A MESSAGE FROM CAPTAIN JAN MILES ABOARD PRIDE OF BALTIMORE II
DATE: 20:46 1996-12-02 GMT MONDAY (1546 SHIP -5)
POSITION: NORFOLK, VIRGINIA
We are nearly home! And spirits are very HIGH! Today everyone is working on cleaning ship, doing laundry, getting some varnishing and painting done and restocking perishable foods. When that is all done around 2 pm today, it will be time-off for everyone! Even the cook! Since everyone has volunteered to take care of supper on their own. With the clear sunny day and it not being very cold, it appears to me that everyone is more than pleased with the short day. A great way to celebrate the completion of the last long ocean leg of the European Campaign of 1996.
We were able to go sailing again before we got to Diamond Shoal Light off of Cape Hatteras Saturday evening. The wind, as promised, had come up from the SE with enough strength to keep us going at 7 knots. It was dark as we passed Diamond Shoal Light, but the visibility was clear and we could see the loom of towns along the Outer Banks despite the sky being overcast with occasional sprinkles. The air was cool and the watch on deck were dressed for it in wool and foul weather gear. But the sailing was pleasant as a change from motoring. Although, as we made our way onto the shoals of the continent from the deep of the ocean, the seas got a little more lumpy and confused. But still we were moving at 7 knots.
We had to do some gybing to make our way up Virginia Beach Sunday morning. This involved all hands. Mostly because everyone wanted to participate, being, I suppose, that we would be dockside by supper time. For the crew, gybing is the most complex maneuvering evolution undersail aboard PRIDE. With long periods of time between gybs caused by the long voyaging across the Atlantic that often can be done on one gybe with no touching of sails, it is no wonder the crew were pretty clumsy on the first gybe. But the second gybe was much improved and the third gybe worked very smoothly. By then it was just after lunch on Sunday and the wind, as predicted, was blowing 25 knots from the S. This breeze started pushing PRIDE at an easy 10 knots. As we passed Cape Henry PRIDE was doing 11+ knots in this breeze a-building due to nearby squalls we could see ahead to the W. We were spoken to by the Maryland Pilots station on the way into The Bay inquiring where we were headed and welcoming us home. Whenever they know we are in The Bay they pass the word to their pilots to keep an eye out for us. But this time we were not going right up The Bay. With the cold front due and thinking of moral of the ship's company we would be going to Norfolk's own inner harbor called WATERSIDE for the night. There would be no large sailing vessel for the pilots to worry about tonight.
We continued to roar into The Bay at 11+ knots as we passed the Chesapeake Bay Tunnel/Bridge on our way towards Thimble Shoals and the entrance to Norfolk Harbor. We soon got the JT down, then the fore-top, followed by the jib and the mainsail in winds increasing to greater than 35 knots. Finally as we arrived off of Thimble Shoal Light we took the foresail and the staysail and pushed on into Norfolk with both engines into the strong breeze, moderating now to 20 knots as the squall passed, and the now steady light rain, while the crew got the sails stowed Bristol fashion.
Our arrival was in the dark and not without incident. The dock I had in mind to use was occupied. So I tried a neighboring dock and we went aground. While maneuvering away again there was a problem with control due to a ebbing current of about 1 knot and the 20 knot breeze. With a moment of confusion, both on deck and with our one crew member ashore, one of our dock lines got thrown into the water at both ends and it promptly sank. After we regained control we tried a second dock. We went aground again. To get away from this dock we needed to launch the rubber boat and help push the bow away from the dock against the wind. During the time to set this up, Dan was able to grapple our lost dock line back. Finally, we got clear from dock #2 and tried our third dock, designed more for bigger ships (and thus there was plenty of depth, unlike the other docks, ment more for yachts in transit). After a little modifying of this docks own fender system, we were able to get secured along side. Surprisingly this did not take more than an hour to accomplish. But what a way to end a ocean passage! Maybe we WOULD be safer at sea?
As I write this the crew have ended the work day and started throwing a football around on the dock. Spirits are high! It is a wonderful fall day. Clear and dry. And with today's work done there is a feeling of accomplishment. There ought to be too. This ship and crew have transited just less than 1,400 miles from San Juan to Norfolk in 8.25 days. 24 hours of that time was spent hove-to, making no way. Which makes for an over all transit speed of 8 knots. Of which 60 hours of the trip was under engine power. Not a record breaking trip. But in the context of a late departure from San Juan and it being a late season transit toward the North, it is a very fine performance. My hats off to the crew and the fine ship PRIDE OF BALTIMORE II.
Cheers
A MESSAGE FROM CAPTAIN JAN MILES ABOARD PRIDE OF BALTIMORE II
DATE: 21:21 1996-11-30 GMT SATURDAY (1621 SHIP -5)
POSITION: Latitude 34 32,38 N Longitude 075 27,52 W
SP: 9 KNOTS. C: 030 M. WX: SE FORCE 4. SS: 2-5 FT E SWELL. TEMP: 68
F. BP: 1025.5 F. SKY: OVERCAST W/CU. 24HR POS: MOUTH OF THE
CHESAPEAKE BAY. 24HR WX: S FORCE 6+.
We have been motoring or motor-sailing for nearly 1.5 days now. We are now less than 45 miles from Diamond Shoals Light located off Cape Hatteras. The weather has changed to the SE and is expected to fill in with some strength. I expect we will be turning the one engine we are using off soon and sail with the SE-S breeze the last 160 miles to the mouth of The Bay. There is not a soul on board that does not feel excited that we are only a day from the Chesapeake Bay.
The motoring has been very profitable for morale. In spite of the fact that life is much better aboard when sailing rather than motoring, everyone has now had the experience of life aboard a sail vessel when it just can't seem to get to where it wants to go quickly because of the sea and weather conditions. Being hove-to had its purpose and everyone was more comfortable doing that than anything else at the time. But when we could get underway, the sea was still rough and PRIDE could not move through it very well, particularly as the wind direction was still far enough out of the N that she could not head towards her destination. After a whole evening of being bounced around hove-to, it was with some disappointment that the only sailing we could do was at less than 5 knots and not in the exactly correct direction. With a delay of a week out of San Juan, the sea and wind were becoming perceived as impediments to getting home. So when it became feasible to use the engines because the sea smoothed enough and the wind fell enough there was a collective enthusiasm for the increase in progress they would bring to finishing this leg. Even so, the ride continued to be pretty rough. But we were making 7 knots, more in the right direction than not.
It was not till last night that we got any change in the weather that provided a chance for going faster than 7 knots. The wind had moderated more and changed direction towards the East. This meant the sea was dropping too, but there were still big swells coming from the NE. With the change in wind direction we set more sail; four lowers and the fore-topsail. We actually got a chance to turn the engines off for a while. But the wind died some more and we restarted and pushed along to maintain at least 7 knots so as to get into The Bay before late on Sunday and ahead of the next cold front promised by the weather prognosticators.
Today the wind has gone to the SE and is very slowly increasing. We set the main-topsail and the jib-top to help catch more of the light air. We have been able to shut down one of the engines to conserve fuel yet still make at least 7 knots with the remaining engine. On top of this we have moved into the Gulf Stream. That mightiest of rivers, it runs up the SE U.S. Coast at speeds of 2+ knots from the Straights of Florida. When we have been in the center of the Stream we have had as much as a 2.5 knot push from behind giving us almost 11 knots over the bottom with the help of the engine and the wind. We must be slipping out of the Stream now as the ground speed has reduced a bit. Even so, we are still moving well and with the promise of the weather reports from the NOAA radio stations we are now able to receive I don't have any fear of making The Bay tomorrow afternoon.
Having shared this to the gang aboard, it is amusing to see the enthusiasm for being able to get ashore tomorrow night. I think we will go to Norfolk. It offers a lot of amenities to everyone aboard, particularly unlimited phone access. And there has been talk of going to a movie. But there are also logistical considerations. Laundry. Fresh produce. And the possibility it will be the most comfortable place to be when the cold front hits. Not to mention there is a very minor symbolic issue represented by coming to Norfolk. It was from Norfolk that PRIDE OF BALTIMORE II departed for Europe back in March of this year. We make a full circle closed by stopping in on the way home to Baltimore.
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A MESSAGE FROM CAPTAIN JAN MILES ABOARD PRIDE OF BALTIMORE II
DATE: 01:05 1996-11-29 GMT THANKSGIVING DAY (2005 SHIP -5)
POSITION: Latitude 29 08,13 N Longitude 074 56,02 W
SP: 7 KNOTS. C: 345 M. WX: NE FORCE 4. SS: 6-9 FEET NE'RLY
TEMP: 68 F (OUR SUMMER IS OVER). BP: 1025.7 F. SKY: 2/8 SCATTER CU.
24HR POS: 31 40N x 75 30W. 24HR WX: NE-E FORCE 4.
MOTORING
Happy Thanksgiving everyone! We are out of the storm and motoring towards The Bay. Everyone on board is so very HAPPYYY!!!
For those of you that read about my projection that we would come to a shuddering halt from our relatively speedy sail up from San Juan, you will no doubt know that is exactly what happened yesterday. We spent about 24 hours sitting still in a near gale of breeze from the NW-N-NE with associated seas of upwards of 15 feet. We were finally able to get underway this morning and sail towards the NWxW until about 1600 today. Although the wind has continued to reduce, it is still about 15 knots from the NE with a slowly reducing sea to about 6-9 feet. This enables us to motor with both our motors at about 7 knots towards The Bay. With less than 500 miles to go and another low with associated cold front expected late Sunday to cross The Bay I think it is time to put the engines to work and get on 'home' to The Bay as quickly as possible. If we can maintain 7 knots we can be into The Bay before the end of Sunday. Hopefully we will get some favorable wind before we reach our destination. A fair wind would help with the speed and may even allow us to turn off the engines. At least for now everyone is very pleased to be getting on with the show. Together, our guest sailors and our crew who have been on board since August, everyone can almost taste that 'home' is just around the bend. And they do want to get out of the Atlantic and into The Bay. So do I for that matter. Thus we motor.
We have not had much of a traditional Thanksgiving. We decided to hold that till we get closer to home and in nicer conditions (read smoother for Terresa the cook). But we did have a small cocktail party with goodbyes provided by Terresa.
Getting underway this morning from being hove-to helped with morale a lot this morning. No one doubted the need to heave-to, but as time ran out of the hour glass and the ship just rode the sea like a gull it was hard on everyone thinking of home. But once we got the reefed staysail up we started to have a good feeling about things. The ship seemed to steady out a bit and while she did not sail fast (only 5 knots at first) we were at last moving in the general direction of home. As the day progressed we got out the reefed fore-topsail, the triple reefed mainsail, the jib and finally we changed the main to a single reef. But by 1600 the wind became moderate enough not to be able to give PRIDE enough power to push through the sea swells. Also, with the latest weather reports it became evident to me we had a small window of opportunity to get on in before the next blow. So, down with jib, in with fore topsail and foresail and get along our way with engines going 1,700 RPM.
Cheers