Underway 4
Trip Start
May 07, 2007
1
16
28
Trip End
Jun 15, 2007
The Atlantic,
Florida,
United States
Friday, June 1, 2007
Keep in mind that were it not for the speed challenged Nordhavn 40, we would be traveling much faster but everyone knew that going in to the rally. Not to mention Beso is still here and others have dropped out! Most times, we cruise at 7kts but this vessel could go at 11kts. That's good speed for a 75 ton, full displacement trawler. But going that fast would move our fuel consumption from under 5 gal per hour to over 18 gal per hour. The who idea of this trip is that its an open rally. So the larger, faster vessels go slower to accommodate those who can not.
Life on ship is now pretty routine. The watch duty rotates daily so our three hour watches rotate around the clock in three hour chunks spread over 3 teams of two. The late night watch is not a lot of fun unless there are radar targets. Last night, we followed one "on the glass" for an hour or more. We had a CPA (closest point of approach) come down to 1.2 miles which was too tight for our safety parameters. So our group leader hailed them on the radio. It was a Russian freighter called Gdansk. The voice on the radio sounded tired and weary like a dark Russian day. But they did alter course to stay out of the way of the 8 little dots on the radar. Seeing small pleasure yachts in open ocean is not a usual sight. More often it is sailboats who ply the seas like traveling vagabonds. But the range and safety feathers of these vessels qualify them to take to the worlds waters. So here we are.
So far, no dangerous crossings or other situations. The biggest danger is my lost vodka, but I have substituted beer for my evening happy hour.
You might be wondering how we all get along in close quarters for such a long voyage. Let's review the cast of characters on the New Frontier.
The captain (Jerry) and the Admiral (Con) (as she enjoys being called) can be a couple of real characters. Jerry is an easy going, likable guy with a smooth sense of humor. He jokes constantly and is very easy to be around. He is very competent with his vessel and seems like the kind of guy who could handle lots of situations with ease.
The Admiral enjoys being the Admiral and is a very nice and generous lady. She seems to enjoy fashion, art and good living. She hopes the New Frontier will take her around the world and she and Jerry are off to a good start.
Con is less at ease with the boat and that is why she hired another licensed captain (John) to come with us. Sue and I met John several years ago as he delivered our sailboat from Charleston, SC to Palm Beach, Florida. This is the boat we later traded for "First Forty". He's a tall, thin, fit and fairly quiet man. He is both experienced and confident in his manners. Because of the number of people on vessel, John is sleeping in the salon on the couch. He's easy to be around.
Finally, we have Mike. Mike is a character who is also a licensed captain. He has spent most his career as a seaman in the merchant marine. He's constantly joking and enjoys cutting up big time. I might be tempted to say, "Mike doesn't miss many meals", but according to Mike he eats very little. I'll accept this self evaluation except if you count the half bottle of peanut butter missing from the galley. You get the idea. He is a great guy who is both experienced yet easy to be around. He's hoping to buy a Nordhavn and travel the world with his wife. The live in Maine. We are hoping to see him this summer and meet his wife Barbie and have them cruise with us in Maine. We have enjoyed his company that much. Overall it's a group of people that are doing well together.
Yesterday we another good day for the humans and bad for the fish. Mid-afternoon, two more Mahi hit the lines. I'm told they travel in pairs so we hit both of them. These are terrific looking fist and almost glow in the water. But this time, we boated only one of them. Before you could say, 'fish for dinner', Mike had the fish gaffed and filleted. More fish went in the cooler and later on the bbq. I joked that as soon as the other fish saw the Barbie on the stern, it said "no thanks', I'm going back. It bit thru the line and swam off...his friend or mate was dinner.
This morning, I was on watch from 6-9am. I happened to find a radar target about 12 miles out which had gone un-noticed by anyone else in the fleet. Using some of the advanced electronics found on Jerry system called ARPA, I found it to be a large freighter which would pass only 1.2 miles from us. Since we are only the second boat, this would put it on a collision course with the later vessels.
I called the fleet on VHF and ask for confirmation. Soon it was confirmed that another European freighter was bearing down on us. This time on a collision course. The more experienced captains collaborated on the radio and made the call to the foreign captain. Again the sound of Russian crackled through the radio in response to our transmission explaining that we he was seeing is a group of small motor vessels making way across the Atlantic.
The officer of the watch said he would alter course. We now waited to see if it would really happen or the "law of tonnage" would prevail. After a few minutes, there was no confirmation of a course change. The massive ship was on a dead collision course with our second to last vessel: M/V Imagine. Captain Greg (an MD) of Imagine sounded firm but slightly tense as he hailed to the bridge of the apparently Russian vessel. "We have a CPA of 0.0" and request you alter course to starboard allowing us a CPA of at least 1.5 miles...over", he requested over the cracking radio. Again the Russian officer said he would alter course. Soon we saw the tracking computer confirm that fact that vessel would fall off. I think I was not the only one who took a slight sigh of relief. It was a great learning experience.
Today is Friday and all of us look forward to getting into Bermuda. Jerry and Con have a friend visiting in Bermuda who will be staying on board. So as a result, Sue and I will temporarily leave the New Frontier and take a sleeping berth on Salty Dawg when we are in port. We'll be back on New Frontier for the final leg into Newport, RI.
Salty Dawg is a Nordhavn 55 owned and operated by Dave and Lowie. They sold everything, have retired from their jobs and live aboard fulltime with their dog Danforth (Danny) about a year and half ago after getting the boat built for them. They are one of the remaining three vessels going in to the Med. Dave is a retired dentist....mostly bald with a tight ponytail draping down his collar and a grey ragged beard- a la Hemingway. At least he is enjoying it. He has two hired crew aboard who have since extensive sailing in the South Pacific. It should be interesting to visit with them. We are envious since we would have been there until Adventure changed their mind.
So this completes today's log entry. As I look out the salon window, I see gently rolling seas of no more than 1-2 feet. This is a great day to be on the water.
