Day One Schooner Sail Adventure
July 2, 2007
We were up early. Bart had coffee brewing and was frying bacon. Fran joined us for breakfast then we all began to prepare for the trip. Will helped to carry supplies down to the boat. He came back up and asked Fran if she had any real food in the house. Bart’s supplies were mostly quick open and eat stuff. She gave us some frozen meats, shrimp, potatoes, cheese, pepperoni sausage, and greens. We brought along our hard-boiled eggs, bran cereal, chocolate, nuts, mints and fruit. Bart had a welding project for Peter so took off to have that done. Meanwhile we pulled together the items on our list. What do you take for a four-day sail? Fran said not to even try to change clothes, just layer. So we brought socks, a change of clothes for when we reached dry land, an extra shirt, shorts, sweater, vest, fleece jacket, weather pants and jacket (Thanks, Jen they were a “God Sent”), Teddy Bear and a warm blanket. Toothbrush and personal items including sunscreen, pills, and bonomine for sea sickness.
Bart arrived back and we met our traveling companion, Paul, a musician and teacher of carpentry. We pushed off at 9:30ish. The motor growled and as we moved away from the dock the guys began to put up the sails. We just about grounded the boat there. Fran gave a holler from the deck that was relayed by others along the shore watching us prepare to depart. Captain Bart got us back in the channel. The sails were up and we motored out of Stone Hurst Bay. The day was calm and sunny. Kathy spent her time in the cabin or standing just at the edge peeking out. She remembered Maria’s girlfriend’s advice, “Make the life jacket your friend.” She put one on and kept it on the entire trip. The guys put theirs on only at night or if the seas got rocky.
We all sat in the little open area just up from the cabin at the aft of the boat, the cockpit. Kathy sat closest to the cabin entrance. We waved goodbye to the land and the adventure began. Captain Bart taught Kathy to read the navigation chart: First you find your latitude and longitude from the GPS and locate yourself on the chart. Draw a line from your present location to where you want to go. Using a parallel rule you walk your parallel bars down to a compass rose and read the inside degrees; that is your course to steer. Then you have to find the distance to that location you want to go to. Open the dividers to one mile using the right or left latitude lines on the chart. Each minute of latitude is one nautical mile. Walk off the distance from your present location to our desired location. Last is the question of how long will it take you to get there and a little algebra gets you that. Rate*Time=Distance You may have to adjust your components to have the same units. (60*Distance=Speed [or rate in knots]*Time in minutes).
Will was in his element. He trimmed the sails, fixed ropes, organized lines, plotted courses, steered from the helm and pulled night watch.
Out of Stone Hurst we made for Pearl Island, then we came up on AM54, a bell buoy and on past Peggy’s Cove. It was about here in the Atlantic that Kathy wasn’t doing so well. The water was like gray blue liquid metal. Swells came and went just raising the boat a little and setting her back down only to rise again. Bart told her to watch the horizon. Nothing helped; she popped a Bonomine. She felt tired and decided to go down and sleep it off. Instead she turned white and got really sick. Sea sickness took her throwing her equilibrium spinning. She did manage to find a plastic bag first. Dry heaves shook her. Will got her back up on deck where the cool breeze calmed things down a bit. She managed to keep down a second Bonomine. Her stomach calmed and she went below and slept hugging her Teddy Bear.
The boat shifted from side to side in a rocking motion. We didn’t have enough wind to sail without our motor. The motor is diesel smelly, loud machine with a steady beat; it was like a helicopter blade spinning. The routine of stopping every so many hours for Captain Bart to check the engine, oil and purge the bilge of water gave us a chance to also check the weather radio.
The guys munched on sandwiches and cold chicken wings. Kathy finally managed to keep down a piece of stale bread.
The sky grew dark. Thunderheads lined the landside horizon. We could hear the roar of thunder and see the flashes of lightning. Kathy went below and the guys donned their rain gear. We steered on course and made it though hitting just a little rain. Through the night Kathy slept hugging Teddy felling the rock and roll of the boat. We were sailing with the rail near the water, which tilts the boat. She laid on the down side against the wooden frame. The guys took shifts at the helm.
We were up early. Bart had coffee brewing and was frying bacon. Fran joined us for breakfast then we all began to prepare for the trip. Will helped to carry supplies down to the boat. He came back up and asked Fran if she had any real food in the house. Bart’s supplies were mostly quick open and eat stuff. She gave us some frozen meats, shrimp, potatoes, cheese, pepperoni sausage, and greens. We brought along our hard-boiled eggs, bran cereal, chocolate, nuts, mints and fruit. Bart had a welding project for Peter so took off to have that done. Meanwhile we pulled together the items on our list. What do you take for a four-day sail? Fran said not to even try to change clothes, just layer. So we brought socks, a change of clothes for when we reached dry land, an extra shirt, shorts, sweater, vest, fleece jacket, weather pants and jacket (Thanks, Jen they were a “God Sent”), Teddy Bear and a warm blanket. Toothbrush and personal items including sunscreen, pills, and bonomine for sea sickness.Bart arrived back and we met our traveling companion, Paul, a musician and teacher of carpentry. We pushed off at 9:30ish. The motor growled and as we moved away from the dock the guys began to put up the sails. We just about grounded the boat there. Fran gave a holler from the deck that was relayed by others along the shore watching us prepare to depart. Captain Bart got us back in the channel. The sails were up and we motored out of Stone Hurst Bay. The day was calm and sunny. Kathy spent her time in the cabin or standing just at the edge peeking out. She remembered Maria’s girlfriend’s advice, “Make the life jacket your friend.” She put one on and kept it on the entire trip. The guys put theirs on only at night or if the seas got rocky.
We all sat in the little open area just up from the cabin at the aft of the boat, the cockpit. Kathy sat closest to the cabin entrance. We waved goodbye to the land and the adventure began. Captain Bart taught Kathy to read the navigation chart: First you find your latitude and longitude from the GPS and locate yourself on the chart. Draw a line from your present location to where you want to go. Using a parallel rule you walk your parallel bars down to a compass rose and read the inside degrees; that is your course to steer. Then you have to find the distance to that location you want to go to. Open the dividers to one mile using the right or left latitude lines on the chart. Each minute of latitude is one nautical mile. Walk off the distance from your present location to our desired location. Last is the question of how long will it take you to get there and a little algebra gets you that. Rate*Time=Distance You may have to adjust your components to have the same units. (60*Distance=Speed [or rate in knots]*Time in minutes).
Will was in his element. He trimmed the sails, fixed ropes, organized lines, plotted courses, steered from the helm and pulled night watch.
Out of Stone Hurst we made for Pearl Island, then we came up on AM54, a bell buoy and on past Peggy’s Cove. It was about here in the Atlantic that Kathy wasn’t doing so well. The water was like gray blue liquid metal. Swells came and went just raising the boat a little and setting her back down only to rise again. Bart told her to watch the horizon. Nothing helped; she popped a Bonomine. She felt tired and decided to go down and sleep it off. Instead she turned white and got really sick. Sea sickness took her throwing her equilibrium spinning. She did manage to find a plastic bag first. Dry heaves shook her. Will got her back up on deck where the cool breeze calmed things down a bit. She managed to keep down a second Bonomine. Her stomach calmed and she went below and slept hugging her Teddy Bear.
The boat shifted from side to side in a rocking motion. We didn’t have enough wind to sail without our motor. The motor is diesel smelly, loud machine with a steady beat; it was like a helicopter blade spinning. The routine of stopping every so many hours for Captain Bart to check the engine, oil and purge the bilge of water gave us a chance to also check the weather radio.
The guys munched on sandwiches and cold chicken wings. Kathy finally managed to keep down a piece of stale bread.
The sky grew dark. Thunderheads lined the landside horizon. We could hear the roar of thunder and see the flashes of lightning. Kathy went below and the guys donned their rain gear. We steered on course and made it though hitting just a little rain. Through the night Kathy slept hugging Teddy felling the rock and roll of the boat. We were sailing with the rail near the water, which tilts the boat. She laid on the down side against the wooden frame. The guys took shifts at the helm.
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