S/V Sjokolade

Intermittent thoughts on my Journey to the Deep Blue Sea.

Vessel Name: Sjokolade
Vessel Make/Model: 1982 Morgan 383
Hailing Port: Bayfield, WI
Crew: Rolf Peterson
About: Departed August 22nd, 2015 for Annapolis MD via L. Superior, Huron, Erie, Erie Canal, Hudson River, NYC, and Atlantic Ocean. Currently stopping in Pensacola for awhile.
Social:
24 April 2015 | On the Hard, Bayfield WI
01 September 2014 | Erie, Pennsylvania
Recent Blog Posts
23 October 2017 | Masonboro

Visiting bird

7:00pm Monday, October 23 - we arrived at the Masonboro Inlet about 730 this morning, anchored, had a huge bacon, eggs, hash browns, and bagel breakfast.

21 October 2017 | Cape Henry

Cape Hatteras

7:00am, Saturday, Oct 21 - We have just departed the Chesapeake Bay outside of Norfolk VA. There is no wind and the swells minimal, though we are rolling a bit. There is a lot of traffic on the VHF, particularly the clear broadcasts of the young men and women aboard the Navy vessels leaving and entering [...]

21 October 2017 | Cape Henry

Cape Hatteras

7:00am, Saturday, Oct 21 - We have just departed the Chesapeake Bay outside of Norfolk VA. There is no wind and the swells minimal, though we are rolling a bit. There is a lot of traffic on the VHF, particularly the clear broadcasts of the young men and women aboard the Navy vessels leaving and entering [...]

Visiting bird

23 October 2017 | Masonboro
Rolf 15± winds, night time in the cockpit
7:00pm Monday, October 23 - we arrived at the Masonboro Inlet about 730 this morning, anchored, had a huge bacon, eggs, hash browns, and bagel breakfast.

We will stay here for a week up river in a marina until Pete and Mike's brother Mark join us for the final leg to Ft Pierce. We will go offshore all the way unless forced in by nature or engineering.

The last 3 days have been a big mix of wind, waves, and sun. During the days the winds were so light that we motored much of the time but each evening we were able to set our sails and turn the motor off, enjoying only the sounds of the boat rushing along in the water. The ocean swells were at times difficult to navigate below as the boat would lurch, lift, and drop in an unsteady rhythm making each step a solemn march, and each hand a third unsteady leg. Coffee went into a donated French press, and previously boiled eggs and yogurt became the breakfast norm.

At night, I took the early watch, Mike the later. I woke him as late as I could, between 12 and 1:00, and then I would reappear around 5:30 or 6:00. These watches were a simple solo affair consisting of 3 minute horizen and system checks every 15 minutes, interspersed with reading, games, staring at the stars, and listening to the voices in the rigging, waves, and boat. I never could make out quite what was being said, but I listened intently, straining to catch just one plain word, recognizing it was not to be, the language was not mine, but from another time, another world. I knew what was being said, I just couldn't catch the words.

Cape Hatteras

21 October 2017 | Cape Henry
Rolf / Sunny, no wind
7:00am, Saturday, Oct 21 - We have just departed the Chesapeake Bay outside of Norfolk VA. There is no wind and the swells minimal, though we are rolling a bit. There is a lot of traffic on the VHF, particularly the clear broadcasts of the young men and women aboard the Navy vessels leaving and entering their base in Norfolk. Clear and concise, you know exactly what they want, unlike the private sector fishing and sailing vessels that respond.

Our route will take us along the infamous Cape Hatteras, past Diamond Shoals, and into Masonboro Inlet. It will take about 48 hours. On our way out two container ships passed us and each other in the ships channel.

Cape Hatteras

21 October 2017 | Cape Henry
Rolf / Sunny, no wind
7:00am, Saturday, Oct 21 - We have just departed the Chesapeake Bay outside of Norfolk VA. There is no wind and the swells minimal, though we are rolling a bit. There is a lot of traffic on the VHF, particularly the clear broadcasts of the young men and women aboard the Navy vessels leaving and entering their base in Norfolk. Clear and concise, you know exactly what the want, unlike the private sector fishing and sailing vessels that respond.

Our route will take us along the infamous Cape Hatteras, past Diamond Shoals, and into Masonboro Inlet. It will take about 48 hours. On our way out two container ships passed us and each other in the ships channel.
Journey So Far
Sjokolade's Photos - Main
Projects I've worked on while in Pensacola
9 Photos
Created 15 December 2016
19 Photos
Created 9 March 2016
Photos taken along the ICW from Solomons to ?
8 Photos
Created 21 January 2016
These are pictures of the projects I am attempting to complete in the Solomons.
23 Photos
Created 10 November 2015
Pictures from the Trip from Bayfield, WI on Lake Superior to Annapolis, MD on the Chesapeake Bay, via Lake Superior, Lake Huron, Lake Erie, the Erie Canal, Hudson River, Atlantic Ocean.
8 Photos | 4 Sub-Albums
Created 1 September 2015
Pictures of projects done or contemplated
11 Photos | 1 Sub-Album
Created 20 May 2015
8 Photos
Created 20 May 2015