HAPPY NEW YEAR!!
Now is the time to dust off all those resolutions that
fell into the trash can of life this time last year. We are all going to resolve to keep our
Albergs in top condition, ready to become seaborne at a moments notice to
capture the great sailing weather that we just KNOW will not be too distant in the future, even if we are knee
deep in the white fluffy stuff (no, this doesn’t apply to those Albergers who
are enjoying the southern latitudes). We
wish all a happy, prosperous, safe and PEACEFUL
2004.
2004 WINTER RENDEZVOUS
The annual Alberg
37 Winter Rendezvous will be held on Saturday evening, 6 March, 2004 at Harrison’s
Chesapeake House in Tilghman, MD. A cocktail and informal social hour will
begin at 1800, with dinner at 1930.
Please check the website (www.alberg37.org)
for additional details, or contact Tom and Kaye Assenmacher
at (804) 472-3853.
NEW MEMBERS
Stanton and
Cheryl Smith of Wilmington, NC
recently purchased the 1973 MK-II sloop OASIS from Rick Jeffs. They shipped OASIS from Cocoa
Beach, FL and plan to sail her
on vacations to Beaufort, NC,
Charleston, SC
and eventually to Bermuda. “This is a wonderful upgrade for us as we
recently sold our 1979 30’ Seafarer Swiftsure. We will also be racing the Alberg against
other cruisers in our local racing club (Wrightsville Beach Ocean Racing
Assoc.). Stanton and Cheryl will have
their two twin daughters (age 13), Katie and Chris, as crewmembers aboard
OASIS.”
Pat and Wayne Jobb, of Sherwood
Park, Alberta, recently
purchased the 1970 MK-I sloop, BRANDELARA II, #66 from Frank and Linda Smart of
Sarnia, Ontario.
Brandelara II made its way from Midland, Ontario
to West Vancouver, B.C. by truck.
It is currently in the yard there where some pre-launch maintenance is being
done. Pat and Wayne are hoping to launch and sail her to a marina on Vancouver
Island, near Sidney,
in January or early Feb.
NEWS FROM MEMBERS
Ted Richman wishes
to know if anyone has installed a “Mast Collar” (also called a deck collar - the metal piece bolted to the
cabin top at the base of the mast and used to anchor a vang, halyard blocks,
etc.) on a MKII, and if so where did the
collar come from; also, how does the cabin top have to be reinforced? Anyone having
information helpful to Ted should contact him at:
67 Bristol View Drive
Fairport, NY
14450
David and Joyce Lahmann
recently sent the following: “We have been hard at work with SHE 'N I in winter
storage, and several more repairs slated for this haulout. We also were looking into charter daysailing
at an invitation by a community in Wisconsin. Now we have found out through the insurance
company that handles business insurance that because our sloop is foreign built
it is not allowed to work in the US
and confirmed by the Coast Guard.
Our plan is to sell the Alberg and purchase a US
built vessel because we do want to take people on charter sailing and put my
Masters license to work.”
Peter
Boyajadian wrote back in late November that he was looking for a
replacement transmission for the MD-11D VOLVO engine aboard his 1983 yawl
INIA. Any help out there for Peter
should contact him at: 5023 CENABER COURT,
BURLINGTON, ONT. L7L 4Y6
Karen Kinnear
and Marcel Steinz aboard SOUTHERN CROSS recently sent the following update
on 12/28/03: “Just to let
you know that we are across the Gulf Stream and in Port
Lucaya. It started out as a good crossing but it became a replay of the last
time we came to Lucaya. We were hit with 3 line squalls, the 1st
sending us in a spin. It was rough but we made it. Step 3 and Ariella (2
Beneteaus in company with SOUTHERN CROSS) are sitting right across from us here
in Lucaya Marina
Village. We are enjoying Lucaya and
had a delicious Christmas dinner sitting around the pool. It is cool but the
warm Bahamian sun is wonderful. We only shovel pure white sand here – no snow.”
Jim
and Jeanne Sadler
of Punta Gorda, FL
report they recently sold their 1972 yawl, ISLAND TIME.
Nick Valci, aboard the 1978 sloop NANCY ANN
recently called from the Caribbean reporting that he needs the timing gear case
(part # 1833067) for his MD11C Volvo engine. If anyone knows of someone parting
out/or has the part please contact Nick as soon as possible at: WDB2014@sailmail.com
Gerard
Seguin of Sherrington, Quebec
and crew made a TRANSAT aboard the 1977 yawl CAP-LIB last summer. CAP-LIB will stay at the dock in Carentan,
France for one year or
more. In May, 2004, Gerard and his wife
Suzanne will go to south England
(Scilly Isles). For an account of the
TRANSAT, check out the following website:
http://www.voile.org/transat2003/.
TRAVELS OF THE EVERDEN
(1979 Sloop, Hull
# 200)
By Bunkey and Geoff Cunliffe
(Ed. Note: Geoff and Bunkey are cruising aboard THE
EVERDEN in the Caribbean this winter – excerpts from
their Emails.)
11/1/03
St David’s Harbour, Grenada.
Well we finally left Trinidad. Sailed along the
north coast of Trinidad, then crossed to Tobago
from the eastern end. Had very little wind, and motored all the way. Traveled
with “Decibelle” Jim and Gwen, and “Carioca” Jack and Julie. Went into Store
Bay at the western end of Tobago,
and took the bus into Scarborough to check in a couple
of days later. Store Bay
is by the airport and the most touristy part of the island. But even so its
modest sized hotels and hasn’t spoiled the scenery – endless sand beaches, palm
trees, little thatched shelters on the beach, big protected (Buccoo) reef with
good snorkeling. Stayed there for several days, then slowly went up the north
coast stopping at every sheltered anchorage. Asked directions of a bunch of
fisherman at one spot (Plymouth)
and ended up spending over 1 ½hrs helping them haul in a huge seine net with
about a ton of fish. We had fish for supper that day!! One anchorage (Englishman’s
Bay) was particularly beautiful and had the best snorkeling we found on the
island. Ended up at the northern end at Charlotteville. From there we took a
bus over to Speyside, and visited Blue Waters Inn and all the places I’d been
to back in the 80’s when I was there on a dive trip. Its changed but its still
lovely country!!
Decibelle and Carioca left from Englishman’s Bay headed for Isla
Margarita, Venezuela.
We left Charlotteville for Grenada
a few days later (downwind at last!!) and have been in this bay ever since.
Today/tomorrow there’s a wooden boat regatta on here, so its quite interesting,
plus only a short bus ride to St George’s.
We’re anchored with Brian and Debbie of “Chinook”, who introduced us to Denis
and Arleen on “Tiger Lily II” (VA3AJW@winlink.org), who know Dennis and
Shirley, our boat’s previous owners. (They send their regards and said they
would contact you) Heard some other old friends of ours, “Duchess” and “Kandu”
on VHF as we were coming in, but can’t reach them from this bay. Hopefully
we’ll meet up in a few days when we go west to one of the many other bays along
the south coast of Grenada.
Bye for now. Regards.....Geoff and Bunkey s/v The Everden
11/18/03
We’re still in Grenada,
but plan to leave for Tyrrel Bay,
Carriacou in the morning. We’ve had a good 2 ½ weeks in Grenada.
Saw the wooden boat regatta in St David’s Harbour, where we met up with “Chinook”,
met “Dutchess” in Clarke’s Court Bay, and Derek (“Dream Weaver”) in Prickly
Bay. For those of you not familiar
with Grenada,
there are several deeply indented and sheltered bays along the south coast. The
ones I’ve mentioned above are just some of the ones we visited. Went on the
hike to Seven Sister’s Falls with Derek one day, and planned a longer hike with
him a few days later, but the weather turned wet, and Bunkey turned into a
hoarse, coughing wreck, with some virus that laid her low for best part of a
week. Anyway, Derek left for Isla Margarita to catch up with friends there, and
we finally managed the long (4 ½hrs)hike yesterday. We went from Grand Etang, a
crater lake near the center of the island, up to Mt Qua Qua, the highest point
in that mountain range at 2300+ ft, then down to the west coast via Concord
Falls. It was hard going, with lots
of gooey orange clay; up to Mt Qua. Qua
was “challenging”, the rest of it really needs some goat in your ancestry...but
the views were spectacular, and it’ll get us in practice for the “Boiling Lake”
in Dominica in a couple of months!! On our walk back to the main coast road we
came across a young local guy in welly boots, with a sack of something balanced
on his head, a garden fork and a live Possum (hog tied and muzzled) in one
hand, and a machete in the other, and with four dogs following him, all looking
very pleased with themselves and taking it in turn to circle round for another
sniff of the possum. We asked him how he’d caught it. The answer wasn’t clear
but seemed to include the dogs flushing it out of its hole, or “tree-ing it” so
he could then grab it or stab it with the fork. We never did figure out what
was on his head or what role it played in the possum’s demise. Went for a “Day
Sail” up to a lovely little Bay, “Dragon’s Bay”, on Sunday, just stopping long
enough to make lunch and go for a snorkel round the point and back. More to
follow.... Geoff and Bunkey s/v The Everden
12/2/02
Marigot Bay, St Lucia
Arrived about 1500 after loooong trip from St Vincent,
hard on the wind with 20-25 kts and 2.5-3m steep nasty seas (all the weather
forecasts lied to us again!). Had a beautiful anchorage last night at
Chateaubelair, by a sheer rock cliff with coconut palms clinging to it and a
big rainbow over top (definite photo op!). Enjoyed St Vincent.
It was a pleasant surprise. We skipped right by it on the way down, but it has
some pretty anchorages, and some great snorkeling and diving. Went into Kingstown,
the capital, by bus (read 20 in a minivan going round every corner on two
wheels! – typical Caribbean transport) to clear customs.
Neat bustling city, good market, good rotis. I used up a tank of air on the bat
cave and a great wall dive just off Petit Byahaut where we anchored for one
night (scuba club guys note its worth a visit). We had planned to be in Bequia
for Christmas but we got there kind of early, and decided to press on. We’re
probably going to shoot for Antigua for Christmas now.
Just want to fit in the hike to the Rain Forest/Boiling Lake in Dominica
first. Marigot Bay
is one of those picture postcard perfect, hurricane hole anchorages. Apparently
the British Fleet hid in here with coconut palm fronds tied to their masts and
had the French Navy sail right past once. They’ve recently started extending
the (“Moorings”) docks here and will demolish the old “Hurricane Hotel” to
complete the marina expansion. Oh, and of course the inner lagoon will be
filled with mooring balls, so sayonara cruisers. At least we came in here one
more time!!! These days there seem to be more French boats (mostly charter)
down here than any others, including American. In Bequia, even all the cruise
ships coming in to anchor were French, disgorging a constant stream of tourists
to the beach via launches. I was ashore one morning on the beach, doing the
hairdressing thing on Bunkey, complete with the folding chair, the spray
bottle, comb and scissors, and one of the French tourists came along, was very
amused and said she was a coiffeur. We had an interesting chat, including how
we both had mutually beneficial hairdressing lessons from Della before we left Canada.
The other amazing thing is the number of catamarans down here, which in
some anchorages outnumber monuhulls now – many of them huge 45 -47 ft vessels,
mostly all charter. We stayed one night in Salt
Whistle Bay,
Mayreau, Grenadines and there were 9 cats and 5 monos
there!! That’s a gorgeous anchorage, which we missed on our way south. Geoff
and Bunkey s/v The Everden PS. Doug – Tell Sandy I should be in Rodney
Bay in a couple of days and I’ll
give her brother a call. PPS. Dave W – Still hoping to be in Saba
1st half Feb!! PPS. Paula – They still remember you at Dive Bequia,
and can even pronounce Mississauga
nearly correct. If you haven’t been there you must try “Tantie Pearl’s”
restaurant up the hill past the cemetery – Its worth the walk/climb - $20EC
lunch.
12/14/03
Roseau, Dominica
Well I finally did the hike up to the Boiling
Lake and back today! Two days ago I
almost gave up as they’d had a landslide in the area and the forestry department
were advising people not to go there, but I met up with Octavius (Sea Cat) who
acted as guide for myself and two German guys. Bunkey stayed home (claimed she
was tired, was glad of a day without me, and was still concerned about more
landslides). As it turned out, only about 100yds of trail was washed out (going
down from Morne Nicholls into the Valley
of Desolation) and it wasn’t too
difficult to pick your way through the mud and rock. The lake really is boiling
(part of a volcanic crater) and the second largest in the world, plus there are
huge areas of hot vents, bubbling steaming little springs and a pervasive
sulphur smell, plus places to take a bath in the hot pools and finally a swim
at the falls near the bottom; well deserved after the 7 hrs hike.
Tomorrow, plan to go down to Soufriere and Scots
Head on the local bus, then maybe Trafalgar
Falls or another hike the next day.
Dominica’s interior is unspoiled and has all kinds of hikes up through the rain
forest to various crater lakes, and waterfalls, and many of the easier ones can
be done without a local guide.
We’re hoping to clear out of Dominica
later this week, do a fast in and out at Guadeloupe and
still make Antigua by Christmas, weather permitting.
We’ll see!
In case I don’t get another update out before Christmas, all the very
best wishes for the Christmas season, and a Happy and Prosperous New Year to
all our readers. Now go out there and shop – you’ve only got 10 days left!!
Geoff and Bunkey
s/v The Everden
12/21/03
English Harbour,
Antigua
We’re now in Antigua for Christmas at least, then
up via Nevis, St Kitts, Saba and St
Martin. Very best of wishes for Christmas and the New Year.
Geoff and Bunkey
s/v “The Everden”
(To be Continued.)
MK-II FUEL TANK CLEANING
By Tom Assenmacher
(1975 yawl SHEARWATER)
We had not cleaned the fuel tank
on our A-37 yawl since we bought her in 1982 (and it hadn’t been cleaned before
we bought her). After completing the
2002 re-engining and general refurbishment of SHEARWATER, we didn’t get around
to giving the fuel tank a much needed cleaning until late this summer (probably
because we dreaded the job).
Finally, in anticipation of
perhaps some extended cruising in the near future, we decided to “bite the
bullet” and do the job. The following is
roughly what we did:
- Preparation for tank removal: (Although the tank COULD
be cleaned in-place, we decided it would be much easier to clean the tank if we
removed the tank from the bilge.) In order to gain access to the fuel tank, we
removed the outboard part of the “L” section of the port settee. This is easily
done by removing about a dozen screws and the assembly simply lifts out. We then removed the house batteries that we
have installed in this areas and set all items aside outside the boat. As we
had installed an electric fuel “boost” pump (with a “T”, shutoff valve, and
length of fuel line hose in the line) as part of the new engine installation,
we simply turned on the pump, opened the valve and pumped all but about 2
gallons of “old” diesel fuel from the
tank. Once we had most of the fuel removed, we then removed the access panel
screws and removed the access panel and set it aside. We were then able to see the inside of the
tank for the first time in 28 years! We
also removed the sheet metal screws which secure (sort of) the fuel tank to the
floor pan. To remove the remainder of
the fuel, we used a wet/dry shopvac with a length of ½” PVC pipe attached to
the end of the vacuum hose (we used a long piece of vacuum hose, with the
shopvac on the dock. There was about ½”
of black ‘sludgy’ stuff in the bottom of the tank.
- Tank removal: The tank (with the access panel and tank attachment screws
removed) simply lifts out of the bilge area.
We did not actually remove the tank from the boat (not sure if it would
pass through the companionway – it would be a close fit), but sat it on the
cabin floor for further work and cleaning.
Make sure you have a lot of padding and rags available if you plan to
work on the tank onboard the boat.
- Tank cleaning: Since the
tank appeared to be in relatively good condition, we used an industrial (water
soluble-used in pressure washers) degreaser full strength to remove the “crud”
in the tank. We sloshed this around
inside the tank with an old mop and scrub brush, and vacuumed out the dirty
cleaner and “crud”. There were some
areas on the bottom that were hard and crusty, which were easily removed with a
putty knife (the bottom of the tank is just within arm reach). We flushed the tank several times with clean
water (again using the shopvac to remove the water) and allowed the tank to dry
overnight.
- Tank inspection: We had envisioned some pitting of the aluminum
tank, but a thorough inspection revealed no pitting on the inside of the tank,
and were pleasantly surprised to find only very superficial pitting on the
outside (it appeared that at one time there may have been some water in the
bilge at the lower level of the tank).
One of the reasons to remove the tank is to inspect tank exterior and to
clean the bilge area. We found several
small tools and debris lying in the bilge area (wood chisel, screws,
etc.). We inspected the tank access
plate for excessive corrosion (there is some around the bronze pipe fittings,
but not serious), and checked the engine fuel intake pipe (piece of copper
tubing soldered to a bronze “street ell” which extends to within about 1.5” of
the bottom) for integrity and corrosion.
We also inspected the fuel return line, fuel vent, etc. for condition.
- Reassembly and installation:
Reassembly was basically the reversal of the tank removal. We fabricated a new gasket for the tank
access plate using rubberized cork gasket material available from your local NAPA
auto parts store (it comes in a roll and is wide enough that piecing of the
gasket is unnecessary). We used
“anti-seize” compound on the access panel screws to ensure against corrosion
and seizing. We lowered the assembled
tank into the bilge area and reattached the tank mounting screws. Since these mounting screws are only screwed
through the thin fiberglass flange of the floor pan, we decided to add some
strengthening in order to keep the tank from shifting under less than optimal
conditions. We fabricated 1.25” square
cleats that surrounded the periphery of the tank and secured the cleats to the
walls of the tank area floor pan with large SS sheet metal screws, making for a
much more robust assembly.
We then reconnected all fuel
lines, and connected the tank bonding wires, refilled the tank and checked the
engine operation (self bleeding system).
We are now confident that we have a CLEAN fuel system. (Ed. Note: We
intend to post a more thorough version
of this article complete with photos on
the web site in the near future.)
PROP ZINCS - ONE SOLUTION
By Tom Assenmacher
(1975 yawl SHEARWATER)
We receive quite a few calls
about “how do we fit a zinc to the prop
when there isn’t enough space to fit one”. When we bought our boat in 1982, it
had no zinc as it had always been in Lake Ontario. I took a bronze prop nut, welded a short
piece of 1" bronze tubing to the nut, and placed a 1" donut zinc on
the aft end of the prop nut.
Probably cuts down a bit on
the prop efficiency, but not enough to notice.
We’ve used this system since 1982.
TRAVELS OF PIKA (Continued)
(1967 Sloop, Hull
# 20)
By
Lou and Jean Wayne
(Ed. Note: Following Lou and Jean’s arrival
in the Chesapeake, we sailed with
them for several days in the mid-Chesapeake Bay area (Solomon’s on the Patuxent
River, and Reedville on the Great
Wicomico River. They departed the Mid Bay area in early
November, 2003 on their trip south to the Bahamas.
We pick up their Email cruising account …)
11/1/03
Got to Annapolis about 1:00pm, picked up a mooring and headed for the
laundromat. Next day we met our Alberg
37 friends Wayne and Sherrill Bower (TEELOK) for lunch. They also drove us to
the supermarket and liquor store, great friends! Struck off the next morning for Solomon’s Island. While dropping the mooring we were
entertained by the “Nantucket Clipper” (a cruise ship familiar to you Rochester
folks) cruising thru the mooring field.
Pretty much a light wind motor to Solomon’s but along the way we got a
VHF (radio) call from our friends TJ and Kaye Assenmacher, fellow Alberg 37
sailors. They had decided to sail up
from their home in Kinsale VA,
on the Potomac. We rafted for the night in Solomon’s and
agreed to cruise in company to Reedville, VA
the next day. Good thing we got an early
start since the day turned into a motor into head winds and nasty chop. We did however arrive in time to buy some
crab cakes and shrimp at the crab house next to the anchorage and Jean made New
England clam chowder. Next morning we set off for points south while TJ and
Kaye were deciding when to return home.
Miracle of miracles, we had a favorable tide and no waves, even
occasionally a helpful breeze so we pressed on to Hampton Roads. This will get
us into the Dismal Swamp canal on Sunday. We may have a good chance of meeting our Jacksonville
schedule! Sunday 1pm – 82 degrees and
sunny. We are anchored at the 1st of 2 locks on the Dismal
Swamp Canal
cooking burgers on the grill while waiting for the 1:30 opening. We
opened the window in the dodger because it was getting very warm, even while
under way. We also had to dig deep into
our lockers to find shorts. Hope the
warmth made it to wherever you are too.
Lou and Jean aboard Pika, Dismal Swamp Canal,
North Carolina Visitor’s Center
11/8/03
Apologies for this is a composite of many days travel. We are on a schedule and a budget so we
aren't stopping at marinas or going ashore very often. After transiting the Dismal
Swamp Canal we
docked in Elizabeth City NC,
(11/3) where every evening they host a wine and cheese party for visiting
boaters. They claim to be the "Harbor
of Hospitality" and this is
only one of the ways they show that. We
went into the local True Value hardware and heard more and learned more about
the town than we ever wanted to know! We
learned they are home to the largest Coast Guard aviation base on the east
coast. They also were home to the east coast anti submarine blimp fleet during
WWII. In fact one blimp hanger remains which could host three NFL football, or
NL baseball games simultaneously indoors. The larger hanger however burned down
about 6 or 8 years. It had been the
largest wooden structure in North America. We saw none of this the next day (11/4)when
we left as the fog was very!
thick, in fact if it wasn't
within about a boat length we didn't see it no matter how big or
impressive. Awhile later while motoring
down the Alligator River we got a real treat as pairs of fighter jets broke
into dog fights complete with chaff and flares. I don't know my planes very
well but they were either Marine Corps F-18's from Cherry Point or F-15's from
Pope AFB. Really neat and very, very
fast. I couldn't sneeze as fast as those
guys have to think and react. We
anchored for the night off Bear Point on the Alligator river. Wed (11/5)was spent in an uneventful motor
through the Pungo/alligator canal and a quick stop for fuel and water at Dowery
Creek marina. Next morning (Thurs. 11/6) we awoke to some fog which by the time
the coffee had perked was very thick.
Instead of hauling anchor I cooked up bacon/egg/cheese on toasted
English muffins. (the least a good
captain could do for his hard working mate).
The fog lifted a bit by 7:30
and we were off. Motored d! own the Neuse
River while those fighter jocks
from two days ago turned more taxpayers
money into loud noise. This time without the visual stimulus. While headed down the channel into
Beaufort/Moorehead City we were waked hard by the 80' motor yacht "Grand
Promise". A little while later we
got our revenge by seeing that the Grand Promise had become the "Broken
Promise" as they had tried to negotiate the Gallent Cut channel which has
been closed to navigation for several years due to shoaling. This fact was detailed in Skipper Bob's book
but a professional delivery captain is not about to consult a lowly $14.95
publication! Oh well two bent props and
shafts plus towing plus haul out plus delays, what's $20,000 to some big
insurance company. We anchored at Moorehead
City and watched one of the most
dramatic skies either of us has ever seen.
It varied from cobalt blue to red to pink to gold to gray to black. All of that produced a few sprinkles, a bit
of breeze and nothing more. Friday
morning (11/7)we were up and away about 0720 to catch the flood tide coming
into the Beaufort inlet. We were able to
ride that for many miles and with the help of some breeze we got to our
anchorage by 1330. This is a bay within Camp
LeJeune (Marine Corps base). We
were entertained once again by military aviators converting more jet fuel into
noise. This time it was a pair of
Chinook helicopter. Lou and Jean aboard Pika, Camp LeJeune,
NC
11/12/03
We left Camp Le Jeune early Saturday morning intending to make Wrightsville
Beach before “Castaways” marine
consignment store closed. We did this without trouble but it isn’t easy with
two bridges which open only on the hour and of course they are 2 hours and 10
minutes apart at our cruise speed. We
got anchored and hiked the mile or so to the store but didn’t find the radar or
cabin heater we were hoping to find. Those two items have been elevated on our
wish list since we have made tentative plans to cruise the Maine
coast next summer with our friends TJ and Kaye who also sail an Alberg 37.
Back to Wrightsville Beach,
Sunday we did not even venture forth from the cabin as the weather had turned
very foul, cold, very windy and some driving rain. This morning (Monday 11/10) was much more
promising. We ended up going much
farther than planned because we were making good time and the anchorage we had
picked out was very iffy. After enduring
a long wait for the Sunset Beach
pontoon bridge we arrived in Calabash Creek along with a half dozen other
boats. This made for a tight fit since the deep water in the creek is not very
wide and anchoring in the channel where the shrimpers travel seemed a poor
idea. We all fit and the swinging with
wind and tide did not result in any of us making new “friends”. Could not leave Tuesday morning until 0900
since a layer of dense fog hid the world around us. We made a quick stop for fuel at the Myrtle
Beach Yacht club. $1.09 for diesel
fuel. We won’t see that price the rest
of this trip! Decided to stay the night
at Barefoot Landing a free dock in North Myrtle Beach
because the mate was determined to take her favorite veteran to lunch
today. We dined at the Mad Boar, a
pub/micro brewery, had great yellow fin tuna sandwiches. Later we invited another sailboat to raft up
with us for the night as the docks were full.
They turned out to be from Kingston Ontario,
a lake Ontario
port. We ended up returning with them
and another couple to the Mad Boar for happy hour. After tons of wings, nachos, cheese sticks
and potato skins not to mention beer and wine we wandered back to our boats expecting
to meet down the road somewhere. Off
toward Charleston this am. Lou and Jean aboard PIKA, North
Myrtle Beach.
11/24/03
We stopped in Charleston
hoping to meet up with a couple of friends. Kathy lived in Rochester
until late summer then moved here. However this is the weekend she planned to
go back to have a garage sale, expecting to return on Monday. Unfortunately she
had much more to do back in Rochester
and decided she could not return until Tuesday or Wednesday. Our other friend Paul has come down with a
cold or flu and just didn’t feel up to the 4.5 hour drive from Athens
GA.
We’ve made tentative plans to meet him in St.
Augustine FL. After Thanksgiving. We are sadly disappointed to have not seen
our friends but it perhaps worked out for the better, as a cold front is coming
through on Tuesday night and our anchorage is exposed to the near gale force
south east winds expected. Leaving Charleston
early will give us at least one day to hunker down if the weather dictates.
Thus we should have no trouble making our Jacksonville
date. We did get a couple of important
things accomplished while here, one was a massive load of laundry the other was
the purchase of Radar, one step closer to cruising Maine next summer. Continued 11/20. Heading south from Charleston
we were able to make Beaufort SC
before the weather turned foul. We
anchored in Factory Creek Just north of the town. The weather forecast was for thunderstorms
and winds of 50 kts. The creek wasn’t very wide and we decided the safer thing
to do was to take a dock until this thing blows over. Tuesday afternoon and evening were fine and
we hiked to the Winn Dixie and loaded up with Thanksgiving type food, including
a turkey which was free since we spent so much on other stuff. Wednesday afternoon, after a rainy morning
with max 30 kt. Gust, we went back to Winn Dixie for another load. After that we had happy hour with Pat and
Lucie, aboard “Illusion” the boat from Kingston
Ontario.
Thursday morning we got up very early to take showers and get to the
draw bridge before 0700, after which it doesn’t open until 0900. Stopped to pick up fuel at Outdoor Resorts
Marina. Unfortunately while leaving an
angry tide drove the stern of Pika back into the dock and the dinghy caught a
piling forcing it up into the support for the solar panel, puncturing the port
tube. Later we anchored in the Moon
River and our first chore was to
get our little boat patched. We’ll see
tomorrow, after the adhesive has set how successful the patching was. 11/21, the dinghy is doing fine after it’s
repair and we are enjoying fine warm weather. This evening we are anchored in
New Teakettle Creek, after having just negotiated Old Teakettle Creek. Warm,
high in mid 70’s low mid 50’s, bugs are becoming a problem. Looking forward to Thanksgiving in Jacksonville
Beach.
Lou and Jean aboard Pika, New Teakettle Creek
GA.
12/3/03
Ok it’s been awhile, we stopped at Cumberland
Island but were reluctant to go
ashore since the patch on the dinghy began to look somewhat “iffy”. The weather was blowing up and we decided to
seek the better anchorage at Fernandina
Beach. Before we moved however we
did get to see a couple of submarines one going out one coming in. Big things, “boomers” they were and I
couldn’t help wonder what “targeting information” was programmed into their
nuclear missiles these days? We made Jacksonville Beach
without a problem and have spent many (5) days here at Beach Marine. Two of my
(Lou’s) sisters and their families rented a condo in nearby Atlantic
Beach. Throw in our niece and
family and that made twelve for thanksgiving dinner which Jean, the wonder
woman, catered from the humble galley of Pika.
This included the traditional roast turkey, mashed potatoes, gravy,
cranberry relish, homemade applesauce, and pumpkin and pecan pies. Needless to
say Jean was the heroine as most of this crowd didn’t roll in until 4:30 Thursday afternoon and would have been content
with turkey sandwiches! Friday afternoon
my youngest sister, brother-in-law, and large dog arrived to spend a couple
nights with us {the condo was a) too small and b} no pets}. We were all fine
with this arrangement with the exception of Angus who being elderly (12 people
yrs, 84 dog yrs) is not as mobile as he once was. This coupled with his longish
toe nails made for hazardous navigation around Pika’s hard fiberglass decks..
No doubt he was wondering why he was being subjected to all this when a quiet
weekend in that oh so comfortable town house back in Winston Salem would have
suited him just fine. We got more
patching materials for the dink and are waiting for the new bigger patch to
cure before we inflate. I did such a
meticulous job with this new bigger patch I’m sure it will be fine. We had hoped to take the thing to an
inflatable/life raft shop here but they have gone out of business so I was
forced to rely upon West Marine, Boat US
and my feeble efforts, we shall see. We did get entertained this morning by a
couple of Manatees swimming around the marina basin. After everyone left on Sunday we set about
doing many loads of laundry, and lots of cleaning up on Pika. We had expected to get away early on Monday
but we found more laundry to do and wanted to scrub the deck and fill the water
tanks while we had the chance. Finally off by 12:30
but this was not soon enough to get us to St. Augustine
so we anchored behind Pine Island.
The forecast did not sound promising with 25-30kts from the north east for the
next few days, and sure enough at 0600 Tuesday morning it began to blow. The anchorage at St Augustine
is not the best and downright unsafe in a north east blow so we spent the day
right here with our good friend Bruce the anchor keeping us firmly tethered to
the bottom. The day was not wasted as I
did some much needed battery I and installed the new replacement stereo. The plan is to sail to St. Augustine on Wednesday.
Lou & Jean aboard Pika,
Pine Island,
Fla.
12/21/03
We came into Harbortown Marina to escape a cold front with it’s
accompanying wind, rain and cold. We
also needed the West Marine just up the street as well as the Kash & Karry
supermarket. We are also waiting for
some “general delivery” mail which will no doubt find its way here through the
holiday crunch eventually. While
waiting I busied myself by tightening the shaft stuffing box, changing out the
raw water pump, and installing the spare heat exchanger. This as far as I can tell at the moment has
stemmed the tide of incoming water into Pika’s hull. Not that we were on the verge of sinking but
it will be nice not to have to pump the bilge a couple times a day. After all
that plumbing I treated myself to a bike ride (bikes courtesy of the marina)to
the Marine Connection, yet another surplus/used marine supply place. Not as much sailboat stuff as the Sailors
Exchange back in St. Augustine but
lots of good stuff none the less. I found some parts!
I can use to support the radar
mast which will make the job easier. On the bike ride back from the Marine
Connection we picked up a huge bag of fresh oranges at a bargain price. No scurvy aboard Pika the next few
weeks! I spent a good part of today
filtering and refiltering fuel from our 5 gallon jugs. It has become a source
of amazement to me how fast algae and crap develop in diesel fuel in a few
short weeks even with biocide added. In any case our supply is about max near
50 gallons which is enough to motor us to Georgetown
and half way back. We did pick up the mail this afternoon but there is still
the one last major grocery shopping to be done and tomorrow night is expected
to be near record low so I suspect we will not leave here until Sunday. I can’t
understand that we made commitments to others, Charleston
and Jacksonville and we made both
of those with ease but to ourselves we committed to be snorkeling in the Bahamas
by Christmas. That now seems unlikely
unless we get very lucky with the weather.
With cold fronts coming through with regularity we will most likely end
up working our way south for another week or so. Aha but the good news is near
record cold is upper 30’s and the lake effect snow that reached as far south as
Spring Creek PA (that’s Spring “Crick” for you Pennsylvanians) will not reach
us here. Saturday 12/20, A few things
from West Marine and two shopping carts of food from Kash & Karry sort of
finishes our purchases. Now for the laundry and filling the water tanks and
jugs. Promises to be record cold tonight
low 30’s, glad we stayed here connected to the grid. The guy across the dock
from us is planning to cross on Tuesday but the window is too short for us. We
want time for the big waves to die down and then not get slammed with north
winds as soon as we get there. No thanks
we’ll chose our own crossing time. We’ve
set the alarm for a 0255 launch of a Delta Rocket carrying a GPS satellite, we
should have a good view. And yes we did
have a good view through clear cold skies, we could see clearly as the booster
rockets fell away. Too bad we weren’t
farther north so we would have heard and felt power. This is Sunday morning,
will be leaving the dock soon to head farther south and wait for that mystical
weather window. Merry Christmas to all,
Lou and Jean aboard Pika.
12/27/03
We arrived in Lake Worth
Monday afternoon to wait for our weather
window to cross to the Bahamas. There are dozens of boats waiting, including
Marcel & Karen. We are anchored next
to them. It has warmed up to the 70’s
and is a beautiful day. Hope we may be
able to cross tomorrow or Wednesday.
Update Friday 12/26 we did cross
Tuesday evening/Wed. morning. Didn’t take the same route as Southern Cross,
they went to the south side of grand Bahama Island to Lucaya while we took the
easier route north onto the little Bahama banks. I learned from another boat
that took our route but spoke to Marcel (A-37 sloop SOUTHERN CROSS) via the SSB
that their trip was much less pleasant than ours.
We have not talked to Marcel directly but have been kept up to date by
Richard from Kelissa who talks to him almost every day. Apparently they did not have a I crossing and
got caught in several squalls with 50+kt gusts.
We got some rain from those but no wind. When we left Lake
Worth we looked at heading toward Lucaya but the
combination of head winds, steep waves and the north bound current reduce our
speed well below 3kts. And I did not deem that acceptable given the near 80
mile trip and the option of the much more comfortable, 5.5 kt. Northern
route. As it was there were two boats on
our route who encountered engine trouble, Spotted Moose with a broken water pump
and Jay’s Nest with a broken rocker arm.
Speaking of Marcel and his travel companions, did you know a boat
Windswept IV? They crossed with Southern Cross and as soon as they arrived the
first mate Heather came down with a gal bladder infection which has kept her in
the hospital ever since. Hearing!
That is scary but it also
reinforces the notion of “do it while you can”. We’ll be heading south into the
Exumas in the next week or so but it will be when the weather dictates. After all this is supposed to be fun. We (Pika and crew) are having fun taking one
day at a time and doing what the weather gods allow. So glad the holidays are being so enjoyable
for you. This is different for Jean and
me but being warm and sunny makes up for a lot of other things. Lou and Jean aboard Pika Green Turtle
Cay. Still working on installing the
radar and looking forward to next summer’s cruise. Hope you had a wonderful
Christmas and will have a great new year.
Jean & Lou aboard Pika,
Green Turtle Cay.
(To be continued.)
TUNDRA’S TRAVELS
(1977 Sloop, Hull
# 181)
By Brian and Kathy Marsh
(Ed. Note: Brian and Kathy have
for several years alternated between
sailing TUNDRA in the Caribbean area during the winter
and spending the summers at their home in Sarnia,
Ontario.
The following has been excerpted from their cruising website: http://www.galiander.ca/tundra/index.html
)
Tundra
Pre Christmas Message
November
12, 2003
Hello All,
It’s getting chilly and
we’re ready to migrate south. This year we’ll board Tundra in Trinidad and if
the political climate is friendly we’re hoping to sail to Venezuela and perhaps
on to Bonaire in the Dutch Antilles. We will update our web page accordingly at
www.galiander.ca/tundra.
2003 has been action
packed for us. Grenada provided lots of wonderful hiking. We toured the island
enjoying the flora and fauna and rain forest very much. One highlight was a
guided tour of a nutmeg factory. Grenada is known as the spice island. Spices
and fragrances are literally in the air. Another interesting experience was
hiking through the Italian Villa that consumes the northern half of Canouan.
What a surprise!
Martinique was our
northernmost destination. We love the Francaise exposure and lovely people.
Brian reached a hallmark
year and was feted royally at 60 by all the family on Galiano Island.
Our northern stints keep
us abreast of local and international politics. With this in mind, we wish you
all a peaceful Christmas and New Year.
December
10, 2003: Arrived Venezuela
Holas Nos Familia Y
Amigos,
As we departed Scotland
Bay, Trinidad about 600 pm last eve, the howler monkeys were in full swing.
They sound much like lions roaring. What a send off. Our full moon downwind run
has brought us to a tiny group of islands 92 miles NW of Trinidad. They are the
Testigoes which means disciples. Fifteen hours of rock and roll under jib alone
was plenty and we were glad to check into Venezuelan customs at Isla Iguana.
Only 160 inhabitants live here and survive on fishing. We are loaded with sugar
and flour of which they are in short supply. Amazingly enough there are seven
boats in the anchorage tonight. We have had our first snorkel and swim. The
water is very nutrient rich owing to discharge from the Orinoco River some 40
plus miles away. Tomorrow the Coastaguardia said they would pay us a visit. The
nice young man who checked us in gave us a warm welcome –bienvenudo- complete
with lots of loud Spanish music. He spoke English quite well and we tried out
some of our amateurish Spanish on him. It was great fun.
Tonight we’re anchored
behind a small island and reef with the wind filtering through to provide
enough air for the wind generator.
All is well.
Brian and Kathy
Isla
Margarita – December 14, 2003
Exploration was on the
agenda for yesterday. Testigo Grande is almost 2 miles long and a half mile
wide with an 800 ft elevation. Sand dunes on the windward side are spectacular
and covered in shells. Sand fleas drove us back to the boats promptly on the
lee side. Bird life here is exceptional. One sociable pelican rode around
on our dinghy with us. This is a nesting ground for frigate, booby, and
pelican. One male frigate was showing his brilliant red mating colour. How neat
to see.
Today we rallied before
the sun in Los Testigos and hauled anchors at first light. In company with 2
other Canadian sailboats, we sailed the 50 nautical miles in tandem to Isla
Margarita. We could hear the fishermen commenting re our little armada. Quatro
veleros, etc. So far we’ve had very pleasant reception and lots of friendly
waves.
Tomorrow we’ll venture
ashore to do an international check in. Meanwhile we’ll enjoy the music and
merriment ashore, from afar. Porlamar is a resort city with many high rise
hotels and great numbers of people.
Brian and Kathy
Poralamar
– December 21st
Hello All,
Tundra is resting quite
nicely in the anchorage here in Porlamar. When the wind gets up we all have a tendency
to roll a little. Brian has rigged a bridal so we don’t rock and roll as much
as before.
Our check in was smooth
as could be with Juan doing the paper work for us. He is a charming Venezuelan
who oversees his business and provides a guarded dinghy dock service for we
yachties. We really appreciate his assistance. He organizes grocery shopping by
bus and is ready to assist in most matters. Our money is exchanged at 2400
bolivars for one US dollar at his establishment. His orientation included tips such
as: use taxis- don’t walk. They are extremely inexpensive and safe. Stay out of
the mangrove areas. Banditos abound. Keep your diesel tanks topped up and be
ready to sail. The political climate is volatile to say the least.
History dates back to
Spanish 1500s. Several forts made of mud have survived well. Churches, mostly
Catholic, are magnificent with lavish Virgin costumes displayed. Beaches are
plentiful and pristine.
An Xmas light tour with
dinner was amazing. One high light was a crèche constructed totally of banana
leaves. Party goers from the mainland of Venezuela are here for the weekend so
we are having a quiet day aboard. The mainland is quite visible with the
mountains stretching into clear blue skies. It’s only a matter of 70 miles
away. The eight of us have become a close knit group and are planning Xmas
together. Xmas eve is the big celebration here. We plan to eat at a seafood
restaurant only minutes from the dock and Xmas day we’ll cook our own potluck
fare. Via con dios y prospero ano.
Kathy and Brian
Isla
Blanquilla, January 6, 2004
Christmas was noisy and
busy in Porlamar. The Venezuelans love fireworks and music and both abounded on
shore. Margarita is holiday land for the mainlanders.
After Xmas we all
provisioned for a lengthy stay in the out island of Blanquilla, 60 miles
northwest of Margarita. From Porlamar we moved around to Juangriego on the west
coast for a day, one more go at their delightful cuisine, then off to
Blanquilla. It was an 11 hour trip for us on the 29th of December
with frequent squalls en route. Arrival at Trece Playa Bay around 1600 gave us
just enough light to anchor amongst the coral patches before the sunset.
Our weather window
closed quickly and we have all done a little ‘rock and roll’ with heavy
northeasters and swells nipping at us. Spirits are not to be dampened.
Blanquilla is a desert isle with miles of cactus, caracara birds (eagle like),
green parrots, and a species of burro which exists only here, was brought over
in 1492 by guess who, and number 300 today. Shoreside gatherings and cookouts
have been great fun. New Years Day was another great adventure. A short walk to
the coastguard station was a delight. The commandant, Jose, welcomed us and
invited us for delicious sopa for lunch. He and his coastguard contingent of 16
to 28 year olds, man the post for Venezuela.
On the 5th of
January we hauled anchor and moved over to the fishing village. It’s still
rolling, but we are collecting water with each passing squall. Dinghied down to
Guardacosta and Jose invited us to anchor in their lagoon. Manana.
Today, January 6, 2004, we anchored at the station and
snorkeled the surrounding reefs. What a peaceful place. My pizza was a great
hit with the young men and we exchanged espanol for anglais for four straight
hours. Tomorrow we will play bocce ball and watch the full moon rise. Life is
wonderful and we feel so fortunate to have met such kind and generous folk.
Brian and I will certainly drag our feet when we decide to move on.
Brian and
Kathy
(To be continued).
OLD WHITBY ADDS POSTED
Two full-page advertising
pages from 1967 and 1971 have recently