ALL HANDS

[Stan's journal, sailing with Peter]

Fri 20 Nov

Leave Constitution Marina, Charlestown. Top off fuel tank at fuel barge, Pier 7. Weather report, gale-force winds, teens for tonight, Saturday; 15-25' seas at Banks. Decide to postpone departure.

Mon 23 Nov Noon.

Lv Boston Harbor. Sail due East. Favorable winds, good, fast sailing.

Tues 24 Nov 6 pm,

approaching Georges Bank, 150 mi from Boston. Begin turning South.

Wed 25 Nov

Crossing Georges Bank. Midnite, 30 mi from 1000 fathom line--edge of Continental Shelf (and Gulf Stream?). 180 mi from chart's '---->approx axis of Gulf Stream---->'

Thurs 26 Nov

Thanksgiving. SW, sail all day, nice. 6 pm, 120 mi from 'Gulf Stream axis.' Thurs night wind builds, NE.

Fri 27 Nov

N'Easter. Fri night, lay to. Estimate winds, 35-40 kn. 15+ foot seas look like mountains, tower over us, break over us, slam the boat. Boat motion violent, makes every activity difficult, dangerous.

Must go outside, up on deck, to pump. Often get soaked by a visiting wave. Some waves put 2-4" of water in the cockpit, slow to drain out. Three waves in succession fill cockpit nearly to bench height. Normsl pump-out is 65-75 strokes (excellent Whale 'Gusher' manual pump, 12" stroke, double-acting, pumps on up and down. Automatic electric bilge pump too costly of battery, by now doesn't work in automatic mode anyway.)

We pumped from sitting position, sitting/squinmin8 on a square red boat cushion/life preserver; or kneeling on the cushion. Sitting, especially while pumping or steering, wore out your foul weather gear where you sit so your underwear and bottom would be wet from waves that came in, whole big chunks of 'green water', 50 to 100 gallons--like three to five large trash cans of chilly water being thrown at you very hard; or the tops of waves--20 gallons, a trash-can's worth--as a coarse spray, like it was thrown like a bucket of water by this big pair of arms. Then there were the 1-2 gallon dolops that came in as quick slosh, ran around the waterways outside the cockpit coaming, to the bend where they would suddenly jump inside onto the bench right where you sat.

Normal pump-out was 65-75 strokes at the 20 minute mark, 85 strokes when water was starting to collect on the cabin floor. It was often up to 125 strokes due to water from waves or heavy spray that sloshed into the cockpit, water that was able to find its way around through the engine compartment hatch or into cockpit lockers. So you'd pump your pumps and just as you finished a big one would come aboard into the cockpit and totally douse you or just from the waist down. And you'd have to resume pumping. It could be 90 more pumps, or 125, or 250 extra pumps was not uncommon. 350 extra strokes happened too. This could happen anytime. Too often it happened once or twice or three times in the half hour. We approached total physical exhaustion. We made a special effort to keep up our strength. To eat well, eat hot food, sleep, even if it meant relying on a slug or two of rum to get us there. To take our vitamins. To keep dry, or as dry as possible. To pick a course and sails that were less tiring to manage; self-steering being the best. To spend a night both in, no watches, to catch up on sleep. And we knew we had to fix the major leak as soon as possible.

Normal pump-out was every 20 minutes. After a few extra minutes, water started to collect on the cabin sole. (Laying on a bunk, you left a leg hanging over and tapped the floor with a foot to know when to pump.) Ten to fifteen extra minutes meant an inch or two of water sloshing around, carrying with it many items that were often underfoot, from tools to pots & pans to potatoes and onions to trash to soaking wet clothes. A constant battle to keep up with things thrown off shelves and bunks, and stove. As you open the oven four hot baked potatoes roll out or are pitched out. Catching them is a trick.

The roll and motion of the boat causes another problem, noises. The central table, with two large leafs, was loose and the leafs were not latched. Bump bump thump. Bump bump thump. Bump bump thump. 24 hrs a day. The head door was difficult to tie open. Bump. Bump. Bump. The 2x4 main boom crutch sounded like Captain Ahab up on deck. Bump THUMP. Bump THUMP. Bump THUMP. The knitting needle on the back of the stove. roll roll roll. Plink. roll roll roll. Plink. The main mast shrouds with their wood deadeyes and rope lanyards. Creek. Creeeck. Creeeeeeeeek. (Pause as boat rolls.) Creek. Creeeek. Creeeeeeeek. Then the loud, sudden BOOM as of a cannon, as a wave slams the boat broadside. All sounds are magnified. We are in an empty oildrum being kicked down the street.

The ears play tricks. It is nearly traditional that single-handers hear voices. We heard a radio. We made sure the radios had not been left on. We searched for a hidden radio. Still we heard the radio. It seemed to be talk shows, ask Peter if you don't think I'm telling the truth. He could even hear what they were saying sometimes. I finally found the cause: always an empty tin can rolling around in the sink or on the floor, in a little bit of water and vibrating. (I could make it happen myself once I found out what it was.) I'm glad I did.

Sat 28 Nov

Very high seas. Sail downwind, bare poles, trail warps to slow us. Lay to and drift at night.

Sun 29 Nov

Winds, seas continue. Sail with bare poles or lay to.

week 2
Mon 30 Nov

Afternoon, very high winds, confused sea. Mon night, lay to.

Tues 1 Dec

Approx. at axis of Gulf Stream. SW wind heavy! Mast wedges fall out from days of severe rolling about, we replace. Sail up at 4 pm. Tues night, mast wedges fall out and must be refitted again; tighten shrouds. Late Tues night, series of 5 or more severe line squalls.

Wed 2 Dec

Severe squall at 11 am. Mizzen shroud tang breaks. Lose use of mizzen sail for balance, self-steering. SatNav pos'n, 5:30 pm: 37'11'N latitude, 64'44'W longitude, approaching far edge of Stream.

Thurs 3 Dec

Storm over but seas still mountainous. Wind SW.

Fri 4 Dec

SW wind intensifies into second major storm.

Period of no forward progress. Lay a-hull, a-drift for four days. Driven off to North and East. 10 days to make 180 mi.

By the end of this period, engine won't start; starter switch #2 fails. Throttle had been starting to sieze. Alternator not functioning. Two batteries with good charge, third ok, used for SatNav onIy, but now, no way to recharge. Loran dies. SatNav eratic; loses memory. Radio fine, use it to get position from passing ships.

Sat 5 Dec

Sun 6 Dec

week 3
Mon 7 Dec

Tues 8 Dec

Bend on Storm Mainsail. Begin sailing again.

Wed 9 Dec

Thurs 10 Dec

Must lay to and drift some nights for much needed rest. Still pumping but steering all night is additionally exhausting. Put patches under stern ventilation plates. Can now wait 30 minutes between pumping-outs.

Fri 11 Dec

Sat 12 Dec

Easy to lose track of time. Day of the week is immaterial. We ask each other, "Is this week 3 or 4?"

Peter had a hard time waking me sometimes. Twice he woke me from dreams and I didn't know where I was. Once when I was awakened with some urgency I jumped up and looked around, dazed, thinking I was in a B-52 bomber-type and vintage plane and there was serious trouble and I had to scramble and bail out.

Sun 13 Dec

week 4
Mon 14 Dec

250 mi due East of Burmuda. Incredible 3 weeks to make Burmuda, but too far east, and prevailine SW wind adverse, cannot get West. Decide we must continue South.

Tues 15 Dec

Begin to inventory food and water for rationing. Anticipate 15 Days, max.

Wed 16 Dec

Wind SW, increases to gale force. Storm is intense but only lasts two days.

Thurs 17 Dec

Fri 18 Dec

Wind NW. 750 mi from Virgin Is. Fix 'stuffing box'. No more pumping. Lay to at night for 1st real full-night's sleep.

Sat 19 Dec

Wind NNW. 650 mi from Virgin Is.

Sun 20 Dec

Radio contact and position 0630 hrs. Last fix by radio. Wind NE, beginning of trades? 650 mi to Virgin Is. First comfortable day. Dry, warm. Some sun.

week 5 Mon 21 Dec

Wind E, the Trades. Mbstly cloudy.

Tues 22 Dec

Mostly cioudy.

Wed 23 Dec

First good celestial fix puts us 250 mi NE of Virgin Is.

Thurs 24 Dec

Good celestial fix.

Fri 25 Dec

Good celestial fix 3 pm. Midnite, see Sombrero Is. light dead ahead and right at Ded. Reckoned ETA (Estim. Time of Arrival). Turned West and North to avoid Anegada.

Sat 26 Dec

Saw peak of Virgin Gorda. 3 pm, saw palm trees at west end of Anegada. Lay a-hull for night.

Sun 27 Dec

Drifted West overniLht more than comfortable distance. Sailed across the wind, some up-wind toward Tortola. Arrived at passage between Tortola and Jost Van Dyke and into Virgin Islands at noon. Arrived, St. Thomas Harbor 4:30 pm, anchored, rowed ashore after 34 days at sea.

All HandsCatalog