Attempted Trip to Bermuda

[terminalcitygrl]

I am absolutely appalled at the tone, the viciousness of recent comments on this thread and would ask the moderators to please step in and delete those. Even if this is a fiction, this blatant bullying is uncalled for and shows an ugliness I'd rather live without on CF.

[mcarling]

Originally Posted by GaryMayo

I had forgotten his boat was a 34 footer. That is a larger boat than mine, heavier. My lake is always calm, and shore is always in sight. I can't imagine heading off in the night, sailing away from the mainland to a group of far away islands with zero experience. The odds of that working, in a 40+ year old sailboat, hand picked by someone with no sailing experience is what? .02%? Less? Much less?

I've studied and taught probability theory and I guess the odds of surviving what BlackOak is doing, the way he is doing it, are better than 99%.

[David_Old_Jersey]

Looks like an interesting post - just trying to read it, me likes paragraphs .

Originally Posted by BlackOak

Well shat, he's back! Got bored sitting in Venice, and it was such a nice day to jump to the outside, so I had no choice, and to the outside did I go. Down to Boca Grande, and spent the night in Pelican Bay, then it was a pissy morning this morning, but I was bored, and made my longest jump yet, on the outside to MARCO at @50 miles.

The plan leaving Venice, was to get up early, get some fuel, and head out SOUTH. The fuel pump had a line, and I didnt relish sitting in line, in the middle of the channel, so I said piss on that, and headed out.

Leaving Venice inlet, the sea was like a mirror, and there was a good wind out of the northeast. I saw a stingray in front of me trying to fly I guess, the way he kept jumping out of the water. Maybe he was trying to avoid being breakfast. Made my left turn, and headed south. The wind wasnt much, but I kept the jib out and trimed.

The winds were off an on all day, and until I reached the entrance to Boca Grande, the wind was rushing out of the southwest, and the turn into Boca Grande for me was a northeast motion. That wind caught my jib and PUFF it opened up. I thought I was doing pretty good at 7knots, with the motor going at 2100 rpm, which for me equals @4 knots, then I watched my gps speed go from 7.2 to 7.5 to 8.0 to 8.4 to 8.7 then 9.0 and 9.2 was the top, before I got scared and powered down, turned into the wind and furled the jib. Though for them few moments at 9.2 were exciting. I was barely heeled, and was surprised to be going so fast. Obviously, the current was a factor, but it didnt diminish the smile on my face.

Now to find Pelican Bay, I turned south on the ICW, and just past the first marker, I saw some boats off to my oblique right. That must be the place I decided. I bared off to starboard, and pointed to the place. Now I had heard how to get into Pelican Bay, but couldnt remember which bank to get cozy with. The right (west) side looked ominous, but there were little warning bouys lined up to my left ina row, and that side looked better than beaching myself on the other side, so onward I went.

I was almost at the little point, when I heard the VHF say, "the sailboat entering Pelican Bay, captain youre on the wrong side." I looked around and there were no other sailboats other than me. Hmmmm...he must mean me! I slammed on the brakes, spun around and headed backwards in my previous footsteps. Then I heard the same voice say, " ya need to get 100 feet off the beach on the west side, thats where the channel is".

So I headed towards the ominous beachhead. Then the voice on the vhf said, stay next to the beach, and went you get past that little point, head for the ranger docks." SO I did, and thanked the voice on the radio, I found me a spot just past the ranger docks, and dropped the hook. It was a windy night, mixed with some rain. I was up and down all night checking the holding, making sure I didnt drift away.

The next day was pissy weather, so I made plans to head to Marco the next morning. I woke this to raindrops, and looked outside, and it was blustry. I wanted to leave on a hightide, so it was go now or sit here another day. I pulled that damnable danforth, up and headed out the way I came in, almost exactally.

Once I was clear of the Pelican Bay channel, I put the autopilot on and headed to the bow to straighten up anchor ropes, and added an extra anchor rope, just to make sure the anchor wouldnt go anywhere. The wind was out of the northeast, blustry, and the bay was more than a moderate chop, like the lady on the weather vhf channel says. They were surfing waves, and of course, while tying on a extra anchor hold rope, the boat did a nosedive, and I got a free bath from charlotte harbor. Soaked to the bone, I waddled back to the cockpit and headed out of boca grande channel. Went out to marker 10 and turned south, tossed the jib out and started to fly.

Man oh man, what a glorious it was. All day, the winds were just right, and the seas were friendly. Once I cleared Sanibel off to my port and out out a few miles, I tried out "nekid sailing". Its a little overated, but it was different. I was rockin out to some latin jams I made on a cd, and was enjoying the afternoon.

On about dark, I was about 5 miles from Marco Island. Wasnt to thrilled going into Capri Pass at night, and wasnt sure if there was any pre channel spots to drop a hook. So I called Jason, and he gave me an idea of a spot to check out. I got about a mile from the green marker going up capri pass, when the engine started to act like it was low on fuel. Cant be the fuel, I filled up this morning, but I checked anyway...nope 3/4 of a tank. I switched on the manual fuel pump, and the dang thing wouldnt start...**** **** ****....tried to crank the motor again, and it was a no go.

Tried to hail TowboatUS (after all I am a member, and am sure to recoup my initial grand and 50 for my first tow) but no response on 16. Jason heard the call and got me hooked up with towboat. While waiting I fiddled with the manual fuel pump some more and got it working, but still wanted a tow in just in case something goes wrong and I am floating/drifting somewhere in the channel and cause some damage to me or someone.

The towboatUS dude, says if I now have power, just follow him in. I wasnt liking that idea, for the previous reason, but relented and followed him in....then I got to thinking..I am a gold member in towboatUS....its this dudes job to TOW me and put me to a dock of my choosing, so I called the dude and said the motor quit again. He came around and tossed me a cradle, and We hooked up.

Now when we get to Factory Bay, he says he gonna slow down when we get to the fuel docks. Well we get to the fuel docks and he slows down, but I am still moving at @3 knots, these old seafarers like to glide. He hollars back to me...he can you STOP? WTF I thought, how am I gonna stop this boat, besides he's got me like 3 feet from the dock, maybe he is thinking I am gonna jump outta my boat on to the fuel dock as we pass by with a rope in my hand? I hollared ahead, the dock is to far to jump and I cant stop this boat. So the dude now has to tie up quick to me before I go slamming into a mega yacht parked a couple 100 feet away.

He gets me stopped, but not before causing me a near fatal heartattack. Now, he ties his boat up to mine, but we are now in a spot where we cannot turn around, and have to back out. Its dark, my dingy in the davits is inches from the mega yacht bow sprit....slowly we get backed out and turned around. Now he is on my port side, and the fuel dock is on my starboard. He cant judge the distance from my boat and the fuel dock, and at 4 feet away, with a rope in my hand, I make the leap! safely on the dock I get my boat tied up, and here I sit. At the factory bay marina in Marco Fl.

Thanks Jason for all your help through this mess, will be by tomorrow and visit. And Rocketman, I left a mesage on your cell, hope to see ya too while I am here.

[David_Old_Jersey]

OK, it seems I missed a few posts .

A couple of things spring out at me:-

1) Navigation (Pilotage) - easy to get confused (forget!) details when entering a port, especially as that usually involves the end of a passage. Cold, wet and tired not so great for the memory or concentration......therefore you want some pilotage notes that can be easily reffered to when at the helm. Most areas have pilotage books that cover ports in the area - but for places not revisiting that can get kinda expensive. But no reason why you can't write your own - it's not writing War & Peace!, simply handy notes of the stuff not to forget! Mostly comes from a chart (or someone else's Pilotage book!), but nowadays also the internet.

2) Close quarters boat handling - practice, practice, practice. Even on your travels probably haven't docked more than a couple of dozen times. The more you do the better you will understand how your boat reacts (especially what it won't do - or only sometimes!), so have a play at the dock. If nervous can coral someone to stand on the dock as plan B to lend a hand.

........but to start with I suggest simply using a mooring field, empty and not! to practice "dancing" around the bouys (and then the boats!) just to get a handle on how she reacts, going forward, astern and every manouevre you can think (opposite lock, full power astern - WTF happens?!). Having a fixed point of reference helps a lot more than empty water - with a bouy (unless steel!) all you have to worry about is fouling the prop........can even practice with a spotter onboard until you get good at guessing (estimating?) where things out of sight (below the bow) are - and being comfortable leaving the helm to go have a looksee yourself. Doing the practice with a bit of wind and current makes them nice to play with - rather than something to always be feared.

3) Sailing - glad you are getting the sails up , not sure if that is mostly also with the motor on. Motor off does make a helluva difference, both in fun and also how the boat reacts (more "in time" with the sea / wind - the motion usually a lot better)......but I appreciate that with motor when making miles is sometimes neccessary .

I would suggest you also get some practice in reefing (before it gets windy!), both to practice the mechanics of it but also to see how the boat reacts under different sail combinations. Should make you feel a lot more comfortable when it does get windy.......IMO also handy to practice "Heaving to" (google it up - including on CF) - really useful to be able to stop the boat (with the sails up!) in a way that makes her nice and stable / peaceful whilst you do other things (make lunch? / have a snooze? / fix the engine?!).


Just because you are selling don't mean the learning has to stop .

[GrowleyMonster]

Don't forget, "Coast Pilot" is a free download at the NOAA website. Lots of great info there. It's not just for ships! You (and indeed, everyone who ever leaves the dock) should have the relevant volumes onboard, either in PDF or actual hard copy. "Sailing Directions" is the equivelant for sailing out of U.S. waters and into foreign ports. All FREEEEEEEEEEE!!!!!!!!!

Just a handy reference... ASSUMING you have the normal right-hand propellor... (if left-hand, just the opposite, obviously) with the rudder amidships, the STERN will BACK to PORT. Even when the rudder is hard astarboard, you will still initially back to port, until there is enough sternway on for the rudder to get a bite. So, when you know the stern will walk to port, obviously you want to start backing with it pointed a little to starboard of where you want it to end up. The same boat with the same right-handed wheel when first making turns AHEAD, the BOW will fall off to PORT. Ahead, bow wants to go to port if the rudder is amidships, until you have some way on. Astern, the stern will want to go to port with the rudder amidships, and initially no matter where the rudder is. When the boat is not making way, the water pushed aft by the propellor acts on the rudder. When the boat is making headway, the rudder interacts with the water it is passing through also. Going astern, initially the rudder does nothing at all. The prop wash is going forward. Only after you have some sternway can the rudder be of any use at all while backing.

Once you have some sternway on, if you take the prop out of gear, you can steer pretty good with most sailboats. This is because the rudder is much bigger than a similar sized motorboat. So once you got it moving astern, just knock it out of gear and steer. Remember when you kick it ahead to stop your sternway, the bow will still want to fall off to port. Or, more precisely, the stern will be walking to starboard.

The reason for the right hand screw backing to port and the bow falling off to port while going ahead, is the direction of the shaft rotation. The screw has more density to push against lower down than higher up. So it is as if it is walking or rolling on a not-so-hard surface. Small boat guys call this effect, "prop walk". big ship guys call it "side force". on a twin screw vessel with both wheels turning inboard, you can even use both screws to slide the vessel sideways while making no headway or sternway. Cool, or what? Pivoting is not the only thing twin or multi screw is good for. Anyway I guess I am wandering off my topic of predicting what a single screw sailboat will do when the shaft is engaged ahead or astern.

Next time you are playing around just learning to maneuver, keep all that in mind. You will be backing into slips like an old pro in no time at all. Yes, backing into slips. And it will amaze the clueless spectators. But not you. You will know what you are doing. Get a little practice in, and later on I will tell you some stuff about using your mooring lines to help you maneuver to or away from a dock.

[Dulcesuenos]

Gary i was lucky at 5. I had a beam reach the entire day and lucked out. I have been towed in twice in 36 years of being on the water. Once when and engine blew up another on a shark 20 when the it was dismasted .
Blackoak is real we were supposed to get together while heading south roughly same time , we talked etc.
Its funny that anyone doubts this thread.
This stuff happens its the price to pay for the adventure and the cost of learning sometimes. Btw we watched no less than 2 crew boats and the 3 sailboats 1 being a large seawind. Hit bottom and have to really power off the soft shoal at the entrance to pelican bay. The crew boats at least "know" the channel so it can happen to anyone and we'd of hit if it were low tide and had a good idea of the channel. There are also "not the brightest" tow captains out there. The only thing i can think is he thought the boat was running and black could have put it in reverse. When i tow someone in tight quarters or once we get closer to towees destination i hip tie to have better control.
And no Gary i still scare the %$$# out if my Mom, at least she doesn't call the police anymore lol.
Blackoak your sailboat ad should offer a chance to party with you and hear your tales !!!

[Blue Stocking]

Be honest now!!
How many have ACTUALLY sailed as many miles as BlackOak has in the same time period that this thread has run.
And you "frozen in" crowd, how many would have done so in your season?

[Teknav]

Hello BlackOak! A new year is upon us, so it is time to start a new thread towards a new destination. Your seamanship served you well in getting you to Bermuda. How about a new sailing adventure towards a distant destination such as Pitcairn, the Galapagos, Christmas Island or the Falklands? Just about everyone, on here, will be reading your blog. Happy New Year! Mauritz

[GrowleyMonster]

Originally Posted by Teknav

Hello BlackOak! A new year is upon us, so it is time to start a new thread towards a new destination. Your seamanship served you well in getting you to Bermuda. How about a new sailing adventure towards a distant destination such as Pitcairn, the Galapagos, Christmas Island or the Falklands? Just about everyone, on here, will be reading your blog. Happy New Year! Mauritz

Actually, he hasn't quite got to Bermuda yet. But it ain't over til the Fat Lady Sings.

[CapnZiggy]

BO, do you have any boating INSURANCE?
How about life-raft?

Should we forget Bermuda?
That would be sad. Your dream is like little baby, still need nourishing, do not throw it overboard. You still have few months for practicing (developing "dream baby" in to young man), before casting off.

You must have a lot of fun, rolling in your quarter-berth and reading all these educated responses to your posts.
Keep'em coming.

````````````````````````
(besides he's got me like 3 feet from the dock, maybe he is thinking I am gonna jump outta my boat on to the fuel dock as we pass by with a rope in my hand?)

(and at 4 feet away, with a rope in my hand, I make the leap! safely on the dock I get my boat tied up, and here I sit.)

What was holding you at 3' gap?
How long was the towing rope?

[BlackOak]

Yes, to all the comments made by all of you, there is truth in all of them. To answer the last question about dock jumping. First off, this dock was new to me, and at Rose Marina, the dock is concrete and stands about 3 feet above my deck, and I was being towed at a good pace when we got to the dock. Second, after he hippped to me, I was being pushed and moving towards the dock, not passing it. I still had to make the leap up and out of my boat. Kinda have to be there scenario, to understand, but anyway.

Sometime I wish I had never started this thread.

Yes to ALL the comments made so far on this thread. Knowing what I did, and if I could go back and change anything, my first response would be YES, I should of never have gotten this boat and took off like I did, but in retrospect, that would mean I would be sitting at home and dreaming about sailing, instead of being here in Marco Island, Fl, @ 400 miles and change from where I started on my OWN sailboat. All the tremendous people I have met along the way, I would of never have known, or been blessed by their friendship, advice, and teachings, as well as the great advice I have gotten from you fine people.

Say what you want to say about my lack of skill, my lack of experience, and my way of doing things, but buddy, by damn I am doing it and I am doing it my way, and learning as I go. I aint sitting in a ASA Class, I am out here on the saltwater trying to do this sailing stuff. If it takes me a little longer to get the knack, well then it will take me longer, if I never get the knack, then so be it, though it wont be from not trying. If I want to motorsail, its my choice, my boat, my time, and my money. IF I get to a place and want to fart around with no motor and sails only, then I will. My boat uses about a quart an hour of diesel with the jib out catching the wind, and I can make between 6kts to 7kts. So it cost me about a buck an hour to motorsail. I'm not wasting my money paying for a slip in a marina, or a bar tab, or for some fine dining at the local hog trough. Sure, I dont have the latest electronics and gizmos. I have an old gps that gives me my lats and longs, and I take that info to my old paper chart and figure out where I am and what bearing I need to take to get to my destination. I mark my checks and make sure I am running in a straight line, and so far (with the help of captain shelly's teachings me on navigation), all my lines have been straight. Captain Shelly was sailing before there were electronics, only charts, a sextant, and dead reckoning. She is an awesome mentor!

Since I left crystal river, its all been on me(no crew). I have done the outside, and the inside, (the inside sucks). I have done the draw and swing bridges. I have arrived at the marinas I had intended to get to, with all but one since crystal river, I got towed onto for mechanical issues, and found my way into places like Pelican Bay. I found my way when I needed to duck in, spots off the icw where I could drop the hook and get some sleep without going aground. Yes, one night I dropped my anchor on some crabpots and needed help to get loose from them, my fault, but I learned something, and didnt tear up my boat in the process. Yes, all my boating so far has been coastal, but if there is a way to get from St Marks, Fl to Marco Island, Fl via the open ocean, then by all means educate me, because I will go out there and check it out. All in All not to shabby for a noob sailboat owner with no experience or formal training. Not to mention on a 40 year old boat with old electronics, old charts, and my keen sense of dead reckoning, and I know now how to tie a bowline!

Yall can go on bad mouthing me and poking fun all ya want, it concerns me about as much as a sunny day. I started this thread to request a berth or crew position on a sailboat going to Bermuda, when I figured out that wasnt going to happen, I got my own damn boat and jumped into it and took off. I continued my posting to share my experiences and what I felt emotionally as a new guy on the saltwater for the first time. perhaps I should of kept those things to myself, and off this forum, since it would of been alot easier than writing it in my journal, and then typing it on here for yall to read. It would not bother me one iota if the Moderators deleted this whole thread from day one. Yall have read it, I have lived it, and recorded all of it handwritten in my journal, mostly for my daughter Ana, but a little for me to remember these good times and bad, in a few years when all this bucket list sailing thing is over with. Happy that its the second to the last thing on the list too! Being a male stripper at a old folks home is the last thing on the list.....

[CapnZiggy]

Should we forget Bermuda?
That would be sad. Your dream is like little baby, still need nourishing, do not throw it overboard. You still have few months for practicing (developing "dream baby" in to young man), before casting off.

That wasn't a joke. Do not take it that way. Read, adopt and continue.
In your posts are many things that could be/should be done different way. You did it your way, you still kicking, perhaps your way should be aded to the could-a/should-a
And pls. stop whining, you just did 400 nm solo.
(oh well, some with help of the tow-boats)
That was a joke.
Keep on posting, it is very entertaining.

[lateral]

I'd just put all the nay-sayers on ignore & get on with it.Who needs a bunk with a wet blanket.
If prep. & certainty is what spins their wheels, leave im to grow mould in it.

What ever you try, keep the faith & the pen. Doesn't matter if you change your mind- its all good- Bravo amigo.

[Sumner]

Hey good talking to you the other day and hang in there. For every person on here that is telling you 'what you should of done' there are 10 more admiring you for what you are doing.

The pilings at that dock (Rose Marina) is where we broke a solar panel and that whole place is tricky for someone new like us or you. We stayed anchored just out in Factory Bay for 4-5 days with no problems, but you roll around like crazy there. Just stay to the edges and don't go to the middle. If you stay there for a while think about moving around to Smokehouse Bay. That is where we will go the next time.

If you continue south from there to the keys you are going to run out of cell phone coverage except when you are very near to Everglades City, so if you have a problem you might not be able to call for a tow. There again I've got all of that area documented on our site at the link below.

It sounds like you might be getting a plugged fuel filter and I'd be sure and check that before going on. You still going south or maybe still thinking of the yard where our boat is?

The best,

Sumner

[Richard_W]

Interesting read ... true or fiction ... captivating and entertaining.

I got the feeling that Captain BO is not that inexperienced ... or very persistent and resolute newbie. In any case, keep reporting Captain, we'll be reading ...