Off to New Jersey

I’ve never been entirely confident in the trailer’s wheel bearings so I decided to take a look at them in preparation for a 750 mile trip and I’m glad I did. The tapered bearing surfaces on the hubs were full of pits and dings and both rear grease seals were shredded. I bought some new hubs (4 on 4 that fit L44649 bearings plus a pair of 1.983″ x 1.249″ grease seals) and changed them out. It’s a messy job but I’m pleased to say that after 3 hours at 60+ mph the hubs were barely warm to the touch.

I thought my great idea of running individual ground wires to the tail lights would solve my wiring problems forever, but that was not the case. Lately I’ve noticed the right rear light was intermittent or really dim, so after a brief search I found the ground wire had basically turned to powder. Everything was wrapped tightly in electrical tape and I used solder shrink fittings so I have no idea where the corrosion came from. The insulation was crumbly for nearly a foot but curiously the two wires beside it in the same run were unaffected. I soldered on a new section of wire and that solved the problem.

With the trailer sorted I got all the sailing stuff packed into the boat plus the camping stuff I’ve been working on lately. I haven’t been sailing yet this year, but the rig has had all the bugs worked out that I can think of. Hopefully setting up at the ramp won’t take too long.

Last year I bought a boat cover to keep the road grime out of the boat. I finally got around to cutting the straps to the right size and melting the ends so I don’t have a mile of excess to tie up. Driving home there were periods of torrential rain and the inside was completely dry when I arrived.

We took off for my in-laws in New Jersey with an overnight stop at a friend’s place in Maryland. I’m not sure I get the appeal of townhouses… maneuvering an F250 around the narrow parking lot, parking a ways away because the nearby visitor spots were taken, no yard, no garage… Not for me! I much prefer not being able to see my neighbor’s houses for the woods.

Unfortunately it was a washout the entire time we were in New Jersey. I really wanted to do an overnight trip continuing on from my trip last year on Barnegat Bay and while Tuesday was marginal, I really didn’t want to be out there on Wednesday. We’ll probably go back towards the end of summer and I’ll try again.

Boom Tent 2

More progress on the boom tent and a test run.

Here it is all buttoned up. I made a decent boom crutch and bungee cord loops that go under the hull.

I 3d printed some hooks to attach a bungee cord from one deck carlin to the other. Once the loops are in place under the hull, secondary hooks come up to the tent’s webbing loops. It’s a bit fiddly getting the tension right on everything but I think it’ll be more difficult to get the loops under the boat and attached to the tent all at the same time. The knot on the tail end tells me this is the first loop to put on which goes up towards the bow.

This way I can unhook a few to roll the tent back and not worry about the whole thing falling apart.

Boom Tent

I’m hoping to go back to NJ this summer and continue my trip down Barnegat Bay and I figured transportation wise it’d be a lot easier to plan if I do an overnight trip. The polytarp setup I used on my lone overnight trip to Tangier Island was absolute rubbish so I’ve decided to build something a little more purpose built. It’s a 10′ x 10′ ripstop nylon rainfly from Amazon that I cut to follow the hull. Then I made some triangular doors at the back from the scraps. I hemmed the edges and sewed the panels together and moved some of the webbing tie downs. It’s pretty cheap but it only needs to last until I get Long Steps built in the next couple years.

Next I need to make a permanent boom crutch at figure out the attachment method. I’m currently leaning towards passing shock cord loops under the hull.

 

 

New Years day cruise

We had some friends come visit the day after New Years and the weather was nice enough to go for a trolling motor cruise in the afternoon. It was a really low tide and I had to row the first hundred yards away from our dock and have the girls sit up on the bow deck to trim the boat out. Eventually we plowed our way through the mud and into deeper water where I could lower the motor. Coming back the tide had risen enough to where I could slowly drift/motor to the dock with the propeller half out of the water. We went 3.4 miles in an hour and ten minutes. This was the last hurrah for the ~6 year old lead acid starting battery as I’ve since bought a 50Ah LiFePO4 which is amazing.

Gwynns Island 2022

August 13th, 2022

For quite a while I’ve wanted to do a 50 mile daysail just to see what it’s like, so I’ve been keeping my eye on the weather for consistent wind that would put me on a broad reach all day. Finally it came and I decided on a trip down the Chesapeake Bay from the Piankatank River to Fort Monroe on the James River.

Launching at a boat landing on the Piankatank River. It’s just a gravel ramp at the end of a road and there’s no dock, but it works well enough. Pretty popular with the 12′ jon boat crowd.

I motored over to a nearby dock at a friend’s house for the night with my trolling motor setup I’ve been working on lately. It did well, powering me at 3.5 – 4 mph with 185 watts of power and the stock propeller. Eventually I plan to get a better battery, PWM controller, and a 10 x 6 model airplane propellor to improve efficiency.

Rigged and ready to go for a pre sunrise start. Everything was still and quiet when I launched other than the slight hum of the motor and water gurgling by.

The plan was to head out into the Chesapeake Bay and sail south 50 miles to Fort Monroe where my wife would pick me up. The forecasted winds showed a broad reach on port tack all day long, although I was a bit concerned about the 15-20 mph wind speed.

Heading down the Piankatank with a preemptive reef in. A group of three dolphins puffed their way by as I was beginning to wonder if the reef was really necessary.

As I rounded the corner and saw the open bay in the distance I started hitting some gusts that made me thankful I started out with a reef.

Heading toward the bay on a close reach and the wind was starting to pick up. The waves were choppy and I had to hike hard and let the main luff at times. Off Stove Point I briefly turned around and the conditions improved so much on a broad reach that I decided once I got around Gwynn’s Island things would be ok. As you can see from the map, that was not to be the case!

I made it through some bigger waves at the mouth of the Piankatank and turned south for Fort Monroe. Things did get a bit better after the wet and windy beat into the bay, but the waves were still pretty big. Maybe 2-3 feet? They’d hit the back quarter and slew the boat a bit, so steering took my constant attention. Unfortunately water got on my phone’s camera lens so the rest of the few pictures I took are a bit blurry. Moving along at 5.5 to 6 mph.

The water in the boat was gradually building up because I didn’t have time or enough hands to bail it out. Most of this was due to spray, but later towards the end of Gwynn’s Island a large wave broke over the port side and dumped a truly concerning amount of water into the boat. I could tell I was sitting pretty low and the free surface effect made everything sluggish. Each additional wave splashed a bit more water in and I realized I was soon going to swamp. I managed to get pointed into the wind and did the best I could to heave to and bailed like crazy. Some of the waves were definitely 3′ and occasionally breaking so it took some steering to stay pointed into them. A few times water came over the bow which set me back, but not enough I couldn’t keep up with the bailing.

Eventually I got the water down and had to make a decision. Do I continue on for Fort Monroe and risk this again? Or make for the nearest boat ramp and admit defeat? Fortunately common sense prevailed so I headed for the “Hole in the Wall,” a narrow channel through the sand bars below Gwynn’s Island just under a mile away. I turned onto a starboard tack and started blasting downhill toward it. I hit a new top speed of 10.3 mph and averaged 7 to 8 mph all the way through.

The waves calmed down significantly once I got into the channel and I could finally breathe again with the realization that I would probably make it home in one piece.

I was so relieved (and exhausted) to have made it that I started down the wrong creek! I got most of the way up to Mathew’s Yacht Club on Stutt’s Creek before realizing things didn’t look quite right, so I tacked out and headed up Milford Haven.

The sandbar is a popular beach spot, but today I was thankful it was shielding me from the waves on the bay.

Getting closer to the ramp I came across the recently approved oyster farm a bunch of people were raising sam hill about in the local newspaper’s letters to the editor. I agree it’s pretty ugly and it did get in the way of my tack, but then again fried oysters are just about my favorite food so I can’t complain too much.

Up near the ramp I had a chance to try my lightweight aluminum anchor I’ve been working on. My folding fisherman design is a bit too complicated for its own good, so I used the same geometry on a three piece take apart version. It dug in immediately and held well, although to be fair it was a pretty ideal anchoring setup. Then I tidied up the boat and got all the lines coiled while I waited for my wife to arrive. The boat ramp was chaos as usual, but fortunately my car and trailer are small so I could weave my way around the people who can’t back up. I ended up going 24.1 miles over 5.25 hours with an average speed of 4.6 mph.

And one last picture of how the anchor comes apart. The fluke assembly locks onto the 12.5º included angle tapered end of the 1/4″ thick shank. Then the stock assembly slip fits down to the shoulder and is secured by a carabiner on the anchor rode. I think the taper could be increased a tad since the fluke assembly can get really stuck on there, but a few taps with a block of wood will knock it loose.

After pondering this near disaster of a trip over the last few months I came to a few conclusions:

  1. It’s probably best to listen to my gut a little closer when it comes to the conditions. I had a few opportunities to turn around and explore the Piankatank River for the day, but I kept going thinking it wouldn’t be so bad on a different point of sail. If I did swamp I knew I’d be blown onto a sandy beach and everything would have likely been fine, but some well meaning onlooker could have gotten the Coast Guard involved for nothing.
  2. The experience and gradual improvements I’ve made to the boat over the last three years were invaluable. I don’t think this trip would have ended the same way in the first two years.
  3. Finally, the First Mate isn’t the design I need for what I want to do. I’ve got ideas for some big trips and instead of trying to expedition-ify my boat, I think I want something more purpose built. After another another exhaustive search through boat plans I settled on John Welsford’s new design, Long Steps. He’s a really accomplished designer and if this is what he is building himself to circumnavigate the north island of New Zealand, I’m pretty sure it’ll work for me.

The plans! Thumbing through I feel a little terrified of how much more work it’ll be to build than the First Mate, but I think this should be a lifetime boat. I’m feeling surprisingly ok with the idea that I won’t be keeping my First Mate once I’m done. I probably won’t start building until the end of 2023 or so, and it might be a bit of a slow project considering my 8 month old son Henry is starting to take off and get into everything.

Barnegat Bay 2022

August 3rd, 2022

I’m still up in New Jersey after helping my in laws move, so I thought I’d go on a long solo adventure. This time the weather looked like I might be able to do a 40 mile trip down Barnegat Bay with a side diversion through some marshy islands over to the inlet to see the lighthouse. Then I’d continue on down most of the length of LBI to a public ramp in the marsh above Great Bay. Due to light wind at the start, getting lost in the marshy islands, and relying on my father in law for transportation I decided to call it quits around 3:30pm and head for Leamings Marina as one of my bailout points. I did 29.2 miles in 9 hours 10 minutes with an average speed of 3.2 mph and a max of 7.3 mph.

I launched at the Trader’s Cove municipal ramp right at the foot of the bridge to Mantoloking for the cool sum of $20. Just after I left two guys and a support boat set out on a swim. I wonder if they had to pay the launch fee.

The wind was pretty light and I made 1-2 mph. The swimmers gradually splashed their way out of sight!

Then the wind got even lighter and I drifted along at .5-1 mph.

About halfway to the bridge to Seaside Heights I came across an abandoned house on Middle Sedge Island. In 2015 it was put up for sale for 6.5 million. I think it’d be a pretty cool place to live for about three days before the bugs, screeching seagulls, and bird poop got to be a bit much.

Closer to the bridge the wind died down to a whisper so I started up my trolling motor. This is a new addition I’ve been working on for a few months. With the recent addition of my son, my wife has insisted I take a motor with me. I’ve never felt great about my British Seagull so lately I’ve been working on building a trolling motor setup.

The control box has an ammeter, volt meter, usb charger, and speed control knob within easy reach. I also cut the head off the trolling motor and shortened the shaft so it’s waterproof and not as in the way. The motor bracket needs some improvement, but overall I’m pretty happy with it. Speed 3 added about 2 mph to the boat speed.

Once I got through the bridge the wind finally shifted and I had some great sailing at 4.5-5.5 mph for nearly two hours. When I’m done with the trolling motor I turn it 90º sideways and lift it straight up. The shaft stays out of the way of the boom and the motor clears the water.

I set my sights on the decidedly rectangular Barnegat Lighthouse off on the horizon and started dodging boat wakes from the scores of motor boats heading over to beaches on Barnegat Peninsula. I saw a cigarette boat roaring up and down the bay with a wall of spray that must have been at least 5 boat lengths long.

From poking around on Google Earth I found a channel through Sedge Island (what is it with NJ and naming everything Sedge Island?!) that I thought would be fun to explore.

Unfortunately the tide and wind were against me and I got stuck in shallow water before I had a chance to tack back up to the channel. So I got out, pulled the boat into deeper water, and took off with the help of the motor.

There’s enough deep water if you know where to go. There were a handful of fishing boats back here too.

Working my way through the maze of marsh grass.

Hard to make out but there was a great egret on the point there. He didn’t seem too bothered by me as I made a 180 around him.

Finally out of the marsh and sandbars and I cut across Barnegat Inlet to get a picture of the lighthouse. Just my luck, they’ve got it covered in scaffolding! I guess I’ll just have to come back and try again someday.

Heading back towards the bay at 5 mph with a helping tide. Quite a few boats fishing through here and lots of wakes, but not nearly as crowded as Beaufort Inlet was last year on Labor Day weekend.

Through the Double Creek Channel wing and wing.

Passing an oyster farm.

My plan was to continue 17 miles south to Great Bay where I’d haul out at a public boat ramp, but it was getting late. I figured it’d be 6:30 or 7 before I made it so I decided to call it quits since I was relying on my father in law to pick me up with the truck and trailer. I checked my list of bailout points and chose Leamings Marina as the closest. I set out on a run and had a great half hour surfing the building waves at 6-7 mph.

Just outside the entrance I dropped the sails and started the trolling motor. Speed 5 pushed me nearly 3.5 mph with 180 watts.

One of the downfalls of looking for boat ramps on Google Earth is they might be private! It turns out this ramp isn’t actually connected with Leamings Marina, but the owner does have a key to open it for… you guessed it… $20.

 

Shrewsbury River 2022

August 1st, 2022

My wife’s parents changed apartments in New Jersey at the end of July, so we took my dad’s truck and utility trailer up to help them move. I haven’t been sailing yet this year since the arrival of my first child in April, so this seemed like a good opportunity to also bring my sailboat and explore new waters while I had free child care with the in-laws. Plus Steve, a friend of mine who helped me fiberglass my boat lives in the area. He built a Michalak Mayfly 14 and rides bikes crazy distances, so I figured he’d be up for a long day of sailing. I had envisioned a 40 mile trip down Barnegat Bay, but the weather wasn’t conducive on the day he had off. Instead, he suggested the protected Shrewsbury River just under Sandy Hook which turned into a fun sightseeing day.

But first, I had to get two trailers to New Jersey. I used a pair of car ramps and a set of two and two blocks to pull the boat onto the utility trailer. I really wanted to weld a hitch receiver onto the utility trailer and double tow, but from my brief research I think it would only be legal through Maryland.

Ready for the big adventure! I made a homemade wiring splitter so all four trailer lights work. I also bought a cheapish boat cover from Covercraft which is working well. The inside got pretty dirty from road grime after our trip to Cape Lookout last year so I figured this would help keep it clean. I was a bit worried it would flap itself apart at 70mph, but the straps do a good job of keeping everything tight. It does take a bit of time to get set up, but it also reduces rigging time since I can leave some stuff ready to go.

Here’s our track for the day. We launched from Parkers Creek and tacked our way out against the current to a group of undeveloped islands in the Shrewsbury River. After eating a sandwich we rounded the islands and came back in on a run. It was a misty day and towards the end there wasn’t much wind. We did 13 miles with an average of about 3.5mph.

Apparently in New Jersey you’ve got public, municipal, state, and federal boat ramps all with different fees and permits. I’m used to sticking $5 in a metal box nailed to a piling. Anyway, the ramp at Dominick F. Santelle Park is free but it doesn’t seem set up that well. Parking is fine, but there’s a large gap between the ramp and the floating dock so I’m not sure how you get the boat over to it without getting wet. Fortunately Steve figured it out while I parked the truck.

Heading down Parkers Creek. I’ve never seen such spindly daymarks. I’m not sure if they’re private or if the Coast Guard puts them in, but I saw similar ones on other creeks.

Eventually we tacked our way out under the Seven Bridges Road. It was misting pretty good which didn’t bother either of us, although I’m pretty sure that just cemented my in-laws belief that we’re crazy.

Up where the river widened we came across a gaggle of Optimist and Club 420’s out racing from the Shrewsbury Sailing and Yacht Club.

Even in the widest part of the river the waves were pretty tame. Spray came aboard a few times, but nothing major.

More mist moved in and I could barely make out the bridge we passed.

Cutting close to a sewage treatment plant. Don’t want to fall in around here!

After two hours we made it to a small beach on one of the islands for a bite to eat.

Looking back from where we came.

Looking over toward the town of Monmouth Beach.

After setting off again we cut through the channel between Gunning and Sedge Islands. Along the way we saw a pod of dolphins in the distance. I don’t know what they were doing, but one of them would hover half out of the water and another jumped completely clear. Eventually they made their way closer to us, probably 20′ away!

After looking us over they steamed off.

I’m glad there’s still a little bit of nature around in such a built up area.

Heading downwind for the first time today. This is the town of Sea Bright, a pretty affluent place. Steve and I had a good conversation about whether or not people with 1000hp on the back of their boats have as much fun as we were having.

Heading around more of the marshy islands.

We cut across the river to nowhere in particular and eventually made it back to the bridge.

Then a slow run back to the ramp.

All in all it was a great day. Lately I’ve been fairly obsessed with 30-40 mile trips and it was good to get out on a shorter sight seeing trip with someone else.

 

 

Trolling motor and New Jersey

Lately I’ve been experimenting with a trolling motor setup so I don’t have to use my British Seagull which, to be honest, isn’t all that great for the environment.

Also my wife and I are heading up to New Jersey for about 10 days to help her parents move. I’ve got some ideas for a few sailing adventures so here’s how to bring two trailers! I seriously wanted to weld a hitch receiver onto the utility trailer so I could pull doubles, but apparently it would only be legal through Maryland.

Spring Modifications

Here’s some modifications I’ve been doing lately. My first child, Henry, was born in April so things have been happening much slower than usual! We’re going up to New Jersey in July to visit my wife’s family and I plan to take the boat along… I’m thinking I’d like to get a long daysail in on Barnegate Bay.

Changed out the leaf springs on my trailer for a pair of 500 pounders. This has made the ride much smoother.

Fabricated some aluminum fenders to replace the broken sheet metal ones. I slipped them into a batch of metalwork I made to be powder coated, so I should get them back soon.

Rigged up a pulley system under my sunroom so I could touch up the paint on the hull that I scraped off going across the sandbar at Ocracoke Island last year. I also got around to getting the boat registered so I can use a motor! I hand painted the letters which was a lot more difficult than it seems.