BUT OF COURSE!

What else would you expect to find on Sand Dollar Beach in George Town, Exumas, but sand dollars! This is one I found on a beautiful walk along the beach with my friends Jenny from Lady and Jodi from Jay Sea Dee. I also found this sea biscuit! The tide was low so we were able to wade far out into the water to look for sea life. We saw several live sand dollars and live star fish as well. The water was clear and the sand was fine and soft. All-in-all, this is a lovely and peaceful beach to spend an afternoon!

FUN ON THE BEACH, GEORGE TOWN, EXUMAS

NEW LOOK FOR MULTIPLE PHOTOS/SLIDE SHOWS

We have found that having multiple slide shows slows the opening of our site. So we are trying something new with our photos. We have added a section called "PHOTOGRAPHS" that will provide a link to our slide shows. Our old slide shows will remain on the site in their current presentation, but new slide shows will appear under PHOTOGRAPHS.

WATER WATER EVERYWHERE . . .

. . . but not a drop to drink.

Fresh water on Charmed has rarely been an issue. We carry 260
gallons. In the states we made sure we could take on some diesel fuel
every week or so, and we would take on water at the same time. A sort
of tit for tat. We have never needed to conserve water, though we
probably should have just for the good of it. Now we are conserving.
First, water is not free here in the Bahamas. Second, availability is
a much different issue. Until now we have still easily been able to
dock Charmed and take on water and fuel. But today we decided to haul
water in the dinghy twenty gallons at a time to top the tank, just in
case we depart for points south where water will not be available, and
in case we cannot easily get to the one marina here in George Town,
Exuma Docking Services. Exuma Docking Services is a fair marina, but
they have no diesel fuel, and staying a night on the edge of the open
bay is not worth $2.00 per foot. We don't know what their position
would be if we wanted to just stop for sixty or eighty gallons of
water.

BLACK POINT TO GEORGE TOWN

We live by the weather.

Last Sunday we had hoped to depart Black Point and get half way to
George Town. Then Monday would also be a short voyage. The winds
were forecast to strenghten over the next several days, we predicted
Monday would be a roughish ride, and we thought that if we didn't make
George Town Monday we would be stopped wherever we were for many days.
The voyage from Black Point to George Town would be best if we could
sail in Exuma Sound, on the ocean or out side. The maybe last twenty
miles to George Town must be done in the Sound.

At 0900 Sunday we stuck our noses out Dothan Cut, and found seas
breaking across the whole cut, from rock side to rock side. We had
planned our departure so our arrival at the next cut was slack,
knowing we would have fewer options if that cut was rough. We decided
against departing Dothan Cut for the Sound and sailed the inside, the
Exuma Bank, as far as we could reasonably go, before it all gets too
shallow. We made Cave Cay.

At 0700 Monday we departed Cave Cay Cut for the Sound for the final
leg to George Town. The cut was medium rough. The Sound was medium
rough. It would have been great if we had made better mileage the day
before.

George Town is home to many hundred locals. There are two hundred
foreign boats here. There are two grocery stores. More liquor
stores. Two gas stations. One marina. Two laundries. One laundry
looks fair. The other laundry looks rough. We haven't fully
acclimated to George Town yet. Every morning we listen to Radio Free
George Town and imagine we will be in the know soon!

WARDERICK TO CAMBRIDGE TO STANIEL TO BLACK POINT

We just landed at Black Point after an uneventful voyage from Staniel
Cay. There is a great laundry here so while Debbie is drying, I am
blogging . . . .

The last few days have been an Island Packet vous with Jay Sea Dee,
Plan Sea, Morning Wind, and others nearby. Highlights include a
snorkeling marathon at Cambridge, guided by John of Jay Sea Dee.
First the Dundas Rocks, which are caves you swim into. Then the south
beach of Cambridge Cay. Then the Sea Aquarium north of Cambridge.
Then to the sunken airplane north of Cambridge. Five dinghies
schooled together for miles, zipping from one great sea floor to
another. We are happy to have a Yamaha 15! You can't do what we did
without having a dinghy that will easily take you five miles around a
loop.

Leaving Cambridge Cay was exciting. We dinghied to the cut that we
had to negotiate, to inspect, and all looked fine. By the time we got
the big boats, Jay Sea Dee, Lady, and Charmed, to the cut, conditions
had worsened. Seas were bumpy and bows were repeatedly buried for a
stretch of about 300 yards.

Staniel Cay was good for the Thunderball Club. Their specialty on
Friday night is grilled Ribs or Chicken, three dollar drinks from Pifi
during Happy Hour, and a pool table whose coin mechanism is broken.
Kathy of Morning Wind played pool for the first time in her life.
Jenny beat Charlie. Staniel Cay was also good for fuel and water, our
tanks are full again.

It looks like we may be off to Rudder Cay tomorrow, staging for a
Monday run to Georgetown. All of the recent sails have been very
short. The run to Georgetown will be a long half day in Exuma Sound.

IT'S JUST NOT RIGHT!

We had hoped to move out of Warderick Wells today, thinking the strong
cold front would reach and then pass us last night. Winds are still
up so we have decided to hang here one more day. Tomorrow we should
have bright and clear skies and lighter winds.

But what's not right is the temperature! Last night we had to get
blankets out. Debbie is back to wearing her flannel pants. We wonder
how to get some of our Bahamas Cruising Permit refunded. It's only
fair if we have to suffer unseasonable temperatures.

THERE IS THIS UNNAMED ISLET . . . .

We don't know how big a speck of land has to be to be called a Cay or
an Island, but within a mile of the mooring here is this little speck
of land. One side fronts the bay we are moored in. Another side
fronts a cut between the Exuma Bank and the Exuma Sound. Snorkeling
there was fun. Schools of fish could be watched in the cut. Nassau
grouper could be spotted around the ledges of the land and around the
coral near it. There were many different tropical fish. No live
lobster, but half of the shell of a dead one. The most interesting
fish on this snorkel tour were the lionfishes.

GENOA FURLING LINE

The good news, two solutions to our furling line issue are in play.
One fellow cruiser lies Georgetown anchorage and has line available
from a first stalled, then cancelled, project on their boat. We will
likely meet up with this cruiser in the next ten days to two weeks.
Another fellow cruiser lies Nassau and purchased line for us there.
We will likely slow our movement south in order for this cruiser to
catch us in some anchorage before Georgetown. In any event we should
have a new furling line, and then a spare before long.

The better news, the weather is allowing us to explore Warderick and
snorkel some. We will be off to Cambridge Cay tomorrow morning if the
cold front moves through tonight as forecast. Then it looks like four
or more days of lower winds, which would allow us to move or explore
the Sound or Bank side of the Exumas as we wish.

WARDERICK WELLS

Charmed is now hanging on Mooring 13 at Warderick Wells, 24 23.687N,
76 37.942W, the center of the Exuma Cays Land and Sea Park. The Park
Ranger moved us this morning from Mooring 19, where she had put us
yesterday when we arrived. Mooring 19 is for boats up to ninety feet
long.

The path from Chub Key was through Nassau Harbor to Rose Island, then
to Highborne Cay, then to Warderick. Weather has been only fair, too
windy and not enough sun. It seems a string of cold fronts is coming
at us one right after another. The next front may keep us hunkered
down here until Wednesday because of high winds. But it is a
beautiful place to be hunkered down. Today we walked two miles over
Hutia Hill to see the surf of Exuma Sound pounding the Cay. We
returned by way of Boo Boo Hill. We will do the beaches and snorkel
over the next several days if we sit tight.

There have been two boat issues that have caused some grief. The
first, our EPIRB went off for a brief period last Thursday,
unbeknownst to us. Only after a fellow cruiser dinghied over this
morning did we know friends Carey and Hayden were wondering about us.
United States Air Force Search and Rescue had called Carey. We have
been in close and constant contact with numerous boats and marinas by
VHF. It still took several days to get a message to us to call home.
We may need to rethink putting a satellite phone on the boat. I guess
if the EPIRB had stayed on, and if position information had been
transmitted, a search for us would have been conducted. Once back in
the states the EPIRB is going back to ACR for testing. We cannot
explain why it went off. The Air Force did tell us, false firings
happen all the time.

The second issue, our genoa furling line parted! The line was less
than two years old. It parted midway between bow and stern when the
genoa was reefed to about a second reef point. It looks like it was a
clean break. There was little chafe if any where the line broke, or
anywhere along the line. When it broke seas were about three to five
feet. Winds were twenty-something knots, gusting to thirty. No
pounding or bad motion. Nothing about the conditions would normally
cause concern. It was easy enough once the line parted to furl the
sail from the tail that I could put my hands on while at the bow. So
at this point we have a used furling line, borrowed from Sailing
Vessel Lady. We will be able to use the genoa when reefing is not
anticipated. Hopefully we will be able to replace the genoa furling
line, and get a spare that would work for any of the furling lines,
once we get to Georgetown.

In any event, all is well, very, very well!

CHARMED FLYING BAHAMAS FLAG

It turns out we are one day later than planned clearing in at Chub
Cay. With little to no wind for crossing from No Name Harbor to Gun
Cay, and then onward over the Grand Bahama Bank, we anchored out twice
before coming into the Chub Cay Marina this morning. Sunday afternoon
we anchored right in the middle of the Bank, early enough for a
refreshing swim in daylight. It was eery anchoring in ten feet of
water with nothing on any horizon but Bahama blue water. However, it
was beautiful and still all night with the added advantage of the moon
being full. Monday afternoon we anchored outside of the marina
harbor. No sense checking into a relatively high priced marina right
before closing. The Chub Cay anchorage was fair to good. Good
swimming. Safe enough, but with a constant gentle roll. We came into
the marina this morning about 0900. We were cleared into the Bahamas
and swimming in the Infinity Pool by 1100.

The idea is that we will sit here for just one day. With winds
hopefully changing as forecast to northwest or north, we will be in
good position to make Nassau, or even Allan's Cay tomorrow. We do not
intend to get off the boat in Nassau. We might just anchor in the
harbor, or anchor off Athol Island. We are thinking we have some
upcoming weather that we are going to have to sit through before making the
Exumas.

Sailing Vessel Charmed

STAGED IN NO NAME HARBOR

We arrived in No Name Harbor yesterday after our friends, Eva and Ed from Makai, assured us there was plenty of room. Indeed, we are all quite comfortable here. Lady (Jenny and Charlie) is here as well and we are all leaving tomorrow for the Bahamas! Craig and I are ready!! It's a gorgeous day today and the weather window looks near perfect. We plan to check in at Chub Cay and meander down the Exumas to Georgetown, stopping as we please for as long as please along the way. We'll skip Nassau on the way south and consider stopping when we come back north. Also joining us on the trek over are new friends we just met here, Phil and Sarah on Spartina. It is going to be fun (and comforting!) to travel with others, especially since this is our first time over. Today we are doing last-minute (very, very minor) chores, visiting, walking and enjoying the park. We do not think we will have any cell communication while in the Bahamas. While our service provider, Verizon, promises we will (for a steep price, of course), we have heard from others that we will not have service. If that proves true, we'll turn our service off for a few months. In any event, we expect that our only communication will be via email and Skype. What an adventure!!

OFFSHORE TO MIAMI

Karen and Gary were able to join us for the offshore run from North Lake Worth to Miami Beach on January 4. They drove two cars from Stuart to Lake Worth, leaving one at the train station and one the Publix and came aboard at 6:30 a.m. We were anchor up at 6:45 a.m. It was a "Don't NOAA" day, with seas higher than predicted (but winds only slightly higher than predicted), so it was a bit rolly to start. As the day progressed, the seas calmed and overall it was a beautiful, sunny and fun day. We loved having Karen and Gary with us. I think we talked non-stop! We only had two exciting moments. First, four hours before we reached Miami Beach, the autopilot failed, so we had to hand steer. Craig took the helm first, but then Karen and Gary wanted to sail as well. You see them here confidently at the helm of Charmed. They were great, sailing like experts! Our next exciting event was going into the inlet at Miami Beach ... with four cruise ships coming out! Those ships are HUGE and sure make the inlet look SMALL. Craig did great, even bucking 2 knots of current. We were anchor down by 5:30 p.m., and Craig dinghied Karen and Gary to shore to meet with other friends for dinner and then catch the train back to Lake Worth to retrieve their cars and head for home. It was a lot of work for them, and we appreciated the effort so they could join us.

CHARMED GETS A FLYOVER!

On Saturday, January 3, as we motored down the ICW from Vero Beach to Lake Worth, our friend Jim (Wind Runner) gave us a flyover in his yellow Cessna 180 on his way to West Palm Beach. He said he looked at hundreds of boats before he found us! We loved it! Later, we anchored in North Lake Worth and Jim drove his rental car up to meet us and have dinner. All in all, it was wonderful day, with sunny skies and a visit from a good friend!

THE CYCLE OF LIFE

It was a wonderful holiday surprise when Gary Goforth called the other day. Gary is an old friend from school days. We were able to meet in Vero for a short reunion, a drink or two on Charmed and then dinner out. And Gary and wife Karen may be able to join us tomorrow for the sail from North Lake Worth to Mijami. (By the way, be careful when you contact your cruising friends. We stuck Karen with driving us to West Marine and Walmart for a few things.)

RADIO LABS WAVE RV MARINE WI FI SYSTEM

The subject antenna and card was installed on Charmed today. Well, it
was laid on the the deck and fired up. It works great. The card in
the laptop would not reach any network. The Radio Labs antenna
reached about a half dozen. Speed 3800 kbps down, 480 up. Much
better than Verizon broadband over the Motorola Q phones on board.

Craig
Charmed IP 440.33

PROVISIONED TO THE HILT ... BUT THE WATER LINE STAYS THE SAME!

What Craig forgot to mention was the water line! Yesterday we took (for the umpteenth time) provisions to Charmed, and after we unloaded and I was leaving the boat, I made a point to check the water line. I was sure I would notice a difference. Surely the 14 new bottles of liquor, four cases of beer, and 48 bottles of wine would weight us down. Nope! I didn't notice a difference at all. In any event, as Craig wrote, tomorrow we leave our land-based home and happily return to Charmed in Daytona Beach. We have been at our home in Florida for about six weeks while Charmed waited patiently for us to return and take her to the Bahamas. We looked forward to spending the holidays with family and friends, had a great time, and now we are happy to be returning to our water-based home. While in Florida, we spent a lot of our time visiting family and friends and preparing for and enjoying the holidays. As Craig hinted, we spent the rest of our time provisioning and provisioning and provisioning some more for the next 4 or 5 months in the Bahamas. While I started the shopping early, I never realized how much work it would be. I am sure glad I at least made my provisioning list before we reached Florida! We made several trips to Charmed with our loads and loads of provisions and then spent hours finding a place for everything and then organizing and making a list of where it all (or most of it) was. Nonetheless, I have great confidence we will forget the whereabouts of many things! We depart Thursday, moving south to a jumping off point to the Bahamas. We know of many others going to the Bahamas, but we hope to make the crossing with our friends Jenny and Charlie on Lady. They are already in Hollywood and promise to wait if we're not too long, so we're hoping for continued good weather the next few days.

BOUND FOR THE BAHAMAS

With Charmed 99.44% provisioned for the voyage to the Bahamas, we will soon be moving again. We will depart Daytona Beach Thursday, looking to make south Florida and possible jumping off points as soon as convenient.

Debbie has done a fabulous job of provisioning. My contribution has been mostly as pack mule. There is no question we must think there are no sources in the Bahamas for food or drink, or the other goods we might consume in the next five months. If we put ten pounds of stuff on the boat, we put a thousand. We did read a lot about how to make this trip, and collected comment from those who have gone before us. When shopping we just always put one more, or two more, of whatever we were buying in our cart, especially if the item wasn't a perishable. We should have taken pictures. Thank God for the storage space on Island Packets!

GRUNDIG G5 RADIO

Santa brought us a Grundig G5 Radio! It looks well built. We'll have to see if it works well getting far off stations. Right now I have it scanning SSB frequencies. It finds one that a spanish speaking operator is using, but nothing else.

The labeling is poor. The manual is horrible. There is not one picture in it. It will take some study and practice to get the most out of the radio.

The radio has an antenna connection, ANT. Maybe a reasonably priced external antenna can be located. It would likely improve performance.

DINGHY SPEED

While here in St Augustine with the new engine out of the break in period, we have had the chance to check the max speed of an AB 10VL with a Yamaha 15 HP two cycle engine, 22 knots.  We are thrilled with the performance of this combination.  The dinghy jumps on plane with one or two, easily planes with three, and may plane with four in smooth water.  We have not had the opportunity to check performance with four aboard.

We think we use much less fuel with the new combination than when we had the Johnson 8 HP two cycle engine on the dinghy.  The Yamaha is probably newer technology, and it is overall probably working at a better spot on its performance curve.

MORE FROM ST. AUGUSTINE

Look for two new mooring fields in St. Augustine next summer, one north of the Bridge of Lyons and one south, to be installed by the City. We heard this today from Dockmaster Sam. The City is waiting on final permits, but we can't imagine why those won't come through. Prices have not yet been set, but Dockmaster Sam says they will be in line with mooring prices charged by other Florida cities.

DON'T NOAA

While in Oriental, as we lamented over weather forecasts, Tom (Whispering Sea) shared a quip I like ... NOAA or Don't NOAA. It often seems that NOAA doesn't get it right with either the wind direction, wind speed or wave height. Well, yesterday was no exception, so I dubbed it a "Don't NOAA" day. We dropped off the mooring in Fernandina Beach (just $15 a night) at 6:30 a.m. and headed out the St. Mary's inlet. That was a great run. We had the current with us and so went about 8.5 knots out the inlet. When we turned south, we set sails and thought we would be able to sail all day. NOAA had predicted 10-15 knots of wind. Alas, the sails came in about an hour later as the wind settled down to less than 10 knots and sometimes less than 5 knots. But all was not lost! We had a wonderful day anyway. Although we had to motor sail, the conditions were calm, the sun was bright, and we had lots of company on the water. Our friend Carey (Catspaw), who had been with us for several days but left us in Fernandina Beach, had taught us Cribbage, so Craig and I enjoyed a few games in the cockpit as we headed south. We arrived at the St. Augustine inlet about 2:45 p.m., in time to make the 3:00 p.m. opening of the Bridge of Lyons Bridge. We anchored just south of the Municipal Marina. I am happy to be back in the Sunshine State!

ST AUGUSTINE

It has been a long while since we posted.  We have nothing to do, and we are three days late!

Today we landed in St Augustine.  You can see the stops we made getting here on the map above.  If you are interested, view the larger map.  Then pan around.  The list of place markers down the left side are stops in chronological order.  If you click on a stop the map will center on that stop.

We have had wonderful weather this trip south.  Little cold and little rain.  Three legs were offshore.  Beaufort NC to Jehossee Island, Walburg Creek to Fernandina Beach, and Fernandina Beach to St Augustine.  We had hoped to do more offshore sailing, but we would have had to wait for weather.  Even though better time is made offshore, and it is usually easier sailing, waiting for weather would have been a delay overall.

Highlights of this trip south have included more time with old friends, meeting Jim and Laurie of Kismet, getting hooked on LOST, spending significant time with Tom and Joyce of Whispering Sea(including the making of deer stew), and having Carey bring cribbage aboard.

HAMPTON TOWN PIER

Charmed and Snark spent two nights in Mill Creek in worrisome weather, weather that has you up on a regular schedule to check anchoring gear, boat location, and neighbor location.  Gales were predicted but measured maximum wind speed was just over 30 knots.  While barely comfortable for brief periods each tide cycle when current and wind caused the boat to sit parallel to the waves, the anchorage was comfortable enough.

After Mill Creek we voyaged three whole miles to the Hampton Town Pier.  Buffet breakfast at the hotel.  Laundry within walking distance at Hampton University.  Boat chores.  Dinner with Blew Yonder Tom and Tammi.  A stop at Wal Mart.

After a cold night, a few more boat chores while Charmed prepares for a short ride to Portsmouth, hopefully for a spot in the South Ferry Basin.  Snark is already off to Atlantic Marine in Chesapeake City for some alternator and engine analysis.

MILL CREEK

Charmed and Snark lie at anchor in Mill Creek.  For a month or more, the weather has been wonderful.  Yesterday it turned wet.  Last night it also turned cool.  Today it will remain wet and cold.  Tomorrow it is supposed to clear.

There is almost no sense in going into the Hampton Public Piers today as planned.  No sense wasting the free night that we got at the Annapolis boat show to just sit there on the boat all day.  So we have books, movies, TV, and the first season of Lost that Kismet loaned us.

AB DINGHY INFLATION VALVES

Inflatables may periodically need a little air.  They may periodically need air released from them.  It is good to read the manual about how to inflate and deflate your brand dinghy, before you need to do it.

When we bought our AB a year ago, it was delivered tight as a drum.  I was assured it was properly inflated, using a gauge.  It was hot outside.  Only yesterday did we ever have to adjust the air in the dinghy.  Some had to be added.  The dinghy had become too limp due to cold fall nights and cool days, and maybe a little leakage.

But then it got warm again, and some air needed to be released.  I should have done this at the mother ship, or at a beach or a dock.  With four persons onboard on the way to the St Michaels dinghy dock, I pushed the red button behind one of the three valve covers.  Whoosh!  Much of the air came out of the tube I was sitting on, instantly.  Worse, I learned the red button is detented!  You have to press it once to open it, again to close it.  By the time I figured that out almost all of the air was out of the one tube.  It is good to know that two tubes of the AB dinghy will easily support an idiot and three other people, a fifty pound motor, and twenty pounds of fuel!

(The Avon Lite dinghy valve is momentary.  Press and hold it to exhaust air.  Release it to close the valve.)

WmWAVES.COM LAUNCHED!

On October 5, 2008, Debbie and two friends, Radeen (Island Spirit) and Vanessa (Wind Runner), launched a new website for women sailors . . . www.WmWAVES.com. The site was inspired by a desire to bring women sailors together to share everything of interest to us . . . from boat recipes to how we can become comfortable handling a man-overboard situation and more. It is for women sailors (defined as "travelers by water") everywhere. Please visit the site and learn how this project got under way, what we hope to achieve and what it can do for you. Registration is free and we hope you will share your articles, calendar events, et cetera. If you like what we're doing, please pass the word around to your fellow women sailors. Let's join together and become one unified and strong group of Women Making WAVES!

GENERATOR IMPELLER

Upon starting the auxiliary engine we check for water in the exhaust 100% of the time.  Upon starting the generator engine we used to check for water in the exhaust 90% of the time, sometimes being lazy.  We should have checked today.  The generator ran twenty minutes this morning before shutting down.  The ALARM light was on at the control panel.  The TEMPERATURE ALARM light was on at the generator.

The inlet strainer for the generator was clean, but no water flowed from it when the lid was unscrewed.  The hose was removed from the seacock.  Water flowed into the boat.  The hose between the seacock and the strainer was the issue.  Unfortunately that hose is twelve feet long.  A big blow blew dark goo and mud from the hose.  Now water flowed easily and fully to the strainer.  The generator was restarted, but no water joined the exhaust.

The good news is the impeller is very easy to get to, and a spare was back on board.  A first spare had been loaned to sistership At Last, who recently had a similar impeller failure.  The replacement spare had just been received days ago.

The original impeller had completely disintegrated.  There were no vanes left on the hub.  There were a couple full vanes in the housing along with numerous pieces.  We hopefully collected enough rubber to be the whole impeller.  We will watch closely to determine whether the cooling system remains compromised with pieces that made it out of the pump toward or to the heat exchanger.  Right now there is substantial water flow in the exhaust, and the generator is running at normal operating temperature.

We learned a few things today.  Check for cooling water flow for every marine engine, every time the engine is started:  auxiliary, generator, dinghy outboard.  Don't bother hoping an impeller will survive running dry for twenty minutes.

The original impeller on the generator ran 240 hours.  Yanmar says inspect at 300 hours, replace at 600 hours.  With the long hose run from the seacock to the strainer, and then another fair length to the water pump, this impeller may need attention more often to keep its performance high and like new.  The instant failure might have been avoided if the contaminant that collected in the hose had made it to the strainer and not restricted flow.

WASHING YOUR TURBO

It doesn't seem right, putting water into the air intake of a diesel engine, but Yanmar wants you to periodically wash your turbo.

The process:

RUN A WARM ENGINE IN NEUTRAL AT 3000 RPM.

PUT 50 CC OF LIQUID DETERGENT IN THE AIR INTAKE OVER 10 SECS.

WITH ENGINE RUNNING WAIT 3 MINUTES.

REPEAT THE PROCESS WITH 50 CC OF FRESH WATER.

Does anyone have any direct experience completing this service issue?

CHARMED'S BOTTOM

Charmed was launched sixteen months ago with two coats of Pettit Ultima SR Ablative Bottom Paint, a blue signal coat, and a black finish coat.  The bottom remained clean in waters, New England to the Chesapeake to the Keys to Maine and back to the Chesapeake.  Almost no barnacles.  A little slime.  However, I wish a second black finish coat had been installed.  Even though there was little blue showing, there appeared to be thinning spots, probably as much from installation quality as from wear.  The water line wore well, even with a half dozen light brushings over the months to remove weed and other goo.

This week three gallons of black Ultima SR went on Charmed's bottom.  The three gallons covered one and three quarters coats.  Pettit's Quantity Calculator says three gallons should have gone two coats.  The paint was clean and easy to apply using a five gallon bucket and a paint screen that hangs over the edge of the bucket.  The Ultima is thick and likely goes on thicker than Pettit says is the one coat dry film thickness.

Charmed was painted at this point to make sure we keep a good bottom.  Now we think we might easily get two plus years before we must haul again to address the condition of the bottom.

http://www.pettitpaint.com/fileshare/product_pds/1129706.pdf

http://www.pettitpaint.com/paint_calculator.asp

DINGHY CLEANING

Charmed's one year old white dinghy looks brand new again!  Over the last year, we have kept it as clean as we could, washing it periodically, usually while in the dinghy using rain water, or while in the water next to it using salt water.  But today we had the opportunity to put the dinghy on a couple of saw horses three feet high, and we had plenty of water with which to address the dingy dinghy.

Mary Kate ON OFF Hull Cleaner is fabulous and the whole answer for the fiberglass hull.  It literally is as simple as putting the cleaner on, waiting a minute, and rinsing it off.  When dry the fiberglass is ready for wax.

Mary Kate Inflatable Cleaner is fabulous, however it is not the whole answer for the hypalon tubes.  To get the tubes absolutely clean required using Soft Scrub with Bleach in a second step, after the Mary Kate cleaner stopped doing magic in a few spray on, scrub lightly, rinse off cycles.  The Soft Scrub worked best by applying it, scrubbing medium hard with a short bristle brush, waiting a little but not letting it dry, scrubbing medium hard, waiting a little, and so on.  It probably took three fresh applications of Soft Scub to get all the brown and green off the tube area at the waterline and below.

Now that the dinghy is again clean as it is going to get, we will remain diligent about getting it out of the water most nights.  We know it will be impossible to keep the dinghy clean though.  There is a lot of scummy water on the eastern coast of the United States.

While the two Mary Kate products mentioned above worked well for us, we were completely unsatisfied with ROLL OFF.  ROLL OFF is a blue liquid that is not cheap.  It didn't do a thing for the dinghy fiberglass or tubes.  It also didn't do a thing for the stains on the fiberglass of the mothership.  It may work well for other cleaning tasks.

For others with a RIB, keep in mind debris works its way into the space between the inside of the hull and lower part of the tube, where the hull attaches to the tubes.  It was amazing how much grass, sand and other goo was flushed out of this area, along the whole inside perimeter of the boat.

THE CITY

Charmed made New York City about 2:00 pm last Sunday, having departed Port Washington four hours before.  It was a wonderful sail through the west end of Long Island Sound, by Rikers Island, through Hell Gate, by the big buildings, past the Statue of Liberty.  We planned and rode the maximum ebbing current of the East River for a fun flush between Roosevelt and Manhattan Islands and under the Brooklyn Bridge.  Over 11 knots SOG at times.  We then had to work against the current up the Hudson, hoping for a mooring at the West 79th Street Boat Basin, before the George Washington Bridge.  The moorings are not reserved but handled first come, first served.  At only $30.00 a night they are popular.  Once within radio range we were given bad news, none were available.  We sailed on, looked anyway, happened to find one, and were told we could have it.

Once on the mooring we sat amazed at the state of the river and the current.  The mooring balls were nearly under water a large part of the time.  BOAT SPEED was sometimes over three knots, and we were parked!  The waves were two feet.  The swells were higher.  It was not comfortable, and we wondered how safe we were.  The harbor master had assured us . . . .

Deciding to sit on the boat until the current was slack the next morning, we enjoyed the scenery from the cockpit until bed time.  There was no sleeping on Charmed that night!  The boat bounced and bounced.  The mooring tackle made loud, horrible noises.  We wondered whether the mooring pennants would hold and inspected them for chafe every hour.  More often for the periodic louder than loud noises.

About 4:00 am we decided we were not going to stay on these moorings.  We would not be comfortable leaving the boat for any length of time, at all for that matter.  We had not even seen business day river traffic yet!  Now we just wanted enough daylight to depart.

Once the big boats and fast ferries started passing us just before daylight conditions even got worse.  A loud pop turned out to be the parting of one of the strands of one of the two three-strand nylon rope pennants.  Now sitting at the helm, watching and waiting for sunrise, I thought it might just be best if we broke off.  Then we wouldn't have to deal with casting off.

Once Charmed started to swing with the slacking and changing current, and the light started coming up, we did cast off.  We found the Liberty Harbor Marina fuel dock up Morris Canal and waited until 8:00 am for them to open.  By 9:00 we were docked and napping in a calm cove.  Liberty Harbor's tag line is "Are you tired of being bounced around on the Hudson?"  We were, in less than half of a full twenty-four hour day.

Settled in at LIberty Harbor we now could enjoy New York.  Like all tourists we walked and walked and looked and looked.  A dinner with Cousin Jim and his friend Jason, and being in the audience of Who Wants to be a Millionaire, arranged by friend Al, were highlights of this trip to The City.

This was our second visit to New York by boat.  On the first visit we stayed in The North Cove, a marina on the Manhattan side of the Hudson.  It is a good place and very convenient to The City.  They looked full this time, and we wanted calm as calm could be.  The North Cove rocks and rolls throughout the day.  It settles down some at night.  Liberty Harbor is complete calm, and we needed that after one night exposed on the Hudson.

BOOM VANG BWOKE

Somewhere along the way, the boom vang on Charmed bwoke. The vang is a Sparcraft rigid vang, operated by gas cylinders used as extension springs. The gas cylinders failed. When, is anybody's guess because a topping lift backs up the vang to make sure the boom stays off the dodger, and the rigid vang worked as a sail control while sailing, even without the extension springs.

Charleston Spar was kind enough to say they would fix the vang and return it promptly. They said reworking the vang was not a task easily done on the boat. The issue, how do you get a vang to Charleston, SC, from one city, and get it back in another city? The issue is one of location and timing, possibly complicated by weather.

At the time returning the vang was deemed necessary, Charmed was close enough to Hellier Yacht Sales to back track and leave the vang for them to return to Sparcraft. The Shaw's Cove Bridge blocked the last five hundred yards back to Hellier, but good friend Dan happened along in his dinghy while Charmed was floating in the New London harbor. The vang was delivered to Hellier by dinghy, then to Charleston Spar by UPS.

Once repaired, we predicted where Charmed would be when the vang was returned by UPS. Good friend Al in Fanwood, NJ, agreed to accept the package and work with us to get it to the boat while here in New York City. The vang was in a box 8 inches by 8 inches by 7 feet, and once received, Al started toward Newark Penn Station on one train. I started toward the station on another. The box was lateraled with just a few stares.

The logistics of getting this vang fixed and back on board were interesting. Getting it fixed and returned could have been done more simply. Most marinas will accept packages for transiet boaters, and there are always the stores offering shipping services. Though it is always somewhat of a challenge to limit the handling and expense of getting goods to boat.

NOT FLOATING IN NORTH COVE

So the North Cove presents a new element to sailing.  Moorings are
available.  Locals may tell you there is enough water.  But there
ain't!

During the worst of the storm today, I am watching and watching.
Charmed and many other similar sized resident boats around me are
lying the same way to wind and current.  All is well.

But then a smaller boat starts swinging on its mooring, and it gets
closer and closer to Charmed.  The smaller boat is clocking around
with the wind.  Charmed is not.  When the smaller boat gets within
about ten feet I finally figure out what is wrong with the picture.
Charmed and the other bigger boats are anchored in the mud!

So I start the engine and slug my way forward about ten feet, still on
the mooring.  Viola!  Deep water.  Charmed swings and starts hanging
like the other smaller boats.  There are still a dozen boats
stuck here in the mud.  Based on the size and style of some of them,
some are in here with six foot drafts.  It is too shallow for
Charmed's five feet, except at mid tide or above.

SOMETIMES YOU HAVE TO GO LOOK

Sometimes you have to go look, then you find you have to turn around,
and find a protected anchorage, mooring, or slip. Today was one of
those days for solo crew on Charmed.

Charmed was at the service dock of Old Lyme Marina yesterday and this
morning to have a professional look at her valves, injectors, muffler,
belts, etc. While Charmed's crew can do these things, crew has chosen
to have service performed by a certified Yanmar mechanic through most
of the warranty period.

Since service was completed in short order, thank you very much, Josh
and Mark, by 10:00 am this morning, it was hoped Charmed could make
Clinton before the upcoming round of severe thunderstorms. It was
just not to be. First, winds were up higher than was being reported.
Second, winds were from a worse direction than was being reported.
Seas, waves, were not bad, except at the mouth of the Connecticut
River, where the outgoing current opposed the heavy winds. However,
both seas and winds would buck progress. Making Clinton was struck
from the plan.

Back to Old Lyme was one bailout option. Essex and Hamburg Cove were
others. But North Cove looked so enticing. It was near by. There
were tall masts sticking up in it. A call to Old Saybrook Marina gave
some hope it would be deep enough. A call to Sea Tow gave a bit more
hope. Both advisors mentioned moorings with a yellow streamer were
free for the taking. Both suggested not going too deep into the cove.
Charmed landed on the fourth mooring from the channel entrance on the
centerline of the cove.

At thirty minutes before dead low, there is less than a whole foot
under Charmed's keel, and I am reminded of sailor friend Gil's words
of wisdom, "All the water over six inches under your keel is wasted!"

Regarding the reason for being near here, the service work, every
valve set on Charmed's Yanmar 4JH4 TE 75 hp Diesel Auxiliary Engine
had to be adjusted. It was noted all of the turbos are being found to
have come out of adjustment, and they should be monitored as requested
by Yanmar.

LEAVING SOUTHERN NEW ENGLAND

Charmed is lying Shaw's Cove again, a good spot to be while Tropical
Storm Hanna passes over. Shaw's Cove is also a good spot to mark the
place and time of the beginning of a second voyage south.

Once Craig helps move a boat to the Newport Boat Show for Hellier,
Charmed will sail to Old Lyme Marina for preventative maintenance work
on the auxiliary engine, mostly a close look at injectors and valves.
Then it's over to Port Jefferson to collect Debbie when she returns
from visiting family and friends in Florida. Then to Oyster Bay.
Then to Port Washington. Then to The CIty for several days.

Possible stops after New York will be Sandy Hook, Atlantic City, Cape
May, Chesapeake City, and Rock Hall. We plan a short haul for Charmed
in Rock Hall to get her bottom painted.

NO WHALES

Charmed purposefully crossed Stellwagen Bank twice, hoping to see whales. While reports of sightings keep coming in, we unfortunately saw none. See this site: Whale Center, for what we missed.

When in Provincetown, we almost paid for the pleasure of seeing whales. But it was agreed it would not be the same. Charmed's crew would like to see whales from our boat.

BOOKS IN BOOTHBAY HARBOR

Books at the memorial library in Boothbay Harbor are cheap! On two
shopping trips, one when we entered Maine, and now one when we are
leaving, we have added fifty books to Charmed's library. We spent
less than $20.00 on each trip.

Available books are not on the best seller's list today, but many once
were. The selection is incredible. Two or three four foot shelves
are dedicated to Stephen King, a Mainer. The library even has DVDs
for sale. Charmed's library now includes six Dirk Pitt novels, gotten
for fifty cents or a dollar a piece.

THE SCORE

Charmed 64,000, lobster pots 1!

Given we depart for Provincetown probably Tuesday, we thought we just
might get out of Maine without a hitch. It was bad thinking. While
sailing from Camden to Tenants Harbor yesterday afternoon in a field
of too many lobster pots we misjudged one that we should have given a
wider berth. Once passed the point of being able to do anything
different we watched and hoped the orange and yellow buoy would pop up
behind us. It didn't. The pot slowed us from a bit over six knots to
a bit over five knots, and you could see line trailing taut behind at
a depth of about four feet. Before we could douse some sails and slow
or stop we collected a few more pots on the line from the first one.

Once slowed, basically drifting, we pulled and pushed on the line with
a boat hook, first with the rudder full to one stop, then full to the
other stop, and then everywhere in between. But we were pretty much
anchored. It would take more than working off the swim platform.
While the water was not as cold as expected it does take your breath
away for a moment. Once off the swim platform and into the water, we
were on our way again in minutes.

Only a few more days of having our track look like an irregular zigzag
stitch at the end of the day . . . .

THIRTY FOOT SAILBOAT, ROWING

Weeks ago we left Boothbay Harbor for points east, in thick fog. Visibility was very poor. At best an eighth mile. We closely watched traffic on radar, and contacted and cleared all traffic near us. Others seemingly did the same.

When at about Old Man Ledge we were stunned when we heard a young female respond to a call she thought was meant for her. We knew it was meant for us. Anyway this young lady says she is in a thirty foot sailboat currently under oars, making two knots. We knew for sure we were the ones being hailed based upon our position, our course and our speed. We interjected and cleared the inquirer. What we didn't know was where this "rowboat" was. We never saw it. Neither did the inquirer. We kept close watch, and wondered.

On a later voyage in nearly as bad weather, we saw one of these "rowboats", out and about. I guess the three crew at the bow are practicing Potato Radar. That is where you take a fifty pound sack of potatoes to the bow. Every three minutes you throw a potato as far forward as you can. If you hear a splash, you continue on. If you hear a thud, you holler, hard alee!

BELFAST

Belfast may be the coolest town in Maine!

For one thing, Belfast has the WICKED LOW PRICE TWIN LOBSTER DINNER,
at the restaurant at the public landing, $19.95. And the lobsters are
normal one and a quarter pounders, not chicken lobsters.

A second and third thing, both a laundry and propane are just blocks
from the dinghy.

And it goes on. Tonight was the Belfast Summer Nights concert in the
street. Tomorrow is the farmer's market.

OUT OF TOUCH IN SOMES HARBOR

(While in Somes Harbor we had poor voice and data service. Verizon needs to ask, "can you hear me now" in and around Mt Desert. They will not get a response to their question.)

Mt Desert is fabulous! Cadillac Mountain was the highlight. We hiked up the North Ridge to the top, altitude 1530 feet. Then we "hiked" down the West Face. While we came off the mountain with no broken bones and just a few scratches, the "hike" down the mountain could not be described any other way, it was extreme. The rangers of Acadia National Forest need to better protect ignorant visitors, like us, from ourselves. Somehow they need to make it more clear these well known and well advertised trails are more than just hikes, which is what the ranger at the ranger station told us they were. Our final inquiry about coming down the West Face was to an older couple who had struggled up the North Ridge. They dismissed questions about the West Face with a, well, we did it a couple of years ago. For us the trip up was great exercise. The trip down scared us some. Kinda like a solid blue skier getting stuck on a double black diamond trail.

These two pictures are back up what we just came down. They don't do justice to what we were climbing down.

For those of you who ask why we didn't just go back up and down the North Ridge, which was strenuous but not extreme. The trail became more and more precarious as we went down. By the time we were concerned we thought we were almost done. Another thing the rangers need to address, distance markers. The West Face might be 0.9 miles straight down, but you can't go straight down, unless you are rappelling.

MAINE CRUISING

A Maine sailor advises, there are two kinds of boats in Maine, them
what have hit the rocks, and them what are gonna.

(PS Some of you have expressed concern. Charmed is not on the rocks and has not been.)

USS WHIDBEY ISLAND LSD 41

The Whidbey Island is a Navy ship 609 feet long, that takes Marines, equipment and gear to the beach. In the Navy's words, the Navy provides a boat, bacon, beans and bandaids. In the picture above Debbie is at the wheel, which is only about 12 inches in diameter, smaller than any car's wheel.

ROCKLAND PARADE

We happened by Rockland during the Annual Lobster Festival and attended one of the best parades ever. The best of the parade, after the free bubble gum and candy, go carts climbing a moving mountain:

The Suburban is moving about 10 miles per hour, while the go carts zing over about 25 mph.

WATCHES

Charmed has a wonderful Weems and Plath Ship's Bell. Like all ship's
bells, it counts half hours for four hours, then it starts over. At
04:30, 08:30, 12:30, 16:30, 20:30, and 00:30, the bell rings one time.
At 05:00, 09:00, 13:00, 17:00, 21:00, 01:00, the bell rings two
times, and so on. At six times during the day, 04:00, 08:00, 12:00,
16:00, 20:00, 24:00, the bell rings eight times. These are the times
when the watch historically changed.

The different watches had names:

2000 2400 FIRST WATCH
2400 0400 MIDDLE WATCH
0400 0800 MORNING
0800 1200 FORENOON
1200 1600 AFTERNOON
1600 1800 FIRST DOG WATCH
1800 2000 SECOND DOG WATCH

The two Dog Watches compressed the period available for dinner or
supper. The Dog Watches also shifted the time that sailors would
stand watch so sailors wouldn't stand watch the same time every day,
day in and day out.

LOBSTERS

Ryan taught us a lot about lobsters when we visited the Maine State Aquarium here in Boothbay Harbor. For 1000 lobsters that visit each trap ten get caught. One is legal to keep. (Hayden would be proud. Maine DMR learned this by putting cameras with live feed around some traps.)

Regarding legal to keep, you can't keep the too small, the too big, egg bearing females, and females that have a V notch in their tail. If you trap an egg bearing female you are required to put a V notch in her tail. You can tell if a lobster is female by the shape and hardness of her swimmerettes. But, if you catch a female, and she is not bearing eggs, and she does not have a V notch in her tail, and she is the right size, she is food!

The largest lobster Ryan and Maine DMR know of was 100 years old, 44
lbs. The largest lobster now on display is 28 lbs and mid fifties
years old:

CHARMED LIVE

Between now and Friday, August 1, 2008, see Charmed live:
http://boothbayharborwebcams.com.

ALL RED WIRES HAVE TO BE CONNECTED

In the middle of the night somewhere on the straight line between Plymouth, Massachusetts, and Boothbay Harbor, Maine, the CHARGE light on Charmed's engine panel started flickering. Not good, when coupled with the fact that we were burning, and would be burning, about 15 amps for nav lights, nav electronics, and other electrical stuff. Good, only because we had 170 amp hours of 12 Volt energy stored on board, and we only had 8 hours left in the voyage. We could probably make it to Boothbay, where we could calmly and comfortably figure out whether we had a mechanical or electrical problem: an alternator, a regulator, a wire. It wasn't the belt. It was easy to check that.

As Jim of Grand Adventure professes, all electrical problems are mechanical. Once settled on a mooring in Boothbay Harbor, a tug here and a tug there, until one red wire tugged apart. There are two 10 AWG wires connected to the positive terminal of the alternator. One was doomed from the beginning. The original crimp of its terminal had cut most of the strands of the wire. The balance had worked almost through. Renewing that terminal had amps flowing both ways again, into and out of the battries.

I'LL KNOW IT WHEN I SEE IT

NO WAKE means different things to different people. Wake is the issue that causes the most trouble and hard feelings out here. Some boaters wait for NO WAKE zones to make hot coffee or hot meals or do special chores requiring smooth water. We have learned not to expect smooth water anywhere, even when tied to a dock, or in a quiet anchorage or in a NO WAKE ZONE. There are always passersby.

Two of the nav rules for the Cape Cod Canal are NO WAKE, SPEED LIMIT 10 MPH. Not a single power boat was honoring either.

Not Angel Fish



Not Rebecca Rose



Not Queen Elizabeth

Not R Time

Not Keep on Truckin

The blue sign is the speed limit and wake rule in plain view. By the way, the four hundred horsepower center cockpit flying by at about 40 mph went by too fast for a picture.

FLAN

Only Goya brand will do!

Today we have to wait until 11:00 am to leave Onset for Plymouth. The
current of the Cape Cod Canal turns east then. It is difficult for
early risers to let the best part of the morning go by laying at
anchor, when we intend to travel. However, we were up at 05:30, off
anchor at 06:30 for the Point Independence Yacht Club fuel dock. We
arrived exactly when Captain Steve was raising his OPEN sign. After
taking on fuel and water and offloading a little trash we went back
out to anchor. We are laying on a scope of about 2:1, making flan,
chillaxing for a bit longer. We are looking forward to seeing The
Rock and the Mayflower II.

WHY WHY WHY . . .

. . . are people so discourteous and disrespectful!

We love dogs. Love them! Love them! Love them! We hate dog and other pet owners who cannot follow rules:

This guy could not have missed the sign. There is one at every point of access to the beach here in Onset. This guy was even acting sentry, probably wondering when he would be chased off the beach.

(This only goes to show, don't ever give us badges and the authority to issue fines.)

LIAR'S DICE

Ever since Jenny and Charlie of Lady, taught us Liar's Dice, we have been searching for others to play with, and we have been teaching it if nobody around knows how to play. It is a fun game. All you need is a bag of dice!

First, you doll out dice based upon how many die are available, and how many people are playing. Every player must have an equal quantity. One of each player's dice is reserved for scoring.

Next, all dice are rolled, save the scoring dice, privately. Each player sees her dice, but no other player's dice.

Next, a first bidder, selected however, makes a bid. The first element of the bid is the quantity. The second element of the bid is the value. The bid is a prediction of the quantity of dice of a particular value that all players hold. For instance, a bid might be, six threes, meaning the total number of threes in all players' hands is six.

The player to the left of the bidder then either ups the bid, or calls the bidder a Liar. A higher bid is a greater quantity of any value, or the same quantity of higher value. In one hand, the quantity can never decrease. The value can decrease only if the quantity increases. For instance, if the first bid is, six threes, the next bid could be seven twos, or six fours.

Once a bidder is called a Liar, all dice are presented. If the bidder was a Liar, the bidder loses and ratchets her scoring die down one. If there were at minimum the quantity of the value called in the bid, the caller loses and ratchets her die down one. The loser of a hand is the first bidder in the next hand.

Players are out of the game when their scoring die goes below value, one. Remaining players play until one stands as the game winner. Play usually starts with scoring die at value, six. However, shorter games can be played from any value.

The most famous round of Liar's Dice, maybe in Pirates of the Caribbean when the Turner's play Davy Jones for each other's soul. What was the real reason Will wanted to play Davy Jones? Was Father's bid even possible, or did Father throw the game?

Get your dice anywhere. Charmed has dice from Ace Hardware in Ellenton. They had to be in stock there for fifty years. The Dollar Store and Wal Mart often have dice. Drink a bottle of Crown Royal for the velvet carry bag if you don't have a velvet bag from some other source.

VACUUM GAUGE

Racor vacuum gauges can be had for about $80.00, so the condition of fuel filter elements can be monitored. Any old vacuum gauge will work. This Wika gauge costs little compared to the Racor gauge.

While the gauge could be used to measure dirt loading of the element, to decide when to change the element, we use it only to make sure the element is not fully loaded causing a restriction in fuel flow. The element is changed about every 100 engine hours whether it needs it or not. Racor suggests 10 inches Hg as the point to change the element if you are using a gauge to determine when to change the filter.

WHETHER THE WEATHER BE HOT, OR WHETHER THE WEATHER BE COLD, WE'LL WEATHER THE WEATHER, WHATEVER THE WEATHER, WHETHER WE LIKE IT OR NOT!

Debbie is back on board! But we may not get to move as planned. The
weather is forecast to be poor for the next several days. Tomorrow we
are moving from Wickford to at least Newport. Charmed has been on a
Town Mooring for too many days. If we find ourselves in
better-than-expected weather, we will go all the way to Hadley Harbor.
After Hadley, it is on to Onset.

Talisman, IP 420.78, with Kathy and Rodger and dog Pepper have shown
up next to us here in Wickford, and it looks like we will have a
traveling partner as we harbor hop to Maine.

CAPE COD CANAL

Charmed will be transiting the Cape Cod Canal, heading east, in a few
days. It is a waterway that you have to think about before heading
toward willy nilly. According to NOAA the average Flood is 4.0 knots
at 070 degrees True, the average Ebb is 4.5 knots at 250 degrees True.
The day we go we might see 5.0 knots of current.

The Canal is about 7 nautical miles long, so in slack water it would
take us a bit over an hour to get through it. With maximum current we
would be through in about forty minutes. Against maximum current it
would take over four hours. (For you purists, we recognize you
wouldn't have maximum current for this length of time.) Charmed
intends to enter the Canal at Slack before Flood.

CANAL REGULATIONS

CANAL CURRENT PREDICTIONS

CANAL ARMY CORE OF ENGINEERS (This site seems broken.)

CANAL PICTURES

440 V 465

At Last, IP 465.02, and Charmed, IP 440.33, raced up and down the East
Passage about near Fox Island yesterday to discover the differences in
the boats. Surely everyone is waiting for the race results. Nothing
amazing was learned. The boats sailed nearly the same in Force 5
winds. They should be considered One Designs. PHRF ratings should be
equal. The sailor on the boat will make the difference.

What was amazing, was discovering Carey Colwell's Upwind Cutter
Cruising, CCUCC for short. For CCUCC, set the staysail and main, trim
for upwind sailing, and just go. You move along nicely. No sail
controls have to be touched as you tack toward home. Note the
autopilot will even drive and tack for you.

While learning and practicing CCUCC for Charmed, I worked on the sails
for longer than usual, adjusting all sail controls from average
settings to precise settings to make sure the boat was performing
well. I was thrilled. The boat sailed 35 degrees apparent at good
speed. A bit more off the wind would probably give the best VMG but I
forgot to test. I was too thrilled with the sailing to remember to
look at the electronics.

Now to test CCUCC in various wind, and determine best VMG . . . .

UP THE MAST

At times the mast of Charmed appears short, like when you are
searching for the boat in a crowded harbor or at a crowded dock. At
times the mast seems tall, like when going under any bridge, or when
going up the mast. The mast is always 62 feet above the water. Then
there is a foot or so of stuff tacked on top. We have cleared a
bridge whose boards told us clearance was 63-1/2 feet. We will never
attempt passing through a bridge with less clearance.

The first time up Charmed's mast was in Vero Beach, for fun and
pictures and to straighten a windex that an osprey had wanted for nest
material. With the bosun's chair adjusted improperly it was scary.
No fun and no pictures. A more accomplished climber, Carey went up
the mast for the fun and pictures.

Here the bosun's chair is adusted properly:

No fear now!

AT LAST

At Last is Island Packet 465, Hull Number 2, a sister boat to Charmed.
The 465 has the same hull as the 440, but it has a center
cockpit and a different stern. Yesterday Janet and Mark took me
sailing. We launched the spinnaker just after the Jamestown Bridge
and rode it to Greenwich Bay. Then we beat back to Dutch Island
Harbor. Janet is without a doubt a great driver. While she took
advantage of WIND mode on the autopilot, and let the autopilot tack
most of the time, she hand steered back through the Jamestown Bridge
and almost made the point of Conanicut Island at the north end of
Dutch Island Harbor. I was impressed at the bridge. I would have
been very impressed if she made the harbor. For a day sailing with
friends it was short of perfect only because Debbie was not with. She
is off to see Mom and other family and friends.

HUNDRED YARD CRUISES

Doing teak is one chore you must be in the right mind set for.
Charmed, as all Island Packets do, came from the factory with Cetol as
a protective finish on the exterior teak. It is less difficult to
apply and maintain than varnish. Purists note there is a proportional
loss in how bristol a boat looks. We agree, but we and most other
Island Packet sailors stick with Cetol as an acceptable compromise
between beauty and work. Some Cetol installations can look orange,
and others can look brown and dark. As with most things the look and
success of an installation has more to do with the dedication and
skill of the craftsperson than with the choice of product or tool.

Every boat owner has their own regimen regarding their teak. Some
owners work on teak every month. A popular regimen to maintain some
beauty and keep the teak protected is to put one good coat on every
year, while touching up badly deteriorating spots during the year as
you find them. Charmed has had little to no work done on her teak in
the last year. Now because there was electrical, electronics, and
mechanical work to trade, we were able to get a professional on the
job to renew the teak! Preparation was completed earlier in the week.
The first coat was done yesterday. It looks great! A second coat
will go on today. It will look even better. We will be good to go
until sometime in 2009. Thank you, Ron!

Back to the subject, it is much easier to stand on a a dock and work
on the teak covering the toe rail. Then the job is waist height
instead of being floor level or below. We are lucky enough to be on a
face dock that is as long as Charmed is. Ron needed the boat turned
around a couple of times over the last few days. Even though a mere
hundred yards long with one tack, the cruises to present Ron with port
then starboard sides could not have been more pleasant. He is
bringing beauty back to Charmed.

DECADENCE

Is it too decadent to have fresh water washdown on the bow of the boat?

A raw water ANCHOR WASHDOWN was installed on Charmed 440 before the anchor and chain first hit the sea floor. We learned our lesson on Charmed 380 about how gooey chain can be when it comes up. The raw water washdown has worked great, mostly because of the small brass fixed nozzle. The nozzle looks and performs like a little fire nozzle, with a quarter inch stream of water that will spray twenty feet.

However, now and again we find ourselves away from the dock for too long, or we find ourselves at a dock that will not allow boat washing. Just a few gallons of fresh water spray can make a huge difference in how clean and fresh you can keep a boat. So a three way ball valve, and a tap into the fresh water plumbing, and without tools we can now select raw or fresh water.

BARNACLES

Today was a near perfect end to the minivoyage from Shaw’s Cove to Shelter Island and Greenport, then back to Shaw’s Cove. What would have made it perfect? Having Debbie along. She is with Mom and Sister and other family and friends in Florida.

Sailing was first wing and wing east along Long Beach. No matter what Carey says, Raymarine just doesn’t drive as well as B & G. The boat gybed once or twice, and it shouldn’t have. Coming north across Long Island Sound winds were brisk, in the mid teens off the port beam. The wind fell to motoring levels only for the last mile up the Thames River.

There was a surprise while docking. Being alone I looked for mechanical help, but the bow thruster didn’t move the bow when the joystick was wiggled! Once tied up, a helper ran the thruster while I inspected closely. The thruster was not moving water at all. Once in the drink for an even closer inspection I learned why. There was at least a half inch layer of BB size barnacles on each side of each propeller blade. There are two propellers. Each has four blades. Off came the blades for cleaning. Now there is six horsepower at work again.

Charmed had sat still in the water for four weeks while crew was off on Wind Runner. Even so it is amazing that that many barnacles can grow that fast. The chore, clean bow thruster props, now gets listed more often on the maintenance calendar. New zincs, new fixing hardware, and even new propellers get added to spares.

AH CRUISING AGAIN

At least for the weekend, we are back on the water! Today we departed
Shaw's Cove at 06:00. After motoring out of the Thames River, we set
sails in Long Island Sound and headed toward Shelter Island. We were
able to sail the entire way, even though we were against the tide. It
was a thrill sailing through Plum Gut and then tacking in and around
Bug Light. We were being flushed thirty degrees off our heading at
these two spots. Once at Dering Harbor sails did have to come in. We
are not willing to sail up to the mooring in a crowded field.

Tomorrow our Island Packet rendezvous starts. See
www.blissrendezvous.com. We are looking forward to seeing thirty
other tan boats with dozens of friends. This year for seminars we
have the experts teaching us more about mechanical things.

ALL ELECTRICAL PROBLEMS ARE MECHANICAL

Island Packet is putting low profile, halogen light fixtures, controlled by dimmers, on the ceilings of current production boats. There is one on Charmed that has worked intermittently since the boat was new. At first it seemed the bulb was the issue. The bulbs are not robust. But after changing the $5.39 bulb several times and having “bad” bulbs light in other fixtures, it was thought to be something else.

There is a connection of two yellow wires and a white wire, and a connection of two red wires and a white wire at the light fixture. Simple enough. The light is in parallel with six others, that lighted properly. The white wires of the light just seemed to indicate the light was not polarity sensitive.

The mystery deepened when 12 volts was observed at the fixture when it was on, however no bulb, however new, would light. It was observed that there was 12 volts at the fixture when there was no bulb installed in the fixture and the light was on. When there was a bulb installed and the fixture was on, the voltage disappeared. The connections all seemed factory solid. The voltage drops across the connections were zero. The resistance of the connections was about 0.3 ohms and 1 ohm, respectively. No consultant had a clue.

So, out of desperation, clip, off come the factory connections. The 1 ohm connection was renewed first. Viola! Light. For preventative maintenance the second connection was renewed. It was hard to believe that the connection was the issue given the secure look and the measurements recorded, but what else could it have been?

CREW OF CHARMED ON WIND RUNNER TO BERMUDA

Some gear on Charmed is being fixed. Some new gear is being fitted. Charmed is getting a good cleaning. Her crew is off to Bermuda!

Wind Runner is participating in the Bermuda Cruising Rally. Debbie and Craig are crewing. For the next several weeks, watch the happenings at www.svwindrunner.blogspot.com.

ANCHOR UP IN CHESTERTOWN

More will probably follow but our attempted departure will be our first story about Chestertown:

 

Charts seem to show you can anchor almost anywhere off Ctown that you want, although there is a notation on the charts, CABLE AREA, and there are a few permanently moored vessels.  We anchored between the notation and the bridge, in the middle of the river, in what we hoped would be an uncrowded corner of the anchorage, still close enough for dinghy trips in all weather.  As other boats came in for the Tea Party and Memorial Day festivities many anchored closer to the docks, right in the CABLE AREA.  These boats should have honored the notation, and we should honored it with a much greater exclusion zone.  More than one boat hooked up solid and struggled getting their anchors off the bottom.  One fellow IP sailor(motoror) in a PY Cruiser was lucky enough to be able to get the cable that he was attached to to the surface.  It was then simple, or it looked so from shore, to unhook the cable from the anchor.

 

We were not so lucky. When we tried to get our anchor aboard, the first 100 feet of chain came aboard normally.  The last fifteen to twenty feet would not come aboard.  We were hooked hard to something.  All initial efforts to drop chain, circle around, back up in the unhook direction, failed.  So now we know, Sea Tow does not cover anchor entanglement.  It would have cost us $270.00 an hour with a three hour minimum to get their help, and their help was two hours away in Annapolis.

 

Efforts to flag down a power boater for help failed at first.  We thought if we could loop a line around our chain, have the power boater drive directly away from our bow, the loop would slide down and unhook our Claw anchor from whatever it was clawing.  It would be just like how you remove a fishing hook from your finger using a length of monofilament line.  One power boater slowed, but just chuckled at our misfortune as he drove by.  He suggested we would be fine when the tide changed.

 

What was ultimately successful was diving down to the anchor about fifteen feet deep and tieing on a trip line.  A kind Captain in the power boat, Sales Call, did then come assist and took the trip line out.  We were just about ready to drop the dinghy and try ourselves.  However, we felt we needed more hands than we had on board.  We wanted one in the dinghy or pull boat.  One at the windlass.  One at the helm of Charmed.  Sales Call was the extra hand we needed, and she pulled and pulled.  Charmed motored forward and slacked chain.  The anchor just didn’t budge.  Sales Call was tethered by the trip line.  Charmed was still firmly anchored.  It was time to end the shennanigans, get the hacksaw, and get to cutting chain.

 

In desparation and right before going down below to get the hacksaw, I pulled and yanked and jerked on the trip line.  I didn’t feel the anchor move a bit.  But then I began shortening up the chain to save as much as I could, and all the chain and anchor came aboard!  Two hours late we were off to Weems Creek.  And as Debbie puts it, we now have local knowledge.

 

While all turned out very well, we could have lost an anchor and fifteen feet of chain.  Importantly we think we acted safely by not deploying our dinghy as the pull boat with only two of us on board.  We thought there would be much greater risk being two in two separate boats.  The river was fairly calm.  However, there were boat wakes, and winds were fifteen knots and higher.  Once, if, untangled, Charmed would begin drifting or need to be driven.  She would have been a moving target, albeit slowly, to land a dinghy on.  Our Claw anchor sells for less than $200.00.  We have extra anchors on board.  The loss of hardware would only have been inconvenient.

LYNN AND BILL ABOARD

Lynn and Bill came aboard in the Baltimore Inner Harbor for a few days of sailing around the upper Chesapeake. After short greetings, we departed for the Magothy River. Bill took the wheel at anchor up and captained most of their whole visit, getting plain driving in when the wind was low during the voyage to St Michaels. Getting heavy weather sailing in when the wind was blowing a gale on the day we sailed to Annapolis. As you can guess sailing to Annapolis was upwind work.

Bill drove nuclear subs for us when he was in the service. The best we could do for nostaglia's sake, when he was underwater for months, was to get him into heavy rain with water running over the deck. It is hard to get to periscope depth with an Island Packet.

BALTIMORE

Baltimore is an odd cruising destination, but a wonderful one.  What draws us here is the harbor, the light rail, and the airport.  The light rail, which is only blocks from the dock, makes it convenient to BWI.  No taxis, shuttles, or rental cars needed.

 

Baltimore has everything city that you may wish to experience.  You can’t hardly count the number of restaurants within walking distance.  There is a Whole Foods grocery.  Even a Best  Buy.  If it rains, there is the National Aquarium.  On our first visit here we walked to Camden Yards to watch the Red Sox and the Orioles.  This time we are shortstopping just to pick up good friends Lynn and Bill for a four day cruise.  Baltimore is a fair way up the Patapsco River, but in four days we will be able to reach quaint Chesapeake Bay towns and anchorages where there are no other boats.

EDENTON IS EXCELLENT

Edenton does not get much press. Likely because it is so far up Albemarle Sound off the ICW. But it is a wonderful town.

First, you have free docks and water, and $3.00 electricity. Then you have Edenton High School Boosters offering fried chicken plates for lunch before or dinner during the baseball games. Then you get offered the husband’s truck (he was off sailing while mom stayed home and cared for the kids.) Then you get asked if you want a ride back to the boat when you are walking with groceries. And finally, you get asked to join in the yacht club’s sail to Mackey’s for a Crab Fest!

For the Crab Fest Barbara and Gil hosted us and two neighbors on their thirty one foot yawl, Barbara Jean III, that Gil built in his yard which fronts on Pembroke Creek. We crossed the sound to a point just west of the power lines to entrance marks leading into a cypress swamp. Once inside the forest, we saw fishermen flipping spinners up against the knees for bass. A water moccasin swam by within a boat length. A mile or so deep in the swamp we docked right behind the band, and we had a grand time.

The final event was Saturday night karaoke at Cheros (Sounds like Cheerios without the ios at the end. Just Cheeros).

It is worth an extra day to visit Edenton when sailing by.

COLLECTING WATER

Normally Sireneuse collects enough rain to meet their need for water while cruising. Their arrangement captures water off of a large hard top over the cockpit. Charmed has gutters along the toe rail that are plumbed from deck scuppers to the boot stripe. We intend to tap into this plumbing so we can direct rain water to our tanks. Nominally forty four feet of deck, times fourteen and a half feet of beam, times 50% to account for area lost at the bow and stern, times one inch of rain equals 200 gallons!

Last night we could have completely filled our tank several times:

HOME ROASTED COFFEE

We never knew you could buy green beans and conveniently roast them at home! Here, Greg is listening and watching for the second crack, which tells the initiated much about the end of the process:


And we thought Juan and his donkey somehow had to be involved.

WHAT YOU CAN'T FIND IN CRUISING GUIDES

There is this wonderful bight, Lookout Bight, south and east of the town of Beaufort North Carolina. It is a wonderful anchorage. I guess it is too far off the waterway to get press.

MORE TEE SHIRT PHILOSOPHY

Not all who wander are lost!

 

WRIGHTSVILLE BEACH TO BEAUFORT

As hard as it was to leave before visiting Causeway Cafe again . . . .

The anchor came up at 05:15 am under a full moon. We motored two miles down a straight channel and turned ninety degrees left to the Atlantic. Beaufort lay ahead, C 075 M. D 60 NM. There was no wind and small swells from the south. The boat rolled. Easily, but it rolled. We fretted, wondering if it was going to be eight hours of this. We could not point the boat in a direction that was making way toward Beaufort that was totally comfortable. And it was so calm!

We were hoping for the winds NOAA forecast, ten to fifteen knots from the southwest. While we never got them, we did get winds in the mid to high single digits from about 09:00 am on. Once the winds rose to four knots, the staysail came out tight as a drum. Not to help drive the boat. To stabilize the boat. At the first indication the staysail might remain filled naturally, the main came out. The wind would now drive the boat some. Once five or six knots came up regularly the genoa was set. Wind then accounted for a knot and half of our boat speed, and it was a glorious ride. The boat moved like a train on rails, and it was totally comfortable.

Just enough wind to fill all sails:

We got to Beaufort Town Dock at 03:30 pm after seventy two nautical miles from anchor to dock. The highest wind speed recorded was sixteen knots. The fastest boat speed recorded was 8.8 knots, caused by diesel, wind, and slight surfing even athough we did not see the first whitecap.

CAUSEWAY CAFE WRIGHTSVILLE BEACH

And the winner is . . . .

For the best breakfast on the East Coast, Causeway Cafe! Two eggs over easy. Grouper fingers. Grits. Two biscuits. Great coffee. Cold and fresh ice water. They also have perch and crab in the morning, several kinds of ham and sausage. It would take a month to try it all.

Now for lunch, the list of southern vegetables includes nearly a dozen.

THERE ARE THESE BRIDGES . . .

There are two bridges near Charleston that remain closed for several hours during morning and evening rush hour. It is a scheduling issue trying to get in or out of Charleston at sunset or sunrise. Many boats arrive at the bridge not knowing about the closure. Some have long waits.

Compass Rose was "anchored" when we arrived at the Ben Sawyer bridge a few minutes before an opening. I immediately began studying charts because I had not determined there was a reasonable anchorage close to the bridge. It turns out Compass Rose was not anchored. The boat was just nudged into the mud to hold her temporarily.

You learn something new every day out here!