December 03, 2005
Awesome Video
Click HERE to see an awesome video from our southbound voyage from Charleston to Fort Lauderdale. Dolphins and sailing clips! You have to see this!
Credit to my brother, Jeff, for the video. And thanks to Northern Yacht Club in Kenora, Ontario for hosting the video (our wee web site can't handle it).
Posted by dave at 03:50 PM | Comments (0)
November 16, 2005
Platina's Crew
Well, we made it from Charleston to Fort Lauderdale in 78 hours. A few storms, a little rain, some great winds, some no winds, but relatively rough seas the whole way. This is a photo of Toby, Jeff, Chis and Dave, a bit better polished after three and a half days at sea. We cleaned ourselves up, donned our Platina crew shirts, and headed out for a well deserved dinner. None of us lasted past 8pm, and none of us woke the next morning before 7am.
Posted by dave at 11:10 PM | Comments (0)
Chance of a Lifetime
My brother, Jeff, and our friend from New York, Toby, joined us on our 435 nautical mile southbound journey from Charleston, South Carolina to Fort Lauderdale, Florida. The following entry was written by Jeff.
"How can I complicate your life more?
The subject of the email that arrived prior to departing for Toronto from Winnipeg to help my folks move. Could I join Platina on a journey from Charleston, South Caroline to Fort Lauderdale, Florida. The key message in the email: think before you reply. Took no time at all. The chance of a lifetime. Absolutely.
I was off to Charleston to meet Platina and her Captain and crew. Charleston is a charming city with many friendly people. Had to pick up a few last minute provisions. Had to ensure that there was a multitude of non organic, non fat free, 100% trans fat “junk” aboard to survive the journey at sea.
November 13. Departure 6:00 am. Clear day, light winds. The Cooper River Bridge appears as quickly as it crests on the horizon. The plan: three nights of non-stop sailing to Fort Lauderdale. A crew of four. The watch: four hours on, four hours off. Sail through the night. Keep going until we hit Lauderdale.
New language to learn on board: lumpy, pinching, motor sail, trim, and more. Hourly logs meticulously maintained. Time, course, wind speed and direction, total nautical miles logged, barometer, nautical miles traveled in the hour, sea conditions and weather conditions.
As the tanker passed at the enormous breakwater that surrounds Charleston, the course was plotted due south. Winds did not prevail. Time to throw out the fishing line.
Crystal clear water brought the amazing display of dolphins dancing and playing on the bow, cresting to breathe, and crossing back and forth from port to starboard. The dolphins visit frequently and they are welcome guests that are thrilling to watch. Motor sailing through the day until the winds came up in the evening. Chili for dinner.
The fishing proved to be less than spectacular on the first day. The winds failed to cooperate. Seas were “lumpy” and the definition of corkscrew bore a whole new meaning. The entire crew survived with no logs of sea sickness.
Dave and Jeff had the 10:00 pm to 2:00 am watch. Bright clear night with a full moon to guide Platina on her journey. It took until 6:00 am the next day: the winds picked up as did the fishing! Almost landed a Mackeral followed by a small Tuna.
The barometer maintained steady throughout the journey at 1035 millibars: high pressure with light and variable winds.
The occasional storms brought some winds and Platina enjoys her wind: 20 knots at 40 degrees off the bow and she hits over 10 knots. Amazing. 10 knots and up goes the staysail, a pretty little sail that sits between the main sail and the mizzen.
Frozen pizza was dinner on day two.
Day three brought lots of wind, fish and rough seas. 8 to 10 foot rollers. No dolphins to see today as the seas were rough. Platina saw 10.2 knots boat speed at one point during the day. Land came into view as the day progressed as did the condos that line the shores of South Florida. The chatter on the VHF radio became increasingly amusing: “radio check”, “buuuurp”, “garbled noise for the coast guard”, “thanks for the slow pass” and “nice wake”. Split a few heavy thunderstorms in half as a result of some fantastic electronics and radar on board Platina.
Dave’s famous pasta dinner on rough seas that evening… everything tastes better on the Atlantic.
Dave and Jeff had the “watch” on the final morning from 6-10:00 am. The anticipation of arrival grew as did the traffic on the water. Lauderdale was close. Caught a couple of fish that morning!
Lauderdale forms on the horizon and the rain hits. The fish caught that morning are cleaned and Platina is prepped for arrival.
A pass under the folding bridge revealed the canals of Florida and the incredible Intra Coastal waterway. Bahia Mar Marina was in sight, a marina that Dave and Chis visited while Dennis passed through earlier in the year. Home of one of the largest boat shows in the world, it is an incredible facility lined with many “yachty yachts”.
Other memories include stunning sunsets and sunrises, moonrises and moonsets, flying fish, warships, naval exercises, trimming sails on every watch change, sleep deprivation, “the donkey”, the green flash, gin coloured water that started at 19 degrees and heated to 29.6 degrees, the best tasting cold beer on arrival, 45 gallons of diesel, 450 litres of water, chunks of salt glued to the railings, Jeff wiping out hauling in the jib in rough water, rain storms, Coca-Cola cupcakes, popcorn at 1:00 am, green tea from dragon tears, teamwork, trust and a complete undeniable sense of accomplishment never before experienced. Over 400 nautical miles in 78 hours of non-stop, 4 on 4 off action that never ceased to amaze every sense, even some senses you thought you never had."
Posted by dave at 07:31 PM | Comments (0)
November 15, 2005
Dave Watching the Seas
Posted by dave at 08:59 AM | Comments (0)
Taking it on the Chin
On our Charleston to Fort Lauderdale journey. When we had wind, we had lots of wind. And Platina likes lots of wind. This is a great photo of her efforts to bite through the waves, doing 9 knots (that's pretty fast for our boat).
Posted by dave at 08:56 AM | Comments (0)
Chis & Dave
Posted by dave at 08:55 AM | Comments (0)
Jeff, where are you going?
Brother Jeff on our 435 mile southbound passage from Charleston to Fort Lauderdale. While it looks like he's turning to hit the rail to purge, nobody had any sense of seasickness on our journey.
Posted by dave at 08:41 AM | Comments (0)
November 14, 2005
Jeff, Toby & Chis
On our passage from Charleston to Fort Lauderdale, we had some light winds that allowed us to fly the staysail. It is a pretty sail, and always a pleasure to pull out. After a couple of days at sea, it's a bright change in the day.
Posted by dave at 08:49 AM | Comments (0)
November 13, 2005
Dolphins
I had been trying to explain to Jeff that we would see several Dolphins on our journey. He seemed reluctant to believe me until 4 or 5 joined us, frolicking and playing around the bow, doing what dolphins do in a bow wake. Jeff got many pictures, and some great video footage. Truly magical creatures.
Posted by dave at 11:14 PM | Comments (0)
Departing Charleston
With Jeff and Toby's arrival, the galley well stocked with provisions, and everyone keen for 3-4 days, 435 miles, and forecast of variable winds, we were ready to leave Charleston for Fort Lauderdale. Our bellies were full from a huge dinner at the seafood restaurant at the marina, after lunch at Jestine's Kitchen complete with Coca-Cola chocolate cupcakes. We had company leaving the Charleston Harbour channel.
Posted by dave at 11:09 AM | Comments (0)
November 12, 2005
Coca-Cola Chocolate Cupcakes
Charleston, South Carolina, is rich in history and rich in food. There’s a famous restaurant, Jestine’s Kitchen, that serves real, southern food. There are always line-ups, as the food is delicious, the service is friendly, and the atmosphere is downright comfortable. It’s where we discovered Coca Cola cake (they use Coca Cola syrup instead of sugar). Mmmmmmm.
Our sailing lives have made us bold and carefree, so we did not hesitate to ask our server if the restaurant would make Coca Cola cupcakes for us--you know, so much EASIER to eat at 3:00 AM when you are on watch. (When I said that, they looked at me as if I was crazy, rather than just bold and carefree.)
Anyway, they said that they have never been asked to do such a thing. After discussions with the manager and the pastry chef, they said that they would do it, if we bought $48 worth. We thought, 4 guys sailing for 3 days; can there ever be enough cupcakes? The deal was done.
During our sail south, I believe I ate 5 or 6. I had lots of energy, and seemed to sleep really well (Coca-Cola-syrup-coma-induced, no less).
Posted by dave at 10:32 AM | Comments (0)