dec 2-5th Highlight Dolphins!!!

First let me say... thanks werner for all of your comments. I will keep you updated on our trip.  thanks to all the others that make comments on my email.  I know most of you can't comment on this blogspot cuz it won't let you for some reason.  I am the same way with another blog I was reading and could not comment on it too.  anyway it is heart warming knowing that you all read about our travels.  this next blog might get technical about the winds and direction and sailing but hang in there cuz dolphins are in this longggg blog of 3 days worth.

Plans, what is that in sailing? (12-2-10 thru 12-5-10)

The weather talked about 10-15k winds and tonight gusting to 20k. ha ha there has not been a gust over 3k.  we are going along the coastline at a very nice motor I might add.  Not that I like to motor but the other option is to sit here and not that I wouldn’t mind sitting here if it was sunny and 70 but since the cold front is really cold on the water… I thought 42 was cold… tonight I will tell you how 28 is. As of now it is 43 and I am down below cuz I was getting cold and it is Ben’s turn to sail for a while or motor. 

It seems like we will motor to Savannah GA an  unexpected stop due to no wind and we are motoring that means we have to watch our consumption. The only thing with that is there is no gas gauge. No “out of fuel” warning not even a “warning fuel low”  on this boat it just stops. Stopping out here might not be so good unless we had wind and even if we did it would be difficult to sail into some of the ports since they are on a river.  Long story short we will tuck into Savannah and buy fuel there and then either ICW or atlantic depending on the weather.

Our fuel tanks are not square; they are an odd shape.  They are molded to fit in the back and since we have a boat like a big canoe – a double ender – it is in that shape. So the tank is smaller at the bottom then opens up bigger.  We measure the fuel by dipping in a long stick that has marks on it. We can see… oh we are half the way down in the tank but that does not mean half the way down cuz the tank is big at the top and small at the bottom… so is half on the stick mean 1/3 of a tank left or ¼ of a tank? Whos-ta-know?  This next time we fill up we are going to pour in 5 gallons than mark the stick then pour in 5 more etc… this should help us.

Just before I came down here Ben and I were eating oatmeal and he noticed some splashing!  Yes we had 4 DOLPHINS!!! playing in our wake at the bow of the boat!  I have been waiting my sailing career to see this! Finally! It was so cool and they stayed and played for about 20 minutes or more. I waved and yelled hi and hoot and hollered with total excitement… now santa does not have to bring me anything for Christmas this year cuz I have already got my Christmas present… dolphins… who could want more? Not me!

Those dolphins were so cute! Check seeing dolphins off on my bucket list of sailing. I have sailed with the whales and now with the dolphins.  This whole trip so far we have had dolphins grace our presence once a day or so. None so spectacular than dolphins jumping around the boat… swimming side by side… playing in the waves… playing next to the bow… they look at you… they look this way and that!  They are small yet musclular. They make cute noises. AND they smile like I am now and will for the rest of my days as I remember dolphins.

What’s on your bucket list? Whales, dolphins? My next sailing bucket list to see is fish jumping in the boat so I don’t have to go fishing… I hear they just jump in the cockpit.  I can’t wait!

It is 5:30pm, sun just set. I’m going to get shut eye since my shift will be freezing in 4 hours… Ben and I agreed that if the person on duty was cold they just have to tell the other one.  So I don’t know how long this will be… and I don’t know how long I will last when it is my turn but for now… I’m going to get some shut eye!

12-3-10

Well once night came so did the winds! So we changed our ideas and we decided to get as much out of the NW blow as possible.  We think we have 30 hours in our fuel tank to motor if needed.

The night was cold but not too cold.  Well I was cold but not freezing it was about 42 but this time it was not raining and the winds were about 15k. I thought as I shivered do I like to shiver and be cold better than this past summer where I was so hot and miserable??? Hummm I pondered that questions for a good part of the night. One has to think and perseverate about something while keeping oneself awake.  And after my long dialogue in my head… for the life of me I can’t tell you which is worse or what answer I came up with… if any.  They have their plus and minuses.

So we changed our course due to the winds were good and strong so we went on a nice beam which slowly had us going out to sea a bit which was fine since we would be in a direct line to Jacksonville our first goal. 

During the night what was supposed to stay NW for a few days started turning west. That was ok all the next day until late afternoon the winds started going more SW now we were being slowly pushed out to sea and no longer could we keep our heading to Jacksonville.  The winds started to pipe up to 22k.  We were about 25 miles out we pulled into wind more and more until now we were 35 miles out. Ok now this is not what we wanted but NOAA kept saying West winds… I wish they were out with us cuz they were SW winds.

Decision time… we tack and go a little backwards and get no where or we keep going further out to sea in hopes that NOAA will be right the winds will go back to w or NW…

The weather did not seem it was going to change. I was sailing almost into wind the winds got bigger and stronger.  Ben came on shift. Now we wanted to get back to shore that means west and the winds were west south west. The winds kept building to 25-28.  It was too windy so Ben, being the best first mate there is, he set out to reef.  I offered like I always do – half heartedly – I have done it.  He knew I really did not want to.  (my rain gear is super heavy on my body, it is cumbersome and hard to even step up with my bib overalls on. I have boots that are slippery. When I have my jacket on the collar comes up to my eyes and I can’t see really right or left without moving my head which is hard to do due to the stiffness of it all. It is hard to even pick my nose with all that clothing on.  Oh and guess how many layers I have underneath?  Just guess… count for yourself: underwear, think long underwear, silk long underwear, black stretch pants, jeans, flannel pants, bib overalls!! Yes 7 layers… imagine going pee!!! So Going and reefing was not first on my list…. Later I discussed it with Ben that next time I would reef but I would take off my foul weather gear and then I could move and be more responsively to the boats bucking and lurching.)

So anyway this time he went up… it is dark… all I see upfront is his head light glowing… my job is to keep the boat into the wind in such a way that the boom does not surprise him.  He did an excellent job! I have to say that is the scariest part of sailing is reefing and I don’t even reef 99% of the time.  Ben came back into the cockpit. It was hard to figure our sail configuration… too much sail with the jib and main. So we pulled in the jib.  Then we did not have enough sail. The winds were piping hot and we were only going a few knots. So ben set out to put up the small sail. Which again I half heartedly said I could.

It was done and the sail set was as best as we could get.  We were headed in the right direction and we made 1 mile in 4 hours! The other thing is now it was Ben’s shift and he had just gotten sea sick and lost his supper. Usually steering helps the side effect lesson. I had just spent 4 hours being cold and needed sometime.  So he half heartedly said he could sail for a while. 

I was now in the exhaustion sleeping mode.  The first day I can’t really sleep well… but by the second night I am ready for my shift to end so I could rest! I was physically exhausted, cold and tired.  I knew the sail set was the best we could do and it was just a matter of time or having the wind change to be more favorable.

I was cold and sleepily as I could be.  The 2 hours flew by even though I was aware of the jumps and changes of the boats response.  I came up and asked if Ben needed a break or should I take a normal 4 hour.  He was way ready to be done.  I felt refreshed. Ok a little groggy but refreshed by the quality of sleep.

Before we retreated… we listened to the weather NOAA finally they changed their minds… ok they really changed their minds.  Now there is a SW gale headed for us! (that means 25-35k winds or 30-40 miles per hour winds) we were trying to get to shore but still 35 miles out and still only moving 1 mile every 4 hours.  Welp there is nothing we can do but keep ondoing what we are doing.

Ben was too tired and sick and exhausted to stay up anymore.  I was glad to take over… I don’t mind a strong wind if the sails are right. I don’t mind big seas either – they are kinda fun. It was getting warmer with that wind coming and it was 48 degrees or so.

Each of us on our watches and together combed the coast for a place to enter.  There are rivers and outlet/inlets but most of the charts say, “Only pass if you have local knowledge”  what is that! Anyway there was another guy stuck out with us but he was way closer to shore. Ben and I had already decided we would be one more night outside and get in as day light permitted and as the winds would permit. We heard him on the radio at like 10am talking to “sea-tow”… I listened in. (brilliant!) He asked if anyone there had local knowledge of the passage way he was thinking about taking.  What a great idea! The guys from sea-tow are the guys that pull boats off of the shoals and rocks that run aground. I will use that knowledge when we need it.

Finally during the night the winds changed just a bit to NW to W to NW to W to S… we kept on.  The winds were just right to get us to shore – finally – ahead of the gale winds. 

Both Ben and I were happy to be tucked safe and sound on a dock in GA, st. simon island. We also just happened to be there on their xmas party night were everyone gets free food and drinks.  We were hungry and tired and ready for bed after a nice warm shower.

What a nice surprise. Now we are back in the ICW it is super low tide and I just got done running aground on my shift – give me strong winds and no where to go than a river at low tide!  (Ben disagrees – he would rather take his chances on a river at low tide and just bump into a sand bar and then get pulled off with the tide than to be out in the wild sea – sea sick and stuck in the same place. He also commented that if you get stuck on the sand here atleast you are not seasick and you feel  much happier)

Now to find an anchorage on a river and to send this out.

Oh to get in the Christmas mood we have bought egg nog and played xmas tunes while sailing. I miss Christmas cookies!!!