now, I know her better, and have greater confidence in my abilities. Neither she nor I are close to what we could be, though.

Since JAC improvements have been made. The Deltaville boatyard fitted new standing and some running rigging, a new chart-plotter and an AIS vessel identification system have been installed. A new anchor and new longer chain are loaded, fibreglass work undertaken (not all the consequence of my past actions) and cabin leaks stopped. As for me, I’ve been reading, thinking and planning; making ‘to do’ lists and attending the Sea Safety and Survival course again—as worthwhile reminder to avoid accidents and catastrophes at sea.

Looking ahead, the planned adventures have three phases: cruising the USA’s north east coast, sailing to and cruising the Caribbean’s Lesser Antilles islands, and then sailing to Panama and across the Pacific. Crews/companions have been recruited for the first two and the beginning of the third of these.

I’m continuing this in JAC’s saloon, bobbing at anchor off the naval college in Annapolis. It’s 23 June.

Much has happened since 12 June. John Tracey (JT) met me at Richmond and we drove our hired car to overnight accommodation. Next day we drove to Deltaville, stayed two nights in the delightful Ivy Cottage, and then moved aboard JAC.

The boatyard hadn’t finished and didn’t finish all that I had asked for a year ago, and the bills seemed high. In this, and confirmed by chats with many fellow boat owners, I guess there’s a perennial boat-owner suspicion that boatyards exist to ‘rip you off’ and, equally, boatyard staff probably think that owners are tight-fisted cranks with unrealistic expectations.

Regardless of the yard, there were 1001 jobs to do on JAC. Boats like continuous care and impose a cost if left for 12 months. Electrical connections corrode/fail, batteries run down, water pipes can grow ‘gunge, lines deteriorate, dirt accumulates, etc, etc. My to-do list also had a hundred or two boat improvement tasks that I reckoned were within my capabilities. Having JT aboard to help make JAC shipshape has been wonderful. Being a good handyman with an interest in purchasing his own yacht, JT was keen to share the challenges of preparing a yacht for voyaging. He has cheerfully accepted all those challenges, working ‘like a Trojan’. JAC now has many ‘parts’ that JT and me will know are there and working for his efforts.

We were blessed with good weather during this refit period, by which I mean an absence of rain. Temperatures were perfect for the first couple of days. Thereafter, though, they soared into the high 90°F, matched by high humidity. We perspired/sweated/dripped and drank lots of water, soft drinks and a beer or two in the evening.

Whilst JT has ‘tripped lightly’, steaming ahead in completing tasks to be done I seem to have ploughed through, weighed by what’s to be done, the bills to be paid and deadlines to meet: flapping and flaffing’ rather than cruising serenely through what must be done. My sleep has been solid, but insufficient to start the mental ‘wind down’ that comes with cruising.

Pleasant relief from the boat was provided by the company of fellow boaters. On our first night in Deltaville JT and I dined with a couple sailing their 23’ trailer sailer. Chuck’s Appalachian mountain accent was strong, his lowland girlfriend’s less so. They had driven their boat down to join a weekend flotilla cruise across the bay. On another night we joined Tony and Jill, who crossed the Atlantic aboard their 42’ Hanse from home in Guernsey. A delightful couple, they’re now back home, with their boat on land until their return.
Michael Taylor, the 84 yr old who lives aboard his 42 yr old Snowgoose catamaran and who drove me to the airport last year, was anchored off the boatyard. He had wintered in the Bahamas islands. Unfortunately our busy life prevented our spending more time with him.

After a day with power trials, a day with sailing trials and ten days of personal trials, JAC left Deltaville at 1500 Thurs 21 June. Late for leaving? Yes, but there were reasons. It was good to be off. After six hours we dropped anchor (in darkness, despite the ‘longest day’) at St Marys City, just off the Potomac River. We had covered about 43 nm.

Tired, we thought a swim would refresh us. It did, but was all too short. The unseen jellyfish saw to that. A rum/whisky helped overcome the discomfort.
After a short walk around the ‘city’ (a delightful spot) next morning we set sail for Annapolis, setting the ‘iron genoa’ to work too. The early humidity gave rise to thunderstorms, one of which hit us, giving rise to the excitement of rapidly reducing sail in the cooling rain. Otherwise all went well, and we anchored here at sunset.

JT’s ashore, sightseeing. I’ll join him shortly, during which I’ll get this message out, by one means or another.

Tomorrow we’ll exit the top of the Chesapeake Bay and half-transit the canal to the Delaware Bay. The plan for Monday is to descend the Delaware Bay, and the next day cruise north in the Atlantic towards New York.

And here's my first ever blog entry.

Live life. M