Passage from Chesapeake to Rhode Island - Day 1

[Kyle] All week I had been keeping a close eye on the weather forecast for the passage to Rhode Island. My work had originally given me 7 days off that subsequently was shortened to 5 1/2. I figured the passage would take between 2 1/2 days in perfect conditions and maybe 4 1/2 days in more nominal conditions. My preference was to arrive in Rhode Island at least a day early in order to have time to readjust to a normal sleeping schedule after coming off watches and also to have time to work out the logistics of my new commute, etc. This meant that we had very little wiggle room when it came to the departure time. Ordinarily, I would prefer to have 5 extra days or so over what is needed to make the passage. This will generally allow enough time for an adverse weather system to run it's course and be replaced by a more favorable one on what tend to be about 3 day cycles. Without the 5 extra days, though, we had to resort to hoping that we would just coincidentally be able to start the passage at the right part of the cycle. If not, the plan was to delay the passage another month until I could get another large block of days off. (My work schedule will generally allow me to bunch up my days off like this only about once a month.) As the forecasts got closer to our planned departure time (and thus more reliable), they seemed to indicate that we would have about 1 day of north winds at the start. This was the wrong direction for us initially but would allow us to get well offshore where we would eventually have a better wind angle for Rhode Island. These headwinds were to be followed by a brief period of light winds as the next system arrived to bring moderate Southwest winds for the next few days, which we could ride the rest of the way.

On my flight home I examined the latest downloaded weather files and discovered that the forecast had been changed to call for a longer period of north winds as well as stronger winds initially. I decided to delay our planned noon departure 12 hours in order to minimize our exposure to the north wind as well as our our eastbound progress. I did not want us to get far enough east to be in danger of entering the Gulf Stream and encountering treacherous wind against current conditions.

We left on Tuesday, April 8th at 0100 in cold, rainy, windy conditions, pulling out of the marina into an empty harbor. I had imagined that the day we finally left Portsmouth we would be glad at finally starting the adventure after a much too long wait. Instead, I felt like a cold, wet, tired cat who really just wanted to go inside and curl up somewhere warm but had no choice but to just stay out and endure it. Portsmouth and the rest of Norfolk harbor receded featurelessly into the soaking darkness. Maryanne went off watch to get some sleep.

As we neared the open water of Chesapeake Bay, the wind and swell began to increase and the boat started to bash her way through the short chop. I turned into the Bay and raised the sails with 2 reefs in each and shut down the engine (for non-sailors, putting in a reef is the process of reducing sail size for strong winds in specific increments. 2 reefs results in approximately 1/4 of full sail area.) Footprint flew toward the open ocean in waves that were becoming ever and ever larger as she went. Approaching the Chesapeake Bay Bridge tunnel, the interaction of wind and strong current and variable depth made for some very short, steep chop that made what was for me the scariest part of the whole journey. The waves were just the right size that one hull was in a deep trough while the other was on a steep crest, resulting in some alarming heel angles that caused my stomach to jump into my throat with fear. I was desperate for the bigger, longer waves of the open ocean, desperate to get out of the channel with its strong currents and desperate to get away from land with all of its things to smash into. We sailed passed the Bridge Tunnel and past the container ships anchored outside of it as they rode out the storm. I deliberately sailed very close to the last one. I knew its deck lights would be the last sign of civilization that we would see for a while as we sailed over the horizon into the dark Atlantic. I also wanted to enjoy a last respite from the wind and waves as we sailed through its lee.

In the open Atlantic, the wind and waves increased significantly but the ride improved noticeably in the longer waves. Maryanne came on watch at Dawn and, not surprisingly, reported that she hadn't been able to get much sleep. I had the same experience. I found, interestingly, that I slept in about a thousand increments that were a fraction of a second long. I repeatedly would fall asleep as the boat crested a wave and wake up as she bottomed out, realizing that I was on the boat and that I had just been dreaming. Occasionally, the boat would get hit hard by a particularly large or irregularly timed wave and I would wake up in a panic thinking we were rolling over. I'd turn wide-eyed to Maryanne and she'd look back completely nonplussed and relaxed as if she were driving through the countryside. Must just be more disorienting in the bed.

Through the rest of the day the winds and seas continued to increase. The waves grew to about 20 feet. Their sheer heaving mass caused me to regard them with the same awe as the enormous marble buildings of state capitals or the big monuments of Washington, D.C. The wind howled and made other terrible noises in the rigging. The boat remained relatively stable and livable, if not exactly comfortable. Maryanne and I had both lost our appetites with all of the stress and motion, but so far, we had managed to keep our meager meals of crackers and bread down, although just. As we got more tired and more used to both the conditions and the routine, we slept better and woke up more refreshed, gradually pushing our way east looking for a better wind.

Dolphin Movie

[Maryanne]Here is a taste of why we enjoy sailing so much..

2000nm and First Passage for 2008

[Maryanne]We will write more later, but many of you know that we left Norfolk on Monday to head North to Rhode Island (RI), so we wanted you all to know We arrived Today (Sunday, around 5am).

After watching the forecast, we knew that the wind was not going to be perfect for the first couple of days - so we planned to head east, and once the wind was better head North (a dog leg, rather than a straight NE line). Due to the forecast we delayed our start by 12 hours, so we would not find ourselves too far East. In the past we have downloaded weather on route via the Sat phone and the PC - but the Sat phone won't talk to our new computers (Vista is not compatible) so we went to sea without the extra safety net, but were not worried. Of course the weather DID NOT behave as planned, so we spent lots of time at sea hove-to, or heading further East than we planned, waiting for the favourable wind shift. We also motored in the lulls a little - not something that Kyle enjoys AT ALL.

During the trip we had so many highs - Dolphins, birds, even a whale. And we were also proud to clock our 2000th nautical mile on Footprint (adjusted on the log).

But you know it is not all fun right? Both of us were seasick for the first day, but eating happily for the rest of the trip. The weather was a definite low. It was dreary and cold; but we stayed wrapped up and very much appreciated our cockpit enclosure (and the heaters). The rain, and the water over the bow, forced me to STOP ignoring the minor leaks we have (we had to sleep in a wet bed - Yuk). But we still are enjoying ourselves and are so happy to be out here.

The trip we had really expected to take no more than 2-3 days ended up taking a full 5 (plus a few hours). Kyle literally stepped off the boat to help me tie it to a dock, and then stepped into a taxi cab to get to the airport to work.

With Kyle off to work, I was left to clear up the boat from the passage, and generally ensure we (or the boat at least) had a place to stay, laundry done, etc. I have had friendly locals visit already, and my trip to the Laundromat was not too bad - arriving in a beautiful Audi sports car (thanks to my new friend Lisa)... Will catch up with sleep tonight, and plan to fix the leaks tomorrow. For now I have a dry bed and am very happy to be in Rhode Island.

Pictures and movies to follow in next posts.

Back at the Boat

[Maryanne]Not much to report, I just thought I'd let you all know that I made it back to the USA on Wednesday, and back to the boat around midday on Thursday. Kyle had done a HUGE amount of preparation on the boat, the enclosure was fitted, boat hulls painted, gel coat polished, oil changed, etc... A Big Thank You to Kyle

Now I'm back, I have been running around: collecting dive gear that had been sent off for servicing; catching up with friends; getting the satellite phone hooked up to the computer (failed, it does not work with Vista); grocery shopping, and stowing; catching up with the mail and everything that has been ignored while I've been away; etc, etc, etc. A few days of mad rushing around before we (hopefully) leave on Monday.

The Price of Gas / Petrol

[Maryanne]Everyone in the UK, and back in the USA seems to ask the price of petrol (simply called gas in the USA); so here goes. Firstly some basic units. A US gallon is not the standard (Imperial) gallon that everyone else uses, it is actually smaller. A US gallon is 3.785 litres, a standard gallon is 4.546 litres.

Petrol in the UK is sold by the litre, in the USA by the US gallon.

Price of a litre of petrol in the UK is currently around £1.079/liter – approximately £4.085/US gallon or just over $8 a US Gallon.

Price of a US gallon of regular “gas” in VA, USA is around $3.20 – which is approximately £0.423/litre.

Most UK petrol costs are deliberate taxes, designed to discourage driving and encourage fuel efficent cars, walking and public transport, and also (I assume) to fund road projects.

The recent budget in the UK, means the tax on petrol prices is scheduled to increase again shortly. Get out your bike! Sailboats are great!

Grand Houses

[Maryanne]Burghley House is a very grand house (more like a palace) that was built at the time of Elizabeth the 1st (mid to late 1500’s). If Angie is reading this, it was built by William Cecil, great friend and advisor to Queen Elizabeth 1st. I remember as a child, going to the grounds to watch my Dad play cricket. The location is famous internationally as the host of the Burghley Horse trials, quite a huge show jumping event. It is also the house that the recent version of Pride and Prejudice was filmed in. But mostly it is an amazingly well kept example of grand living. I can’t really begin to describe how beautiful the house is, the grounds, and all the furniture. Of course every room, picture and ornament is dripping with history. It must be 20 years since I last visited the house, and I went this time with my parents.

Additionally we visited the sculpture garden, and the new Garden of surprises, full of quaint and fun water and other features. I am so glad that we got to spend a great sunny day, in such a beautiful setting. Quite a dose of Britain just before I leave.

The Easter Bunny is still here!

Max atop a tractor

[Maryanne] This weekend, I was very excited to spend this Sunday with my brother Paul and his family. We took my nephew Max to a local farm attraction: (Sacrewell Farm). It is a really good educational setup, has a water mill house, and over 500 acres of working farm, and of course a restaurant and coffee shop. We helped feed milk to the orphan lambs, had a tractor ride, and went egg hunting with the Easter bunny. It was so nice to hang out with my brother and his wife, and of course be witness to the joy of any child at all the wonders of the world.

So Very Tired

[Kyle] Well, quite unlike the haulout, the boatyard was ready to go at first light on the appointed day to put me back in the water. I had assumed that I would have two or three hours before they got around to anything based on my previous experience. They all came charging over eager to get me in the water just after I had applied wax to one side of one hull.

Fortunately there was enough of a lag while they painted two coats of bottom paint on the parts that had been resting on blocks the rest of the week that I was able to wax the rest of the hull in panic mode. I kept thinking that I would try to just get the next three feet done, then the next three feet. In the end, I got the entire surface of the boat below the rubrail done about a minute before she went in the water. I had no power tools so I had to do it Karate Kid style. Oof!

Once I got back to the dock at our marina, I found A LOT of water in the starboard bilge. It turns out that when I serviced the engine water seacock, I hadn't quite got one of the gaskets aligned properly when I reinstalled it. I was worried about taking on more water getting the boat to a lift so I decided to fix it there. Most of the repair I did with one hand while the other was over the 1 1/2" hole in the bottom of the boat. There was a period of about 10 seconds when I needed both hands for the assembly and had to let the water gush in. A 1 1/2" hole lets in a lot of water really fast and it's difficult to remain calm knowing the boat is sinking. I got the thing back together correctly (nothing like pressure!) and now it's completely dry. I went outside to look at the waterline before I pumped the bilge and the boat was 4" lower.

Since then, I've been busy with a million little chores that there's never enough time for, getting the boat ready to go. Last night I went to bed and slept 9 1/2 hours without so much as rolling over, I think. I finally feel ready to go, though. We just have a few small jobs and provisioning to do and then it's just a matter of getting a good weather window.

I saw my first northbound cruiser today during my run and was happy to think that in a few weeks, instead of watching them all go by, I would finally be joining in.

Easter Snow and Chocolate

[Maryanne] I spent Easter with my best friend of over 20 years: Annie. We were very active, with dinner parties, football matches, gang shows and obviously EASTER.

Easter = chocolate eggs - right? Annie Obliged (thanks Annie). In England Easter commonly also means the last dash of winter snow. This year we had both. It was fun, and I have overdosed on chocolate, I need to do lots of exercise to recompense. And of course it was great to catch up with my good friends Annie and Mike (and the kids). The weekend went well, but was definitely complicated by the fact that my hearing was totally gone for most of the stay.

Mason's Tender

During Kyle's recent stay in Moncton in Canada, he had the time to visit the local ale house with entertainment! Since then he has been raving about a local band Mason's Tender. Here is more info if you want to know what gets Kyle up and singing.

Mason's Tender (Band) write-up

See Video live in Moncton

The Great White North

[Kyle] I've been working up in Canada for the last few days, first in Quebec City then Moncton, New Brunswick. Even though it's officially Spring, Winter is definitely still in full swing up here.

In Quebec City, it's been too cold for snow to melt for ages and the accumulation is more than 10 feet in most places. The snow has all transformed into hard ice that completly obscures the ground floor of everything. The roofs on one story houses out of town just look like continuations of the pile in the front yard. Everywhere you go, there are trenches cut through the snow for roads and walkways by snow blowers. I saw one pile of now at the end of a small parking lot that was as high as the 4 story apartment building behind it. There was one point at which I was considering scurrying across the crust to save myself some considerable trench distance. Then I realized that if I fell through, I would be in over my head like an avalanche victim and that once I got to the other side, the jump would be too high to make anyway.

Moncton is slightly better with only about half the snow accumulation but it is still so very cold up here.

Every time I come up here, I get such respect for just how tough Canadians really are. To persist in building a society where the winters are this bad and this long really requires a special kind of fortitude. It makes the unpleasant boatyard chores go a little easier with some perspective. At least I won't have to put on six layers just to go outside and I don't have to dig my car out of anything when it rains, even if it's one of those awful cold rains.

Boatyard Blues 2

[Kyle] The boat yard finally got me out of the water an hour before closing time on the last day I have off. I'll have to do this week's list next week and next week's list next week also. I'm starting to feel like the people who have to go to work to get some rest.