November 2013 Recap

Dates: Nov 1-30, 2013

Elizabeth City, NC – Bath, NC – Washington, NC – Southport, NC – South Carolina – Darien, GA – Saint Mary’s, GA

Sailing: 12.5 hrs

Motoring: 131 hrs (includes motor-sailing)

Mileage: 573 Nm (Nautical Miles)

Budget Amount:      $1590.00 US (All budgeting is in US funds)

Charts/Books:          $      0.00     

Boat Parts:               $  470.00     

Marinas:                   $    40.00

Diesel:                      $  186.00

Beer:                        $   174.00

Grocery:                   $  461.00

Restaurant:               $  117.00

Fees/Services:          $    60.00     (pump-outs, laundry, wifi, taxis, etc...)

Clothing/Shopping   $    35.00

Misc:                        $    47.00     (Propane, etc...)

Total:                      $1590.00

Debit/Credit:          $       0.00

Okay, happy dance. We’re in budget, but just. We were down to 0$ with 3 days left to go, so we just didn’t spend anything, not even a coffee. Serena was determined to make it under budget. When you consider that we are in a pretty expensive area, and we replaced the house bank (batteries), this is quite the accomplishment for us. We didn’t really give up too much either. We just tried to make sure that we only bought the things we needed, instead of the things we though we needed. Unfortunately, December will probably be a right off as we buy presents for our kids back home, and provision heavily for the Bahamas. But who knows, Serena may pull a rabbit out of the hat before the 31^st.

Things We Learned

1. 10 lbs of propane originally lasted us 3 months, then 6 weeks, and the last tank lasted 4 weeks. Eventually maybe will have it down to a tank a day! But realistically, it has been cold, and it takes a lot more propane to warm water for showers, and dishes, not to mention the odd time just to take the chill off the cabin. Plus, we have been doing a lot of baking, and using the barbecue more than usual. However, we have now set up our planning for 4 weeks per 10lb, and if we get a little more out a tank, great.

2. Even boats with a shallow draft eventually run aground. But at least when it happens in the ICW it sounds like smoosh, in contrast to the loud “thud” that it makes in our home waters.

3. Sweet peppers don’t last long on a boat. However, if you buy the little small sweet peppers in a bag, although more expensive, they last about 4 times as long, and they don’t need to be refrigerated. Thanks Kim.

4. When the weather is nice, it is hard to decide whether to go for a walk, run errands, or do boat chores. Because, when the weather is bad, all you want to do is hide under a blanket.

5. Wind against tide in an anchorage is not really important, unless you are trying to get back to your boat in a dinghy that is rather wet in a chop. We were soaked, and I was standing in 8” of saltwater in my new shoes.

6. Always, always, always,,,,, have at least two painters on a dinghy when it is tied to the boat. We didn’t lose the dinghy, but it was close. We had two lines, but the primary let go in a nasty wind, and the secondary wasn’t really up for the task. Luckily the outboard motor smacked into the hull and alerted us that something was wrong.

7. When someone offers you a ride, take it. Because you may need to use that energy later for the time when no one offers you a ride. When we started this adventure, we rarely accepted rides, one because we did not want to inconvenience people, but also because of some purist notion that it was our responsibility to do the work for ourselves. That whole attitude starts to change after 3 or 4 – 4 mile walks in a couple of days. If someone offers you a ride take it. Save yourself, and give someone else that feeling of being a good Samaritan.

8. Wind verses current. My friend and I got in a disagreement a few weeks ago reference wind verses current. He stated that current will always overcome wind. My argument was that at some point the forces of wind will overcome the forces of current, which, according to physics 101, is true. However, generally speaking his statement is more accurate than not as it takes an enormous amount of wind to overcome a rather light current. For our boat, about 15 kts of wind to .8 kts of current. More importantly though, it has made me take special notice of how the boat reacts to wind and tide. I have found that wind has a greater effect on the position of the boat in relation to the anchor, where as current has a greater effect on attitude of the boat, (causing the boat to point into the current. A strong wind will put more strain on the anchor and chain than a strong current, which I found odd, but has been proven to me over and over. But all this explains why the anchor can be out to the side of the boat instead out in front as we traditionally think of it.

8a. This is related to the above, and its an observation with regards to anchoring in tide. People who have never had to deal with tides before, including us, assume that with the tide changing every 6 hours, causes the anchor to reset every 6 hours, which means that 4 times a day, there is a potential for the anchor to drag. But, what we have found is that the tide shift is about the best anchor setter there is. It happens very slowly, giving the anchor tons of time to grab a hold and get a really good grip. We’ve noticed that most people who have a hard time anchoring, are trying to set their anchor too fast, not giving the anchor enough time to settle in. It takes time to set an anchor well, and the tide change gives it loads of time, more than any crew.

That's it for this month. Next month I will try and do this again. The format may change a little as I go. If anyone reading the blog would like to see anything in particular, let me know, I may be able to squeeze it in, especially if it seems like good info to pass on.

Now back to your regular blogging........