It’s 0500 on Tuesday, and we are motoring along at 8kts on fairly flat water about 50 miles off of the mouth of the Chesapeake Bay.  As of 0100 the repaired autopilot was no longer repaired.  We feared that there may be problems again as we were not able to replace a deformed bushing along with the damaged gear in the unit.  We had hoped that the repair would hold out until Norwalk, but no such luck.  Normally, hand steering isn’t that big a deal but The Abby has a nasty pull to port under power.  As I understand it, the prop wash hits the rudder in an unbalanced way and kicks the rudder hard to the left.  I am unaware of a fix for this except to just “horse” the wheel to one side when under power.  If we had a favorable wind we could sail and the helm wouldn’t be a particularly big deal.  Alas, that’s not the way it is when you are making passage.

Fortunately, with calm seas, hand steering is easier than it would have been under more aggressive conditions.  Besides, we will be home on Wednesday so that means only about 18 hours more at the helm.  For now we seem to be doing well with half hour stints at the wheel and the plan is to adjust the watches so that we are on for 4 hours and off for 4.  We’ll see how that goes.

Memorial Day, May 28, 2012, 1700

We are about 15 km off of Cape Hatteras and are motor sailing.  It’s plenty hot down below and in spite of my best efforts, I was unable to get any sleep this afternoon.  It’s very sunny and warm but the breeze, about 10-15, while not sturdy enough to make good time under sail alone, is refreshing.  A while ago we were visited by a pod of dolphins who stayed with us for about half an hour, swimming and jumping along side and on both sides of the bow.  I have seen plenty in the past but this is the first time that I have seen them so close, darting up within a foot of the boat, jumping out of the water and darting off.
It was clear that they were playing and at eight plus knots, they were really making time.  I was able to shoot some great videos of them.  After about 15 minutes of hand held video I rigged up the attachment to the boat hook so that I could get a better angle for the shot.  Unfortunately, they lost interest and left us.  I am hopeful that they will be back and I’m ready to get some really fun shots.

Bob and I will be on watch at 19:00 until 23:00 and dinner, pork tenderloin with a fresh mango and marmalade glaze will be a nice way to welcome the evening.   Oh yeah, there will be mashed potatoes too.

As it’s the hottest down below that it has been so far, I am really hoping that the temperature will go down with the sun.  I made a special point of bringing a watch cap to ward off the chill.  Hmm…

Here we sit in beautiful Beaufort, NC, for a few more days courtesy of the second tropical storm of the season, Beryl.  Who would have guessed that we would have delays caused by two, count em, two (so far) named storms as we head north from Nassau?  I am not going home until I have enjoyed all of the named storms of this season.

However, I can imagine worse places to spend Memorial Day weekend than a place crammed with cruisers from all over.  I met a nice couple yesterday who live aboard a Hallberg Rassy 35 and have been cruising for the last two years.   As most insurance companies require their insured to be north of Cape Hatteras by June 1st,  the result is  there is a constant stream of cruisers coming through Beaufort as they move northward.

One particular draw of Beaufort is the fact that the Intra Coastal Waterway here offers a safe way to avoid going outside around Hatteras, sometimes called “the graveyard of the Atlantic”.  Boats with a mast height less than 65′  can travel inside and avoid bad weather off shore.   In our case, Beryl (remember her?) is out there with strong NE winds, the very direction you want to avoid in the north flowing Gulf Stream which kick up some really awful conditions.  As The Abby’s mast is plenty taller than 65′, we have no choice but to wait until things calm down and go outside.

So, what’s a sailor to do when stuck in a beautiful resort town on Memorial Day weekend?  EAT!!!

Fortunately, at least one of our crew, Mark, is a very good cook and with our able help, we are not starving.  Just take a look at this spread from lunch the other day, salad Nicoise and a nice rose´.Our chef is the grey haired gentleman on the left.  No wait, we are all grey.  Well, he is still the one on the left.  Me? I am an awesome dish washer.  It’s that fastidious thing and it does come in handy from time to time.

As far as our leaving here, that’s up to Beryl with a dispensation from Neptune.  More to come on that.  Monday?  we will just have to see.

The plan for bringing The Abby back from Nassau called for a stop in Beaufort, NC, for a crew rest and to get fuel.  My parents have always said that I have always been blessed with a guardian angel, and she was on full alert yesterday when the auto pilot failed just as we entered Beaufort Inlet, just south of the notorious Cape Hatteras.   The Abby is a big boat, and the idea of hand steering her 24/7 wasn’t appealing at all.

I have to give The Abby’s owner Bob, credit for being a very handy guy, and he had the problem diagnosed within an hour of docking and he was on the phone with the manufacturer getting a replacement part, a stripped gear that engages the auto pilot.   I am always amazed by how durable equipment on boats is these days.  Bob’s autopilot is 10 years old and this is the first major failure.  Impressive and good news as Pandora has the same autopilot.  I think that I’ll be checking the same gear for wear myself soon.   As is often the case, the part was not expensive but when you combine that with overnight delivery and and extra night of dockage, that was one expensive little gear.  Not a bad place to have gear problems at all.   This “surprise” will keep us here for an extra day, which is fine with me. Besides, they say that cruising is just boat repair in exotic places.   Works for me.

The Abby is looking good in her slip.  Most of the boats here are on delivery up the coast from warmer climes.   I am told that the mix will shift next weekend when the locals will be out in force.   I have to say that Beaufort  (and I am told that it’s pronounced “Bowfort”, and not “Byuufort”), which is in SC, is a lovely small city.  In fact, Beaufort was named “the coolest small town in America”,  a distinction that they are very proud of.  Their official site certainly makes me want to visit.   No wait, I am here…

Beaufort will be an early stop for me and Brenda as we make our way south in the fall and I am really looking forward to sharing this spot with Brenda.   The town dock is right in the center of town which is lined with wonderfully maintained historic homes.

This beautiful spot is a great example of homes along Main Street.  It’s not hard to imagine a mint julep hear on a cool evening.   Very nice.  Shrimping is a big thing here (actually, I had some of the local critters for dinner last night) and here’s a few of the fleet at the dock.  Reminds me of Forest Gump.The town planners must have been really anal as it’s hard to imagine a street that’s straighter. 

Even the boardwalk is perfect and there’s someone who waters all of these pots each day I would guess.  There have to at least 100 of these in a row. 

The local fauna is not afraid to hang out on the dock to snag a snack.

Off to better hunting grounds I guess.

There’s  a very nice maritime museum, The Beaufort Maritime Museum,  a very nice museum that gives a good history of the area.  It seems that Blackbeard’s ship, Queen Anne’s Revenge, sank here, and there are plenty of artifacts on display from this ongoing archeological dig.   Is it a “dig” when it’s underwater?  Hmm…  Lot’s of pirate references here and you know that the locals take pirates seriously when you see a bumper sticker that says “Arrg”.   Is that how you spell it?  Perhaps it doesn’t matter as I doubt that Blackbeard was a great speller.  Actually, our captain says that it’s spelled ARG which stands for “alcohol research group”.  I’m voting for that.Some nice models on display too.  What post is complete without a sunset shot?   You can’t beat sunsets, or sunrises for that matter, when you are at sea.

Oh yea, one of our crew, Mark is a fabulous cook and judging by the massive pile of ingredients that just showed up for dinner we are in for a treat.  Can you say Brontosaurus burger?  Where’s my statin?