Vessel Name: | SuChing |
Vessel Make/Model: | Tayana 55 |
Hailing Port: | Annapolis, Maryland USA |
Crew: | David & Susan |
Extra: | This is what we have spent the last 6 years planning for - adding systems to the boat, a little at a time. This year 2016 we will winter in the Caribbean, at least that is the plan. |
Here we are, almost 7 months later, were we started. The trip home was pretty much motoring and beating into the wind. The largest seas we had were the last 30 miles to the entrance of the Chesapeake.(6-8 foot waves on the bow) However, the sail up the Bay was great as the winds shifted in our favor for a one tack trip. It appears that not only was the weather relatively kind to us, we had good luck with our engine, as when I was checking it out at the dock, I discovered that our Heat exchanger had gone bad, and instead of coolant, I now had sea water. So now I am wearing socks and long pants for the first time in 7 months, and have already indulged in Chinese food and pizza, both of which are hard to find in the BVI.
Well, we are here - nice trip, but could have done without the two rainstorms, one thunderstorm on the way - but the worst was the 30 knots of wind directly down the channel on our arrival. Fortunately for us, our anchor held the first time - we arrived at about 8 in the morning, and would usually go [...]
Wow, time sure flies - its been a long time since my last post - we have sailed around St Thomas, Around St John, gone to St Croix, and have had friends visit us for a few weeks, sailing in the BVI. We are currently back in Christmas Bay off St James Island, between St John and St Thomas. We have had a few days of rain, in the beginning of March and at the end of March. We had howling winds for a week - 25 gusting to 30. That was for 5 days straight currently we are now enjoying 10-15 from the east, with isolated showers - note: there is not a weather report that does not include isolated showers or numerous showers or scattered showers. The sail to St Croix was great 5 hours on the same tack - both going and returning on a beam reach in 15 knots of wind. Very nice.
Just wanted to post this picture from a house ruin on St John, dating back to the 1700's. It looks like this was a view from the first floor, with a balcony over the arch on the second. Our engine is acting up a little currently, so we did an oil change and filter change, and are currently testing things out. We seem to be burning a little oil, and I think that it may be that I was running the engine to conservatively trying to save fuel. So we will see in the next few days what happens.