With
all challenges there are always great moments.
Amongst the many great moments on our passage were when we saw a pilot
whale and her baby swimming beside the boat, watched an incredible meteor or
comet (not sure which) as it burned through the atmosphere (An AMAZING SIGHT!),
saw a lot of flying fish which I found very interesting especially when I awoke
to find our boat covered in them and Jim was being pelted by them as he steered
the boat...LOL. One of the most magnificent had to be as the boat went through
the bioluminescent plankton, the water literally looked as if it were covered
in millions of beautiful diamonds. The harvest moon was wicked and deceiving as
it appeared each night, looking as if it were a ship on the horizon; however,
not appearing on our radar. Two nights
while I was on watch, I woke Jim because I saw vessels on the horizon that did not
appear on my radar...both times it was the moon rising. While all alone on
night watch, the millions of stars are a beautiful site to take in.
Overall, having a great
time and looking forward to getting the boat repaired. Hoping it will not take
too long to get her put back together.
Hi guys,
ReplyDeleteI was wondering if you used the SSB to call the Coast Guard or the Sat phone; remember I gave you the spreadsheet with various frequencies from my flashstick just before you left.
Hindsight is always 20/20; but I crossed in November once to Clearwater Florida. We had SE winds for 4.5 days and it took that long to get to the mouth of the Mississippi; a distance of only 333 nautical miles. Once the Northerner came through with 30 plus knots of wind; we were able to totally reef in the jib and had to spill the main some but initially was maintaining 8 knots. This lasted for the most of the trip and was a better angle on the wind and waves.
The farther east you go; the better angle for the Easterly Trade Winds sailing toward Key West. You’re either on a reach or run. Most autohelms don’t do well running downwind and large swells. There are several Marinas along the Florida coast where you can put in and rest and wait for better weather.
Another point I learned in strong winds, reef the jip to 40 to 60 percent; especially at night and double or triple reef the main. And if on a run always have a ‘prevent line’ to hold the main from coming over when large swells change your directions in respect to the course and wind. If the jib is reefed, put another line in the roller-reefing ring securing the jib and lash it to a cleat; the thin roller reefing line and turning blocks have been known to break under extreme wind and pressure. Once that jib is all the way out it is very dangerous and hard to manage. I’ve seen waves actually hit almost the top of the jib and it puts extreme stress on all rigging and lines.
I learned a lot from your experience and write-up, and I know you two are veterans now. And believe it or not; this could be the worst part of your trip if you watch the weather. A friend told me he read a book on cruising all over the world. Many chapters were multiple pages describing the experience; he only put one paragraph about cruising in the Gulf of Mexico, there are few good experiences crossing the Gulf.
Al
Thanks Al! Hindsight is always 20/20 and we could have been better prepared by checking the weather window more carefully and planning the route better based upon the wind direction. All still a big learning curve for us. Amazingly, we have met many other cruisers with a lot less experience than we have. We hailed the Coast Guard via the SAT phone rather than the SSB; although, we had the information, not too many people were communicating on the SSB. Another learning curve for us. Thanks for all your help, we really appreciate it!!!
ReplyDeleteI have a route I created from a couple's cruise the Bahamas in 2009. They were divers also. The route is in a 67Kbyte *.gpx format file that is compatible with many laptop chart programs and Nav Plotters and handheld GPSs.
ReplyDeleteAls Bahamas.gpx
The route should be used as a reference to consider; can't validate the route won't have obstacles from point to point. As I said I entered points the couple put on their web site; my friend was sailing with them and they never went aground and did a lot of diving at various points.
If you'd like me to send the file; this is my e-mail:
alvinmays@hotmail.com
Al