Sunday, October 30th

Blue Water Yachting Center

Flew from Appleton, through Atlanta, to Norfolk. Caught a taxi with another sailor (we mateys know how to recognize each other) to Bluewater Yachting Center in Hampton, VA. Met Baxter, Molly and Kala! First climb aboard Terrapin. Settled in and stowed gear. Attended Salty Dawg gatherings and had dinner with Baxter and Molly at the Center restaurant.

Photos

Monday, October 31st

Molly and I spend time sewing cones for Terrapin's Jordan series drogue. 130 cones. Will we get them done? Scott arrives. The afternoon is full of activities. A USCG helicopter rescue demonstration.

Informative lectures.

Followed by a pirate gathering fueled by dark 'n stormies.

The evening finishes with a raffle.  Terrapin's the lucky boat.  I win 2 nights at dock at Soper's hole.  Scott wins a rod and reel and 4 gallons of bottom paint. 

Tuesday, November 1st

First Day at Sea

Weather Window

When to leave?  The biggest question, impacting all that follows.  Unlike other rallies, the question is answered by each skipper individually, for his/her boat and crew.  The Rally began its weather routing briefings with its esteemed weather expert, Chris Parker, on Saturday, October 29th.  As I arrived on the boat, Baxter and Molly's plan was to leave Wednesday.  There were calms near shore before then, which they preferred to avoid, and a cold front was expected to drop south through the area Thursday night to Friday, which would bring some good down wind sailing.  

That plan changed with the weather briefings yesterday and this morning.  The front is developing into a serious problem.  Sailing into it near the northern latitudes of the trip will take a boat into strong gale and, possibly, storm conditions.  Never fun, occasionally leading to boat and crew harm, and life threatening if encountered in the Gulf Stream.  So, what were the options?  Wait until the cold front passes, and then leave?  That will delay the departure until Saturday.  And, Chris can't say with much confidence what weather will follow Saturday.  Leave early?  That is our option.  We will motor for 1-2 days through the calms.  That will get us across the Gulf Stream and get us some southing in calm weather.  The cold front will catch up to us probably over the weekend, but it should spend some of its energy up north and we will likely experience no more than gale conditions.

We back out from our slip at 11:30 at high tide.  The current will be behind us as we pass out of Chesapeake Bay.  Several other boats will leave today, before and after us.  They will remain on our AIS screens for the next several days, helping to persuade us that we made the right departure decision.  

Beaufort Scale

Here is a portion of the Beaufort Scale, used to measure and describe wind and sea states.  

Beaufort Scale

Wind (Kts)	Classification	Appearance
34-40	Gale	Moderately high (18-25 ft) waves of greater length, edges of crests begin to break into spindrift, foam blown in streaks
41-47	Strong Gale	High waves (23-32 ft), sea begins to roll, dense streaks of foam, spray may reduce visibility
48-55	Storm	Very high waves (29-41 ft) with overhanging crests, sea white with densely blown foam, heavy rolling, lowered visibility

Chart

 

Maritime Weather Discussion

MARINE WEATHER DISCUSSION FOR N ATLANTIC OCEAN 
NWS OCEAN PREDICTION CENTER 
WASHINGTON DC 905 PM EDT MON OCT 31 2016 

A COLD FRONT WILL MOVE INTO THE OFFSHORE WATERS BY THU NIGHT WITH NW WINDS INCREASING TO 30 KT BEHIND THE FRONT THU NIGHT AND FRI. WINDS MAY REACH MINIMAL GALE STRENGTH BEHIND THE FRONT...BUT FOR NOW WILL KEEP THE WINDS AT 30 KT AND SEE WHAT THE LATER MODEL RUNS SHOW. WINDS ACROSS THE OFFSHORE WATERS WILL THEN BEGIN TO DIMINISH BY SAT.

 

Log

Journal

Wx: front is expected to move through rally area about Thursday night. 30kt winds sustained for ~36 hours, gusts to 40-45, possibly 50-55 around impulses. We decide to leave today to get across stream and make southing, where the front should be weaker. Spent couple of hours making drogue cones while Bx, M & Scott get boat ready to leave. Last phones to F before leaving.

Underway

Leaving Hampton & the Chesapeake was a series of delights. Naval gunboats and a hovercraft rushing towards Norfolk as we left Hampton Roads. Dolphins, ignoring us and fishing? along the ships channel. A whale in the distance? Right wales are reported in the bay. More naval and commercial ships. Then, the grand parade, a departing submarine, with a gun boat at each side and regular vhf warnings to maintain 500 yard distance. 

Photos

Wednesday, November 2nd

2nd Day at Sea

The Gulf Stream & Cape Hatteras

Our course is set to parallel the shore to Cape Hatteras.  We will then turn SE to cut across the Gulf Stream.  Cape Hatteras is legendary for bad sea conditions and wrecks.  The Gulf Stream narrows and accelerates as it pushes up the the coastline, before breaking free of the coast at Cape Hatteras and punching its way into the North Atlantic.  The Stream carries the warmth of the tropics with it.  Water temperatures in the Bay are in the mid-60's.  The Stream temperature reaches the low 80's.  And, fish abound in the Stream.

Chart

Marine Weather Discussion

THE GFS IS BY FAR THE STRONGEST AND INDICATES A VERY STRONG SURFACE LOW JUST E OF THE OFFSHORE WATERS...AND GENERATES STORM FORCE WINDS IN N TO NE FLOW IN AN ENVIRONMENT WITH NEGATIVE STATIC STABILITY. THE 12Z UKMET AGREES WITH THE 12Z GFS ON THE LOW TRACK...BUT IS MUCH WEAKER. THE 12Z GEM AND ECMWF ARE BOTH WEAKER THAN THE UKMET AND GFS...AND ARE ALSO TO THE SE. THERE IS QUITE A BIT OF SPREAD WITH THE 12Z GEFS MEMBERS...AND THE 12Z GEFS MEAN IS EAST OF THE OPERATIONAL GFS AND WEAKER. WPC MEDIUM RANGE GUIDANCE FAVORS THE GEFS MEAN SOLUTION...AND AT THIS TIME PREFERRING THE WEAKER SOLUTIONS SINCE THE HIGH UNCERTAINTY LOWERS CONFIDENCE WITH THE GALE AND STORM FORCE WINDS IN THE OFFSHORE WATERS.

Log

Journal

12a-3a. Clearing skies. Heading down the coast toward Cape Hatteras and our gulf stream entrance way point. In a group of rally boats. Motoring with a partial main. Lovely conditions. In bibs, but not foulies. 

8a-11a. Came on deck ~7:30 as we approached our gulf stream entrance waypoint. Water temp rises through high 70’s to 80°. We’re in the stream. Now heading 144° across the stream. Wind on the beam 8-10 kts. Rolled out the genny. 

0920. Wind varying from 5-10 kts apparent. The stream sea is different than near shore. Lots of wavelets. Looks like swells from N and NNE. 

Left the Gulf Stream late afternoon. Scott and Baxter had lures out in the stream, Scott on his rod, Bx on his Cuban yo-yo. 1st strike: fish threw Scott’s lure. Second strike, Scott landed a small mahi-mahi. Just beautiful color. [Small and returned to sea]. Clear night sky. Big dipper sweeps below the horizon here and Orion is higher. Bx and I took pm sun sights. Not reduced.

Photos

Thursday, November 3rd

3rd Day at Sea

Making Miles

Today's strategy is to make miles to the SE, towards our destination and away from the approaching front.

Chart

 

Marine Weather Discussion

THE 18Z GFS AND 18Z NAM WERE VERY CONSISTENT WITH THEIR RESPECTIVE PREVIOUS RUNS ACROSS THE W ATLC THROUGH SAT. GIVEN STRONG COLD AIR ADVECTION...NEGATIVE STATIC STABILITIES ACROSS THE GULF STREAM AND THE MODELS TENDENCY TO BE UNDERDONE WITH WINDS IN THESE N TO NE SURGES...HAVE ABOVE AVERAGE FORECAST CONFIDENCE WITH THE GALES DEVELOPING S OF HATTERAS CANYON FRI. WILL AWAIT 00Z MODEL SUITE BUT MAY HAVE TO ADJUST WINDS UP SLIGHLY AT LEAST ACROSS THE GULF STREAM FRI AND FRI NIGHT.

 

Log

 

 

Journal

Another day motor sailing. Received email from F, responding to broadcast email sent by Molly last night. We’re still racing to way points from Chris Parker, designed to keep us in front of the front and into some air. Clouds, low stratus, move in from the west. Don’t look like front clouds. No fish.

 

Photos 

Friday, November 4th

4th Day at Sea

Monitor Mania and a Swim

The wind increases and the engine is off.  Time to set up the Monitor wind vane. Baxter, Scott and I going swimming in the deep blue sea.

Chart

 

Marine Weather Discussion

OVER THE PAST DAY OR SO THE MODELS HAVE GENERALLY TRENDED WEAKER WITH THE N TO NE POST FRONTAL WINDS FORECAST TO SPREAD SOUTHWARD ACROSS THE NT2 WATERS FRI AND FRI NIGHT. HOWEVER STILL HAVE SLIGHTLY ABOVE AVERAGE FORECAST CONFIDENCE THAT WINDS WILL INCREASE TO GALE MAINLY ACROSS THE GULF STREAM OFFSHORE S OF HATTERAS CANYON. BASED ON THE MODEL TREND DID MAKE SOME ADJUSTMENTS TO THE PREVIOUS WIND GRIDS SO AREAS OF GALE ARE NOT AS EXPANSIVE ACROSS THESE SOUTHERN NT2 ZONES. TODAYS MODELS THEN CONTINUED TO SHOW LITTLE RUN TO RUN CONSISTENCY WITH WHERE UPPER LOW MAY CLOSE OFF E OF THE OFFSHORE WATERS LATE IN THE WEEKEND INTO EARLY NEXT WEEK. THE LATEST ECMWF AND UKMET ARE NOW WELL W OF THE GFS POSITION AND ALSO STRONGER THAN THE GFS. IN FACT THE 12Z UKMET ADVERTISES WINDS UP TO 45 KT ACROSS THE NERN OUTER NT2 WATERS. DID NOT MAKE SIGNIFICANT CHANGES TO THE WIND GRIDS IN THE MEDIUM RANGE... CHOOSING TO CONTINUE WITH THE GALES POSSIBLE ACROSS THE OUTER OFFSHORE ZONES ANZ905 ANZ910 AND ANZ920 MON/MON NIGHT.

 

Log

12a-3a. Skies mostly clear. Crew (M & Bx?) – nope, Bx & Sc had set genoa and shut off motor in pm. Came on watch to 12-17 kts apparent 60° off starboard. Great sailing 5-7.9 kts. Lots of AIS traffic. 2 Dawgs, Flash and Windsurf, and a stream of tankers & cargo ships heading north & south. Sure looks like a shipping lane. Bioluminescense trailing the boat. 1st shooting star. 

Morning. 

Came on deck to same sailing conditions. Hdg 166°M. Fair weather cumulus ahead. Lower stratus behind us. Kala takes a morning pee & then poop on deck ["Rollers on deck!"]. Great start to the day! Molly’s mom emailed boat positions. We’re moving to the front with our good wind. Morning project was to get Monitor operating. Brand new. Ran lines, wrong and then right. Installed vane, then swapped it out for larger vane. Fiddled and fussed. Over-thought it. Over-corrected it. And, then just let it alone and settle itself into a course. Wanders more than auto[pilot], but less than any of us humans on board. Sweet. Baxster will wait an hour to claim success. Scott and I are declaring now. 

Bx stuck his Go Pro over side for a look at the prop. We seemed to have lost some kts per rpm, and there was a new vibration in the powertrain at low rpms. There it was, with the video stilled, a line at the prop. Fairly benign conditions, so over the side we went, Bx, Scott & me. A short line, some netting, came off with two dives. Scott and I on shark watch. We climbed back aboard on the Monitor (Bertha). 

We threw a fender on a line overboard before we went into the water. The amazing blue we’d seen from aboard carried down forever, well 16,000 feet, viewed through dive masks. A moment to be remembered! Pm. Wind’s turned light.

 

Videos

Photos 

Saturday, November 5th

5th Day at Sea

The Old Man and the Sea and the Front Approaches

Early morning squalls.  Still making southeast.  I nearly land a mahi-mahi.  And, the front is upon us.

 Chart

 

 

Maritime Weather Discussion

.WARNINGS...PRELIMINARY.
 .NT1 NEW ENGLAND WATERS... 
      NONE.
 .NT2 MID-ATLANTIC WATERS... 
 .ANZ905...THE GREAT SOUTH CHANNEL TO THE HAGUE LINE... 
      GALE POSSIBLE MON INTO MON NIGHT. 
 .ANZ910...EAST OF THE GREAT SOUTH CHANNEL AND SOUTH OF 39N... 
      GALE POSSIBLE MON INTO MON NIGHT. 
 .ANZ830...INNER WATERS FROM CURRITUCK BEACH LIGHT TO CAPE HATTERAS... 
      GALE TONIGHT. 
 .ANZ833...INNER WATERS FROM CAPE HATTERAS TO CAPE FEAR... 
      GALE TONIGHT. 
 .ANZ835...INNER WATERS FROM CAPE FEAR TO 31N... 
      GALE TONIGHT. 
 .ANZ935...OUTER WATERS FROM CAPE FEAR TO 31N... 
      GALE TONIGHT.

 

Log

 

 

Journal

12a-3a watch. Come up early as Bx & Molly were resetting sails. Wind to 20 with a big shift. Winds then fell off, small rain. The high wind likely the front of a small squall. As I finished out my watch with Scott the wind turned variable, in strength, dropping to 3k, teasing up to 7kt. 30 minutes after my watch, Bx and Sc rolled in the genny and turned on the engine. The clatter and bangs down below were replaced with the steady sound of the engine and water flowing past the hull. And sleep came. 

Morning. Motoring, sailing, motoring. The wind is predicted to increase giving us a beam-to broad-reach. Winds beginning to build by noon, and we’re sailing. 

Afternoon. Wind builds to 12-20. Reefed genny & main. 7-8 SOG. Seas building to 3-5’ with underlying swell from the approaching front. Reel sings with me at the wheel on watch and Bx & Scott at the bow. I whistle for their attention and grab the reel. Fish is running out fast, and we’re doing 7-8 kts. I bring him in and he runs back out twice, before he tires. I work him in, splashing from wave top to wave top. He’s slapped hard by the stern wave, 10’ away, and is torn from the hook. A small mahi, but we were going to eat him. He was clearly done. He won’t be wasted as he drops thru the 16,000 feet below us. Scott, who had a good view of him, holding me onboard by my harness, says he was 24”. The filet knife and cutting board were returned to their places below. 

10pm. All of us in the cockpit. The front is at hand. Genny in. Reefed staysail out.

 

Videos

Photos