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Gale warnings doesn't stop the Canadians on ICW

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redviking
Master Marine Consultant

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USA
1771 Posts

Initially Posted - 11/06/2008 : 05:19:38

OK, Lysistrata is anchored just off the channel 20 SM north of Oriental. We are going there this morning. Anyway, we were up and at it yesterday morning and the Admiral was performing her usual tasks of double verifying weather. It was supposed to be stormy, but nothing we couldn't handle easily.

Then, "Holy smokes, Batman - It's gonna blow out there!" eminated from below. 45 knots and 3 to 5 foot seas in the sound. I hate lake/sound short chop and 45 is fun if you are practising setting a storm sail and a trysail, I much prefer ocean swells. Anyway, we like most of the migratory flock headed for warmer places sat it out yesterday. Every so often we would see a southbound sail and we would look to see if it was someone we knew. Of the 9 boats that did transit yesterday 8 were Canadian and one was Dutch.

Are we all wimps or just hung over from Democracy?

Sten

DPO Zephyr - '82 C25, FK, SR
SV Lysistrata - C&C 39 - On the ICW 20 SM north od Oriental NC - headed south

Edited by - on

dlucier
Master Marine Consultant

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Virgin Islands (United Kingdom)
7583 Posts

Response Posted - 11/06/2008 : 07:52:00

Sten,

Help be out. Are you trying to say Americans are cowards or insinuating the eight Canadiens and one Dutch are making poor decisions?

Edited by - on

Steve Milby
Past Commodore

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USA
5902 Posts

Response Posted - 11/06/2008 : 08:30:45

It's a rarity to see recreational sailboats on the Chesapeake Bay in 45 kts of wind, unless they get caught in it unexpectedly. Few people venture out in it on purpose.

If you're casually cruising south for the winter, it makes much more sense to just stay on the hook for another day and read a book.

Maybe the Canadian snowbirds are just desperate to get south to a warmer climate.

Edited by - on

ClamBeach
Master Marine Consultant

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3072 Posts

Response Posted - 11/06/2008 : 09:17:18

"Maybe the Canadian snowbirds are just desperate to get south to a warmer climate"

Bingo.

Edited by - on

redviking
Master Marine Consultant

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USA
1771 Posts

Response Posted - 11/06/2008 : 11:48:11

Quote: "Sten,

Help be out. Are you trying to say Americans are cowards or insinuating the eight Canadians and one Dutch are making poor decisions?"

Neither. I actually think that they are possibly more accustomed to moderate/heavy weather. We just transited the Nuese River in 25 knots of wind and it was still bouncy. I was like "Good thing we didn't go yesterday!" all morning. We were flying at almost 8 knots under Genny alone! I can only imagine what they were experiencing and as a fairly salty sailor I had to wonder if their home turf taught them a thing or two about heavy weather and perhaps their tolerance was higher. Or file under ignorance is bliss and they didn't have internet and relied on the NOAA forecast broadcast that was clearly a bit off.

And yes, we were able to get a TV signal and we did stay up way past "Cruisers Midnight" 21:00 watching America at work... Very fascinating! So I personally had a democracy hangover, ok the white wine didn't help!

Sten

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

Edited by - redviking on 11/06/2008 11:53:09

Steve Blackburn
Master Marine Consultant

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Canada
1091 Posts

Response Posted - 11/06/2008 : 12:42:55

Probably a group from the same yacht club going south sticking together. Still doesn't sound like a wise idea in such winds. It is true however that we are slightly less "wimpy" when it comes to weather due primarily to the fact that we live in such high latitudes. What would ve happened if the winds would've picked up an extra 10 knots? I'm not a fan of the idea.

Edited by - on

Dave Bristle
Master Marine Consultant

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Djibouti
10005 Posts

Response Posted - 11/06/2008 : 22:25:30

They only checked NOAA, and a little while later were saying "WHAT THE #*%@??"

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redviking
Master Marine Consultant

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USA
1771 Posts

Response Posted - 11/07/2008 : 05:17:08

A bunch of cruisers were coming into the Oriental Marina yesterday while the wife and I watched in awe while sipping bev's at the Tiki Bar. The dockmaster was all over the place grumbling about how sailboats were the new MotorHome. I asked him how yesterdays bunch fared, he said one wife was so distraught that she didn't even tie up! She just hopped off the boat, handed the line to the dockmaster and walked away! The husband was apparently yelling "Honey" but it still didn't help... The boat left, so who knows if she was on it.

File under - the prudent Captain makers sure that the crew isn't gonna freak out.

Now in all fairness, going around Hatteras is rough, but we saw several boats heading out as we headed for mile 0 of the ICW... SO, one mans fun is anothers poison I suppose. We use www.passageweather.com a lot for predictions and to see if we made the right decision. This time we did...

sten

Edited by - on

JohnP
Master Marine Consultant

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1520 Posts

Response Posted - 11/07/2008 : 10:15:08

<blockquote id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote">Originally posted by Steve Blackburn
 ...we are slightly less "wimpy" when it comes to weather...<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote">
When someone complains about bad weather in Maryland my Canadian wife likes to sing this song to put things into perspective:

As I strolled out one evening
Within a small cafe
A forty year old waitress
To me these words did say

"I see that you are a logger
And not just a common bum
Because no one but a logger
Stirs his coffee with his thumb"

My lover was a logger
But not like none today
If you'd pour whiskey on it
He'd eat a bale of hay

My lover came to see me
Upon one freezing day
He held me in a fond embrace
Which broke three vertebrae

Well he kissed me when we parted
So hard that he broke my jaw
I could not speak to tell him
That he forgot his mackinaw

I saw my logger leaving
Sauntering through the snow
Going bravely homeward
At forty eight below

The weather it tried to freeze him
It tried its very best
At a hundred degrees below zero
He buttoned up his vest

It froze clear down to China
It froze the stars above
At a gazillion degrees below zero
It froze her logger love

But that's not to say that loggers in the north woods of the US (or sailors) are wimpy when it comes to weather.

Edited by - on

ClamBeach
Master Marine Consultant

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3072 Posts

Response Posted - 11/07/2008 : 19:46:48

Mind the latest Hurricane... one of the models shows it making a 'loop' and heading up through Florida... probably as a TS.

Edited by - on

redviking
Master Marine Consultant

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USA
1771 Posts

Response Posted - 11/08/2008 : 06:19:30

Yeah, we're watching it closely. Hurricane season isn't technically over. Looks like we'll have to stay inside and on the ICW to Wrightsville Beach NC! We need to do a Harris Teeter stop. (Harris Teeter is a gourmet chain and our cheese supply is dangerously low!

) So the Canadians may have had the right idea!

Yesterday we transited from Oriental to Morehead City - short run. Tied up to the Sanitary Restaurant - Real restaurant, real dock. You can't make this stuff up

- for 10 bucks a night or just eat there. Same place where we ran aground on a sunken ship a year ago! The sunken ship is still there, at least I see the warning float, AND there is a motor vessel hard aground on top of it!. Not sure what the deal is. Did they park a derelict on top of the damn thing so people like me wouldn't run aground on it?

File under Life Isn't Dull.

sten

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