Scott Gaston's great sailing adventure
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From: sgastondesign@yahoo.com Ahoy. |
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Apparently these updates have become very popular. Much more so than I had planed in the beginning. They are being sent all over the country, Melissa in Cali, and even the world, John in Australia. Ray, my college professor at Delaware, is posting these updates on the DEsigners website (thanks, Ray). I am feeling the pressure, I will have to start spellchecking. I hope they are designed well enough, VC! |
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We hauled up the anchor in Norfolk, VA [N36 50 41.7 W76 18 02.4] on the morn of 11 January. There was little traffic along the harbor, just a few battleships heading out to sea and commercial tugboats pushing overloaded barges. We missed the 8:30 Deep Creek Lock [N36 44 51.7 W76 20 18.9] opening, so we tied up to a piling until the 11:00 opening. Once through the lock and in the Great Dismal Swamp Canal (dismalswamp.com) everything was going well until the ship had a run in with a submerged tree branch just before we got to the Virginia-North Carolina border. Some eyewitnesses claim the branch was overhead while others say it was par! tially submerged. One report places the alleged log on the canal bank. I was below deck at work in the navigation center at the time. |
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From what Kevin and I can figure without seeing the propeller, the collision has damaged one or more of its blades. If we run the engine over 2000 rps the propeller wobbles, allowing water to gush in through the stuffing box. This restricts us to a cruising speed of 4 kts under power opposed to the boat’s normal speed of 7 kts. We missed the South Mills Lock due to our crippling speed. We tied the boat up to the bulkhead for the night. For anyone who ventures to the metropolis of South Mills, NC [N36 26 45.5 W76 19 38.7]: according to the locals the only restaurant around is the Citco gas station where fried chicken and hotdogs are served. |
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12 January was a foggy chilly morning. The lock operator dropped the ship 10 feet back to sea level. We cruised down the Lake Drummond Canal and joined the Pasquotank River [N36 23 19.0 W76 17 07.9]. The ship arrived in Elizabeth City, NC [N36 17 51.6 W76 13 06.6] around noon. Elizabeth City had plenty of restaurants, a coin laundry, a post office and a super market. I did the laundry while Kevin and Theresa provisioned. I learned to split the wet clothing between two dryers. Theresa only told me this after I had wasted a few dollars and hours. I recommend the Colonial Bar ! and Grill [N36 18 01.3 W76 13 10.3] on Colonial Ave. Kevin said his steak was the best he had ever eaten. (That is only because Theresa has yet to make a steak onboard.) |
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We left Elizabeth City on the morn of 13 January. We sailed south on the Pasquotank River and into Albemarle Sound. When we got to the middle of the sound the wind had picked up to 30 kts out of the South (the direction we were going) and the swell height had risen to 3 ft. Any one who has spent any time on the water knows these are not fun conditions. About this time the coast guard transmitted a small craft advisory over the radio. We attempted to take it head on but our crippled engine could only push the boat at 1 kt against the wind and seas. So we motor sailed on a reefed jig and tacked into the Alligator River. The next two days were not fun. The wind shifted to the North and increased to 35 kts with substantial gusts. The swells were forming as high as 4 ft in the Albemarle Sound and pounding the boat. The Alligator River runs North-South and does not provide shelter from the cold North wind and waves. The anchor had a hard time biting because the wind and waves kept jerking it out. It took three attempts to set the anchor. We got it good all night on the East bank [ALLIGATORR, N35 51 12.0 W75 59 09.4] while it rained and the Coast Guard put a tornado watch into effect. We attempted the West bank the next afternoon between downpours with no reprieve. By 16:00 the rain had subsided to a sprinkle but the wind was not decreasing. I decided to take advantage of the visibility and the wind. We hauled up the anchor to find that the line was about to part because it had been chafing on the metal roller bracket for a few hours. Kevin will soon be experienced at splicing line. Sailing with a reefed jib I was surfing down the faces of 4 ft waves with the wind at my back. I clocked our speed at 11 kts at one point. (That is fast for a sailboat.) I continued traveling through the night until the river made a turn to starboard (right). We found a lee shore and dropped anchor as the winds whipped by and the rain came down. At least the waves were relatively calm in our new sheltered anchorage. Everyone got some sleep that night. |
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On the morn of 15 January we sailed down the Alligator River-Pungo River Canal. We tied up at the River Forest Marina & Shipyard in Belhaven, NC [N35 31 57.4 W76 36 51.4] at 16:00. We are plugged in and the heat is on. A diver will be here tomorrow morning to look at the prop. Kevin is holding his breath and his wallet! | ||
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I think the crew has learned a lot about cold weather, heavy wind sailing and the importance of protecting the anchor rode (line). We kept a few pairs of gloves and shoes on the engine to keep a dry set ready when the other was frozen. Kevin is reading up on line splicing and chafing protection. Our crew is doing well, everyone is healthy and in good spirits, especially after dinner at the River Forest Manor Restaurant and a few drinks with the locals at a birthday party. Scott Gaston Aboard s/v Rusty Rudder |
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