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My Sailing Adventure #5
This adventure was selected later in the sailing season for two
reasons:
- Work obligations held me off from sailing earlier
- More wind is found in the early autumn
This year actually marks over five years of service at my employer,
so I was duly rewarded with a third week of vacation time. Not one to
let it go to waste, I applied it to a week of solitude on the wonderful
Barnegat Bay in New Jersey. If anyone's familiar with this body of
water, it is effectively the northern entrace to the Intracoastal
Waterway (ICW, or 'the ditch'). At this point begins the protection for
thousands of boaters travelling south.
I knew that this particular sailing week was going to be chillier than
previous ones (save the snow sail), so I had some warmer clothing along
for the ride.
Monday
This whole adventure begins with the launching of the boat. I'm not going
to get into a whole lot of details here, but I am going to mention
where I finally got to put the boat in! I launched at the town ramp at
the lovely town of Point Pleasant, NJ. I arrived in town around noon
(long drive) and found the dock (with the aid of a local fishing supply
store owner) by 1:30pm. The town isn't really that small nor that easy
to navigate.
Even though I found the dock, I wasn't anywhere near ready to
launch. My primary worry by this time was whether or not I would find the
trailer and tow vehicle on Friday right where I left them on Monday. I
knew that this town has a concern with image, which means they'd be a
little sensitive about seeing a Jeep and trailer parked somewhere for a
while. After visiting at least four boat yards and receiving four
diplomatic denials, I went to the municipal parking lot (at the suggestion
of one of the boatyard owners. Sure enough, after a conversation with a
town police officer, I received the official approval to park there with
the given phrase "Have fun!" from the officer.
I returned to the town dock and rigged up. Launch was officially at
5:00pm, which was considerably later than when I really wanted to be in
the water. Nevertheless, a lot was accomplished in a town where I had
not launched before, and I wasn't griping.
Because I reached the water so late in the day, I decided I was not going
to push my luck and start sailing right away. Instead, I motored about
500 yards to a protected area an dropped anchor. After checking the
anchor setting, I went below and had dinner.
When I had first set the anchor, I was aware of an oncoming storm. I had
listened to the various weather reports (commercial and NOAA broadcasts)
and was aware of moisture coming. After sunset, the weather did start
kicking up a few waves, but nothing too terribly difficult. Sleeping was
a bit difficult.
Tuesday
After midnight passed and I was lying on my back staring at the ceiling,
the weather got worse. I heard rain gently hitting the hull and deck and
knew it was miserable cold and wet outside. I went back to sleep.
I woke up around 8:00am and opened the rear hatch to look out. The harbor
was cold and grey and somewhat choppy. Apparently the wind had kicked up
a little more after midnight. Because of the expected delays in today's
scheduled sailing, I just sat there, made coffee, ate breakfast, read my
book and wished for better weather. Time certainly seems to pass more
slowly when the weather sucks.
By about 8:30am the wind picked up and exceeded 25 knots easily. Windswept
was no longer just swinging on her anchor, but was actually dragging it
across the harbor! My position observations after about ten minutes of
apparent drifting confirmed the growing danger of smashing upon docks
nearby. This mean I would have to leave the protective cocoon of Windswept
and motor to safety. Essentially, this was a now-or-never, do-or-die
situation. I put on swim trunks, a T-shirt and a windbreaker and got out
to the cockpit.
The outboard started up quickly, I raised anchor to the deck and motored
away. The decision I made was apparently not a moment too soon. The
maneuver needed to clear the docks nearly had me crashing into them!
The plan was to approach a marina, top off the gasoline tanks, fill the
water tanks, get rid of trash and buy any last-minute items. The woman
attending the dock was amazed that I actually had the chutzpah to be
sailing on such a lousy day. She even handed out some Advil tablets
badly needed back on board, free of charge!
After being tied up for about three hours at the fuel dock, I decided
it was high time to get moving on. By noon, the rain had stopped and
the clouds had broken up. The air was crisp and lively and promised a
good day of sailing after all. I took in the hanging clothes, which by
then had dried, and motored away from the dock.
Sailing was nice. I did, however, find out just how shallow Barnegat
Bay is, when the keel hit sandy bottom outside the marked channels. That
was an important lesson, to stick to the marked channels.
Windswept made about ten miles south, crossing under the Mantoloking
Bridge (a single-leaf bascule) and passing several markers. The sunset
is always a wonderful sight.
The day was warm and the winds were strong enough to drive Windswept
without needing the outboard beyond clearing the docks and the lift-bridge.
By the time anchor was dropped, I was ready for dinner and rest. The
nights were getting cooooold!
Wednesday
Wednesday was a sail further south, reaching the Cedar River and dropping
anchor in another protected place. Stars were out in full force.
Thursday
Thursday was the beginning of the return trip to Point Pleasant. This
day was full of wind from the south. Since I was heading north, it was a
day of following seas and a hard push. Several times Windswept had
virtually lifted out of the water on a plane. Today was the fastest I've
ever experienced this boat. In fact, what took three hours of pointing
yesterday only took 75 minutes today!
The swiftness of the sail today had me back in the anchorage from Tuesday
night rather early, so it was time to relax early and take in the sights.
For one, I took a couple of slices of bread and fed seagulls (I hope that
was legal!). Another activity was to sit back and play guitar for those
seagulls. Reading also filled my time. THIS IS THE MEANING OF
VACATION!
Friday
Today's sail was pretty leisurely, with a slight breeze and pointing
high into the wind. The air was warm, but not warm enough for swimsuit
sailing.
What I learned
I learned where the water-entry points are for Windswept. Whenever it
rains outside, water finds a way inside. One bigtime entry point is at
the chainplates. I also learned just how fast Windswept can go when
she's pushed.
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