Association Forum - Lysistrata will attract all hazards in the area.

Assn Members Area · Join

Home.

Association Forum

Ships Store

Cruising

Racing

Technical Tips

Photo Gallery - New

Boat Search - Updated

Manuals & Brochures

Swap Meet

Links

Officer Flag Line & Staff

Bylaws & Constitution

Members Area

Join the Association

Notice:
The advice given on this site is based upon individual or quoted experience, yours may differ.
The Officers, Staff and members of this site only provide information based upon the concept that anyone utilizing this information does so at their own risk and holds harmless all contributors to this site.

Association Forum

Username:	Password:
Save Password
Forgot your Password?

All Forums

Catalina/Capri 25/250 Sailor's Forums

General Sailing Forum

Lysistrata will attract all hazards in the area.

New Topic

Topic Locked

Printer Friendly

Author

Topic

redviking
Master Marine Consultant

Member Avatar

USA
1771 Posts

Initially Posted - 10/19/2008 : 09:35:26

<font size="1">Quote:"Au contraire. Based on recent history, Lysistrata will attract all hazards in the immediate area. Simply follow them around at a safe distance, say 1/4 mile, and you'll have a comfortable and hassle-free cruising experience. :>)"</font id="size1">

Sorta like my business of selling doublewides to folks with expensive homes in tornado alley. Ever notice how the mobile homes always seem to get hit? www.DecoyHomes.com

Sadly, there may be something to that!

We are anchored in Deltaville riding out a pretty strong wind storm and there is a good sized two masted schooner sinking at the docks. Coasties came out and looked at it yesterday. Must be nothing they can do.

Actually, we did have an incident free summer. We haven't been hit since the C470 in Annapolis, knock on boat. My mother had a stroke recently and I even left my wife for 2 weeks on the hook while I was in Oregon without incident. A couple of boats anchored close enough to read their vin numbers, but nothing too scary.

Ok, so the giant catamaran that didn't put enough scope down, with the wife at the helm and only one of the engines running, trying to dodge boats including Lysistrata, with the hook down, me aboard and the harbormaster screaming to get out there and assist, while people were reporting water spouts a mile or so away - that was not really scary, but certainly exciting.

After a lot of reflection, each of the incidents could have been avoided except for the C470 incident which was just random Annapolis Clorox foolishness. The incidents in St. Augustine and Charlestown were both in places where the tidal currents are strong and wreak havoc on poorly anchored boats. We are looking to avoid Charlestown this year OR pick up the Mega Dock, or find a different place to anchor. Or I'll drop all 6 of my anchors and spider web myself and put our floats all the way around, thereby creating my own security zone!

We now put bumpers out when in tight anchorages. This sorta tells everyone that we care. Some probably think we are prone to drag and stay away!

But as you all know or should figure out someday, spend enough continuous time out here and you'll find some sort of adventure.

For example: SV Lysistrata departed Block Island at 09:45 and hit the Race perfectly. Dave Bristle understands that one. More currents, narrows, etc.. Anyhow, we flew to City Island - motorsailing some of the way and sailing at 6 knots in 12 knots 25 degrees off the nose most of the time. Love northwesterlies!

Got to City Island too early in the morning, so we needed to either drop a hook and rest for an hour or just hover. We were looking forward to dropping a hook and just resting our collective bones since we had done the 3 hours on/off thing all night. Go to start the engine and nothing... Damn! first vapor lock ever! Racor filter must be getting clogged, but screw that, I gotta get this thing started or thrown down a hook! Fortunately I bled the lines in all of about a minute - amazing how fast you can work when you have to!

Anyway, now that I am all "jacked up", I am not going to rest. We check currents for Hell Gate and HELL YES, we is agoing! We fly thru NYC with great sunshine, decent temps, and a gold beer after Hell Gate to celebrate!Running the inside for the second time! Truly a cool experience seeing the city and Ms. Liberty from the water. Last year we tied up to the 79th Street Boat basin Balls for a week at $30 bucks a night! This year, we are on a faster pace given plane tickets out of Jacksonville to France on Thanksgiving day!

Anyway, we bang a left and wave at Ms. Liberty thanking her for her service - perhaps she has seen the Constitution roaming around? Just kidding.

And we head for Coney Island. Bang a right with with Cape May as the objective and we resume watch schedules. I might add that the seven cheese omelet with garlic butter home fries really helps me sleep during my morning off watch.

Anyhow, at 11:00 we observe a Canadian vessel - 35 to 40 feet off in the distance. We can make out the name and then we see this guy zigzaggin all over the place. No worries, looks like he is going to pull into Atlantic City, oops now he's out here again and now on our Port side? This dance continues while I make dinner - homemade shrimp and broccoli with a bunch of cheeses pizza. Conditions are calm and we settle in for our night watches with the diesel droning away.

At 02:00 my wife awakes me, "Sten the engine is making a funny noise." I knew immediately what had happened as it had happened before. The accessory bracket that holds the second alternator and the refrigeration compressor had broken again. (It snapped off completely when we were delivering Lysistrata to New England from the Chesapeake). I quickly go about riggin a repair which included a bunch of towels to port forming a motor mount of sorts and heavy line rigged to the companionway steps now supporting the entire bracket which basically resembles a big flat steel bed with two cantilevered brackets going back to the engine mounts. Anyhow, I resolve most of the vibration issues and get it somewhat stabilized. 1/2 an hour to my watch - might as well stay up.

Meanwhile our Canadian friend had reappeared. He had warned us via VHF that his tri color was not working all of the time. So we see what appears to be a distant light, charted, but radar has a bogey at a mile and closing? After dismissing the radar blip as a mylar balloon, I still alter course just in case. The damn thing keeps trying to intersect with us! I still can't see why. I now alter course to port and head offshore. The bogey does too! Fishing boat with no lights? Pirates? Then I remembered the Canadian and hailed him. Sure enough.... Probably didn't have an autopilot or really wanted to buddy boat.

Anyhow, the sun was coming up as we neared Cape May and this guy is still all over the place. We talk on the VHF and he is continuing in what is now southerlies all the way to Norfolk on the outside. I am envious as the Chesapeake is time consuming and the Boat Show is my wife's idea... Anyhow, we are planning to stay and rest in Cape May when it dawns on me - wonder which way Delaware bay is running. Quick conference with the admiral and we are turning around right in the middle of the inlet. We'll run up the Delaware and thru the C&D canal no matter what. Looks like we will hit the entrance to the C&D before dark but it will be dark going through. No worries. We have a great day and the only HAZARD was the reported sailboat with no lights other than an anchor light! We too saw him and hailed but no response.

Meanwhile, my jury rig for the engine is holding up fine with some minor tweaking while underway. Needed to tweak in the morning and yes, you guessed it, some of the line wrapped around the secondary alternator! Engine bogs and I quickly shut it down, grab a knife, cut the belt and turn the engine on again. OK, down one alternator still have refrigeration. We limp into Annapolis without problems. The vibration is annoying, but hopefully not destroying anything.

Meanwhile, it is getting cold and the diesel heater pump, needle and seat, blower fan and blower rheostat all need work... Garmin sent the wrong plug for the plotter, and the quantity of water flowing thru the system seems weak and there is some white smoke...

I send Steve Milby an email - thanks for the referral, and contact a couple of other folks including the guy who repaired it last year. Collectively, we come to the belief that 1/2 inch steel just doesn't snap in half especially when there is nearly 4 inches of it on both sides. We should start over. Annapolis is going to be costly, Solomons too, so when we get the recommendation to see Fuzz Barclay or Howdy Bailey in Norfolk - no Dorothy, you just can't make this stuff up - we decide to put that in the decision making process. Ultimately we decided that Howdy Bailey was the ticket, and we are en route to Norfolk as soon as this front clears.

Fuel, uh yeah - we got all geeked up when we saw $3.83 in Annapolis and we took on 60 gallons. A day later in Solomons Island we see diesel for $3.35!!! Aaarrrggghhhh!

Anyway, my point in all of this is that stuff happens! I think stuff happens in three's, so we should be good on the anchoring and on the mechanicals once this is resolved. Doesn't matter - as some large tattooed sailor once wrote - "the difference between an ordeal and an adventure is attitude."

Sten

DPO Zephyr - '82 C25, FK, SR
SV Lysistrata - C&C 39 - Deltaville - headed south

Edited by - on

Dave Bristle
Master Marine Consultant

Members Avatar

Djibouti
10005 Posts

Response Posted - 10/19/2008 : 10:45:08

Fun read--thanks Sten! We're with you vicariously!

I was out in The Race a few days ago, in practically still air, and there was a line of white-water shooting into the air above one of the 200' underground cliffs that rises to 80' below the surface. That's power! How do we harness it??

Edited by - on

ClamBeach
Master Marine Consultant

Members Avatar

3072 Posts

Response Posted - 10/19/2008 : 10:45:30

"Sure enough.... Probably didn't have an autopilot or really wanted to buddy boat."

Perhaps he knows to follow Lysistrata at a safe distance!

I think this will become a new nautical maxim... never leave port on friday, never take bananas onboard, never cross wits with a Sicilian when death is on the line, follow Lysistrata at a safe distance!

Edited by - on

SCnewbie
Navigator

Members Avatar

166 Posts

Response Posted - 10/19/2008 : 11:02:47

If you do come to Charleston and don't want to pay for the mega dock, I can show you a few other places that seem a bit better for mooring. They are somewhat off the beaten path types of places. Give me a shout if you head this way next year.

Edited by - on

redviking
Master Marine Consultant

Members Avatar

USA
1771 Posts

Response Posted - 10/20/2008 : 08:44:31

SV Cornbread - we will take you up on that nwe are headed in that direction now. We have a 58 foot airdraft, so we can't make it under the bridge where you have Cornbread. But other options are very much appreciated. We are laying up in Norfolk for a week while getting repaired and then thru the ICW to Oriental where we will visit some friends, and then we're off to Morehead City/SouthPort and offshore to perhaps Charlestown. ClamBeach - uh dude man was in front of us when I thought he was a mylar balloon. I don't worry about hitting boats following me!

BTW - those stupid happy bithday, get well, etc. mylar balloons should be banned. One, they twinkle in the sunlight simulating a person afloat and signaling. I have altered course more than once to investigate. Two, they last forever. Three, wanna get freaked out on your night watch? Have radar pick up one of those puppies and see what happens.

And finally, Dave the presidential candidates seem intent on harnessing wave power... Hmmmm, we can't even get Teddy Kennedy to agree to put windmills offshore 'cuz he would have to put his beverage down while sailing to steer around them. How in the heck are we going to get him to agree to large turbines, clearly marked generating power? I always liked the guy until he drove off a perfectly good bridge and then deemed windmills a hazard to navigation!

sten

Edited by - on

Topic

New Topic

Topic Locked

Printer Friendly

Jump To:

Association Forum

Notice: The advice given on this site is based upon individual or quoted experience, yours may differ.
The Officers, Staff and members of this site only provide information based upon the concept that anyone utilizing this information does so at their own risk and holds harmless all contributors to this site.