Armond Perretta wrote:
Good tale, Doug, and you ended up with approximately the same number of
people you started with.

Thanks, glad you enjoyed it. The authorities frown coming back with
fewer, and they get downright nosy if you bring back more!

... Two queries:

1. Why do this at this time of year?


'cuz that's when my friend bought his boat!

2. What were your approximately 24-hour runs?


Well, I dunno exactly, since I wasn't the captain and sort of just
piddled with navigating. We made 140 miles in our first 24 hour run, and
in the next 48 hours we made over 350. Once we were on the axis of the
Gulf Stream, we were usually going at least 8 kt SOG and occasionally
hit 13. Say what you like about Hunters, that one at least is a fast boat!

Fresh Breezes- Doug King

I think the problem was not so much the time of the year, but you probably
sailed when there were winds out of the NW, N, or NE. That makes for very
steep waves
in the Gulf Stream with it's northerly flowing current. There are days in the
winter when the winds are more favorable. I have sometimes waited up to a
week for the winds to clock around to give a more favorable crossing.
Shortening sail should be the first thing on a sailor's mind, short of
fighting off catastrophes, like a hole in the
bottom of the boat. Maybe I'm extra cautious because of having a 22 footer,
but I
think bigger boats can also get into trouble, especially in the Gulf Stream.

Sherwin D.

DSK wrote:

Armond Perretta wrote:
Good tale, Doug, and you ended up with approximately the same number of
people you started with.

Thanks, glad you enjoyed it. The authorities frown coming back with
fewer, and they get downright nosy if you bring back more!

... Two queries:

1. Why do this at this time of year?


'cuz that's when my friend bought his boat!

2. What were your approximately 24-hour runs?


Well, I dunno exactly, since I wasn't the captain and sort of just
piddled with navigating. We made 140 miles in our first 24 hour run, and
in the next 48 hours we made over 350. Once we were on the axis of the
Gulf Stream, we were usually going at least 8 kt SOG and occasionally
hit 13. Say what you like about Hunters, that one at least is a fast boat!

Fresh Breezes- Doug King

sherwindu wrote:
I think the problem was not so much the time of the year, but you probably
sailed when there were winds out of the NW, N, or NE.

Nope, winds were E when we first headed out from Ft Pierce, clocking
slowly around to SSW.

... That makes for very
steep waves
in the Gulf Stream with it's northerly flowing current.

Boy does it ever.

Another issue is that the waves tend to build up in a certain direction
and take a long time to die down. We were sailing in a cross-swell most
of the time which made steering tricky.

... There are days in the
winter when the winds are more favorable. I have sometimes waited up to a
week for the winds to clock around to give a more favorable crossing.

I would too, normally. But this was a delivery.

Shortening sail should be the first thing on a sailor's mind, short of
fighting off catastrophes, like a hole in the
bottom of the boat. Maybe I'm extra cautious because of having a 22 footer,
but I
think bigger boats can also get into trouble, especially in the Gulf Stream.

Sherwin D.


Bigger boats, like maybe freighters and/or Navy destroyers?
The ocean is plenty big enough to humble man's grandest creations.

Fresh Breezes- Doug King

sherwindu wrote:
I think the problem was not so much the time of the year, but you
probably sailed when there were winds out of the NW, N, or NE.
That makes for very steep waves ...

I read Doug's post to say they encountered following winds for the majority
of the passage. Unless they were heading south ....

The point is that even with following winds, this stretch of the coast
typically provides pretty good seas for a small yacht. I have made offshore
runs on this stretch a number of times, and in most cases I had periods of
rather large following seas, and I am not talking about gale conditions,
just typical early summer/late fall days and nights. It is worth wondering
why this trip was scheduled for February, but as Don Rumsfeld has famously
pointed out, you go with the trip you have.

--
Good luck and good sailing.
s/v Kerry Deare of Barnegat
http://kerrydeare.home.comcast.net/

Great story, Doug. Thanks for sharing.

Frank

On Wed, 23 Feb 2005 16:59:50 -0500, DSK wrote:

A friend at our marina just bought a 1991 Hunter Legend 40; and wanted
to deliver it from St Lucie Fla up to North Carolina. A retired captain
agreed to take the boat and a few friends signed on as crew.

Great story, by the way, particularly for this time of year when half
of us are on the hard!

What kind of preventers and jacklines did you have rigged?

What kind of tethers and harnesses did the crew have, or did the
owner or skipper provide them?

What kind of foul weather gear did you have, and did it work well
enough in the conditions? (I know it wasn't freezing, but I bet it got
pretty damn chilly in spots with that 40-50 knot wind).

Thanks,
R.

rhys wrote:
Great story, by the way, particularly for this time of year when half
of us are on the hard!


Thank you, glad yoou enjoyed it.

What kind of preventers and jacklines did you have rigged?


Preventers... none. IMHO a preventer might have saved the traveler (but
then it might not) and probably would have resulted in a shredded main
much sooner and possibly a serious (ie flooding) knockdown. One reason
we didn't rig a preventer to the main boom was that there was no place
to secure one, other than the mooring cleats.

What kind of tethers and harnesses did the crew have, or did the
owner or skipper provide them?


I have a wide poly webbing harness with a shock absorber; the captain
brought two harnesses & long tethers; two of the crew bought SOSpenders
the day before departure.

The jacklines were galvanized cable put on by the delivery captain;
these proved a bit troublesome in that they definitely interfere with
footing and also bang up the deck. However I don't doubt that they would
have functioned to keep a person from getting lost overboard.

The biggest problem is accessibility. With an afterthought jackline, not
fitted to the boat, much of the time you can't be hooked on while
working. For example, the biggest risk we had of a person going
overboard was when unrigging the bimini... involving two people standing
up on the coaming, at the height of the squall, wrestling with the
thing... unhooked to jackline of course. Later, when working at the
mast, I had to unhook too. It slows you down and makes it more risky IMHO.

What kind of foul weather gear did you have, and did it work well
enough in the conditions? (I know it wasn't freezing, but I bet it got
pretty damn chilly in spots with that 40-50 knot wind).


I didn't notice the chill until later. Foul weather gear varied... I had
a one-piece Gill dinghy racing suit, which was great until I wore out
the knees crawling on the deck (it was old anyway). After a change into
dry socks, I was comfy. I plan to get another one-piece racing suit, as
I think it's more limber & more waterproof than bibs & jacket. I've also
worn my dinghy racing neoprene booties offshore and find them better
than "offshore" gear... your feet get wet but stay warm. As long as you
have a place to stow the wet stuff, and don't run out of dry towels,
it's the way to go.

Fresh Breezes- Doug King

Doug,

Would the potential flooding knockdown be due to an inability to release
the preventer from the cockpit, or what ?

What would you recommend for properly securing such a preventer, on that
boat, since you say it had only cleats ?

Courtney




DSK wrote:

rhys wrote:

Great story, by the way, particularly for this time of year when half
of us are on the hard!


Thank you, glad yoou enjoyed it.

What kind of preventers and jacklines did you have rigged?


Preventers... none. IMHO a preventer might have saved the traveler (but
then it might not) and probably would have resulted in a shredded main
much sooner and possibly a serious (ie flooding) knockdown. One reason
we didn't rig a preventer to the main boom was that there was no place
to secure one, other than the mooring cleats.

What kind of tethers and harnesses did the crew have, or did the
owner or skipper provide them?


I have a wide poly webbing harness with a shock absorber; the captain
brought two harnesses & long tethers; two of the crew bought SOSpenders
the day before departure.

The jacklines were galvanized cable put on by the delivery captain;
these proved a bit troublesome in that they definitely interfere with
footing and also bang up the deck. However I don't doubt that they would
have functioned to keep a person from getting lost overboard.

The biggest problem is accessibility. With an afterthought jackline, not
fitted to the boat, much of the time you can't be hooked on while
working. For example, the biggest risk we had of a person going
overboard was when unrigging the bimini... involving two people standing
up on the coaming, at the height of the squall, wrestling with the
thing... unhooked to jackline of course. Later, when working at the
mast, I had to unhook too. It slows you down and makes it more risky IMHO.

What kind of foul weather gear did you have, and did it work well
enough in the conditions? (I know it wasn't freezing, but I bet it got
pretty damn chilly in spots with that 40-50 knot wind).


I didn't notice the chill until later. Foul weather gear varied... I had
a one-piece Gill dinghy racing suit, which was great until I wore out
the knees crawling on the deck (it was old anyway). After a change into
dry socks, I was comfy. I plan to get another one-piece racing suit, as
I think it's more limber & more waterproof than bibs & jacket. I've also
worn my dinghy racing neoprene booties offshore and find them better
than "offshore" gear... your feet get wet but stay warm. As long as you
have a place to stow the wet stuff, and don't run out of dry towels,
it's the way to go.

Fresh Breezes- Doug King



--
s/v Mutiny
Rhodes Bounty II
lying Oriental, NC
WDB5619

Courtney Thomas wrote:
Doug,

Would the potential flooding knockdown be due to an inability to release
the preventer from the cockpit, or what ?


Yes. If the boat accidentally gybes, for whatever reason, in severe
conditions, there is a risk that the preventer will hold the sail aback
and knock the boat further over than it otherwise would go... and do to
the fact that the preventer is still holding it, keep the lee side
pressed down and possibly begin taking on water. Boats with large and/or
low companionways, and/or large cockpit lockers opening into the hull
are particularly at risk of flooding (in this or other scenarios).

Another risk with a preventer is that when the boat heels or rolls far
enough to dip the boom end, at good speed... or perhaps just into a wave
crest, that it will either spin the boat around or carry something away.

I have not liked preventers but up until very recently have never had a
problem with accidental gybes.

What would you recommend for properly securing such a preventer, on that
boat, since you say it had only cleats ?


I said it had mooring cleats, which are both the wrong type and in an
awkward place to secure something like a preventer. You want to be able
to cast it off quickly. I'd suggest setting up a big jam cleat, perhaps
leading it fair to a jib sheet cleat.

Fresh Breezes- Doug King

On Mon, 28 Feb 2005 19:31:14 -0500, DSK wrote:

I said it had mooring cleats, which are both the wrong type and in an
awkward place to secure something like a preventer. You want to be able
to cast it off quickly. I'd suggest setting up a big jam cleat, perhaps
leading it fair to a jib sheet cleat.

===================================

That is a common situation. You can secure a good sized snatch block
to the mooring cleat with a short piece of line, and then lead the
preventer line aft from the snatch block to a cockpit winch where it
can be released or adjusted. This is common practice in my
experience. The snatch block can also be fastened forward to the
toerail or a lifeline stanchion base on many boats.