Jammin' is enjoying good sea conditions, clear skies, and motoring around 3.4 knt towards Cape Hatteras. Life is good!
The Salty Dawg Rally has been great and the support superb. The daily nets and the encouragement from other participants have made this long journey a wonderful event. We would like to also send out a great big thank you to Chris Parker and his weather report service. Chris's report have been right on and accurate in every case. We used what he gave us and ended up avoiding the worse of the two weather problems and ugly conditions at sea. His thorough explanations of what we would be facing supported by position recommendations gave us a path to follow that kept us and the boat relatively safe. His services are well worth the investment. For all you in Bermuda, hope your time there is sweet and restful, and that your seas and weather are perfect when you once more head out to sea. Looking forward to meeting up with you Salty Dawgs through the summer/fall or finding you back in the Carib next winter. Until then, we be Jammin' Helen and Dave Peoples
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Sunday, May 26, 2013
Saturday, May 25, 2013
Day 9 Hour After the Storm
Saturday May 25
We made it through the ugly trough with squalls and 40+winds, the chilly cold front with winds 20-25 knts. out of the north, and threats from the low in Chesapeake of gale force winds above us. The convergence of all three made us question sitting out here. Most of the Salty Dawgs chose to sit it out in Bermuda sipping dark and stormy rum drinks.
For three days we have zigged and zagged in the safe latitudes, and hove to for about 3 hours before Dave started zig zagging again. Hooray! The worse is over. No damage, no problems. Currently we are traveling west and all is good.
After clearing the messy weather this morning the steering wheel threw its nut overboard and fell off. Auto pilot does not require a steering wheel, thank goodness. The wheel is now back on--held fast by wire twisted around the exposed threads.
Our gear arm is also broken, and a pair of vice grips allow us to shift. A few days ago our out-haul blew apart on the boom and strong line is still holding it in place. The pictures of all these at sea repairs will make a great article.
Now as we wait for the beer to chill and the nacho to bubble,we are experiencing burst of wind that take us screaming at 7knts. and then suddenly die off and leave us making 2 knts. on our western heading towards the Gulf Stream and the states.
Earlier we tried motoring north a we were maing 1.7 knts and using up valuable fuel. Hard to say how many days it will take us to make the last 400 miles of this 1,600+ mile trip--an extra 200 due to zig zagging. We will be motoring for some of it, and sailing as well. So, I guess we will see you when we see you. Don't bother to set up a betting pool for our arrive day (forget hour of arrival)it is so unpredictable. The good news is we bought BoatUS towing insurance the day we started and paid for the Deluxe plan--the one where they will come out 150 miles and deliver fuel...Hopefully we won't need to make that call.
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We made it through the ugly trough with squalls and 40+winds, the chilly cold front with winds 20-25 knts. out of the north, and threats from the low in Chesapeake of gale force winds above us. The convergence of all three made us question sitting out here. Most of the Salty Dawgs chose to sit it out in Bermuda sipping dark and stormy rum drinks.
For three days we have zigged and zagged in the safe latitudes, and hove to for about 3 hours before Dave started zig zagging again. Hooray! The worse is over. No damage, no problems. Currently we are traveling west and all is good.
After clearing the messy weather this morning the steering wheel threw its nut overboard and fell off. Auto pilot does not require a steering wheel, thank goodness. The wheel is now back on--held fast by wire twisted around the exposed threads.
Our gear arm is also broken, and a pair of vice grips allow us to shift. A few days ago our out-haul blew apart on the boom and strong line is still holding it in place. The pictures of all these at sea repairs will make a great article.
Now as we wait for the beer to chill and the nacho to bubble,we are experiencing burst of wind that take us screaming at 7knts. and then suddenly die off and leave us making 2 knts. on our western heading towards the Gulf Stream and the states.
Earlier we tried motoring north a we were maing 1.7 knts and using up valuable fuel. Hard to say how many days it will take us to make the last 400 miles of this 1,600+ mile trip--an extra 200 due to zig zagging. We will be motoring for some of it, and sailing as well. So, I guess we will see you when we see you. Don't bother to set up a betting pool for our arrive day (forget hour of arrival)it is so unpredictable. The good news is we bought BoatUS towing insurance the day we started and paid for the Deluxe plan--the one where they will come out 150 miles and deliver fuel...Hopefully we won't need to make that call.
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Wednesday, May 22, 2013
Day 6 At Sea
We are just meandering our way today through the lumpy waters west of Bermuda with no need for speed or sails. With the news about the adverse wind and sea conditions around the Gulf Stream and waters North of 32 latitude from Thursday through Sunday, we decided to cut cookies down here in the lower lats and wait out the storm. We could be fixing things but the things that have broken to date are either fixed or cannot be without parts we don't have. Yet, life is good and we are baking a chocolate cake as I write this post.
As we departed Francis Bay last Friday and raised our main we saw two of our battens start to slide out. We quickly dropped sails, shoved them back in, velcro closed the openings, and got underway again. Day one was starting out with a challenge. When we shoved the battens in, our stack pack loops revealed their age and two of those ripped out as well. Day Two the sun rose and we looked up at our main and saw one batten was gone and the other was on its way, again we dropped the sail trying to save it but the dip in the sail worked against us and sent it flying out of our reach. Two gone, two still there. Day 3 as we ate lunch our loose footed mainsail out-haul (which hold the back end onto the boom)blew out. The only thing holding it was our reef line. A quick thinking Dave pulled out some reserve line and he improvised a fix--still working and not chaffing. Day 4 Dave turned 63 and the boat gave him respect, Not one thing went wrong or broke. Day 5 we discovered the other two battens had left their home so we added new battens to our refitting list. Day 6 has been a day where we could catch up on sleep and relax our bodies, seas are 1-3 with an occasional 6 foot roller, with winds of less than 10.
On my late watch (2AM-7AM)many lofty thoughts take me wandering through the meaning of life, man, relationships, etc. and meaningful AaHaa moments stream through my mind, but I always stray to lesser ideas by the end of my watch. Such was the case last night/morning...I watched the wobbled shape moon change from its bright yellow reflection to a deep orange red on its approach to the western horizon. When it slid into the Atlantic it was more blood red than orange which led me to ponder the old saying about the red sun in morning, sailor take warning...is there such a rhythm for the moon? Well, in about two hours I would see the sun rise and compare--the sun rose redish at first and then faded to a pale rising sun. My musing then went off to the lip stitched across the top of my coat pockets (Yes, it's time for fleece coats and long pants) which made it hard to get my cold hands into them. Is it designed to keep water from running in? Perhaps to keep from snagging things as you move about the boat? Or does it keep things from falling out when you go to pick it up upside down? It sure gives a trimmed line to the front. Bet it would look great on the back pockets of pants, better than the flaps that never lays flat and the corners curl up making your butt look bigger! Hey that would make a good ad, "Do these pants make my butt look smaller?"...OBVIOUSLY, I am slipping into sleep depravation, time for a bite of chocolate and another cup of caffinated tea.
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As we departed Francis Bay last Friday and raised our main we saw two of our battens start to slide out. We quickly dropped sails, shoved them back in, velcro closed the openings, and got underway again. Day one was starting out with a challenge. When we shoved the battens in, our stack pack loops revealed their age and two of those ripped out as well. Day Two the sun rose and we looked up at our main and saw one batten was gone and the other was on its way, again we dropped the sail trying to save it but the dip in the sail worked against us and sent it flying out of our reach. Two gone, two still there. Day 3 as we ate lunch our loose footed mainsail out-haul (which hold the back end onto the boom)blew out. The only thing holding it was our reef line. A quick thinking Dave pulled out some reserve line and he improvised a fix--still working and not chaffing. Day 4 Dave turned 63 and the boat gave him respect, Not one thing went wrong or broke. Day 5 we discovered the other two battens had left their home so we added new battens to our refitting list. Day 6 has been a day where we could catch up on sleep and relax our bodies, seas are 1-3 with an occasional 6 foot roller, with winds of less than 10.
On my late watch (2AM-7AM)many lofty thoughts take me wandering through the meaning of life, man, relationships, etc. and meaningful AaHaa moments stream through my mind, but I always stray to lesser ideas by the end of my watch. Such was the case last night/morning...I watched the wobbled shape moon change from its bright yellow reflection to a deep orange red on its approach to the western horizon. When it slid into the Atlantic it was more blood red than orange which led me to ponder the old saying about the red sun in morning, sailor take warning...is there such a rhythm for the moon? Well, in about two hours I would see the sun rise and compare--the sun rose redish at first and then faded to a pale rising sun. My musing then went off to the lip stitched across the top of my coat pockets (Yes, it's time for fleece coats and long pants) which made it hard to get my cold hands into them. Is it designed to keep water from running in? Perhaps to keep from snagging things as you move about the boat? Or does it keep things from falling out when you go to pick it up upside down? It sure gives a trimmed line to the front. Bet it would look great on the back pockets of pants, better than the flaps that never lays flat and the corners curl up making your butt look bigger! Hey that would make a good ad, "Do these pants make my butt look smaller?"...OBVIOUSLY, I am slipping into sleep depravation, time for a bite of chocolate and another cup of caffinated tea.
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Tuesday, May 21, 2013
Taking a detour towards Bermuda
Our rhumb line to Chesapeake just took a sharp turn to the right. Jammin' is use to taking side trip when traveling--usually to eat or see new sites. This detour however is due to weather reports forecasting gale/storm conditions from Thursday through Saturday (where we would be if we stuck to our rhumb). So to avoid having our sails eaten, and being blown to sites we don't want to see, we will hang out below 32 North and East of 70 West with a few other boats.
Today we hit slower speeds and softer winds. Our average speed up to this point has been 7--this boat is use to doing 5. It has been a consistent slant to the port that requires one hand holding onto something when moving about, the up and down motion is predictable, its that occasional slap of a wave on the starboard that sends your feet skidding. I finished my 9th book this morning and Dave is still fishing. We are 0 to 1, zero fish and the fish scored one lure. Perhaps on our detour we will find a fish or two that want to come aboard for dinner...LIG (Life is Good)
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Today we hit slower speeds and softer winds. Our average speed up to this point has been 7--this boat is use to doing 5. It has been a consistent slant to the port that requires one hand holding onto something when moving about, the up and down motion is predictable, its that occasional slap of a wave on the starboard that sends your feet skidding. I finished my 9th book this morning and Dave is still fishing. We are 0 to 1, zero fish and the fish scored one lure. Perhaps on our detour we will find a fish or two that want to come aboard for dinner...LIG (Life is Good)
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Monday, May 20, 2013
Third Day.
Still almost perfect sailing. I guess I never realized that Jammin could sail so long at near hull speed. Very seldom during the day do we see speeds below 7.3 knts. I had gotten so used to 5.5 I thought that was normal. Our winds have mostly been out of the east at 15 to 18 knots. We have been on a broad reach since we left. In a couple of days the winds will turn more south, southwest. Not sure how well she will do more down wind. We have been fishing most of the time and no luck yet. Something bit my lure off yesterday but nothing on the line yet. We haven't heard of anyone catching a fish going north so I don't feel alone. We had a freighter cross one mile in front of us last night, and one other sailboat heading east. Those are the only boats we have seen. The freighter caught us off guard a bit. We didn't see him till he was a couple of miles away. I think mom is on her sixth book and I have finished 2. Not really much else to do but read, sleep, eat, and be on watch. Just found another boat on AIS miss us by 2 plus miles. Getting good sleep is still a problem. I am sure we will figure it out soon.
Life is good
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Life is good
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Sunday, May 19, 2013
Day two
So far it has been wonderful sailing all the way. We have logged 333 miles in 48 hrs. If we keep this up we will arrive at the Gulf Stream by Saturday the 25th. This is not good. There is a cold front with north wind coming in on either Friday or Saturday. This would make it very rough crossing the stream. We have never done it before but have heard it is not a good thing in any kind of a Northerner. So we have decided to slow down. I shorten sail this morning to about 50% jib and full main. We are still making over 7 knots most of the time. If the weather forecast doesn't change we will try to slow down some more so we can arrive on Monday or Tuesday which we hope are better days. Jammin is doing great the conditions are near perfect. The ride is good and we are still trying to figure out sleep patterns so can get enough. Life is good. Sailing fast but sailing safe
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Saturday, May 18, 2013
Day one
Good first day log 172 miles which is on of the fastest days ever. Had a steady 15 to 18 knots of wind with 6ft swells and 4-5ft windwaves. We were on a broad reach all day. We lost two battens out of the sail, poor design, but other than that no problems. It really has been a good day. We have about 1100 to go to get to the Chesapeake. Chris Parker says we might have some adverse weather by the time we get there. We will see. Another sunny day no squalls on the horizon.
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Sunday, May 5, 2013
Sunday May 5th Cinco De Mayo
Sunday, May 5th in Virgin Gorda Happy Cinco De Mayo
It's 3 PM and I am almost done with my book. Today we completed many small projects and readied the boat for its LONG voyage back to the states. Jammin' is taking part in the Salty Dawg Rally to the East Coast. We leave here on May 15th--weather permitting.
We are all sitting on mooring balls, doing last minutes preparations that stop before 4 so we can join together and enjoy the 2 Happy Hours (4-6) offerings the $3.00 pain killers/rum punch/Carib beers. After working below in the heat and humidity those drinks are ever so much sweeter and refreshing.
I have been back on the boat just a week now, having returned from 2 months in Oregon helping to take care of family members. I was also able to get a 5 day trip down to Texas to see Mike, Julia, Layla, and Little Stevie through the wonders of ultra sound. She will be arriving around July 18th so Dave and I will be in Texas for this event. In between time we will be in Oregon and hopefully visiting friends in Washington as well.
Dave spent the two months I was gone twirling around St John and St Thomas. He hiked over 130 miles and managed to befriend some new boats. One day a man and a woman stopped by and said they were from the Portland area many years ago...well after many exchanges of bits and pieces the main piece fell into place. The woman had gone to OSU, had been in my sorority, had even been my roommate, and Dave remembered her name, Roberta Wilson! We had a chance to catch up when I returned, and we will see them next season down here in the Carib.
The Virgins have their own special magic and one cannot get too serious about doing too much--it must be the gently sway of the boat that causes us to pick the smallest jobs and feel accomplished after completing just one a day. I am getting back my tan and catching up on my sleep.
This time before leaving will be filled with gatherings, parties, and conversation. Once we leave it is about 10-14 days at sea with just the two of us for entertainment and relief of duties. We will have our radio and Ham radio email, but if something BIG happens where you are please let us know!!! We will not have internet or telephone service...or newspapers, or tv, or...any of those conveniences that one might take for granted. But if you are looking for a Salty sailor and his first mate, we'll be poster material by the time we hit the Chesapeake 1300 miles later!!!!
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It's 3 PM and I am almost done with my book. Today we completed many small projects and readied the boat for its LONG voyage back to the states. Jammin' is taking part in the Salty Dawg Rally to the East Coast. We leave here on May 15th--weather permitting.
We are all sitting on mooring balls, doing last minutes preparations that stop before 4 so we can join together and enjoy the 2 Happy Hours (4-6) offerings the $3.00 pain killers/rum punch/Carib beers. After working below in the heat and humidity those drinks are ever so much sweeter and refreshing.
I have been back on the boat just a week now, having returned from 2 months in Oregon helping to take care of family members. I was also able to get a 5 day trip down to Texas to see Mike, Julia, Layla, and Little Stevie through the wonders of ultra sound. She will be arriving around July 18th so Dave and I will be in Texas for this event. In between time we will be in Oregon and hopefully visiting friends in Washington as well.
Dave spent the two months I was gone twirling around St John and St Thomas. He hiked over 130 miles and managed to befriend some new boats. One day a man and a woman stopped by and said they were from the Portland area many years ago...well after many exchanges of bits and pieces the main piece fell into place. The woman had gone to OSU, had been in my sorority, had even been my roommate, and Dave remembered her name, Roberta Wilson! We had a chance to catch up when I returned, and we will see them next season down here in the Carib.
The Virgins have their own special magic and one cannot get too serious about doing too much--it must be the gently sway of the boat that causes us to pick the smallest jobs and feel accomplished after completing just one a day. I am getting back my tan and catching up on my sleep.
This time before leaving will be filled with gatherings, parties, and conversation. Once we leave it is about 10-14 days at sea with just the two of us for entertainment and relief of duties. We will have our radio and Ham radio email, but if something BIG happens where you are please let us know!!! We will not have internet or telephone service...or newspapers, or tv, or...any of those conveniences that one might take for granted. But if you are looking for a Salty sailor and his first mate, we'll be poster material by the time we hit the Chesapeake 1300 miles later!!!!
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