Thanks for the "Travel Log" Martin, great read, sounds like it was quite a trip.
Happy New Year! Ken H. On Sun, 2 Jan 2022 at 22:02, Martin DeYoung via CnC-List < cnc-list@cnc-list.com> wrote: > Regarding electronics failing when needed most; a sea story: > > > > Back in 1994 I was hired as the USCG licensed and celestial trained > navigator for a late November delivery from Seattle to Newport Beach Calif. > (I also had my own sextant as required by the owner’s insurance company). > The pro skipper and I had sailed together offshore in the past. At least > one of the crew had been fishing/crabbing in Alaska. The owner’s “party” > included a guy from Idaho who likely had not spent any time on boats > smaller than cruise ships. > > > > The boat was a 70’s era Swan 65 ketch that had recently completed a refit > in Seattle. The Rich Boat Owner (RBO) had been a CEO of a large > engineering/construction company, recently retired. As such he would not > listen to us lowly crew about how unwise it was to venture off the northern > US West Coast in late November. He had hired a pro weather router and > believed the forecast of steady 20/25 with gusts to 35 for the first few > days. Also, he had great confidence in the newly installed desk top > computer based navigation software. > > > > As we departed Seattle, while the RBO’s party was enjoying a cool but > pleasant Puget Sound afternoon having lunch in the cockpit we, the hired > crew were busy lashing down everything on deck and stuffing rags into the > Dorade vents knowing full well how quickly conditions deteriorate as we > head NW out the Straits of Juan de Fuca then SW once past Cape Flattery. > > > > Fast forward +-130 miles as we are close reaching SW with a #3 headsail > and a full main in a TWS of +-20 knots with a boat speed of +-8 knots most > of the RBO’s party have retired for the night and a watch system > established. My 2000hrs to 2400hrs watch went OK but the wind was > increasing. During the next watch the wind increased into the 30’s range. > With the increased wind/seas the bow was diving into the seas (100KLB > displacement at 8+ knots boat speed) and occasional green water was > coursing down the deck. > > > > Sometime into my off-watch I woke up and observed the skipper putting on a > survival suit. I overheard the RBO ask “is there something I should know?” > and the skipper reply he needed to go forward a secure the anchor that had > sheared the ½” SS retaining pin and was dragging out chain. (AKA ”blowing > the dogs off the chains”) Conditions continued to deteriorate. > > > > By late in the afternoon near the start of my next watch the wind had > built into the 40’s well exceeding the RBO’s weather router’s forecast. It > seemed from the VHF weather forecasts several lows had combined and > deepened significantly. (Maybe today they would call it a “bomb” cyclone). > When tucking in another reef in the brand new mainsail the plastic slides > began to fail allowing the luff to separate from the mast. It was decided > to furl the main to prevent further damage. Now the #3 is the only sail > set. (Experienced Ketch sailors are probably asking “why not set jig and > jigger?” AKA mizzen and staysail. IIRC the skipper considered it earlier > but did not want to send someone forward to rig/set the staysail.) > > > > To give an idea of conditions aboard, several of the hired crew were > staying in their bunks claiming seasickness or hypothermia. The poor guy > from Idaho was very seasick and hugging the forward head calling loudly for > ‘Ralph and his Buick”. The forward head was in a bit of a passageway. As > the door swung open I could see the guy in his prone position around the > toilet as a jet of seawater shot down through a Dorade vent and hosed off > the back of his head. At least it cleaned him up a little. About this time > the RBO stated “take me back to Seattle…”. > > > > As we were now over a 100 miles SW of Cape Flattery we needed to gybe to > gain our course back to Cape Flattery. During the gybe the #3’s clew > failed. This turned out OK as under bare poles we were making 6 to 7 knots > on the approximate course. Now the wind was steady around 60 knots (maxed > out the analog wind speed display) gusting higher. The rain and spray > filled the air making visibility poor. (It was blowing so hard when I went > to pee off the leeward mizzen shrouds the negative air pressure/vortex > behind my body cause the pee to go straight up. Thanks be to Mr. Musto for > great foul weather gear.) > > > > As navigator I ducked down the nav station to plot out the exact course > and determine the distance, looking forward to using the easy squeezy > navigation software. Naturally the sea and rain water had caused the > computer to shut down, permanently it proved later. So, now I have a hand > held GPS (Magellan 5000 DLX) that I was very familiar with, paper charts, > depth sounder, and a Furuno RADAR. The paper charts as a backup to the > computer based nav software work great if kept dry(ish). The RADAR proved > quite handy at confirming bearing and range to Cape Flattery (as we got > closer) and confirming I correctly identified the entrance to Neah Bay just > inside the Straits of Juan de Fuca. (At anchor in Neah Bay we also used the > RADAR to confirm the anchor was not dragging.) > > > > By the time we were just off the entrance to Neah Bay it was dark, wind > down to 45/50 knots, rain sideways and plenty of it. That narrow twisty > rock strewn passage had a few day markers but otherwise not particularly > well marked. The skipper asked me to take the helm for the passage in so I > memorized the courses and safe depths. The depth sounder display (old > Signet red numbers type) was close to the helm so I could easily read it to > confirm our position in the channel. Naturally, just as we are at the point > of no return the depth sounder display goes dark. Fortunately the day > markers were reflective and the lookouts had them lit up. Once we were > safely anchored and those of us that had been on deck for way to many hours > had a bite to eat and a cuppa something warm it was off to the bunk for a > few hours of shut eye. > > > > In the morning, winds calmer, rain more normal PNW style the RBO announced > he had chartered a float plane to fly him (and his party) back to Seattle. > (We were +- 120 miles NW of Seattle. It did strike me odd that the RBO > felt safer in a single engine float plane than aboard his Swan 65.) The > float plane’s fuel capacity/range prevented it from reaching Neah Bay so we > got under way for a smaller bay slightly closer to Seattle. (Seiku for > those of you following along with a chart.) After inflating the dinghy and > rowing the RBO’s party to the float plane, we, the gypsies in the palace > now had a very well stocked Swan 65 to play with for the next 16 hours. > > > > Moral of the story: Never be off the PNW coast later than October, rig the > staysail early if it looks to get “sporty”, and keep a few paper charts on > board. > > > > Martin DeYoung > > Calypso > > 1971 C&C 43 > > Port Ludlow/Seattle > > > > > > Sent from Mail <https://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkId=550986> for > Windows > > > > *From: *dwight veinot via CnC-List <cnc-list@cnc-list.com> > *Sent: *Sunday, January 2, 2022 6:29 AM > *To: *Stus-List <cnc-list@cnc-list.com> > *Cc: *dwight veinot <dwight...@gmail.com> > *Subject: *Stus-List Re: Seatalk NG / Nema 2000 device connections > > > > I did not realize that my radar would help them to see me. It helps me to > see objects in my path though when fog is thick. I also have a radar > reflector that I hoist on the flag halyard. That I hope may help others to > see me a bit easier in the fog. Sometimes I have had my electronic gear > fail me when I needed it most. I carry a handheld Garmin gps with blue > charts installed in case my Raymarine chart plotter fails, which it has > > > Thanks to all of the subscribers that contributed to the list to help with > the costs involved. If you want to show your support to the list - use > PayPal to send contribution -- https://www.paypal.me/stumurray Thanks > - Stu
Thanks to all of the subscribers that contributed to the list to help with the costs involved. If you want to show your support to the list - use PayPal to send contribution -- https://www.paypal.me/stumurray Thanks - Stu
