Saturday May 1st was the ideal day to leave New Zealand. Unfortunately about 40 other boats thought so as well. 30 some of them were part of the Island Cruising Association rally to Tonga and had cleared customs the day before, but there was still quite a line at the customs office in Opua. By 10am we had cleared customs and immigration and by 11 we were on our way, killing the motor and setting sail after we cleared the Opua ferry lane. The wind was fresh and favorable, but the clouds were threatening. A rainbow shown over Pahia to send us on our way. Too bad the rain part was also there as I actively sailed in the rain for maybe the 10-12th time in my sailing career. I’ve really been a pretty fair weather sailor for years now. The only time I get caught out in the rain is at sea where I button up the boat and hang out down below until it drys out. We were still in the crowded Bay of Islands waters and had the rally driving hard behind us to catch up, so a soggy captain dawned his foulies and kept a watch, but he wasn’t happy about it.
Leaving New Zealand with the ICA rally close behind
The weather window leaving New Zealand was great with fresh south westerlies turning to southerlies for the first 36 hour easing to moderate south easterlies for another day before the wind died and we had to motor for 8 hours before we started getting some light easterlies. A low was passing over the north island compacting the isobars in the trades. So we got a few days of reinforced trades blowing out of the east at 25-35 knots […]
Just got this in hot off the wire from Martin Samuel. So I’m going to put it up now.
Hello Scott – from Bermuda…
Left Fort Lauderdale 8.45 AM Wednesday 26th May – docked St. George’s at 2:00 PM Friday 4th June. Now anchored out, quiet, peaceful, warm, breezy with WiFi and my mobile phone works too.
Weather was great for the most part but had some damage to the boat – more later.
No problem with Customs. Tomorrow I start to explore … boat repairs later.
Re: boat damage … a stainless steel pin sheared and disappeared – it holds the front stay which holds the mast up and and also the roller furling head-sail. Of course it happened at 1.00 am, the sail was flogging and the metal hardware was beating the boat to bits. Got a hold of it and was able to do a temp. fix putting it back in place. Also, the shackle that holds the sail up at the top snapped with all the pressures – but I was able to drag the sail down. All of that done without stopping the boat – wet, dark, slippery, frustrating. Everything useful falls overboard but not the broken shackle – found it the following day – it had hit and shattered the glass on 1 of my 2 solar panels and was still sitting there just to prove it… what are the chances… ! ! !
Following day sailed with 1 sail missing – just the main and the staysail see photos:
1. clear, sunny, calm sea sailing the day after the debacle
2. same day with dinghy under wraps
3. still sailing
4. daytime configuration – that’s the bagged sail tied down on the deck
We left Windsong in Stuart on its mooring ball for a week before I was able to get back there and begin the fourth leg with my Dad. I was concerned while it was there because the stuffing box was leaking worse than it ever had, and I couldn’t get it to stop dripping before we left. I did my best to stem the flow by tying some torn up towels around it, but knew that would help little. The bilge pump could keep up with the flow, and would run a few times a day I think. However, I didn’t know how long my batteries would last with the pump running frequently. Luckily I remembered to change the battery switch to the house batteries rather than its default setting of house + starter batteries. I realized I left it like that when Windsong was in Ft. Myers, and made a mental note to never leave the switch on both when not charging or motoring.
The plan was to motor up the ICW to Harbortown Marina in Merritt Island. We arrived in Stuart on Thursday evening (April 1st) a few hours before dark. First order of business was to dinghy all of our gear out to the boat, which wasn’t nearly as exciting as the nighttime ordeal we faced in Ft. Myers. After the gear was loaded (only took one trip) we enjoyed a beer then paddled back to shore to get some dinner at the marina restaurant. After dinner we had to paddle back in the dark and crashed quickly soon after. As usual I didn’t get any sleep, mind racing about what the next couple of days would hold.
The first day’s ride would be 2/3 of the trip, making progress all the way up to south Melbourne. […]
The weekend of March 20 I was finally able to get some friends to help crew for me as we crossed Florida via the Okeechobee Waterway:
At 6.5 knots cruising speed, it takes about two days of long motoring to cross the state with a stop in Clewiston. Mark and Robbie both took Monday off so we would be able to make it north a bit on the East coast as well. The plan was to go from Ft. Myers to Clewiston on Saturday; cross the lake and make it to Stuart on Sunday; then Stuart to Vero Beach up the Intercoastal Waterway on Monday.
Friday night we were dropped off in Ft. Myers where Windsong was moored for about a week and a half. It was dark when we arrived, and we had to paddle my old dinghy about a half mile to the boat. The rubber dinghy does not have hard floors, so we couldn’t load too much weight. This made us have to take two trips back and forth to collect all cargo along with all three of us. We didn’t get any good pictures of the dinghy rides to the boat, but it was a lot of fun crossing the river in the dark of night, only city lights for illumination. I knew where the boat was in reference to the bridge and island surrounding it, but we couldn’t actually see it until very close.
We loaded up Windsong, had a few beers and settled in for the night. None of us slept well at all, I was nervous about how the engine would perform on its first real endurance test. We would be motoring about 8-10 hours a day for three days straight. I knew the fuel was clean now, so it was whatever […]
On April 3rd 2010, Saffanah started the second leg of her voyage from Marathon FL to Jacksonville FL where she will undergo the many remaining projects associated with her restoration. Her first leg from the keys to Ft Pierce in December was more entertaining than the recent trip this past week. This trip was pleasant and comfortable, incorporated great weather, lucked out in nearly perfect timing for winds, tides and moon light, and included a view of the last night time Shuttle launch – a spectacular event. And crew compatibility was definitely not an issue – my best friend, perfect sailing companion, and wife, Diane, was with me for the first time on Saffanah.
The shuttle’s exhaust trail being dispersed as the sun rose over Titusville – 4/4/2010
Unfortunately, as is the case most of the sailing time I have ever experienced, this trip offered little intrigue about which to write – no emergencies or heart stopping events, no great sea stories that can be further elaborated over time, just five days of five knot motor sailing in light air, under azure blue skies, punctuated with white puffy clouds and plenty of shore color provided by azalea, dogwood, and redbud blossoms. Is it not odd that the most idyllic passages offer the least about which to write?
When Saffanah arrived in Ft Pierce in December, we had new canvas made to protect the new sails we had purchased in the fall. And because Mack Sails is located in nearby Stewart, we elected to purchase a Mack-Pac (sail cover and integrated lazy jack system). While measuring the boom and mast, the Mack riggers discovered a badly cracked spreader and a damaged port stay turnbuckle. As a result, they strongly advised that we not […]
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