Sail Beausoleil

Got back to the boat Wednesday night after a two-week trip to Louisiana and Texas to visit family and pick up our car. We visited my family in St. Martinville, LA, Shawna’s parents in Edgewood, TX, and our friends Yolie and Geno and their kids Dane and Chase in Keller, TX – near Dallas/Ft. Worth. Dane, our godchild, just graduated from high school!

We took our time driving back to Hampton. We spent a night in Hot Springs, Arkansas, visited Elvis’s Graceland in Memphis, and spent a night in beautiful Asheville, NC. We’ll create a blog entry just for Graceland soon!

When we got back to Hampton, we decided to shop for groceries before going back to the boat. While checking out, we saw that it was pouring down rain outside with a howling wind, so we decided to wait a bit before leaving. Driving out of the parking lot, we saw a hint of what was waiting for us at the marina – the wind had blown a shopping cart into the middle of the exit lane of the lot and we had to drive around it.

It turns out we missed all the action! We arrived just after a small tornado hit the edge of our marina. A large power yacht (about 75 feet long) was “yanked” from the dock, ripping two cleats off the dock and spinning the boat around. Apparently, one of the flying cleats hit the boat’s pilothouse window, shattering it. The electrical shorepower pedestal it was getting electricity from was also ripped right out of the dock. The boat was only two slips away from ours – less than 50′ – and yet when looking at our boat, you’d never know how close a near-miss it was. The only thing amiss was that some items in one of our forward cabins had fallen off the berth and onto the cabin sole.

A couple of neighboring boats lost loose items – deck chairs, cushions, shoes. One catamaran had its roller-reefed jib partially unfurled by the wind, but at least it was undamaged.

Finally, it also turned out that we just missed flooding in the Hampton Roads Bridge Tunnel.  The tunnel pumps failed, and by early Thursday morning during rush hour, the traffic backup was up to 14 miles long. I guess we had good timing!

Tags: tornado

I bought a gently used fishing rod in a bustling fishing store in Vero Beach, FL on our way South earlier this year. I had them install a brand new non-casting saltwater reel at the same time. They also loaded me up with bait, tackle, books, a net, a gaff, everything I needed to become a “fisherman”.

Each time we anchored I would bait the hook and drop it in the water off the boat. I would usually catch something. In Vero Beach I caught a tiny Pinfish, in West Palm Beach I caught a colorful Lane Snapper, in Miami I caught a bunch of little Sea Bream and Silver Porgy and one medium sized Blue Fish.  Needless to say I threw them all back due to their size.  I had tried trawling behind the boat also when we left Biscayne Bay headed for the Florida Keys.  I couldn’t catch a thing.

Monday morning, May 25th Beausoleil departed Cape Canaveral, FL headed North. We decided to make our way East to the Gulf Stream to see if we could get a couple knot boost in our favor. As we neared the edge of the West side of the Gulf Stream, the sea came alive.  We saw thousands of flying fish, sea turtles, a hammerhead shark, a school of Mahi Mahi, some Wahoo and many other fish we couldn’t identify.

I grabbed my pole, determined to catch something, baited my new metal leader with the “Mahi Jet” lure, looks like a yellow and green squid, and dropped it in the water.  I let out about 300 feet of line to keep the lure from skimming the surface as it was dragged behind the boat.  I secured the rod to the stanchions and went on about my business getting some work done.

Shawna Fishing at Sea

A few minutes later I hear Jon yell “You caught something!”.  I ran up the companionway, grabbed my pole, adjusted the drag up so the line would stop feeding out, and vigorously began reeling it in.  Wow, the fish jumped right out of the water, scurrying and wiggling like I had never seen.  It was a beautiful Mahi Mahi.  I was determined to bring it in, so Jon slowed down the boat and took over reeling for a few minutes.  I took the rod back and began to reel again.  Finally after about 30 minutes, we had tired out the fish and had it up next to the boat.

Mahi Mahi, a.k.a. dorado, or dolphin

Jon grabbed the camera and the gaff hook.  After taking a few pictures of the fish in the water, he hooked the gaff through the gills and brought it on board.  We threw a towel over it’s head/eyes (I was told to have a towel handy and if you throw it over the eyes it will keep the fish from flogging all over the boat – it worked) and began to pour Ouzo into it’s gills.

Fresh Fish

Jon proceeded to filet the fish.  I went below cut the meat from the skin, placed it in double zip lock bags and put it in the refrigerator.  Jon got us underway again, I cleaned up the mess on deck, rinsed my fishing pole and put away my gear.  Finally, I caught something that I could keep!

Look, Dad, I caught a real fish!

We had fish tacos, grilled mahi sandwiches, and grilled mahi steaks for a few days.  There is nothing as good as a fresh caught fish!  Next time I am going after a Yellow Fin Tuna for some Sushi!

Well, due to insurance reasons, we had to get Beausoleil north of Cape Hatteras, NC by the beginning of hurricane season. And to make it fun, our friends Rick and Allen made a bet: who would get to that latitude first – Beausoleil, or Rick and Cindy in Dragonfly? We were delayed in Port Canaveral a bit longer than planned due to our mechanical issues and the weather.

We did, however, hurry north so our insurance company would continue our coverage. We left Port Canaveral on Memorial Day at 0630. We sailed the 300 miles to Charleston, SC in about 37 hours, getting there Tuesday evening at 2045 (8:45pm for you landlubbers). Shawna had some conference calls for work on Wednesday, so we waited til Thursday morning to leave for the Chesapeake.

Leaving Charleston, in a thankfully short rain squall, we actually passed our friends Jack and Alois on Adventurous on the way out. They had sailed up from Fort Pierce, FL. We’re going to visit them in their home waters of the Chesapeake. We continued on, covering the 416 miles to Hampton, VA in 57.5 hours, getting there Saturday, May 30 at 5:00PM.

• Total distance for the trip: 716 nautical miles (824 statute or land miles).
• Total elapsed time: 94.5 hours.
• Average speed: 7.58 knots (8.7 mph).

Even though we cheated by motorsailing, that’s still good time.

And, yes - Dragonfly did beat Beausoleil across that latitude. So Alan had to cough up a bottle of rum to cover his bet with Rick.

Well, we’ve had our trip interrupted for a bit, and we’re on the hard (boat hauled out of the water and put on jack stands on dry land, for you landlubbers!). After watching Monday’s Atlantis space shuttle launch, as we were leaving the area our prop shaft coupling bolts sheared off because of an engine misalignment problem. So we had the boat hauled to check for damage to the rudder (there was some minor damage), and while we’re at it we’re going to re-paint the bottom with a new coat of bottom paint, which contains a biocide to keep the algae and barnacles somewhat at bay.

I fixed the rudder damage today, and I’ll have help re-aligning the engine tomorrow (Friday). We’ll have the bottom prepped and re-painted Friday and Saturday so we can re-launch on Monday morning. Our next port of call will be either Charleston or Beaufort, SC!

For all of you boaters out there – join BoatUS!!! The towing benefits are worth it! We have “unlimited” towing, and it’s cheap. And Captain Billy, here in Port Canaveral, is just excellent!

Still of video shot from Beausoleil - shuttle Atlantis liftoff!

The launch was great – I’ll post some video once I’ve had time to edit it a bit…

Tags: space shuttle, video

When you get a chance, check out our page Other Cruisers’ Websites. We’ll add to it as we can.

We have seen some incredible things along the way, and met some of the most amazing people as well.  Here is a little insight into the trip from Annapolis to St. Augustine, FL.  I hope you enjoy the pic’s.  We love to hear from you, so keep the comments coming.

See you soon!

Well, not me or Shawna, but “Ole Moe“, the resident hammerhead shark in Bahia Honda State Park in the Florida Keys, about 35 miles east of Key West.

We were anchored in the harbor in Bahia Honda, just having taken a dip by diving off the bow pulpit, 8′ above the surface, into the clear blue waters this park is known for. I dove in twice, while Shawna just took a dip off the boarding ladder – the current was running fairly strong then. After our swim, I stayed on deck to inspect our anchor rode, and Shawna went below for a shower. Just another day in paradise…

While kneeling down in the anchor pit at the bow, inspecting the chafe gear protecting our anchor rode, I heard an outboard engine racing, so I looked up just in time to see a fishing skiff with one of the local guides running through the anchorage. His client was on the bow, his fishing rod bent almost in half – he’d hooked a large tarpon. Then, before I could really digest what was going on, a huge upwelling of white water – a miniature maelstrom – surrounded the tarpon. From the center of it, a hammerhead appeared and latched onto the tarpon, yanking it cleanly off the fishing line. It proceeded to flail around, then actually released the tarpon (which could have temporarily escaped on its own, but I doubt it!). The tarpon took off faster than I would have thought possible and passed in front of Gitana, a 45′ schooner anchored in front of us.

The hammerhead followed, along with two sport boats full of spectators with their cameras. As I turned and ran down below to get my camera, I saw over my shoulder the hammerhead lunge and catch the tarpon again. Apparently a hammerhead’s bite isn’t quite as strong as you’d believe, because by the time I returned on deck with my camera, the shark was making another pass for the tarpon. I snapped a quick shot, and then it was all over. Ole Moe lunged one last time, and that’s the last I saw of any struggle. Just ripples in the water to mark what happens again and again throughout time – predator catching prey.

Old Moe is famous around these parts. With all the park visitors here year round – swimmers, boaters, snorklers – I’m sure he just wants to eat his meals in peace.

Well, we scanned, we strained, we squinted – but the atmospheric conditions just were not there for this sunset in Key West. But, no matter – a beautiful sunset can still stir the heart. If more people took the time to contemplate sunsets, there’d be no more wars. I’ll bet there’s a song in there somewhere…

This is what Key West’s famous sunsets look like. No green flash this time, but I’m sure plenty have seen it.

Just a quick note – we’ve been extremely busy since our last posting. We’ve got the watermaker installed and running nicely – no regrets taking a nice long shower anymore! I’ve also been trying to recover my bicycle which was stolen from Dinner Key Marina in Coconut Grove in South Miami. The Miami PD did a great job in recovering it, but trying to get it back from their property unit is, shall we say, a test in overcoming departmental beauracracy at its finest (pun intended!).

We’re currently in Marathon, FL – the central Keys. We made it out to Key West, and are now heading back up north for the summer.

More detailed updates to follow – including one whopper of a shark tale!

EDIT: Ok – today (Sunday, April 26th, 2009) we watched sunset from Marathon, and Shawna and I were discussing whether the legendary green flash was when the lower limb of the sun touches the horizon, or when the upper limb dips below the horizon. Shawna was disappointed when we didn’t see it as the lower limb of the sun kissed the horizon. So as she was reviewing pictures of the sunset on her digital camera, I continued looking. And, sure enough, when the upper limb of the sun dipped below the horizon of the Gulf of Mexico – there it appeared. Live, and in person – the Green Flash! So, my dear readers – the legend is true. There truly is a Green Flash.

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Cruising: Fixing your boat in exotic places!

Well, we’re currently anchored off the Miami Yacht Club in Miami, Florida. Being a member of the Boston Yacht Club in Marblehead, Massachusetts, we enjoy what are known as reciprocal privileges – use of their dinghy dock, showers and restroom facilities, bar and restaurant, pool, etc.

I’ve been doing projects on the boat this week:

1. Removing the last of the original fuel tanks which was feeding the generator. It was almost rusted through (“stainless” does not equate with “stain proof”.)  So after talking to a couple of mechanics, I just teed the generator’s fuel inlet and return off the main engine’s inlet and return lines. In large powerboats that’s not recommended, but even though we don’t run both simultaneously, one won’t suck down enough fuel to starve the other.  Even though the tank I removed held 29 gallons of diesel, we still have a total of  326 gallons of capacity in the four main fuel tanks. That’s a lot of motor sailing and genset running! And the nicest result? We’ve gained additional storage in the salon! Can’t have enough “closets” – especially on a boat!
2. Adding a solenoid to the Lectra-San (sewage treatment system) to automatically flush our electric head when you activate the unit. Before this, you had to start the Lectra-San, then press another button to flush the head. It was confusing for guests, so this makes it a single-button operation. I also beefed up the last bit of power cabling to the unit – it was a bit undersized.

One of our purposes for stopping in Miami was to attend the Miami Strictly Sail Boat Show to purchase a watermaker. Well, we also decided to do our patriotic duty to stimulate the economy, so we bought a new dinghy (a Caribe RIB) and a couple of folding bikes. Our old dinghy, an Avon Rover 285, had a leaky keel bladder – and we just happened to run over a submerged pipe while going ashore one day and ripped a couple of 6″ gashes in the bottom. I patched them (with the help of a fellow cruiser, Jack Ellis, whom we met in Charleston, SC), but we weren’t happy with the dinghy even before then. So we replaced it. Our Mercury 4-stroke 9.9hp outboard powers it well.

Our old road bikes (a high-end LeMond Zurich for me, and a LeMond Tourmalet for Shawna), were just too much of a hassle on the boat. They just barely fit through the companionway hatch, and took up way to much room in one of the forward cabins. The new folding bikes are by Downtube – they’re both model FS-9′s (9 speeds). They each weigh about the same as Shawna’s Tourmalet, but fit inside the boat a bit better. Plus they have aluminum frames with plastic and stainless components, where the LeMonds’ had steel frames and were beginning to show signs of rust. The salt water environment is just murder on regular bikes. Both LeMond’s are extremely nice ($$$) road bikes, and we hate to see them deteriorate.

The watermaker is by Spectra, and is the redundant Cape Horn Xtreme model. It has two feed pumps rather than one, so if one fails you can switch to the other. And you can double water output if you run both simultaneously (going from 7 gallons per hour to 14). The entire Spectra line is known for power efficiency – using just 1.3 amp-hours per gallon of fresh water produced. I’ll dedicate a future post to documenting its installation.

While here in Miami, we met up with our old friends Tom & Donna, whom we used to sail with when we lived in Rowayton, Connecticut. Tom always takes credit for turning us onto sailing! We also met up with some of our Marblehead friends, Bob and Pam. And we were anchored next to Jack and Lois, whom we first met on the Intracoastal Waterway in Coinjock, North Carolina (and yes, there truly is a place called Coinjock!).

Miami Skyline