De Ja Freakin' Vu

Well, we got another 10 inches of snow in Asheville, NC this weekend. Ice was horrible this time around as there was sleet that froze to everything. I am sure you saw some of the news cast about the power being out across most of western NC. For a change, we never lost it here but it flickered a few times. Once again we made the trip over to Greenlife market on foot Friday night and got a few items to make it through.

At this point, I am really getting sick of this cold and need some sun. Can only do so much getting the boat ready for the trip when the temps don't get out of the 20's, but I am certainly trying. Looking at mid March at this point, but it's still way too far out to lock anything down.

As far as what's left to do, the list is getting shorter. Still have to secure the propane tank to the cockpit stanchions and run the line properly through the lazarette to the stove. Need to get new flares and replace all of the old ones that have expired. First aid kit, off-shore life vest, inflatable raft and a MOB (Man Over Board) pole that attaches to the backstay. Thinking about a radar reflector that goes up the mast and helps the big ships see us small boats at night. I have heard a lot of different opinions on whether it's worth it, but have not nailed that down as of yet. Also want to add 2 new deep cell batteries to the house bank. The near term power solution will be solar panels, but that won't happen till I am down in Florida. And last but not least, a few days before we go, I will have the boat pulled out of the water and have them power wash all the growth off the hull, prop and through-hulls. It's a pain in the ass but necessary at this point as I could tell the prop was covered last time we went out. Was planning to scrape a bit before the water got too cold but certainly missed that opportunity a long time ago. There is more of course, but that's good for now. Hang in there, the warmth has to be getting close.

OceansWatch

The other day, I received an email update from Cruising World magazine describing the events happening in Haiti and what cruisers are doing to help. As it turns out, there is a non-profit organization who works with sailors around the word to bring all types of aide to countries in need by sailboat. Here is their website. Welcome to OceansWatch | OceansWatch Please take a look and if you haven't already donated to Haitian relief, this would be a fantastic cause.

In conjunction with other groups, OceansWatch is sending a flotilla of 5 boats loaded with donated supplies to Haiti. I wish them the best of luck and the fairest winds.

Needless to say, we were quite taken by OceansWatch and Amy and I have joined this wonderful cause. Events that have taken place in Haiti are devastating and sad beyond words but what these folks at OW are doing will bring comfort to those who really need it. A worthy cause in any ones book.

The Never Ending Task List

The weather has finally broken and temps were in the 60s today at the boat. I am writing this update live from the settee, (U-shaped couch), enjoying a nice warm and comfy salon, (Living Room), waiting for the space heater to preheat the forward cabin, (Bedroom). It's been great to get back. With the holidays and all sorts of other stuff going on, it's been about 5 weeks since I have been here. It pains me to say that as I truly love it, but I certainly take advantage of it when I can. And that will surely be the case when we move Skylark to Jacksonville. Don't have new dates at this point, but it is safe to say we missed our pre-winter window and will need to look at new dates no earlier than March, I would think. Till then, it's Cruising World, Latitudes & Attitudes, Live Aboard magazines and a bunch of sailing Blogs to get me through.

Was able to knock out a few outside chores today in only shorts and a T-shirt. Woohoo.. Boy do I miss the summer. Temps dropping now a bit, but don't think we will get out of the 40s over night. A real scorcher. Thank god for portable heaters. As well as the chill, there is rain on the way for tonight and tomorrow. I fortunately have a ton of inside projects to get through.

Well, that's about it. If tonight is as calm and quiet as last night, I am in for some good sleeping.

Coldest Winter in Years

The temps continue to hold in the teens at night here in Asheville and in the low 20's in Washington. It seems though the weather might break a bit this weekend and actually make it up into the balmy 50's during the day. So with some extra blankets and a second space heater, I think I will go down on Sunday morning to start on a few more projects that need to be done. As well, John might come down and take a gander at the boat for the first time. If we are really lucky, we might be able to get out for a few hours, but we will have to see how it goes. And if we are really luck, maybe we can take a cruise down to Indian Island and toss the hook for the night.

This weekend, I would love to get through a few of the never ending chores that need to happen before we go. All of us are getting antsy for the trip to happen, but of course no one is interested in sailing with temps in the teens...especially me...forget it. Might as well take advantage of the extra time though and get some more stuff done. And if it gets cold, a bottle of Glenfiddich will be along...just in case of course, so please..relax, it's OK.

On the agenda, I want to install the new bulkhead Richie compass that came in. Change out all of the 110 outlets to new 110 GFI models. As well, I want to add a second deep cell to the house battery bank. Also want to test the portable generator I found on Amazon and see if it will keep the house battery bank charged while we are away from the dock. It should work well. Eventually, I plan to install solar panels to keep the batteries charged while on the hook, but for now, the portable genset should do nicely. In addition to keeping the batteries full, it should run one of the portable heaters so we can keep the cabin warm while underway. A good thing, especially if we leave before the spring. There is an alternator on the engine that will also charge the house batteries, but if something would happen to the engine, we are completely covered with the genset. Something I feel good about since we are using the laptop as a chartplotter and need juice one way or another. System redundancy is always a good thing.
The previous owner had a dodger, but it was in pretty rough shape so I had taken it off the boat. I have done some repairs and want to get it back on and secured. Any protection would be helpful in the winter. If nothing else, it should give some resistance from the wind.

That's it for now. I am sure there will be a dozen other things to do once we get there. I can only hope we can sneak out of here in the next month or so if this weather ever shapes up. Not that it's much warmer in Florida...

2010

It's been a crazy couple of weeks with the holidays, but I wanted to be sure I was able to wish you all a happy and healthy new year while I had a minute. I can't believe how quickly 2009 came and went, but I am eagerly looking forward to 2010.

So with that said, have a safe new years eve and a good night. I will continue to keep things updated as the attention turns back to the boat in the next couple of weeks. Thanks for reading!

I Gotta Fly to St. Somewhere...

A huge snow storm blew through the Asheville, NC area last night dropping more than a foot of snow and causing havoc on the roads like you wouldn't believe. If you have never been to Asheville, picture the steepest, curviest road near your home and then picture every road in your town like that...that's Asheville. Rear wheel cars were stuck in the middle of the roads due to no traction and folks with no snow experience were in ditches all over. We walked to the grocery store yesterday afternoon just as it was closing and bought a few supplies (wine and beer) so rest assured, we are safe. There is more predicted today and tomorrow, but I was able to get a few pics with the sun out this AM...enjoy.

It's Official

Well, with another extremely cold, wet and windy week ahead, we have officially decided to wait until after the holidays to leave. We felt this would be our best best, as we would never make it back in time to be home for Christmas if we left later in the week. It is disappointing to say the least, but as I have already mentioned, safety is out top priority.

The new news of the week however is excellent. We have another crew member joining us, so we will have a total of 3 souls on board when we leave. I am very excited about our addition and I know John, my original volunteer, is as well. Welcome Jeff.

So with that said, I will continue to do the little things that the boat needs and a few things that will make our life more pleasant on board. I will continue to update the board as things come up. Thanks for watching.

The Wait Continues

At this point, we might be in for a longer wait than I or the crew were hoping for. The December weather so far has been horrible as the wind and waves pound the seas off Cape Lookout and Fear. A glance at the wave heights for Dec 9th show waves over 12 feet, which is not at all acceptable for the trip. We continue to wait for the window we need.

I have heard a lot of opinions and words of advice from cruisers that have been all around the world. Although most of it varies from person to person, one piece of information has always been exactly the same...no matter who says it. And that is, "One of the most dangerous thing a sailor can have is, a hard fast schedule." Many people put themselves at risk because they "have" to be somewhere on a certain date or time. They leave port when conditions are questionable and usually regret it when it's too late. That is advice I have taken to heart and will never forget. So with that said, even though I want the boat in Florida as soon as possible, I would never put the crew, the boat or anyone else in danger because of impatience.

I have read many stories of cruisers waiting out weather for a good passage window. One couple I read about spent over a month in Bermuda waiting for a decent weather window for their leg to the Caribbean. Granted, our trip is much shorter but passes by some pretty nasty areas.

A possible "plan B", which would avoid Cape Lookout altogether, would be to motor down the ICW and come out below Cape Lookout near Beaufort, NC. This would add quite a few days to the trip but take rounding the cape completely off the table. We would still have Cape Fear and Frying Pan shoals to deal with, but I guess in this kind of weather, everything helps. As of now though, we are sticking to the original plan.

More updates to follow... Oh, and by the way...I am sure there are a quite a few folks out there who have done this trip or something similar and would have great information to add. Please don't hesitate to comment on any of the posts on this blog. I certainly don't consider myself an expert by any means and would love to hear what you have to say. Thanks!

What's a Cal 34?

The Cal 34 was just one of many models designed by Bill Lapworth back in the 60's. There is a ton of information out there, but one of my favorite sites show the original sales brochures and gives an overview of the boat for the specific release year. They are fun to read and to see the other boats in the Cal fleet. Check it out,  http://www.gjenvick.com/BangorPunta/Cal

The Cal line is known for it's quality, seaworthiness, speed and stability. The Cal 34 specifically has participated and won many off-shore races and have successfully circumnavigated the globe. Skylark is very comfortable for her size and feels much bigger than a 33 foot boat when you are below. I have stayed on her for over a week straight and was extremely comfortable. Below is an excerpt from the 1968 sales brochure...enjoy.

"Built in all fiberglass by Jensen Marine, they feature Bill Lapworth's famous formula for speed - long waterline, light displacement hull, low wetted surface to sail area ratio, powerful sail plan, and spade rudder for positive control.

The long waterlines that give Cal boats extra speed also give them roomier accommodations. Long waterlines and short overhangs provide more living space below deck, and the raised deck design on the smaller Cal boats gives them wide level decks for efficient racing plus much larger cruising accommodations.

The interiors of Cal boats are finished in rich mahogany and exteriors are trimmed in teak. With their one piece fiberglass hulls, integrally molded decks and cockpits, molded in colors and non-skid surfaces, aluminum masts and booms, and stainless rigging, Cal boats are very solid".
Her vital statistics are:

L.O.A. 33'3"
L.W.L 26'
Beam 10'
Draft 5'
Ballast 3750 lbs.
Displacement 9500 lbs.
Sail Area 515 sq. ft
Engine 30 hp Atomic 4

Sailing on a Mountain Top

Not too long after moving to Asheville, I was pleasantly surprised to find a small lake, actually a cooling lake for a power plant, that sported a tiny marina filled with sailboats. The sizes of boats range from about 9 feet up to a 30 footer, but most are in the 20 foot range. I went down and met the folks who were holding a bi-weekly regatta where a bunch of boats would race a pre-determined course on the lake. After speaking with the "Commodore", or the sailing club president, he let me use one of the old club boats that had been forgotten if I cleaned it up and made it sailable. Didn't take more than a day before I had the O'day 17 on the water. It's a nice old sloop that sails well in most wind up to about 15 knots. It is a lot of fun in a good breeze, you often get the rails wet when pointing high into the wind. It's also been really good sailing practice as the O'day, albeit half the size of the Cal and about 9,000 pounds lighter, are both sloops and work basically the same exact way.

Weather Window

There are a lot of factors to consider when deciding when to leave. Per the schedule that has been laid out, it will take close to two days to get to the the Ocracoke Inlet, our gateway to the Atlantic. Although it might be OK in the bay, the ocean wind and waves are a whole other story. I use a few weather sites to help make these decisions. One is, http://windmapper.com/. It shows the winds down the coast for up to a week out and has been very accurate. For everything else, I use the NOAA site, http://www.weather.gov/forecasts/graphical/sectors/midatlantic.php, to see whats going on as far as wave heights, precipitation and tides. They too are about as accurate as you can get.

So the initial planning was to leave on Monday, November 30. If you look at the attached wind chart, you can see that Monday and Tuesday's forecasted wind is not too bad. We would be in the Pamlico River and Sound during that time. But if you figure that on Wednesday, we would leave the Ocracoke Inlet, you can see things dramatically pick up with forecasted winds over 40 miles an hour. That's way too much wind to be rounding the Capes. So we will continue to watch the weather and hopefully nail something down in the next week or so.