Settling into life at sea
It’s Saturday morning and I just got off watch. We passed Cape Hatteras last night, shortly after midnight, which marks the half way point to Florida. At the current pace, we should arrive in Ft Lauderdale on Monday, making for a four day trip. With Pandora, the same distance would take about twice as long.
Actually, as going south is against the prevailing SW winds, it’s not likely that a run with Pandora could be accomplished in much less than two weeks, with time spent waiting for good weather. Motoring into seas like we encountered yesterday would be very uncomfortable.
However, the fact that Pandora only burns about 2% of the fuel takes some of the edge off of the longer time needed to get there. Running through 4,000 gallons of diesel for each run would be pretty painful to our budget and when Brenda groused “that damn boat”, she’d really mean it.
With six of us aboard, we are split up into three groups, with two on the bridge at all times. Mark, the captain and I share watches from 04:00 to 08:00 and 16:00 to 20:00. To be sure, Mark is the guy that does most of the work but I am there to be and extra set of eyes and to keep watch if he has to leave the bridge for any reason. With all of the systems on board, there is always something that needs his attention or some alarm that is going off. Also, somebody has to go below and take a look in the engine room several times during a watch to be sure that everything is running well.
I set an alarm for about 30 minutes before I have to begin my watch and it is customary for the incoming watch to arrive 15 minutes before so they can observe traffic in the area and to become accustomed to the dark before the standing watch is relieved.
Yesterday was quite rough and we were pounding along with the boat seeming to fall off of a wave periodically. In a normal seaway, every now and then, perhaps every ten waves or so, one will come along that is much larger, perhaps twice as big so it isn’t uncommon to have the boat lurch unexpectedly when you least expect it. As we were powering into the waves and against the wind, yesterday was a noisy and bumpy day. The steward, Heather, wasn’t feeling too well which I can understand as the crew quarters is set way up in the bow where the motion is the worst. In the nanny cabin, I have it great as it’s near the center of the boat, where the motion is less.
Overnight things calmed down considerably and we should have a smooth ride for the second half of our trip. It’s a beautiful day. Nice view from the bridge. 
I haven’t poked my head outside since we left Greenport NY and was stunned to see how much warmer it is after just two days. It’s pretty chilly aboard as the AC is running all the time. And it has to be on as the carpets are silk and the wallpaper is delicate bamboo. Very light and airy.
This is one of the owner cabins. The spread and pillows are beautifully monogrammed but I had to block it out as the owner is sensitive about privacy. You’ll just have to imagine lovely gold letters of the boat name. Quite elegant and you can see a women’s touch in the decor. Of course the owner, and it’s a woman, isn’t aboard for the delivery. Just love the rope lighting under the bed. 
There is a very nice and secure walk area down the side of the boat. It’s a beautiful spot to stand and watch the world go by. Beautiful teak decks and a perfectly varnished rail. It’s a lot of work to keep up all of this and hours a day are spent making sure that all parts of the boat are clean and polished. 
I spend 8 hours a day sitting in the right helm seat. Very comfortable.
My four hours spent in each watch passes quickly as there is a lot to keep track of . And, when Captain Mark isn’t filling in the log each hour with all sorts of vital stats, we have plenty to talk about. I’d love to share some of his stories he’s told me about his years afloat but I might be tossed overboard if don’t keep my mouth shut.
I can only imagine what this instrument panel cost to assemble. No coffee on the dash. Spill something here and you are…. Well, it wouldn’t be pretty. 
As my watch was ending this morning Chef came to the bridge and asked what we’d like for breakfast. How about an omlet and toast? Ok, if you insist. I resisted the impulse to photograph what turned out to be a perfectly cooked cheese omelet. Yum! Ten minutes later I took my plate down to the galley to put it in the dishwasher and you’d never know that anyone ever cooked there. If Pandora had a galley like this my biscuits would be even better. Of course, the weight of the granite counters alone would sink her. 
This is the crew mess, where we take our meals. The TV is always going and there is an endless selection of chips and cookies. “Bob, pace yourself!” “Ok, I’ll have an orange.” 
Safety aboard is key so there is a laminated disaster plan and boat schematic posted for everyone to see. 
Perhaps I’ll spend some time today hanging out at the stern watching the wake behind us. What a sight. 
So what next? I asked Anthony, the engineer, to spend some more time with me checking out the engine room and systems. The machinery that keeps us moving, comfortable and safe is very complex and he has to be capable of fixing just about anything that can go wrong along the way.
We’ve settled in nicely to life at sea and it’s turned out to be a terrific voyage. When we get to Ft Lauderdale I’ll be giving a presentation about Brenda’s and my two months in Cuba to the crew along with the captains of some of the other boats. That should be a lot of fun. Besides, I have to earn my keep.
I understand that they keep the boat, all 130′ of her, in a shed, along with a half dozen other boats in Ft Lauderdale to keep her out of the weather and safe in the event of a hurricane. It’s hard for me to imagine a boat shed big enough to house this boat along with several others. That will be something to see.
Oh yeah, I guess Mark is happy with me so far as I found a few crew t-shirts neatly folded on the foot of my bunk this morning when I returned from watch. Well, it is either that or I am beginning to smell a bit off. Whatever the reason, happy me.
As Steve Martin exclaimed in the movie “The Jerk”, when he saw his name in the phone book, “Now I am somebody!”. “Yeah, yeah Bob, nice shirt…don’t get ahead of yourself”
Say what you will, this is fun. Totally!
The fuel truck pulled up and fed her 3,000 gallons of diesel. The boat carries 15,000 gallons, about the same amount that a semi truck that services gas stations holds. The truck looked pretty small next to us. 
For the trip we will use about 3,000 gallons or 1,000 per day of fuel. Don’t worry, that includes the 100k generator too. Whew, for a moment you thought that was how much the main engines used. Nope, they only use about 900 gallons per day. The generator uses a little less than 100 gallons per day. Oh yeah, and nobody worries about water. Use all you want as their water maker puts out, well plenty.
The bridge is amazing with redundant equipment for everything. Very comfy chairs. 
And, then there is the communication equipment. That’s Captain Mark. Nice guy. Besides, he loves catboats, just like me and Brenda. Double nice. 
There are monitors everywhere to keep the crew appraised of any possible problems. This screen monitors the fuel and water tanks. 
Love the schematic to let you know exactly where in the boat something may be amiss.
The engineer, a great Aussie, gave me a tour of the engine room. We had to wear hearing protection as it’s REALLY NOISY in there. However, outside of that room, it’s very quiet and on the upper levels, you wouldn’t be able to tell that the engines are on if it were not for the low vibration. It’s so clean you could eat off of the floor. I expect that isn’t allowed as someone might leave a mess. “who left that banana peel in the bilge?”
There are monitors all over the ship but this is “command central” in the engine room. Looks like the control wall for a power plant.
The engineer says A-OK, ready for liftoff…
Amid all the high tech gear Mark has put together a simple Captain-Mark-made sling cyclometer for measuring the dewpoint. It’s funny to see such a rudimentary piece of equipment among all the other amazing gear. Aboard a yacht like this nearly everything is complex, by design and EVERYTHING has an alarm built in to keep you on your toes with the possible exception of this nifty gadget. No wait, if someone was to “sling” it and rap it against something I expect that Captain Mark would make quite a noise. 
So, how about the view from my cabin? Of course, there are blackout shades on these portholes in the cabin and head to make the cabin dark as night. They are motorized of course. 
Last but not least, there’s Hillary. It’s alarming to see her just standing there in the “media room”. How appropriate given her near constant presence in our lives these days. I have to pass her each time I head to my cabin.
Well, that’s all for now. With nearly 300 miles under our keel in a single day, that’s a lot of peddling, especially directly into the wind.
Tomorrow at around 7:30 we will shove off and visit the fuel dock. I am told that she burns about 1,000 gallons per day when underway. Our cruising speed is 12kts. She will make the trip about twice as fast as Pandora. She’s big, like a floating condo and a large one at that.
Perhaps more than you want to see about partially finished subs but I sort of liked the shot from this angle. She sure looks like she means business. Nice crane.
Seeing a sub under construction was neat but seeing one steaming into the harbor was even better. I think that she was the New Mexico, the sub that I encountered last summer off of Groton as I passed by. I think it’s her because I had heard from the chief of the boat, who I have been corresponding with told me that they were in town, would be out for a week or so on maneuvers and then would be back. Well, it looks like they are back and I was lucky enough to be there when she arrived. 
As she passed I was able to get a great shot of the crew on deck. I expect that there is a very well established pecking order as to who gets to ride up in the sail. They probably don’t draw straws or play rock, paper, scissors. “get down from there skipper, I won your spot fair and square”.
Big boat. Long way from the sail to the tail fin, if that’s what they call it.
How about the gunboat riding shotgun as she came into the harbor. I waved to him and he waved back. Not sure he was smiling though. Probably not allowed. I wonder why they wear camo colored uniforms. If they are trying to blend in, it’s not working even a little bit. I’d think that a nice beach pattern with a delicate cerulean blue and sand tan motif would be much more fetching.
Anyway, it’s going to be an amazing trip and I can’t wait to get underway in the morning. I was warned that I’d have to watch what I ate aboard or I’d surely gain ten pounds on the trip. After dinner tonight, I believe that the risk is real. Grilled chicken breasts with fresh tomato and shiitake mushrooms with orzo along with asparagus and well, let’s just say that it was amazing. 
And my cabin. Wow! TV too. The steward even left the drawers open so I’d know that there was a place for me to unpack. 
The bathroom is larger than mine at home. Note: I use the guest bath as Brenda doesn’t like to share. I know my place. 
And there’s even a bath tub. And I don’t have to share with anyone. I wonder how much the water sloshes in a seaway? Hmm… Better not push my luck. 
Well, I had better sign off as tomorrow is going to be an exciting day. My watch tomorrow night and every night after that, will be from 04:00 to 08:00 with the captain.
It will be interesting to see how voyaging aboard a yacht of this scale compares to Pandora. Yes, the food will likely be better. And, I am pretty confident that it will not be at all like spending time aboard with anyone wearing an eye patch.
I’ll bet that it’s safe to say that their dink has more HP than the Mini. “Honey?” “Yes, Buffy, what is it?” “Oh, I think that our Mini looks just adorable aboard Indiscretion but I just don’t feel comfortable as it was your ex that chose the color”. “That’s nice honey but can we talk about it when I’m finished reading Baron’s?”
How about this lovely? She’s well into the “mega” range and yet has the lines of a small sport boat. Note the crew on the bow. They look totally teeny tiny up there. I’ll bet her “carbon footprint” could squash a billionaire like a gnat. 
However, all the yachts here aren’t “mega”. How about the latest in a line of beauties owned by Billy Joel, Argos. I recognized the guy who takes care of Billy’s boats from an article I saw a few years ago in Soundings, a boating newspaper. Billy has very nice taste in boats. 
From any angle.
Scout, which I have seen in Newport, is a beauty. Yes, I’d enjoy a G&T aboard her.
And, if you can’t afford MEGA you can always put mega HP on your micro yacht. This one has 1,400hp. I’ll bet that she can outrun all but the fastest 1%.
In the parking lot near the marina there are some very nice cars that fit just fine in the neighborhood. Love these two, the Aston Martin and the beachy thing. Note the mega hydrangea behind them. It seems that flowers love the climate here too. 
The florist in town was getting ready for the weekend. All of these phalaenopsis orchids were in a room that said “all the flowers in this room are sold”. White sells well here.
Not to worry, there were plenty still ready for you to take home. 
The staff had to work out on the front lawn to arrange all the flowers that had been ordered. There were many dozens of red rose arrangements being prepared for just one Friday night party.
While it wasn’t white, a very nice mega planter in downtown Sag Harbor. I wonder what the statue guy thinks of what Sag has become? I’ll bet that he wishes he had held onto the property he owned longer so he could afford something mega himself. 
Nice view down main street for him though. 
And speaking of flowers, which I sort of was, we rented a car and drove around and visited some wineries. Along the way we spied this amazing field of sunflowers. I nearly rear-ended someone who had stopped to take a photo too. 
No, we hadn’t had too many tastings, not yet anyway. I’ll admit that we visited our first winery before noon. But, it was only a very little taste. Ok, it was just a little tastes of five different lovely whites. Just five or was it ten sips? Whatever… Besides, we had to be absolutely certain that we liked it.
No dirty wooden barrels in sight. 
What a relief. We only drink hygienically made wine, of course.
We drove along the south fork, up the north fork, took two ferries across Shelter Island and back to Sag Harbor. 
Let me tell you, it’s the most expensive per mile of any ferry that you will ever take. Each ride takes less than ten minutes, including docking. Total, one way, $30
Can’t recall the name but where else can you have two glasses of wine on a lovely afternoon and spend $40, with tip of course? However, if you are willing to have sparking water, it’s only $10++. Such a deal.
After that, well, we’ll be out of money and have to head home. Yes, this is indeed the playground of the “big kids” and I while I have more in common with the “little people” I do have a boat. Besides, my mom has always told me that I’m big and not even a little bit grey.