Justine wrote a letter to her followers about her first experiences with dolphins and whales. Check it out.
work & play
October 17 – 23, 2012
We kicked off our first week back in Beaufort with celebration of our 2oth wedding anniversary. Right before our dinner date for the evening, Wil did what every good, surf-loving husband does. He took the opportunity to go catch some waves that were coming in from Hurricane Rafael. I was the understanding wife, encouraging him to go since it had been a long time since he’d seen any surf. He had a great time, and made it back in time for us to go to dinner. We took the kids to Grandma’s house and enjoyed a quiet evening to ourselves.
The rest of the week was a whirlwind of activity. While I schooled with the kids, Wil spent time running back and forth from West Marine and other parts suppliers. He also dealt with making sure we had everything in hand prior to our upcoming haul out at Jarrett Bay. Every afternoon after school, Colin played with his buddy on What If.
Even though there was tons of work to be done, we couldn’t allow for all work, and no play. Local friends would drop by for visits. We had What If over before they departed for warmer waters. And, we spent time with new found friends on Celebrate who we had met in Plymouth, MA back in August. We thoroughly enjoyed every minute.
at home again in beaufort
October 16, 2012
last minute fishing in Cape Lookout
stopping by for a visit
As much as we would have liked to stayed anchored in Cape Lookout, we had family and friends waiting for us in Beaufort. It was time to pick up the hook and make the 2-hour journey to a place we like to call home.
We raised the mainsail, hoisted the anchor, and sailed out of Lookout Bight. Once outside of the Bight, we unfurled the genaker, and glided through the water at about 8 knots. The skies were sunny and blue, and we thoroughly enjoyed the sail as we made the homecoming.
Just inside the Beaufort Inlet, and in the middle of the channel, we came upon a swarm of birds diving at schools of Spanish Mackerel. It was total chaos. Seagulls and pelicans were dropping into the water in front of us, as fish were splashing at the water’s surface. Several small power boats were drifting through the fish schools trying to get their catch. We still had our fishing lines out, so we aimed straight for the thick of it. Within seconds of reaching the chaos, we had a fish on. It was only a small Spanish, so we had to toss it back. As fun as it would have been to make several passes through the schools of fish, we needed to pull in our lines and continue on towards Taylor Creek at the Beaufort waterfront.
As we were making our final approach to Beaufort, we thought we heard a boat we met in Annapolis on the VHF, but we couldn’t be sure. Once we arrived in Taylor’s Creek and our hook had settled, at just about the same moment our wifi antenna found a signal, Colin already had a Skype call from his buddy, Derek, on What If. They, too, had just arrived in Beaufort, and were anchored around the corner near Town Creek Marina. Immediately, the boys made plans to get together.
Our first evening back in Beaufort was spent with Wil’s mom and stepdad aboard for dinner. It was great to see them again and we did plenty of catching up.
home at cape lookout
October 14 – 16, 2012
Waking up in Cape Lookout gave us a coming home type feel. The land that surrounded us was nothing but low sand dunes, and the air was warm and humid. There was almost a tropical feeling which gave us a glimpse of future cruising days to come. After being so cold over the past few days, it felt great to open hatches and put on a pair of shorts.
The warmer climate seemed to energize us into getting some work done around the boat. We felt the need to tidy up, as well as do a thorough cleaning both inside and out. It was also in the plan to swim on the port keel and rudder to check for damage from our bump with the whale. Checking to see if the water maker worked was also on the agenda.
When Wil inspected the keel and rudder, the only visible damage was some missing bottom paint at the front bottom corner of the rudder. In fact, the bottom paint was taken off all the way to the barrier coat! He could also shake the rudder quite easily.
As for the water maker, we discovered that the membrane housing is cracked. In addition to a new housing, we will need several other new parts before we will have a functional water maker. We’re looking at a couple of boat bucks to make this happen.
We kidded around that since we know people who come to Cape Lookout on weekends, there might be a person or two who would come knocking on the hull. Sure enough, by 11 o’clock that morning, Colin and I were on deck when we recognized a familiar power boat heading in our direction. It was our good friend Mike from Durham! He just happened to be passing through and saw our boat from the distance. Such a small world! It was great to see him, and we spent the next couple of hours catching up.
Cape Lookout has one of the healthiest marine habitats we’ve seen in a long time. The moment we dropped anchor in the middle of the night, and turned off the engines, we heard a constant sound of water slapping. When we shone a flashlight on the water, it was swarming with thousands of small fish. If a person were to place a hand in the water, at least a half dozen fish would have been touched by one swish of the hand. During the daytime hours, there was a continuous smorgasbord of fish schools, including mullet and menhaden. One afternoon, I caught a glimpse of a sea turtle coming up for a breath. When Colin and Justine cast the fishing lines, they caught speckled trout, croaker, pinfish, cigar fish, and blue fish.
Early one morning, at about 4:30 a.m., we woke to the noise of something hitting the hull. After a few moments of listening, we both felt like we were hearing the shell of a sea turtle bumping the boat. Wil tip-toed up on deck and shone a flashlight towards the source of the noise. To his surprise, there was not a sea turtle, but hundreds of ribbon fish (Atlantic Cutlassfish) darting through schools of smaller fish and snatching them in their mouths. He called me on deck to have a look, as well. As this feeding frenzy occurred, fish were literally swimming straight into the sides of our hulls. These voracious attacks died down by the time the sun came up, and the waters were quiet again. The only evidence remaining was three dead fish with bite marks (a mullet, a ballyhoo, and a glass minnow) found on our transoms.
Cape Lookout Lighthouse
life doesn't get much better than this
Cape Lookout Lighthouse near dusk
this photo is for John
rounding cape hatteras ~ a sailor’s fear (part two)
October 12 – 14, 2012
~Part Two~
After our near run-in with the monstrous, orange car carrier freighter, we didn’t relax until we were well away from the Chesapeake Bay shipping lanes. Once we were sure all was good again, we turned our focus to sail adjustments. The wind was strengthening to 30 knots, so we needed to reduce sails for the night. Our sail combination of choice was a double-reefed main and a half-furled jib. Once the helm felt good in my hands, Wil went below for his off-watch snooze.
Having anticipated temperatures falling into the low forties (F) for the night (not including wind chill), I was bundled up in several layers. From the waist down, I had on a pair of long Johns, a pair of jeans, foul weather bibs, socks, and tennis shoes. My torso wore a long John shirt, a polar fleece, a hooded sweatshirt, the foul weather bibs, and a foul weather jacket. I wore a woolen buff around my neck, pulling it up over my ears, along with a winter hat on my head that was pulled down over my ears. Then, the sweatshirt hood was pulled up over my head, topping it off with the hood from the foul weather jacket. Finally, a pair of gloves on my hands. Now, just imagine how far I had to loosen my safety harness in order to get it on over top of all those layers. I could barely move once all was said and done!
As the night progressed, and as predicted, the wind and waves picked up. Most of the waves were 5 to 7 feet (~2 meters) at our stern, surfing the boat nicely down their faces. However, several times throughout my watch, I would hear a stronger wind gust coming, and about the time it would catch in the sails, the waves grew in height (to ~10 feet), also bringing a much bigger rogue wave from the port side. The white water with each of the bigger waves, reminded me of boogie boarding at the beach. Each rogue wave rocked the boat so quickly from the different angle that I had to brace myself and hang on. I was working so hard just to stand at the helm, I actually began to work up a sweat!
By the time it was Wil’s turn to take the helm at midnight, the weather was beginning to steady itself. The wind and seas became more consistent, and much easier to steer. Wil only had to watch as a tugboat and barge passed on the horizon, as well as look for any flashing buoys.
I dreaded my 4 a.m. watch. I didn’t sleep well in anticipation of rounding Cape Hatteras. Also, it’s a difficult watch to wake up for, not to mention the thought of returning to the cold of the night. Begrudgingly, I pulled on all my winter clothes and safety gear, and packed my snacks for the morning hours. As dreaded as the beginning of this watch is, the end reward is amazing. As my watch progresses, the sky begins to lighten, showing the ocean waves for the first time since nightfall. There’s a sense of relief, knowing I’ll be able to see what’s on nature’s plate. Then comes a most spectacular sunrise, and everything seems peaceful.
The second day of our passage was absolutely gorgeous and fun-filled. As we neared Cape Hatteras, the water color changed to a deep, clear blue, and we could feel the warmth rise off the water. Everything about the water spelled Gulf Stream. We were only about 10 miles offshore, so we were either sailing along the edge of the stream or within an eddy. In fact, for much of the day, we could see the distinct line between the green water and the blue water.
Sailing in the blue water brought great fishing and lots of wildlife sightings. We caught a King Mackerel, as well as a few small Spanish Mackerel and false albacore. We saw five sea turtles swimming near the surface. We think they were Loggerheads, but we’re still trying to find out. About 50 or more Atlantic Spotted Dolphins swam with us for at least a half hour. Not only did they swim at the bows, but also swam along side and behind us. The dolphins stayed with us until we came to the end of the blue water. Our guess is that they prefer the warmer waters filled with fish, and stopped when they reached the colder, green water. A shark (possibly a black tip) was the only wildlife sighting in the green water.
Atlantic Spotted Dolphins swimming at the bow
dolphin watching at the bow
a gorgeous day off Cape Hatteras
The second night at sea was upon us, and the winds and waves were diminishing, just as predicted. Even with the lighter winds (15 to 20 knots), we were still making excellent time. Our calculations had us arriving in the Cape Lookout area between midnight and 2:00 in the morning.
As a rule of thumb, we generally don’t do harbor entrances in the dark. It’s not smart, and it can be dangerous. However, once we rounded Cape Lookout Shoals and had the land protecting us from the northeast winds, we would have calm conditions. At the same time, we’ve spent a lot of time in this area and are quite familiar with Cape Lookout. Therefore, we decided to attempt the entrance.
Entering an anchorage at night is almost like walking blindfolded, especially when it’s pitch black. All we could see was the beam of light from the light house and the red flashing buoys. Using the iPad with Navionics charts and GPS, as well as watching the depth sounder, we were able to line up the buoys, and according to the chart, place us exactly where we needed to be. In the case of an iPad or GPS error, we made sure not to hug the shoreline.
At first, I was barely motoring 2 to 3 knots, unsure about our surroundings. Gradually, as my comfort level grew, and knowing we had 30 feet of water below the keel, I pushed our speed up to 4 to 5 knots. Wil was at my side, and we were both working together to navigate the entrance.
Suddenly, the boat jerked, and jerked again before coming to a stop. The depth sounder’s last reading was 4.7 feet. It was 1 o’clock in the morning, and we had just run aground. Not a good feeling when it’s middle of the night and you can’t see a thing!
Fortunately, by persistently throwing the engines in hard reverse, and by adding a little bit of wiggling back and forth, we were able to work ourselves off the sandbar in under 10 minutes. Not an easy task in the dark when you can’t see if the boat is moving. It’s all done by feel.
Once off the ground, we managed to steer our way around the shoaling, and into Cape Lookout Bight. Since we were coming into the anchorage on a Saturday night / Sunday morning, I suggested to Wil to turn on a spot light. For all we knew, there could be small power boats anchored right in front of us. When he shone the flashlight across the water, an anchored sailboat without a mooring light came into our view. There were also a few other small boats anchored for the night. At that moment, we decided to go no further and drop the anchor right in that very spot. If necessary, we could move the next day.
It was 1:30 a.m., and we were anchored in Cape Lookout, NC. The entire trip from just south of the Potomac River, around Cape Hatteras and to Cape Lookout, had taken us just 38 hours. A most satisfying achievement . . . and it felt good to be warm again!
Categories: nature & wildlife, navigation, passages
Tags: Atlantic Spotted Dolphins, Cape Hatteras, night watch, running aground
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hurricane sandy
To put everyone at ease, Full Monty and crew are sitting safely on the yard at Jarrett Bay. We were hauled out earlier this week to tend to some rudder repair, and by coincidence happen to be here for the storm. We are expecting tropical storm force winds and a lot of rain. Therefore, we’ll be hunkered down to wait out the storm. If anything, we will all be a little stir-crazy by the end of the weekend!
Sandy's wind forecast for Saturday afternoon
a lot of rain coming our way
rounding cape hatteras ~ a sailor’s fear (part one)
October 12 – 14, 2012
~Part One~
Even before we departed Annapolis, I studied the offshore weather for our pending passage around Cape Hatteras. My initial weather studies took place on a Tuesday afternoon, and I told Wil that we could possibly be waking up in Beaufort on Sunday morning. He laughed at me and said, “No way!” He wanted us to take our time and enjoy the sights without having to push hard to get somewhere, as well as show the kids the Navy ships in Norfolk. While that would be a wonderful thing to do, Mother Nature was providing us with an ideal weather window that we just couldn’t pass up.
The treacherous waters and shoals just off Cape Hatteras are referred to as the Graveyard of the Atlantic because many ships have been lost off this part of coastal North Carolina. This area has a reputation for its own weather patterns which can be responsible for storm development. Therefore, many people, including other sailors, look at us in surprise when we say we’re going offshore and around Cape Hatteras. We explain to them that our mast is too tall for the fixed bridges along the Intracoastal Waterway, and that we must take the outside route. With careful planning and preparation, the passage past Cape Hatteras can be just fine.
When we picked up the anchor from Cockrell Creek on the Friday morning, the winds were forecasted to blow 15-20 knots out of the northeast. We would sail all day, and the rest of the way down the Chesapeake Bay, with the wind on our stern. Instead of stopping in Norfolk for the night, we would sail on past, over the Chesapeake Bay Bridge-Tunnel, and out to sea. Throughout our first night offshore, the winds would gradually increase to 30 knots, and continue to blow from the northeast. Seas were expected to be 5 to 7 feet, also out of the northeast. On Saturday, the winds would continue to blow from the northeast, slowing slightly to about 20-25 knots, with 2 to 4 foot seas. These conditions would be ideal for an afternoon sail past Cape Hatteras. The daylight pass would allow us to stay close to shore and out of the north flowing Gulf Stream without endangering ourselves by the close proximity of Diamond Shoals. By Saturday night, and in time for our turn towards Cape Lookout, the winds would switch to the east, and diminish to 5 to 10 knots. Disregarding a couple of mishaps, the passage was as near to perfect as one can get.
Chesapeake Bay Bridge-Tunnel on the horizon
northern side of the bridge-tunnel
As we were approaching the Chesapeake Bay Bridge-Tunnel, evening was upon us, and we were anticipating the long night ahead. I went down to take a nap, while Wil held watch. I woke to knocking on the hatch above my head, and Wil telling me to get on the VHF. Groggy from a sound sleep, I was trying to comprehend what the person on the other end was saying. “Catamaran sailing south from the Chesapeake Tunnel, this is the Cape Henry Tower. What is your intention?” Nervously, I stumbled through words, trying to explain that we were heading offshore, south, and to Beaufort, NC. As I became more awake, I realized that the Cape Henry Tower was responsible for all incoming and outgoing shipping. Our AIS had not been on, so they could only see us on radar, without knowing our intended course. The tower informed me of all incoming ships, and I let them know that we would turn on our AIS and stay south of the channel.
Eventually, it was my turn to be on watch. We were still sailing parallel to the shipping channels. However, we were coming to a crossing of paths, so to speak. One channel brings ships in and out of Norfolk. The other channel leads to Baltimore. As we were approaching this crossroads, I noticed the starboard green light on a ship that appeared to be heading to the Norfolk channel. If the ship continued on its course, we would collide. Wil and I discussed what to do. We had been told a car carrier freighter would be traveling up the Chesapeake Channel, and we had said we would stay south of this channel. If we changed our course, we would cross into the Chesapeake Channel. However, due to the ship we saw in front of us, we chose to turn away from the oncoming ship. As we made our turn into the channel, the ship suddenly turned, and I could see his red and green bow lights. This meant that his bow was definitely pointed in our direction! Then, before we knew it, the ship had completed his full turn up the Chesapeake Channel, and we were seeing his port red light. Worst of all, we were in the Chesapeake Channel and we were on a collision course! As we immediately changed course to get out of the channel, the ship hailed us on the VHF, asking if we saw him coming, and that we needed to head west. We apologized for any confusion, and very quickly found the south side of the channel again.
As the ship passed by, even though it was dark, we could see the entire ship outline, as well as the orange color of the hull. These guys are big and fast, and not anything to tangle with. That one was way too close for comfort!
~to be continued~
annapolis to cockrell creek
October 11, 2012
The sun wasn’t even above the horizon yet when we picked up the anchor and hailed the Spa Creek drawbridge on the VHF. The bridge tender would open the bridge at the top of the hour for us. We arrived a few minutes early, steadying the boat in the slight breeze and current, and waited for the opening. Bells rang, as the street gates lowered and cars came to a halt. It was time to pass through the narrow bridge one more time, and say good-bye to Annapolis. Memories here will last a lifetime.
The wind was blowing out of the northeast at about 15-20 knots, and most definitely in our favor. As we pulled away from Annapolis, we raised the full main, unfurled the genaker, and turned off the engines. The boat picked up speed. Before we knew it, our speed over the ground was 8-10 knots. Another exhilarating sail!
According to the weather, the winds would be stronger in the morning, before dying out in the afternoon. We needed to make as much distance as possible before the wind couldn’t push us anymore. Over the past few months, we have been quick to use the engines whenever winds weren’t in our favor. The cost of fuel is adding up, so better passage planning is now needed with respect to the wind. After all, we have a sailboat!
Since, we were underway, I let school be optional for the kids. Justine chose to keep up with her studies. Colin took the day off.
By mid afternoon, the wind puttered out enough for us to turn on the engines and motor sail the rest of the way to Cockrell Creek, just south of the Potomac River in Reedville, VA. Since, the Chesapeake Bay is so wide with plenty of water depth, we don’t normally stay within the marked channels. We usually keep as straight of a rumb line as possible to our destination, and usually that’s not a problem. However, the approach to Cockrell Creek was crowded with groups of fish trap stakes that we had to navigate between. It wasn’t difficult, but we had to stay on our toes with the binoculars glued to our eyes.
As we entered Cockrell Creek, we were in awe of the quaint little southern fishing town. In fact, Reedville is home to the fishing industry for Atantic menhaden, and by some accounts, second only to Dutch Harbor, Alaska. (Reminds me of the television series Deadliest Catch!) According to a local resident, Reedville remains to be the only working mehaden plant on the entire eastern coast of the US.
An added note: If you visit this area when the plant is processing, you will want to anchor upwind from the factory!
part of the Reedville fishing fleet
menhaden fishing boat
130-ft smokestack ~ a remnant of the first & last menhaden plant in the area
Omega Protein building and smokestack
Categories: travel
Tags: Annapolis, Atlantic Menhaden, Chesapeake Bay, Cockrell Creek, Reedville
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check this out!
We have been “one upped” by some dear friends of ours who are already across the Pacific. Check out their most recent blog post!
s/v Morning Glory posted “Whales” on October 18, 2012.
final days in annapolis
October 8 – 10, 2012
The temperature had drastically plummeted. In the early morning, I was bundled up, sitting at the salon table, writing my blog post, and drinking my coffee. I suddenly noticed that I could see my breath inside the boat. It was 44 degrees F outside. It was Wil’s last day of work, and it was time to think about heading south to warmer waters.
We had one last visit with Anything Goes and Patronus before everyone went their separate ways for a little while. It was another chilly night, so we took the gathering aboard Patronus since they had heat. Eight kids were spread throughout the 47-foot Beneteau, while the adults chit chatted in the main salon.
waving good-bye to good friends
showing her picture as they pass by
Anything Goes approaching the famously narrow bridge
Our last two days in Annapolis were spent doing chores in preparation for our journey south. While the kids and I had school, Wil hauled water from a nearby dock and helped Cat with some electrical issues.
filling our water tanks prior to departure
Wil also dealt with choosing and ordering a new autopilot, as ours has totally given up. At first, we were going to purchase from B&G / Simrad. However, while the representatives at the boat show had specified a Type I drive, they weren’t able to supply technical specifications for the drive. They directed us to the B&G / Simrad website for specs. The website was difficult to use, and we couldn’t find specs on their autopilot units. Wil phoned B&G / Simrad and spoke to a 30-year experienced technician, who also suggested an autopilot that was too small for our boat. In the end, we switched and purchased a Garmin GHP 12 with a Class B drive. We are very excited about the possibility of having a working autopilot sometime in the near future. Every passage has been made without an autopilot, so we are long overdue.
The owner of Coastal Climate Control came out to the boat and finally repaired our problematic refrigerator himself. We had a serviceman aboard in Portland, and then again in Annapolis. Both guys had determined there was nothing wrong with our fridge. However, our refrigerator would only run for about 24 hours before the temperature would increase, but the compressor continued to run. The owner installed a filter dryer in the line. The filter dryer takes out specks of dirt that might be clogging the system, as well as removes any moisture. We held our breath and waited for 24 hours to see if the fridge would perform properly, and it continued to run without failing! We almost felt like celebrating, but we were too afraid of jinxing anything.
We were extremely fortunate to have run into a fellow cruiser who we’d met at Jarrett Bay in Beaufort about a year ago. Vince on Flight Plan had purchased the boat which had been sitting next to us in the yard. Therefore, he became our neighbor while he prepped his boat for its return to the water. Now, he was moored nearby and we were all very happy to see each other. Vince keeps a truck in town, so he offered to take us grocery shopping. We piled in as many groceries that would fit in the dinghy, taking advantage of the fact that we didn’t have to haul our groceries a mile on foot. We are so grateful to Vince!
Since we knew it would be past dinner by the time we returned to the boat from our grocery trip, we treated ourselves to a rotisserie chicken from the store. You would have thought that we were all poor and starving the way we demolished the entire bird! It was absolutely delicious as we also treated ourselves to an episode of NCIS on the television. Another moment of some special family time.
The next day consisted of all the final departure preparations. Laundry, taking trash to shore, checking the weather, checking the engines, stowing items, etc. In between boat preps, I also got Vince operable on his ham radio.
Later that day, Patronus moved down the creek, anchoring closer to us, so they could be a shorter distance to town. After we returned from Flight Plan and had our dinner, we were going to give Patronus a shout. However, when we looked out, they were gone! We were completely puzzled by their disappearance. The wind had picked up a bit, so we were wondering if they had suddenly decided to take off for a night time sail. Since we left the next morning, it was a few days later before we discovered they had dragged anchor and had to relocate further up the creek.
We went to bed early that night, anticipating a dawn passage through the narrow Spa Creek bridge. Stronger northerly winds had arrived, and we were going to let them carry us south!
Colin's climbing is getting higher!
