ALL HANDS 11/16/90
Aground!11/23/90I left Ensenada 11/15 about 0200. having slept on the boat - in fact having planned to start the day before. But as usual there are so many last things to get done. Dark and tired by the time they were done - so sleep seemed more important than the date of start. I was dead to the world by 7 pm. Off just after 0200, under power. Very little wind. Out of Guánica Harbor into an easy sea and SE wind a knot or two. Wind gradually increasing to 5 or 7 SE. Sails up by 0700 in time for a good lift as the wind went a few degrees south and sails drawing nicely. Power off after an hour of motor sailing. Close hauled and sometimes self steering. Couldn't get south enough to pass Caja de Muertos on the sea side. Charts show ample water inside. But I'm too close to shore. trying to make Caja on the next tack -- Boom, and all standing I slid up on a shoal. Plenty of room and water on the chart, but I hit it. Visible too, and full daylight.
Can't get the main sail in - all others down quick. Main is pressed against shrouds, gaff too. Can't pull it down. Friendly fisherman helped - two of us hanging on it - NFG. So cut the lacing out of the boom, tie a knife to a stick and cut the outhaul. Freed it up enough so we could get it down. Ponce Police boat standing by after the fisherman couldn't budge me. He has twin 125 HP outboards. Nope. Even with my Volvo screaming in reverse.
Sso they called in Lady Elizabeth, a pleasure cruiser with inboard engine and presumably more power and bite in the water. Nope. Gathering dark by now. One more try with diagonal pull - to keep screws in new water. Good show, but no go, and snapped one of my anchor lines at his cleat. Thanx. He took off into the dark, carrying a few feet of my light line - a messenger - and without a word. Just left. OK, not much more he could do, but I would have appreciated suggestions!
So here I sat - abandoned! Nobody loves me! Enough to eat and drink, but a poor place to stay, especially if it pipes up and makes a sea. Weather report says light Easterly winds. I hope they are right. Nobody - Coupla fisherman in small boats. One stopped. spoke, looked below with mask and told me I was aground, hard aground! Thanx. Dark and nobody. Sleep - I can sleep anywhere and did, but it was the HARD test, boat rocking very gently, but banging at the limit of each rock!
Up betimes, breakfast and clean up the mess. Dig the anchor line out of the screw caught in tight - pinch bar finally loosened it, half an hour's work in moderately warm water. But I like to have froze in the easterly breeze when I got up on deck, soaking wet. OK, warmed up fast enough just cleaning house. Nobody. No Ponce Marine Police. No response from Coast Guard. At 9:00 o'clock I called South Puerto Rico Towing, whom I met a few years ago. Strong Spanish accent says he has to consult with owner, doubts about insurance and liability. No response. 10:00 Police boat shows again, just reassuring. Offered to call a tug. Great. Yes, I'll have to pay, please do. Gone again, but left me a VHF call sign. No good either. They didn't answer when I tried.
After 2, the CG called me back from San Juan. A boat is coming from Salinas in 2 hours. Great, get lines ready. Sleep an hour, read a bit. Too nervous to read. Is the wind increasing? Seems to be, but it's just me imagining disasters. Dot on horizon out near Caja de Muertos. Radio calls, confusing, but CG San Juan and Apogee are in it. I broke in to say Apogee is listening and can be called. Very poor "copy" from that boat. CG San Juan is clear. Seems they gave him the wrong directions to my position. OK, he's coming. Get lines ready. Pee. Big drink of water - ready - 175 feet of line in the dink ready to row out to him. He called presently with very poor continuity. Half his words cut off and/or interrupted. Message repeated several times: "Enough water?" He draws 4'. "I think so. I draw 5'9" and approach is clear from 200 magnetic."
He came in close, took my line, I rowed back while he turned and made fast to a bridle. In reverse, Apogee pulled as he put pressure on. Wow - creaks and groans, line straight out of water. We moved 8 or 10' straight aft, stopped solid on a coral head. Stacked line and Eddie Ramos came over in a rubbernecking fisherman carrying a walkie talkie. OK pull a bit NW - same crunch noises. Moved 2'. Reach with boathook to find rox. None - OK, move the line to forward and spin the boat. Did - Double creaks and groans. Apogee laid over. The outboards were well under, and crunch. grate, splutter, and we are off, trailing the big boat. Many minor damages. But OFF OFF OFF at 1700, Sunday 11/19. No leaks. Rudder got banged, but apparently not damaged. Towed me straight off to Salinas (his port) with Eddie Ramos aboard. No visible damage in the morning either when I swam under. One 4" flap of fiberglass hanging loose. Must be a lot of scars and scratches that don't show under water. I'll certainly have to haul out sometime somewhere. Not crucial and not in a hurry.
Salinas, where they towed me, is a tricky harbor to get in and out of the first time. Like Wood's Hole, it's easy enough if you're used to it. I wanted to leave with the death of the afternoon easterlies, anywhere from 3 pm to midnight. I went out into the entrance under power. NO mark, NO buoy. There is a flasher light on a steel tower, shown on chart. OK, leave it to starboard and all clear (if you get that far!) Advice from an old timer was confusing, but a brash young fellow squired me out in his outboard. Showed me the course. No marks, but this island is bold. That one has a nasty shoal making out toward the channel. T'other one is bold too, except at east end, give it a good clearance there. OK. Have I got it straight? He repeated often enough, and then roared back and put me on my boat. If there's any problem, come to my restaurant. I can take care of you!
If the problem is grounding in the wrong place, how do I get to the restaurant? I didn't ask. I have so often been treated to completely unjustified kindness in PR. I know it happens in the States too, but here it ALWAYS happens. Every damn time I've gotten into a fix, somebody comes and undoes the difficulty. OK, OK.
Awake at early dark - much fog in the air. Not the time for a new passage! SNAFU. Morning will come. But at 1 am it was clear. I was rested and wakeful - go. I went. Passage was no strain. Outside the sea was still reducing. Almost no wind. Course was easy enough. Fickle little breezes from any old place had me hoisting and dropping the main. Mostly jib and jiqger. Main up when the breeze steadied about 7:30. Motor sailing quite fast. Still not sure where to fetch up. Customs and immigration at Tortola won't be open till 8:30 or 9. So I spied a pretty town on Vieques and turned in. Good harbor too. South side not very deep. I can't get up to the wharf. No matter. Ashore in the dink for a beer and supper on board. Now 5:11, and I'll clean up a little and sack in for another midnite start. Course out 210. St. Thomas is 30 miles east.
Vieques is pretty. Naturally very dry, but the Navy laid water on in WWII. Big base there then. Rain the last few weeks has turned it bright green, animals all fat, people look clean and are friendly. Cleaning up the boat, I went to start the engine. Not working. End of daylight being hardly the time to get involved, I stayed over. Joe, a local by choice, has a handsome native craft. Sails it well, takes charters ($23 per half day), stopped by. We had a drink. Nice guy, not mechanical. He's a chef, has the Funky Monkey restaurant on the Strip of the town. He knows the locals. There are No mechanics.
Very definite feed problems. Start at filter - yup, full of mud and fine black sand from Venezuela. How come it didn't show before this?? Filter changed with Joe watching. Cheery goodbye and off, with Joe's invite to Thanksgiving in my ear! Few minutes under power and engine stopped, barely outside the harbor. OK, down wind back in. Filter again! and more mud in the separator. Blow them all out, new filter. Nope, no real operation. It does cough along with the starter, but only one dying firing. Stop and think. Junk is obviously in the tank. This is a big deal. Joe will stand by with the Jeep for transport. There are no spares or diesel parts on Vieques. I filled all my containers and two of Joe's with dirty diesel pumped out of the tank with the oil change pump, rowed them in for disposal. Back out to remove the tank - a pure bitch too. Brought that in, perilously perched across my rubber dinghy. Hose it out with detergent, much shaking and rolling. And back out to the boat. Joe helped unload the tank, hoisted out from mizzen mast head. The bitch of getting it out was a holiday compared to getting it in! But we did.
Lines back in and fastened, all hooked up. The engine still NOGO. One by one all fuel lines, all the way from tank to lift pump to #l and #2 filter. High pressure pump is where the stoppage seems to be. Not a thing for me to play with. Nobody here to ask or hire. Disaster! Nothing to do but carry on under sail, up wind - right in the eye of it too.
Some disasters are better than others. A feed of lobster and homemade spinach spaghetti one evening and Thanksgiving turkey the next. All the fixings and cold beer for me. Gastronomically a marvelous disaster! Never mind fuel oil all over the boat and me. Never mind skun knuckle and cramped legs. Vieques is GREAT!
I took off under sail. Beat. Beat. Beat. Wind, what's that? Beating against heavy weather is hard, but to no weather at all is Desperate. 90% hand steering instead of 90% self steering, and small wind shifts so often as to be ridiculous. After sundown it came up a little, enough to self steer. Chance to make a hot meal, and ready for it too. End of Joe's turkey dinner on noodles with a sauce invention of my own that shouldn't have been invented! Nothing left though! Many snoozes through the night, but little real progress. Cleared the east part of Vieques well after midnight and that freed my course a trifle. Close reach on starboard tack, lights confusing. Stayed with the course. More ships moving here. Snooze on deck with a look every few minutes. Daylight finally, and nothing showed at all. Not even a promising sunrise. Heavy wet air, with many small light sprinkles.11/24/90{Some confusion here between mixed up pages - maybe a day lost!}
Clearing and gorgeous visibility about 2 am. Culebra, St. Thomas and St. Croix all showing lights. Winds all light and easterly as the sun got higher. St. Croix disappeared northerly motion or just daylight. St. Thomas, Culebra and Vieques still firmly there and not changing. Several small cargo vessels, one came close to see if I was in need. Spoke on channel 16, Thanks and nothing more. Easterly winds, but only enough to tell where it's coming from.
Now at 0834 I'm approaching Sail Rock, which is half way between Vieques and St. Thomas. Very slow work it is too, but weather is good, wind has been steady since shortly after daylignt.11/26/90, Monday morningBut died at 0900, and now at noon wind starting easty, but VERY light. Sail Rock has been the target all morning and it may be closer now, but I'm not sure! So nothing's wrong, but I'm annoyed and a little depressed. Tremendous pressure to get in and phone shore appointments, the bane of the sailor - and he wants and needs them for bod, boat and sanity.
Light head winds, shifty and very slowly increasing abeam of St. Thomas. A lovely day, but I'm tired, recognize, but can't really enjoy. Plug along self-steering for short bits of time. I need to watch it close in order to make the best windway. 4 to 5 miles off shore. St. John, and by now a decent breeze, 16 knots. Not hard, but enough to kick up a little sea. Devil of a time fetching the passage between St. John and Norman Island. Must have been 20 tacks to get clear. OK, I got through, but still hard on the wind to get into Road Town Harbor. Dark as I crossed Sir Francis Drake channel. Seems to be less adverse current here, maybe none. Approach to Road Town was a bit low. Had to tack off a coupla miles to be able to come in on the east side of the harbor. No lights, so I want to keep away from traffic. I crept along the east shore, all sail, a knot, maybe 2 in little gusts coming down off the steep hills that surround the harbor. Found yachts at anchor and a buoy that marks the north limit of the anchorage. So I turned up into the wind, rolled in the jib, stood by at the bow to drop the plow and 20' barely within the anchorage limit. Damn deep 24' too. More line, 30' when I got back to the fathometer. A maddening 5 or 6 hours of maneuvering to get into the Port Purcell anchorage. More slope needed and a lead sinker on the rope. Good bite with more than 100' out, but I'm well outside of the anchorage.
11 pm ENOUGH! Hot soup, a sandwich and bed.
Commercial shipping coming in. Pilot politely asked me to move, and I, apologetical, said No power, will move as soon as there's a bit of wind. No hearing aid on so I didn't get it all. Blew up my dinghy to go in and check with him, when out he came with the Harbor Master, bearded boat captain, before I got going. Sure enough, they towed me in, nice as pie, the last mile to my own anchorage east of the Moorings. End of self-powered motion.11/29/90, 1750I'm expecting Isaac at his shop, so I'm sitting on the stoop - dark coming fast. I haven't kept up. Busy, busy, busy, after just busy waiting. Isaac's choice of mechanic is Richard Henry, a very busy guy he is too. A coupla three employees and he's mostly at his desk answering the phone or talking on the VHF. Running comments to his two mechanics who talk to him very often on the handheld VHF. Problem or progress, parts to pick up. I'm surprised at the extent of the parts on hand. My Volvo needs a lift pump. They have two. One is too big, and one for the old model that won't fit. But another for me, promised for Friday.11/30/90OK. I'm ashore, waiting for Isaac to inspect - not for him to work. This is survey for me to get prep work done.12/1/90Good breakfast, feeling leisurely with plenty to do next week, and nothing pressing this moment. Engine problem appears to be a disk valve out of place in the fuel lift pump, so it only operated at half of rating. Enough to show operation, but not enough to run the engine. No way my kind of backdoor mechanic could tell the difference. The wonder is that the expert could isolate it at all. He found it the second time over. Isaac and I have gone over in detail what has to be done. A lot of it I must get done before he starts work. He has scheduled December 14, 15, 16 for me. Bilge pump and batteries now operating normally. Two batteries are ashore getting charged up while I carefully save #3 from getting too far depleted. NO lights at ALL. OK, pick up bolts & start on maJor repair of Sampson post, split when I was pulled off the reef near Caja de Muertos.12/2/90, 1811Up very early this morning. Rust spots on mast scrubbed bright and spotted with black anti-corrosion paint. Built a hoistable platform to paint off of. A good day, after a good day, and tomorrow is mostly a shore day. Hope to get my drawings to Tony, who will cut out the stainless steel for my mast fittings, shopping for food, install batteries, pick up new fuel pump. Glasses from Boston for sextant have come in.{Considerable changes in plans, due in part to proposed Christmas guests in Ensenada unable to make it. Coincided with letter from Nick with details of his family's stay in St. Croix, 12/27/90 to 1/8/9l. So am planning to stay in Tortola over Christmas, and proceed via St. Thomas to St. Croix for a few days en route back to Guanica Bay.}
