We done arrived...

We have arrived! Land never looked so inviting! We anchored the first night off St. John, one of the 3 islands that make up the US Virgin Islands. We launched the dingy, went ashore, kissed the ground ( well, at least thought of doing it because it is kind of embarrassing to do so and very dirty), had a strong rum punch or 2 and a good meal. It felt so good to have finally arrived after the long month it took us to get here!
Our crew fly back home the next day and we have been visiting a few islands of the British Virgin Islands. It's been very hot but the evening are comfortable. For Thanksgiving we had Cornish hens grilled on the BBQ. Not quite a Thanksgiving feast but not bad either! We have been to Norman Island, Cane Bay Garden, Tortola, Peter Island, and Marina Cay. Jost Van Dyke is a dutch island everyone goes to when down here. There are a couple of beach bars constructed out of whatever scraps can be found and it is a beautiful beach. Of course we had the notorious Painkillers which is a powerful rum drink that goes down very easily. We staggered back to the dinghy, found our way back to the boat and took a nap. Dinner was the buffet at Foxy's followed by the playing by a local band.
This type of traveling is wonderful and it gives us much freedom to go wherever we want and when. But, with a boat, there is a lot of maintenance and something is always going wrong or breaking down. We have had problems with the water system, toilets, refrigerator, and rudder. Fortunately, Peter is very handy and knows these systems well. But everyday is a new surprise of something that has to be fixed. 
We are off to sail to Virgin Gorda now. My, what a life!

The next leg...

After a week of drying out the boat, doing tons of water logged laundry and Peter repairing a couple of systems that didn't take kindly to being soaked with salt water from the storm, we finally left Beaufort. We passed an island with wild ponies that have been breeding there for over a hundred years since a vet who kept them passed away. They looked content on their little island. We were finally on our way to the Virgin Islands. What would transpired during this leg of the trip no one knew.

Overall, the 9 full days it took us to travel the 1200 miles were uneventful which was just fine with us. A couple of those days had light winds and we had to motor sail. Some had a decent breeze but the last four days were very windy and the boat racked back and forth and up and down non stop, 24/7.I felt like I was in a washing machine! When friends learned that we were doing this leg of the trip some would ask us ( before we left New York) "where do you anchor"? Well, you don't. You just keep an eye on the storm activity via radio weather forecasts and deal with what you are dealt. There is no cove to take shelter in and you can go for days without seeing another boat.

We saw many flying fish, dolphins criss crossing our bow, rainbows, and lots and lots of very large waves. We often slept rocking back and forth in our bunks. It is an exhausing trip because the body is always in motion and sleep is never a full rest. The watches were rotated 6 hours and 3 hours so forget getting a full nights sleep. That will have to wait.

Bill and Bob proved to be very knowledgable and experienced. Bob is a retired physics teacher and Bill is a retired NASA engineer both having much blue water experience. I on the other hand, vowed never to do this again! Been there, did that. Don't need a repeat. I felt it was long, boring, and exhausting. 

Oh Lord, the sea is so big and my ship is so small....

We left Northport Harbor on October 17 at 9:20 a.m. A beautiful morning, warm and sunny. We turned the corner of Lloyds Neck and headed west towards the East River. I have always loved this passage. It's almost surreal sailing alongside Manhattan and looking down the corridors of the streets. Then, at the tip of island, there is Lady Liberty. Majestic! Turn south towards New Jersey and paradise here we come! Only, not so fast.


As we travel along the coast, the seas are getting bigger and the wind is picking to to 25-27 knots and it starts to rain. A couple of hours of this and I'm ready to set Antissa on an anchor to rest. But, no way. Peter tells me it's best to continue on ( in the rain) because the current is favorable and besides, there is no port along the coast the New Jersey. 45 hours later, we are at anchor!


Now, I'm basically a bay and Long Island Sound sailor who has on a few occasions poked my nose out in the ocean. I'm used to sailing 8, 10, maybe 12 hours. Not 45! I hated taking the wheel by myself those moonless, rainy nights. Felt vulnerable. Good to have my Maltese Gracie with me who is learning to cope with this voyage.


During this passage, our engine stopped and a belt needed to be replaced. We almost got run over by a cargo ship in the Delaware River about 3:30 a.m. because it was not properly lit up and didn't show on our radar ( the ghost ship?). Finally got onto the Delaware Canal to cross into the Chesapeake River and anchored at 5a.m. After 45 hours of this, we were exhausted and hit the sack only to wake up later that morning to discover that the anchor had dragged and we were almost on shore. Out into the wind and rain again, anchor up.


Friday 10/21: We are at a marina for a few days, provisioning, repairing, the usual boat stuff. A friend of ours, Nick Cancro got us a sweet deal on a slip. It's a time to catch up on some sleep.


Thursday 10/27: Left the marina and out to the Chesapeake. It's actually sunny and lovely. I see a power boat ahead with blue lights flashing and we thought it was going to be the Coast Guard boarding us to check our papers which is what they do when things are slow and they are bored. But this one was different. They had men with machine guns and other very large weapons! They were waving us away from the area and there it was -  a Navy submarine had surfaced. They will shoot you before you get near that!


Finally, we get as far as Mills Creek at Soloman's Island and yes, it is raining again. But we are sheltered in the cockpit with canvas and vinyl windows feeling dry and snug. Suddenly, a wind comes up and 2 boats start dragging onto us. One boat was able to start its engine about 10 feet from us thus avoiding a collision. The other boat not so lucky. French Canadians yelling at each other and scrambling around on their deck finally getting caught on our anchor line. We are fending off this boat with our feet and the wind is howling. Out of nowhere, a man on his inflatable boat shows up and untangles the lines. Don't know who he was but he saved both boats from a real mess.


Friday 10/28  I have been looking forward to this day for a long time. I am to visit with my Aunt whom I haven't seen for some years. She had arranged for us to dock at her yacht club and we were going to have dinner there. A good restaurant dinner was something I knew would be most appreciated at this point. Unfortunately, that was not meant to happen. By not paying attention, we missed the inlet and discovered this too late. We had to backtrack to find it. It is pitch dark, raining (of course), and the wind is howling. We are sailing into the wind with the motor on and bucking with the waves. We arrive at 9:30 ( there goes that good dinner) after threading our way into an unknown river in the darkness. There is my Aunt, on the dock with sandwiches for us! What a saint! The next day, she takes us to lunch, the supermarket and does our laundry. We got that good warm meal that evening at her beautiful home. Even got to see my cousin and meet his daughter.


Sunday 10/30 Had a freezing night on board. NY had snow predicted and the cold went down the coast. We are off to Hampton, Virginia to meet up with our 2 crew members, Marshall Calder and Jim Gander. This is the point where we leave the US, head out to the ocean to finally make a stop at the Virgin Islands. But the weather is not cooperating. We are stuck there for nearly a week. Finally, we decide to leave along with several others in the marina.We are out in the Atlantic making good time for 2 days. Weather reports are not favorable. There is a strong storm forming behind us and another one in front of us. The report is indicating tropical storms. We can't stay out here and decided to head back to the coast and try to beat the storms. The winds are really picking up along with the waves and it's getting bad. We sail like this for hours, monitoring the radio reports. It's getting dark and now it's raining (!) and lightning.
We can barely sail because the waves are so strong. No one can go below deck without getting bounced around and hurt. Dinner is not going to happen tonight. The engine quits and we can't get it started. The line is clogged because of all the pitching and rolling the boat is doing and kicking up the muck on the bottom of the tank. The winds are kicking up to 52 knots which is a category 10 gale ( a hurricane is category 11). This storm does develop into Hurricane Sean.  The waves are 15-20-25 feet high and pushing us out to sea. Water is pouring into the front cabin because it can't drain fast enough  through the anchor locker. No motor. No sailing. Water coming in and we're getting pushed out to sea.  We are all drenched and cold. We call Boat US at 8 p.m. for a tow but he can't get out to us. The Coast Guard is called. It takes about 3 hours of communication before they get to us. Further and further out we go. All of a sudden we see this 47' ship along side us. This CG boat is build to roll over in the ocean and right itself with engine in tack and no leakage.This is some powerful boat! The scene was surreal. I felt like I was in a movie but didn't want to be the star! Now t he CG is shining lights on us trying to evaluate the best way to help us as it rolls up and down these mountains of waves.Our fear was that they want us to abandon the boat.  Finally, they decide to tow us and Peter has to go on the forward deck to get the tow line. He clips on his harness and makes his way forward hanging on for dear life. The rope is caught on the first try and tied on. A slow tow begins and we're breathing a little easier. Peter starts showing the first signs of hypothermia and has to be helped below and warmed up, clothes changed into dry ones.
We finally make it to the town dock at 5:30 in the morning ( the first call for a tow was at 8 the previous evening). We have shots of vodka for breakfast and go into a deep sleep.


The next morning we learn that 3 boats sank out there and the crew had to be air lifted. One boat is still missing.


We are at the Beaufort, NC dock for a week cleaning the fuel, getting the transmission fixed and drying out the boat and its contents which is quite a job. Every cereal box, bedding, clothes, everything has been soaked. Our crew has to go home due to commitments ( we were supposed to be in the Virgin Island's by now!). We were sorry to see them go. Now we search for crew replacements. A friend of ours who just finished crossing the Atlantic in the 40' racing boat is willing to join us ( some people love punishment!). Nick's friend, Bill is also willing to join us.


So today is the day. We once again are leaving the coast to head for the Caribbean. The sun is shining (yea!) and Hurricane Sean has headed North. It will take us about 10 days to get there. St. Thomas is 1200 ocean miles away. I hope the rewards of the Caribbean are there waiting for us because we've been through hell trying to get there. Cruise ships and airline travel are looking better and better all the time!
So wish us well and I'll be touch next time from the Virgin Islands - God willing!!!