Tuesday, July 8, 2014

We beat Arthur

Friday, July 4

We beat Arthur


Thursday, the winds resumed, and we continued to sail.  With minimal spillage, Mike, Greg and I managed to transfer the 10 gallons of diesel from the jerry jugs to the starboard tank. 


Hoisting the spinnaker furled on the antitorsion line we found first that the upper portion of the sail was twisted extremely tightly, and that when we began the unfurl, the lower portion had reverse twisted.  Thus untwisting the top twisted the bottom tighter and vice versa.  This has been a common problem that plagues this device and occurs when the twist stored in the antitorsion line is released at the end of furling.  As it untwists, it grabs sail, usually below the clew, and twists it in the reverse direction.  Then, when unfurling, the event is impossible because unfurling above furls the bottom even tighter.


Down on the deck, I was able, I thought, to untwist the reverse furled part, and now with free spinnaker at the bottom, I used yarns to gather it up into sausages as was done in olden times (pre socks, pre furlers). Back up, pulling on the sheet as we unfurled the antitorsion line, only a bit of sail came out to catch the wind.  And then, the sail ripped extensively.  Another casualty of the $%#**&#@ top-down furling system.


We still sailed well with jib, main and mizzen until after dinner when the skies began to look ominous.  We lowered the main, sailing jib and jigger until we saw big squalls marching across Massachusetts Bay toward us and at around 10 pm, with all sails down, were hit while motoring with 40 knot winds and thunderstorms.  No problem.


Avoiding fishermen as well, we finally pulled into our mooring at 1 am on July 4th.  Tired and facing too much wind to safely go to the CYC dock, we just sat on the mooring until 5:30 when with dawn, we went to the dock, cleaned the boat, and Addie met us with pastries from A&J King bakery.


Post script, 7/7/2014.

      Took the spinnaker to Quantum Thurston in Bristol.  It was hopelessly and multiply reverse wrapped and wrapped so staggeringly tightly that the layers almost seemed annealed together.  Each layer had to be peeled from the next.  A technology that has a few bugs to be worked out.  Back to the sock would be the wisest move.

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Thursday, July 3, 2014

Hurricane Arthur

Arthur the Hurricane
Thursday, July 3, 2014. 0500


Since Tuesday, we have been watching on the grib files a low coming up from Florida with intense cyclonic winds of 50 plus. Now, it is officially Tropical Storm Arthur predicted to grow to Hurricane Arthur as it follows a cold front straight to Marblehead, with arrival late tomorrow. We should beat it in although I am concerned about safety of boats on moorings in Marblehead. I was able to get a 24 hr surface analysis from a weather fax yesterday showing the transition from TS to hurricane as it passes the Carolinas.


We had great sailing yesterday up to a point. As predicted, accurately for a change, the grib files showed excellent wind from the south until we crossed west at 68 degrees west. Although it did not happen precisely on that longitude line, by dinner, the wind faltered and we eventually took down all sails as our boat speed fell into the 2's, far too slow to allow us to beat Arthur with about 175 miles sailing to go (as of dinner last night).

Prior, we had various sail combinations including poled out jib, main, mizzen, and mizzen staysail in increasingly heavy following seas. We were surfing down waves with boat speeds in the mid 9 kt range, and maintaining steady speeds in the high 7's and 8's.

No more. Motored all night at about 5 kts and now have a bit over 100 miles to go. From yesterday, the water temperature has gone from 82 down to low 60's, and we had fog all night with radar on, and fog horn blasting. As we knew, the AIS has far greater utility than the radar.

Now expect arrival Friday morning. And are hoping for sailing winds to resume although diesel fuel should not be a problem, especially with two jerry cans of it on the deck worth an extra 50 miles.

Wednesday, July 2, 2014

Good sailing

Steady as she goes
Wednesday, July 2, 2014

As of 0500 this morning, about 275 miles to go with yesterday's travel about 177 miles, probably a record high for this boat under sail.

We are going mostly downwind with magnetic heading of about 340-350 and making 7 kts. or greater for most of yesterday and last night. Sail combinations have included; main and mizzen alone; main, mizzen and poled out jib; that combination plus a mizen staysail; and main, mizzen, and asymmetric spinnaker.

The seas have built in concert with the wind with 8 foot rollers behind us and winds of up to 25 kts behind us on the port quarter.

Dinner last night was Canada goose stew and breakfast omelets were served this morning.

All crew functioning well together.

Tuesday, July 1, 2014

Endless Ocean

Endless ocean
Tuesday morning, 7/1/2014, 0700

After reasonable breeze yesterday morning, the winds dwindled and clocked to be behind us. We gave up on sailing, and motored from mid afternoon until about 6 this morning when the wind augmented to 10 -12 kts but now nearly straight behind our course. So, wing and wing with boat speed about 5 kts rather than the 7 we had been doing under engine. I expect the wind to build over the next couple days. Hoping for arrival on 4th of July.

Dinner last night: pasta vongole with white clam sauce. A small bit of leftover cooking wine was parceled out to the crew with daring aliquots of about 2 oz per man. Daring.


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