Captain Ed's Sailing
Flying over the outer banks
       Flying over the outer banks Click here for other images from our trip.
                                                

Issue: # 165/November/2011
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Captain Ed's Sailing

  

 

 

 As you are reading this news letter Rudy Jasper , George MacGown, and I are sailing to the Caribbean on Rudy Jaspers 46' Hunter , Windsong. It looks like we will probably be stuck at the River Dunes Marina for a while. when we do leave I will not have any access to Internet or phone as we will be out at sea.
To explain what is happening. The wind on the ocean is blowing hard out of the North East against the gulf stream that runs  North creating large waves. We have to get across the gulf stream to a longitude around Bermuda in order to have a westerly wind that will blow us to the USVI.  On monday October 31 our weather up date got even worse, looking as though we may be stuck in Oriental for probably another week.
  Until we get to the Virgin Islands my news letters will be copied from my log that I make each day.
October 27

   We woke late this morning since it was so quite at our anchorage on the Pongo for the night. We left around eight in the morning, and traveled until I think around 12:00 noon to 2:00 PM, I forget, the fact checkers will have to verified this. Rudy arranged to stay at the Oriental Marina, which had a spot for one night. We were discussing the impending bad weather from Hurricane Reno and we were wondering where we could hold out for a few days, as we thought that there would not be many spots left in Beaufort, plus it would not be very protected. I heard Fred Manly also from the Newburyport area on the boat Marianna calling another boat and thought that George would like to chit chat with him. I let George know, to which he called him on the VHF radio and Fred recommended that we go up to the marina on broad creek. River Dunes Marina. That is where I am now typing this part of the log at 2:00 am cause I can't sleep. Other than having no communication with outside world be cause I have AT&T this place is flawless with real nice facilities including a swimming pool a hot tub and of course a great restaurant. A friend of mine Gerry Murphy met us here and we all had dinner together. Gerry Murphy is an ex coast guard helicopter rescue pilot as well as an off shore sailor who was able to bounce much info off of us as to the local knowledge of the area as well as the off shore part of the trip that we would be making.

 

October 29

  It is now October 29 and we have been in this marina now for three days and it looks like we may be stuck here till Thursday or Friday. With the wind blowing from the Northeast against the gulf stream, it will be to dangerous to go out on the ocean. It has been  very windy and cold, I cannot make phone calls except when we get the loaner car and go to town. We do have a, lounge to hang out in and the sun is out so it may warm later in the day. Bob Mills has joined the crew so we will be getting used to him being on the boat.   

  

November 5

 As I write this weeks newsletter it is 2:00 AM on November 5, and the wind is howling outside the boat an easy 30 to 35 knots. It has been blowing hard since yesterday morning and is predicted to blow like this until at least Sunday. We have been safely tucked in at the River Dunes Marina, for the last nine days, and not on the ocean where NOAA says the seas are now running 30 plus feet.
This front should clear by the end of the weekend, and we should, by Wednesday, November 9, have a weather window opening, good enough to finish our trip.
   I hope so, I miss Mika the Wonder Dog.
  Anyone who is following our trip on SPOT can start checking again on this coming Monday, or Tuesday, hopefully we will start putting spots out there for you.
 The SPOT has been fun for us, as people have been letting us know when we leave and arrive at places, more accurately than we know, since we are busy during each of those events and don't always pay attention. My friend Gerry Murphy was able to track us down with SPOT and knew exactly when and where, we landed, here in Oriental.
 One of the on going problems so far has been the lack of communication by way of the single side band radio, (SSB). Gerry came out, and with the persistence of Bob Mills, we sort of have that going. That combined with a satellite radio will give us communication with the weather router or anyone else that we need to contact.
 While in Oriental, Gerry also took us to an Enterprise Car rental company where George, Bob, and I rented a car for the day and drove a few hours past Raleigh, North Carolina, out to Georges farm in Vass, North Carolina, where we spent the night.
  We have been eating well both on the boat, as George cooks most meals, and then a couple of times Rudy has taken us to the restaurant that is in the marina.
 Eat, wait, and sleep. It is to be hoped that my next newsletter is more interesting than this. And hopefully sent from the USVI.

 
Follow our trip on Facebook, I will be posting there when I have a chance. Like us on Facebook 

 On board the Windsong we have with us a SPOT GPS Messenger Click here for the web page. This page will update our location Every few minutes so you should be able to follow the path of our boat during the trip. If you are following us on SPOT make sure to switch to satalight. 

Captain Ed's Sailing has been doing charters out of Newburyport  Massachusetts since 2005. Well over 200 people have gone through either a Basic Sailing , a navigation class, or a family hands on sailing charter. We offer hands on sailing instruction in a very relaxed easy to understand manner.



Edward Casazza                                                                                      Find me on Facebook
Captain Ed's Sailing