Year: 2009

We decided to make a dash out the Sound in order to connect with the planned Island Packet helicopter photo shoot off Point Judith for Monday at 1pm to 2pm. So, with the weather fairly calm, we departed Port Washington, NY for Milford CT at 0530 am! This run would be about 50 miles and we wanted to run the tide AND we wanted to be anchored well before the predicted thunderstorms. We had to motor in 3-5 knot winds but flat calm seas and beautiful am skies. Then the vizibility reduced to about .75 miles and this gave us all a chance to review our radar systems and gain settings because we will surely need it in MAINE. Lucky for us, we had the Port Jefferson / Bridgeport ferries crossing our bow, providing us with fast targets to track and AIS data to read. We never had a target closer than 1.o miles, yet this was all good practice.

Arriving Milford CT by 1230, we were anchored by 1300 hrs behind Charles Island and just off the really cool sand bar that creates this harbor. This sand bar is under water by about 2 feet at high tide, but is exposed at low tides prividing about a 1 mile bridge from land out to Charles Island. What a great place to walk and explore.

Then, as forecasted, the front came in and the winds picked up to a peak of 42 knots with plenty of rain and lightning not far off in the distance. Lucky for us, we all had plenty of chain out, 150+ feet and large anchors, so we all held fast. Of course after a storm like this you are rewarded with a beautiful rainbow and a wonderful sky. Tomorrow we will make the 55 mile run to Watch Hill, my #2 favorite location in New England.

Photo of AM sky leaving Pt Washington
with calm waters

Then the rainbow after the storm…

All the treats of being on the water in one day

1. Red AM sky, calm waters
2. Fog, low viz, ferries, ziggin and zaggin
3. Approaching storm worries, get anchored
4. Frontal storm, lightning, 42 knots
5. Clearning and a rainbow….
6. WOW, what a great day 🙂

We departed Atlantic Highlands at 0620 and headed for the Statue of Liberty in New York Harbor and then turned past the Battery and up into the East River with a destination of Port Washington, NY. Radeen calculated the tides right and they were verified by our great friend Bobby who provides routing services for these legs. The currents in the East River were running at 6 knots so we were able to have an SOG of 12+ knots as we flew up the river and zipped around Hell Gate and shot out into the Sound. But first you need to survive the New York Harbor at 0900 RUSH HOUR!

Yes, we were at the Statue of Liberty at 0830 and then off the Battery and Southern Manhattan at 0900. We had the Staten Island Ferries criss crossing our bows, tugs with barges on the hip blowing their horns to tell us to get out of their way, and then the high speed 30 knot ferries taking our sterns, all within minutes. Welcome to New Your Harbor at rush hour and what a RUSH IT WAS. It was so exciting to run this route with 5 Island Packets and with great friends. We have made this trip 4 times before, yet it is still exciting. If this does not get your adrenaline pumping then I don’t know what will. Just try to drive your boat through here!

The run up the East River is just as exciting, but with much less traffic. The beauties of this run are the sights of the city, the elaborately engineered bridges, and the unusual views of the city, especially the United Nations with the Chrysler Building off in the distance. It all goes by so fast, and the boat is sliding left and right down the current, and its difficult to steer a straight line, but you are committed now. Before you know it, you are sliding around Hell Gate with the water really boiling and churning, the boat feels like it could be swallowed up, and then after the last turn out of Hell Gate, it all settles down. The end of the run is past LaGaurdia Airport with jets on final approach with them passing, what seems to be, a few hundred feet over your mast. It is all part of the run from NYC to Long Island Sound, and IT IS EXCITING….

Here is a photo of the excitiment..
click for larger photo

Here is a great shot looking back at the Brooklyn Bridge
Here is the MAP again…
Tomorrow, we will make a dash out the Sound…

The anchorage in Atlantic Highlands, NJ behind the breakwater is always calm and with plenty of room and we have anchored here 4 times now. The winds are prevailing from the SW and in that direction there is a tall tree lined ridge with estate homes over looking the harbor so it tends to protect the anchorage. If the winds change and blow from the NE, then you could move over to the HOOK and anchor off the beach in horseshoe cove, but that is rare.

The town here has a nice main street with a laundromat within a block and restaurants, dog walks, park benches, fishing fleets, a casino and a yacht club! WOW, you could get stuck here and not leave. The high speed ferries run out of here every hour up to Manhattan, NYC, and in the AM you see all the commuters lining up for their daily trek into the city. Coming in by dinghy to walk the town and find the local Cafe 777 for breakfast is a real contrast to the “suits” lined up heading to the offices.

From here it is about 35 miles into Long Island Sound, where we will run up into New York Harbor, under the Verrazano Bridge and into the harbor with the Statue of Liberty to port and Wall Street dead ahead. Keeping Manhattan to port we will turn up the East River for the dreaded “Hell Gate” where the current runs at 3+ knots and the commercial traffic of barges, tankers and tugs compete for the waterway. Cars are running 60 mphs on the highway next to the river, the United Nations Building flies by in a flash as it blocks the wonderful view of the Chrysler Building. Yes, queing up here in, Atlantic Highlands, is exciting with the anticipation of the run into NYC. Of course it will be VIDEO day tomorrow….

As the Island Packet Fleet approached the coast of Sandy Hook the most beautiful sunset with rain clouds and rain opened up and presented a beautiful sight. In the bright clearing there appeared a massive Island Packet Flag on a 100 foot flag pole over on the beach. The sun hit it just right and lit up the banner as a welcome to the area. I have no clue who raised this IP banner flag, but we all thank you for the sight.

Rounding Sandy Hook under full jib with the NE winds now back up to a 12 knots, we rolled out a full 135 jenny and sure enough, under the jib the IP battle flag was there, over on the beach. What a sight. These packets are sure popular and every where we sail, people say…..”Is that an Island Packet?”…..yes it is!

Wed will be a lay day here in Atlantic City as we turn around crew and Radeen arrives as she is now out of school.

Note to Self:
The current runs south along the NJ coast and you will have 1 to 1.5 knots on the bow from Atlantic City to Sandy Hook. maybe 5+ miles out it might get less, but it is there. It is better to come south then north.

This private anchorage location that I cannot tell you about in Atlantic City is really great. Its an easy in with 7-8′ at low tides, but your charts will tell you that you are in the marsh and on land. Perfect….keep out! Then once inside the basin, you can anchor up lots of boats. The only issue is that he entire cove is private property with private docks with no dinghy landing area. So, you simply make the crossing back out and over to the CASINOS where you can tie up and have fun.

Heading out in the AM, we set sail for Sandy Hook under reef main and a full 135% jenny close hauled in calm seas with a simple 3′ swell. Once under sail, right at the jetty, it was time for breakfast, and I love eggs, so it was STEAK n EGG time! Check out this cool video of making eggs on a slight heal. Lucky for me it was galley down, so it was a snap.

Then here is another video from our nice sail down the Delaware Bay. These Island Packets really sail well in 20-30 knots ad they have a nice motion.

What was to be a lay day in Cape May Harbor turned out to be a fantastic sailing day offshore, why not? We had our radio off in the AM after getting up at 0530 with the sun to write blog posts and process YouTube videos, when the fleet was discussing leaving for AC NJ. By the time we discovered this, Memphis Belle and Lyons Pride were out in the ocean reporting great close reaching in north winds of 15 knots. So Jeff and I looked into Weather.gov and reviewed the marine weather for the area, and discovered forecasts reported of 15-20. Jeff and I said….”PERFECT, we love to sail upwind and close hauled, LET’s GO.”

So off with the dinghy motor, stow the gear, and let’s head out the inlet. We set the main sail in Cape May harbor with a reef and planned to use the 135 strapped in hard to the spreaders. With the jib car all the way aft, we set the jin close hauled right at the jetty. Off we go to chase the fleet.

Out with us came IP380 CAVU and IP40 Surprise. We all have a fantastic sail as close as we could, with Island Spirit sailing the highest with our B&G wind set to 40 degrees apparent angle on a port tack. We sailed this all the way up to within 10 miles of AC where the winds died to 10 knots, and moved onto the bow. Believe it or not, 10 knots in the ocean is NOT much wind when the waves are 2-3 feet.

We finshed the day by motoring the last 10 miles of our 50 mile day and are now anchored in RUM POINT AC NJ where it is “Captains Steak Dinner Night” with formal attire required!

Here are a few photos….

The Cape May Harbor and where to Anchor

I can’t tell you about this RUM POINT anchorage….shhhhh
it is off the chart….sorry….you can’t get in here!

Sailing Close Hauled Cape May to AC NJ
with weak low presure up north

The sailing today, 6/21/09 on the Delaware Bay was about as good as the bay can give you. We departed the C&D Canal about 5:30am and Set sail at the exit of the canal. The winds were a 330 and our course to Cape May is 150. Sounds like WING ON WING to me, so with the winds at 20-25, we set a reefed main sail to starboard and a 135% Jenny to port. Up when the whisker pole and well secured with a topping lift and using the lazy sheet as a foeguy we had a good sail set. Sailing downwind like this we were easily doing 6.5 to 7.5 directly towards our destination.

Next the discussion, by Jeff, was….“Maybe above 25 knots, we should think about rolling this in!” The captain says….”No, it seems to be well secured and I do not want to change anything, so let’s run this as is, but if we see 30 knots we will furl.”

So on we sailed and as every sailor will always say in a story like this…..”WE WERE FLYIN!” (that always cracks me up, because 6-8 knots is NOT flyin, 25+ knots on a Volvo Ocean Race boat, now that is FLYIN)

So you guessed it, the wind builds to 25-30 with many gusts over 33 knots. Jeff goes for the furling line and I stop him, I boldly say….”Hold on Jeff, I got this, she seems to be sailing well, and it is all locked down, do not furl it!” Jeff says….”OK, but I am seeing 30+ knots.” Captain says…I know, lets run with this for now…..BANG…WHAT WAS THAT? OH CRAP THE POLE BROKE….within seconds Jeff had the jenny furled and the pole was bent in half.

Lucky for us, the pole did not do any damage to the sail, or to the rig. So with a harness, I go forward to secure the pole and to inspect the boat. With pole secured to the deck, we unfurled the jenny to starboard and continued on.

NOTE TO SELF:
When Jeff says FURL……then FURL….and when the wind is over 25-30, furl…..come on!

In all, this turned out to be one of the best days of sailing on Island Spirit EVER. The winds moved a bit more north and we were able to sail this 25-30 knots the entire way with a full 135% and a reefed main. We dropped sails at the Cape May canal and motored in.

From Engineers Cove on the C&D to the Anchorage at the Coast Guard Station, we logged a total of 3 hrs motoring. 2 hrs out the CD & 1 hr into the Cape May canal. PERFECT DAY of SAILING!

The broken Whisker Pole, very light design.
Next one Carbon Fiber!

Sailing at 7+ knots…..”FLYIN” 🙂

PS:
The Rock Hall Fleet also sailed this entire leg where we are all anchored up in Cape May, NJ. IP40 Surprise, IP380 CAVU, IP380 Memphis Belle, IP440 Lyons Pride and IP35 Island Spirit. The fleet is heading for MAINE…

The weather was notthe best forecast for a departure today, but Jeff and I were ready to leave and start this voyage. Our good friend and Island Packet Owner, Bobby W. provided us with our routing services which called for our best run to depart at 0215! WHAT, well….we did not make that, and departed at 0600. That caused us to pay the price of running into a 1.5 knot current all the way to Engineer’s Cove ast Chesapeake City. Once on the canal, we had current on the bow, so we decvided to NOT run this another 2.5+ hours to Reedy Island. Instead, we pulled into the cove, dropped the anchor and were relaxing at 1300 hrs. After a nice 2 hr rest, we dropped the dinghy only to find we need to replace the fuel filter and spark plug. This was the only service item left go, no problem, we swapped out the fuel filter with a new one, replaced the plug and it was running great again.

Next can the first of 2 storms with rain, winds and lightning. So we waited these out before heading to shore for a surprise nice dinner for Jeff’s help and prep of Island Spirit as we enjoyed the TAP ROOM. What a great meal, and nice place, they even gave us milk to take back to the boat for our cereal in the am.

Suneday, 6/21/09, we WILL RUN the times Bobby routed for us, and we will wake at 0315 and depart this cove at 0330. Our routed best time run will place us in Cape May Canal around noon or 1300. We are looking forward to 15-20 knot winds out of the NORTH WEST allowing us to sail down the bay. Day one….in the back….

The hardest aspect of any voayage is LEAVING THE DOCK!

Island Spirit is on the “launch pad” after months of work which began back on Easter Vacation, on April 9th, 2009. That makes 10 weekends of work and SHE IS READY! We have prepared Island Spirit every year for these long summer sails, but for some reason, this year seemed like a never ending process with another job added to the list each weekend. Our plan for this summer sail is to maximize our summer vacation from our teaching positions. This is our 1st summer of true freedom in 2 years without any Drexel Graduate School work. We plan to spent the entire month of July exploring the waters and beautiful harbors of Maine. So bundle up, get out your woolies, and sail along with us as we make the run to MAINE 2009.

Here is a list of tasks we (Radeen, Hayden & our #1 crew, Jeff) completed in our preparation for this trip.

1. Epoxy barrier painted 2 coats on bare spots on the hull
2. Sanded and refinished teak cabin sole with http://UltimateSole.com
   
3. 2 coats of sanding sealer, 3 coats of top coat finish
4. Bottom painted with Petit Trinidad Epoxy paint
5. Re-painted boot stripe with a $5.00 spray can of Krylon Fusion Navy! Worked well.
   
6. Compounded hull
7. Waxed hull
   
8. Re-designed bilge pump and shower sump systems
9. Installed new pumps, new float switches and new hoses
   
10. Removed shrink wrap cover
11. Launched boat
12. Flushed water system, re-connected water heater
13. Flushed all water lines with Clorox to kill odors and bacteria
14. Hoisted 135% Genoa Sail, wired & taped SS shackle
15. Hoisted Cutter sail, wired and taped SS shackle
16. Installed full enclosure, polished glass on dodger
17. Replaced main and jib halyards
18. Sent Jeff to the Masthead to remove & replace the B&G wind anemometer with new unit
    
19. Removed and replaced B&G depth sounder
20. Re-packed the stuffing box in the water!
    
21. Took boat out and tested all systems; Radar, Autopilot, Wind, Speed, Windlass, etc)
22. Changed primary and secondary fuel filters (primary – 30 micron RED)
23. Changed oil, and oil filter (Oil= Shell Rotella 10-40W)
24. Removed 250 feet of anchor chain and re-paintd 25’ markings (every 25’=yellow paint; every 100’=white paint)
25. Soldered and made new RS232-DB9 Communication cable multiplexing GPS and AIS NEMA data into one USB cable.
    
26. Installed SeaClear II nav system and connect to AIS radio, moving system to another laptop
27. Purchased and stowed provisions for 2 months of cruising (trip #1=one FULL Costco shopping cart!)
28. Serviced, repaired and brought back to life both folding bikes, returning them to near perfect condition
29. Rode bikes and indexed gears, brake cables and lubed. Packed into bags for on deck storage
30. Moved bikes onboard
31. Loaded a total of 10 dock carts onto the boat! YES 10 DOCK CARTS
32. Stowed all 10 carts, labeled all food, prepared menus and meal plans
33. Removed AB Dinghy oarlock and re-glued new oar lock to Hypalon Inflatable
34. Installed new ratcheting dinghy tie downs, old ones rusted. ($20 for 15 footers)

As a point of planning and anticipation, here is a Google Map (below) with dates and projected harbors. None of this is firm or fixed, and all locations are simply projections for now. If we want to stay in a location longer or if we want to skip a location we will. Also the weather plays a major part in any trip of this length. We do not like to press on in bad weather, but we have traveled in 100% fog! It happens in New England, you can leave a harbor in a clear bright sunny AM and within 2 hours you can be in FOG. Welcome to MAINE, welcome to the waters north of the Cape Cod Canal, it happens.

The Chesapeake Bay Fleet that is planning on heading to Maine 2009 are…

1. IP35 Island Spirit, Hayden & Radeen
2. IP380 CAVU, Ron & Mary Ann
3. IP440 Lyon’s Pride, Paul and Sue
4. IP420 Ore Negro, Conrad & Mirna
5. IP40 Surprise, Tom & Linda
6. IP37 Seas the Day, Sheldon and Gail