Hello All,
Sorry that these are late. On the evening of Day 10 we had no wifi signal, and on Day 11 I inadvertantly left the computer on board when we unpacked--had to go back and get it today. Hereunder the late entries.
---- Day 10,11------
Day 10—Almost There
Hello All,
Well, you’re going to get this a day late because where we are tonight has no wifi signal. The day was another one of little or no wind, so after taking on fuel in the morning (in three days of continuous engine use we needed less than 15 gallons) we motored, but this time we had an adverse current. The pace was glacial, although the day was very fine, not at all like what you’ve been going through at home. It was getting late when we drew abeam of Tarpaulin Cove, on the southeast coast of Naushon Island, opposite Martha’s Vineyard. It looked ideal—large, quiet, and only a few other boats already there. There’s even a picture-ready white lighthouse on the point. So that’s where we are tonight, about five miles short of our intended stop, Woods Hole. That’ll make tomorrow’s final leg about 37 miles, and then—INDOOR PLUMBING!
It was also a good day mechanically. Having had the problem with the shifter explained to us, we’ve been able to develop techniques that make it easier to shift. And the engine was trouble-free again today.
Chris
Day 11--Home Port
The day dawned fair and with little wind in Tarpaulin Cove. After a good breakfast and the usual engine checks, we raised anchor and had our first pleasant surprise of the day. No mud all over the anchor and chain to get the boat dirty--the bottoms are mostly sand around here, a welcome change from the Bay.
Our second surprise was riding at anchor astern of us. Some time during the night another boat had dropped anchor, and she was huge. She flew a British flag at her stern that seemed as big as Squander, Later, when she got underway we estimated her length at something around 80 feet.
The trip up Vineyard Sound started off with a good current but little wind. As we "turned the corner" from a northeasterly to an easterly course the wind began to build, and the further we went the stronger it got. It developed into the best sailing day we'd had since the two days following our departure from Cape May. One unfortunate fact was that our course, due east, at first caused the shadow of our sails to fall across the solar panels, so even though we had more than enough wind to sail, we had to run the engine to recharge the batteries.
The appraoch to the mooring field was challenging, with a lot of wind and chop, but we passed through safely to the inner harbor, where the surrounding low hills effectively shut out the wind, and unloaded our things. Then it was back out to the mooring field to find our mooring ball. Once we had made fast and launched the dinghy, we made our way back to the inner harbor and secured the dinghy with all the others along the beach and headed home. Our great adventure had come to a most satisfactory end.
Chris
---day 9---
Hello all--
Today was an enjoyable variant of yesterday. We backed out of our slip at Guilford about 7:25 and headed off to Block Island, Rhode Island. There was little wind until 2:00, but the current was strongly favorable and at one point we hit 9.2 knots. The 52 nautical miles passed quickly at those speeds and once again we arrived early, docking at 3:30.
This place is packed with more boats per square inch than I've ever seen before. It would seem that the island has a tradition of getting silly for the Fourth of July weekend, and since the 4th falls on a Wednesday, the locals tell us that the entire week and both weekends will be nuts. Right now, at 8:30 PM, we're being treated to a boat horn serenade--anybody who feels like sounding their horn, does so. And some of the boats are big enough that their horns make you think the QE2 is arriving.
An advantage of our early arrival was that this marina has a mechanic, and he was still around. He poked and prodded around the engine, transmission, and shift controls and announced that the transmission was fine, the shifting problem was in the shift mechanism itself. At worst, he said, it'll have to be replaced; at best, it can be rebuilt with some nylon bushings. Either way, he said we should be fine for the rest of this trip.
I've attached three photos this time. 1449 and 1451 are of a barge that almost got us in the East River. You can't quite see it in 1451, photo, but at the time we could count the rivets. 1547 is a Los Angeles-class (we think) attack sub on its way to Groton for the 4th of July celebrations there.
Another trouble-free day from the engine.
Chris
------Day 8 -----
From: Gordon Crighton [mailto:torl5k@yahoo.com]
Sent: Saturday, June 30, 2012 8:52 PM
Hello all,
Day 8 has been a first--we got to our destination early. We left Stamford at 7:35 this morning with almost no wind at all and began motoring east toward Guilford, 47 miles away. Eventually around lunchtime a bit of tailwind came up and we set the jib. Between the engine, the jib, and a little current in our favor, we made a little over 7 knots almost all day and reached Guilford a little after 3:00.
We're in a nice marina less than a mile from Guilford village center. We walked there to do some shopping and had a gourmet cheese plate at a coffee-and-wine place, then returned to the marina for showers and eventually some late supper (as I said before, the life of a sailor is pure hell).
The amazing butterfly is still with us.
We've been a little disappointed by the conditions in Long Island Sound. There's been a few trash items, but the real problem appears to be some kind of agricultural waste, as if tons of straw washed down. It's been so thick in spots that we've had to take evasive action a few times.
It was hot when we got here, but now that the sun's down it's cooling off nicely and it should be a good sleeping night.
The engine performed flawlessly again today for another 7-1/2 hours, so we're keeping our fingers crossed that whatever the problem was, it has corrected itself. Wish we could say the same for the shifter, which fights us whenever we try to reverse while the engine is running. Oh well, I suppose perfection would bore us.
Chris
----------Day 7---
From: Gordon Crighton [mailto:torl5k@yahoo.com]
Sent: Friday, June 29, 2012 9:40 PM
Subject: Day 7
Hello all,
Today was potentially the trickiest of the trip, but went off without a hitch. Today we had to go from Atlantic Highlands, up through New York harbor, and then up the East River and out to Long Island Sound. It's tricky because the East River is not a river, but a strait, with both ends open. Thus the tide comes in at both ends and the two surges meet in the middle, creating turbulence. Because the boat is so slow and the tidal current is so fast, you have to time it so you ride the flood tide from the Battery and reach the point where the tides meet (called Hell Gate) just as the tide is changing from flood to ebb. We hit it right, with speeds up the river of up to 10 knots and speeds downriver after Hell Gate of up to 8.
Overall we covered about 52 nautical miles today and are in Stamford, Connecticut. Long Island Sound was pleasant, but when we entered the harbor here we encountered a very sudden transition from the sea breeze to a land breeze heated by the concrete and asphalt of Stamford. There was something like a 20 degree difference.
The butterfly is still with us.
The engine/ fuel mystery remains unsolved. The engine performed flawlessly for over 9 hours today, and almost that much yesterday. This morning we refuelled and the tank took about eight gallons--just about exactly on 1/2 gallon per mile, as we had always gotten before. We're stumped, but as long as she keeps working we don't mind.
Chris
--------------day 6--------
From: Gordon Crighton [mailto:torl5k@yahoo.com]
Sent: Friday, June 29, 2012 7:08 AM
To:
Subject: Day 6 (a day late)
Hello all--
No, we were not swallowed by Leviathan. Day 6 passed very pleasantly, but the wind was fickle. Sometimes we could sail well, but at others we had to use the engine. The coast of New Jersey is nice--pretty much one continuous beach with plenty of people out enjoying them. There are also many, many big fishing boats out, but unlike in the Chesapeake they're polite and observe the rules of the road, so there are no problems. Oddly, we saw very few sailboats.
Thanks to favorable currents, and tides both leaving Barnegat Bay and rounding Sandy Hook, we made excellent time, arriving at Atlantic Heights around 5:00. However, over the last hour of the trip the temperature could be felt rising by the minute. By the time we got into our slip, it was well over 90, very humid, and with almost no breeze. So to get out of those conditions and to celebrate reaching the halfway point, we took a hotel room and enjoyed showers, air conditioning, and indoor plumbing! And that's why this blog entry didn't get done last night.
We think our butterfly is still with us. He was with us all day, and we finally got a picture or two of him. There is still no explanation for the fuel mystery; the engine started right up every time and ran trouble-free. We'll see how much fuel she takes this morning.
Although nothing actually broke outright on Day 6, our gearshift is acting oddly when it comes to going into reverse. Sometimes it's fine, sometimes it binds to the point that you wonder if it'll ever shift (usually with a pier approaching fast). It seems to have something to do with the angle at which you have your hand on it when you try it. We'll experiment today and see what we can work out.
Chris
-----------------------27 June----------------------------
From: Gordon Crighton [mailto:torl5k@yahoo.com]
Sent: Wednesday, June 27, 2012 8:17 PM
Subject: Day 5--to Barnegat Bay
Hello All,
Today was another fine sailing day. We got started late, at about 10:00, because of cleaning and a little maintenance. Fortunately, this was a short (42-mile) day, with favorable winds from the northwest. Not as strong as yesterday, maxing out at about 22 knots, but they gave us an excellent ride nonetheless. We covered the distance in seven hours, so there was time to walk around the little town of Barnegat Bay before an excellent meal of pork chops from our galley. Tonight we may get bounced around by the wind a bit, being in a somewhat exposed spot, but I doubt there'll be any trouble falling asleep.
Three remarkable things today: (1) We had an extra passenger, a butterfly, the whole trip. And he spent most of it flying rather than resting. Probably just wanted to see Atlantic City. (2) We saw porpoises again. (3) Nothing broke!
Chris
-----------------------------------Tuesday, 26 June -----------------------------
Hello all--
Today started out with the mechanic due to come to the boat (always dreaded), and ended with the kind of sailing I had hoped for on this cruise.
The morning dragged, as the mechanic didn't get to us until about 10:30. A great deal of widget-and-gizmo discussion ensued, which I'll try to summarize with a minimum of pain here: (1) the coolant loss was traced to a leaking hose, easy and cheap to fix. (2) The broken bolt was easily removed and replaced, but its cause was traced back to the fact that somewhere in the parts that mount the small alternator to the engine, some slack has arisen, probably through wear, that tightening of bolts won't fix. So from here on out we're supposed to treat our engine with more tender loving care than usual.
With these cautions in our ears, we finally departed the marina at about 1:45, 26-1/2 hours late, and headed out into the Atlantic. The wind was strong from the north-northwest, with gusts to 25 knots, but with a course of roughly 30 degrees, we could sail! Even using only the jib, and that not fully unfurled, we easily made 6 knots or more, and a couple of time the starboard toerail was under water. The day was glorious, with a crystal blue sky with a few fluffy clouds, and we had the ocean almost all to ourselves.
Our stop this evening, in Seaview Marina near Ocean City NJ, is very nice, but we're dead tired after a strenuous day and arriving quite late. Some further small repairs tomorrow morning and then off again.
Chris
PS: one picture to tease you.
-------------------------------------------Monday, 25 June-----------------------
From: Gordon Crighton [mailto:torl5k@yahoo.com]
Sent: Monday, June 25, 2012 7:57 PM
To: Frederick Frevert; Mike Menne; Eric Bye; deane Holt; Kristin Crighton; John Bonanno; Eric Bye; David Bourdon; Diana Crighton; Karin Crighton; Mary Lou Henderson; Mark Kellogg; David Hughes; Jenny Henderson
Subject: Cape Cruise--Day 3
Hello all--
Today had a little bit of everything. We departed the Port Norris Marina at the ghastly hour of 6:00 to go a short way down river to another marina that has diesel fuel. It didn't open until 6:30, so we had a short wait for the fuel. And then the mystery from yesterday about the fuel got even stranger. We had put about 9 gallons in from the cans the day before, and then motored for another hour or two into the river. But this morning the tank only took 2 gallons! With a 26-gallon tank, that means there was a lot of fuel left in the tank when the engine quit. What is going on here???
Delaware Bay was quite rough, with winds building from the south (right on the nose again--who scheduled this wind?). Eventually they reached 27 knots, and we were bouncing around pretty well--had to wear our tethers. But the line of thunderstorms passing by to our south took most of the wind with them, and we motored down to the back side of Cape May in a more respectable 17 knots. And we saw dolphins! Two came close, but decided we were boring and disappeared.
We decided to take the shortcut through the Cape May canal, and were really enjoying some calm water when a bank of black clouds showed up behind us, coming fast. It was more thunderstorms, and we were in a pickle. There's no place to stop in the canal, so we had to keep going. By the time we left the canal and entered the harbor, the rain was blinding, driven by a 31-knot wind, and the thunder and lightning sounded like they were 20 feet behind us. So we rocketed into the first marina we saw, and fortunately it was very deep; by the time we got to the landward end, we were sheltered by buildings all around us.
We settled down to eat lunch and wait out the rain. When it was finally time to go, we checked the engine before starting up, and discovered the coolant reservoir was empty (never good). A careful check of the engine revealed a broken bolt, which was allowing the coolant to leak out. Fortunately the marina we had fetched up in is full-service, with mechanics. They've given us a slip with shore power, and full shower/laundromat/swimming pool privileges (the life of a sailor is harsh indeed). Tomorrow they'll send a mechanic over to see what can be done.
Since we only got about halfway to today's intended destination, this will probably add a day to the trip. And we don't know how late it'll be when we're finally fixed, so the full effect is yet to be determined.
Chris
PS: No more greenhead flies!
-------------------------------- Sunday, June 24, 2012 8:34 PM -----------------------------
Subject: Cape Cruise--Day 2
Hello All,
Well, today was a little more adventurous than you'd want. The plan was to go from Summit North Marina in the Canal to Port Norris Marina in the Maurice (pronounced Morris) river just north of Cape May. The good news is, we made it in 10 hours instead of the 11 we expected. The "excitement" struck early. When I started the engine up, Brian remarked that it sounded different. We pulled off the engine cover to find that the tensioning bolt for the little alternator had come loose, worked its way out and was now in the bilge. The bolt for the big alternator was also loose, but at least it was still there.
Okay, minor fix, reinstall the bolts, tension the belts, and we're off. Oh no we're not! When I shifted into forward and gave it some throttle, the engine answered with a prolonged SCREEEEEEEEECH. Back to the dock (very slowly) and a little fiddling around, and we found the small alternator was over tensioned. Once fixed, all was well.
Until about an hour short of the Maurice, when the engine quit cold. She was out of fuel, quickly remedied by the 10 gallons in the backup cans. But why did she run out? She had been filled at 318 engine hours, and here it was only 337--how could she use 26 gallons in a period of time when she should have used only 9 or 10?
That's the $64,000 question. If the tank were leaking, the fuel would flow into the bilge and be pumped overboard, and we would have left an oil slick a mile wide. No slick, so that's not it. Has the engine suddenly started using more fuel? Why? Or was the tank not full to start with? Stay tuned!
When we finally tied up at the marina, we were feeling really sorry for ourselves. So we treated ourselves to dinner in a restaurant with air conditioning!
Chris
PS: Helpful Hint For Today: If you can help it, don't sail in Delaware Bay in late June: it's greenhead fly season.