May 11, 1330: Anchor is up!
We pull up anchor in Columbier, St. Barth’s and sail out of the anchorage. We head northeast past St. Barth’s and on towards the Azores. The plan is to go to the Azores, rest up for a few days and then head on to Ireland. The passage will take about 18 days or so to the Azores and then another 8-10 days to Ireland from there.
May 12, 0800: Change of Plans
The conditions did not line up with the forecast and we were heading towards Bermuda instead of the Azores. Two serious squalls were forming off the coast of the US and our weather routers had said they can route us between them if we were careful and could most likely avoid them. We had been slowly beating into the wind and waves all night with little progress. Twenty more days of this, huh? We looked longingly to the west at the gentle downwind sailing we would have. There were a variety of factors that came into play but we finally decided to go to Georgia through the Bahamas instead of carrying on to the Azores. We turned and the motion instantly became easier and sleep was possible. One of the great aspects of sailing: nothing is certain. It is great to be able to change directions on the fly given the current conditions and choose a new destination.
May 14, 0545: Beautiful Moment
I am at the wheel on watch by myself, hand steering to conserve battery power. The sea state is fairly calm and the wind is behind us. I look over my left shoulder and see the full moon just above the horizon getting ready to set. I look over my right shoulder and see the sky lightening up in the east as the sun gets ready to rise. The stars are shining in the clear sky above me. Everyone is asleep below and there is not a ship on the horizon. I have the world to myself.
May 16, 1130: Shower Time
Ingredients for an offshore shower:
- Handy dandy bucket
- Shampoo and body wash
- Towel
- Balance
Step 1: Grab your handy dandy bucket. There is a long piece of webbing attached to the bucket. Lower it over the side and go fishing for salt water. Don’t get too greedy, though, you might get more than you can handle…
Step 2: Dump water over your head. Now this sounds pretty straightforward, right? It is not. Try to balance with the boat moving and a bucket of sea water over your head like a Nickelodeon game show. Now close your eyes and stay upright. If you fall overboard, you lose. I found the best method was to wrap my arm around the shrouds and grip the bucket that way. Sitting down works pretty well too.
Step 3: Lather up and get clean.
Step 4: Repeat Steps 1 and 2 until you are no longer soapy.
Step 5: Rinse with a bit of fresh water so you aren’t instantly crusty.
Step 6: Breathe a sigh of relief that you are no longer grungy.
Step 7: Dry off and give out “Hey, I’m clean!” high fives.
Time: ?:?? am, Location: Fresh out of Dreamland/V-berth:
I shoot awake after crashing back down on the V-berth. “Where am I??” Its pitch black. Must be nighttime. The world is rolling all over the place and it sounds like the Apocalypse outside. I look all around me and can’t see a thing. “We’re going down……we’re sinking…….we’re abandoning ship….my job is to deploy the liferaft.” I scramble around and can’t find my way out of the V-berth. “Where the hell is my headlamp??” I grab for my lifejacket and harness and throw it on. “We’re going down…I have to get out of this boat!” I panic and shift myself in position to climb out of the forward hatch. Then I hear laughter and voices casually talking from the cockpit. “What??…….OK……..wait a second….breathe, Sockwell….I don’t think we’re going down….” I find my headlamp and slowly climb out of the V-berth and “monkey bar” my way towards the back of the boat. I pop my head up in the cockpit and take a look around. It is blowing a mean 11 kts outside and Terrapin is moving calmly along. “Hey, guys, uh….just checking to see how you’re doing…nice work, carry on.”
Most watches: Chart planning with Baxter
Molly came up with a nice watch system for our passage. We did three hours on and either five hours off or three hours off depending on the shift. My first hour overlapped with Baxter’s last hour. Then I had an hour on watch by myself. Then my last hour overlapped with John’s first hour. Then John would have an hour by himself, then Molly would come up and the cycle would continue. I enjoyed my hour with Baxter each night. We would usually spend our time talking through boat systems, gear choices or the next navigational decision we needed to make based on the newest weather information. One example problem was the new forecast we received from our weather routers. They said we should expect a period of calms in about 36 hours. They recommended we divert to the Bahamas and wait there for some wind. We certainly did not want to float around 300 miles from anything for three days. We were also anxious to keep going if possible and make as much distance and time as we could. We considered getting closer to the Bahamas and sailing up the coast or through the Exumas. Use what wind we have and duck in somewhere if the wind dies. As predicted our wind had been dying throughout the day. What to do? I really enjoyed working through problems and situations with Baxter. We would just lay out all options and start working our way through them. In the end, we would wind up with one logical decision that made sense. John and I enjoyed some great conversations on our watches as well. Good way to spend a night watch!
May 19, 1300: Using the Head
This might be too much information for some. However, this is a memorable, yet rarely talked about aspect of offshore sailing. I try to pee off the back or side of the boat as often as possible. No need to go below and risk a mess if it is unnecessary. Some bodily functions do warrant a trip below decks. The head I used is located at the forward part of the boat, which also happens to be the area with the greatest motion. Terrapin’s forward head is pretty roomy for boat head standards but still has just enough room to stand in place and turn around. The most memorable experience for me was when we were coming up the east side of the Bahamas near Cat Island. We were close hauled picking our way along several squall lines and confused seas. We reduced sail in anticipation for the upcoming squall line. Nature called. When you are close hauled you are pointing into the waves which creates a choppy up and down motion on board. Also, the sails are hauled in tight, causing the boat to heel, or lean over, quite a bit. I’ll let you use your imagination for most of the story but I’ll provide some key details to set the scene. The head is on the upwind side. Trying to do anything at a 20 degree heel requires you to depart from your habitual way of approaching a typical scenario. Throw in a bit of rollercoaster motion and it gets even more exciting. Just getting prepped to take a seat is a bit of an ordeal. Once seated you are only halfway there. You have to try and relax or else your body won’t be able to do its business. In this particular situation, the heel of the boat basically had me pressed all the way against the port wall facing aft. I found the best position was to lay my head against the wall and have my elbows tucked against my side. I extended my elbows out, “chicken wing style”, to hold myself in place. I could also throw my knees out against the bulkheads for extra support to keep from going airborne. Try to think happy, motionless thoughts and stay in one place. Once you are “done”, that is only half the battle. Marine toilets require a few rounds of pumping a lever to clear the system. All the vents have to be closed so that spray doesn’t fly into the cabin. So you are basically in a small, poorly ventilated closet, trying to pump a lever up and down for about 10 minutes. I make sure to remind myself to be thankful every time I use a stationary, spacious, easy flush conventional toilet. Life’s little luxuries.
May 14, 1800: Delicious Oceanside Dinner
Molly definitely set a new bar for offshore meals. We ate lots of tasty meals that she whipped up in her pressure cooker. One night she made spicy mustard chickpeas, with tofu over sautéed spinach and gorgonzola cheese. Deluxe!
May 15 0800: Time to gybe (change direction)!
We have been sailing downwind on the same line ever since we decided to turn left towards the Bahamas. It has been very pleasant, easy sailing. We haven’t seen a ship in four days. The sun has been shining and the wind has been blowing between 8-20 kts. The wind has started to shift and fade a little bit. We have talked with our weather routers and they warn us that a period of calm winds is heading our way. They recommend we make our way toward the Bahamas so that we aren’t drifting around in calm seas 300 miles from land. That would put us too far to motor and we would not be able to make any kind of time in less than 5 kts of wind. We decide to gybe and head on a more direct line towards the southern Bahamas. There are a several steps involved with gybing. One person goes on deck to ease the preventer (a line attached from the boom to one side of the deck to keep the main sail from gybing accidently/violently). The other person centers the main up to prepare for the gybe. Terrapin is a cutter rig, meaning that it has two headsails. We had the genoa out which is the forward headsail because it is bigger and able to catch more wind. To gybe, we have to furl in most of the headsail so it will fit through the slot between the two head stays. One person furls the headsail while the other helps guide it through the slot with the jib sheets (the line attached to the back of the sail to trim it). Another person is on the helm to steer the boat. This requires good communication and timing between everyone so that we have enough speed to make it through the gybe. We complete the gybe, reset the preventer on the opposite side and aim for the Bahamas. Very exciting after several days of not trimming the sails!
May 17, 0830: Breakfast!
Chef Molly does it again! Baxter and I are on watch together enjoying the morning sun. Molly pops her head up, “Who wants French Toast?” “I do! Heck yeah!” A few minutes later we can smell coffee brewing below and the sweet smell of our future breakfast. We set up the cockpit table and enjoy our French toast complete with powdered sugar and syrup. The sun is shining. No other boats in sight. Pretty excellent breakfast to be several hundred miles from land. Thanks Molly!
May 15, 1200: Birthday Party!
Kala turns 4! Pretty special to have an offshore birthday celebration. We all congratulate her on achievement and give her extra love for the day. I remember at one point she just had her birthday Kong filled with peanut butter and was happily gnawing on one of the many toys surrounding her. Happy puppy dog!
May 19, 1400: Kala Poops
Let’s begin by letting it be known: Kala is a champ. She is one tough doggie. It seems she has taken to life aboard very well. The entry and exit point for the cabin is a series of steep steps that are constantly moving. Baxter & Molly have a cool, foldable doggie ramp to help her get down from the cockpit. Kala waits as they put the ramp into place and then Baxter or Molly lets her know its set. She waits a few seconds, timing the waves and motion of boat and then dive bombs head first into the cabin down the ramp. Super Dog! Any time the seas got rough, she would post up down below on the bed in the aft cabin. She would lay down and spread her front legs out to brace with the motion. I would pop my head in to check on her and she would just wag her tail. Baxter & Molly kept her routine the same as normal with food and treats. At times, though, some routine functions became more challenging. She would let someone know when she had to use the bathroom. Baxter or Molly would put her harness on and walk her to the front deck. Typically, she would sniff around for a while, do a few circles around the spot and then go just as if she was on land. Someone would grab the bucket and rinse the deck with sea water. No problem. There was a period of squalls that we hit near Cat Island in the Bahamas. Kala needed to use the bathroom. Kala and Baxter head up on deck as normal. Every time she was in position, a big wave would come and she went airborne a few inches. She would then have to start over, sniff around, do a few circles and try again. New wave. Airborne puppy. At times there wasn’t a lot to do on board so this turned out to be quite an event. Molly, John and I are in the cockpit shouting encouragement to Kala. You can tell she needs to use the bathroom but the waves keep sketching her out. She finally waits until a set passes and then times out perfectly. Kala pooped! We are all whooping and clapping, congratulating her on her success. Kala is a champ.
May 16, 1200: Spot Arcturus
We had several days of nice clear skies as we approached the Bahamas. I was on watch by myself around midnight. I start picking out my constellations and find Arcturus directly above us. “Good to see you, old friend.” I started reflecting on my winter and all the exciting changes that have been made to Arcturus. I am nearly finished with my major upgrades and repairs. Soon she and I will be back offshore, heading off to new destinations. Very exciting times ahead.
May 18, 1600: Squall Shower
I was hand steering while on watch with John. We were sailing downwind and approaching the Bahamas. There had been several squalls behind us all day but none had hit us yet. We were clipping along at a nice pace and the motion was very comfortable. We see one squall approaching us and it looks like it will hit us. Baxter came on deck and we decided to reduce sail. I continued to hand steer while John and Baxter reduced the sails. The wind picked up a bit and the rain started to fall. I only had my bathing suit and harness on and welcomed the rinse off. Free fresh water shower! The squall passed after about fifteen minutes and we were able to put out more sail again and carry on our way.
May 19, 2300: Sleep Positions
We tacked and turned into the Northeast Providence Channel in the Bahamas. This had us passing south of the Abacos and north of the Berry Islands. Time to sleep. Each point of sail (downwind, into the wind, beam to the wind, etc) affects the boat motion in a different way. Also, the boat heels over depending on which side the sails are set. It is difficult to sleep when your body is constantly tensing for the motion of the boat. Each new combination of wind direction and heel angle requires a different sleeping position in the V-berth. My bunkmate was the spinnaker bag, which could be used for padding at times. On a starboard tack/broad reach (boat leaning left, side to side motion), I would sleep with my head facing aft in the back right corner of the V-berth and my legs diagonally across on the left side wall. I could wedge myself into place, with the spinnaker bag on my left side and sleep splayed out on my stomach and stay in position fairly well. On a port tack/broad reach (boat leaning right, side to side motion), I would turn and take on the opposite position as before. Head forward, feet planted against the back wall. I could place my pillow against the wall and spinnaker on the downwind side as padding. The motion of the boat would push my head into the wall but with just the right angle, I could wedge myself into place and not move too much. On a starboard tack/close haul (boat leaning steeply left, sharp up and down motion), I found it easiest to sleep cross ways on the boat, “Conehead” style. I would curl with my feet facing down the slope and my head on the upward angle. I would essentially be standing up, but I did not move around very much as the boat moved side to side. Not a bad option. All about trial and error.
All day, every day: Sleep Management
One trick of offshore sailing is to sleep when you can. You never know what kind of conditions may come up later that make it difficult to sleep. It is your responsibility to be rested, alert, and able to help if a situation arises. It is tougher to put into action however. You may be reasonably well rested from the night before, but have two night shifts coming up. You only have three hours between those, meaning you won’t get a lot of sleep that night. You can either catch up on sleep the next day or try to charge up ahead of time. It’s not always easy to sleep at 1600 in the afternoon but sometimes that is the best option. It seems like it would come in waves. I would be able to stay rested for a couple of days but then it might be too rough to sleep other nights and I would become tired. Best to just try and rest when you can and see if you can stay ahead of it. Makes for lots of afternoon/evening naps.
May 18, 1000: Fresh Bread and Chili
The way our watch schedule worked out, we had an eleven hour break every fourth day. Awesome! Great for catching up on sleep and relaxing a bit. On my second eleven hour day, I decided to make bread. I made several loaves in my boat oven this winter and figured it would be fun to try and make fresh bread at sea. I recruited the help of John and set to prepping. It took most of the morning (I think I could become more efficient with practice…) but ended up with a nice loaf of white bread. I may have cooked it a little too long but it still tasted great. Molly made a delicious chili that night that paired well with the fresh bread. Good food day!
May 19, 0700: Land ho!
Molly and I were on watch together as the sun was coming up. We passed by Conception Island a few hours ago but it was too dark to see. Strange feeling to know that land is there but not be able to see it. The sun came up and we could see Conception Island behind us off the starboard side. First land we had seen in about seven days! Beautiful!
May 20, 0200: Slumber Party
We had been experiencing squalls and confused seas for most of the day. We saw winds gusting close to 40 kts at one point. We had just a bit of the staysail out and a reefed main. Terrapin felt right at home and was handling the swell very nicely. We were having to adjust the sails more than normal and we were also trying to stay as far away from Cat Island and Eleuthera as possible. Baxter, John and I decided to sleep in the cockpit so that someone was always dressed and able to help out if needed. Two of us would sleep while one person kept an eye on the sails and AIS (tells us if other ships are around). I was asleep on the downwind side and woke up to a sudden lurch and a loud sound. I sat up and saw John lying headfirst in the floor of the cockpit. He was sleeping on the upwind side and got thrown into floor. He decided to nap downstairs for a bit. At one point, I woke up and Molly handed me a wool blanket. My hero! Pretty comfortable night, overall. John came up later and tagged out with me. I went up to V-berth to figure out my new sleeping position for this point of sail. Baxter was a champ and stayed up in the cockpit the whole night keeping an eye on things.
May 20, 1200: Sailing Frogger
We are making great speed through the Bahamas. There are tons of ships all over the AIS. The channel is a major shipping area between Freeport and Nassau. Very different scenario from a few days ago where we didn’t see a ship for four days! We keep a close on AIS and play a bit of Sailing Frogger to try and work our way between all the traffic. Our AIS tells us how close a boat will approach us with both our current speed and heading. We had to call several boats to make sure they were paying attention and ask them to give us more room than the projected 200 ft.
May 21, 1000: Cruising in the Gulf Stream
We get out into the Gulf Stream and turn north up the coast of Florida. The Gulf Stream gives us a couple of knot boost in the proper direction. Really beautiful day with a decent amount of wind. We are able to make a steady 7-8 kts with speeds over 9 kts at times. The forecast called for diminishing winds so we tried to make as good of time as possible while we had wind. We eventually had to turn on the motor and drop the sails when the wind died.
May 23, 0400: Burning time until daylight
We make great time north in the Gulf Stream. We end up getting within 15 nm of the inlet around 0500 and decide to slow down. We want to come in during daylight and also catch the tides right. We time our approach so that we will enter the channel around 1000. We pulled out a little bit of sail and just “ghost” along while we wait for the sun to come up.
May 23, 1300: Approaching the dock
We made it into the channel without any problems. We timed the entry really well and it was a nice calm as we came into Brunswick. We have to go a few miles past the inlet to get into Brunswick. Nice to be close to land with most of the difficult parts behind us. Molly calls the marina to let them know we are close. We prep the boat with lines and fenders and get ready to dock.
It turned out to be a really good trip. We didn’t end up at the destination that we initially set out for. Not a big deal. I was able to get some nice experience on Terrapin and see how Baxter and Molly operate their boat both at anchor and offshore. Very insightful. 1400 nm more of offshore experience and an 11 day passage under my belt. I look forward to taking some of the lessons I learned back to Arcturus and applying them to future passages and life aboard. A big thanks to Baxter, Molly and Kala for sharing their home with John and me. Great trip!
I am back in North Carolina now and am moving aboard Arcturus tomorrow. Dad and I went down this weekend to start taking the chainplates off. We removed 5 of the 9 and I plan on replacing all of them. New bobstays are being made to support the bowsprit. We will be prepping the new bowsprit and sampson posts and putting them on very soon as well. Can’t wait to get her back in the water, stronger than ever, ready for a fun summer of sailing.