Day three and we are moving along slowly.

It’s Wednesday afternoon, day three of our passage and we have covered about 300 miles, a little more than a quarter of the trip.   There has been a decent amount of wind so we have only run the motor for about 12 hours so far, not a lot for a trip like this.

The problem though has been the wind direction, directly astern.   This means that we have had to watch the sails very carefully to be sure that we don’t have a crash jibe, which can break stuff.  And that’s not something that we really want to do in the middle of the ocean.

As I mentioned yesterday, it’s really deep here and I’ll admit that it is pretty creepy to see depths on the charts showing that the water is some 5 miles deep.  I suppose that anything more than 100 feet is deep enough but the thought of such crushing depths in absolute darkness gives one pause for thought.

As I write this we are passing The Dominican Republic, one of the largest islands, at over 300 miles long, in the Greater Antilles.   It is very unfortunate that we cannot stop to rest as it would be a very nice way  to break up the trip.   The harbor in particular that I have heard about is Luperon, which is supposed to be very pretty.  Alas, like everywhere else, the island is closed to visitors.

In spite of the trip covering some very large bodies of water, It does feel a bit like I am threading the needle as we have to be careful to avoid some shallow places that are quite large and unmarked by any land mass.   In particular, these areas, like the Bahamas Banks, come very near the surface immediately adjacent to waters that are over a mile deep.

There are two particular areas that I need to avoid, Navidad Bank and Silver Bank both off of the north coast of The Dominican Republic.   While they are separated by 30 or more miles from the DR,  these banks rise steeply from more than a mile deep to within 100 feet of the surface.  This can cause violent waves and as they are not well charted, potential hazards that are more shallow than the charts suggest.   The key is to pass close to the banks in order to stay well clear of the north coast of the DR, the idea being that we want to be out of the wind shadow of the big island.

After the DR, we will pass north of Cuba and below the southern part of the Bahamas a vast area of thousands of square miles of shoals that are less than 15 feet deep.    This passage will bring us within the territorial waters of both countries.  It is a very busy stretch of water and is only about 10 miles wide.   And, to make matters more exciting, it is among the busiest areas for shipping in the world.   This area, like most very busy shipping channels is marked with “fairways” clearly stating which side of the “road” ships should take, north being to transit west and south to east.   Our plan will be to stay to the north side heading west.    The last time Brenda and I passed that area was when we took Pandora from Georgetown Bahamas to Santiago de Cuba.   We crossed the shipping lanes and transited the Windward Passage before heading west along the south coast of Cuba and past Guantanamo bay.

Brenda continues to do well, better than we were expecting.  While she spends much of her time in the cockpit, she is sleeping well down in the main cabin.   She even took a shower in the cockpit today, something that is a daily ritual for me when I am on passage.   I will say that the one thing I really dislike about passage making is that it’s nearly always too hot.  Pandora’s engine is under the galley and when it’s running the whole main salon is warm.  Fans help but it’s sill uncomfortably as all the hatches need to be firmly closed to avoid unexpected waves.   However, as this trip is down wind much of the way, ocean spray is less of an issue so at least one hatch is left open much of the time.

One of the most unpleasant parts of being on the water 24/7 and underway is squalls.  While those here in the tropics are generally pretty mild, with extra wind in the 10kt range, they can still crop up most any time overnight and it can be quite unsettling to be struck by drenching rain and wind from most any direction, with little warning.   And, as these “cells” are on the move, if you happen to be going the same way that they are, you can find yourself stuck under your own private raincloud for hours at a time.

On a passage south a few years ago, I counted nearly 20 squalls that we endured over a short few day period.

Last night was not great fun as around 04:00 we were struck by a nasty cell that stayed with us for several hours.  I finally jibed to try and run away from it but somehow it just moved along with me and hit me all over again.  The winds were not huge but strong enough to make it uncomfortable and not knowing which way the wind was going to come from in the pitch dark kept me on my toes.

After squalls pass,  the wind is often very light and while I was racing along on a beam reach in rough seas just a few hours ago, I am now motoring directly downwind in less than 10kts on a smooth sea.

I am mindful of the amount of motoring that we can afford to do as there will be several days on this trip when we will have little or no wind.  I carry a fair amount of fuel but am limited to about 130 hours of motoring, not as much as I fear might be required foe a downwind trip of more that will likely take more than a week.

When we left St John, we were pretty sure that we would be dodging some nasty weather as we approached the Florida coast and that may have been confirmed today by Chris Parker.  He is concerned that an early season tropical low will be forming in the western Gulf of Mexico, GOMEX, and will possibly move to the NE and impact areas of the Bahamas and southern Florida.  It should not become a hurricane but it may very well become quite nasty with powerful thunderstorms and squalls.

It is very important that we not find ourselves in the area of this low as it would be quite uncomfortable and possibly quite dangerous.  His current recommendation is for us to be prepared to divert to the southern Bahamas, the island of Great Inagua or perhaps the Ragged Islands.  These are not all that far out of our way and are not well protected from nasty weather.  However, they are better than being out in the open ocean during a storm.  Additionally, The Government of the Bahamas has made it clear that they do not want anyone to come into their country.   However, as a participant in the Salty Dawg Flotilla, we have been granted a waiver to stop to shelter if needed.

I did get news earlier today that the restrictions in the Bahamas are still very strict but have been softened a bit to allow us to take shelter nearly anywhere we wish as long as we do not leave the boat.

This is all very unsettling but not unexpected as it is normal to run into adverse weather on a trip of this length.  It is just not possible to get a decent picture of the weather ten days in advance so the unexpected always pops up.  Fortunately, we have options and we will begin to have a better picture of what’s coming over the next few days.

I don’t like running the engine much early in a trip out of fear that we will have a shortage of wind later during the trip and run low on fuel.  However, the forecast still suggests that we should be able to sail a good portion of the trip so I am hopeful that we won’t run out.

So, wish us luck that we will continue to have luck, not too many squalls and God forbid, a storm as we make our way to Florida.

Wish us luck.

Well, after months of planning, Brenda and I shoved off from the USVIs yesterday to begin or long 1,100 mile run to Florida.  Making such a long run was the LAST thing that Brenda ever imagined she would do and yet, when considering all of the options open to us, she decided that it was the “lesser of all evils”.

To have crew fly in was our first choice but that proved to be much more difficult than we had imagined and with that option, Brenda too would have to spend time in an airport and on a plane, during a time of such danger and uncertainty.   And, crew, not knowing if they were infected along the way, would have to hang out with me in the USVIs for a while to be sure that they were healthy enough to make the trip.  And that would make for a very long time away when you consider that it’s a full week to get home once we shoved off.

Knowing how much Brenda did not want to make the run says a lot about how anxious she has been about flying into the US, with so much uncertainty and potential danger.  She just didn’t feel safe at all and was concerned about the dangers of the virus in large public spaces, airports and aboard planes.   We both feel that things are just not being handled very well in the US when compared to other counties.

So, after months of back and forth, we are making the trip together.

Seasickness has plagued Brenda for as long as we have spent time aboard and even that did not deter her when compared with the possibility of contracting the virus on the way home on a plane.

Over the years, she has tried about everything possible to solve her nausea and on this trip, we decided to give a good try to the “patch”, something that she has used off and on over the years and always giving up due to side effects such as a sore throat.

We also hoped that after a few days into a trip that will surely take more than a week, that her nausea would subside, as it does for most.

So, two days before we were to depart, she put a half patch behind her ear.  Fingers crossed.  So far, it’s working and while she doesn’t feel completely ok, she is able to be down below to sleep, wash up and use the washroom, something that has never been possible in the past.

So, we headed out yesterday afternoon, three hours after I headed ashore to get three more jerry cans to carry extra diesel.   I am really anxious about running out before we get to Florida as the wind is expected to be quite light. However, as luck would have it, the credit card machine in the hardware store was down and I only had enough money to buy one single 5 gallon can.  I thought that I would be able to go to a cash machine but we’ve been away from home for so long that my debit card expired and in spite of being on hold with Bank of America for a half hour, I wasn’t able to connect with anyone to try and get my card reactivated.

And, to make matters worse, after schlepping that one lonely can back to the marina to fill with fuel, I discovered that it had a small crack and it immediately began leaking my precious diesel all over the place.  So, back up the hill to the hardware store, dripping diesel all the way, to transfer the fuel into another can.  I was so frustrated and exhausted.  Up hill both ways, as they say.

Finally, I was able to get it resolved and headed back to Pandora to finish all of the last minute details like hoisting the dink on deck and securing everything for the long run to the US.

So, as I write this, into the second day of our voyage, we are nearing the western end of Puerto Rico and will soon be passing the Dominican Republic, both places that we would normally stop at to break up a trip like this.  Unfortunately, both are fully locked down because of the virus, along with every other island in the Caribbean.

It is interesting to note, that we passed the Puerto Rican Trench, the deepest spot in the entire Atlantic Ocean, over 27,000 ft deep.  There is only one place on the planet that is deeper and that’s in the Pacific, the Marianas Trench, I think.   It’s hard to believe that there is so much water beneath us and that to get to the bottom would involve going down as far as Mt Everest goes up.  And, the crushing pressures are far greater than the dangers of being at the summit of the highest mountain on earth.
I’ll admit that it is a bit creepy to think about how deep it is and at the same time, being out of sight of land for days at a time.

So, that’s our story, we are at sea and while the weather is nice, the wind is directly behind us and is barely strong enough to keep us moving.  Yes, it’s not too rough but Pandora is still doing plenty of bucking around with a following sea and you never know, from hour to hour, if there will be enough wind to keep us moving and how often we will have to run the engine and burn our precious fuel.

We do have enough to run the engine for more than 140 hours but that’s not enough to get us the entire way so we have to be very careful.

For now, we are making the best of it and getting into a routine, standing watch, resting, reading and doing what we can to pass the time as we make our way, non-stop, west to Florida where we will leave Pandora for a month while we head home in a rental car for a much anticipated return to CT and home.

I’ll continue to keep my GPS tracker going to don’t forget to follow us on the Garmin shared page under “where is the world is Pandora” and also through the Salty Dawg Flotilla page. I’ve shared that link in prior posts.

A special thanks to Melody, our son Chris’s partner for putting this up for me.

Stay safe and keep us in your thoughts and prayers.  We need all the help we can get.

Here we are, with nearly 1,000 miles left to go.  Next stop, Florida, sometime next week, I hope.

It’s been a long journey, getting to a point where we can say “we’re leaving the Caribbean and heading home”.  In a way, it seems like only yesterday when we were in Martinique enjoying the days of Carnival.  So much has changed.

Our plans on departing have changed.  As recently as yesterday Chris Parker, our weather router, suggested that leaving on Tuesday for Florida made the most sense.  However, after speaking to him again today, he has changed his tune and now thinks we should leave on Sunday, the original departure date for the flotilla.

The rub is that I had become focused on a Tuesday departure and am not quite ready.  In particular, I had hoped to purchase a few more diesel cans in town but they won’t be in stock until Monday.  However, fingers crossed, we probably have enough fuel as long as we can sail about half of the distance, so I won’t dwell on that.

However, I do need to fill the jugs that I have on board as I emptied two of them, five gallons each, into one of the tanks today.

So, the fuel dock opens up at 07:30 tomorrow and I’ll head in to fill the cans.  Brenda also wants me to make a last run to the grocery to get some provisions.  A rotisserie chicken will be a good first dinner out.

Next, the dink on board and off we go, hopefully by noon.

However, no post is complete without a picture, or two.  How about some fish?Our son’s partner Melody gave me this great GoPro camera.  I have underwater color correcting filters but they don’t seem to understand the exact color correction needed.  Each filter is coded to depth.  This one was for 5-15’depth.There were some nice modest reefs near where we had our mooring.  I didn’t get the color filter quite right on this one either.  A lovely French angel. I don’t know if these sea urchins are good or bad for the reef, but there are a lot of them. Well, I thought that I needed to put up some photos of fish before we shoved off, my first of the season.

I had hoped to use the camera  lot more this season but somehow I didn’t.  Blame the virus.  Thanks Melody, I hope to use the camera more next season.

Actually, I do wonder when the next season will be.  November?  I have my doubts. 

Anway, we are out of here.  Next stop, Florida.  

I hope to put up some posts, sans photos, along the way but that depends on being able to spend time below if Brenda is doing fairly well.   Hard to tell.

Wish us luck.

Remember, you can track us on “where in the world is Pandora”.  And, on the shared Salty Dawg Flotilla page.

 

After much back and forth about how we will be getting Pandora back to the US, Brenda and I have decided that the best option is just for the two of us to make the run ourselves.

It’s been a tough call as Brenda does not do well when things are rough as she is so prone to motion sickness.  We have found that the Scope patch is sorta, kinda, pretty good for her, even though it gives here a pretty bad sore throat.   For most, seasickness tends to go away after a few days but Brenda’s longest run wasn’t long enough to try that theory out .   For sure, this run will test that hypothesis.  Fingers crossed.

Brenda, and others who have suffered from mal de mer, say that “at first you feel like you are going to die and then fear that you won’t”.   Not her first choice, to be sure.   So, what to do?

We have considered many options for Brenda to allow her to avoid the run to the US, including having crew fly in so she can fly home.   However, as expected during this scary time, my crew didn’t feel comfortable flying down and Brenda also decided that she didn’t feel comfortable flying home herself.

So, the plan is for Brenda to make the run with me, something that would have seen unthinkable only a few short weeks ago.  It’s safe to say that much of what’s going on in the world these days we unthinkable only a few weeks ago.

So, what about the trip?  We spoke with our weather router, Chris Parker a few days ago to see what we can do to make the run the least uncomfortable for Brenda.  As we have been working with him for nearly 8 years, he knows Brenda well and is very sympathetic. His suggestion remains for us to take the southern route via the Old Bahamas Channel to Florida, basically 1,000 due mile west from here.

The problem is that the wind, beginning this weekend, is forecast to be very light, too light for sailing, for much of the route.   However, Chris holds out hope that if we wait a few days longer, perhaps until the middle of next week, that there will be more favorable wind and we will be able to sail more of the run, perhaps much of it.  Having wind is very important as we simply do not have enough fuel to make the entire run under power.  Experience tells me that if I manage things well I should be able to make as much as 3/4 of the 1,100 miles to our destination under power.

As recently as last fall, on my run south to Antigua, winds were quite light and contrary and I was under power for over 100 hours.  I can tell you that the anxiety about running out of fuel was all consuming and I have no interest in going through that again on this trip.

Light wind or not, it’s hard to forecast the weather even one week out.  However, with weather, a week is a long time and it’s highly likely that we will get some wind as long as we choose our departure date carefully.

We do know that Brenda is most uncomfortable when we are off the wind in rough conditions (isn’t just about everyone?) so leaving here when the winds are behind us makes sense.  Having said that, it is also a good idea to plan things so that there won’t be wind of more than 20kts behind us as above those speeds is what causes her the most discomfort.

Ideally, we will want to leave with a good wind forecast to allow us to do well for at least the first few days and allow us to put some miles “in the bank” before we have to rely more on the engine.

The winds south of the Bahamas, our planned route, are nearly always from an easterly direction so it’s not likely that we will be dealing with adverse winds until perhaps as we approach Florida where fronts exiting the US east coast can bring adverse clocking conditions.

One way or the other, it’s just me and Brenda to make the trip so we will just have to work through this, something that we have been doing together for nearly 50 years so I’m sure that we will again muddle our way.

So here we sit, and over the next few days we will just have to hang out and be ready for a quick escape as soon as conditions are right.   I plan on calling Chris again in a day or so to check on his “Brenda forecast”.  While we recieve a general forecast via email each day, speaking to him directly is good for Brenda as it gives her the feeling of Chris’s hand on her shoulder and, to her, it’s like him saying “Brenda, it’s going to be OK.”

That’s it, we are counting on you Chris so give us a good forecast and soon.

For now, we’re here in St Johns, a lovely spot with lovely beaches to walk on and water so clear you can see 40′ down. And sunsets that will take your breath away.
Remember, the Salty Dawg Flotilla has a tracking map compliments of Predict Wind, to help you keep track of where all of the boats are as they leave each week for the US.   Note that the map has a listing of all the boats down the right side of the screen so you can click on Pandora to see where she is and what her speed and course are.

To date, there are over 200 boats signed up to participate in the Salty Dawg Flotilla to the US, a great example of Cruisers helping Cruisers during this difficult time.  I am glad to be a part of this effort and hope that I NEVER have to be involved with something like this again.  Just sayin…

We’d love to be home but here we wait…

Two days ago Brenda and I arrived in St John after a 200 mile run from Antigua.

Clearing in was easy using the ROAM app on my phone.  I tend to be a bit skeptical about any government sites or apps but this one worked remarkably well.  I opened the app, scanned the photo page of our passports, it populated almost everything needed and automatically sent a notice to customs and Immigration.  About 10 minutes later, my phone rang and an officer cleared us in.   It was amazingly easy.

The only thing I had to do after that was to call a second number and submit to a brief Covid-19 health survey.  I was also surprised to learn that by clearing into the USVIs, a territory, that we were cleared into the US, as long as we didn’t stop elsewhere prior to arriving in the US.

We made the run here at an average speed of about 7kts with the wind on a very deep reach.  This made for a very easy run until the wind picked up to 20+kts and the seas rose to a lumpy 4-7′.   The problem with being on that deep a reach is that I was unable to use the jib as a way to more fully stabilize the boat and with the waves nearly directly behind us, we rolled a lot which was quite uncomfortable for Brenda.

Overall, Pandora is fairly stable, even with a following sea, but being sure that we didn’t end up with any sort of unexpected jibe required constant vigilance as having the boom slam over unexpectedly can cause all sorts of mayhem.  Fortunately, between the boom break securing things and a careful eye on the wind, we had no problems.

The biggest issue for us was that Brenda really didn’t feel well and at one point we forgot to dose her on additional Stugeron seasickness pill, so as that wore off, that was the end of her taking anything to keep her comfortable.

As we passed St John on our way to St Thomas to pick up Brenda’s meds that had been shipped here from the US,  the waves got pretty big and we decided to bail from rolly Red Hook harbor and head over to the more protected St John national park and the site of the old Caneel Bay resort, where we now sit on a mooring.

We still have to get her meds so I am thinking that I’ll head over there on a ferry in a day or so to meet the folks that accepted our package.   In spite of the fact that there are more virus cases here, I went to a small market yesterday and felt pretty secure with the safety considerations in place, distancing, sanitizer and my mask in place.   I hope I am right.

There are some pretty inquisitive turtles keeping an eye on us here.   This guy, about 2′ in diameter, would approach us within 10′ of the boat, poke his head up seemingly to say “do I know you?”Most of St John, one of three major islands in the USVIs, is a national park and anchoring is not permitted in park areas.  The primary reason is that anchors and chain will damage coral and tear up the grass that grows on the bottom as the boat boat drifts one way or the other.   The moorings, managed by the National Park Service, are $26/day.    Fortunately, I signed up for a senior discount card for use in any National Park which gives us access to any services at half price “for life”.  I purchased the card 3-4 years ago when Brenda and I were visiting Chris and Melody in San Francisco.  Frankly, I haven’t used the card, even once, since purchasing it and was shocked to find that it was still in my wallet.   Lucky us as this means that we only pay $13 a night.

The water here is remarkably clear, more so than any place that we have visited since being in Cuba and the Bahamas and surely more clear than most places in the Caribbean so far.    I’d guess that the visibility is about 40′, much more than the 6′ of Falmouth Harbor, which was more green from algae than the pure ocean blue here.  We are on the closest mooring toward shore, perhaps the best location of all.   On shore is a resort, the Caneel Bay Resort, closed like all others in the Caribbean these days.  However, I don’t think that they will be emerging from lock-down any time soon as the resort, destroyed in 2017 after being in business since 1956 it has yet to be reopened.  It was an eco-resort, opened by Laurance Rockefeller when he owned nearly the entire island.  Their site suggests that they may open up again soon but I didn’t see any evidence of construction or demolition in evidence.  I guess we will have to wait and see.There are dozens of moorings in the area with only one or two opening up most days.  I recall seeing this very unusual catamaran in Antigua a few weeks ago.   Having one mast on each hull.  Very unusual. I think she was designed by Chris White from RI.  It seems that he is known for some unusual designs, many of them multihulls.  Not sure as I wasn’t able to find her design on his site. However, he seems like a logical choice to have been the designer based on some of the details of other models he’s drawn.

So, here we are in St John and our next step, planned for on or about May 10th, is to head to the US.  However, I’ll admit that I am a bit unclear as to how our plans will play out given how uncomfortable Brenda was for much of the trip here.  And both of us are nervous about making such a long trip without a clear plan for dealing with her sea sickness.  We have been told that nearly everyone gets over nausea after a few days but not always and the idea of single handing back to the US is not sounding particularly appealing to me.

Before we left Antigua we had to go back to St John harbor, an industrial, wholly unattractive and smelly port to clear out.   The one bright spot was seeing the ship, known as “the big lift” that transports yachts from place to place.  There’s a lot to be said for putting a yacht on a ship to avoid the wear and tear of an ocean voyage.  However, to move Pandora to say, Newport, would costs more than $20k, and that would pay for a l0t of repairs.This is a big ship.  Her biggest passenger was the classic J, Topaz, one of the boats that competed in some races in Antigua prior to the arrival of the Covid-19.  Topaz was on the receiving end of a dramatic collision between her and Svea with Svea ultimately found at fault.  Check out this article chronicling the event.   This very brief video shows what happened.  It’s hard to imagine what it must have been like to have Svea ride up over her stern.  Amazingly, the mast didn’t come down.  That had to have been some really fancy footwork on the part of the crew of Topaz to secure the missing aft support for the mast.

Another boat to be hoisted aboard was Maiden.  We had seen her in Antigua, most recently in English Harbor.  Maiden, the first round the world race boat to carry an all female crew.   Brenda and I enjoyed a showing of the movie about that race at the Antigua Yacht Club back in early January when we first returned to Antigua after the holidays.  How much has changed in a few short months.  When we met the still all female crew of Maiden, they were planning to sail up the US East Coast this spring to visit many yacht clubs along the way.   Not now…It was interesting to see yachts pull up, one after another to be hoisted aboard.  The crew made pretty fast work of getting the boats prepared. In the slings, and over onto the deck.  I’ll admit that seeing all this happen made me wonder at the simplicity of it all as a way to get Pandora home.

Alas, we headed back to the harbor near St John to spend a final night in Antigua.  Quarantine or not, we did have our friends Mark and Lynn over for a brief visit before we headed out on Thursday morning.

I expect that these two cavorting on their boom were likely more focused on fun than the risk.  Down below, parents holding their breath…So, off we headed the next morning.  Things were very settled for much of the day, mostly with just enough wind to make a decent speed. We passed to windward of Nevis and St Kitts. And into the night as the sun set.  From there, not a sight of land for another 100 miles.  Unfortunately, it became progressively windier and more lumpy.   Brenda wasn’t amused and didn’t feel well at all.  She was only able to stand watch for part of the time.

However, it all worked out even if I didn’t get much sleep.   So, here we sit waiting for our date and a good “window” to head to the US, unsure about exactly when it will be the right time to head out.  Mostly, because we are both fearful that Brenda will not be able to hold up her part of the crew responsibilities.  And, if I don’t get at least some rest, I won’t be able to make good decisions and that will put us both at risk.

We are still considering options and the best approach to use to get Pandora and us back to CT safely but for now we will hang out here and come up with a plan that is safe and workable.

I did talk to Chris Parker yesterday to compare notes on the best options and as the next few weeks unfold, I am sure that we will figure it out.

For now, were’re here but it’s not the “here” that we want, not quite yet, anyway.