06/03 Bakers Bay, Great Guana Cay (26.41N 77.09W) - Yesterday I decided to get
underway and head back to the US. There is British sailboats in the harbour
having problems and with his Volvo also. He was heading back with a friend,
just in case he needed a tow. I have decided to go along. They had left early
that morning heading to Bakers Bay. When the marina opened up, took on fuel
and headed out. I put up the main and set the autopilot. Less than an hour out
severe thunder storm blue up quickly. The auto pilot went out completely and I
couldn't go forward to take it down. When the storm had passed, I no longer
had a main sail. Four panels of the sail had blown out. It appeared that the
stitching had let go in most cases. The storm passed quickly and all was calm.
I lowered the main and motored to Bakers and anchored with the other two
boats.
The next morning I was running the motor to recharge
the batteries when the alternator snapped another bolt off in the motor. This
time I was lucky. Because of the lock washer, I hoped the bolt was not in to
tight. The British boat had this situation and when he went to drill the bolt,
The drill screwed the bolt into the hole. I mixed up some five minute epoxy,
put a drop on the end of the bolt and held the broken piece in place while it
set up. Once it was holding on it's on, I let it set for another couple of
hours. I started digging out the original alternator. You can't imagine how
happy I was when I started 'gently' working the bolt and felt it move. Five
minutes later I had it out.
I completely removed the Balmar alternator and
regulator. And started to reconnect the original alternator. The problem was
the wiring. I had to alter it considerably to connect the new Balmar. I had
labeled all the wires and drew a detailed wiring diagram of both old and new
system. The problem was that, with all the movement over the last several
weeks, the labels on the wires had come off. I was able to get the alternator
working but the gauges were dead and my intermediate 'complete power loss' was
back.
Update 06/05 - We spent the next couple of days at Bakers.
Twice we went ashore to explore an abandoned resort. It was strange watching
nature reclaim the land. Even the concrete roads were slowly being covered
over. Sorry, no photos. I guess my mind was still on DNA. I didn't bring my
camera either time.
I was able to get the auto pilot working. The problem
was the offset cam the puts tension on the belt. I took it apart and found the
two little rolled-steel pins, that hold the cam to the shaft, had sheared off.
I was able to get it temporally working by stuffing a small amount of paper
towel on each hole. It built up the pin while allowing me to force it in enough
to assemble the cam.
The wind look favorable so we have decided to get
underway tomorrow for Green Turtle. I changed the oil and filters and stowed
the old oil till I get back to the states. My friend with the other Volvo is
now having a over-heating problem. We went through my manuals and checked
everything we could find. He even removed the thermostat. It didn't help. He
will haft to sail most of the time and only use the motor for short periods.
06/06 Green Turtle Cay, Abaco, Bahamas (26.46N 77.20W) - Of all the bad days I've
had on this trip, today was by far the worst. Today I damaged another
boat.
We motored out
of the anchorage, I let out the jib, and shut down the motor. The wind was favorable
and The Whale was calm. We were able to sail all the way from Bakers to Green
Turtle. Even around Whale Channel. Because I am single handed, I am using the
large CQR-35 as DNA primary anchor. It is too large for bow roller so I must physically
put it out and take it in. As I approached Green Turtle, I went forward and
swung the anchor out over the bow and laid out the chine for anchoring. The
inside of the anchorage, where I had anchored before, was fairly empty. There
was two boats to the left of the main channel. I had good wind and plenty of
water so I started in. As I approached the wind suddenly died an DNA started
to slow and drift toward the anchorage. I tried to start the engine and
nothing happened. I tried to reverse course. DNA came around to a course directly
at the first boat and no farther. The wind started to return and I began to
move. It was clear I could not complete the turn without T-boning the
trimaran. I returned to my original course. It was going to be close. I tried
the motor again. Nothing. When the boats came together, me and a crew from the
trimaran, were both on the bow to cushion the blow. The contact was a glancing
blow and not that hard and caused little or no damage. The problem was the
anchor. When we hit, The anchor swung up and to the left. It chipped the
gelcoat on the inside leading edge of the trimaran's right bow. The owned had
been on his way to shore and came back when he saw what was happening. He
inspected the damage and came over when I had dropped anchor. I explained what
had happened and accepted full responsibility. He said 'It happens. Don't
worry about'. He then asked if there was
anything he could do to help me. I said he could accept my sincere apology and
I gave him one of DNA's cards in case he changed his mind later.
Update 06/09 - The next morning, after we arrived, the two
British boats decided to go on. Because he will haft to sail all the way back
to the states they must take advantage all favorable weather. I can't run DNA without
oil and temp gages to know what's going. We said good by and they left.
Over the last three days I have spent mostly back in
the engine compartment. At one point I even reconnected the Balmar just to
make sure the gauges still worked. The Volvo alternator is back on the motor and all the gauges
are working. I believe I have also traced the ignition problem to the connector in
the wiring harness. It is working now and I can't get it to fail. If it fails again
before I can have the connector checked, I will splice around it. I know the
system is hooked up correctly but something is still not right. The oil
pressure alarm no longer sounds when the key is first turned on. Everything else
works.
My friend from the Keys came by this morning on the
way to Marsh Harbor. I'm thinking about returning there to visit and pick up
another spare generator bolt, just in case. Because I'm traveling alone again
I may go back off shore to get back to FL. A trip back to Marsh would give me a chance to test
the autopilot some more.
06/10 Marsh Harbour, Great Abaco Island (26.33N 77.03W) - Got back to Marsh
about 3:30PM. I had motored all the way with no problem. I went to shore to
download e-mail. That's when I got a whole new set of problems. There
was an e-mail from some friends with a 80ft yacht. There crew was in an
accident and had to leave the boat. They asked if I wanted to help take the
boat south for the hurricane season. I would haft to cut my hair and a boat
that size would be a lot of work. While it wouldn't be all play, I would have
an opportunity to see places, first hand, I want to take DNA.
Update 06/12 - Yesterday I called back and accepted their
offer. I thought about leaving DNA in the Bahamas. In the end, I couldn't find
anywhere I felt comfortable with. I started making DNA seaworthy, topped off
the fuel, and started checking the long term weather. After several calls
looking for a marina in south Florida, I have decided to head back to
Jacksonville. I spent the afternoon visiting my friend and pulled anchor a
little after and started motoring back to Bakers Bay. I continued on out Whale
Channel and headed for deep water. I reached the shelf and 200+ft of water
just before dark. I set the Jacksonville entrance as my next waypoint, turned
on the autopilot, let out the jib, and began to motor sail. I estimate the
entire trip should take about 65 hours.
06/12 River City Marina, Downtown Jacksonville FL (30.19N 81.40W) - For the
most part the trip was un-eventful. When I was getting ready to leave Marsh
Harbour, a dolphin came in and started circling DNA until I had the anchor up
and was underway. I took it as a good sign. From the time I left the Bahamas
till I was on the US side of the gulf stream (about two days) I saw a bird.
That's it! A bird! It circled DNA five or six times and went on it's way. The
radar showed that nothing even came within a 24 mile of DNA.
When I was about 20 miles off shore and 30 miles out,
a storm front passed. I took in the sail when I saw it coming. The wind
starting
gusting 35 with 3ft seas on the bow and the speed dropped to 2. That's the was
stayed for the next 8 hours. I arrived
at the Saint Johns River entrance around 3AM this morning. I moved the radar
monitor outside, hooked up the remote control for the autopilot, made me
a large hot cup of coffee, and started in. I tied up at the landing next to
Main Street Bridge, in downtown Jacksonville, at 6:35AM. At 8AM I started
making calls, looking for a home for DNA to stay for the next three months. A
friend I spoke with suggested I check with the marina across from the landing.
In the end, this turned out to be my choice. I came through the bridge
and move to a slip about 6PM.
Special Note: Several people have asked: 'When do you
sleep?'. For me, I have a timer I set for 15min. then I lay down and rest.
When it goes off, I go outside and do a 360 look around to check the weather and make sure
I am alone. If I am, I repeat the process. Every other time or so, I check the
radar on the 6, 12, and 24 mile range. This is the best way I've
found to spot large and small objects. If anything shows up, I usually stay on
watch till it passes. Every hour, on the hour, I log my position and plot it on the chart. I
do this 24 hours a day, every day, day and night.
There are some things that have a fixed
schedule. I maintain a radio check with a shore station at least once a day. I
sometimes download a weather fax from the SSB radio. And I have some radio
programs I enjoy, mostly on the BBC. For those who would like to roughly plot my
course, I have included my position every six hours:
06/12
26.33N 077.03W Marsh Harbour, Bahamas 5:10PM
6PM 26.36N 077.07W 325 miles to go
12PM 27.02N 077.26W 289
06/13 6AM 27.24N
077.51W 258
12AM 27.51N 078.23W 219
6 PM 28.13N 078.51W 186
12PM 28.36N 079.18W 153
06/14 6AM 29.12N 079.48W 110
12AM 29.35N 080.14W 76
6PM 29.46N 080.47W 49
12PM 30.08N 081.08W 21
06/15 3AM 30.23N
081.20W 3
30.19N 081.40W Down Town Jacksonville FL 6:35AM.
07/01 Ft Lauderdale - DNA is back in Jacksonville FL. She's as secure as I can
make her for the hurricane season and friends are also looking in on her while
I am away. On 6/28 I drove down to my new home for the next three months. A large motor yacht currently at a boat yard on the New River in Ft Lauderdale.
We have cut my hail and donated it to 'Locks of Love'. They make wigs for
children with cancer. The boat has been out of use for a while so my first few
days have been cleaning, learning where things go, and daily operating
procedures. There is a lot to learn .
Because I am not on DNA, I am not sure what
information and format the log will contain for the next three months. That
will evolve when things settle down.
07/22 Ft Lauderdale, On Shazam at Town Harbor Marina - Here's my new haircut:
---- Before
----
---- After ----
|
Shazam is a 1979 68ft
Bertram. I understand if |
08/08 Nassau, Bahamas. We came across from Ft Lauderdale on 8/1 and checked in at Cat Cay. We stayed there a couple of days waiting for a weather front to pass. We then spent a couple of nights on the hook, just east of Chubb Cay. The first night was a little rocky even on Shazam, so we moved to another anchorage about 15 miles away. Much nicer. We spent some time in the water cleaning the boat. I got to practice my snorkeling.
We arrived in Nassau on 8/6 so I took the next day off and went to town. I hat to get a new watch because can't find mine. I think it's on the boat unless it fell out of my pocket and went over board. After that I went to look up a Bahamian friend we knew. I couldn't find them but made a new one. She's in charge of training personnel at a local hotel. Before returning to the boat I stopped by the casino and wan $105, so I came back ahead.
It's beginning to look like we may never leave the Bahamas. Repairs took so long in Florida, we may have missed our window. Shazam's newly rebuilt motors are still smoking a little and they don't want to go too far if there's a problem. When we get to George Town I will know for sure. We just took on fuel for and early morning departure.
08/10 River City Marina, Downtown Jacksonville FL (30.19N 81.40W) - Back on DNA. Yesterday morning we all agreed the trip was not working out as originally planned. I was able to get a flight back to Ft Lauderdale where I rented a car. I stopped by Sailor Man and found the parts necessary to convert DNA's stove to use diesel. If it works, we can stop carrying kerosene. I arrived back on DNA late, she looked good. My bridge tender friend had taken good care of her. Now begins the real work.
09/01 Ortega River Boat Yard, Jacksonville FL (31.16.44N 081.42.33W) - Left River City Marina around 8:30am and motored to our old slip A16 at O.R.B.Y. Had a phone line waiting, so I could surf the net for stuff for DNA.
Update 09/04 - Andi has decided to return to DNA. She says she is returning with "a totally new attitude". I can't wait to see it. She should be here tomorrow with her car. It will nice to go some where without first checking the bus schedule.
Showed DNA's main sail to the local sail maker. She should have it repaired in about three weeks for a reasonable price. I am also thinking or replacing the slides to make it easer to raise and lower..
--- Main Menu --- Ship's Log 2001 --- Ship's Log 2003 ----