Thursday, May 31, 2007
Captain's Log from Milt Baker, Rally Leader
On board Nordhavn 47 "Bluewater"

Position 30-31.95N 74-04-36W as of 12:00 EDT
Course 089 deg M
Speed 7.0 kts @ 2050 RPM
517 NM to go Hamilton, Bermuda
Distance made good last 24 hours: 165 NM, average speed 7.0 kts
Distance from Fort Lauderdale 511 NM
Total fuel consumed 475 gals, average 6.7 GPH (including genset time), fuel
remaining 1005 gals
Conditions: Wind 090 deg M @ 20 kts., swells 3-5 ft with 1-2 foot chop from
090 deg. partly cloudy, visibility excellent.
Barometer 1023.0 mb and steady.
Sea water temp 76 deg F, air temp 79 deg F.
ETA RBYC Hamilton, Bermuda: mid-day Sunday, June 3

The eight-yacht Med Bound fleet continues on course for Bermuda and we are now almost to the halfway point. Yesterday afternoon we had a terrific example of the best kind of cruising weather-light winds, flat seas, and happy crew all around. Overnight, the wind increased to 20 knots and the seas built back to 3-5 feet with chop on top. While most of us have regained our sea legs and find these conditions on the good side of tolerable, there's a little more motion than we'd call for if we were placing our order. Weather router Bob Jones of Ocean Marine Navigation Inc. calls for improving conditions-up until Sunday, when he forecasts winds to 15-25 knots with higher gusts and seas 4-6 feet occasionally higher. The bottom line from his morning advisory reads: "If there is anything you can do to increase your speed to arrive in Bermuda as early as possible on Sunday, it will help you avoid the increasing winds that develop in Bermuda during the day. The earlier the arrival, the easier the wind/seas."

Med Bound's "pull back" boat is Beso, the sturdy Nordhavn 40 Chip and Kay Marsh have brought around through the Panama Canal from Dana Point, and her top passagemaking speed over the long haul is just over 7 knots. For the past half day, the Med Bound fleet has had .5 to 1.0 knot of current on the nose (so what's new?), reducing our daily average to about 6.5 knots. We've added as much speed as Beso will allow, and we're up a 6.9 knot speed of advance to try to comply with "Weather Bob's" recommendation. If we can average that speed, we should arrive at RBYC in Hamilton at midafternoon Sunday. With a little luck, flat seas and some decline in the current against us, we'll get there hours earlier.

Yesterday afternoon two fish, both mahi-mahi, were brought aboard Med Bound yachts. New Frontier reported a 38-inch specimen, while the Grey Pearl crew said size was very important but for some unspecified reason somehow never managed to measure length overall of their catch-there's some speculation that it could possibly be on the small side. Nevertheless, we definitely will have plenty of fish for what is evolving into a Med Bound potluck-on-the-pier at the Royal Bermuda Yacht Club. David and Lowie Bock will provide the grill, crewmember Dennis Bruckel is responsible for most of the fish, and the rest of us will bring go-withs.

Bluewater now holds the fleet record for the longest catch: a 60-foot shellfish-encrusted length of polypropylene line with two or three nine-inch styrofoam floats attached. As we motored over it, it attached itself to our starboard stabilizer shaft, the bitter end trailing in the yacht's wake. George Howerton, taking a smoking break in the cockpit, spotted what appeared to be a long white line. After a quick meeting to discuss strategy, we broke out a deadly-sharp "hooknife" given to us last summer in Maine by our friend Charles Starke. (See the Hooknife at www.sailorssolutions.com.) I donned a harness in case I had to work from the swim platform, then we slowed the boat to 1-2 knots. All it took was using our nine-foot boat hook to reach down and bring up the polypropylene line and haul it onboard. We then cut it close to amidships (where the stabilizer fin is) and-to our surprise-the as-yet unseen floats bobbed up in our wake. We were back up at speed in less than five minutes.

Joey Boothby, crewmember on the Nordhavn 47 Imagine, called to offer his services in case we needed someone in the water. Joey served as a rescue swimmer in the Navy and is eager to get into the water. Some of his crewmates are eager too because Joey has sworn off showers until he lands a fish on Med Bound, and so far he is fish-less. Joey works with James Knight of Yacht Tech, is a former Nordhavn 57 captain, and an all-around great guy to have around a boat. He can fix anything . . . except maybe a fish-less yacht.

We've had a few questions about how our Schipperke Katy is doing on this trip. In a word, GREAT. Like the rest of us, she has gotten her sea legs, has a good appetite, and is her usual happy self. We've never met a seasick-prone Schipperke, so Katy is true to her breed. She has taken well to crewmember George Howerton; a few minutes ago George was snoozing in his cabin and Katy went as asked to get into bed with him. She does sleep around!

This morning we heard from Downtime, the yacht that had to leave the rally because of stabilizer probems. Crewmember Dan Topp reported via e-mail that they are proceeding to Charleston in flat seas using a single stabilizer. They hope to arrive tomorrow, Friday. We wish them godspeed.

Other than Downtime's deal-breaker with the stabilizers, mechanical problems on Med Bound have been minimal, the equivalent of a few aches and pains but nothing significant. On our 8 o'clock roll calls, all captains are reporting their machinery in good condition and doing the job. We all make small repairs underway, to be sure, but by and large this Med Bound group seems very sound and the crewmembers are more than up to the task of keeping things running.

I'll close with an observation about the true fishermen. David Bock mentioned that he had Salty Dawg's back door open all the time so Danforth, their Labradoodle, the only other dog on the rally, can come and go as she pleases. The door is open so the crew can hear the reel sing when a fish takes the lure and runs. Not being true fishermen aboard Bluewater, we take the easier route-let the generator and air conditioners run, keep the salt air on the outside, and enjoy what comfort we can muster. We get a lot of miles out of every fish and will be eating the 51-inch mahi-mahi we caught in the Bahamas in April all the way across the Atlantic. We catch 'em to eat!

We're hoping the real weather will soon catch up with Weather Bob's forecast for today: ENE-E 05-10kts, waves 1-2ft. Swells, ENE-E 1-3ft, 7-8sec. At the moment it's due E 20 with seas 3-5 building to 4-6. Our fingers are crossed!

 

May 31, 2007
Captain's Log from Jim Fuller, Group 1 Leader
On board Nordhavn 43 "Summer Skis"

Time 1200
Position: 30.29.05 N 74.06.22 W
Distance covered from the dock at Coral Ridge Y.C.: 503 NM
Distance traveled last 24 hours: 147 NM
Approximate distance to go: 483 NM

Yesterday's mileage was in error as it related to distance from Coral Ridge Y.C. I think I have corrected my calculations.
The last 24 hours have been very easy compared to previous days. As you can see we have been slowed down by head winds, seas and adverse currents. We are adjusting our speed to get into Bermuda Sunday before noon as there is a possibility of poor weather late Sunday and Sunday night.

Both of our weather routers are saying the weather will change later in the week. Hopefully with the increased speed we will miss most of it.

Each day each boat posts a "trivia" question that is to be answered at the 2000 roll call. Our questions are of the New England boat type and we have gotten some interesting answers.
Today's question posed by SS is: How far is New York from Rhode Island? The answered: 1.2 Nautical miles. The distance from Wickopisset rock off Fishers Island to Nappatree Point Rhode Island.
Tomorrow's question will be: What popular New England Island is know as "The Bermuda of the North?" Answer: Block Island

The weather is clear and there is no need for air conditioning.
We have seen a number, about 5, very large fish jump completely out of the water about 300 yards from the boat. We have no idea what they are.

The boat continues to perform well and last night was steak night on the grill.

We are looking forward to our arrival in Bermuda on Sunday.

 

May 30, 2007
Captain's Log from Jim Fuller, Group 1 Leader
On board Nordhavn 43 "Summer Skis"

Time 1200
Position 28.58.90 N 76.55.00 W
Approximately 225 miles east of Daytona Beach FL
Distance covered from the dock at Coral Ridge Y.C.
619 NM
Distance traveled last 24 hours; 188 NM
Approximate distance to go: 630 NM

In the last 24 hours we have moved east of the Gulf Stream and we are now enjoying very calm seas and gentle winds. When we made the turn to Bermuda yesterday we were at the back of the fleet as a safety net if there were any problems. We were essentially five miles behind the lead boat.

When the turn was made and we intersected the rhumb line to Bermuda we were 4 miles ahead of the fleet. The rally leader Milt Baker indicated that we could all go to Nav. mode and it was no longer necessary to maintain an inverted "V" formation. In essence the slower boats are now in the lead. Based on the SOG (Speed Over Ground) those behind us should catch up sometime Saturday. We are all within VHF radio range and at night we can see the lights of the other boats. The boat continues to perform well.

The fishing expertise of "Salty Dawg" is quite good. So good they are hosting cookout on their boat in Bermuda so we can enjoy the fruits of their labors. So far the count is 6 18-20 Lb Mahi Mahi, 4 20 Lb Wahoo, and one Mackerel. The other boats have been not been as successful. That includes Summer Skis. Unfortunately one of our boats had to drop out last night due to a serious stabilizer problem. Downtime owned by Walter Smithe of Chicago had to return to the Florida coast for repairs. Walter and Mary will be missed. Once repairs are made they will continue their trip up the ICW to the Chesapeake Bay and New England.

Today being calm and very pleasant we are taking care of some house keeping items, vacuuming, doing laundry, and tonight we will grill steaks on the grill in the cockpit.

We cannot believe the difference in the weather, in fact we have been running without stabilizers for about 4 hours. It reminds me of a day trip to Block Island. A very gentle ocean swell and wind of about 5-7 knots. Based on what we have been hearing from "Weather Bob" as well as Chris Parker it looks like this for the rest of the trip.

Our projected ETA to Bermuda's Southwest way point is 0945 Sunday June 3. This will be updated as we get closer as there are still some currents in the area between us and Bermuda. Based on our speed and the distance to travel this should get us into Hamilton in the mid-afternoon. We will need the time to clean the outside of the boat. We are "caked" with salt, even as high as the Radar antenna.

We are all looking forward to the continued calm conditions and our arrival in Bermuda.

 

Wednesday, May 30
Captain's Log from Milt Baker, Rally Leader
On board Nordhavn 47 "Bluewater"

Position 29-57.15N 77-13.35W as of 12:00 EDT Wednesday, May 30, 2007 -
212 NM E of St. Augustine
Course 086 deg M
Speed 7.5 kts @ 2000 RPM
663 NM to to go Hamilton, Bermuda
Distance made good last 24 hours 170 NM, average speed 7.0 kts
Distance from Fort Lauderdale 346 NM
Total fuel consumed 310 gals, average 6.7 GPH, fuel remaining 1,170 gals
Conditions: Wind 115 deg M @ 11 kts., swells 2-4 ft with 1-2 foot chopfrom 115 deg. hazy, visibility excellent.
Barometer 1023.8 mb and steady.
Sea water temp 80 deg F, air temp 80 deg F.
ETA RBYC Hamilton, Bermuda, mid-day Sunday, June 3

" 'tis better to have loved and lost than never to have loved at all." --Shakespeare (?)

I am sorry to report that one yacht left the Med Bound 2007 fleet overnight, turning back to the Florida coast to deal with a problem that left the boat completly without stabilization. Coming to bed about 0300 after her mid-watch, Judy awoke me to tell me that the fleet has slowed while Nordhavn 50 Downtown time pinned a stabilizer fin after the system began seriously leaking hydraulic fluid. Not long after that, crewmember George Howerton knocked on the door to report that Downtime had another serious leak on the other side and, reluctantly, Captain Walter Smithe III made the decision to turn back.

I spoke with Walter by radio just after he made the turn, telling him we were truly sorry to see Downtime returning to Florida. However, in his shoes, I said, I would probably do the same-as good as these yachts are, they are not meant to go to sea without stabilization. For me, good stabilization is a safety issue as much as a comfort issue-being tossed around a rolling yacht risks falls and bruises, and interrupts crew rest. Crewmembers without good rest make bad decisions.

It is tough to spend hundreds of hours and thousands of dollars to get a yacht ready for a serious offshore passage only to have a vital system fail, forcing the crew to seek the nearest port. Any seasoned yachtsmen has been there, and I can tell you from personal experience it's the one of the worst days a skipper faces. There goes everyone else headed off over the horizon, and here we go back to spend more time and money getting the boat fixed.

Downtime's experience brings to mind the Shakespeare line above, and I salute Walter, his mate Mary, and their two late addition crewmembers. They cast their lot with Med Bound 2007 and successfully covered nearly 1/3 of the miles to Bermuda before turning back. They enjoyed the camaraderie, made a real contribution to the Med Bound experience, and we're all saddened by their departure.

Yesterday at 1700 the fleet made its turn for Bermuda, changing course about 80 degrees and picking up the rhumb line for a waypoint on-soundings just south of Bermuda. Winds remained from the east at about 20 knots and seas were 4-6 feet as we made the turn, putting both wind and sea on the nose. As someone said, "Goodbye Mr, Roll; hello Mr. Pitch!" We saw bows rising and falling, bulbous bows on the two 62s coming almost all the way out of the water from time to time. Not comfortable! As the water temperature dropped a few degrees and the Med Bound fleet made its way out of the Gulf Stream, the wind no longer blew against the current, and the seas diminished. By midnight, the motion was much less. By daybreak, winds were down to 15 knots, seas were down, and morale went up by a like amount.

Having done passages both alone and in company, let me say that something I really like about going with other boats-besides the safety and camaraderie-is comparing notes with other skippers. Yesterday I mentioned how impressed I am with AIS. Today, I want to hasten to remind you that AIS is not without its problems. Pickey, pickey . . . several of us are finding that we do not get as much range as we would like, either receiving AIS signals from other vessels or transmitting our own information. On my 2100-to-2400 watch, several of us explored possible reasons. We believe we came up with some reasonable answers-avenues to follow to resolve the problems. Today, the discussion continued.

Today's discussion segued to stabilizers and how to deal with failures like the one Walter had. We're not sure exactly what happened aboard Downtime or how they sought to make repairs, only the end result. Most of us in this fleet have electronic stabilizer systems, meaning a system problem can often be temporarily resolved by manually pinning a fin and disconnecting electrical power to it. The other fin will then carry all the load. Aboard Bluewater we had to disable a fin once last year and covered 100 miles or more across the Gulf of Maine and Cape Cod Bay and down to Newport, RI-we barely noticed the difference. I should point out, however, that our fins are oversized, which may have made a difference.

Now that we are out of the Gulf Stream, the fishing has taken a nosedive. Fishing meister Dennis Bruckel aboard Salty Dawg landed one more today if I remember correctly and I beleve that's it for today's catch. Jim Fuller has e-mailed RBYC to see if we can bring our own catch to be barbequed at out welcome BBQ event.

With gentle weather, light winds, smooth seas, and good camaraderie, Med Bound 2007 has fallen into an easy motion-the right kind of passage . . . may there be more of this to come!

--Milt, Judy, George, and Schipperke Katy

 

Tuesday, May 29
Captain's Log from Jim Fuller, Group 1 Leader
On board Nordhavn 43 "Summer Skis"

Time 1200
Position: 28.55.48 N 79.37.14 W
Approximately 70 miles east of Cape Canaveral FL
Distance covered from the dock at Coral Ridge Y.C. 182 NM
Approximate distance to go: 790 NM

We have been running in the Gulf Stream for two reasons.
1. The current carrying us North is also pushing us to the east toward Bermuda.
2.The wind and seas have not been conducive to making a straight run to Bermuda.
Our weather routers have been saying that we can turn east to Bermuda this afternoon and we can expect moderating seas and winds once we head east. We hope so as it is very tiring to be always rolling and pitching on the boat. It has calmed down in relation to yesterday and we were able to take showers today and sleeping is a little better. Pat has pulled a macaroni and ham dish that Marge made out of the freezer for tonigh t's dinner.

We have not put out a fishing line as it has been too rough for us to be out in the cockpit. This has not discouraged the bigger boats from fishing. Salty Dawg is the current record holder with I believe 5 fish caught with the largest being a 25 Lb. Mahi Mahi.
All the boats are per forming well and despite the uncomfortable seas we are enjoying ourselves. Lots of "chatter" on the radios and some good fun.

Well it is time for the afternoon nap.

Next report tomorrow and we will have a firm ETA for Bermuda.

Tuesday, May 29
Captain's Log from Milt Baker, Rally Leader
On board Nordhavn 47 "Bluewater"

Position 28 49.09N 79 37.69W as of 12:00 EDT Course 004 deg M Speed 8.2 kts @ 2000 RPM
835 NM to to go Hamilton, Bermuda
Distance made good last 24 hours 163 NM, average speed 6.8 kts, distance
from Beaufort 631 NM, average speed from Beaufort 6.6 kts.
Total fuel consumed 150 gals, fuel remaining 1330 gals (estimated)
Conditions: Wind 065 deg M @ 18., swells 4-6 ft with 2-3 foot chop from 065deg. M, partly cloudly, Visibility excellent.
Barometer 1023.8 mb and steady.
Sea water temp 82 deg F, air temp 77 deg F.
ETA RBYC Hamiton, Bermuda, PM Sunday, June 3

Amid a little hoopla and farewells from friends, our nine Med Bonund 2007 yachts departed Coral Ridge Yacht Club about 1400 on Memorial Day, assembled in Port Everglades to await the helicopter carrying marine photographer David Shuler and PAE VP Jim Leishman, and once the chopper was overhead, proceeded in single file out the channel to the sea buoy. The helicopter was zooming overhead, hovering just a few feet off the water and darting in and out of our formation, but it was time to wave and smile for Dave's pictures, not to mention dodging giant container ship and a cruise ship entering the port from sea and the usual yachtsmen taking aim at our small fleet. It was a relief to reach the sea buoy and turn north!

"Give me a great helicopter pilot, and I'm a great photographer," said David, "but give me a poor one and I am just another picture-taker." We haven't seen the pictures, but from the ground it looked as if Dave and Jim had an expert at the controls, and we're expecting great pictures. After turning at the sea buoy, the nine Med Bound yachts formed into three ranks of three a few boatlengths apart for tight shots. And David wasn't the only one taking pictures. Aboard Bluewater we shot 100 or so with the ship's new new Nikon SLR (what a camera!) and are delighted with the results. Other heads bobbed behind cameras on all the other yachts.

All the Med Bound photos go to our "photo czar," Christine Bauman, skipper of the N55 Moana Kuewa, who promises to collate them into a CD and slide show for participants. Many will no doubt end up in the Nordhavn archives, just as many from Dean Wiley's "photo grunt" collection on the Nordhavn Atlantic Rally did. It's a great way for Med Bounders to get a good photo collection, with Chris doing most of the heavy lifting.

Speaking of the NAR, from the helicopter Jim Leishman told us that the weather for the start of Med Bound looked very much like that for the start of the NAR. Jim should know, since he was the rally leader for the 18-yacht NAR crossing to Gibraltar. Braun Jones, skipper of N62 Grey Pearl, said he felt our weather might be a little lighter than the start of the NAR. At any rate, offshore we found 20-knot winds gusting to 25 and occasionally 28 knots and 4-6 foot seas through the afternoon. Winds and seas with any northerly component usually kick up very bad seas in the Gulf Stream, but not this time. The spate of NE winds, however, did slow the Gulf Stream, giving us a push of only about 1.5 knots, well down from the usual 3 to 5 knots. Overnight wind and seas moderated a bit, but at this writing we're left with 4-6 and a little chop on the top. Overnight, Bluewater's second freezer managed to open it's (we thought) locked door and spill all the contents; George and Judy cleaned up the mess as I blissfully slept through the event.

We hope to arrive in Bermuda ahead of some possible weather late Sunday, so we pressed on overnight with the RPMs up a bit, the fleet averaging around 8.5 knots through most of the night with help from the Gulf Stream. We had the usual night encouters with other vessels, including a coast guard cutter (identified by Braun) interested in our formation and a tug with a 200-meter tow making 3.5 knots into the Gulf Stream. As Med Bound yachts steered clear of the tug Elizabeth Ann, her skipper called Med Bound yachts with AIS by name, negotiating passing like a true gentleman.

I called the watch officer of a large ship overtaking the Med Bound fleet on the mid-watch, explaining that he was overtaking a group of motor yachts in formation--the implication being that we'd like him to give us a wide berth. He acknowledged, turned to port, and did indeed steer clear of us. I believe in being proactive with other vessels! Having an AIS makes it ever so much easier.

Each time I am offshore these days I seem to sing the praises of our AIS (automatic information system) transceiver. Installed on a ship or yacht, this small electronic device sends a vessel name, position, course, speed and other information to others nearby, and the AIS' computer automatically calculates the relative position, closest point of approach (CPA), and time of CPA of other nearby vessels. With the other vessels' names shown, it's an easy trick to call any one by name and discuss a crossing or passing situtation. All ships over 300 gross tons and engaged in international trade are required to have one, and many yachts carry them as well. In our Med Bound fleet, six of the nine yachts carry two-way AIS, one carries a receive-only version, and two have none. Using AIS, it's also easy to track the other AIS-equipped Med Bound yachts, but a bit more of a chore to track those not equipped with AIS transceivers.

Lugger tech Bob Senter explained at his seminars that the only true measure of a filter's condition using a vacuum guage in a fuel system is at full RPMs, so the Med Bound skippers agreed that at 11:45 am each day we'd run our engines up to (or near) full RPMs. That's also a good way to identify problems, especially with cooling systems and fuel systems. We had our first full power run today and it unfolded without incident.

Salty Dawg is shaming the rest of the fleet with it comes to fishing. So far they've landed a mahi-mahi weighing in in the mid 20 lbs., a 6-7 pound barracuda ("delicious," says head fisherman Dennis Bruckel), a small mackerel which skipper David Bock pan fried for lunch. Grey Pearl claims to have a freezer full of fish, but there's speculation that it may have come from the fish market.

At my captain's meeting yesterday, I put up a graphic showing the moon would rise a little after four in the morning. The graphic came from Nobeltec's Tides and Currents program, but the moon didn't obey--it rose a little after midnight. Con Reynolds of the N62 New Frontier tells us that when the wind has been blowing really hard offshore for a long time, as it has, it blows the moon over the horizon early. Who can argue with such logic?

Now that we've been underway nearly 24 hours, most of us are finding our out-of-practice sea legs. Chief Engineer Bernie Francis, aboard the N55 Moana Kuewa, tells us that the conditions we've seen over the last 22 hours are probably worse than anything we'll see in the Med--great news to those of us on the three boats bound for the Med.

Med Bound 2007 is on course, and we make our turn and pick up the rhumb line for Bermuda about 5 pm today.

--Milt, Judy, George, and Skipperke Katy