May, 2006
May
2, 2006
I went
to the immigration building to do the paperwork. A woman showed me where to
start on the first floor. I went in and he gave me a form and said to fill it
out and take it upstairs to someone. I filled it out and went upstairs. There
was a woman behind a window who was talking to me but there were so many people
there that I couldn't here her. Eventually I figured out that she was telling
me to sit and wait. Shortly some guy came out and looked at me. He didn't say
anything so I asked if he was the gentleman I needed to see. "It depends
on what you want." They were not the most helpful people I have ever
worked with to say the least. He took my form, said he needed copies of my boat
registration and entry permit but they didn't have a copier. Then back
downstairs where I started and he disappeared in the back. After a while a different
form came out from the slot under the window. I picked it up and someone said I
needed to go pay but not where to pay. It turns out that I needed to go to the
Treasury office to pay and it was in the next building down the street. I went
and paid my money and asked here if I was all done and she said yes so I went
to eat some lunch. Over lunch I realized that the second guy hadn't taken the
copy of my boat registration so I probably wasn't really done. So back to
immigration where I found out that I was not done. He took my receipt, the copy
of the boat registration and said he didn't need the entry permit since I
didn't have a copy. He stamped my passport and then I was DONE. This was the
most complex process I had been through and the most un-helpful people I have
dealt with since I started.
Then
it was back to the UPS agent where I found out that my package was indeed there
but still needed to go through customs where I would have to pay the duty. He
said I could go to the airport and wait for him there and clear the package
there so I went off to the airport. He eventually showed up with three large
bags of stuff and after a while my package came up to the customs agent for
processing. She needed my entry permit and disappeared for a while. When she
came back she said OK and I had my autopilot and was on my way back to the boat
by about 1:00 with plenty of time to clear customs and leave.
I was
walking back to the boat carrying a large box when a local guy stopped and
offered me a ride. I've made about 6 trips to town and of the 12 legs, I had to
walk all the way only two times. The people here are really friendly and
helpful. The guy today was the first that asked for money, he wanted $4. I was
a little surprised and disappointed but it was certainly worth the $4 not to
have to walk all the way. Yesterday, a guy gave me a ride and he said that he
would always watch for the "Yachties" and give them a ride. I had
never thought of myself as a Yachty, I'm just a guy who lives on a boat. He had
lived on a boat for 2.5 years and sailed from
So I
had my autopilot working, the wind generator was working (I put the broken
blade back on and cut the other two to match and it was working smoothly.), the
broken sail slides were replaced, the wind vane was ready to steer, I had a few
fresh groceries (Things are expensive here!) and was all ready to go. But there
was no wind. I had used much more fuel than I had expected getting up here
while I was hand steering and I didn't want to motor. The next place to refuel
easily was in
May 2,
2006
I got
up early this morning and had breakfast before the weather net at 6:30 so I
could be ready to leave if the weather sounded good. It didn't sound real good
with light winds, about 10 knots, for the next couple of days and then going
really light. Two days of 10 knot winds should put me past
I got
cleaned up some and went into customs to clear out. They were a little busy and
by the time I got back to the boat it was almost 9:30. I got the dinghy motor
secured, got the dinghy aboard and stored, got the sails ready, etc. and it was
about 10:25 when I finally got the anchor up and was off. I motored across the
Caicos bank and out the Sandbore Channel.
The
Sandbore Channel is a clear channel about 1/2 mile wide through the 
The swells turned out to only be about 4-6 feet with about a 9 second period so
they weren't extremely uncomfortable. The biggest problem I had was the lack of
wind. The 10-12 knots forecast turned out to be closer to 5 knots. For the
first few hours, there was not enough wind to keep the sails filled as the boat
rocked on the swells. I was making about 1.2 knots to the NW with the wind from
the north and the boat pointed due west. Very confusing until I realized that I
was in a fairly strong current and was basically just floating along. It didn't
really matter where I steer, I was going NW at about 1.1 knots.
About
5:00, the wind picked enough that I could sail a little and was making about
2.5 knots.
May 6,
2006
Well
it's been four days since I left
There
are two kinds of light wind sailing. There's the sailing where you have enough
wind to go where you want but just don't go very fast. Since I don't have a
schedule for this trip north, I find it very enjoyable. Generally when the wind
is light, the seas will be calm although there can still be a long distance
swell running. Sailing along at about two knots is so peaceful. It is absolutely
silent until you get to about 1.7 knots. Then you start to hear a little bit of
the water gurgling from your bow wave. Things don't happen too fast so you have
lots of time to sit and enjoy the wonder of God's creation. The last two nights
have been incredibly clear. I don't remember ever seeing the moon so bright,
even though it was only a half moon, or as many and as bright stars. Even the
green flash was longer and clearer. Beautiful nights for sailing.
The
second light wind sailing is when the wind is REALLY light and there is not
enough wind to keep the sails filled or to control the boat. That sailing
REALLY sucks! About all you can do is let the boat drift and either put up with
the sails slating as the boats rocks or drop them. That is not as pleasant.
This is
a busy stretch of ocean.
It seems like there is always at least
one freighter on the radar. I think the Crooked Island Passage, which I crossed
for the last two days, is on the route from the upper north coast of the
Last night just after the sun
went down over the south end of 
I tried to chase it away but wasn't too
successful so I got a big flashlight and shone it on the bird. That seemed to
confuse him and he flew away but soon came back. The light seemed to work again
and I thought that was the end of it. Later I looked back and there he was
sitting on the top of the wind vane oar. I think he was tired and just wanted a
place to rest. He stayed there for several hours and then I heard him take off.
Today
is another light wind day. Chris Parker on the weather net said it will be the
last one for a week or so but then I've heard that before. I drifted for a
while and soon a front moved through and the winds clocked from the north-east
to the south-east. I basically need to go north-west so this was not a good development.
It is much easier and faster to sail on a reach, with the wind from off the side of the boat, than on a run, with the wind from behind the boat, especially in a
very light wind. I tried sailing wing on wing with the 
I didn't have any smaller line
that was long enough for a sheet so I added a short piece of smaller line to of
the larger sheet. The large sheet still goes through the blocks and to the
winch but the smaller one goes through the pole. It seemed like it was going to
work so I got it all set and raised the
This
afternoon I was up on the foredeck looking around and I saw a large fish
swimming along side. I had never seen fish do that before. 
He went to the back of the boat so I
grabbed the camera and went back to take his picture. There were 4 of them back
there. I'm not sure what they were but they were the brightest blue color I
have ever seen on a fish. They were big, at least by my standards, probably
close 5 feet long for the largest. All 4 were just swimming along behind the
boat. Very strange. Thinking about it later I think that the local fishermen
feed them so when they see a boat, they get behind it and look for a handout.
They had fins near the head that were quite long, almost like wings, and were
bright blue. If anyone knows what they might be, please let me know.
May 8,
2006
I'm
back in New Bight, Cat
The approach to
Cat Island Bight has the most abrupt water color change I have ever seen. In a
few hundred yards the water goes from around 1,000 feet to about 15 feet. As it
does this, the color changes from the dark blue of the deep water to the bright
aqua color of the shallow water with the white sand bottom.
When I
changed the alternator I noticed that one of the motor mount brackets had
broken. I had a real problem getting the correct mounts from the Yanmar dealer
in
This
morning I cleared Customs and the agent gave the name of someone who he thought
could weld the mount. I called him and we eventually got together so I could
show him the problem and explain what I wanted done. The mount is very close to
some hardware on the engine so it cannot be reinforced on the front side. He
took off with it and said he would meet me at 3:00 in New Bight. The sail from
After
running the engine for hours to partially charge the batteries, I was
determined to get the Balmar 150 amp alternator back on. It is regulated back
to 75 amps max to protect the batteries and the alternator but still puts out
twice what the
I
really like it here. The anchorage is really open to the west so if a westerly
starts blowing, you need to move to the north side of the bay to get some
protection behind a reef up there. When I was here last Dec., I was the only
boat in the anchorage. Today there are four other ones. Of course the anchorage
is about 10 miles long so it's still not too crowded. One of the guys on the
beach said that a few weeks ago there were 18 boats anchored there. Apparently they
were spillover from the crowd at Georgetown in the Exumas.
The
people here are very friendly and you can find most of the stuff you need, except
for internet access. I was sitting in the cockpit right after sundown tonight
when someone came on the VHF and said "This may not be heaven, but it
can't be more than a quarter mile from here." I'm not sure I like it that
much but it's pretty nice. I was talking to a young guy, 42, this afternoon
over at the little restaurants and he said all the other guys at the table,
about 6, were old enough to be his father and that all of them were born and
raised right there in New Bight, had spent their lives there and still loved it
there. One of the guys said that a lot of the young people are leaving once
they finish school and that the population is dropping. It is a beautiful
place.
May 9,
2006
I
reinstalled the engine mount this morning so the engine is now secure again. Jeffrey
did what looks like a really good job on the welding and added a second
re-enforcement on the side so I think it will be OK. Of course I thought it
would be OK when I installed it too. I'll just have to wait and see. I do feel
much more comfortable now that I have the engine functional. Sailing without it
was not that bad, although a little slow, and gave me the opportunity to
practice sailing to and away from an anchor.
I need
to get some diesel today and some more of Olive's fresh baked coconut bread and
then I'll be ready to leave. The weather forecast for the next several days is
for very light winds in from here to the northern
Unfortunately,
getting diesel here means hauling it in jerry cans from the Shell station
ashore. I anchored as close the station as I could and it is only a short block
from the beach so it shouldn't be too bad. I only have one can and it would be
so much easier with two. Carrying one can is difficult since it is so
unbalanced. O well, I have time so no need to rush. I'm starting to enjoy the
island time concept.
May
10, 2006
Still
here in New Bight. I got my diesel yesterday, 62 gals, and a loaf of bread
although it is nearly gone. The bread was still hot when I got it and I started
eating as I walked back to the gas station. Add a little PB and a glass of
pineapple juice and it's a good lunch.
Getting
the diesel wasn't too bad, except for paying for it. $4.20 a gallon! They had a
6 gal can that they let me borrow so I got about 12.5 gal's per trip. Of course
the wind had shifted around to the west so it was blowing right into the bight
and kicked up a pretty good chop. It's a good thing I've had that dinghy for a
while. It is very flexible and if you weren't used to it, it would be quite
disconcerting. But after 5 trips, the tank was full and I have 6 gal in the jerry
can on deck. That should last me quite a while. I'll probably stop in Abaco and
top up again before I head for
Today
I went back up to the Hermitage to get some exercise and to get some more
pictures. My camera battery died on the way up last Dec. I added a bunch of
pictures to the Hermitage page in the Photo page.
Very
light winds today so I decided to stay here another day and relax. Tomorrow is forecast
to be better so I'll check the weather in the morning before deciding when to
go.
I
walked to the store this afternoon for a couple of things. It's probably 1.5
miles each way so they had to be important. When I got back, I decided that I
ought to check things on the bottom of the boat so I dug out the SCUBA gear and
went down below. There is a
When I
got back aboard, I noticed that the three sailboats that were in the anchorage
had left. Shortly after that, the one power boat that was there left and I was
the only one left. The winds were not good for the trip north, although not a
concern to the power boat, so I was surprised to see the sailboats leave. Then
I decided that they had probably just gone up the coast a little ways to get a
better start tomorrow. That made a lot of sense and I decided that I would do
likewise. It was either that or go ashore and get another loaf of Olive's
coconut bread. The one that I bought yesterday is nearly gone but a few more
loaves and I will need to but new swimming trunks so I decided to leave. I knew
that I would be motoring so I didn't bother to bring the dinghy aboard and just
pulled up the anchor and left. I went about 12 miles up the island and just
pulled in about a mile off shore and anchored. I'm in about 17 feet of water
with a nice sand bottom and just enough waves to give a nice motion to the
boat. I finished dinner and am sitting in the cockpit with the laptop. The moon
is not quite full but quite bright. There is a nice breeze, temp is in high
70's and the only sounds are a couple of dogs on shore, about a mile away, the
waves lapping on the dinghy and Jimmy Buffet on the stereo. I was sitting here
with my SDG&T* when I realized how perfect it was here. It is one of those
rare times when everything seems to be in balance and just can't get a whole
lot better. Maybe that guy on the radio was right but then I am more than a
quarter mile from New Bight.
I
guess tomorrow I will continue on to Abaco assuming the morning weather net has
no new surprises. It is about 150 miles from here so will probably take a
little less than two days. The motor mount survived the motoring today and I
think it will be OK so I feel reasonably comfortable going on.
May
13, 2006
I am
in
I did
cover a fair amount of water in the last two days. I did 70 miles in about 15.5
hours on Thur. and about 101 yesterday in a little less than 20 hours. The next
leg of this trip is about 480 miles if I go to
I had
another new experience yesterday and it was not pleasant one. I was about 30
miles from Abaco when I saw a squall on the radar. It was about 24 miles away
so I watched it for a while to see which way it was moving and it seemed to
moving across my path and toward me at about a 45 degree angle although it is
sort of hard to tell sometimes on the radar. It was a really solid black return
on the radar which meant that there was a lot of rain falling. There was also a
lot of lightning in it. It looked like it would miss me but I turned off to the
west to give it some more room. As it moved south, it got bigger and at one
time it was about 32 miles long and 6 miles wide, the biggest I have seen on
radar. Even several miles away, the winds were building. As it grew, I could
see that it was not going to miss me on my present course so I tacked and
started off to the south, pretty much the direction I came from. I was motor
sailing and was going over 7.5 knots but it was still gaining on me. Suddenly
the temperature dropped about 10 degrees and I pretty much knew I was in
trouble. At that point, the squall was almost 'U' shaped with me in the middle.
I tried to stay in the middle hoping it would dissipate some before I got into
it. There was lightning on both sides of me but the winds were not terribly
strong, probably less than 20 knots.
I have never been hit by lightning on a boat and don't know what would happen.
I have heard that on a steel boat, since there is such a direct path to ground, the static charges
around the mast will be dissipated with the result the lightning will not strike it.
Sounds pretty good but I'm not sure I want to bet my life on it. I have also heard
that since there is a direct path from the mast to the water, that there is generally
little damage if it is struck. Not real comfortable with that possibility either.
I prefer not to find out and leave this as one of life's little unsolved mysteries.
The storm was still closing in on me when I saw that it was clearing somewhat behind me.
Radar also showed that it appeared to be lighter directly behind me.
It looked like the quickest way out of the storm would be to turn 180 degrees and
run right back through the middle of the storm so that's what I decided to do.
The back side of the storm had a lot of rain but much of the energy seemed to
have dissipated and I was able to go on through it with no problem and soon
I was sailing in nice clear sunny weather. The wind had shifted to the NW following the
front passing through and I was soaked but all was well.
I also had my closest encounter with a ship at sea on this passage.
I saw this ship on radar at about 15 miles out and watched it as it got closer.
At about 8 miles, I could see it visually and since I could see its port side, it looked
like it would go behind me.
It kept getting closer and at about two miles I started getting a little concerned.
It's a big ocean out there and it's a little hard to imagine that two independent
vessels could come together at sea.
But at about half a mile I was reviewing my options.
Then he turned his spotlight on me. At least he knew I was there.
It didn't bear off as it is required to do since I was the stand-on vessel because it was
overtaking me.
I decided to turn off to gave a little more room.
I think it would have missed me anyway but I felt much better with a little more room between us.
I overheard a Coast Guard vessel tell a ship in no uncertain terms that he WOULD alter course and
cross the CG vessels path behind him no closer than 1 NM. The captain of the freighter quickly
agreed.
I guess a sailboat just doesn't get the same respect.
That is the first time that I had a ship come within a mile of me and I didn't think much of it.
May 14, 2006
After this I decided I needed to go do laundry.
I loaded up my dirty clothes and headed off to the laundromat.
They have a nice one here and it was quite busy but I got my laundry done with no waiting.
Clean sheets tonight!
Tomorrow I need to get some groceries and take care of a few other things and then wait for a good weather
window before heading north.
I have about 480 miles to Beaufort, NC, or 680 miles to Norfolk, VA.
I would much prefer going to Norfolk to avoid the ICW but it's a question of getting a good weather window
to go that far.
Motor sailing will let me cover about 120 miles a day so it's not too long a trip.
May 16, 2006
The weather forecast for the last couple of days has a cold front moving through here late Wed. evening.
The problem is with the pre-frontal activity.
Shortly after the squall hit, I went below to get something and when I came back out, the boat was perpendicular
to the wind.
That is what generally happens when a boat loses or drags it anchor.
I thought I had lost my anchor and quickly checked and saw it was still there and seemed to be holding.
As the winds shifted, the boat got a little of sync with the wind and swung around a little further than normal.
Sure got my adrenalin going!
A few minutes later I looked forward and there was a large motor yacht dragging toward the boat beside me.
There was a guy on the deck, of both boats, but there wasn't much they could do up there.
A problem with a lot of motor yachts is that they have extremely high bows.
This means that they have to let out a lot of anchor rode to maintain the proper angle on the anchor.
His rode was nearly straight down.
They also tend to have a lot of structure out of the water so the wind forces are much higher.
This is somewhat balanced by having lots of power and usually twin engines so they can maneuver well in tight spaces.
About the time he was going to hit the next boat over, he started moving forward.
This was good for the other boat but it now had him heading toward me.
And he kept on coming toward me.
There was little I could do.
I certainly couldn't get my anchor up in time to get out of his way.
I started the engine and tried to drive off to the right to miss him but couldn't really go far.
I swear he was within a foot of my bow when he got it going back toward the other boat.
His anchor was still in the water and seemed to grab now and then.
He ended up sort of beside me between me and the next boat to starboard.
Pretty soon he started swinging toward me again and ended up going right in front me.
His stern swung right across in front of me.
I was sure that his props were going to catch my anchor rode.
Not sure which would win, his props or my 3/8" High Test chain.
I don't think the results would have been pleasant.
He missed it somehow.
I think what happened was that when he got right in front of me, I was now in his lee and it took some of the force
off the anchor and the chain dropped deeper.
It had to be really close.
About this time he started moving back to the left and into and across a small open spot to a third boat.
I think he hit that one but I couldn't tell for sure.
Someone on the radio told him to get his anchor up and power out of the anchorage.
This is what he did and went back to where he started.
I was sure that he was going to anchor there again.
Several people, including me, got on the radio and convinced him not to do that.
He ended up motoring around the harbor until the squall ended.
Then we went back close to where he was but he did set his anchor much further out and let out much more scope.
About the time the first motor yacht was attacking the third sailboat, I looked back toward the harbor entrance and there
was another, larger, motor yacht dragging his anchor.
It wasn't moving very fast but it was definitely moving.
I couldn't tell it there was anyone aboard or not although there was a dinghy tied to the back.
About that time, the winds started to die down somewhat and the second drifter also stopped.
They ended up anchored next to each other.
They may have a problem in the next squall because I'm not sure if the second one realizes how much chain the first guy
has out.
That was enough excitement for me.
I got my anchor up and left.
I guess I'll never know if those two boats got together in the next squall or not.
I wasn't sure where I was going but I knew that I didn't want to stay there.
May 21, 2006
I stayed in Bakers Bay for one night and then went to Fishers Bay.
Fishers Bay is at the settlement on Great Guana Cay, close to Nippers.
I anchored, again the only boat there, and went ashore to pick up a few groceries before heading out.
I still needed to get fuel before leaving and decided to get it that afternoon to avoid the delay in the morning.
I put away the few things I bought.
This is NOT the place to do provisioning.
There is one small grocery store, although it is nice and has a pretty good selection.
They even had skim milk.
Of course it was the most expensive milk I think I ever bought.
Guana Cay is in a period of transition.
The east end of the island has been developed with single family homes wiht about half the lots sold and several
houses built.
Now the west end of the island is being developed and the local people are up in arms.
The development is upscale houses with a golf course.
There are signs everywhere against the development and the local people are trying to stop it.
It certainly would change the flavor of the island.
As I was getting ready to raise the anchor, another storm showed up on the horizon.
I watched it for a while and then it started raining.
It was a slow gentle rain and looked like it was going to last for a while.
I decided to wait until morning to fuel up after all.
I tried calling James, the Jefferson 42 guy, on the radio but couldn't reach him so I fixed some dinner and went to bed.
No broadcast TV here in the Bahamas.
That afternoon I listened to Herb Hilgenberg, the weather forecaster from Canada, to get an update on the passage
conditions.
He said to another boat that was close behind me that he needed to go west and cross the Gulf Stream near Daytona Beach.
The cold fronts were still rolling off the coast, one nearly every day, and a strong one was predicted for Mon
in the waters south of NC.
I was obviously quite interested since I would be arriving there on Monday also.
I considered what he said and balanced an extra day or two of sailing against one very rough day of sailing and
headed for Florida.
Also the winds were predicted to be primarily from the west for several days.
If I stayed east of the Gulf Stream, there would be enough fetch for the wind driven waves to build and I would
have about three days of the big seas.
It was pretty rough seas with a swell from the east and wind driven waves from the west.
This resulted in large waves that would form rapidly and then disappear nearly as fast.
I had several that were a good 10 foot high but at least the deck of the boat got cleaned nicely.
I reached the east edge of the Gulf Stream at about the Cape Canaveral latitude.
This is the narrowest section of the stream so it is also the fastest.
It was pretty obvious when I hit it.
My course shifted about 45 degrees to the north and my speed went up to well over hull speed, about 7.5 to eight knots.
It took most of the day to get across and get to the much calmer waters west of the stream.
I was still about 75 miles from the coast but the seas calmed significantly.
I was close to Daytona Beach before I got through it.
I'm not sure going this way was really a good move but I think it will be more comfortable and the forecast now
looks good for going directly around Cape Hatteras and into the Chesapeake instead of going up the ICW.
I would much prefer this route if weather permits.
Right now it is Sun evening and I am approaching Savannah's latitude.
I'm even able to get the Simpsons on TV!
I'll turn up the coast staying twenty to thirty miles offshore.
Once I get close to Morehead City, NC, I'll decide whether to go up the ICW or around Hatteras.
It has been a pretty nice trip so far although I got caught in a squall last night.
It was wind only so it didn't show up on radar.
It ended up breaking another sail slide so I reefed the main above the broken slide, the third reef, and
replaced the genoa with the #1 jib to keep it reasonably balanced.
It was pretty nice overnight when the winds were stronger but they moderated this morning and I was only doing about
2.5 knots.
So I got out the sail repair stuff and fixed the slide and with the main and genoa my speed went up to about 4.5 to 5 knots.
May 25, 2006
I stopped today in Morehead City, NC, to clear customs and get fuel.
The winds for the last 4 days were very light and I ended up motorsailing about 2/3 of the time.
Customs was uneventful although I did have to go to the Customs office.
I fueled up at Morehead City Yacht Basin which is a new facility and really nice.
There's not much there except slips and fuel but the docks are the nicest I've seen.
It's also easy to get to and easy to get to from the ICW.
I checked the weather report and it called for really nasty weather off Cape Hatteras for two days.
I decided that by the time I waited two days for the winds to moderate and then another day for the seas to moderate,
I could be in Norfolk via the ICW.
I certainly was not looking forward to hand steering up those narrow channels but I decided to go that way.
I had been at sea for a week and was looking forward to being able to anchor and sleep an entire night so I only
went about 20 miles up the ICW and anchored in Cedar Creek, right behind a sunken sailboat.
I don't remember it being there when I came through southbound.
Cedar Creek is shallow but the charts show over six feet for quite a ways and I was able to get several hundred feet
off the channel before anchoring although my depth gage showed only about 6.5 feet.
The wind was blowing in the 20-25 knot range but the anchorage was pretty calm and I did sleep well.
May 26, 2006
When I checked the depth this morning, it only showed about 5.7 feet and I draw 6.
I've read that when the winds blow strong enough and long enough it blows the water out of this portion of the ICW and the water level can drop significantly.
0.7 feet doesn't sound like much but it's sort of relative to where you start.
I was able to get out OK and proceeded up the ICW down the Neuse River, up the Bay River to the Pungo River
to the Alligator River - Pungo River Canal.
This canal is about twenty miles long and I didn't have time to get through it before dark and since there are only about
two lights along it, a night time passage is not a good idea.
There is no place to anchor along it so I anchored about two miles before it bagan.
About 6 miles before I anchored, I got hit by the hardest thunder storm I have been through while under way.
It was similar to the one that hit in Marsh Harbor.
The autopilot couldn't steer so I had to hand steer during the storm even though I had no idea where I was going.
I sure was glad I had bought some good foul weather gear.
Luckily I was in a section of the Pungo River that is deep enough that I did not have to worry about staying
in the channel.
It only lasted about 10 minutes but they were some of the toughest ten minutes I've had on this trip.
All turned out OK although my radar display got thoughly soaked and won't work.
Hopefully it will be OK once it dries out.
A second storm hit just as I was starting to anchor.
I stopped a little short of where I was planning to go and tried to get the anchor set before the storm but
didn't quite make it.
I did get it down before the worst of the storm and was able to watch it from the "comfort" of my dodger.
Things stayed dry this time since the boat was able to swing and stay pointed into the wind.
I guess I should have done that for the first storm since I had room.
After the storm, I got things somewhat settled inside, fixed dinner and relaxed for a while.
I want to get an early start tomorrow and try to get to the south end of the North Carolina cut, near Coinjock, NC,
before anchoring.
It's about a 75 mile trip through the canal, down the Alligator river, through the first of many required bridge
openings, across the Albermarle Sound and up the North River.
May 27, 2006
I did get a good start and was through the canal by 11:00.
I was motoring at about 5 knots all the way, faster than I could on the way down because of the misadjusted fuel injection pump.
The first bridge was a snap.
I radioed the bridge about three minutes before I got to it and requested an opening.
He said to bring it on up and he'd have it open when I got there.
I stayed right at full speed and watched as the gaurds dropped to stop road traffic, the bridge swung open and I
continued on through without slowing at all even though I was the only vessel there.
Most bridges will hold openings until there are a few boats waiting or they operate on a fixed schedule.
Just north of the bridge, still feeling pretty good about how well it went, I met a Nordhaven yacht going south.
It looked very much like one that had passed me just as I exited the canal and it fact was the same one.
He called me on the radio to tell me that he had run aground three times trying to get through a very tight spot.
It looked like a brand new boat and he sounded really down about running it aground.
He said he drew 6 feet, the same as me, and called to let me know about the problem.
The good feeling from the bridge disappeared quickly.
I got out my chart and plotted a waypoint that looked like it would get me through, as long as the chart was accurate.
This is the tightest spot I've seen on the ICW and requires really careful navigation and attention to the charts.
I have tendency to cut the corners on turns if it looks like the water is deep enough.
I have not had a problem yet doing this but I'm sure I would have if that Nordhaven captain had not called me.
I went through the cut very slow with one eye on the GPS and one on the depth sounder.
It wasn't comfortable but I made it through and actually never saw less than ten feet of water.
I began to feel better after getting through.
I called the Nordhaven to let him know that I made it and try to explain where I went relative to the markers.
It's a bad spot and they should at least reposition the markers although dredging would be a great help.
I made it to where I wanted to anchor in time to get anchored before dark.
It is a pretty spot and a great anchorage in settled weather.
There's not much protection from the wind or waves but it's calm tonight so it's great.
There were two other boats that ancorhed there although they were at least 1/2 mile from me.
May 28, 2006
Today I had 10 opening bridges, although 3 are railroad bridges that are normally open, and one lock to go through.
I don't mind the bridges, other than the delays, but the lock I dread going through.
If it's busy, they will pack in a many boats as possible and this is one time when single handing is a challange.
I stopped several miles before the bridge where there was a wide spot and I could get out of the channel, to get my
fenders out and dock lines prepared.
I didn't know which side I would be on so I got both sides ready.
The bridges were no problem, except one where a barge and tug came through southbound as I was approaching.
I got over to the side as far as possible, actually plowing out a bit of a new channel for them, and it still looked
like that barge was going to hit me.
The barge captain hailed me and said to come on up to the bridge where the channel was a little wider and he could still miss me.
He had more confidence in his tug than I did and I stayed back a ways.
As soon as he was through, he had that barge around me and off down the river.
The bridge operator held the bridge open long enough for me to ge through even though it was not one of his regularly
scheduled times.
At the lock, there was a barge in front of me and a few other boats.
He was going to lock thru with us and it looked to me that he would fill the lock.
They got him in and secured and still had about 14 feet between him and the side of the lock.
I was the third boat in beside the barge and even though it was not real comfortable, getting into position was no
problem.
There was a guy there to do my dock lines for me and it actually went well.
The level change is only about 15 inches and you don't even notice the movement.
Soon the forward gate opened and boats started moving.
They had us small boats go out first before the barge and the two big boats behind us.
The sailboat in front of me was being singlehanded by a woman from San Fransisco, at least that's what was on the boat,
and when the dock hand did her lines, he tied off one of them instead of just looping it around the cleat and giving
the end back to her like he should have.
That way, she could have flipped the line off the cleat and left.
She was stuck there because she couldn't reach the line to untie it.
The tug captain was yelling on the radio that he couldn't move because the sailboats were in the way and there
was no one there to untie her.
I climbed up the side, about 5 feet, and went up and untied her line and she was able to get moving.
When I got back to my boat, it had moved away from the side of the lock and over against the barge since there was nobody holding the lines.
I sort of sat on the edge of the lock and took a big step to the top of one of the lifeline stantions and on to deck.
Made it back aboard and got going with no more problems.
The lock transit provided a bit of a challange but not the problems I was expecting with trying to get the boat secure.
The good thing about the barge was that I could stay behind him and the bridges would open for him even if they
weren't on the normal schedule.
They also let the following boats through so that saved me some time.
I lost him for the last couple of bridges since I couldn't keep up to him but they are ones that open on demand without
a fixed schedule so they weren't a problem.
I got through the last bridge shortly after 5:00 pm and was out of the ICW and into Norfolk harbor shortly after that.
Norfolk harbor still amazes me.
There is so much traffic plus the shipyards and the naval shipyard.
Just seeing those navy ships there made me realize how much money we throw away in the name of peace.
Rather depressing.
I guess I am getting more comfortable on the boat because I just got in line with the container ships and went on through the harbor.
I went on through Hampton Roads, supposedly the busiest harbor in the world, and started up the Chesapeake going about 10 miles before it got dark.
I pulled over to the side, about where I anchored on the way down, and anchored.
It was not a good protected anchorage but the conditions are relatively mild so it isn't too bad.
Tomorrow I start up the Bay and hopefully will have some good winds.
I have been motoring for days and am sick of it.
May 31, 2006
Yesterday and today have both been light wind days.
I get quite frustrated when I make plans on where to go based on the forecast and then the forecasted winds don't develop.
I motored for a few hours yesterday and then the winds finally got over 5 knots and I could sail for a while.
About the time I was anchoring, the winds were up to about 10 knots.
I covered 28 nautical miles yesterday.
Maybe I just have to sail at night and anchor during the day.
Today is about the same except the winds haven't built up yet.
It's after noon and I'm still motoring although the wind is adding about 2 knots to my speed.
The forecast for the next couple of days is for 10 to 15 knot winds.
We'll see.
Last night's anchorage was at the mouth of Mill Creek in Ingram Bay across from Reedville, VA.
It was nicely protected from the waves but the wind still came through.
Tonight I plan on anchoring at the north end of Bloodsworth Island on the ease side of the Bay.
It is a bombing range so you can't go ashore but then I wasn't really planning on it.
Hope this is not the night for the night practice.
* SunDowner Gin
and Tonic 
I came over to Marsh Harbor yesterday from Corn Bay.
The winds were really light so I motored the entire 6 or so miles.
I was not prepared for the crowd in the harbor.
It was packed!
I have been in Abaco many times but never seen it so crowded.
With my draft at six feet, I am somewhat limited where I can anchor so it was difficult
to find a good spot.
One thing I still have a problem with is judging where to drop anchor when it is crowded.
I will often anchor and then look around and wonder why I anchored there since I will be much
too close to another boat.
I did this yesterday and ended up pulling up my anchor and moving to another spot.
It was OK although the guy behind me said that I was probably over his anchor and that I may need to move
in the morning so he could get out.
I was surprised but then he said he had 80 feet of rode out.
The water was about 6.5 feet deep so I would expect not more than about 40 to 45 feet.
Anyway, I told him I would be sure to be there and make sure he could get out OK.
He left this morning, along with about half the boats in the harbor, and had no problem.
I was talking to another boat guy in the laundrymat and he said he was going to the pig roast at
Nippers on Guana Cay.
I had heard about this for years but never been to it so when he asked me if I would like to
go along I was happy to.
He was on a Jefferson 42 motor yacht and had come over from FL for a couple of months.
It is a really nice boat that he had redone nicely.
The pig roast was quite an event.
There were at least a couple of hundred people there.
Nippers is a beach bar on the ocean side of Guana Cay overlooking the reef and a great beach.
They also have a two level pool with a swim up bar.
The buffet was great and I stuffed myself and washed it down with a couple of frozen Nippers, a
typical island drink of rum and misc fruit juices.
It was a nice trip.
The boat is really comfortable and would be a great way to travel.
His wife is flying here in a couple of days and they are going to the Exumas for a couple of months and then
back to FL.
Sounds like a great vacation.
This is usually in the form of squalls and they started this morning and are expected to continue on and off
until the front moves through here in 24-30 hours.
One came through this morning with winds reported from 55 to 70 mph.
I think this is probably the strongest I have been in and to say I didn't care for it would be a bit of an understatement.
Actually the squall wasn't all that bad.
There was a little lightning in the leading edge that bothered me but after that it was just high winds and lots of
rain.
The problem was due to being in the Marsh Harbor harbor which is still very crowded.
There was a steady stream of boats leaving Sun morning but when we got back from Guana Cay, it seemed just as
full as it was Sat.
I wonder where all those boats are coming from.
I ended up motoring about 10 miles across the sea of Abaco to Bakers Bay on the north end of Guana Cay.
This is a pretty good anchorage and I didn't think there would be other boats there.
I put in a waypoint where I wanted to anchor when I left Marsh Harbor and when I got there, there was a boat
anchored there.
There was only one boat in the anchorage but was in 'my' spot.
Not really a problem since there is lots of room.
I got my anchor down with a big sigh of relief.
I will probably stay here until the front passes and then leave to go north.
I am about ready to go as soon as I fill up with diesel.
I probably have enough but don't want to start without full tanks.
Right before dark a third sailboat pulled into Bakers Bay.
It's getting crowded but not quite a bad as Marsh Harbor.
That's 3 boats within a mile of each other.
I got up reasonably early the next morning and listened to the weather.
Nothing terrible was forecast so I prepared to get going with a stop at the settlement for diesel.
It was about 9:30 when I finally headed out to sea.
There were a lot of boats heading for Whale Cay Passage, the opening through the reef that leads to the sea.
All of them, except me, turned back around Whale Cay and continued north in the Sea of Abaco.
It was a really calm and I had to motor for a couple of hours until the wind picked up some and I could motorsail.
It was not until the wee hours of the morning that I had enough wind to sail at a reasonable speed, over 4 knots,
without the engine.
I went out to check for traffic during one of the commercials and saw a large freighter about two miles away from me
on a crossing course.
It was moving quite quickly and I think this is the closest a ship has gotten before I saw it.
I was following a few on radar but none of them were moving very fast so I was certainly surprised when I saw it
so close.
I heard a guy hailing a freighter on the radio last night.
He had the position and course so it was easy for the freighter to tell it was him who was being hailed.
The sailboat captain just wanted to make sure the freighter saw him and was going to miss him, expecting the freighter
to go behind him.
The freighter captain responded saying yes they had him on radar, he gave the closest approach distance, the time to the closest approach and that the freighter would be passing in front of the sailboat if the both held their current headings and speeds.
I was impressed.
My radar doesn't provide all that information but I was glad that at least some ships pay attention to other traffic.
I did track one ship last night from about 12 miles out until he passed me.
For the longest time it looked like we were on a collision course but when he got within about 4 miles, he started
going parallel to my heading at about two miles off.
I think he changed his course slightly to leave some room between us.
I tried again to get some flying fish on tape but still have not been able to catch any flying.
However, I did find one on deck.
I have found several, from about 2 inches long to this one which is about 10 inches.
Apparently they fly for the lights and hit various things onthe boat and end up on deck.
The wings don't do them much good on deck andthey end up dying.
The forward fins are the 'wings' that let them fly.
They are hard but will spread out so they have a large surface for flying.