Saturday 23 January
I had passed north of the Silver and Mouchoir Banks and so was approaching Turks from exactly the east, along latitude 21 degrees 16 minutes north. The Turks Islands are lined up north-south with one gap between them about three miles wide. Lat 21*-16.0' goes right through that gap. All I had to do was line up on that latitude, go west, and run right through. About 22:00 I was five miles away from Turks; lights of the island lining my horizon to the north. The wind was 20-25 from the east and I was sailing in excess of seven knots. I had been sailing quite fast, 6.5+ ever since the wind finally came back after days of going really slowly. The waves were quite big and I did not really have the precise control of the boat I thought I needed when approaching and going through the gap. I had to do that right. I completely dropped the main and partially furled the genoa getting the speed down to about 5.0, gaining more control and a much smoother ride. Two separate GPS units and the computer chart plotter all agreed that I was in the right place, and I seemingly crept over the featureless ocean through the gap, at least that is what the chartplotter said. That was a big relief. That pass was the only "dangerous" part of the landfall. But I was through now and in the deep Turks Islands Passage, 22 miles wide, separating Turks from the Caicos Banks. It was about 01:00 and I had not slept so I used that time to grab a few winks.
My sleep regimen is to do it in small snatches. If things are happening or if other vessels are nearby I will set the timer for 10 minutes, or if on the open ocean with nothing around I will sleep for 30 minutes, get up, check the wind and sails, direction, and AIS, and go back to sleep. I have the remote VHF speaker beside where I sleep, along with an AIS alarm and the radar alarm. A few nights ago a cruise ship, the "Norwegian Ostentatious" called me on the VHF from about ten miles away saying that we were on a collision course and what did I want to do? What I want is for him to not run over me. I am going 3.2 knots and he is going 22 knots and it makes little difference what I do. My response was the standard collision avoidance action, I requested him to turn to starboard, a one whistle crossing. He seemed reluctant, but with a Norwegian I could be wrong, but he changes course 3 degrees and passed a mile away. All the other cruise ships, and I must have encountered 15 of them, I have seen only cruise ships, just alter course about five miles away and pass by without any conversation. (AIS indicates the other vessel's course so I can tell when they turn). I was pretty well protected from collision when crossing the Turk's Islands Passage, but the north flowing current was stronger than I expected and the waypoint where I was to cross into the Caicos Bank was becoming difficult to sail to. Forgetting about sleep, as quickly as possible I upped the main and set the genoa to sail as close into the wind as I could. It was uncertain for awhile, and because I was sailing so close to the wind my speed was down around 3 knots, but about 05:00 I made the waypoint, crossed over into the Caicos Bank, and could change course somewhat to get a better angle to sail. I slept in 10 minute snippets until daylight.
The wind was slowly clocking around making me sail more and more "into" the wind. I had to get to Sapodilla Bay before the wind came around so much I could no longer sail. But what wind there was was dying. Then it picked up only to have a rain shower when it died again. Twice a gust hit me from the wrong side forcing me to do a 360. This was really frustrating, especially when so much was depending on me making progress. I got a text from Normandie saying "Don't worry, enjoy it. You will get 15 knots at 10:00." At 10:30 the breeze picked up, and I sailed at 5 knots all the way in.
Almost all the way in. At three miles away I was furling the mainsail when the bad weather associated with the cold front hit me. Wind 20-25-30 and rain. Not so violent but really ugly. I was under control, but the wind was from the south-west, directly into Sapodilla Bay. I could not anchor there. Just around the point is Bermudian Harbour, undoubtedly the best protected harbour in TCI. I pulled into peace and quite.
It has been a difficult passage. I was making every effort to make progress in difficult conditions, first bad wind then strong wind, I was sailing as fast as I could. What amazes me is how close I came, so many different times, to not making it or being slowed. I made it with about three hours to spare. If I had been slowed by just three hours I would still be out there dealing with a cold front passage. But after all I have been through, when bad weather finally did catch up with me, I am safely and comfortably anchored. I give thanks.
It is time to lick my wounds before moving on. I will be here several days. I haven't had access to the internet since I don't know when. Really, all I want to do is rest day or so.
Bill Doar
s/v Advent II
Sunday, January 24, 2016
Saturday, January 23, 2016
Saturday 23 January - Anchor Down
Saturday 23 January - Anchor Down
Just the next bay down from Sapodilla. Spitting rain and 20 kt wind from west. This bay has better protection.
Shower, rum, real food, and early retirement.
Use More Scope Than You Think You Need.
Bill Doar
s/v Advent II
Just the next bay down from Sapodilla. Spitting rain and 20 kt wind from west. This bay has better protection.
Shower, rum, real food, and early retirement.
Use More Scope Than You Think You Need.
Bill Doar
s/v Advent II
inReach message from William Doar
Anchor down sapodilla
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Friday, January 22, 2016
Friday 22 January Plans
Friday 22 January - Plans
On Thursday from no wind to 20+ knots, and that has been a blessing. I have been sailing amazingly well, sometimes up in the 7's. The wind is up, the speed is up, and the spirits are up. The good strong wind is making it possible that I will be able to get to Sapodilla on Saturday.
I want to get to Sapodilla Bay, Caicos for a several reasons. We are forecasted to have strong north-west winds Sunday, and this is without a doubt the best anchorage for NW wind. My option, if I do not make it to Sapodilla is Hawks Nest at the south tip of the island. At Hawks Nest I will have to motor in through a pass, then up around the end of the island. And then motor back out again to continue. I might be able to sail to anchor at Sapodilla. Sapodilla is my destination, my milestone. If I stop at Hawks Nest it will take several more days to "get to where I am going".
I will sail through the Turks Islands just south of Hawks Nest. If I can keep my speed up I will make that pass about 02:00 Saturday morning. Then it is 60 miles across the Caicos Bank up to Providenciales, and Sapodilla Bay. The reason all this is a problem is that the wind is clocking around, right now it is from the east, then it will veer to the south-east, then south, SW, W, and Sunday morning strong from the north-west. As long as the wind is no more west than south-west I will be able to sail, but I can not sail against a west wind. The wind is clocking. It will go to the west. But I don't know what time that will be. If the wind goes to west I will have to turn around and sail back to Hawks Nest. The farther I get the longer it will take to get back to Hawks Nest so the sooner I have to make the decision. The faster I can sail now the sooner I can get to Caicos Bank, the better chance I have of making it to Sapodilla. I can not enter Hawks Nest in the dark. So somewhere along the way I will need to determine the time to get to each anchorage and what the wind is doing. The time that the wind shifts from SW to W is my critical concern.
Reef Early
Bill Doar
s/v Advent II
On Thursday from no wind to 20+ knots, and that has been a blessing. I have been sailing amazingly well, sometimes up in the 7's. The wind is up, the speed is up, and the spirits are up. The good strong wind is making it possible that I will be able to get to Sapodilla on Saturday.
I want to get to Sapodilla Bay, Caicos for a several reasons. We are forecasted to have strong north-west winds Sunday, and this is without a doubt the best anchorage for NW wind. My option, if I do not make it to Sapodilla is Hawks Nest at the south tip of the island. At Hawks Nest I will have to motor in through a pass, then up around the end of the island. And then motor back out again to continue. I might be able to sail to anchor at Sapodilla. Sapodilla is my destination, my milestone. If I stop at Hawks Nest it will take several more days to "get to where I am going".
I will sail through the Turks Islands just south of Hawks Nest. If I can keep my speed up I will make that pass about 02:00 Saturday morning. Then it is 60 miles across the Caicos Bank up to Providenciales, and Sapodilla Bay. The reason all this is a problem is that the wind is clocking around, right now it is from the east, then it will veer to the south-east, then south, SW, W, and Sunday morning strong from the north-west. As long as the wind is no more west than south-west I will be able to sail, but I can not sail against a west wind. The wind is clocking. It will go to the west. But I don't know what time that will be. If the wind goes to west I will have to turn around and sail back to Hawks Nest. The farther I get the longer it will take to get back to Hawks Nest so the sooner I have to make the decision. The faster I can sail now the sooner I can get to Caicos Bank, the better chance I have of making it to Sapodilla. I can not enter Hawks Nest in the dark. So somewhere along the way I will need to determine the time to get to each anchorage and what the wind is doing. The time that the wind shifts from SW to W is my critical concern.
Reef Early
Bill Doar
s/v Advent II
Thursday, January 21, 2016
Thursday 21 January - Where is the wind?
Thursday 21 January - Where is the wind?
Got a slow start this morning. 0.2 knots. That is slow. Drifting around in circles. Then a rain shower came with its associated increase in wind. Wind increased to about five knots. But then it slowly increased. I went through all the drills of dropping the pole, putting up the drifter, full mainsail, and about 10:00 we were ailing about 3 knots. Then 4 knots. And at noon I announced to myself that we were out of the doldrums and into steady wind. We sailed along at ab out 5.5 knots and I was planning all those wonderful things I am going to do when we get there. Now, at 15:00 the boat speed is back down in the 2's, sails flogging.
This morning at 09:00 I had been on this passage two days. I was 190 miles from USVI and 212 miles to Turks. I hope the average increases. My destination is Provo, Caicos, about 60 miles farther along. I can make it Saturday if: If the wind picks up, and if the weather holds off until Sunday Morning.
A few years ago Normandie and her mother, Marjorie, took a vacation to Caicos, and I took Advent down to meet them. Normandie came a week before Marjorie and she stayed on the boat. One of the best kiteboarding beaches in the world is Long Bay, Caicos. Of course we spent every windy day on the water. I anchored at the west end of the island at a place called Sapodilla Bay. If everything works right I will be able to sail right up to the anchorage.
Reef Early
Bill Doar
s/v Advent II
Got a slow start this morning. 0.2 knots. That is slow. Drifting around in circles. Then a rain shower came with its associated increase in wind. Wind increased to about five knots. But then it slowly increased. I went through all the drills of dropping the pole, putting up the drifter, full mainsail, and about 10:00 we were ailing about 3 knots. Then 4 knots. And at noon I announced to myself that we were out of the doldrums and into steady wind. We sailed along at ab out 5.5 knots and I was planning all those wonderful things I am going to do when we get there. Now, at 15:00 the boat speed is back down in the 2's, sails flogging.
This morning at 09:00 I had been on this passage two days. I was 190 miles from USVI and 212 miles to Turks. I hope the average increases. My destination is Provo, Caicos, about 60 miles farther along. I can make it Saturday if: If the wind picks up, and if the weather holds off until Sunday Morning.
A few years ago Normandie and her mother, Marjorie, took a vacation to Caicos, and I took Advent down to meet them. Normandie came a week before Marjorie and she stayed on the boat. One of the best kiteboarding beaches in the world is Long Bay, Caicos. Of course we spent every windy day on the water. I anchored at the west end of the island at a place called Sapodilla Bay. If everything works right I will be able to sail right up to the anchorage.
Reef Early
Bill Doar
s/v Advent II
Wednesday, January 20, 2016
Wednesday 20 January - Comfort
Wednesday 20 January - Comfort
I may not be going fast, but it sure is comfortable. This is definitely the calmest the ocean has been for this entire trip. Other times we had calms, but the ocean never did settle down. We were constantly being tossed around by the waves. This ocean, however, is really calm. Even with enough wind to sail at 5 knots the waves have not formed. The surface is rippled and there is a very large, widely spaced swell, but no waves. The swell is fun. We go uuuuuup, then doooown. This is the kind of sailing I wish I could share.
Plan: Exactly between here and Turks & Caicos are some reefs and shoals. The chart shows that some of them are above the water surface. I am going to go north of the reefs and sail west into the Turks Islands. If I am running late or if bad weather is threatening I will stop at Hawks Nest anchorage at the southern tip of Grand Turk. But what I want to do, if time and weather permit is to sail through the Turks Islands and go on 25 miles across the Turks Island Passage to Caicos, then 40 miles across the Caicos Bank. That is very ambitious and will only be possible if the wind picks up so I can get there at dawn Saturday. Right now I am going 3.7 knots. Come-on wind!
The ocean is smooth but the wind is, well maybe the wind is smooth too, but it is constantly changing. It never stays at the same speed or direction for more than about an hour. Awhile ago the wind veered from a close reach to a broad reach. I use a pole to hold the genoa out when on a broad reach, and rigging the pole is a bother. I said out loud,"The wind is either going to stay like this awhile, or it is going to change." I deployed the pole. In short, I stay busy all day, main up, main down, drifter on a pole, genoa no pole, wind dropped drifter no pole. But it is easy working on deck, no waves!
You might want to look at my position. I send my position every four hours, and there is a link to the DeLorme inReach site on adventtwo.blogspot.com. And you can see the wind forecast at PassageWeather.
The wind is coming from 135 degrees relative and at that relative angle the mainsail blankets the genoa. It may be time to take down the main.
Reef Early
Bill Doar
s/v Advent II
I may not be going fast, but it sure is comfortable. This is definitely the calmest the ocean has been for this entire trip. Other times we had calms, but the ocean never did settle down. We were constantly being tossed around by the waves. This ocean, however, is really calm. Even with enough wind to sail at 5 knots the waves have not formed. The surface is rippled and there is a very large, widely spaced swell, but no waves. The swell is fun. We go uuuuuup, then doooown. This is the kind of sailing I wish I could share.
Plan: Exactly between here and Turks & Caicos are some reefs and shoals. The chart shows that some of them are above the water surface. I am going to go north of the reefs and sail west into the Turks Islands. If I am running late or if bad weather is threatening I will stop at Hawks Nest anchorage at the southern tip of Grand Turk. But what I want to do, if time and weather permit is to sail through the Turks Islands and go on 25 miles across the Turks Island Passage to Caicos, then 40 miles across the Caicos Bank. That is very ambitious and will only be possible if the wind picks up so I can get there at dawn Saturday. Right now I am going 3.7 knots. Come-on wind!
The ocean is smooth but the wind is, well maybe the wind is smooth too, but it is constantly changing. It never stays at the same speed or direction for more than about an hour. Awhile ago the wind veered from a close reach to a broad reach. I use a pole to hold the genoa out when on a broad reach, and rigging the pole is a bother. I said out loud,"The wind is either going to stay like this awhile, or it is going to change." I deployed the pole. In short, I stay busy all day, main up, main down, drifter on a pole, genoa no pole, wind dropped drifter no pole. But it is easy working on deck, no waves!
You might want to look at my position. I send my position every four hours, and there is a link to the DeLorme inReach site on adventtwo.blogspot.com. And you can see the wind forecast at PassageWeather.
The wind is coming from 135 degrees relative and at that relative angle the mainsail blankets the genoa. It may be time to take down the main.
Reef Early
Bill Doar
s/v Advent II
Tuesday, January 19, 2016
Tuesday 19 January - USVI to Turks & Caiaos
Tuesday 19 January - USVI to Turks & Caicos
A drifter is a large, lightweight sail used when there is not much wind. Being light weight it does not flog, and so gives a steady pull when a normal genoa flogs and jerks the boat. We have a drifter, but it hanked onto and went up a cable in front of the genoa, was a big deal to get up, and getting it down sometimes it would go in the water. It had to be gathered up on the foredeck in the wind . . .a big deal. A few years ago Normandie gave me a gizmo that winds up the drifter the same way the genoa is wound up, or furled. I have spent many hours on the Pamlico trying to match our existing drifter to the furling gizmo. Much trial and error.
I got everything ready this morning and left Charlotte Amalie about 09:00, in intermittent warm showers and good wind; I sailed at 5 knots for three hours as the showers passed by. The showers went away, and the wind did too. I slowly drifted down to about 1.7 knots, sails flogging. It took about two hours to get out the drifter (with the furling gizmo) get it hooked up, remember how everything worked, and magic happened. We have been happily sailing along about 3.5 knots all the rest of the day, very comfortably. So Normandie, the investment is paying off. We are drifting along, right now at 3.3. Thank you.
It is about 400 miles USVI to Turks & Caicos. Average sailing that is four days. The thing about this trip is that the engine is sick. I want to use it absolutely the minimum amount. I need it to get into and out of anchorages. Hopefully it will last all the way back to the mainland, where I will get the injector pump rebuilt, and be back to normal again. But this is a sailing trip, without motoring through the calms. Right now, with the drifter I am sailing through the calm. Slow, but we are sailing. The imperative is that sometime during the day Saturday the wind is forecasted to turn and come from the north, blowing me back to USVI. If at all possible I need to get to TCI by Saturday. Even though I am only going 3.3 knots, every mile makes it more likely I will make it in time.
Right now, 20:00, I am about ten miles off Puerto Rico, San Juan lighting up the horizon. No targets on the AIS or the radar. I hope for a drifty, uneventful night.
Reef Early
Bill Doar
s/v Advent II
A drifter is a large, lightweight sail used when there is not much wind. Being light weight it does not flog, and so gives a steady pull when a normal genoa flogs and jerks the boat. We have a drifter, but it hanked onto and went up a cable in front of the genoa, was a big deal to get up, and getting it down sometimes it would go in the water. It had to be gathered up on the foredeck in the wind . . .a big deal. A few years ago Normandie gave me a gizmo that winds up the drifter the same way the genoa is wound up, or furled. I have spent many hours on the Pamlico trying to match our existing drifter to the furling gizmo. Much trial and error.
I got everything ready this morning and left Charlotte Amalie about 09:00, in intermittent warm showers and good wind; I sailed at 5 knots for three hours as the showers passed by. The showers went away, and the wind did too. I slowly drifted down to about 1.7 knots, sails flogging. It took about two hours to get out the drifter (with the furling gizmo) get it hooked up, remember how everything worked, and magic happened. We have been happily sailing along about 3.5 knots all the rest of the day, very comfortably. So Normandie, the investment is paying off. We are drifting along, right now at 3.3. Thank you.
It is about 400 miles USVI to Turks & Caicos. Average sailing that is four days. The thing about this trip is that the engine is sick. I want to use it absolutely the minimum amount. I need it to get into and out of anchorages. Hopefully it will last all the way back to the mainland, where I will get the injector pump rebuilt, and be back to normal again. But this is a sailing trip, without motoring through the calms. Right now, with the drifter I am sailing through the calm. Slow, but we are sailing. The imperative is that sometime during the day Saturday the wind is forecasted to turn and come from the north, blowing me back to USVI. If at all possible I need to get to TCI by Saturday. Even though I am only going 3.3 knots, every mile makes it more likely I will make it in time.
Right now, 20:00, I am about ten miles off Puerto Rico, San Juan lighting up the horizon. No targets on the AIS or the radar. I hope for a drifty, uneventful night.
Reef Early
Bill Doar
s/v Advent II
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I'm starting from here.
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Monday, January 18, 2016
Monday 18 January - The Verdict is In
Monday 18 January - The Verdict is In
The mechanic came to the boat several times, did his tests, and decided that the injector pump is failing. There are other indications in addition to what I described that led him to that conclusion. This engine is old and a new injector pump will be quite difficult to find. The good news is that it can be rebuilt. Since the engine is still running quite well most of the time, the plan is to become a sailboat and head north to Turks & Caicos, sailing as much as possible. Ideally I will only use the engine to enter and leave port. Departure is depending on the wind. It is about 400 miles, and if I can average 5 knots I can do it in four days, three nights. Am tentatively planning to depart Tuesday, tomorrow, which would put me in TCI Friday afternoon.
When we were trying to figure out the engine problem, there was a little pow-wow between the mechanic named Alva, his friend and part-time helper whose name is Tuckett, and me. The engine issue was settled, and I mentioned that I wanted to find the church. Alva said,"Tuckett can help you." It turned out that Tuckett is one of the pillars of the church, the church I wanted to go to Christmas, and the one I went to the last time I was in the Virgin Islands. So Tuckett picked me up at 08:15 Sunday morning and took me to church. It is a beautiful church in the woods on the side of a mountain overlooking the ocean. And BOY can those folks sing! From the first: "As with gladness men of old Did the guiding star behold" to the last: "Christ Jesus Lord from heav'n above, Cum dung to all a we;" The Lord's Prayer done to in calypso. Songs throughout the service. It was wonderful. The Second Sunday in Epiphany is Normandie and My anniversary, and the reading was when Jesus and his mom went to a wedding, and turned water into wine. Thank you, Normandie, for the years you have given me.
The church is named St Luke's. There was a banner there that didn't make sense. It was about St Thomas the 6th, or more exactly it said: St Thomas VI. I know that popes and kings are named in succession, but I didn't know that there were more than one St Thomas. Then I realized that it was not St Thomas the 6th, it was St Thomas, Virgin Islands.
Bill Doar
s/v Advent II
The mechanic came to the boat several times, did his tests, and decided that the injector pump is failing. There are other indications in addition to what I described that led him to that conclusion. This engine is old and a new injector pump will be quite difficult to find. The good news is that it can be rebuilt. Since the engine is still running quite well most of the time, the plan is to become a sailboat and head north to Turks & Caicos, sailing as much as possible. Ideally I will only use the engine to enter and leave port. Departure is depending on the wind. It is about 400 miles, and if I can average 5 knots I can do it in four days, three nights. Am tentatively planning to depart Tuesday, tomorrow, which would put me in TCI Friday afternoon.
When we were trying to figure out the engine problem, there was a little pow-wow between the mechanic named Alva, his friend and part-time helper whose name is Tuckett, and me. The engine issue was settled, and I mentioned that I wanted to find the church. Alva said,"Tuckett can help you." It turned out that Tuckett is one of the pillars of the church, the church I wanted to go to Christmas, and the one I went to the last time I was in the Virgin Islands. So Tuckett picked me up at 08:15 Sunday morning and took me to church. It is a beautiful church in the woods on the side of a mountain overlooking the ocean. And BOY can those folks sing! From the first: "As with gladness men of old Did the guiding star behold" to the last: "Christ Jesus Lord from heav'n above, Cum dung to all a we;" The Lord's Prayer done to in calypso. Songs throughout the service. It was wonderful. The Second Sunday in Epiphany is Normandie and My anniversary, and the reading was when Jesus and his mom went to a wedding, and turned water into wine. Thank you, Normandie, for the years you have given me.
The church is named St Luke's. There was a banner there that didn't make sense. It was about St Thomas the 6th, or more exactly it said: St Thomas VI. I know that popes and kings are named in succession, but I didn't know that there were more than one St Thomas. Then I realized that it was not St Thomas the 6th, it was St Thomas, Virgin Islands.
Bill Doar
s/v Advent II
Thursday, January 14, 2016
Thursday 14 January
Thursday 14 January
The only engine spare part I have is one diesel injector, so replacing an injector is the only thing I can do without the mechanic, and ordering a new part. I made up a situation where a bad injector could be causing the problem. Then to trt to find which one was bad I would start the engine and loosen the injector pipe fitting, for each cylinder. If the cylinder were firing when I loosened the fitting it would stop firing, and the engine would slow down or stop. I did that for all four cylinders, and the engine slowed down or stopped for all four, which meant to me that all four injectors were OK. So now I await the mechanic.
All the boats here are in the "lagoon". It is very crowded and on my first pass when I got here I did not see an obvious place to anchor, and the marinas are not oriented for transit dockage; these are permanent slips for local boats. I have been anchored outside the lagoon behind a small island in relatively open water. I saw something I have never seen before. The waves were curving around both ends of the island and getting to me at exactly right angles. I was pointed into the waves coming around the left of the island and the waves coming around the right side of the island were coming exactly on my side, causing the boat to roll dramatically. No matter which way I pointed there would be dramatic rolling. But what I had never seen before was the pattern of the waves on the water. The combined waves created a square pattern, like a huge quilt on the surface of the water. It absolutely intrigued me.
I really wasn't ha[[y out in the bay, with its constant rolling, pitching and jerking. I wanted to find a place to anchor. I knew that there was a large shallow area beside the channel coming in. I thought that, surely, there is some distance between the edge of the channel and the shallow. All I need is about 25 feet distance. I pulled in the channel to where I wanted to try, put the boat in reverse and backed out of the channel into the shallow area. I was also backing into the wind. I was deliberately putting the boat aground. When the time came I wanted to unground by going in forward, the propeller has more thrust in forward than in reverse, and with the wind. It worked perfectly. The back of the keel dug into the bottom, and the bow was about four feet outside of the channel. Now I needed to put out the anchors, and I had to do that with the dinghy. I had the anchor line ready so it would feed out with out tangling. At this point the engine was off. I took the anchor out with the dinghy pulling the anchor line behind me. When I looked back to see if I was in the right spot, to my consternation the wind had pushed the boat free and the boat was drifting across the channel. Furthermore three boats were coming in the channel, one a tourist catamaran with about 25 people on board, all taking pictures. I dropped the anchor where it was and zipped back to the boat as fast as I could, started the engine and reversed back across the channel to where I was, pulling the anchor rope in as I went so I would not back over it. The boats passed in the channel, not taking notice of my embarrassment and shame. But now the anchor was only about 20 feet from the boat and I needed to re-set it farther away. S this time I left the engine idling in reverse, hopped in the dinghy, went out to the anchor, pulled it up, started pulling the rope to get the anchor farther away from the boat, and somehow got the rope in the propeller. One thing, I wasn't going to drift off. The propeller had wound the rope up tight; I was anchored by the propeller. It was wound solid. I tried to dive under the boat (at the stern the water was not but about four feet deep)but knew I could not get it unwound. So Hookah! to the rescue. Using the underwater breathing apparatus, various screw drivers and vice grip pliers, and working 30 minutes, a managed to free the rope. I had already gotten the knife to cut it off, I tried one more time, and got it free. But I still needed to anchor the boat. I set another anchor properly, then properly re-set the one that had gotten fouled.
I am now happily anchored inside the lagoon. That whole situation will require a lot of thought; how to do it right, what I should have done. But for now I am safe, comfortable, and not as arrogant as I was yesterday.
Bill Doar
s/v Advent II
The only engine spare part I have is one diesel injector, so replacing an injector is the only thing I can do without the mechanic, and ordering a new part. I made up a situation where a bad injector could be causing the problem. Then to trt to find which one was bad I would start the engine and loosen the injector pipe fitting, for each cylinder. If the cylinder were firing when I loosened the fitting it would stop firing, and the engine would slow down or stop. I did that for all four cylinders, and the engine slowed down or stopped for all four, which meant to me that all four injectors were OK. So now I await the mechanic.
All the boats here are in the "lagoon". It is very crowded and on my first pass when I got here I did not see an obvious place to anchor, and the marinas are not oriented for transit dockage; these are permanent slips for local boats. I have been anchored outside the lagoon behind a small island in relatively open water. I saw something I have never seen before. The waves were curving around both ends of the island and getting to me at exactly right angles. I was pointed into the waves coming around the left of the island and the waves coming around the right side of the island were coming exactly on my side, causing the boat to roll dramatically. No matter which way I pointed there would be dramatic rolling. But what I had never seen before was the pattern of the waves on the water. The combined waves created a square pattern, like a huge quilt on the surface of the water. It absolutely intrigued me.
I really wasn't ha[[y out in the bay, with its constant rolling, pitching and jerking. I wanted to find a place to anchor. I knew that there was a large shallow area beside the channel coming in. I thought that, surely, there is some distance between the edge of the channel and the shallow. All I need is about 25 feet distance. I pulled in the channel to where I wanted to try, put the boat in reverse and backed out of the channel into the shallow area. I was also backing into the wind. I was deliberately putting the boat aground. When the time came I wanted to unground by going in forward, the propeller has more thrust in forward than in reverse, and with the wind. It worked perfectly. The back of the keel dug into the bottom, and the bow was about four feet outside of the channel. Now I needed to put out the anchors, and I had to do that with the dinghy. I had the anchor line ready so it would feed out with out tangling. At this point the engine was off. I took the anchor out with the dinghy pulling the anchor line behind me. When I looked back to see if I was in the right spot, to my consternation the wind had pushed the boat free and the boat was drifting across the channel. Furthermore three boats were coming in the channel, one a tourist catamaran with about 25 people on board, all taking pictures. I dropped the anchor where it was and zipped back to the boat as fast as I could, started the engine and reversed back across the channel to where I was, pulling the anchor rope in as I went so I would not back over it. The boats passed in the channel, not taking notice of my embarrassment and shame. But now the anchor was only about 20 feet from the boat and I needed to re-set it farther away. S this time I left the engine idling in reverse, hopped in the dinghy, went out to the anchor, pulled it up, started pulling the rope to get the anchor farther away from the boat, and somehow got the rope in the propeller. One thing, I wasn't going to drift off. The propeller had wound the rope up tight; I was anchored by the propeller. It was wound solid. I tried to dive under the boat (at the stern the water was not but about four feet deep)but knew I could not get it unwound. So Hookah! to the rescue. Using the underwater breathing apparatus, various screw drivers and vice grip pliers, and working 30 minutes, a managed to free the rope. I had already gotten the knife to cut it off, I tried one more time, and got it free. But I still needed to anchor the boat. I set another anchor properly, then properly re-set the one that had gotten fouled.
I am now happily anchored inside the lagoon. That whole situation will require a lot of thought; how to do it right, what I should have done. But for now I am safe, comfortable, and not as arrogant as I was yesterday.
Bill Doar
s/v Advent II
Tuesday, January 12, 2016
Tuesday 12 December - Going Nowhere
Tuesday 12 Dec - Going Nowhere
The engine started acting up a few days ago. It normally idles nicely at 950 RPM. One morning it was idling while I pulled in the anchor, and when I finished it was just barely running, vibrating and jerking around at about 500 RPM. I increased the speed, and it will run at its normal idle RPM with the throttle advanced somewhat. To put it in gear I have to pull the lever back to the neutral position, then quickly advance the speed. Otherwise it will probably stop. With the throttle advanced it starts and runs, but it seems to me that it is not running as smoothly as it used to, but that may be my imagination.
The last time I was in Benner Bay, St Thomas, it was a nice protected lagoon. Since then a large marina has been built that takes up probably 2/3 of the available space. The relatively small anchoring area is filled with other boats, liveaboards and derelicts. I am outside the "harbour" area where the entrance channel starts. At the far end of the harbour area, at the tippy end, is a boatyard and waterside restaurant that has not changed. This is what is left of the romantic Virgin Islands of Fatty Goodlander. As a matter of fact I met him here, aboard "Wild Card", and he interviewed me for his weekly radio program. Well I went to that boatyard, as far as I can tell the only boatyard on the island, and found who may be the only diesel mechanic on the island. That is the good news. The bad news is that he is somewhat frustrated with his workload, and told me point blank that he is not accepting any more work for the rest of the week.
So here I sit. The good thing is that I have a dinghy landing, supermarket ashore, US Post Office, and think I can handle transportation. The bad things are that it is an uncomfortable, rolly, and boat wake anchorage, I am the only cruising boat here, all the rest are local week-end boats, and no internet. Another factor is that my engine is out of date and parts are not generally available. So once the mechanic identifies what is wrong it may take two weeks or more to find the part and get it here.
If there is any progress I will let you know.
Bill Doar
s/v Advent II
The engine started acting up a few days ago. It normally idles nicely at 950 RPM. One morning it was idling while I pulled in the anchor, and when I finished it was just barely running, vibrating and jerking around at about 500 RPM. I increased the speed, and it will run at its normal idle RPM with the throttle advanced somewhat. To put it in gear I have to pull the lever back to the neutral position, then quickly advance the speed. Otherwise it will probably stop. With the throttle advanced it starts and runs, but it seems to me that it is not running as smoothly as it used to, but that may be my imagination.
The last time I was in Benner Bay, St Thomas, it was a nice protected lagoon. Since then a large marina has been built that takes up probably 2/3 of the available space. The relatively small anchoring area is filled with other boats, liveaboards and derelicts. I am outside the "harbour" area where the entrance channel starts. At the far end of the harbour area, at the tippy end, is a boatyard and waterside restaurant that has not changed. This is what is left of the romantic Virgin Islands of Fatty Goodlander. As a matter of fact I met him here, aboard "Wild Card", and he interviewed me for his weekly radio program. Well I went to that boatyard, as far as I can tell the only boatyard on the island, and found who may be the only diesel mechanic on the island. That is the good news. The bad news is that he is somewhat frustrated with his workload, and told me point blank that he is not accepting any more work for the rest of the week.
So here I sit. The good thing is that I have a dinghy landing, supermarket ashore, US Post Office, and think I can handle transportation. The bad things are that it is an uncomfortable, rolly, and boat wake anchorage, I am the only cruising boat here, all the rest are local week-end boats, and no internet. Another factor is that my engine is out of date and parts are not generally available. So once the mechanic identifies what is wrong it may take two weeks or more to find the part and get it here.
If there is any progress I will let you know.
Bill Doar
s/v Advent II
Sunday, January 10, 2016
Sunday 10 July - USVI
Sunday 10 July - USVI
Sunday caught me by surprize. I honestly thought that it was Saturday. I even found the church, planning to go tomorrow. Transportation here is by safari car, which are pick-up trucks with seats in back and a sun cover. There are typically three rows of seats with access "doors" cut in the side of the truck bed. Cost is $1 or $2 and I don't know how to know which. The license plates say "USVI, America's Caribbean". That describes it. The look and the feel is US. The stores are Office Depot, Subway, Home Depot, K-Mart. The people consider themselves a state of the US. The cars are what you would typically find in the US. The only thing that is surprising is that they drive on the left, as in the UK! Odd that. And all the cars have left hand steering. Odd that.
The best sailing in the world is in the Caribbean. The prevailing winds are from the east and the islands are north-south, so sailing it is a reach between them, and they are close enough together that you can anchor every night. On the other hand the Virgin Islands are a sailing theme park. The islands are less than 1/2 day apart and there are good places to anchor at all the islands. I have wondered what people do when they come to the Virgins? My impression is that it is all about sailing. You and some friends charter a boat, it is ready when you get here, and you sail off to an anchorage for swimming, snorkeling, scuba, have fun fixing a good meal aboard, or dinghy ashore for a good restaurant and shopping. The anchorages vary from upscale (Bitter End), to secluded (Mountain Point), remote (Anegada), to very popular (crowded). I went to Jost van Dyke because there is a Costoms & Immigration office there and I was checking out to go to USVI. The anchorage is open to the prevailing wind so it is somewhat choppy, but "everybody" was there. I counted 56 sailboats anchored. Three were cruising sailboats and fifty three were vacationers, and probably 2/3 of them were 45-55 foot chartered catamarans with 6 to 10 people aboard, celebrating their six days in the tropics. There is a third group, usually a couple on a 36-40 foot charter monohull who would make a point to say hello or wave, who are sailors back home and came here to sail. What I discovered on this trip is the land side. What I regret not doing is spending days shore exploring the islands. My impression is that of the lush tropics. The other Caribbean islands are arid, rocky and brown. Here, as Woody says it rains every night, sometimes in torrents. Several mornings I have had to bail 4" of water out of the dinghy and the deck bucket will have several inches in it. This results in a tropical garden ashore, really exotic and beautiful, dirt or single lane paved roads, picturesque homes and communities and nice friendly people. I went to find the Post Office at a place called Cane Garden Bay, Tortola. This resulted in me talking with more than a few people, all nice and seemed to welcome me to their community.
BVI is a vacation destination. I really like St Thomas, USVI. I do not feel out of place here, I can communicate with people, I know what I am buying, everything I need is a dinghy ride away, and the water is a measured 84 degrees. Every afternoon a swim. This is the only place where there was no chop, not in an enclosed, close anchorage, and with warm water. I love it.
Reef Early
Bill Doar
s/v Advenr II
Sunday caught me by surprize. I honestly thought that it was Saturday. I even found the church, planning to go tomorrow. Transportation here is by safari car, which are pick-up trucks with seats in back and a sun cover. There are typically three rows of seats with access "doors" cut in the side of the truck bed. Cost is $1 or $2 and I don't know how to know which. The license plates say "USVI, America's Caribbean". That describes it. The look and the feel is US. The stores are Office Depot, Subway, Home Depot, K-Mart. The people consider themselves a state of the US. The cars are what you would typically find in the US. The only thing that is surprising is that they drive on the left, as in the UK! Odd that. And all the cars have left hand steering. Odd that.
The best sailing in the world is in the Caribbean. The prevailing winds are from the east and the islands are north-south, so sailing it is a reach between them, and they are close enough together that you can anchor every night. On the other hand the Virgin Islands are a sailing theme park. The islands are less than 1/2 day apart and there are good places to anchor at all the islands. I have wondered what people do when they come to the Virgins? My impression is that it is all about sailing. You and some friends charter a boat, it is ready when you get here, and you sail off to an anchorage for swimming, snorkeling, scuba, have fun fixing a good meal aboard, or dinghy ashore for a good restaurant and shopping. The anchorages vary from upscale (Bitter End), to secluded (Mountain Point), remote (Anegada), to very popular (crowded). I went to Jost van Dyke because there is a Costoms & Immigration office there and I was checking out to go to USVI. The anchorage is open to the prevailing wind so it is somewhat choppy, but "everybody" was there. I counted 56 sailboats anchored. Three were cruising sailboats and fifty three were vacationers, and probably 2/3 of them were 45-55 foot chartered catamarans with 6 to 10 people aboard, celebrating their six days in the tropics. There is a third group, usually a couple on a 36-40 foot charter monohull who would make a point to say hello or wave, who are sailors back home and came here to sail. What I discovered on this trip is the land side. What I regret not doing is spending days shore exploring the islands. My impression is that of the lush tropics. The other Caribbean islands are arid, rocky and brown. Here, as Woody says it rains every night, sometimes in torrents. Several mornings I have had to bail 4" of water out of the dinghy and the deck bucket will have several inches in it. This results in a tropical garden ashore, really exotic and beautiful, dirt or single lane paved roads, picturesque homes and communities and nice friendly people. I went to find the Post Office at a place called Cane Garden Bay, Tortola. This resulted in me talking with more than a few people, all nice and seemed to welcome me to their community.
BVI is a vacation destination. I really like St Thomas, USVI. I do not feel out of place here, I can communicate with people, I know what I am buying, everything I need is a dinghy ride away, and the water is a measured 84 degrees. Every afternoon a swim. This is the only place where there was no chop, not in an enclosed, close anchorage, and with warm water. I love it.
Reef Early
Bill Doar
s/v Advenr II
Saturday, January 9, 2016
Friday, January 8, 2016
inReach message from William Doar
I'm stopping here.
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Tuesday, January 5, 2016
10th epilogue
10th Epilogue
That was the best swim, and the best shower I have had on this trip. The water, the climate, has been getting warmer as I move west. As we moved across the Atlantic it noticeably got warmer, and it is warmer here than Antigua and Saint Martin. Here it is summertime hot. The deck can be hot enough to be too hot to stand on barefooted. The water is 81 degrees, really nice. I am the world's biggest wimp when it comes to getting into cool water, and this water is great for swimming. And then the shower: Most boats have a water heater in which the engine cooling water heats the boat's shower water. A year or so ago I removed that water heater because it was more than 10 years old, and if it failed I would lose cooling water to the engine. What I have now is a garden hose laying on top of the engine. It works so well I am thinking about ways to make it into a permanent installation. But with the ocean water at 81 degrees a "hot" shower is not really necessary.
And this is also the best anchorage I have had on this trip. I am tucked in behind Mountain Point, north of Spanish Town, Virgin Gorda. There is no wind, and there is almost no boat movement, and no current. I guess all that is what made the swim so good. I am sharing it with two other boats, a French sailboat smaller than Advent, a charter boat a little larger than Advent, and a catamaran mega-yacht sailboat that must be 100 feet long. It is calm enough to wash the boat hull (topsides)and remove the inevitable rust stains. This is the kind of anchorage I have been wanting for the past six months.
Reef Early
Bill Doar
s/v Advent II
That was the best swim, and the best shower I have had on this trip. The water, the climate, has been getting warmer as I move west. As we moved across the Atlantic it noticeably got warmer, and it is warmer here than Antigua and Saint Martin. Here it is summertime hot. The deck can be hot enough to be too hot to stand on barefooted. The water is 81 degrees, really nice. I am the world's biggest wimp when it comes to getting into cool water, and this water is great for swimming. And then the shower: Most boats have a water heater in which the engine cooling water heats the boat's shower water. A year or so ago I removed that water heater because it was more than 10 years old, and if it failed I would lose cooling water to the engine. What I have now is a garden hose laying on top of the engine. It works so well I am thinking about ways to make it into a permanent installation. But with the ocean water at 81 degrees a "hot" shower is not really necessary.
And this is also the best anchorage I have had on this trip. I am tucked in behind Mountain Point, north of Spanish Town, Virgin Gorda. There is no wind, and there is almost no boat movement, and no current. I guess all that is what made the swim so good. I am sharing it with two other boats, a French sailboat smaller than Advent, a charter boat a little larger than Advent, and a catamaran mega-yacht sailboat that must be 100 feet long. It is calm enough to wash the boat hull (topsides)and remove the inevitable rust stains. This is the kind of anchorage I have been wanting for the past six months.
Reef Early
Bill Doar
s/v Advent II
Monday, January 4, 2016
11th Day of Christmas
11th Day of Christmas
I spent last night in Gorda Sound at the north end of Virgin Gorda. Looking at the charts I saw that the island of Anegada is less than 15 miles north of where I was. Anegada is not a volcanic island like everything else, it is flat with sandy beaches. I thought that it might be a perfect kiteboartding location. First thing this morning I set sail for Anegada.
It was a delightful broad reach all the way up. My first impressions were great. White sand beaches backed by green casuarina trees. No mountain to distort the wind. I got into the anchorage when the impression started losing its appeal. The anchorage was totally open. No protection at all. The anchorage was at that location because that is where there was access through the shallow reef. Up next to shore the waves subsided enough to have a landing of sorts, and there were several piers with restaurants. There was not enough room to anchor, but the entire area was mooring balls. In the 20 knot wind and ocean chop I did manage to pick up a ball, on the second try. Did I say it was choppy? Really choppy. On the ball it said $30/night, pay at hotel. I dinghied ashore to find the kiteboarding locations. Started asking questions. Do people come here to kiteboard? No.
I don't know why. It looks beautiful. Just down from the mooring field is a sandy beach with onshore wind. It looks really good but I could not find any firm evidence that it was worth investigation. All I got was somebody's brother does it sometimes over on the other side of the island. It wasn't worth $30 to try to figure it out. Back through the chop, almost dangerous conditions, load the dinghy, and am now beating back to Virgin Gorda in SE wind. I am not going to make it back to Gorda Sound. The wind has too much south in it . So I will pull up against the shore where there is beach on th the lee side of the island, anchor, and go swimming.
Reef Early
Bill Doar
s/v Advent II
I spent last night in Gorda Sound at the north end of Virgin Gorda. Looking at the charts I saw that the island of Anegada is less than 15 miles north of where I was. Anegada is not a volcanic island like everything else, it is flat with sandy beaches. I thought that it might be a perfect kiteboartding location. First thing this morning I set sail for Anegada.
It was a delightful broad reach all the way up. My first impressions were great. White sand beaches backed by green casuarina trees. No mountain to distort the wind. I got into the anchorage when the impression started losing its appeal. The anchorage was totally open. No protection at all. The anchorage was at that location because that is where there was access through the shallow reef. Up next to shore the waves subsided enough to have a landing of sorts, and there were several piers with restaurants. There was not enough room to anchor, but the entire area was mooring balls. In the 20 knot wind and ocean chop I did manage to pick up a ball, on the second try. Did I say it was choppy? Really choppy. On the ball it said $30/night, pay at hotel. I dinghied ashore to find the kiteboarding locations. Started asking questions. Do people come here to kiteboard? No.
I don't know why. It looks beautiful. Just down from the mooring field is a sandy beach with onshore wind. It looks really good but I could not find any firm evidence that it was worth investigation. All I got was somebody's brother does it sometimes over on the other side of the island. It wasn't worth $30 to try to figure it out. Back through the chop, almost dangerous conditions, load the dinghy, and am now beating back to Virgin Gorda in SE wind. I am not going to make it back to Gorda Sound. The wind has too much south in it . So I will pull up against the shore where there is beach on th the lee side of the island, anchor, and go swimming.
Reef Early
Bill Doar
s/v Advent II
10th Day of Christmas
10th Day of Christmas
One of the fun things about Saint Martin is the place names: Islands Cow & Calf, Poulets, Hen and Chicks, marina named Dock Martin, rock in the water named Witch's Tit, Bugs Hole, and Shitten Bay. This is a French/Dutch island. I wonder why the English names. Will, did I miss some?
My first impression of the traffic was on Christmas Eve, and it was unmanageable. But after that it was not so much of a problem. Other than traffic going into town in the morning, and out of town in the afternoon, it was not bad. am glad I have a car not only for the kiteboarding but to go to the market. There is a very large supermarket at the edge of town that has everything. Everything French, that is. I got so that I could handle myself in a Spanish market, but nothing in French looks familiar. I guess this is adventures in fine cuisine. Much of what I bought is a mystery, including some sort of canned vegetable stew; mixed vegetables in a thick broth, with a slight vinegar flavor. On the can may be ratatouille, or caponata d'aubergines, or tajine de legumes (I got beans for that one) cuisinee a la sicilienne. The pictures on the cans are all similar, many chopped vegetables in a bowl. It looks good and it is good.
Checking in with the French customs and immigration was a real experience. The first step is to fill out the forms on a computer terminal. That is probably a good idea, and what I did in Antigua. At Saint Martin, however, the keyboard is different than ours, with keys in different places and three characters for each of the number keys. Then to complicate things, the blanks to be filled in are identified in French, and maybe half the blanks are not identified. Each terminal has two chairs, one for the checking-in captain the other for the official who actually does the entries. When I checked out my secrete password had gotten mixed up. I tried what I had written down and it did not work. Then the official went into the data base and tried what the storage remembered and it did not work. He went around to his desk, printed something, stamped it, gave it to me and told me I was free to go.
The water in the lagoon is very shallow. Deeper channels have been dredged to the marinas and shopping districts, but even in the anchorage areas the water is only about eight feet deep. The last day there I had one chore, to clean the bottom and "refresh" the antifouling bottom paint. I have a "hookah" which is a air supply pump for working under water. It pumps air to a standard scuba mouthpiece/regulator. In shallow water, with the boat just touching the bottom, I can stand on the bottom and scrub. It makes the job much easier. But even then it is a hard job. In the process I discovered the a zinc anode had come off, so I installed a new one. I had cleaned the bottom, checked out, and was ready to depart.
Up at 00:00 and was sailing at 01:00. I had 80 miles to go, and I wanted to get there by 17:00 because it gets dark at 18:00 and I did not know where I would anchor for the night. The Anegada Passage has a reputation for being rough. I have done it before, in fact the chart I am using has two prior tracks marked, the trouble is that they are only marked in hours, not dates. My prior crossings were smooth, but the first half of this one was really uncomfortable. There were no big waves on the ocean, not even any whitecaps. But there was a chop that tossed the boat around unmercifully. It was like when a big fast boat passes in the ICW and I am not prepared for it, violently knocked side-to-side. Except in this ocean the violent knocking was in three directions. Drinking a cup of coffee was difficult because I needed that hand to hang on. But I did make it, and about 17:30 I anchored on the peaceful side of the entrance to Spanish Town, Virgin Gorda, British West Indies.
Reef Early
Bill Doar
s/v Advent II
One of the fun things about Saint Martin is the place names: Islands Cow & Calf, Poulets, Hen and Chicks, marina named Dock Martin, rock in the water named Witch's Tit, Bugs Hole, and Shitten Bay. This is a French/Dutch island. I wonder why the English names. Will, did I miss some?
My first impression of the traffic was on Christmas Eve, and it was unmanageable. But after that it was not so much of a problem. Other than traffic going into town in the morning, and out of town in the afternoon, it was not bad. am glad I have a car not only for the kiteboarding but to go to the market. There is a very large supermarket at the edge of town that has everything. Everything French, that is. I got so that I could handle myself in a Spanish market, but nothing in French looks familiar. I guess this is adventures in fine cuisine. Much of what I bought is a mystery, including some sort of canned vegetable stew; mixed vegetables in a thick broth, with a slight vinegar flavor. On the can may be ratatouille, or caponata d'aubergines, or tajine de legumes (I got beans for that one) cuisinee a la sicilienne. The pictures on the cans are all similar, many chopped vegetables in a bowl. It looks good and it is good.
Checking in with the French customs and immigration was a real experience. The first step is to fill out the forms on a computer terminal. That is probably a good idea, and what I did in Antigua. At Saint Martin, however, the keyboard is different than ours, with keys in different places and three characters for each of the number keys. Then to complicate things, the blanks to be filled in are identified in French, and maybe half the blanks are not identified. Each terminal has two chairs, one for the checking-in captain the other for the official who actually does the entries. When I checked out my secrete password had gotten mixed up. I tried what I had written down and it did not work. Then the official went into the data base and tried what the storage remembered and it did not work. He went around to his desk, printed something, stamped it, gave it to me and told me I was free to go.
The water in the lagoon is very shallow. Deeper channels have been dredged to the marinas and shopping districts, but even in the anchorage areas the water is only about eight feet deep. The last day there I had one chore, to clean the bottom and "refresh" the antifouling bottom paint. I have a "hookah" which is a air supply pump for working under water. It pumps air to a standard scuba mouthpiece/regulator. In shallow water, with the boat just touching the bottom, I can stand on the bottom and scrub. It makes the job much easier. But even then it is a hard job. In the process I discovered the a zinc anode had come off, so I installed a new one. I had cleaned the bottom, checked out, and was ready to depart.
Up at 00:00 and was sailing at 01:00. I had 80 miles to go, and I wanted to get there by 17:00 because it gets dark at 18:00 and I did not know where I would anchor for the night. The Anegada Passage has a reputation for being rough. I have done it before, in fact the chart I am using has two prior tracks marked, the trouble is that they are only marked in hours, not dates. My prior crossings were smooth, but the first half of this one was really uncomfortable. There were no big waves on the ocean, not even any whitecaps. But there was a chop that tossed the boat around unmercifully. It was like when a big fast boat passes in the ICW and I am not prepared for it, violently knocked side-to-side. Except in this ocean the violent knocking was in three directions. Drinking a cup of coffee was difficult because I needed that hand to hang on. But I did make it, and about 17:30 I anchored on the peaceful side of the entrance to Spanish Town, Virgin Gorda, British West Indies.
Reef Early
Bill Doar
s/v Advent II
Sunday, January 3, 2016
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Friday, January 1, 2016
01January
01 January
I am out of the lagoon and anchored in the bay. This is open ocean. Rocky and rolly. I will get up at 00:00 and sail for BVI, 80 miles.
Bill Doar
s/v Advent II
I am out of the lagoon and anchored in the bay. This is open ocean. Rocky and rolly. I will get up at 00:00 and sail for BVI, 80 miles.
Bill Doar
s/v Advent II
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