Everything lined up perfectly for the Sunday, Apr 8th departure that I picked out of the blue months ago. The weather looked great - a high would keep the weather clear, and then, come Monday, the wind would fill in 10-15 kts and give us a clear reach all the into Morehead City, NC. We'd catch the Gulf Stream, and then we'd be gold.
We departed on time at about 7:30 am, leaving the Harbortown Marina with little fanfare besides my wife telling us to be safe. We passed the St John River jetties at about 9:00 am, and were clear to sea before I knew it.
Captain Mike Bancroft, the experienced captain that we hired to make sure we had the most experience onboard, was a fantastic teacher, sailor, and captain. He taught us how to really look over the boat before a big sail (he was impressed with our outfitting and provisioning, and really only focused on two items where I was lacking - taping up the cotter pins and helping to install a backup compass for the helmsman).
The first day and night were really nice. We had to motor, as expected, due to the initial low winds that we expected. Our tankage was 10 gal with a 5 gal jerry can, which with an engine that sipped 1/3 gal an hour was pretty good... or so we thought. Of course, I got sea sick. It happens on big ships too. It's a shame, because it really makes standing watch tough.
We departed on time at about 7:30 am, leaving the Harbortown Marina with little fanfare besides my wife telling us to be safe. We passed the St John River jetties at about 9:00 am, and were clear to sea before I knew it.
Captain Mike Bancroft, the experienced captain that we hired to make sure we had the most experience onboard, was a fantastic teacher, sailor, and captain. He taught us how to really look over the boat before a big sail (he was impressed with our outfitting and provisioning, and really only focused on two items where I was lacking - taping up the cotter pins and helping to install a backup compass for the helmsman).
The first day and night were really nice. We had to motor, as expected, due to the initial low winds that we expected. Our tankage was 10 gal with a 5 gal jerry can, which with an engine that sipped 1/3 gal an hour was pretty good... or so we thought. Of course, I got sea sick. It happens on big ships too. It's a shame, because it really makes standing watch tough.
We went into a six-on, six-off routine, where Captain Mike took the 0600-1200 and 1800-2359, and I the 1200-1800 and 0001-0600. Dad (who is colorblind) took the 0900-1500 and 2100-0300 watches. Being alone on the sunrise and sunset watches is fine - there's always activity and its really pretty. Dad shored up the watches during the tougher times.
We saw some dolphin shows, small turtles, and heard loons in the distance. Dolphins loved to jump up out of the water at night to say hi. (It was a bit surprising.) That first night, we heard the US Navy doing live fire exercises out to sea. My favorite part about the watch was the stars. There were so many, they looked like clouds. By the morning, we were about 45 NM out to sea.
By noon, the winds had not filled in. What we didn't know is that the high pressure above us collided and combined with another high pressure - making the "Perfect High". We wouldn't get much wind... But the NOAA weather forecasts continued to tell us that we would. We took a look at the tankage for diesel, and our current position, and with the constraint that a low pressure storm was bracketing us on Thursday in our schedule, we decided to start heading for a harbor that we could reach motorsailing if we had to. It was a conservative decision, but we all felt that it was a good one.
We selected Charleston, which was 90 NM away. Cape Fear was another option, but at 180 NM was outside of our fuel range (which was about 225 NM from when we started, or about 105 NM when we made the decision to head to Charleston - we also assumed we could lose as much as 30 NM as a safety barrier).
As we turned, we started getting a little wind dead astern - about 5 kts. I had rigged a gybe preventer to keep Zephyr from her normal antics on the dead downwind run, and we were able to secure the engine for a few hours. They turned out to be key.
That afternoon, we heard what we thought was thunder - but it turned out to be US Air Force jets. They kept breaking the sound barrier all around us. It was a pretty amazing air show. We also saw lots of sea life, birds and other cool stuff.
That night was motorsailed up the coast, past the Savannah River inlet. There was a lot of traffic to keep things interesting. In the morning, Captain Mike took a sea water shower - which we probably all needed. Dad and I elected to wait until Charleston.
We reached Charleston at about 1600, at the marina at Patriot's Point. A frosty brew awaited us, as well as real food (my seasickness had subsided the morning of Wednesday, Apr 10th). I showered (amazing), and washed my clothes (which I considered "nuclear" they smelled so bad).
We saw some dolphin shows, small turtles, and heard loons in the distance. Dolphins loved to jump up out of the water at night to say hi. (It was a bit surprising.) That first night, we heard the US Navy doing live fire exercises out to sea. My favorite part about the watch was the stars. There were so many, they looked like clouds. By the morning, we were about 45 NM out to sea.
By noon, the winds had not filled in. What we didn't know is that the high pressure above us collided and combined with another high pressure - making the "Perfect High". We wouldn't get much wind... But the NOAA weather forecasts continued to tell us that we would. We took a look at the tankage for diesel, and our current position, and with the constraint that a low pressure storm was bracketing us on Thursday in our schedule, we decided to start heading for a harbor that we could reach motorsailing if we had to. It was a conservative decision, but we all felt that it was a good one.
We selected Charleston, which was 90 NM away. Cape Fear was another option, but at 180 NM was outside of our fuel range (which was about 225 NM from when we started, or about 105 NM when we made the decision to head to Charleston - we also assumed we could lose as much as 30 NM as a safety barrier).
As we turned, we started getting a little wind dead astern - about 5 kts. I had rigged a gybe preventer to keep Zephyr from her normal antics on the dead downwind run, and we were able to secure the engine for a few hours. They turned out to be key.
That afternoon, we heard what we thought was thunder - but it turned out to be US Air Force jets. They kept breaking the sound barrier all around us. It was a pretty amazing air show. We also saw lots of sea life, birds and other cool stuff.
That night was motorsailed up the coast, past the Savannah River inlet. There was a lot of traffic to keep things interesting. In the morning, Captain Mike took a sea water shower - which we probably all needed. Dad and I elected to wait until Charleston.
We reached Charleston at about 1600, at the marina at Patriot's Point. A frosty brew awaited us, as well as real food (my seasickness had subsided the morning of Wednesday, Apr 10th). I showered (amazing), and washed my clothes (which I considered "nuclear" they smelled so bad).
The next day, we left at 5:15 am. We decided to take the Intracoastal to our next destination, which was Georgetown, SC. We left so early to make the bridge opening. The trip was beautiful and uneventful, until we hit the Winyah River Inlet. There was a good onshore breeze, which resulted in a terribly unpleasant sea on the Intracoastal. The short, steep seas caused Zephyr to yaw quite a bit. Luckily, pulling in to Georgetown, SC was uneventful.
That evening, we enjoyed beers and fresh seafood. Captain Mike ate what looked like a reef of oysters. The food was pretty good, and the Harbor Walk marina close to the action.
Captain Mike had to depart the next day, so we bid him adieu. We were also going to leave for our next stop, but that storm that we expected to pass through the area on Thursday helpfully waited until Friday. Dad and I watched the approach on radar, and deciding that we didn't want to sail through it, waited out the day in the marina. We enjoyed more beers and fresh caught food, explored the Georgetown Nautical Museum, and enjoyed a cruiser's sundowner on another boat in the marina.
That evening, we enjoyed beers and fresh seafood. Captain Mike ate what looked like a reef of oysters. The food was pretty good, and the Harbor Walk marina close to the action.
Captain Mike had to depart the next day, so we bid him adieu. We were also going to leave for our next stop, but that storm that we expected to pass through the area on Thursday helpfully waited until Friday. Dad and I watched the approach on radar, and deciding that we didn't want to sail through it, waited out the day in the marina. We enjoyed more beers and fresh caught food, explored the Georgetown Nautical Museum, and enjoyed a cruiser's sundowner on another boat in the marina.
The last day of the trip, we left Georgetown, SC and used the Intracoastal to get to Little River, SC. We passed through the Waccamaw River, which was beautiful. We finished the trip at Crickett Cove Marina, where Zephyr waits for another day.
Overall, the trip was fantastic. Dad and I got to bond, and got some great experiences. Even better, Captain Mike gave me the confidence to know that I'm doing the right thing and I know how to go to sea safely. My confidence in Zephyr grew as well - you never know your boat better than after you take her out to sea. Finally, the whole trip confirmed what I already suspected - that the cruising lifestyle, even in little week-long trips - is awesome.
Overall, the trip was fantastic. Dad and I got to bond, and got some great experiences. Even better, Captain Mike gave me the confidence to know that I'm doing the right thing and I know how to go to sea safely. My confidence in Zephyr grew as well - you never know your boat better than after you take her out to sea. Finally, the whole trip confirmed what I already suspected - that the cruising lifestyle, even in little week-long trips - is awesome.