Preparations and the Second Guess

I am going to take a quick minute and get everything caught up to speed this morning, I am in the midst of getting ready to head to Bimini for a week or so, which will probably be the stop that signals the end of, well the turn around point, of this trip.

Over the last few days I have spent a whole lot of time working on Arden - sealing the chain plates, cleaning, bright work, some work on lines and rigging - you name it I have done it. The standing rigging is all back in tune after being loosened for the chain plate job, and the sealant looks like it has cured. I got my all chain anchor rode all measured out and stowed - 205 feet of G4 chain, should be plenty enough for where ever I go, and, it gives that extra safety margin of being chafe proof. That now makes 4 complete sets of rode on board, for 3 anchors. The only bit of ground tackle I am missing now is a good fisherman style take apart anchor for my storm anchor. I know where one is, and if the money is right when I get back to Oriental NC I will pick it up.

I spent a good bit of yesterday cleaning the boat and topping off the water tanks, I have a full 87 gallons on board, once again Arden is bow down, with the chain rode weighing in at about 275 lbs, and the water tank coming in at just over 320 lbs, her attitude in the water is right back where it was before I added the aft water tank, down by the bow by and inch and a half or so. Unfortunately, I am low on her marks all over, however, right now it is just an aesthetics thing, as her lines where I painted them are a bit below the manufacturer's lines. I will remedy that when I haul her out this summer or fall and repaint the hull.

I have also squeezed in every drop of fuel that I can on board, the fuel tanks are full well into the fill tubes, and the jerry jugs on deck are all full as well. I think that puts me around 47 gallons in the tanks, and 15 on deck, if I can catch a break with the wind, I will be good for fuel at least until I get to the upper end of South Carolina.

I went over to Sven und Gabi's last night, we had a barbeque for Elias' birthday (Elias is the Venezulean guy that owns the beautiful 105 foot sailing yacht) and everyone was there - Elias, Matt (who is leaving with me in the morning) Frank und Sabina, Sven, Gabi, Julia and Carlos. We had a great night, and it was also kind of a going away for Matt and I as well.

I am making my first set of flags this morning, I have made the Quaratine flag, (this is flown as you come into a foriegn port to signal the customs guys that you are requesting clearance into customs) and I am just about ready to start making my Bahamanian courtesy flag in just a few minutes. I have learned a bit about sewing nylon this AM, it is a real pain in the butt to sew out in the cockpit. It might also be that my sewing machine has a bit of age on it and may not be at 100%, but no matter, it is a bit harder to sew than say canvas.

I hope I have everything done, and am spending a bit of time second guessing things as I am often want to do, but I really can't think of much more that needs to be done, so I think I am ready.

I spoke to David and Peg this morning, they are aboard Journey and are making their last minute preparations to sail, and I outlined the plan that Matt and I settled on for our departure. We are going to leave here at about 1015 or so, that is when the tide is slack and starting to come back in. That will have us into the current at the bridges, which will give us a bit more steerage and control if we have to wait for bridge openings. I figure that it will take us an hour to an hour and a half to get down to the ICW, where we will meet David and Peg. Once we are all together, we will sail down to the main channel, out to the ocean, and hang a right and head south, the goal being south of Miami by nightfall. At sunset or just after, depending on how far south we are, our little flotilla will hang a left and head east towards Bimini. That should allow for a bit of drift due to the current in the Gulf Stream (which is at about 2 knots right now) and for some leeway as we will be running with a south/south easterly wind. If all works out as planned, we will make the Bahama Banks at or just below Bimini some time after dawn. If we get there before dawn we will lay off and wait, hopefully we will get there an hour or so after day break.

So here we are, all of us making last minute adjustments and getting set to go. I will post again in the morning, and then that may be the last post before I return to the States in a week or so, I have no idea what kind of internet will be available over there.

White Wine and Sailboats

After working all day on the boat yesterday I was invited to dinner by Tom and Brooke, and we had a really nice evening on their patio drinking wine and talking about boats. Spook was invited as well, and she had a great time playing with their dogs. Tom and Brooke have 3 dogs, 2 poodles and a (I think) Llasa Apso, all of which are boat dogs and enjoy sailing.


We talked about routes to take to Bimini, and how long it would take to get there, and we talked about sailing in general. Sterling has done a whole lot of sailing all over the world, and there was a ton of sailing knowledge sitting around that table last night. Tom and Brooke have a 42 foot ketch they are working on restoring, and as we talked last night I asked Tom what his plans are, and they are to retire ( I misspoke before, Tom is not retired-yet) and go sailing. Where? Everywhere, where ever the winds will take them.

Tom made incredible burgers on the grill and Sterling whipped up a great macaroni and cheese with shrimp. We had a great meal and good fellowship, it is nice to be welcomed into someones home like this and made to feel at home, and the thing of it is, a week ago I didn't even know them - I would exchange pleasantries with Tom across the canal, but had no idea that I would be welcomed into their home like I have.

Sterling is going to talk to the folks at North Sails and see if he can use their loft to put reef points in my main sail, and I hope we can get that done soon so that I can get under way again. If not, I will have to utilize a sail loft on the other side of town, and it will cost me a bunch more than I'd like to spend and take another week or so to get done. I need to get this done though, because as it stands, Arden's sail plan will not let me heave to, I simply cannot make the sails small enough to sail in really heavy weather.

So that is the thing about sailing like I am, the people you meet and the fellowship out here on the water. It seems no matter where I go, I have met some incredible folks, and have made some good friends.

Sven came by yesterday in the afternoon, I had gone over to the boat yard to see him and Gabi in the morning, but they were both out running errands. I hope to get over there today and visit, but Sven and I have both been busy with boat work, but I'd like to get over there and visit a bit, and I am sure the kids are missing Spook.

Boat Bread and Coffee

Yesterday I spent a good part of the day working on the boat, Sven and Gabi had left, it looked like my tenure at the marina was over, and the alternator still was not charging to its potential. Once again I took apart the engine enclosure, quite a pain with the way the cabin is laid out, and I began to diagnose yet again. I know for certain the alternator is putting out the proper voltage, 14 volts and some change, but I was still not getting that voltage back to the battery. So I had to check out the entire charging system, wire by wire, until I found out what was causing the voltage drop. Turns out, the ampmeter was the culprit this time, and once I took that out of the loop, the charging voltage at the battery was within 1/2 of a volt of what the alternator was putting out. That is reasonable, as there are several connections and components between the alternator and batteries, but it does look like I will need to get a new ampmeter and then I definitely need to install an inline volt meter.

After fixing the charging system, I figured it was time to bake a bit more bread. About 1/3 of the way into the preparation phase I got a call from Dolly, a friend of Gabi's from the marina, and she wanted to know if I needed anything from Walmart. Not wanting to turn down a ride to the store, I put the bread on hold, and dinghied over to the marina. A week ago, Sven and I pretty much gave everyone the impression I was with them, and that pretty well gave me the run of the marina. Now that they were gone, I needed to make arragements on my own. So I took the dinghy in, tied up, and asked the dock master if they had a daily dinghy fee. His response was, "naaa, I'm not going to sweat the small stuff." Fortunate for me, but totally not what I had been expecting, and not what I had grown used to here in Florida. So off I went to go grocery shopping, something I had not done in over 2 months. I still have a great supply of food on board, but I was low on some cleaning supplies, out of butter and eggs, low on coffee, and I felt the need for some different crackers and a bit of other stuff to replenish the larder. I had a good time with Dolly, she is retired, a transplant to Florida (again, another Pennsylvanian) and kind of does her humanitarian thing helping out folks at the marina. I was extremely grateful for the lift, and could not thank her enough.

Once I got back we loaded the dinghy, and I set off to finish baking the bread. I tried a new recipe this time, the old one never rose quite the way I wanted, and so it was time to drop it and try another. And this new one is great. Nice, big loaves, the texture is a bit heavy, but a good yeasty flavor and a slice that holds up well and stays together. I was really pleased with how it turned out.

Later in the evening I got a call from Sven, they were in Port Canaveral, their sail went very well, making 76 miles in just under 10 hours, the winds were favorable but very high (topping 32 kts he said) and the seas were over 4 feet. (that makes them truly 8 feet from bottom of trough to top of next crest) He said Julia got a bit sick, but otherwise it was a very good sail, and he was very pleased with his boat. They wanted to get down to Canaveral last night so they could see the space shuttle launch this morning, at 0430. I set my alarm, as I wanted to see it too. I woke at the prearranged time, looked outside, watched and waited, and no shuttle. I turned on the internet - yes I have net on the boat again - and found that launch was delayed because of cloud cover, rescheduled for Monday.

So after being a bit chilled on deck, it was in the low 40's this morning, (poor me) and I got a bit colder than I am now used to. So down below I went, and fired up the stove, time to make coffee. I do not have a coffee pot aboard Arden, and I really don't have the kitchen space for one, but a friend of mine suggested back when I was in Solomons that I get a coffee press. When I got to Manteo one of the first things we did was find one, and I really like how it makes coffee. Very rich, smooth coffee, simple to make, and no grounds in your cup - ever. The funny thing is, Sven and Gabi were making instant coffee aboard their boat, until Gabi saw a coffee press-exactly like mine- in a local shop, and now they are making coffee like I do. I suppose I should elaborate on how a coffee press works. It is basicly a carafe, with a lid and a wire mesh plunger that fits the inside of the glass very tightly. You put in your coffee grounds, add boiling water, and stir. Put the top on, that houses the plunger, and after a few minutes, push the plunger down, effectively straining the coffee. The grounds get trapped at the bottom, and you have a nice rich brew.

The wind is picking up outside, looks like it is going to be a great day to lounge about on the boat, read, and generally relax, and then of course dinghy in to catch the Superbowl. Not a bad way to spend the day, but tomorrow the job hunt resumes.

Stuck In Daytona

Ok, so I'm not really stuck in Daytona, but I thought it would make a good headline. Yesterday afternoon though I was kind of stuck, the last draw bridge before the anchorage I wanted to go to could not open (it eventually was fixed) so I dropped the hook and here I am.

Yesterday morning Spook and I went for our morning walk on the beach, she had a great time chasing birds, meeting other dogs, and just flat out being a dog. She was so intent on chasing birds that a few times she found herself in the path of approaching waves, and quickly scrambled back towards the beach and the safety of dry land. That didn't always work, and once or twice her paws got wet, much to her surprise. Definitely not a water dog, but she is great fun to watch, and she definitely loves the chance to get off the leash and run.

While out walking we came upon a gentleman out surf fishing, reminded me of stories a friend of mine used to tell me about her friends surf fishing, and he and I struck up a conversation. Turns out Lou is retired from Pennsylvania, and comes out in the mornings to fish for whiting. According to his observations, whiting is better than orange roughy (I'll take his word on that, I am not much of a fisherman. I enjoy it, but am not overly successful at it) and that is all he really fishes for. He does catch other species, but those he releases. Apparently whiting prefer what Lou called "sand fleas", those little crustaceans that burrow in the sand right at the tide line, when I was a kid at the beach I would spend hours digging for them, and I knew just what he was talking about. So we said our goodbyes and headed back to the boat, quite a long walk, I would guess we have been walking just at around 3 miles a day.

After our beach adventure, we returned to the boat and got ready to leave for Daytona. I had to haul in 2 anchors, the aft one without the benefit of the windlass, so it took a good bit of time and effort to get off the anchor. We left Flagler Beach behind at around 11:45, and headed down to Daytona, a short trip of about 15 miles. There isn't a whole lot to say about this section of the ICW. I would guess the most interesting thing about it was the drawbridges we had to pass through, and there were only 2 of those. We did see just a few dolphin, not many though, and then I was back to reading as I motored along. The view is not much for most of this stretch, it is marsh and low land on one side, houses and bulkheads on the other. Not alot for scenery, and the channel is straight as an arrow, going from one marker, to the next, to the next...I need to get back offshore and sail.

Once we got down into Daytona, as we passed a small marina on the starboard side, I saw the Schooner that my friend Jon had ferried down to St. Augustine, now it was piloted by the new owner, Sven. Just after passing Sven's boat, I came to the Main Street Bridge, and requested an opening, as I was headed to an anchorage a mile or so further down. No luck, the bridge master acknowledged my request, and then must have tried to open the bridge 15 times. The alarms would sound, the gates would drop, traffic would stop, and nothing. The alarms would go off again, and the gates would raise, and traffic would pass over, and then he would try again. Nothing, not even the noise of machinery trying to open the bridge. I circled for about 20 minutes, and then eased towards the west bank of the channel, and anchored for the duration. After a good while the bridge finally did open, but I informed the bridge master that I was now anchored,and I would be here at least over night. Spook and I went ashore at a small sand bar at the base of the bridge, and then hiked up to visit Sven and his family. Sven is, if I remember right, German, via Bahrain (he worked there for a few years) and lately New Zealand. He has a really nice boat, I have forgotten the make, but it is well appointed and very nice inside. We had a few Heineken's, and then I had to return to Arden, as darkness was falling and I needed to turn on the anchor light. Sven offered me use of his shower pass, and hot coffee this morning, so shortly I will dinghy over and join them for breakfast.

This morning came with a beautiful sunrise, I had actually thought that sunrise in the city might be a bit of a disappointment, but it wasn't, it turned out to be one of the more colorful sunrises I have had yet.

The day before yesterday marked a milestone for Sailcloth, we had 30 visitors stop by the blog, which is an all time daily high. This morning I checked the stats again, and yesterday was not a bad day either, 20 visits, which had been the previous high water mark. So to all that visit and read, I want to thank you for stopping by and visiting with Spook and I, we do appreciate the company.