Where Is The Far Reach--Part III

[John Stone]

Yesterday I took Gayle ashore so she could do laundry. Then, I took Sweet Pea to the fuel dock to get 5 gallons of diesel. We have used about 5 gallons in five months. Mostly idling I think since we have motored very little.

Diesel was $5.90 a gallon! Cost was almost $30! Imagine some of these yachts down here taking on several thousand gallons! Even a Grand Banks trawler might take on 500 gallons. Ouch.

Next, I headed down to Krum Bay about a mile away to fill a propane tank ($13 for 10 lbs). On the way back to the Far Reach I got caught in a rain squall. I could not see it before I headed out as it's approach was blocked by Water Island to the east. I got soaked. As soon as I got to the FR though I dropped the aft end of the awning which is tied to the back stay and proceeded to catch about 8 gallons of water in less than 10 min. I filled up the sun shower and our wash down and shower pump up spray bottle. It worked pretty well. It's the first decent rain we have had since we got the new awning rigged.

In the past, I have caught 35 gallons using the old cockpit awning which is less than half the size of the new awning. So I'm thinking this will work reasonably well.

[Jim Walsh]

Just wondering what purpose the two wood cleats on the aft seat serve? The only thing I’ve noticed there a few times has been the sunshower. They look like the base for a helm seat but I don’t recall seeing one in a photo.
Another benefit of a downpour is the free boat wash. It’s always nice to get the salt crystals and sand deposited where they belong.

[John Stone]

Just wondering what purpose the two wood cleats on the aft seat serve? The only thing I’ve noticed there a few times has been the sunshower. They look like the base for a helm seat but I don’t recall seeing one in a photo.
Another benefit of a downpour is the free boat wash. It’s always nice to get the salt crystals and sand deposited where they belong.

Good question. I installed those about 4 years ago to securely hold the 6 gallon fuel tank for the outboard that was mounted on the side-mount swing-arm bracket. When I get home I might see if I can secure a bag (which we have not made yet) with my Jordon Series Drogue there. I made a trade of a case of beer and $100 for a new never used Jordon Series Drogue. Something I thought I should have aboard if I am able to make a couple of the voyages I have been thinking about.

Drogue over the stern is not my preferred storm tactic but I believe it is something that could be advantageous in a survival situation when heaving-to is not enough. The Jordon Drogue system gets pretty high marks if you decide running downwind is the best option.

[John Stone]

Early this morning Oasis of the Seas came down the West Gregorie Channel. This is the Oasis Class. They are the largest passenger ships in the world. The newest ship in the class is Wonder of the Seas and she made a port call here last week. This is her first season in operation.

Anyway, anchoring can sometimes be difficult here in the mooring field. We usually tell visiting boats to make sure they are out of the channel. But this Peterson 44 arrived yesterday afternoon apparently as I did not see her till this morning. As Oasis began her pivot turn it was clear her stern was going to hit the Peterson, anchored well into the fairway. The crew was not aboard--the dinghy was gone. A big black RHIB put a line on her line and dragged her out of the channel and as soon as Oasis cleared her they let the Peterson go and she swung back into position. There was still a helluva lot of turbulence from the prop wash so the Peterson was dancing around for a bit. Otherwise she seamed OK. Oasis was pivoting that huge starboard side into a 20 knot breeze. Incredible power and precise maneuvering. A very close call.

A little later I saw the crew return and rowed over and filled them in. Turns out they left Seattle 12 years ago and are soon to complete their circumnavigation. I think the boat's name is Down Island or Island Bound. Something like that.

In the photo below the RHIB has pulled the Peterson out of the channel.

Gayle's flight was canceled last night and rescheduled for Friday. So earlier today we took Sweet Pea over to Water Island and had lunch at a little outdoor grill called Heidi's. Fish tacos. Outstanding. The view from our barstool seats was impressive. On the horizon you can see Culebra (top center) with the eastern mountains of Puerto Rico just beyond. Vieques is left of center.

[wikakaru]

That was probably the least intrusive way from the Peterson's perspective that Oasis of the Seas could have handled the situation. Good on 'em.

I just Googled the Oasis and learned that it displaces an amount similar to a Nimitz-class air craft carrier--huge! Diesel electric propulsion with 3 azipods and 4 bow thrusters, they are apparently quite maneuverable. Here's a nice, very short video about the propulsion system:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GlYomwOC5lk

I hope you and Gayle enjoy the last of her visit. Are you heading back north after she leaves?

Smooth sailing,

Jim

[mgphl52]

That was probably the least intrusive way from the Peterson's perspective that Oasis of the Seas could have handled the situation. Good on 'em.

I just Googled the Oasis and learned that it displaces an amount similar to a Nimitz-class air craft carrier--huge! Diesel electric propulsion with 3 azipods and 4 bow thrusters, they are apparently quite maneuverable. Here's a nice, very short video about the propulsion system:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GlYomwOC5lk

I hope you and Gayle enjoy the last of her visit. Are you heading back north after she leaves?

Smooth sailing,

Jim

Thanks for the video! Another interesting fact about these massive diesel/electric vessels is that multiple engines can be completely overhauled simultaneously while never stopping the ship!

[gonesail]

Diesel was $5.90 a gallon! Cost was almost $30! Imagine some of these yachts down here taking on several thousand gallons! Even a Grand Banks trawler might take on 500 gallons.

I guess it proves that if you have a trawler .. like a Grand Banks .. you have an endless budget for fuel. And you are fair game for the oil cartels

[John Stone]

An iPhone 8 is not known for being a great camera, especially at night, and for good reasons. So, these pictures might give an idea of just how bright a near full moon night is in the West Indies. Many nights I stand on the fan tail with one hand on the backstay for balance and take in the beauty of a West Indies night. Full moon nights here are stunning. I never get tired of them.

[wikakaru]

An iPhone 8 is not known for being a great camera, especially at night, and for good reasons. So, these pictures might give an idea of just how bright a near full moon night is in the West Indies. Many nights I stand on the fan tail with one hand on the backstay for balance and take in the beauty of a West Indies night. Full moon nights here are stunning. I never get tired of them.

It is always such a joy to get away from the nearly omnipresent man-made "light pollution" we now take for granted. I'm glad you are enjoying the night skies, John!

--Jim

[John Stone]

I hope you and Gayle enjoy the last of her visit. Are you heading back north after she leaves?

Smooth sailing,

Jim

G flew out a couple days ago. I'm not fully committed to sailing back, though that's the most likely scenario.

I ordered the Harken Mk VI Ocean Series 1 furler and it already arrived at home. One plan is to sail home, haul the boat for the hurricane season, and install the furler and possibly the isotherm fridge (though I remain hesitant on the fridge). I could undertake the furler project in Grenada (but not the fridge as it requires a haul out) but it would cost more and it seems like a selfish option. Sailing home seems the most likely.

Were it just me aboard I might not install the fridge and remain fridge free. There is no power threshold to cross (it weighs heavy on my mind) if I don't add a fridge. The present solar panels and
T-105 batteries are perfect as they far exceed any energy demands I can create. Decisions....

I'm undecided on how best to configure the head sail for the furler. I have a sailmaker friend that can convert my two part jib (it has the zippered bonnet to turn it into a 100 percent genoa) into a single furling jib. Though truth be told I can see advantages to having two furling headsails aboard the FR. One the size of my working jib (I would just convert the present w jib to that sail) to bend on in places like the West Indies where it blows hard all season and then purchase another that is larger and more like my current 100 percent genoa for all the other places. I don't know how I would store the unused sail. I don't want a cluttered boat. That's a decision I can make later.

In the meantime I have a few projects to complete. I need to tighten my uppers a turn, tighten the back stay a turn, grease winches, replace the dinghy painter, and I should varnish the cockpit coamings, etc.

I ordered an external GPS antenna for my AIS as I have experienced periods of time where the internal antenna (receiving the signal through the deck) loses the satellite signal. Hearing the "lost position" alarm cycling off and on at night while laying in my bunk causes me considerable anxiety which I would like to eliminate. I'm happy with the Vesper Watchmate 850 AIS but it's discontinued and the GPS antenna is unique to it. I found one for sale and bought it.

I saw two lobster under a nearby wreck a couple days ago while snorkeling with Gayle, but I didn't have my snare. I may go pay a call on them....

P.S. Happy Easter all.

[Jim Walsh]

Great pics. I’d go with the hurricane season home option unless you wanted to head toward Trinidad which is usually safe for the season.
My AIS also has an internal antenna. Although there was an external option it was not recommended by Garmin for routine installations. I lost the signal a couple times so the tech went over the system focusing on the connections and brough my unit in to be bench tested. The unit tested perfectly but Garmin has now updated their installation instructions to recommend use of a mushroom antenna.

[wikakaru]

...
I ordered the Harken Mk VI Ocean Series 1 furler and it already arrived at home. One plan is to sail home, haul the boat for the hurricane season, and install the furler and possibly the isotherm fridge (though I remain hesitant on the fridge). I could undertake the furler project in Grenada (but not the fridge as it requires a haul out) but it would cost more and it seems like a selfish option. Sailing home seems the most likely.

Were it just me aboard I might not install the fridge and remain fridge free. There is no power threshold to cross (it weighs heavy on my mind) if I don't add a fridge. The present solar panels and
T-105 batteries are perfect as they far exceed any energy demands I can create. Decisions....

I'm undecided on how best to configure the head sail for the furler. I have a sailmaker friend that can convert my two part jib (it has the zippered bonnet to turn it into a 100 percent genoa) into a single furling jib. Though truth be told I can see advantages to having two furling headsails aboard the FR. One the size of my working jib (I would just convert the present w jib to that sail) to bend on in places like the West Indies where it blows hard all season and then purchase another that is larger and more like my current 100 percent genoa for all the other places. I don't know how I would store the unused sail. I don't want a cluttered boat. That's a decision I can make later.
...

Hey John,

I installed the furlers myself on the 35-foot cutter I used to own. It isn't something I'd recommend you do at anchor or on a mooring, but rather at a looooong, stable fixed dock where you can lay the assembled furler out and slide it up the stay and you don't have to worry about some ocean swell, or even some powerboat wake making it all the more difficult. (This assumes that the furler is the kind that lets you slide it up this way; some you have to put on piece by piece.) It seems like a job better done at your home dock than somewhere in the Caribbean where marinas are generally expensive and if (that is to say "when") you run into snags and it takes longer than you expect, you aren't stuck with no headstay and paying for an expensive marina.

Having two sails is a good idea if you have a place to stow the unused one. Way too many sailors use a big furling genoa then furl it down to storm sail size when the wind gets up. Then they have a baggy, poorly shaped sail with no drive and too much drag that is exactly what you DON'T want in strong conditions. It makes sense to use a big sail in more temperate areas and switch to the small one when you hit the blowy Christmas Trades and especially the acceleration zones between the islands.

As to the fridge, are you second-guessing the idea to temporarily try the portable fridge first and see how the power demands are before going all in? It sounded like a good plan to me.

Smooth sailing,

Jim

[John Stone]

...
I ordered the Harken Mk VI Ocean Series 1 furler and it already arrived at home. One plan is to sail home, haul the boat for the hurricane season, and install the furler and possibly the isotherm fridge (though I remain hesitant on the fridge). I could undertake the furler project in Grenada (but not the fridge as it requires a haul out) but it would cost more and it seems like a selfish option. Sailing home seems the most likely.

Were it just me aboard I might not install the fridge and remain fridge free. There is no power threshold to cross (it weighs heavy on my mind) if I don't add a fridge. The present solar panels and
T-105 batteries are perfect as they far exceed any energy demands I can create. Decisions....

I'm undecided on how best to configure the head sail for the furler. I have a sailmaker friend that can convert my two part jib (it has the zippered bonnet to turn it into a 100 percent genoa) into a single furling jib. Though truth be told I can see advantages to having two furling headsails aboard the FR. One the size of my working jib (I would just convert the present w jib to that sail) to bend on in places like the West Indies where it blows hard all season and then purchase another that is larger and more like my current 100 percent genoa for all the other places. I don't know how I would store the unused sail. I don't want a cluttered boat. That's a decision I can make later.
...

Hey John,

I installed the furlers myself on the 35-foot cutter I used to own. It isn't something I'd recommend you do at anchor or on a mooring, but rather at a looooong, stable fixed dock where you can lay the assembled furler out and slide it up the stay and you don't have to worry about some ocean swell, or even some powerboat wake making it all the more difficult. (This assumes that the furler is the kind that lets you slide it up this way; some you have to put on piece by piece.) It seems like a job better done at your home dock than somewhere in the Caribbean where marinas are generally expensive and if (that is to say "when") you run into snags and it takes longer than you expect, you aren't stuck with no headstay and paying for an expensive marina.

Having two sails is a good idea if you have a place to stow the unused one. Way too many sailors use a big furling genoa then furl it down to storm sail size when the wind gets up. Then they have a baggy, poorly shaped sail with no drive and too much drag that is exactly what you DON'T want in strong conditions. It makes sense to use a big sail in more temperate areas and switch to the small one when you hit the blowy Christmas Trades and especially the acceleration zones between the islands.

As to the fridge, are you second-guessing the idea to temporarily try the portable fridge first and see how the power demands are before going all in? It sounded like a good plan to me.

Smooth sailing,

Jim

Jim
Definitely want to do it at a dock or on the hard. That's why I'm leaning towards heading home. But doing here might cost a couple 100 bucks at a dock. Not cheap but a whole lot less expensive in terms of time or money than to sail 1400 miles home. But it's academic. There is a 90 percent chance I'll sail home because it makes sense.

Living ashore=entanglements. I don't care who you are there are entanglements when you return to being a landlubber that living afloat in distant waters avoids. A single focused life. Like being deployed. Myself, my Marines, my mission. I know you know from personal experience how hard it is to break the bonds of land.

The Harken MK IV is supposed to be very simple to assemble. I watched the videos. Jim Walsh has put them together and says the same.

Concur 100 percent about sail shape. I have a big rig and thus quite a bit more sail area than a stock 36 so my ability to use the genoa is restricted to lighter winds, say under 15 kts. Our thinking is the same.

When I discussed this on the phone with Doyle sailmaker Mark Ploch he said sewing my two part genoa together and removing the hanks and sewing on the #6 luff tape would make it smaller so it might all work itself out. Then I could purchase a working jib a little bigger than what I have now so I could furl it down a bit smaller than the present working jib if necessary. Does that make sense?

I might be able to keep the unused sail on deck under the dinghy. I'll need a better sail bag for that though. I'm sure there is a way to do it.

Regarding fridge. I'll definitely test the Engle before I do anything if for no other reason than gathering data. But there is just no place to put it permanently unless I take out my ice box and build a compartment there. I hate the thought of doing that. Then I am stuck with no option other than the Engle fridge. If I install the Isotherm with a holding plate I think I can use it as an icebox if necessary.

I'm leaning towards the Isotherm but I won't decide till I gather the Engle data. And then I might change my mind at the last minute. LOL. If I return to the Caribbean I think the solar I have will work. But if I sail the FR to Europe via the Azores with more cloud cover, then the solar I have probably won't be sufficient to charge the batteries. I'm loath to add more solar or a wind generator just so I can have a cold drink and a bologna sandwich. So keeping a useable icebox might be a good idea. IDK. This is just my thinking and musing on something which which I have little knowledge.

What's your thinking?

In fact I'm open to hearing anyone's opinion as long as you view your thinking through the lens of how I use the FR (long offshore voyages vice weekend or coastal summer cruises).

Lots to think about. But right now I am going swimming.

[wikakaru]

Hey John,

I just assumed you were sailing back to NC from the VI's since that seemed to have been your pattern in years past. If you are heading south to Grenada then you will be there (or somewhere nearby like Trinidad) for the duration of hurricane season like you would be if you hauled out in NC (though admittedly Grenada and NC are quite different from one another).

Interesting that you are considering converting your zip-apart jib to a roller furling sail. I've had a few sails converted from hanks to roller furling and vice versa, but that only involved changing the luff tape, adding UV protection, and maybe installing some luff foam for better furling shape. Your conversion would go a step beyond that, having to sew the two parts back together. I wonder if you might be better off looking for a used roller furling sail at someplace like Bacon's in Annapolis? Your sail would be used if you are going to re-sew it anyway, and if you can find a used furling sail in decent shape it might turn out to be a more suitable sail for your new setup. Or it might make sense to convert your working jib to roller furling and get a new genoa made. Or convert/cut down the top half of your genoa to a working jib and get a new genoa made. Just tossing ideas out. Personally, I'd be reluctant to lose any sail area on my biggest light wind sail--with roller furling you can always make it smaller when the wind gets up (even if the shape is not as good), but if it's small, you can't make it any bigger when the wind gets light.

Glad to hear you still plan to test out the Engle fridge. There's not much point in thinking about next steps until you know how that first step goes. My mother-in-law used to say, "don't borrow trouble".

You are right that if you are heading to Europe, then you can't count on as much solar, but you may find that the cooler temperatures require less energy to run whatever fridge you have, or that ice lasts longer in the icebox. Beer can stay cool enough in the bilge if you are far enough north. Just saying...

Smooth sailing,

Jim

[John Stone]

Hey John,

I just assumed you were sailing back to NC from the VI's since that seemed to have been your pattern in years past. If you are heading south to Grenada then you will be there (or somewhere nearby like Trinidad) for the duration of hurricane season like you would be if you hauled out in NC (though admittedly Grenada and NC are quite different from one another).

Interesting that you are considering converting your zip-apart jib to a roller furling sail. I've had a few sails converted from hanks to roller furling and vice versa, but that only involved changing the luff tape, adding UV protection, and maybe installing some luff foam for better furling shape. Your conversion would go a step beyond that, having to sew the two parts back together. I wonder if you might be better off looking for a used roller furling sail at someplace like Bacon's in Annapolis? Your sail would be used if you are going to re-sew it anyway, and if you can find a used furling sail in decent shape it might turn out to be a more suitable sail for your new setup. Or it might make sense to convert your working jib to roller furling and get a new genoa made. Or convert/cut down the top half of your genoa to a working jib and get a new genoa made. Just tossing ideas out. Personally, I'd be reluctant to lose any sail area on my biggest light wind sail--with roller furling you can always make it smaller when the wind gets up (even if the shape is not as good), but if it's small, you can't make it any bigger when the wind gets light.

Glad to hear you still plan to test out the Engle fridge. There's not much point in thinking about next steps until you know how that first step goes. My mother-in-law used to say, "don't borrow trouble".

You are right that if you are heading to Europe, then you can't count on as much solar, but you may find that the cooler temperatures require less energy to run whatever fridge you have, or that ice lasts longer in the icebox. Beer can stay cool enough in the bilge if you are far enough north. Just saying...

Smooth sailing,

Jim

All good points. Can't argue with a one of them. My current genoa luff length won't fit though if I add a furler because the drum and top swivel take up 12-18". It's a full hoist jib with only a few extra inches between the tack and the halyard diverter. That's why the sailmaker thinks if sewn together and converted it will be about right with the furler. When I take the sail to the loft and we lay it out on the floor I expect the way forward will be revealed to me. All option remain open.