Empathy List Archives

GK

Georgs Kolesnikovs

Thu, May 31, 2007 12:22 PM

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
chop from 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

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 chop from 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

JH

Jonathan Haas

Fri, Jun 1, 2007 2:14 PM

Actually, It's Tennison (1850):

I hold it true, whate'er befall;
I feel it, when I sorrow most;
'Tis better to have loved and lost
Than never to have loved at all.

Jonathan Haas

Georgs Kolesnikovs waterworld@rogers.com wrote: 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
chop from 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 (?)