Trick or Treat?

S/V Event Horizon has been splashed at NEB. Crew is preparing for a non-stop passage to Ft Lauderdale, Florida. Estimated departure date is Nov 7th.

Change of California Dream'n

I was only just coming to terms with the hard reality of land dwelling, admittedly with the help of intensive shopping therapy, when there was a drastic change of plans.

For months, while living in hotels or with friends and family, we had pondered what to do... Do we buy in the downmarket or rent for easy fleeing? Do we move the boat to California or keep "Eve" in Rhode Island as an east coast base and sail when time allows?

We watched real estate listings and attended open houses but remained more concerned with Eve. Our home. Basically, for the past several years, our everything. Moving Eve to California was extremely expensive and a commitment to staying on the west coast. (There is so much in between yet to explore!) Consultation with numerous yacht transporters revealed that in order to safely move Eve--53' LOA and 12' HOA without the mast--from RI to CA the journey should be made by water. My captain's land profession wouldn't allow us the required time to travel under sail as preferred, and the boat making the passage without us would feel like cheating. Ok, and there is the we-don't-trust-most-people-with-her factor.

During the final days of my captain negotiating his commitment to one company, the talks focused on relocation and that is when our plan of action became clearer. We don't have a home to sell, or the usual contents to move. Yet there is a relocation package. Yes, a fixed fund towards making the pilgrimage west and setting up camp in a new territory.

Cruising Fever?

While the Event Horizon crew continues to suffer from sailing withdrawal, I have self-prescribed an ample dose of armchair sailing, usually absorbed on Fridays.

You might think this tactic is more torture than help but reading nautical blogs and sailing newsletters reminds me just how easy life is on land compared to living life afloat. Oh don't get me wrong. If given the choice, I'd be back in the cockpit faster than you could lift the sails. But for the time being, while I am a temporary land dweller, I have decided to think of this phase in my life as a working vacation--like one of those trendy volunteer holidays.

Full-time cruising is the ambition of many but a lifestyle choice that is not for everyone. I wanted the adventure that comes with cruising but (new to sailing) feared I would fail. Determination and perfectionism kept me focused on the cruising goal for 4-years before I took the plunge of becoming a full-time live-aboard. By then I had read every book available on the cruising life (sometimes twice), taken numerous courses to improve my nautical skills, spent nearly every weekend between April and November on the water, struggled to understand the science of weather, and downsized my personal belongings to fit into two large duffle bags.

Despite all my careful efforts, I was not fully prepared. Apparently few people are. A recent post on the Windtraveler blog is a mindful list towards smooth sailing. I'm keeping this list handy to read again next year before I step back onboard.  

Wickford Cove Fall Sunset

Another spectacular Rhode Island fall sunset, as witnessed aboard sailing vessel Event Horizon while on her home mooring.

Kiting for Google

Google Maps & Google Earth have added new imagery from a kite! A sailor on a five-year sailing trip around the world has been taking photos using a low flying kite. He has an arrangement with Google to overlay his photos, which have a much higher resolution, on the satellite images used in Google Maps and Google Earth. Very cool.

Beat from Block

Despite numerous trips to Block Island over the years, it never fails that one direction will be pure pleasure and the other passage a torture cruise. On this weekend it was the trip home that seemed like it would never end. 30+ nautical mile beat to weather in 30-knots of wind. And lots of saltwater over the bow.

Block Island Fall Sail

S/V Event Horizon sailing in Block Island Sound on Saturday, October 2nd--an idyllic New England fall sail from Narragannsett Bay to Block Island. Photo credit and thanks to Philip Brennan for catching this shot with his cell phone while crewing aboard S/V Martina.

Our cruising companion, S/V Martina, a Swan 44 off Block Island.

Upon arrival to Block Island's New Harbor we discovered most of the rental mooring balls removed, further proof that the sailing season is coming to a close.

North American Sailor :: Online Resource & Entertainment

I want to share a relatively new online sailing publication called North American Sailor, which, as they say, is intended for the "nautically obsessed". Essentially it's a daily stream of the latest sailing news drawn from all over the Web. 

What sets NA Sailor apart from the competition is their presentation style and use of further defined categories; cruising, racing, boats, gear, maintenance and technique. They offer it all--from maintenance tips to racing results--yet with one extra click I can narrow my focus. The NA Sailor team has given careful consideration to the needs of all types of sailors.

 

Harvest Moon 2010

Unfortunately my Canon Elph camera is not doing justice to my view of tonight's stunning harvest moon.

Newport International Boat Show

Threatening skies on Friday at the fall annual Newport Boat Show, September 16-19.

Earl Who?

It was a surprisingly calm night in Wickford Harbor where Earl’s presence was only felt with a couple of 20kt gusts despite its tropical storm status.

Our next weather system, a cold front, arrived on the tail of over-hyped Earl and is proving to have more wind. By daylight the cold front wind was staying in the 20+ knots range, with gusts in the 30's. A great sailing day, if we had sails on the boat…

Earl's Approach

I’ve been waking up early everyday this week to the sounds of a working travel lift. The noise has continued well into the evening before the tired marina crew finally says enough for one day.  That is until today. By noon today an eerie quiet and grey sky blanketed the harbor. We are only a few hours from meeting the wrath of Hurricane Earl, which has hospitably gone from a category 4 to a 1 in less than 24-hours.

Preparing for Earl

Our hurricane strategy has always been to run. Run to a hurricane hole in Maine. But then Earl came along and has kept the experts guessing with disagreeing computer weather models and us reluctant to move from our sheltered mooring in Wickford Cove. 

The boat traffic into our marina is proof that many boats are opting to get lifted. My captain is forecasting Earl will barely clip Nantucket, plus we feel safer and more in control afloat (verses on stands on land) so as the storm moves closer we have decided to stay. We have removed all canvas from Eve’s deck, turned her around so she will face into Earl's wind, attached extra spring lines to our mooring poles (our "mooring" is between two poles, 60-feet apart), and if needed will drop an anchor.

Fishy Surprise

Despite being late August, New England is having some of its warmest summer weather this week. Today it was already so hot by mid-morning that we needed to run the air-conditioning to keep our computers from overheating. Shortly after the boat had started to cool, all of a sudden the air-conditioning system control panel started flashing red “H H H H”, which is notice of overheating, and quickly shut down in safety mode. We couldn’t believe the system picked today of all days to fail!

My captain soon discovered the cause was a blockage in the cooling system. A fish was stuck in the cooling-water intake seacock, which caused a clog and therefore tripped the system. After removal of the fish—sadly not in time to be saved—the seacock was reinstalled and the air-conditioning was back in working order. 

August Low

I’ve been commenting regularly in conversations about the perfect summer weather we have experienced in southern Rhode Island. But as someone wise once said, all good things come to an end.

For the past 2 days the sky at its brightest has been dark gray. The air at its driest has been misty. The wind at its calmest has caused my home to sway uncomfortably.

The wind has blown a steady 30kts for many hours. When I slide open the hatch (my “front door”) to peer outside I see all the boats moving back and forth uncomfortably on their moorings. I don’t linger, I scan my surroundings quickly and then retreat back inside.

The worst of this stormy weather depression must surely be happening now; the need to clutch handrails or walls to walk safely from cabin to cabin, the unsettling noises of the boat creaking have grown louder, the lapping waves against the hull are more forceful, the howling winds are stronger, and my internet connectivity comes and goes.

With all this activity I am grateful to be warm, dry and afloat in a sheltered harbor.

S/V Event Horizon Position Update

8/14/2010 @ 12:02 AM(UTC)
41°25.77'N 070°54.47'W
Course 037T Speed 0.1kts
Wind 111T @ 9.3kts

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Favorite Neighbors '10

My favorite Wickford Cove neighbors are growing fast.

Morning Visitors

Wickford Cove's resident swan couple visited this morning with their four signets, who despite their innocence knew to make constant chirping noises until I tossed them treats. Mother swan is shown in photo.

Where's the Wind?

Busy professional work loads and unusually light winds have kept Event Horizon and crew inside the Narragansett Bay all month. Thanks to friends we have managed a few day sails around Jamestown.

Kevlar, Not So Tough

This morning we went for a sail in the bay to re-calibrate instruments. All of a sudden, while sailing at a decent clip, the main fell down. Our 1-year old Kevlar main halyard had severed.

My captain deduced that the break was due to the inflexibility of the Kevlar fibers over the sheave at the top of the mast. There was no sign of chafe, just a hidden point of failure that we were lucky occurred during manageable wind and close to home.

As a rule we get an extra ten feet on any line we have made for the boat so that we can often get a longer life out of it by turning it around. We were able to take the broken main halyard to the rigger because there was enough line to trim the break and put a new splice at the other end, leaving us with a safe replacement.