Preparing to Sail-Around-the-World
July
I have just completed my first open-water (meaning more than 20 miles away from land) on our vessel LongShot.. For those of you who don't know John Depenbrock, my freshmen year college roommate, and I bought a 31 feet sailboat with the intention of sailing it around the world. This sail was our maiden voyage on the vessel and neither of us had sailed this distance- over 500 miles- so there were many uncertainties.
To begin with, we drove up to Massachusetts with 2 extra crew to paint the bottom of the boat and raise the mast to ready the vessle for sailing. This process took 2 days of sanding, scrubbing, scrapping and painting and certainly wasn't the most enjoyable part of the voyage. However, by Monday morning we were ready to haul the boat to the ocean, the boat had been dry docked about 30 miles from the water and this meant we had never actually seen the boat in the water much less seen her sail. But by noon on Monday the boat was in the water and after a brief sea trail the boat was declared fit to sail. After a quick meal at the yacht club we headed on our way.
The first day was mostly light winds out the north, so we were able to make pretty good time as our destination was Riverton, NJ which is southwest of where we were starting the voyage. As evening approached, the winds began to pick up and we set up a schedule of shifts. Since we had 4 people we chose to run 4 hour shifts with 2 people per shift. This allowed for plenty of sleep for the off-duty crew down below and always two people on watch. The night came and went and both the boat and the crew were handling the seas well, and this continued for most of Tuesday.
However, as Independence Day approached the winds began to shift out of the southwest- exactly the wrong direction. We tried tacking—the technique used to head into the wind-- but the waves and the current were also against us. As night began to approach the marine radio told us of impeding severe thunderstorms. With the risk of severe weather and inability to make many miles due to the winds and current we decided to head inland. With a little bit of help from the 4 foot waves at our stern we managed to cruise into an inlet, under power of our 23 hp diesel engine, in the middle of NJ just before night fall on the Fourth of July. As luck would have it the wind soon picked up to 25- 30 knots and the storms came. We felt glad to be in the safety of the shore. One of our crew, Mike, happened to have relatives in this port so they gave us a free hot meal and a few beers before we headed back to the boat to sleep.
The next morning the radio brought more bad news about the weather—more thunderstorms and possible hail. To make matters even more taxing we were losing two of our crew, Mike and Chris both had other commitments. So it was only John and I for the rest of the voyage—keeping in mind this is my first sailing experience. After a quick look at the charts and maps we decided to stay inland as long as possible to avoid the weather. This worked well expect for the few tense moments when the depth of the water began to become shallow… As midday approached we decided to head out into the ocean again as the intra-costal waters were getting shallow. We tried to exit out of Little Egg Inlet. However, the tide was low and the winds and waves were strong. As such, we couldn't make it out. So we were forced to head back in and try to exit at the last available inlet that could handle a boat our size- Atlantic City. We arrived at the exit about 2 pm, and it was decision time- the waves were cresting at about 8 feet and they were calling for more heavy weather. But we couldn't keep the boat at any port in Atlantic city… So we decided to try to head out one more time, again under engine.
The current was coming in, the wind was blowing out and this combination creates high waves- some of which were reaching 10 feet. Now these may not seem like much, but for 4 hours we were fighting 30-40 degree heels (the lean of the boat), strong winds- still in the wrong direction- and high seas. We took 2 hour shift as the work was very physically tasking. In the end the waves began to subside and the wind lightened, but it was a good test for our boat, our nerves, and my stomach (I used to get violently seasick as a child), all of which I am happy to say passed with flying colors. By midnight, we had made it to our inlet destination- Cape May. We managed to navigate it at night, albeit a little nerve raking since the channel is pretty narrow at times and we had to rely on our knowledge about lighted buoys which marked the channels. Once inside the bay we took the Delaware River up to our marina, and those south winds began to help us as we were now heading north. It took us about 10 hours to sail the river and by 6 pm on Friday, July 7 we were safely in our marina slip (dock) and feeling confident. A nice man who was there working on his boat helped us tie the vessel and the offered us 2 cold beers—a priceless reward.
The boat will now stay pretty much docked for outfitting, with the occasional weekend sail. It was only a 5 day voyage but the confidence we gained in ourselves and out vessel is irreplaceable. Until then, I hope all is well with you and those near to you.
September 2007
I am sure by now many of you are wondering where I am, or what I am doing. So here is a brief update as to how my life has been since sailing the boat down from Massachusetts 3 months ago.
I am still living in New Jersey, but I have now moved onto the boat (as of the first of September) and I have ended my job at the construction company to devote my remaining weeks to fully outfitting the boat and getting some much needed sailing experience.
The short sailing trips I have taken have been very productive although not entirely practical, as much of it has been on the Delaware River. While this has given me some much needed practice at close-quarters sailing it has not offered much in the way of Blue Ocean cruising, but I guess you can’t have your cake and eat it too…
The outfitting of the boat has been a full time job for most of the summer and here is a brief list of what I have added to the vessel in preparation of the voyage.
A 16 gallon water tank was added to bring the total fresh water capacity of the vessel to 46 gallons. In case you are wondering the average human adult should consume about ½ gallon per day. That would give 2 people enough water for 46 days, or one person enough for 90 days. Obviously I don't plan on being at sea that long without having the opportunity to refill the water tanks, but it is better to be safe than sorry.
3 additional marine deep-cycle batteries where added to the boat, to bring the total number of batteries to 4. 1 battery is devoted to starting the 23 hp engine while the other 3 are called 'house batteries' and run the various lights and devices.
The batteries can be recharged by running the engine (much like a car battery) or by the solar panel that was added to the vessel. An 85 watts, Sharp brand, solar panel was added to constantly drip charge the batteries (so long as there is some sun). This addition proved to be the most challenging as space and shadow from the sails prohibited many of the locations on the boat. In the end the panel was mounted to the stern (back) of the boat with the ability to be tilted to 'chase the sun' across the sky to provide maximum efficiency.
Next came the addition of refrigeration. A 1.5 cubic feet (actually good size for boat refrigeration) replaced an old ice chest. This addition was very rewarding as it increased many of the food options on the vessel. (The boat also has a 2 burner methane stove and oven.)
A second, larger bilge pump (used to remove water from the bottom of the boat) was added. This now gives us 2 electronic options and 2 manual hand options. Should an emergency arise, large qualities of water can be pumped out very fast.
These were the major additions, but some other changes include: adding fans to keep cool, repainting and staining the inside and outside of the boat, adding shelving for storing clothes, installing a CD player with speaker, and the purchase of a firearm for personal protection.
As the leave time quickly approaches, I am still working feverishly to obtain all the needed items. Simple things such as extra oil and fuel filters, fuses, lights, and switches. All things that are easily purchased on land will be impossible to find in some of the small ports I am hoping to visit. All in all the work has been rewarding and despite the few things still lacking I am confident in the work that has been done and will be leaving on Sunday Nov. 4, 2007 from outside of Philadelphia (the original plan to leave from NYC changed due to logistical reasons.)
I am sure there are more questions that some of you have so please feel free to email me with any of them and I will do my best to answer. I wish all of you the very best and hope that at least some of you will make it out to see me off in a little over 1 month.
October 2007
After a brief trip to Europe to clear my mind, I returned to the
boat to finish the last minute items that needed addressing before the leave.
The major issue was a "good problem". John's father bought a windvane (a
mechanical self-steering device) for the boat. John and I wanted this piece of
equipment as it greatly reduces the amount of time a person has to be 'on the
teller', but our limited funds made it impossible. However, the generosity of
Henry (and Alberta I imagine) made the wish a reality. The problem was that the
device had to be mounted to the stern of the boat- where the solar panel was
located. This created a last minute scramble to move the panel, mount the
windvane and the remount the solar panel in a different fashion as to not
interfere with the windvane, but also to collect as much sun as possible. The
task was difficult and further complicated by the very limited time frame, but
we believe we have reached a good compromise. (See the attached
Photos for a view). The other issues were mostly buying
of supplies and food. I hope to compile a list shortly of the items we are
bringing to help answer the much asked question: What are you guys bring with
you? The leave date is less than 1 week away with a going away party planned for
Saturday afternoon/evening. Things are tight and stressful at the moments with
many impending goodbyes and maybe a few tears being held back until Sunday at 2
pm but the sadness and fear is overwhelmed by the excitement and adventure that
await. Hope to see some of you very soon. Sailing Away in 6 days and counting...