Arrival Day, Friday 8 March 2019:
An earlier planning meeting by webinar allowed the crew to meet, identify
cruising options, discuss thoughts on meals and share concerns and
expectations. Kim and Deb had
cruised on S/V Grateful Dad several years ago with their parents
giving them a good idea of what to expect on the boat and the area around Red
Hook. They arrived by early
afternoon and along with the Captain made an initial provisioning run. By 1830 hours, with all crew aboard and gear stowed, we head
to dinner to discuss our cruising plan, review the weather for the next
several days and continue getting to know each other.
It’s been a long day so an early bedtime is welcomed.
Day 1—Red Hook to Caneel Bay:
After a review of boat systems below and on deck, a review of the Federal
Minimum Safety Requirements and coastal navigation basics we are ready for
the adventure to begin. Our
plan today is to the get familiar with the boat under power and sail and
anchor in Rendezvous Bay for the night. We exit the busy Red Hook
Harbour and enter beautiful Pillsbury Sound where we spend the
next few hours practicing MOB under power and getting familiar with sail
controls and the proper preparation and execution of sailing maneuvers on
this large cruising boat. The
waves and swells indicate that our planned anchorage for the night might be
too rolly so we decide to pick up a mooring in Caneel Bay.
It’s crowded but we find one of the last functional moorings and
settle in for our first night away from the dock.
A quick swim and snorkel for some, a dingy ride to pay the mooring
fee, dinner under a clear night’s sky, a review of the day’s events and
some knot tying close out this full day.
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Day 2—Caneel Bay to
Francis Bay:
Each student crew will rotate through assigned duties as skipper, navigator,
engineer, bosun, and safety officer. Chris
starts off as skipper, Perry as navigator, Andrea as engineer, Kim as bosun,
and Deb as safety officer. Perry
lays out a course that takes back into Pillsbury Sound for more
training under sail, back to a mooring in Caneel Bay for dingy ride
into Cruz Bay for lunch and then through the Windward Cut and
on to Francis Bay for the night. The wind is still fresh from the
east so we have great sailing tacking around the Brothers, avoiding
danger areas off Stevens Cay and avoiding an interesting variety of
sail and power boats out for the day.
Shortly before noon we head back to Caneel Bay, pick up
a mooring and dingy into the Cruz Bay for lunch. While a large part of the town has recovered from storm
damage, many places are still closed but the warm, sunny weather has brought
out a large number of ferry and cruise ship passengers; the town is crowded.
As we finish lunch, Kim’s family friend who lives on the island
joins us for quick introductions before we head back to the boat. Once
aboard, we clear the mooring field and tack our way through the Windward
Cut. Crew coordination and
timing are essential as we work our way through this narrow passage. It’s great fun sailing in these gusty wind conditions but
all are glad once we clear Carval Rock and work our way into Francis
Bay. Now time for study, a
swim and showers before we have dinner and enjoy another night under a clear
night sky, enjoying the incredible view and discussing the day’s events.
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Day 3—Francis Bay and Back to Red Hook L:
Andrea, our navigator for the day has plotted a course that takes us
initially north into the area between Jost Van Dyke and Great
Thatch Island to practice MOB under sail, then through the Thatch
Island Cut, past Sopers Hole, into the Sir Francis Drake
Channel, around the east end of St John and to a mooring near Salt
Pond Bay. A good
opportunity for lots of sailing and navigation challenges.
She has also plotted a danger bearing to keep us off Eagle Shoals,
a danger area at the southern end of St John, by taking a bearing off the
predominate landmark of Ram Head.
This will make for a full day. After
pre-operational checks, we clear the moorings, round Whistling Cay
and practice several MOB under sail techniques before working our east
toward Sopers Hole. Along
the way the crew takes several two bearing fixes to track our progress.
We short tack thru the Thatch Island Cut and enter the Sir
Francis Drake Channel with well-executed crew work.
We have rotated helmsmen along the way and now with Deb on the
helm, we experience a short, but intense squall that brings winds over 38
knots and driving rain. Deb
does great, keeping the boat under control as we use the traveler to help
her steer through the wind and seas. Clearing
skies gets us to the eastern end of St John where we rig a preventer
to secure the boom to prepare for a broad reach toward Ram Head.
The crew quickly understands the value of securing the boom on this
point of sail in the still rolly seas leftover from the squall.
Repeated sightings on Ram Head keeps us well clear of Eagle
Shoals. After rounding this key landmark, we secure sails and prepare
to pick up a mooring in Lameshur Bay under engine power.
Shortly after starting the engine it becomes clear that the sound of
the exhaust is not right. A quick look over the stern confirms no exhaust water flow
and Perry, on the helm, shuts down the engine.
A quick check of the raw water intake and filter identifies the
probable source of the problem to be the raw water pump and its impeller, a
task we are not able perform easily with the tools aboard.
We hoist sail and head back toward Red Hook and cell reception
to contact Skip at Island Yachts for further guidance.
Once in contact, we agree on a plan to sail back to Red Hook
where he will meet us and get us back into a slip to repair the water pump.
All works as planned. We
enter the crowded Red Hook harbor under staysail alone, Skip arrives
in his dingy and we very neatly return to our slip with just a little burst
of main engine power to fine tune and slow our approach; a great training
opportunity. The repair will
have to wait till tomorrow. All
take advantage of a shore shower and use the time here for final study in
preparation for taking their first ASA tests tomorrow while the engine is
repaired. It’s nice being
ashore but all miss being out on the water.
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Day 4—Red Hook to Culebra:
After an early breakfast Kim, Deb, Chris, and Perry take the ASA 103 test and
Andrea the ASA 101. All pass with
flying colors reflecting well on their study and hands on experience.
Kim, navigator for the day has laid out a course that takes us thru the
Current Hole by Great St James Island, south along St Thomas
to the entrance channel into Culebra.
It will be a 25 nm run on a broad reach that will give all a chance to
sail in the open waters between St Thomas and Culebra.
It will also give the crew a chance to get very familiar with Sail
Rock, a prominent landmark along the way.
A slowly dying wind gets us the majority of the way to our final
waypoint but all too soon we have to motor sail to make it thru the reefs
guarding the entrance to a beautiful anchorage in Essenada Honda and
the town of Dewey with enough daylight to spot the reefs.
Coming to Culebra from St Thomas requires us to clear in
with Customs and Border Patrol (CBP). This turns into a lengthy process
because the agent in Culebra has had an emergency and we cannot get
final clearance until tomorrow morning. Thankfully
it does not prevent us from going ashore for some cool refreshment at the Dingy
Dock Restaurant followed by an excellent dinner at Mamacita’s.
Culebra, like all the islands in this area, was badly damaged by
hurricanes two years ago, but while recovery is still underway, the hard work
to bring things back to operational condition is evident everywhere.
Day 5—Another Day in Paradise:
We are finally cleared into Culebra by mid-morning with apologies from
the CBP officer for the delay. Deb, navigator for the day, has laid out a plan for us to
sail in the local area circumnavigating Cayo de Luis Rena Island while
fine tuning sailing handling skills and practicing MOB. Deb gets us safely out of Ensenada Honda and the
reefs that lie along its eastern shore. It’s
a beautiful day but very little wind. The
still rolly seas and light winds make for slow going so we decide to head to
our anchorage for the night, carefully transiting the reefs in Bajos
Grampus and into the Canal Del Sur.
A short trip up the Canal takes us to the entrance of the beautiful
anchorage of Bahiia de Almodovar.
It’s a surreal location behind a reef but facing directly east into
the light but cooling wind. The
boat sits rock steady as we pick up a mooring and secure the boat.
All take the time for some swimming and most for snorkeling before
dinner and study. We spend a
quiet night under a star filled sky enjoying the beauty of the area and timing
navigation lights on Culebrita and Canal Del Sur.
All agree this is a slice of paradise.
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Day 6—Culebra to Buck Island:
Today we return to St Thomas. Chris
lays out a course that will take us back across the open waters of Virgin
Passage, past the ever changing shape of Sail Rock, along the south
side of St Thomas to a mooring at Buck Island.
The winds are moderate at 10 – 15 knots from the ENE so we tack our
way to the east. Along the way we
review ASA 104 subjects and rotate helmsman so all have a chance for long
periods on the helm and rotate taking two bearing fixes to practice navigation
skills. With each new fix, we
update are ETA. By mid-afternoon
we are abeam of the airport and watch the steady flow of arriving planes.
It’s hard to believe we too were arriving not too long ago and will
too soon be departing. The winds
continue to drop so off Water Island we motor sail to Buck Island,
arriving after the last of the charter boats has departed.
We have the anchorage to ourselves.
A quiet night watching a beautiful sunset, cruise ships departing Charlotte
Amalie Harbour while enjoying a great dinner onboard.
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Day 7—Buck Island to Rendezvous Bay:
Perry works out a course that will take us past the Dogs at the end of Little
St James Island and into an anchorage in Rendezvous Bay.
Working our way east will provide another day to practice
tacking/jibing and time for all at the helm.
Once past the Dogs we practice several MOB under sail maneuvers
that underscore the need to stay securely on board while underway.
Our crew has gotten proficient at picking up moorings, and today we
have another opportunity to refine their anchoring skills.
Once secure, we take in the view; beautiful homes surround this picture
perfect anchorage. Some show the
signs of hurricane damage and we hear the sound of renovation work going on
around us. After lunch and final
study time, Andrea takes her ASA 103 test and the rest of the crew their
ASA104 test. The crew’s hard
work and study again pays off with all passing their tests with flying colors. Now time to relax, a dingy ride into the beach and exploring
ashore for the Captain, Kim, Chris and Andrea followed by just enjoying the
time on the boat. Our final
dinner aboard provides time for some knot tying and an opportunity to review
the events of the last 7 days.
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Day 8-- Rendezvous Bay to Red Hook Bay:
We rise early, have breakfast of hot oatmeal and coffee and weigh anchor for
our return to Red Hook. It seems a little anti climatic with a working motor.
Our goal is to arrive at the fuel dock just before it opens at 0800.
Our timing is good but we find it has been open since 0700 and already
busy. A short wait gets us to the
dock and refueled before Skip meets us and maneuvers the boat back into its
slip. Now time to clean the boat,
pack and prepare to reenter our busy worlds back home.
Over lunch ashore, we review the trip.
All agree that their expectations were met and exceeded.
All look forward to applying their new found or refined sailing skills
during the upcoming sailing season. It’s
been a great trip with a great crew.
Well done, shipmates. Your captain thanks you--with best
wishes for your cruising life ahead.
Captain Steve Runals
Maryland School of Sailing and Seamanship
On board S/V Grateful
Dad
Red Hook, USVI; Mar, 2019
