I HATE SHOES

The plan I wrote about previously continues as, um, planned. I'm back in the Sarasota area and taking my captains license course and exam in the first couple of weeks of 2011. It has been a long time since I've spent any real time in this part of the country, close to my mother and brother along with his new wife and her family. I'm really enjoying it and I think I'll stay here for a couple of months, at least. After talking with some people I've met along the way, it seems the next thing to do is to log more miles and sea experience. From what I've been able to gather, the winter sailing season in the Caribbean seems to culminate around  Antigua Sailing Week  during the last week in April. I've been told its a great place to meet people and network. And by network I mean find my next boat to crew on towards my next destination. If I start in Fort Lauderdale around the middle of February and try to hitch crew spots down to Antigua, I should make it in plenty

I've done more thinking since my last post (a LOT more), and came to a conclusion as to what is really most important to me: getting another sailboat and to keep the journey going. I'll admit I didn't know much of anything about sailboats when I purchased Winchelsea, and I lucked out that she was very seaworthy and in great shape. However, she was far from my ideal boat. I'd like something a little smaller, in the 28' to 30' range with an outboard instead of a cramped inboard. Not only will that be ultra convienent if the engine decides to die (pull it off, put a newer one on) but the space saved below is significant. Anywho, the only thing standing between me and getting a new boat is a bit of cold, hard cash. I'll definitely have to work a bit to save up enough for her, as well as some buffer money when I set sail again. I'm thinking something in the order of a year or so. With day work on boats being relatively scarce, I went to some businesses that

Ever since I crash landed in Fort Lauderdale, I've felt a little lost. I spent the weekend with some new friends I'd made in the hostel from New Zealand. Everyone in this place is looking to get on a boat in some way. Most are looking for positions as deckhands, engineers or, if you're a girl, a stewardess on a big motor yacht. You know the kind I'm talking about, the ones that look like mini cruise ships but are privately owned by someone with more money than God. The crew are always fantastically gorgeous and they spend the winters somewhere in the Caribbean and the summers up in New England. You also get your room and board for absolutely nothing since you live on the boat and your "board" is actually cooked by a professional chef who makes the meals for the owners. Sounds perfect right? Well, I'd like to think so too. The trouble, for me at least, comes from the fact that there isn't a mast coupled with the fact that those two trips north and sou

My six days in Orlando were needed and very well spent. Seeing my brother after the emotional spin cycle Beaufort put me through was very necessary. On Tuesday, my brother and I spent all day (and his day off, mind you) looking for a cheap car to get me down and around Fort Lauderdale. We went down to the Orange Blossom Trail area of Orlando where they have a cornucopia of used car lots, mainly owned and run by Hispanics. Honestly, I wouldn't trust my car to anyone else. Boy, can they fix cars. Hours were spent wandering the dusty back streets of the light industrial area in the shadow of the 528 highway, test driving half a dozen or so. It finally came down to two choices, a 1995 Pathfinder or a 1994 Ford Escort wagon. The Escort was in better shape, I'll admit, but there was just something emasculating about driving a wagon I'd picture my grandmother driving to church in. I chose the Pathfinder, which was also $300 cheaper, and for a little over a grand I was back on the

I'll admit it, losing Winchelsea  was tough. She was my home for nearly a year and for all intents and purposes got me into this world of boats and yachting. At the end of the day though, she was just a boat. Fiberglass and metal with some dacron for sails. Yes, those elements together in the right configuration could do some amazing things and change lives but, in essence, that's all she was. Thanks to modern technology, I've been keeping up with some old friends and its amazing the changes we're all going through. There are a couple that stick out in my mind though. One of my good friends from back home recently gave birth to a pair of twins prematurely. Very unfortunately, they ended up losing one of them, however her sister was brought home for the first time just last week, a miracle! Another friend from Boston lost her mother very suddenly in the past couple of months. Of course, I'm not comparing joys and losses. I know the past few posts have been pretty

I had originally planned on taking a train down to Orlando. There was just something that didn't feel right about planes, not on this trip anyway. I didn't much care that it was going to take me 20 something hours to get there by train, either. I'd have time to read and stuff, and just think. But, the way it worked out with my brothers schedule, the train was a poor option and I flew instead. When I got to the airport, I plopped myself down by the gate and took out The Catcher in the Rye.  I had only brought two books with me, that one and Nine Stories , I guess I knew I'd be in a Salinger kind of mood. I've had this same copy since my mother gave it to me when I was like 12. It's pretty beat up and the original cover price was $0.95, to give you an idea of the age. I think she used to teach with it because some places are highlighted and underlined. This book has followed me everywhere: from high school to college to Boston and then to Winchelsea.  I've o

I left Beaufort this morning, with Winchelsea  in the hands of her new owners. They say that the two happiest days you have as a boat owner are the day you buy her and the day you sell her. It's not true though. I'm sad as hell. "Girl From the North Country" - Bob Dylan If you're traveling in the north country fair Where the winds hit heavy on the borderline Remember me to one who lives there For she was once a true love of mine. Well, if you go when the snowflakes storm When the rivers freeze and summer ends Please see for me if she's wearing a coat so warm To keep her from the howlin' winds. Please see from me if her hair hanging down If it curls and flows all down her breast Please see from me if her hair hanging down That's the way I remember her best. Well, if you're traveling in the north country fair Where the winds hit heavy on the borderline Please say hello to one who lives there She once was a true love of mine

Although that small coastal town along the ICW in rural North Carolina changed my life forever with a smattering of decidedly painful events, aside from those, this place is actually pretty terrific. The scenery is gorgeous. The general anchorage area is right between a quaint row of restaurants, bars, hotels and marinas and an island with a troop of wild horses that come to the water to drink daily, 25 yards from my boat. The inlet is right around the corner from this island, and every few days dolphins make their way into the anchorage area to feed. Not to mention the weather has been great, just fantastic. It's been nice to have some time to myself to write, reflect and line things up to get my life back in order. The people here are also amazing. Its a pretty small down, so in my 10 or so days that I spent here I got to know a few people around town, and they are all interesting characters. A couple of people who stick out in my mind are this guy Todd, pretty much the only ca

I've been in Beaufort for 8 days now, and what an 8 days it has been. These past 192 or so hours are some of the most significant I've experienced in my entire 27 years on the planet. I won't get too much into it, but to add to the emotional chaos, the personal reason for going to West Palm is no longer interested as to when I get down there. That happened the day after Winchelsea  died. She was kind of my emotional and physical light at the end of the tunnel, so really it was only fitting that it ended when the journey came to an abrupt halt. I've spent the past four or five days sorting what I want to take with me, what gets tossed and what I'm leaving for the next owner. That was a painful process. There were times when I literally had to sit down, take some deep breaths and realize that this  was the final destination and there would be no glorious feeling of dropping anchor in West Palm. Like I had said before though, I've had a great run with this boat a

After getting over the initial shock of the engine completely failing, I realized I did have some other options besides to sell the boat straight away. Option 1: Sell the boat. I could probably get between $3,000 and $4,000 for her, considering the engine is pretty much shot. This extra cash would definitely help in rebuilding my life down in Florida. Option 2: Transport the boat to Florida on a truck. Not a viable option at $3,000. Thats like 6 months rent. Option 3: Diesel repower. Not an option at this time at about $8,000. Just don't have the cash. Option 4: Keep her up here. I could just leave her at anchor, talking with the locals leads me to believe this is a viable option. I'd definitely have to keep that liability insurance though. The only trouble would be trying to sell her remotely, or if I chose to keep her I'd have to still repower at some point, which would be $8,000 as noted above. Option 5: Scrap. There is 4,700 lbs of lead in the keel. Lead goes

Jon and I awoke this morning with the hope of continuing our journey south. Those plans were thwarted however, when I pulled the dipstick out to check the oil. I was horrified; the "oil" was white and of about the same consistency of butter left on the counter for an hour. Water had somehow made it's way into the engine. There are about a hundred ways for this to happen and they can range from a simple clog in the exhaust to a hole in the block of the engine itself. Two oil changes later and a $90 valve on the exhaust, we weighed anchor and tried to motor out of Beaufort harbor. I put it into gear and pushed the throttle forward, nothing. I ran below to check that the carburetor was opening and the cable was intact, they were both fine. Back to the helm to try the throttle again...nothing. This was serious. The engine was starting to stall, and it just sounded sickly. I could tell not all 4 cylinders were firing. I called to Jon to throw the anchor back in. Normally I wou

Last Tuesday was a very productive day. Monday night we had the pleasure of eating with an Admiral in the Coast Guard, Jim Watson, the father of my girlfriend in college. He's one of the most personable, down to Earth guys I know and gave Jon and I some great advice for fixing up Winchelsea a bit. The hole in the exhaust was in a section of 2" steel pipe and I thought the only solution would be to weld it, or have it replaced entirely, $$$. He said he had a similar problem on his own boat and replaced it with a length of high-temperature hose. Well, Jon and I spent over three hours on Tuesday morning cutting that piece of piece of pipe out and the afternoon finding that replacement hose. It worked fantastically. We also got the alternator working again, so despite the fact the wind turbine is completely shot, we can charge our batteries again without having to pay for a marina slip with shore power! After those repairs we left Norfolk Wednesday morning and spent four days on t

I would say, that a more appropriate title to this blog would have been "I HATE PANTS", however, that probably would have placed it in an inappropriate category. Googling I HATE PANTS would have resulted in links that this blog does not belong with. We came into Norfolk yesterday, after nearly 40 hours of travel on Winchelsea . Her engine, I have to say, has been an absolute champ. We ran her for a total of 17 hours on our trip from Cape May. The first instance was leaving the harbor and putting the sails up. After sailing close hauled over flat seas for six or so hours, they started to build and the wind shifted to a direction that was exactly where we were looking to head. Not to tempt fate again by beating into a 20-25 knot headwind in 4-6 foot seas (remember what got us to Fire Island...), I decided to turn on the engine and motor. We only made about 4 knots, but Winchelsea had a grand time going up and down the waves. I checked the weather and the wind was supposed to c

After 4 days in New Jersey, leaving here couldn't have come soon enough. It's sad but true, people around here are only nice to you if you have something to give to them, and thats usually cold, hard cash. Its like they have some sort of complex about being so close to New York that they feel they need to stand out, but at the same time secretly wish they were New Yorkers. Anywho, we are leaving at the crack of dawn tomorrow, bound for Norfolk. I really can't wait to be in the south again, after over three years in the north. I know I was excited to move away up to Boston when I graduated college, but its just so much more...fun down there. Surfing, sailing, biking, the beach, long days in the sun, beautiful warm nights and its all year long. Sure, it gets a little steamy for a bit in the summer, but its a small price to pay. Our original plan was to head towards Virginia and the mouth of the Chesapeake and keeping going south to Oregon Inlet, some 30 miles north of Cap

Jon and I, just the two of us, departed Fire Island, New York on Tuesday morning. The wind was calm, a steady 5 to 10 knots as we motored out of the inlet. Fire Island was a great place. The people were some of the friendliest I've met and I really enjoyed Columbus Day weekend there. Its a tourist town, strictly seasonal, as well as most of the residents. The restaurants, bars and shops were all closing that Monday, so it was a great time to visit. The little village of Ocean Beach was more or less deserted, outside of a handful of locals and a few tourists trying to pretend like the summer was not yet over. We got to get to know these locals, the people who stay there year round, and they were fascinated with our story of leaving our lives behind to sail south on a 40 year old sailboat and that the only reason we were there was exactly due to fate and our mainsail tearing some 30 miles from the inlet. They did a lot for us: showed us how to actually navigate the bay without runnin

We actually left Block Island on Thursday evening. The seas had calmed and the wind had shifted into a favorable direction so, just after sunset, we left. Montauk light was soon abaft as well and the stars were the only lights we could see on that moonless Thursday night. Jon and I took hourly shifts at the helm and Carla kept us company and awake. And Mountain Dew, lots of Mountain Dew. And cigarettes. Massive amounts of tobacco. Bursting out into a caffeine and nicotine induced version of the Gilligans Island theme song at 3 am is something that will not be repeated, sorry if you missed it. Just after sunrise, the winds shifted. They were starting to blow hard out of the west, and we were quickly beating into a 25 knot headwind. Sailing close hauled in those kinds of conditions makes for the most strain you can put on a boat, from the crew to the rigging to the sails. And sure enough, right around 5 pm, the mainsail burst. I got it all down as quickly as possible and we started motor

There is a tiny weather window this afternoon that could get us to Montauk. The wind is supposed to calm, although only slightly, and remain in a favorable direction until it clocks around to the west this evening. The only problem is the sea state, which is still around 8 ft with a very short period. Not a comfortable ride at all. Considering that, combined with the fact that going to Montauk will only save us 10 miles overall, I've made the decision to forgo getting the crap beaten out of us today for a very small return. I'm going to order a new jib from Florida and wait this thing out until Friday. I really can't believe its been honking with gusts over 30 knots out of the north since Sunday afternoon. Tonight through Thursday its supposed to do the same from the west. It's November weather in October. High pressure is supposed to build in from Canada this weekend, which looks like a good window to shoot straight from here to New Jersey. In the meantime, Jon is maki

We left Newport at about 8:00 AM yesterday. It was chilly, but the winds were a nice 10-15 knots and in a favorable direction. Sails were raised just outside of Fort Adams, and away we went. Once out in the sound, the seas were a moderate 3-5 feet with an occasional 6-7 foot anomaly. We jibed around Point Judith, where the seas increased slightly and the wind started to pick up. I knew there was a gale warning for the night, and it looked like it would be here early. It was about 11 am, and I made the decision that we would put into Block Island for the night instead of pushing for Montauk. By the time we were within sight of the channel into the anchorage at Block Island, the wind was gusting to 30 knots. As we approached, I rounded up into the wind to lower the sails. I'm not exactly sure how it happened, but I looked up to see a huge rip in the jib and the leech cord (now free from the actual sail) wrapped around one of the spreader lights. A quick flick of the wrist with the kn

All the prep work is complete. Winchelsea , Jon and I, with Carla, are ready to go. The checklist I made nearly a month ago has exactly zero items left without a strike through, and all that remains is a little bit of organizing, weighing anchor, raising sail and following a compass heading. I've decided to move our departure up a bit, from early Monday morning to Sunday afternoon. This will put us well within a good weather window for the nearly 40 hour sail to New Jersey, and allow us passage through the heaviest shipping lanes out of New York during daylight hours; a win-win. It's still a few days off though, which means it can change drastically, so I'm keeping a close eye on it. I'm really going to miss Newport overall. It has been my introduction to the sailing community, and I've felt welcome from the get go. Green and Isaac have taught me so much, and Green has been more than helpful on numerous occasions. From my carburetor, to the wind turbine, to my wat

October 4th will be our planned departure date. We being Jon, a guy who works on the schooner next door; myself; Carla and of course Winchelsea. About three weeks ago I had an absolutely massive checklist, which I have whittled down to only getting the proper paper charts, which will be taken care of tomorrow morning. I've purchased an EPIRB, a harness to clip anyone working on the bow into the boat, a spotlight, patched a hole in the exhaust, installed the depth sounder, fixed the chart plotter/autohelm, as well as taken her on a couple of shakedown sails, among a galaxy of other tasks that don't come to mind right now. During our sails we discovered she really loves an early reef, and in 15 to 20 knots of breeze there is only a small trace of weather helm. I would have liked to get a new mainsail, the current one is sufficient but a little stretched out and baggy, but her sail plan calls for a 13' foot, when most modern rigged boats have a shorter one in the 10' range

Well it has been quite the week for Winchelsea  and I. Just over a week ago, hurricane Earl threatened to bring 100+ mph winds across Newport. I had a few options: stay in Newport harbor at anchor, follow Green up the bay to a protected cove, or get her hauled out of the water. A mooring was not one of them because Oldport Marine, who owns most of them here, kicks people off when there is a hurricane watch or warning; go figure. I decided to get her hauled out because my insurance will pay for 50% of the cost, plus she reallllly needed to get her bottom painted before we head south where all sorts of sea creatures like to grow in the warm water. To make a long story short, the "hurricane" ended up being a mild gale by the time it got here, but better safe than sorry, thinking back to my previous post. I took her up Thursday morning, 8 days ago, and got her back last night. I did the trip up single handed, from raising the anchor to docking, and the engine worked like a dream

I had a doctors appointment on Monday at about noon in Boston. A massive low pressure system had moved over New England starting Sunday morning and is still lingering around. It brought a ton of rain and winds in excess of 35 knots. Green had mentioned this Sunday as we struggled to surface my dinghy, but I didn't think too much of it since my anchors had shone through a gale in mid May with winds that hit 50 knots. I left Newport Monday morning bound for Boston. After the doctors appointment, I went to the library to use the computer and read a bit. It was a little weird, because at just about 4:30 pm I was reading Sailing to the Reefs by Bernard Moitessier and the chapter was about these massive gales that rip through Cape Town with winds over 80 knots. He was telling about how well his CQR anchor holds, and my thoughts happen to drift to Winchelsea  and how she was holding up in this small gale up here. Well, had I not forgotten my iPhone on my boat, I would have had a new on

The day started so very, very well. Maria was coming in from Boston just before noon, and Jeff, running late as  usual, was due to arrive just after 2. The plan was to take Winchlsea out for a spin, even though there was very little wind. I was fine with this because I had just rebuilt the water pump the week previous, and was anxious to see if that really did solve my engine issue of shutting down after less than an hour at work. By 2:30 we were off of my buoyed anchor (and we did it right this time) and motoring down Narragansett Bay. After over an hour, the engine was still running smoothly, with no changes in RPMs or sounds of her struggling. We had been motoring up wind, so we could have a nice down wind run coming home. It was a picturesque Friday afternoon in August sailing in Rhode Island sound. On the way back the wind died, but we didn't care; we had no place special to be. I flipped the engine back on as we approached Fort Adams and rounded the point back to my makeshif

Like all good things, summer in Newport is coming to a close. We said goodbye to a fellow crew member bound for law school a few nights ago, and another is leaving to finish college in two days. There is a definite nip in the air, especially at night. Fall is approaching, there is no mistake about it. I plan to leave sometime during the second week of October. The tourism will significantly slow down by then, hurricane season will be nearly over, and the cold fronts will (hopefully) will not have moved in yet, bringing fierce winds with them. My general plan is to head out of Narragansett Bay, hook a right and go west into Long Island Sound. Then its down through Hell Gate , the East River and out into the Atlantic. I'll probably stay outside of the ICW as I pass by New Jersey, duck in around Cape May, and sail up Delaware Bay and then down the Chesapeake. From there, I'll stay inside around Cape Hatteras (I'm bold, but not that bold) and stay mostly outside with a plann

It's official, I am now living pretty comfortably and very green, generating my own power off the grid. When I first came to Newport, my batteries were shot, I had a small solar panel with the incorrect voltage for my batteries, and no engine/alternator combination to produce electricity. As you may remember, I was charging my iPhone at work and using candles at night on the boat. It wasn't the most convenient thing, and it certainly needed improvements, but it worked for a while. I first upgraded to a larger, more appropriate solar panel, and with that I could now charge my phone, turn on a couple of lights for a few hours and even use the VHF radio, wow! I also replaced the batteries for free, since they were covered under warranty. My dad generously gave me a wind turbine for Christmas since he's in the industry, and its been a long road of failed installation attempts, saving some money for the factory mounting kit and finding a day to do it, but it's finally up,

Summer is about half over now, and my thoughts are beginning to drift into what I will do at the end of the season. One thing is for certain: I will be heading south. New England winters and I get along like a raccoon and a bear trap and I can't tolerate another one. I plan to leave in early to mid October, dependant on wind and waves, of course. I already have one person on board for sure, a great girl Carla who does landscaping and construction and has plans to bike across the country next year in a custom trailer she's fabricating out of aluminum. My kinda people. I'm looking for at least one more and ideally two, but I think I can convince one of my coworkers to go with me. I imagine it will take me between 2 and 4 weeks to get there. I have completely made up my mind about that plan, no matter what condition the engine is in. I am heading south on Winchelsea in October, period. After I get to Florida though, I'm not really sure what I'll do. I need to get my ca

It's been just over two months since I dropped the hook in Newport. As I may have mentioned before, my only regret is that I didn't do this sooner. Things are going very well; work is excellent, the dinghy continues to operate, I've almost solved all issues with the engine and I've made some great friends. Green and Isaac have both let me do entire sails without them touching the wheel, from off the dock all the way to back on. My confidence in my seamanship and boat handling has increased ten-fold since I arrived. I marvel at the simplicity of the single cylinder two stroke engine that gets me to work every day. It stopped working suddenly one night and I traced it back to using a oil/gas mix ratio that was too high, which I found was gumming up my spark plug. That and cleaning the bottom every couple of weeks have been my only maintenance. The new carburator on my inboard is excellent. It now starts with one or two tries, instead of a dozen with a dozen sprays o

Overall, things have been reletively routine in Newport. Work is going very well, Green and Isaac have let me take the boat from the dock a few times now, as well as let me decide where I want the sail to go based on wind, current and time. I'm learning a lot. Isaac has also starting giving me advice as I pull together documents for my captains license, which I should be able to apply for later this year. On Winchelsea, things are not going as smoothly. I have spent the past week tracking down a decent outboard. My plan was to attach an outboard to the bottom of the transom, and use that as my aux power while I spend the summer rebuilding the inboard. Well, $1700 and two whole days later I have an outboard and the specialized vertically adjustable mounting bracket...that doesn't fit. Winchelsea's transom sticks too far out of the water, and mounting it in the lowest possible place and then lowering the outboard all the way down (which is a long shaft outboard) the prop wo

Today, I feel, will mark the beginning of the summer in my eyes. I awoke this morning to the harbormaster knocking on my boat and yelling down my open companionway. She was friendly enough, and apparently has no problem with my staying at anchor for the entire summer. The only issue I have a qualm about is the pump out requirement. Apparenty, if questioned, I have to provide proof that I have had my head tank pumped out weekly, but I don't think I could produce an entire tank full of waste in a week if I tried. I gave her my contact info and she went on her way. It is also blissfully warm. Shorts and flip flops are in full use, and sleeping rarely requires any blanket at all. The breeze on the water at night is perfect and with the hatches open the air sweeps through Winchelsea. The anchorage is filling quickly now, with half a dozen new boats that have arrived in the past two days. One of these is Green, the captain on Aquidneck, and his family of a wife and two daughters on their

Some locals have told me that this spring is the best run of striped bass (striper to those in the know) in decades. I went on deck three nights ago after sunset to check the anchor and all I could hear were huge stripers coming up to the surface to grab squid that make their way there at night. They made a huge splash and a gurgle sound as they swallowed them with a big helping of air. The next day is when I found out they were squid, and another local told me how to catch some. All I needed was a bright light and a squid jig. I took a quick trip to a tackle store and found what I needed. No squid that night though, but the light did attract a bunch of wormy things. My coworker Josh came over and we each had a line in with our backup frozen squid I got for $1 per pound at the fish market. We didn't catch a thing. Josh had to go back home, so I untied the dinghy. He was having trouble with his hook, so I thought I tied the dinghy off and turned around to help him. I thought wrong.

Newport is fan. tastic. I was off to a rocky start with no power and the dinghy mishaps I wrote of previously, but ever since those have been remedied, it's been blissful. My new job is probably the best part. The people I work with are great and I get paid to sail and talk to people. This really is a dream job, and to be flat honest, with tips I make more than I did driving a desk "using" my masters degree in engineering. Biting the bullet, taking the plunge and buying a boat is hands down the best decision I have ever made. Of course, I could have done all of this without buying the boat , but it is what started me in this direction. Allow me to illustrate, below are photos of 1) the new office 2) the view from driving a boat as opposed to a desk and 3) the new commute. Newport itself is a great and welcome change from Boston. The people are friendlier and more laid back. The summer really hasn't picked up yet, but I'm excited to be in the middl

Maria woke me up at 7 am the next morning. She had to be on the 8:30 bus back to Boston. I went outside and the fog was so dense I couldn't see land. The wind was howling. I was grateful we had made it in a few hours before this stuff set in. We climbed down the rickety ladder to Folicle, compass in hand. I knew the yacht club was somehere to the south of where we dropped anchor. Within 30 seconds of leaving Winchelsea I realized a) the ladder was about to break itself free from the transom and sink in the harbor b) the yacht club was on a huge rock and I had no clue where to land the boat if I even found it and c) one of the oar locks was bent and rowing with one oar in this wind was an exercise in futility. Trying to get back to Winchelsea was not easy. We started calling marinas to find a launch service. Eventually, we got ahold of someone who would pick us up at 9. On the bright side, on out way in the HMS Bounty appeared out of the fog, gliding along and making it's way o

4:30 came early the next morning, but we had to be on the canal by 6 to get the current. The day did not start well; Folicle, my dingy, had her bow line caught in my rudder. After that was freed, we made our way towards the canal. Though once in it, the engine was dead within a quarter mile. This begs the question: of what use is an engine if it is completely unreliable? I told Maria to make a note in the log book to the affect of "captain has decided to remove engine." Since boats are not allowed to sail down the canal, we had no other choice but to radio for assistance. None other than the United States Coast Guard showed up 10 minutes later. They towed us to their base, about a half mile back from where we had drifted to. At this point, I called my tow company and we were back in the canal within an hour. About an hour after that and we were through the canal and once again under sail, this time in Buzzards Bay. The wind was out of the north for the first few hours whi

I should preface this post with the fact that I have no electricity on my boat. There will be no pictures for some time, at least until I can get the wind turbine and solar panels installed. I charge my iPhone at work and use candlelight and flashlights at night. This is actually pretty adequate, since I'm so busy with work and don't use a lot of electric appliances anyway. We left Boston under calm, clear skies. The genoa was up and we were under full sail though the Narrows and out into Massachusetts Bay. We delt with shifty, light winds for most of the morning. I fixed the chartplotter and autopilot systems, Maria made some lunch and Christian and I reminisced about Gainesville and Gator football. It was leisurely. About 2 pm is when the first line of heavy winds hit us. We took down the genoa and put up the jib. The boat was heeled over about 20 degrees on a beam reach, at one point the GPS said we were doing 7.3 knots, impressive! At about 3, we noticed a large squall fo

Leaving Boston in just about 7 hours now. We took Winchelsea  out on Saturday, with great, calm weather. The engine started without much fuss, the sails were raised and despite the lack of wind, it all went very well with only a few minor things that needed attention. There were six of us: Maria, Christian, Hilary, Seth, Elena and myself. We anchored on the eastern side of Spectacle Island for lunch of chicken kabobs and veggie burgers. The anchor was probably the closest thing we had to a mishap; I let her drop and didn't count on the fact that the  momentum and weight of the chain would carry much more out than the simple depth alone. I grabbed the last 6 inches of the 100 feet of chain I had before it slipped over the bow. Below is a picture of the new mahogany pulpit, with the anchor, anchor roller and chain, as well as the mooring I'm currently on. Its a little dirty from all the mud, but you understand, right? The picture on the right is of a few brews in a bag I threw ov

My days in Boston are dwindling. If wind and waves look good, I'll be out of here Tuesday or Wednesday of next week. I'm sailing to Newport to start my new job aboard Aquidneck for the summer, and I can't wait! It's been almost exactly three years since I came to Boston in a 16' moving truck. I don't think I could have ever guessed that my departure from this city would be via my own sailboat. My schedule for the summer couldn't be better: 4 days on, 4 days off, 3 days on, 3 days off. The daily pay, including tips, is actually very close to what I made sitting at a desk. It's been a flurry of activity to get Winchelsea  ready to go in time. I leave the dock tomorrow, I'll be on a mooring near Rowes Wharf for a few days, then I'll leave May 4th or 5th. Trouble is, I don't have that wind turbine up yet, and I haven't hooked up the solar panels, either. Not having a connection to shore means I won't have A/C power to my laptop, charge

The rain stayed away today and I got out the materials to refinish her backsides. Three hours later after wet sanding, compounding and polishing the name went on. A very special thank you to Miss Maria and her connections for the use of the vinyl printer, as well as the pictures. Also note how you can see a little bit of reflection in the new luster of the hull, and that was before  two coats of wax! Also, Hugh came up, helped us gas up the boat and had my camera from When and If, here are the best pictures, enjoy!

Since becoming freshly unemployed I have enjoyed many perks. They all culminate into one though; just being able to do flat out whatever I want to whenever I feel its appropriate. The temporary job I took as a deckhand on When and If  fell through due to the shit-ass weather around Cape Hatteras. Thats what happens when your life is dictated by wind and seas; you can't get pissed, you can't get stressed out, you can't plan on it. Which, honestly, is why I love this line of work and lifestyle. Emyl and Seychelles decided to take this opportunity and sail their personal sail boat up from West Palm to Charleston, just so it would be a little closer when they bring it all the way up north for the summer. Just because I'm unemployed does not mean I've been lazy. My dad came down Tuesday and we are assembling a bow pulpit/bow rail and a wind turbine . The pulpit is show below, which needs to be sanded, I'll have pictures of the wind turbine when its up. The wind tur

Since this will be the third and final part of this series, and although I could go on for just about ever about this trip, I should mention why this is "the voyage that changed it all." Before I got that fateful Facebook message, I was struggling hard with the job I have, my passion for sailing and all that is associated with the Ocean, and trying to connect it all together in a way I could put food in my mouth. The people I met opened my eyes to a field of work that was exactly was I was looking for. I had to leave the When and If  abruptly due to her being stuck in Charleston for what looked to be over 10 days. The weather around Cape Hatteras was less than favorable. I flew back to Boston, with a weepy eye and thoughts in my head that I would not return to her, and the wonderful people I had met, ever again. A week past, and during this time I applied to nearly half a dozen jobs within the realm of getting me on a boat. From the lowliest bilge rat position on a motor bo