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Written by Trudy and edited by Graham |
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Day One Big Major’s Spot, Staniel Cay, Exuma We left the the Exumas with mounting excitement due to the possibility of an extended offshore passage. Until then, our longest trip had been the 29 hour "motor boat" ride from Beaufort SC to St. Augustine FL. We were ready; Luna Azul's fuel tanks had been filled to capacity, as had the on-deck jerry cans, and and we had already prepared food for the first few days at sea. Initially we'd shared some disappointment for not making Bermuda our destination, however winds were predicted to be light, and without sufficient fuel, there was no way we could motor the whole way. All the original preparations for Bermuda (mending storm sails, roller furler, cleaning the prop etc) were also relevant for this trip north so no time or energy had been wasted.
Sunset prior to departure Leaving the anchorage early in the morning and heading north at the same time were our friends on Bel Ami and Reverie. Bel Ami was, like us, heading towards the Chesapeake, and Reverie was headed for Florida, and on toward Alabama via the Okechobe Canal. During these early stages of the voyage we were able to compare notes on the weather and route planning using the VHF radio. Everyone correctly calculated we'd all be off the banks and safely in the deeper waters of the Tongue of the Ocean before night fall. With light winds blowing gently across the stern rail, we watched behind as Bel Ami deployed their spinnaker and started gaining on us. At that instant we just knew we had to do the same if we wished to remain in sight for more than a couple of hours. Later, as we approached the shallower waters of Northwest Channel Light, the wind increased near 20 knots and gave Graham the first of several nighttime opportunities to douse the chute on a bouncing foredeck. The lumpy ride we were now experiencing had starting to create havoc with my fragile stomach, and I was glad the freshly placed Transderm-scop patch started working its magic in only a few hours. We both found it difficult to settle into the three hour watch patterns we'd earlier agreed on. Graham's first sleep cycle had been disturbed by running the engine while charging the batteries, and his second by the midnight spinnaker takedown. We progressed comfortably for the remainder of the night with one reef in the main and the full 135% Genoa. By morning we knew we would be feeling the effects of too little sleep. Day Two 24º52.19’N / 77º34.37’W @ 01.00 Zulu The approach to NW Channel Light marked the start of the second shallow water segment of the passage. We arrived on the banks and negotiated the initial shoals just before sunrise, but after that we were thankful for excellent visibility allowing us to avoid any isolated coral heads on the route towards Bimini. Wave action settled down and gave us welcome relief from the overnight washing machine effect to the northwest of New Providence island. As dusk approached, we said goodbye to the azure Bahamian waters of our winter refuge and entered the busy shipping lanes in the Straits of Florida. Up to this point we'd remained in regular VHF contact with Bel Ami, who we now estimated to be approximately 5 miles ahead of us. Reverie, having been unable to keep their spinnaker flying the day before, were now some distance behind, almost out of communication range.. Around the time we said our final goodbyes to Reverie, we picked up contact with Pioneer, who had departed Nassau the night before. Graham went off-watch first, however it wasn't long until I woke him to take a look at a large and very unusual object approaching us. It seemed that no matter what direction I steered Luna Azul, the lights kept moving relentlessly closer. When we finally made contact on channel 16, we discovered it was a pair of tug boats towing a large oil-rig like structure slowly southwards against the Gulf Stream. The northerly 2 knot current was happily helping us towards our destination, but having a seriously detrimental effect on the tug & tow. Once safely past, Graham managed to get a much needed three hours of uninterrupted sleep. Day Three 26º04.00’N / 79º25.63W @ 00.16 Zulu As we sailed into the third day we downloaded and analyzed several GRIB files containing up to date Gulf Stream current forecasts in order to best position ourselves in the 3½ - 4½ knot flow. The spinnaker was raised once again, as was becoming customary each morning, and we were happy to be able to keep it up until the wind died late in the afternoon. Now with insufficient wind to fill the sails, we found ourselves reluctantly starting the engine and nervously pushed it into gear; Some weeks before, we'd discovered a broken engine mount, probably caused by significant alignment issues. Running the engine to charge batteries and feed the autopilot was one thing, but the prospect of driving the boat any significant distance, or into any kind of seaway did not make either of us particularly happy. Thankfully for now the seas were calm, and what little wind remained, was coming from behind. Ever since passing us during the first afternoon, Bel Ami remained in the lead, and by now was some 2 hours and 7-10 miles in front. As dusk approached, we made SSB contact with them and Pioneer in order to discuss tactics for the upcoming bend in the Gulf Stream. At the time we didn't realize how significant those discussions would prove to be, since we never expected to make up for time spent on our slowest point of sail. The facts seemed plain enough; Luna Azul is a deep-draft heavy displacement cruiser which sails fastest with the wind forward of the beam, while Bel Ami's much shallower draft allows her to go faster downwind. We might not have been in an official race, however we sure didn't plan on arriving second if there was any way to avoid it! Day Four 29º16.48N / 79º59.91W @ 00.00 Zulu We called Bel Ami around breakfast time to discuss overnight progress, and were naturally shocked to discover we'd not only closed the gap with them, but were now some 7 miles ahead. Further discussion indicated we'd turned east earlier and remained in the region of strongest current, while they'd inadvertently strayed too far north and hence passed right through the western stream wall. Throughout the day and night we seemed to be forever reconfiguring the sail plan to match changing weather conditions. By the end of the day we must have lowered, raised and lowered the spinnaker, set the jib twice, and put in the first reef in the main twice. We were making great progress, despite having to give up chasing in a strong 5.5 knot eddy which threatened to drag us south away from the rhumb line. By now we were both feeling very tired and any sleep we did grab did not seem enough. During the day Graham took as many naps as possible, and thankfully he did begin to look and feel a little more human. A three day weather outlook predicting severe thunderstorms and strong northwesterly winds was beginning to make it look increasingly likely we'd have to make landfall at Beaufort rather than continuing around Cape Hatteras to Norfolk. A decision would have to be made sometime within the next 12 hours.
Bel Ami catching up with us again As dusk approached, we found ourselves in sight of Bel Ami for the first time since leaving NW Channel Light. Easing winds and our rather slow decision to hop out of an increasingly unfavorable eddy current saw them regain much of the ground lost the previous night. There was little doubt in our minds that by morning they would be ahead of us again - maybe we'd get help with our dock lines? Day Five 32º06.04N / 77º59.51W @ 00.00 Zulu At 01.41 Zulu we decided we would make an early decision and alter course toward Beaufort NC. An unfavorable weather forecast and significant slowing of the Gulf Stream made it increasing unlikely we could safely get around Cape Hatteras before the next cold front made its appearance. For most of the day, visibility remained less than two miles in light fog. I found it hard to believe that a nearby tug boat might be referring to us when I heard its repeated calls on the radio; I could neither see it, nor figure its relative position, and through sheer exhaustion I'd misread our own GPS coordinates. Thankfully questions from Bel Ami helped sort things out in plenty of time for us to take the appropriate action.
Graham holding a tasty Spanish Mackerel he caught on our approach to Beaufort While heading toward the outer racon buoy near Beaufort inlet, we started seeing approaching towering cumulus-nimbus clouds with developing anvils. Over the next hour, lightning activity within the clouds became more intense and we began to think we might be about to get wet. To our surprise, the bulk of the storm passed north of us, although we did experience strong gusty winds as the edge of the cell passed overhead. Thankfully we'd been spared any rain throughout the entire journey. Upon our arrival at the town dock, we found Bel Ami already secure and her crew waiting to help us tie up, much as expected. We'd arrived two hours later than them, but after traveling 825 miles in 4½ days, it really didn't seem to matter any more! Nearby were the welcoming sounds of a local band playing at the marina bar, and to our relief, we were quickly able to clear customs & immigration then get over there for a much-needed cold beer. Some statistics:
Crew: Trudy and Graham Norbury, and their cats Sylvester and Shadow
Written 7th - 10th May and edited 29th July 2003
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