Not on our boat but Ben and I helped Ron from DawnTrader sail his boat from GA to west Palm Beach FL. This will be a memorable trip... The head overflowed a little but never pleasant to take care of (poor Ron,), he cut his arm - not bad-, the French press coffee pot fell and shattered and I had a ten minute rough go of my midnight shift.
There were many factors that lead us to going with Ron as opposed to working on the boat. He is an experienced sailor. He knows single side band and weather and sail mail email system from the SSB. It would be a good learning experience for both of us. I was torn... To stay and keep working or to go with and learn.
I did not want to be left behind so away 3 of us went for a short 60 hour sail.
It's amazing how rusty a person gets when you haven't been sailing in a while.
The first day is always exciting as you head "out" to sea. Leaving the land behind and wondering if the weather report is close or way off.
It was good to sail with someone else being the captain. I could just be told what to do. There was never a time I disagreed with his decision... A few times I might have made a different decision but it was all good.
He set our watches (not the kind on your wrist) but the kind that is also called "taking shifts" every 4hours. Sweet. Imagine what it would be like to go have 4 hrs on and 8 hrs off! I could not wait. To my surprise I think I was just as tired as when it was just me and Ben but that is because what sleep can one get after three days?
The first night when we go to sleep there is too much noise and movement to actually sleep. One would think you would be lulled to sleep. Not in my case or in either of our situations. We all said the same thing. The first time off our watch we could not sleep! Then you are a zombie for a day, the next night watch you sleep way better when you are off.
My first night I had thoughts of... Oh my how will we make it on long crossings. The wind was normal 10-15k but on our nose and since we had a plane to catch we had to make time so we motor sailed. That means the waves were quite rocking and rolling. Up and down. So on my first night from 8-midnight I was tired from the night before where we packed and got up early. I looked out into the gray sky, dark water, moon full, and a head ache to beat all head aches and pondered... Wow.... Or why?
The second night my watch again from 8-midnight. Was more easterly winds just off the nose! It was a comfortable tack! The auto pilot finally settled down into working! I had the most blissful night sail for two hours! I stood up to stretch, look for boats, and breath deep as the waves smoothly and calmly rolled by our beam. I thought, "how fun is this, what a great night of sailing, the moon is perfectly full, I can move around the deck cuz the auto pilot is working! It will be so fun to sail to New Zealand! I'm ready for the adventure!
Then all of a sudden a boat blipped on the screen. One I had not noticed because I know it was not there. I can see AIS warnings 50 miles out but for some reason this boat waited to show up until It was directly infront of us about 9 miles out. A tug towing a huge barge. He was not going to budge away from his heading it seemed. I yelled down for Ben to just let me know his ideas but he did not hear me. I said out loud.... I can do this on my own... The Tug is 9nm away going at 11 knots I am going at 6 knots we will crash in... Oh I should hail him... But first I made a drastic course change I went 90 degrees to port. At this rate I will be out of his way and cross over his path. I stayed off course for 1 mile then turned back on course we passed each other 1.8 miles from side to side.
Phew! To me it was hard because I don't like his cockpit. No offense Ron. It is not made for someone 5' 1" ! The VHF radio to hail boats is on the starboard. The chart plotter is on the port, the auto pilot is near your feet, he has splash guards up so when I'm standing on the floor of the cockpit (which is full of water a weird quirk of the boat.) I in no way can see right or left unless I stand straddle the opposite seats! When standing in the cockpit I can reach the auto pitot but of course at this exact moment the winds picked up and the auto pilot was swinging 20 degrees port thne swing back to starboard... I'm sure I was confusing the tug watching me zig zag. To make me frustrated even more when walking from the helm to the chart plotter 6feet forward I tripped on 2 lines that span across the seat and then my tether got stuck under the cushion. (note to self , I don't like cushions too easy to trip and I feel bad to step on them with wet boots so just move them below next time.)
Ok imagine the tug looking at me zig zagging... I'm trying to set the auto pilot so I can run up to the chart plotter cuz it keeps beeping, "warning warning dangerously close vessel..." I disengage the auto pilot and think I'll hand steer... I soon find out I can't hand steer his boat backward cuz it is too hard to move with the auto pilot belt on his wheel. I shut off the chart plotter warning so as to not wake people below and so I can see the screen. I put my cursor on the AIS vessel to get the name... A wind blows us off course again. I pull hard on the sluggish wheel finally I get the name of the tug "sea horse" cute name. Now I hustle back to the starboard to grab the radio to hail him... But first grab the wheel again... Shoot... I hop in the water again ... get us on course, try the auto pilot settings again, now grab the radio... "Sssss" beep beep. Arggg that alarm is so loud... Ok turn off the warning but this time I had also changed the chart plotter to head up... (digress .... You can have the view of the chart to always be north facing up so if we are moving south the view is opposite. So if I want to turn right the chart plotter will look like I need to go left. But if I have the view of head up that means whatever I see ahead of me that will be mirrored on the chart plotter. Things on the right will be on the right. Ron likes north up...he is a navy man... It is an easy view switch on the chart... So with all this commotion I changed the view for my watch and was much more calm.) so now I could see his angle better knowing that we will pass each other.
No need to hail him. All is good. I did the right thing. It was a good drill for me. I know I could have yelled for Ben to wake up but I didn't feel like I was " that close". Still it woke me up. After that the auto pilot did not like much of anything until finally it settled down an hour later. I like our boat. When I pop the auto pilot I have easy controls for turning the wheel. I can see on both sides. I can reach the chart plotter without leaving the helm, I can use the radio with ease.
It was fun to be on someone's boat. I do have to say I covet his "lazy jacks". The company was good, the food was good, the sailing was good. All in all a good trip. I'd do it again.
We came in to the intercostal waterway ICW. That was fun to see again. Ben piloted through all that low water excellently we never got stuck on a sand bar!
That night we were all exhausted after getting only 4 hours of solid sleep. I was out at 9pm but at 2am I woke up wide awake ready for my 4 hour watch. Ha ha even the second night I slept hard but woke up after 4 hours feeling refreshed ready for a shift. Funny.
Back home for a week for a funeral. Ben's dad funeral. It will have hard parts and good parts. It will be good to see the family and hard to say goodbye.
No blog till Dec first.
Blessings
Pam
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