Orion is in Bermuda again

[Jim Walsh]

6/6 Sunday. Uneventful night, doesn’t get better than that.
Still moving along nicely, the wind is still southwesterly but is staying under 20K. I shook one reef out of the main….always pays to keep moving when you have a long way to go. Looking forward to my noon position….
Noon…my first days noon to noon run has been 106NM which makes me very happy. When I can average 100NM days I’m very satisfied and that is what I use for planning purposes, anything greater than that is a real pleasure. Finally off soundings, passed through Block Canyon on the continental shelf. Commercial fishermen are no longer a threat to a good nights sleep. My 20 minute naps can be extended to a half hour till I’m out of the shipping lanes.
I have been on a beam reach to a close reach in 4 to 6ft. seas with occasional whitecaps.
I’ve managed to stay close to my rhumbline which is always beneficial as the shortest distance between two points is….you guessed it…..a straight line.
10:15pm…winds have slacked off but I’m still doing 4K on a course of 135°M under full sail. The sky is clear and the Big Dipper is peering in through the companionway.
Mother Carey’s Chickens are fluttering in the glow of my stern light. I presume Orion disturbs some morsel which they pick out of her wake…..

[Jim Walsh]

6/7 Monday. Light winds all night but I kept moving at 2 to 4K on a course of 135 to 170°M. Fingers crossed that the wind doesn’t continue to diminish.
7:30am I abruptly encountered a dead calm….I’m still moving at a knot or so and maintaining my course….how, I can’t explain….there is just a faint breath of air keeping the sails full.
I made hot chocolate and instant oatmeal while trying not to disturb the delicate balance of the boat. Come on wind….please…there is a slight haze in the air and the barometer is up slightly to 30 inches.
8:00am….a 9K wind has filled in..hooray….my speed is 3.7K and my course is 120°M…..all is good with the world, extended calm spells are nerve wracking.
9:00am a pod of spotted dolphins has shown up and they, a group of five adults, have a baby with them. The baby looks to be no more than three feet and the five adults are literally taking turns swimming right beside it. I’ve never seen such a small calf.
Noon…my noon to noon run was 99NM. More than I was expecting so a pleasant surprise given the lighter winds. It’s warm and somewhat hazy. The wind is down to 7K but I’m still maintaining my course and a speed of 2 to 3K. I’d appreciate more wind but at least I have some and it’s still a southwesterly. The spotted dolphins are visiting again with their baby and a big male is with them this time. He looks to be about 7 feet and is noticeably larger than the females. He is positioning himself between me and the females…very protective.
1:00pm….the wind has increased to 10K….this is great, I can now maintain a course of 150°M and my speed is 4K or better.
6:25pm the container ship Coherence altered course slightly at 2 NM and passed .85NM astern. That’s close enough, buddy….
8:00pm…the wind has increased to 16 to 17K….fantastic… still from the southwest. Let’s hope this stays with us.

[John Stone]

Excellent. Seeing dolphins offshore is a treat.

[Jim Walsh]

6/8 Tuesday….Very sloppy confused seas all night, not fun, but the wind continues SW at 14 to 16K which is a relief. The word I used to describe the seas was “squirrelly” which is an apt description. The color of the water has changed which leads me to presume I am no longer in the Gulf Stream. I am heading 130 to 140M which is great.
Early in the morning I noted that the seas are much better and there are long streams of Sargasso weeds as far as the eye can see. Those confused seas I had to contend with are a transitional zone where the currents and counter currents of the Gulf Stream begrudgingly give way to the western extent of the Sargasso Sea.
At 11:30am I spotted my second ship in a couple hours, an indication I am in a shipping lane.
Noon….my noon to noon run was 119NM….no complaints from me.
By 3:15pm I had a third container ship, the “Seaways Redwood” pass aft a couple miles….the “Fidelio” crossed ahead of me at 4:20pm…..busy little patch of ocean.
At 6:00pm I noted there is a haze in the sky but the wind speed and direction remained steady…hopefully this does not portend a change….
At 8:30pm the “G. C. Maple” crossed 8 miles ahead of me and at 9:00pm the “Lamartine” passed astern at just 2NM doing 16.5K….it’ll be nice to be out of this popular shipping lane….I’ll have to get by with cat naps tonight…
If you’re looking for peace and quiet, the ocean 300NM north of Bermuda is no place to park your camper or pitch a tent.

[Joe Myerson]

Great series of posts. Thanks, Jim, and congrats on another passage to the Onion Patch.
--Joe

[Jim Walsh]

Great series of posts. Thanks, Jim, and congrats on another passage to the Onion Patch.
--Joe

Thanks, Joe. This was my fifth singlehanded run down there. I missed out on any long passages last year but I got in plenty of local sailing….and I got to see my rhododendrons in full bloom.

[John Stone]

That's a busy ocean. One time I met two tankers in a single 1.5 miles--all three of us. But that's the only time. I might see half dozen trip going to and from the Virgin Islands. Definitely seems like you were in or near a shipping lane.

You mentioned Sargasso. Are seeing more than earlier trips or less? How was the monitor handling the sargasso? Does the servo blade ever trip?

Looking forward to the next installment.

[Jim Walsh]

That's a busy ocean. One time I met two tankers in a single 1.5 miles--all three of us. But that's the only time. I might see half dozen trip going to and from the Virgin Islands. Definitely seems like you were in or near a shipping lane.

You mentioned Sargasso. Are seeing more than earlier trips or less? How was the monitor handling the sargasso? Does the servo blade ever trip?

Looking forward to the next installment.

That is a very busy corridor, I’ve always seen a lot of activity in that area in previous years.
There seemed to be less Sargasso than a couple years ago but that’s just a subjective observation on my part. The blade has never tripped due to Sargasso, or anything else for that matter. I was bored one day so I picked a couple kamikaze flying fish off the side decks and having a general look-see when I noticed a ball of Sargasso which was pinned by water pressure on the water vane. I used a gaff to upset its delicate balance and it continued on its merry way. A little while later I looked and there was another blob in the same place. I got my gaff again but by the time I looked down it had already been set free by the motion of the boat. I never bothered checking again.
There were less Portuguese Men Of War this year. Some years you see thousands but this year they were far fewer in number.

[Jim Walsh]

6/9 Wednesday….8:00am…wind speed 20K..course 150°M…big seas on a beam reach, 6 to 8ft. Speed 5.25 to 6K with lots of spray flying…down to a second reef in the main and half my yankee, the staysail is fully furled.
Saw my first tropic bird. It was chattering away and kept swooping at masthead level. Seemed very curious…always a pleasure to see them.
11:30am “Spruce II” passed astern at 3.8 NM. My course was now 160-170°M and my speed had dropped to 5K
Noon to noon run was 112NM.
Lots of flying fish….seems the schools get larger the further south you go.
5:00pm The “Torn Tever” passed 1.3NM astern and one passed earlier but I couldn’t catch its name.
Apparently the highlight of the day was a tuna sandwich on marble rye because it was written in bold text with exclamation points. It’s not that often I note what was on the menu. I ate the last of my banana bread also…..
9:00pm I noted that I’m 147NM from Kitchen Shoals.
11:30pm the “Cedar Express” passed astern at 1.3NM. His approach was close enough to get my attention so I turned on my deck light, which illuminates the sails, to be certain I would be recognized as more than a wave top, IF they had a visual presence on the bridge.

[John Stone]

I have never seen many man o war. Just a few. I agree, seeing the tropic birds are always a thrill. Big beam seas are uncomfortable. It's amazing how much the ride improves when you can fall off 20°-30°

How did your fridge work? Are you happy with it? What do you estimate was your 24 hr amp draw in the warmer weather of Bermuda?

[Jim Walsh]

I have never seen many man o war. Just a few. I agree, seeing the tropic birds are always a thrill. Big beam seas are uncomfortable. It's amazing how much the ride improves when you can fall off 20°-30°

How did your fridge work? Are you happy with it? What do you estimate was your 24 hr amp draw in the warmer weather of Bermuda?

The fridge worked very well and the amp hours consumed in 37 hours from 6/18 to 6/20 was typical, 44.6 amp hours. That’s in a water temp of 83° and humidity nearly the same. Back home my consumed amp hours average in the 30’s. Cooler water and air temps are the key. Regardless of the amp hours consumed shagging ice is a thing of the past……

[Jim Walsh]

6/10 Thursday
Had a quiet night. At 6:00am I altered course to 140°M. The wind is a steady 14K and my speed is an easy 5.5K, the sky is clear with some fair weather clouds and the seas are 3ft…..very nice. I have 110NM to go.
At 10:00am I had 88NM to go and my course was 136M….for the third time in the last hour I’ve been visited by tropic birds…..they were constantly chattering, I took it as …..complementary chattering.
Noon to noon run was 109NM
AT 2:45 I noted the Bermuda Radio working channel, 27, so I’m getting a little apprehensive as usual with a landfall pending, Bermuda is a pretty small dot in the ocean.
At 3:15pm conditions remained steady and I noted I have 58NM to go.
4:07pm it started raining out of a clear sky….just a local bit of precipitation, my first since departure, which ended in a couple minutes. I’m still covered in salt but now, due to the brief sun shower, it is a mottled pattern of salt.
Winds and conditions remained steady as my next entry was just a lat. and long. at 4:30pm.
5:00pm the wind speed is down to 13K and my course is 150°M. Nothing to complain about.
6:00pm made my last two hot dogs and a can of beans….always a treat offshore because they are a one pot meal…..less chance of spilling or wearing as opposed to eating and enjoying.
At 10:30pm I finally changed my clock to local time which is 11:30pm. I’m approaching my (safe) waypoint which is 20 NM to the northeast of Kitchen Shoals. I always want to approach from the northeast as I am in the lee of the prevailing winds and the only opening in the reef is on the northeast corner.

6/11 Friday
The winds remained steady so I carefully continued my approach and I didn’t dare close my eyes for a moment. Just before dawn I saw the faintest twinkle of lights on the horizon. At sunrise I had furled my sails and started my engine to negotiate the cut into St. George’s harbor. I called Bermuda Radio to announce my arrival and received their permission to continue my entry through the Cut and to enter St. George’s harbor. At 6:30 am I was at the Customs dock….