January 14, 2010
St. Augustine, FL
Crew are both down with cold. Still made 8 hours today departing Jacksonville Landing in subzero temperatures at 8:30 a.m. Avoided offshore due to debilitating cold weather and lack of wind.
The Capt has not violated his new year's resolution not to blog after 4 beers. Of course rum is not included in the definition of beer. And who drinks beer for a cold?
Jake
Our son Jake leaves London for the wilds of BC in 5 days. His company pays his way out, puts him up for the entire affair (granted in tents), feeds him and pays him. So who would not want to be 21 in Whistler with a bunch of other 21 year olds for the Olympics?
Ask Peter
Last post I wondered aloud about my battery losses during our absence. This baffled me as we had stupidly turned the bilge pump off and there should have been no appreciable drain on the batteries.
Peter Loveridge, award winning Nova Scotia rural doctor, author of the definitive sailing guide to Nova Scotia, designer and builder of his own boat and proud new grandpa of a near 9 pound baby boy (Peter believes if it is worth doing it is worth overdoing even more) weighed in with an opinion. He always does. This is what I like about him. He suggested a lead acid battery would lose about 1% of its charge daily when left aboard. I demurred figuring the losses should not exceed 10% a month. BUT, Peter pointed out, the batteries were stored at sub zero temperatures for an extended period (Florida was that cold). Add to this the fact that the venerable wet cells are now in their sixth year of constant use and I am forced to agree with Peter.
This is perhaps a note of warning to others leaving their boats for an extended period. Know your batteries. The other note of warning is not to turn your silly bilge pump off when you leave.
Vagaries of Nautical Planning
You are probably tired of my endless qualification of my sailing plans as "only plans". Generally I am not a "qualification" kind of guy figuring that most of what emits is, my being God, God's law.
Here are three other boat's plans (the boat names are removed to protect the owners from any adverse publicity or negative fallout):
C^%$#@o, an Ottawa boat, left Green Cove Springs two days ago headed south with dispatch. We passed them today. The cold weather killed their spirit and they are taking refuge in a marina until heat arrives.
E&^ &%%a, out of Collins Bay, left Green Cove Springs on December 9 headed south also with dispatch. They sit in Eau Gallie, just south of Cape Canaveral, where they have been laid up with a blown diesel since December 20. No end in sight.
K*&^%r B*&e, hailing out of Toronto, put in to a yard in North Carolina in October for simple repairs estimated to take "two weeks". The boat is not done yet but is promised "soon".
These are all seasoned sailors with dependable well maintained rigs.
Farewell to London the Old
Leaving London this January we realized that the old group of reprobate sailors with whom we hung might never be the same. Ian and Joy are likely off to Saudia Arabia, Richie and Joan have sold the house and are readying themselves either for a shot at cruising or a new home in Bayfield by the Water, Matthew is starting to get up off the matt and sail that Bayfield again and Gary and Judy may well end up cruising by year's end.,
These guys have been very good friends and we wish them well whattever they get up to. Thanks for the parties Ian and Joy and Richie and Joan. Remember though: you can run but you cannot hide.
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