SailsForce

On November 3rd we departed York River Yacht Haven for Brunswick around close to noon to take advantage of the outgoing tide. Here are some highlights of the trip:

TGIF surprise – On Friday 6th we were greeted with sustained winds of 30 to 38 knots. Both PredictWind and our weather router Chris Parker predicted 10 to 18 knots that day. On the Beaufort Scale this classifies as Force 7 to 8 or a near gale or gale. We have never encountered these conditions before and it is visually something to see. The ocean bubbles up and fine lines of foam called spindrift blow downwind off the waves that looks somewhat like a finely marbled steak. The wind is not a problem, but after several hours you get large waves some of which were close to four meters. We initially took down the main. Some hours latter we put in the 3rd reef in the genoa because we were going too fast down the waves and were close to a spin out on a few large ones. We saw the boat speed hit 12 knots on one occasion. The closeness in wave interval was more of an issue than the wave height. As long as it stayed below 38 knots we felt safe in this sail plan. Had it gone over 38 we would have switched to the staysail and started thinking about the drogue, fore reaching, or heaving to if we were too fast. We considered going in to safe harbor in Charleston but this would have put the waves on the beam and that would not work. Renegade performed flawlessly throughout and we are lucky she was designed and built for these conditions.

Navy Sendoff – On departure day we saw several displays of naval power. In the Chesapeake we sailed right next to a MH-53E Sea Dragon towing its minesweeping cable. Once outside the bay we were treated to seeing the newest carrier, the USS Gerald Ford, coming back to port.

Flight of the Snowbirds – Our departure day was the first open weather window after the official end of hurricane season. By the time we got out in the bay, there were close to 50 sailboats underway including the Salty Dawg Rally. We were in AIS contact with sailboats going south almost continuously to Cape Fear. The buoy off Cape Hatteras was like a turning mark on a race course with some fun close proximity sailing.

Prepared Meals – Amy prepared some delicious dishes and froze them in lidded aluminum foil pans. The menu included Beefy Bacon Calico Bean Casserole, Chicken Noodle Casserole, Turkey Sausage Fuselli with Ricotta and Spinach, and One Pan Noodle Bowls with Broccoli and Pork Tenderloin. All that needed to be done was to take them out of the freezer and pop them in the oven for an hour.

Brunswick Dawn – We entered the channel at first light and were passed from behind by a huge car carrier just south of St. Simons Island. We made a south turn soon after around the wreck of the Golden Ray still being disassembled. We motored up the channel just slow enough to time our arrival at marina opening so we could get our slip assignment. Another successful trip in the books but a little more tired at the end than others!