Well, we can see palm trees, but the breeze is not that balmy yet. A cold snap has followed us most of the way from Hampton VA to Vero Beach FL, where we are on a mooring amongst others of our kind (cruising boats headed south for the winter) for the Thanksgiving Holiday. Lion's Paw departed Hampton on November 7. Most of the trip has been slogging down the Intracoastal Waterway (ICW), with plenty of company. However, we did get in two nice offshore runs; from Beaufort NC to Georgetown SC, and Beaufort SC to Fernandina Beach FL. This saved some time and fuel, and let Lion's Paw strut her offshore stuff (if not exactly deep ocean, at least out of sight of land). These were good runs, in spite of the crew having miserable colds (can't sleep anyway, may as well be up all night dodging ships). With some of the blustery winds lately, we have even gotten in some nice downwind jib sailing on the ICW.
Lion's Paw was looking forward to passing through the historic Bridge of Lions in St. Augustine. Unfortunately, the bridge is under re-construction, and thus not very photogenic. It made for one of the more anxious moments of the trip so far, as we had to hold station in the channel waiting for the bridge opening, and 3-knot currents were dragging us down on the bridge, likely exacerbated by the constriction in the channel by the temporary bridge structures. Alas, Lion's Paw backs in reverse like the proverbial drunken elephant in the best of circumstances, and was having none of it in a 3 knot current. But we cleared through without mishap, and contemplated a different strategy (that does not include being under control in reverse) for next time.
Other than the usual sorts of adventures with dragging anchors, thick morning fog in the Carolina Low Country (worth it for the beauty), and "parallel parking" at fuel docks in high winds, the trip has been relaxing and enjoyable so far. (We have yet to have the inevitable adventure of running aground in the ICW.) There have been many pleasant anchorages along the way, and it's been fun to watch the climate change as we move south. The best places are the unusual surprises, like Jone's Fruit Dock - a local orchard owner who lets folks use his dock overnight (for a mere 10 bucks, $13 if you want to plug in an extension cord). Free coconut included.
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At the end of May, Lion's Paw set sail in Chesapeake Bay to support the Golder Trust for Orphans. Anita and Ray from the old hometown (Denver) arrived to a hot summer Bay day. The next day was stormy, however, so the full crew headed for an "educational tour" of Jamestown. Sailing later that week as the weather improved included a night at anchor near historic Fort Monroe (with steaks on the BBQ), and 3 days of great sailing in 5 to 15 knot winds where Lion's Paw could strut her stuff (and did very well). The highlight was chasing down the tall ship Kalmar Nyckel out of Delaware, who managed to outrun us with several acres (it seemed) of canvas aloft on her square yards for a downwind run. After enjoying Lion's Paw's delightful sailing and comfortable accommodations, Anita and Ray departed with even more enthusiasm to pursue their dream of cruising under sail in a few more years. As a result of the trip, a generous donation was made to the Trust to support ongoing projects which assist orphans in sub-Saharan Africa.
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Capt. Nancy spent March and April on the tall ship Westward, sailing as the ship's engineer. This tour of duty provided a preview of a number of ports Lion's Paw may expect to visit, and a few extra dollars for the cruising kitty. Westward departed from Miami and headed southeast for a 6-week tour of the Caribbean. The students were from an all-girls program - high-school age, out of the San Francisco Bay area. Captain for the trip was Capt. Caroline Smith, a friend and shipmate from previous work on Westward. The weather was not in our favor, and we spent much time motor-sailing to windward - making the engineer's life hot and miserable. We did call at a number of interesting ports, including Great Inagua, Bahamas; Vieques, Puerto Rico; Tortola, BVI; St. Johns, USVI; and Samana, Dominican Republic. Our original itinerary included the island of Dominica, but the weather situation did not allow us to get that far east and south. As usual on this working trip, shore leave was sparse for the crew, but Capt. Nancy had 2 days ashore in the DR, swam in an amazing waterfall, and visited the seaside village of Las Galera. Predictably, our voyage back to the US was - you guessed it - upwind. Things were particularly rocky in the Gulf Stream - rough enough to cause the mainmast to begin working in its partners, dropping mast wedges down into the engineer's lair. Several of us spent the afternoon stabilizing the mast with wood scraps, and of course, duct tape - trying not to slide off the deck in 30 knot winds and the notorious Gulf Stream chop kicked up by a northerly wind.
Due to the unfavorable winds, we didn't make it to our destination to drop of the girls on schedule, and instead landed at Riviera Beach, Florida. The next group of kids, an 8th grade class from Logan School in Denver, had to catch up with us there. We then hopped up the coast to refuel in Fernandina (1748 gallons), and stopped in at Cumberland Island and Charleston, SC - both great stops that deserve more exploration - before finishing in Wilmington NC.
Fun highlights from the engineer's log:
• Loading 200 gallons of fuel in Riviera, using hand-carried, 5-gallon jugs;
• Sparks flying from the mast when the spreader lights shorted;
• A grease fire in the galley which melted stove wiring (as well as a variety of other stove malfunctions);
• Accidently tripping the fuel shutoff when we were trying to leave the fuel dock in Fernandina (which of course shuts off fuel to the engine);
• Unclogging the head pump o the very last day on duty (couldn't get by without at least one sewage adventure).
But, all is made up for on those days working on wiring up in the rig, with the wind in your hair, and a great view 100 feet above the deck.
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