Sail Pandora

As I sit down to write this post, we are into our third day on passage to Antigua from Hampton VA.    Since leaving we have had to run the motor a good deal, racking up a total of 36 hours of motoring and 12 of sailing alone.  Of course, we kept the sails up for the motoring times as there was a little wind that helped us move along with reduced engine RPM.

That’s important to keep the RPMs down as it’s a long way to Antigua and we were told when we left that we’d be motoring much of the way.  In spite of my concern that we’d not be able to make the entire run without running out of fuel, I decided to leave anyway with the belief that the extremely light conditions would not materialize as predicted.

That was a good decision as here we are sailing along at between 8-9 kts, SSE in moderate winds on a close reach and we expect that these conditions will persist for at least the next 24 hours.  After that, the wind should shift more to the SE which will make it impossible to continue to sail in the direction we wish to go.

Based on that, Chris Parker recommends that once the wind shifts to the SE that we tack and sail to the NE to gain some easting.  The farther east we are, the better our chances of picking up the trade winds, later in the trip, which should give us easy sailing the rest of the way to Antigua.
Of course, “trades” are named that because they represent regular winds, both speed and direction  are very consistent so they were widely used by sailing ships to make long passages on fairly predicable schedules.

As we make our way south and east we hope to eventually hook up with the easterly trades to the Caribbean, which is good as it will make our trip more predictable, at least for the final third of the trip and eliminate any risk of running out of fuel.

As I mentioned, if I motor-sail and keep my engine RPM low, I can stretch my available fuel supply quite a bit and should be able to average about 6-.7gal/hr of motoring time.  As I hold (well the building plans say so, but I have never tested it) 150 gallons combined in my three tanks and I also have an additional 25 gallons in jugs.  That would give me something like 250 hours of slow motoring, perhaps a total of 1,500 miles.

However, I wouldn’t want to test this as I am assuming that I can use 95% of my fuel before the pickup no longer can reach the remaining fuel in the tanks and I don’t know if that’s correct.

In any event, I want to be sure I conserve fuel so I don’t find myself a few hundred miles short of Antigua drifting around with no more fuel.
As I will continue to monitor fuel use very closely, and Chris’s forecast now suggests that there will be enough wind to sail half of the distance, I doubt that there is any real risk that I’ll find myself running out before we get to Antigua.

The good news for now is that we should be able to put as many as 36 “carbon free” hours of sailing, perhaps  270 miles, in the bank over the next two days and then it looks like we will have a few days of motoring to endure before we hit the easterly trades and make our way the final distance to Antigua.

I guess that’s about it for now but all is well on Pandora and just about everything aboard is functioning as it should.  I say “just about” as my wind speed indicator was acting up a while ago but now seems to have settled down and the AIS was having problems but it too “healed itself” overnight.

Well, I guess that’s about all I can think of for now, so I’ll sign off so I can get a line in the water.  Perhaps we can catch a tuna or Mahi Mahi for dinner.  No luck yesterday though.

It’s good to be sailing, for a while at least.

Only 1,100 miles to go.

It’s Friday morning and the beginning of day two of our expected (fingers crossed that there’s some wind and we don’t end up out of fuel and drifting along waiting for wind) ten day run to Antigua from Hampton, VA.

We departed the marina yesterday morning expecting that we’d be hard put to find wind that was more than 10 kts for much of the way to Antigua and the first 24 hours has proven to be true to that forecast so the engine has gotten a good workout.

However, a few hours ago the wind picked up into the high teens so we are now sailing on a broad reach at close to 7kts.  With the effect of the Gulf Stream as we crab our way across, we are losing a knot as we compensate for the current that is pushing us north at about 3-4kts.   The strategy for crossing the GS is to make an assumption about the average current that you expect to encounter and how far north you will be set as you cross.  The strategy is to take into account the speed of the boat, time to cross and then adjust the course to an imaginary point that you will be set down from to exit at the desired location.  Does that make sense?  Not sure I am being clear.  If not, you’ll just have to trust me on that.

My assumption was an average current in the 3+ range and ten hours to cross so I picked a point that was about 20mn south of where I hope to emerge from The Stream.

Chris Parker gave us an entry as well as an exit point as well as a course to hold after that to navigate a large eddy along the south side of the GS.  If we hit it right, the eddy will give us a 3-4kt boost for up to 100mn after we exit.   Stray too far from that exit point and course to the third waypoint and we’d find ourselves bucking the wrong side of the eddy and see our speed over the bottom fall to 3kts or less.  That’s compared to perhaps 10kts over the bottom if we hit the eddy just right.   That’s makes for a huge difference on how long it will take to cover the distance until we are in clear, current free water.   Hit the eddy wrong and it might take us over 30 hours to cover the same 100 miles that we might cover in about 14 hours if we hit it right.  That “mistake” alone could cost us an additional ¾ of a day on the passage.

Of course, the coordinates for the eddy are imaginary and derived from a satellite map so getting it exactly right is more art than science.  However, this particular eddy is really large so I am hopeful that there is enough room for error to allow me to navigate the distance effectively.

Also, as I can’t send photos over my SSB high frequency radio, you’ll just have to imagine what it was like last night to see a nearly full moon rise in the east as a fiery sunset lit up the western sky, with the brilliant moon transiting the entire sky and finally setting just before daybreak.  It was beautiful.

Pandora’s crew seems to be settling into the rhythm of life at sea, eating, standing watch and resting as we make our way south.

Let’s hope that the wind holds out but, more than likely, as we leave the warmer water of the Stream, the wind will fall away as forecast.   For now, we will have to just enjoy what’s been thrown our way and appreciate the opportunity to put some “fuel free” miles into the bank.   For sure, I’ll need  to accumulate about 500 of these “free miles” in order to be certain that I will have adequate fuel to make it to Antigua.

If not, I’ll just have to take what the wind offers, sit around waiting for more wind which will add several days to our trip.

Well, it’s time to cast out a lure and see if we can catch something for dinner.  I’m excited as I have a new type of lure that is “guaranteed” to catch everything but seaweed.

Wish me luck.

At 09:00 today Pandora slipped her lines to head for Antigua.  The weather forecast suggests that we will be motoring much of the way and I am cautiously optimistic that we will have enough fuel to make landfall in Antigua as planned, perhaps about ten days from now.

Here’s her able crew, Chris, Jim and me just before departure, all smiles. The big question is if we will have enough wind to sail at least part of the way as the winds are forecast to be quite light, in the 10kt range for much of the run.  I expect that as long as we have a little wind from a good angle, not on the nose, we should be able to squeeze as much as 1,400 of the 1,500 miles with the engine running.  However, as what little wind that is forecast is likely to be from a favorable sailing angle for close reaching, we should be able to make it.

Here’s what Chris said about boats like Pandora regarding the wind in his message to the fleet last evening…

“HAMPTON TO BERMUDA/E CARIBBEAN:
When to depart?

The following vessels could depart Thu2:
–vessels able and willing to motor 80% of trip
–vessels desiring to go to Bermuda
—vessels easily driven in light air, especially those with “Code-0” sail for extremely light upwind work (these vessels may be able to sail up to 50% of trip)
–vessels on a tight schedule which meet sufficient above criteria to reach intended destination (i.e. sufficient fuel and/or refuel in BDA and/or sail well upwind in extremely light air).

Vessels which do not meet the above may wish to consider delaying departure until there’s more wind for sailing.

Next opportunity with high probability of more wind for sailing would be departure at whatever time appropriate to reach GulfStream EXIT near 34N/74W (200mi from mouth of ChesapeakeBay / about 230mi from Hampton) sometime btwn Sunset and Midnight Mon6 night.”

Yes, it looks like there will be more wind for sailing if boats wait until next Monday to depart but that would likely strain my crew and would certainly not be appealing to Brenda who will be arriving in Antigua on the 15th.    However, Pandora fits into the “easily driven with big sails” category so perhaps we will get lucky and be able to sail a good amount of the way.  50%?  That would be awesome.

All and all, I’d like to make the trip with more wind but just don’t want to hang around Hampton for another 4-5 days so off we go.  And, I have to say that a light wind passage would be a treat after our 4.5 days of gales last January on our way to the BVIs.  That’s something that’s fun to talk about but I’d prefer to avoid a repeat this year.

I agree that the most dangerous thing to have on a boat is a schedule and I agree.  However, there is no particular danger in leaving today with the obvious  risk of running out of fuel.  However, I’d rather drift around for a day or so if we just find ourselves feeling stressed about fuel than to delay a few more days.

Besides, as Chris Parker has said so many times in the past, “well, that’s a long way out and the forecast could change”.  Me, I hope it does change so that the trades fill in sooner than expected.

Yup, that’s me, ever hopeful.

Oh yeah, one more thing.  Brenda misses her gardens while we are away so she sent some plants down with Jim.  I planted them in a “window box” and am hopeful that they will survive the trip.  After this post, done within cell range, I’ll be sending my posts to Brenda who will put them up.  Alas, it’s tough to send photos so let’s hope that my prose will make up for a lack of pictures.

Of course, don’t forget to follow us on this site as well as on the rally site.  So refer to my last posts for details on how to do that if it’s not already clear.

So, for now all I can say is “Antigua or bust” or should I say until Pandora’s outof fuel.

Until tomorrow…

Well, the title might be an exaggeration but I have to admit that I have been wondering if perhaps “you can’t get there from here” might be true for our run to Antigua.

The last few days of weather briefings by Chris Parker here in Hampton with the other 70+ boats in the Salty Dawg Rally have made me wonder if the 180 gallons or fuel will be enough to get us the 1,500 miles to Antigua given that the short and long term forecast suggests that we will be in for a very light wind trip.

Chris suggests that for boats that can sail well in very light wind, like Pandora, we may perhaps be able to sail, or at least motorsail, much of the way.  However, his overall assessment is that we will be in conditions in the 5-10kt range for much of the trip which is a LOT of motoring.

Pandora, when motorsailing in light wind, burns less than .7 gph so that gives us a range of nearly 10 days of full time motoring, perhaps 1,300 to as much as 1,500 miles.  However, that assumes that we have access to nearly all of the fuel in the tanks, which is not likely as there is surely going to be a little left below the fuel pickup tube when the engine finally dies.  I have never run the engine on a tank until it died so I don’t really know how much of her three 50 gallon tanks I can actually use.  I also carry 30 gallons of reserve jugs and I know I can use all of that.

If we wanted more wind, Chris did say that it might be better if we delay our departure until Sunday, four days from now, but I am not prepared to stick around and hope that the long range forecast is as predicted so off we go.

I guess that’s all that I can say for now so if you’re curious, follow along at “where in the world is Pandora” or on the shared rally page.   Be sure that you put in SDR as the group on the shared page to see where everyone is.  Of course, on my own page you can get an update every two hours and only twice a day on the shared page.

So, if more is better, check out my own page.  However it’s alot fun to see how we are doing relative to the others in the rally.

Do note that some, perhaps a lot, of the boats are likely to stick in Hampton for a few days with the hope that conditions will improve or stop in Bermuda to wait for stronger winds.  One way or the other, there will be plenty of tracks to follow so enjoy.

I plan on putting up posts most days to let you know how things are going so visit regularly.

Well, wish us luck and hope that indeed, you can get there from here with 180 gallons of fuel.  Fingers, or perhaps fuel lines crossed.

It least I know that it’s views like this that await when we make landfall in Antigua.   If that’s not enough, there’s a full moon in a few days.   And let me tell you, there is nothing like a full moon at sea.

Here’s to a great trip.

It’s Monday and the participants in the 2017 Salty Dawg Rally to the Caribbean are in Hampton VA preparing for their 1,500 run to Antigua.  Chris Parker, the official weather router for the event, suggests that we will probably be able to leave as planned on November 2nd, Thursday.

Yesterday, after a run of beautiful weather, turned nasty with rain all day and really strong winds that kicked in after the cold front and rain passed.  Before yesterday, wind was generally light and from the south but it abruptly shifted, following the rain to the northwest and strengthened, bringing with it much cooler temperatures.

Such a major change in wind direction and temperature is a good illustration of why using a weather router is so important for a trip like this.   Of course, after 4-5 days into our expected 10 day run, we will generally have to just deal with whatever we encounter as there won’t be any place to hide.  However, knowing that nasty stuff is coming will go a long way toward keeping us safe and moving as we will generally have time to prepare and develop a plan to deal with changing conditions.

Having worked with Chris Parker now for 6 years, I know that his daily briefings on the SSB radio and emails to me will give us the information I need to make informed decisions as we make our way south.

It’s looking like we will have settled weather as we depart Hampton and I am hopeful that this is the sort of sunset that we will enjoy for the first few days.  After that, who knows but I am optimistic that all that I have done to be sure that Pandora is in good shape for the run will pay off.

Let’s hope that the days of gales that Pandora and her crew endured last January on our run from Beaufort to the BVIs aren’t repeated.  This shot of a wave passing under Pandora doesn’t do justice to what sailing along in 20′ waves felt like.  My crew, Chris and Jim arrive today and tomorrow and it will be good to get together a few days before we depart so we can get settled in and be sure that everything is ready to go when we depart.

I am very hopeful that we will have a good and speedy run and that by mid November we will be snug at anchor in Falmouth harbor Antigua enjoying a Carib beer while enjoying the nighttime views of the harbor. So, while we prepare for our run, you too can get ready by bookmarking the Ocens site which will track each one of the 70 boats in the Salty Dawg Rally fleet making the run along with Pandora.  Just click here and put in SDR in the “group” area.  Each boat is required to transmit their position twice daily, in the morning and evening.  Twice a day not enough for you?  Check out “where in the world is Pandora” on this site for position reports every two hours.  And, you can even right click on any “spot” along the way to see how fast, or not, we were going when that position was reported.

Well, this morning, as Antigua Port Captain, will be presenting to the fleet on what’s in store once we arrive.  They’d better have fun as they know who to talk to.

Yes, I’d better sign off for now.  Lot’s to do and Antigua beckons.

We had an uneventful sail to Hampton and now I am securely on the dock at Blue Water Yachting Center, working hard to finish up the last minute details to get Pandora ready to go on November 2nd with the fleet in the Salty Dawg Rally.  Regarding departure, I spoke with Chris Parker, our router, today and he told me that he doesn’t expect that there will be any significant weather to keep us from leaving as planned.  That’s good news, especially given the drumbeat of bad weather news for the last few months.  I expect that our run to Antigua will take about 9-11 days so stay tuned  on that score.

It’s been a crazy few months of working on Pandora to get her into the best possible shape for out time afloat and after 2.5 years now, I feel like I have a pretty good handle on what she needs.

Of course, I spent a lot of time tracking down leaks.  You know, if someone asks “so, does the boat have any leaks?”, the answer is ALWAYS an emphatic no.   The same reaction you’d get if you asked someone if their sister slept around.  Anyway, Pandora now only has one leak but it’s minor and I just don’t have the energy to tackle it right now.  Perhaps there are others but it’s the only one that I know about that remains.  I have re-bedded hatches, granny bars and other fittings that have been leaking for some time.  I won’t say that they were large leaks, but the sort that always seem to crop up when you are pounding into seas.  Of course, this never happens anyway, so “what leak?”.  Anyway, leaks solved, mostly, for the moment, I think.

And, speaking of staying dry, a major leap for us was to order a full cockpit enclosure, something that we have never done on any of our boats.  Good thing as they are pretty expensive.  We hired Chad from Sunnyside Marine Upholstery in Chester CT to do the job for us as he has a terrific reputation and is known for a very solid attention to detail.  I do have a sewing machine and know how to make stuff but I know my limits and a job of this magnitude was way beyond me.   Just “templating” the job was something I could only dream about doing correctly. And magically, a few weeks later, a complete enclosure.   It’s a little difficult to see it as the vinyl is so clear.  Chad did really nice work with many thoughtful details to make it great.   Wow, there’s a lot going on behind the dodger between the stainless, canvas and vinyl!We have never commissioned such a large canvas job but we decided that we needed an enclosure to keep the weather out on passage as it can get pretty wet at times especiallhy when we are in northern areas in the spring and fall.  With my 6th winter in warmer climes, I have become pretty soft when it comes to cold.

Here’s some of the things that make the job a “cut above”.   “Smile” zippers, with double pulls, on both sides, inside and outside, so we can get into and out of the cockpit easily.  Chad made the side panels attached to the hard dodger a bit longer to keep the wind and water away from us when we are sitting underneath and out of the weather.  Getting water on the back of the cockpit cushions has always been a problem.  I am excited about this simple but important change.   Interestingly, he also put a batten on the trailing edge of the panel to make it more solid and resistant to damage.  A really nice touch.
He actually constructed those side extensions and the center window between the dodger and bimini as a single piece over ten feet long.  I don’t know how he managed to get that template perfect the first time.  It fit without any adjustment.  Remarkable work.  Notice the stainless bars holding everything rigid and they are covered with cloth sleeves for a finished look. The front glazing panels are fit into channels so no water can get underneath and into the cockpit.  He also put in a special rigid glazing that is much clearer and resists UV better than straight vinyl. The stern panels look complicated and they are.  There are zippers to make it easy get on and off of the boat and also has a “smile” in the big panel to port to allow for good flow-through of air, a nice touch.   On most boats you have to roll up the entire panel to get a breeze but Chad broke things up nicely so we can open and close “windows” and yet not need to constantly roll the entire panels  up and down. And speaking of airflow, yet another “smile” in the front of the dodger, also out of rigid plastic for good visibility.  He even overlapped the zipper with a soft vinyl flap to keep water from leaking through the zipper in heavy weather.
And, the “smile” can be secured up and out of the way with easy release snaps. Brenda and I couldn’t e happier with how Chad’s work turned out and I am sure that this improvement will go a long way to making our winter afloat as comfortable as possible.

On top of that, there were lots of other projects, perhaps too numerous to mention.  However, here’s a smattering of some of the more important ones.

It’s bugged me from day one that the swim ladder didn’t deploy perfectly vertically so when you step on it the ladder tipped slightly under the hull.  Minor perhaps but it just didn’t feel secure to me.  So, I machined some shims out of Starboard to fit snugly on the tubes.   Deciding on the proper thickness and taper so that the ladder would be vertical wasn’t as easy as you’d think.  In place and vertical.  Happy me. Also, a new galley faucet.  The old one was pretty short and a lot of water ended up on the counter instead of in the sink.  This one is a few inches longer and now centers over the middle of the sink.  Getting the old one out was a chore as it as badly corroded and I had to be sure and be gentle so as to avoid cracking the marble counter.  Brenda’s happy to have a really nice faucet now. Actually, I’m happy as I do nearly all of the dishes.  I wouldn’t want Brenda to waste her energy on cleanup when it can be better spent on “creation”.  Another persistent problem was water filling up the aft self-draining lockers where fuel and propane are stored.   The clam shell vents on either side of the swim platform allowed water in on the leeward side when we are sailing hard.  Water egress through those vents ended up leaking through some areas where wires went through the bulkheads and cost me some sensitive electronics, nearly causing a fire on my first rough offshore run two years ago. Fixing this has been a priority but it took some time to settle on these one-way scuppers.  I am pretty happy with the solution and feel that any errant propane will still be able to seep out through the flaps.  So far so good.  I’ll report back on how they work when the going gets rough. And, under the “this is going to cost a lot” category, I finally bit the bullet and had the heat exchanger replaced on my engine.  There was a persistent leak on the end of the unit that was there when I purchased the boat and in spite of a number of “repairs” the solution was a total replacement.   This one cost several boat dollars, unfortunately.
Of course, the replacement of that lead to other “issues” like a cracked exhaust hose, just to mention one thing that turned up during the job.  Instead of replacing the entire run we opted for a new piece and a splice into the old, still good, hose. You may recall that very shortly after purchasing Pandora we had to have the bow thruster repaired because the front locker where it’s housed had flooded several times over the years.   The corrosion was progressive but didn’t finally kill things until a while after.  (Isn’t that always the way?) Part of the “fix”, including two bilge pumps, was to put desiccant in the locker, along with re-bedding the internal “watertight” hatch.  This has worked well and I have a special rack in place to hold two trays.  I replace the calcium chloride every few weeks or so.  Corrosion problem solved. And, speaking of bilge pumps in that area, the main pump failed earlier this season and it took me hours, two days actually, to finally find the root of the problem.  It was a failed pressure switch, something that’s not even needed on a bilge pump but after ruling out every other possible cause, I pulled the pump and put it on a bench, bypassing the pressure switch.  Problem solved. I could go on all day listing all of the projects that I completed aboard Pandora this summer but perhaps the one that I am most proud of was end-for-ending the anchor chain and re-splicing the twelve strand line onto the chain.  Let me tell you, I can hardly count to twelve much less splice line with that many leads.

I was going to have the rigger do it but when they told me that it would likely take them as long as 2.5+ hours (at $90/hr:) I decided that I was going to give it a try myself.  After many viewings of videos on YouTube and not even being able to find instructions for 12 strand, I gave it a try.  Remarkably, I got it right the first time.  The almost completed splice.  And yes, it did take about 2.5 hours.   A beautiful “inaugural splice” if you ask me.  Note:  If you don’t like it and see flaws… keep it to yourself please. Of course, all of this is in preparation for my 1,500 mile run to Antigua with the Salty Dawg Rally.   So, perhaps it’s fitting to close this post with a shot of burgees flying on Pandora.  In order of appearance.    The Salty Dawg Sailing Association rally flag, SDSA burgee, Seven Seas Cruising Association Commodore burgee and finally the Antigua Yacht Club, our hosts in Falmouth Antigua.Well, that’s about it for now but I should mention that Chris Parker told me yesterday that it’s going to be quite chilly next week when we depart so I am going to LOVE being protected by our new “hermetically sealed cockpit enclosure”.  He also said that he expects that we should be able to get out on time on the 2nd.  We’ll see about that.

Want to follow me and the other 70 boats headed to Antigua?  Of course, I always post my position on my blog.  Click on “where in the world is Pandora on the home page to follow our progress.   And, for tracking the entire fleet click here.  Be sure to put in “SDR” as the group and select the date range that  you want to see a position report for.   As far as Pandora is concerned, I’ll be putting up position reports every two hours and blog posts most days.  On the shared fleet page each boat is required to post at 08:00 and 16:00 daily.

Lots to do so I’d better sign off for now.

It’s Sunday morning and we are about 50 miles from the entrance to the Chesapeake where we will join the rest of the fleet in Hampton before heading to  Antigua.  As I write this we are sailing at about 7kts on a close reach with a 10kts balmy breeze.  It’s a beautiful morning and a wonderful time to be on the water.

As luck would have it, we passed Saybrook Light, at the mouth of the CT River, just as the sun was setting behind the breakwater.  It was a good omen for our voyage.  While we were able to sail for about the first 12 hours, we have been motoring for the last day as we passed through a slow moving high that was working its way off the coast and killed the wind.

As the high hovered over us, the wind died almost completely and the seas were as calm as a lake.  I don’t enjoy motoring hour after hour but I’ll take that any time over pounding into wind and waves.  Motoring along was quite peaceful,  in a “droning diesel” sort of way.  At least, all that “white” noise, perhaps better described as “grey noise” as in sooty diesel noise, made for good sleeping.

Fortunately, after motoring for hours and hours overnight, the wind picked up at daybreak today, just enough to sail along with the big “Code 0” head sail.  It’s been nice to enjoy the sound of water rushing along the hull after all that motoring.   Oh yeah, and it’s sunny to boot.   Also, the last two nights were spectacularly clear with stars in all directions made even brighter by a new moon.  We were also treated to a few shooting stars.  Beautiful.

Along the way, as is so often the case when we are on passage, we were joined by a very tired little bird when we were perhaps 40 miles off of NY.   I often wonder how many little birds end up at sea with no place to land and just fall into the water when they get to tired to carry on.   We are generally joined by one or more small birds when we are on passage and yesterday was no exception.  Oddly, these birds are always quite docile, perhaps because they are just to exhausted to run away when they arrive.  This little guy hopped all around the boat and even landed on each of us.  He even “snuggled?” up to James.How about some light reading?I guess that he realized that he was in rough shape when he perched on the EPIRB.  “Mayday, mayday.  I’m a really little bird and in distress.”Unfortunately, as is so often the case with these little visitors, he died overnight.  I did give him a “sort of” proper sea burial.   Adios amigos.  Overboard you go.  Ashes to ashes, dust to dust….  Fish food.

There is A LOT of boat traffic between NY and the Delaware River and this trip was no different.  In particular, there are always many boats anchored off of the mouth of the river.    As we approached the “fleet” of a dozen 800’ tankers anchored, I wondered if perhaps I’d need to divert to go around them.  While this shot of the plotter makes it look like we’d have trouble threading our way between them, we ended up continuing on our course without diverting even a single degree from our course and never came closer than ½ mile of anyone.   I did check, more than once, to be sure that none of them decided to pull anchor and get underway while we were close.  I was happy when we were past them and again in the clear.As luck would have it, we will likely arrive at the mouth of the Chesapeake at slack tide before the flood so the flooding current will give us a lift of a few knots as we make our way the final 30 miles into Hampton.   Last May, when I entered Hampton, I wasn’t so lucky, arriving with the tide in full ebb so it took me nearly 10 hours to make that same run, bucking a 2-3kt current the entire way.  It was tedious and annoying and we didn’t get to the marina until about 05:00.  It was a very long day at the end of a 10 day run from Tortola. “Are we there yet?”

With a flooding tide this go around, it will be a lot more pleasant and take less than half the time.  Amazing how much difference a few knots of positive, or negative, current can have on a trip.

Nice view forward on a beautiful sailing day.Not to Jinx it as we aren’t there quite yet, but it’s been an uneventful trip on my first leg of the run to Antigua and a winter afloat.   Let’s hope that leg two, all 1,500 miles of it, turns out to be this easy.

As Brenda once quipped, “Bob and the dog, ever hopeful”.  Yes, that’s me.  Can I have a cookie?

Editor:  Oh yeah, if you are wondering about photos on the post and yet at sea, we are close to the Delmarva Peninsula so there is cell coverage.

It’s Saturday morning and we are about 50 miles east of Barnegat Inlet New Jersey moving along toward Hampton VA.  We had a great sail last evening before the wind died to less than 10kts, which we expect to be the state of things for the rest of the trip.

The distance from Deep River CT, where we departed, and Hampton is about 350 miles and I anticipate that we will take about 2.5 days to complete the trip.   That will put us in Hampton  on Monday, hopefully before the strong southerlies kick in with the front that is expected to reach the area on Monday evening.

We left the dock shortly after 16:00 yesterday with  James and Bob aboard as crew.  James has not been offshore before or even out for an overnight but he is eager to learn so I thought it would be nice to have him along.  Besides he even came to help sand Pandora’s bottom last week, a miserable job.  It was really nice to have some help with that tough task, a first in my nearly 40 years of bottom sanding actually.  Bob is very experienced with many offshore passages in his background.

As I have written already, it was a scramble to get Pandora ready to head out as my prep time was cut short by about 5 days due to the forecast for strong southerlies on Monday evening requiring me to move up my plans and leave earlier than I had hoped.  My plan originally was to head out on Tuesday since I need to be in Hampton by Thursday but with the front, there was no way to make it with that departure and to wait until after the front passes would mean having to delay until next weekend to depart.  If I did that, I would have not been in Hampton for any of the festivities.  As part of my responsibilities in Hampton, along with a Board Meeting, I am to present to the skippers and crew of the 70 boats that are making the run and as “port captain” I have to brief them on what’s in store in Antigua when we arrive.

The closer that I got to my launch date it became clear that being ready in time was going to be  a tall order and when I discovered that I was going to leave 5 days sooner than expected, I really shifted into high gear.   For the last week I was trying to cram work into that period that rightfully should have taken twice that long and to say that I was exhausted is an understatement.

The last two days were particularly frantic as I was also dead set on fitting in one more visit with my mother knowing that I wouldn’t be seeing her again until after Thanksgiving.   Normally I try to see her in the morning but this last time I had to see her after dinner as I just couldn’t fit it in any sooner.  Happily, Brenda and I went together and after we said good by, we went out to dinner, our last meal together for around 3 weeks.  Of course, we also had to make a visit to Home Depot for some items that I had forgotten.

All and all, by the time we shoved off yesterday, I was dead tired and to leave for a 350 mile run in the late afternoon, when all I wanted to do was to sit and have a glass of wine with Brenda, was quite taxing.  As a consolation prize, Brenda drove down to the Essex Yacht Club and waved to us as we passed by.   With the glare of the setting sun, I couldn’t see her but it was nice to know that she was there.

The tide was in our favor and we cleared the Saybrook breakwater just as the sun was setting.  There wasn’t much wind as we headed through the Race and rounded Montauk but when we were on our SSW course to Hampton we then had a better angle and were able to sail on a close reach with about 15kts apparent until just before daybreak this morning.   It was nice to “begin the season” with at least a 12 hours of good sailing.

Now the wind has died and it looks like we will be motoring the rest of the way to Hampton.  Better to motor all the way than to pound our way into waves, that’s for sure.   I’ll take motoring in calm conditions anytime, especially when I am tired from days, no make that weeks and months, of preparation.

And, speaking of “prep”, I will be doing a post about all that’s been done to Pandora in preparation for this season soon.   At least I can tick off all the items, and there were plenty, that I did and hired along the way.  Yes, it will likely be more than you want to know but I have to list them, with photos, of course, so please bear with me.

Normally, I don’t sleep well for the first night at sea but as I was so exhausted, sleep came fairly easily last night.  My watch was from  00:00 through 04:00 and then I fell into my bunk and didn’t hear a thing until 08:00. Actually, I feel pretty good, especially as nothing has broken, so far at least, which is good.

So, here I am on my way to Hampton and final preparation for what should be a 10 day run to Antigua with a departure on or about November 2nd.    I’ll be posting the shared page for the fleet so you can watch the 70 or so boats as they make their way south to Antigua.

Lots to do with final provisioning and a few more boat chores, but for now I guess I’ll think about what’s in store for the winter and enjoy some quiet time reading a trashy novel, or two.  The only bummer about this part of the run is that Brenda won’t be with me but she plans to fly to Antigua to meet me when I arrive.  That will be good, very good so all I can say for now, and in a hearty voice, “let the season begin”.

Indeed.

It’s been a crazy two weeks since my last post with so much to do to get Pandora  ready for the run to Antigua.  To say that it’s been busy, doesn’t begin to describe the frantic pace of trying to figure out what needs to be done and then finding a way to do it or pay for it and have someone else do it.   The whole “pay somebody to do it part” isn’t my favorite.

Originally I was planning to leave for Hampton VA this coming Tuesday to join the other boats in the Salty Dawg Rally fleet, as luck would have it, the weather doesn’t want to cooperate so I have to leave today, Friday evening to begin the run.  If I was to wait even one more day, I’d be slammed with strong southerlies by Monday afternoon and wouldn’t be able to make Hampton until later in the week, too late to make it for the festivities.

As I am on the board of the group, I have some meetings that I must attend and am also going to address the fleet, as Antigua Fleet Captain, about all that’s going to happen in Antigua when we get there in the middle of November.   So, one way or the other, I HAVE TO BE THERE.

Let me tell you that it’s VERY HARD to leave with just a few days warning, early, when you think that you have a week or longer to get everything done.  Besides, Pandora wasn’t even in the water until yesterday afternoon.

Here’s Pandora all ready to launch yesterday with her trusty little truck, mine actually, standing by to assist.  Big boat and travel lift.  Little truck. Yes?I’d love to write about all that has been done to make Pandora as safe and comfortable for our winter afloat and the voyage to Antigua but I just don’t have a spare minute before we leave this evening.  However, I do plan to outline, in nauseating detail, all of that when I get to Hampton so stay tuned.

So, for now all I can say is that it’s been quite a wild few weeks but Pandora’s in the water and I’ll soon be on my way south.

Oh yeah, if you are interested, I’ll have my transponder on as I make my way south to Hampton so just click here and follow my track.

As we prepare to leave Hampton with the 70 boats that are going to Antigua, I’ll also share fleet tracking information so you can see where Pandora is along with the rest of the “Dawgs” in the rally.

Ok, off to do more errands…. Whew!

On November 2nd more than 70 boats participating in the Salty Dawg Rally to the Caribbean will leave Hampton VA to begin their 1,500 mile voyage to Antigua in the eastern Caribbean.  After all of the damage wrought by hurricanes this season, it will be nice to visit an island that was spared any damage and to make the trip with so many friends.

While the nominal start date for the rally is November 2nd, each skipper will make their own decision on when to leave.    Once underway, we will communicate with each other several times a day via SSB long range radio.  Every boat will also be transmitting their location several times each day so that you can keep track of all the boats as they make their way to Antigua.  I’ll be posting this shared page as we get closer.

For me, staying in touch with others in the fleet is a special treat as I am one of those guys who can’t stand to be disconnected from others for more than a moment.  And, speaking of “connected”, you can track Pandora’s location all winter by clicking on “Where in the world is Pandora” on my home page.

When we learned that the BVIs, the traditional arrival point for the rally, was so devastated we had to find another spot to visit and as Brenda and as I had enjoyed Antigua last winter I put my hand up “Me! Me!, I’ll make arrangements for the fleet’s arrival in Antigua!”  What in &^%$ was I thinking ?   Oh well.  So, here I am, “the guy” who everyone will look to and say “So Bob, are you going to make it worth our while to sail that additional 90 miles, all the way to Antigua?”.   Yikes! The pressure is on but I can tell you with confidence that it’s going to be a wonderful time, and once we’re there the locals will wonder what happened and say in a loud voice and all together “Antigua is going to the Dawgs, totally!”.  Works for me…

There are a few groups that have really put out for us (me) in helping with planning.   In no particular order…

The Antigua Yacht Club in Falmouth Antigua, a wonderful, well protected harbor with loads of easy anchoring and great holding, has really rolled out the red carpet to make us feel welcomed and have invited us to many activities. It’s a very friendly club and they have even made their office manager Nesie available to be the “go to source” for our fleet in Antigua and she will answer any questions that our group might have. As an interesting anecdote, AYC is located near a megayacht marina owned by Carlo Falcone  a member of AYC, who has registered his yacht, Mariella in the rally.  As she’s home ported in Antigua, I don’t know if he’s planning to have her sail with us.  She’s a  classic Fife yacht from the 30s and in wonderful condition.  As the largest yacht registered in the rally, that would make her “queen of the Dawgs”.

This video of the race on day one in the Classic Yacht Regatta in Antigua last spring gives you a pretty good feel for what’s in store in Antigua on the water.   Who knows, perhaps I will be able to find my way on board Mariella.  She actually was the overall winner of the regatta in 2017.  That’s me, ever hopeful…Another group that has really put out is the Admiral’s Inn located in Nelson’s Dockyard, the traditional home of the British Navy in the day of Lord Nelson.  They will be hosting the “arrival dinner” for us by their infinity pool overlooking the dockyard.   It’s a wonderful spot to enjoy the sights. This is the view from where we will have our arrival dinner.  Across the harbor is their main facility and hotel.  Can you say “tropical paradise?  They have even arranged for us to get very attractive pricing for those who want to stay ashore and take a break from life afloat for a bit. Brenda and I visited the inn a number of times last winter.  The place looks wonderful after dark. The owners of the resort Astrid and her brother Paul have been tremendously helpful in helping me in putting together all the activities that we will enjoy when we arrive in Antigua.  I found this video that gives a very good feel for their beautiful place.The director of the National Park, that oversees the Nelson’s Dockyard, Ann Marie was also really helpful and is even giving each of boats a free night of dockage when we arrive.    She sent me this photo of the dockyard that as taken a few weeks ago. What would we do without drones?  This is what the dockyard looks like before everyone shows up for the season.However, it’s not vacant in “high season”.  This is how the dockyard looked when the Oyster World cruise visited a while back. And, I just learned that the dockyard hosts a blowout on New Year’s eve as well.  Brenda and I will totally be there.    We are looking forward to viewing fireworks in Antigua as we lounge on Pandora’s bow. I have to say that while it’s been a bit hectic putting together plans for everyone to enjoy their stay in Antigua. One of the best things about being on the font lines of planning for the rally is that I get to arrange the things that I want to do and being in Antigua is well, what I want to do.

Oh yeah, one more thing.  There’s still a few weeks until we depart for Antigua and it’s not to late to sign up.  I am confident that it will be the best $200 you even spent.  Besides, that’s only 1/5th of a boat dollar.  Such a deal!

For sure, it’s becoming clear that come mid November Antigua will be “going to the Dawgs”.  Totally, for sure!