The adventures of Adagio - A tempo having slow movement; restful at ease.

[jthatcher]

interesting thought, Billy...   like so many other aspects of boating..  it is difficult to   reach  consensus   the proper way  to accomplish a task..  of course,   different situations dictate various courses of action..     thanks for your input..  in this case,  the anchor  that i first set was holding quite well..  it was the line that concerned me..     time to change it!     good luck on your trip this weekend...  jt

[Bob23]

   'Twas a true pleasure to meet up with JT on his way back north. It was perfect timing as the 4th was the first day I had available to sail the boat down from the marina to her home port. This was especially important because each year I fly Old Glory from her backstay over the 4th of July weekend and didn't want to miss this one.
   We had a great time dislodging Adagio but we might have had to wait out the tide unless the army of volunteers hadn't appeared. A note on 2 anchors: When visiting Tice's Shoals or anywhere else, I like to set 2 anchors, Bahama moor style for 2 reasons: I enjoy minimal swing at anchor and I like the reassurance of 2 anchors in case of a wind switch, which we all know will happen. In fact I like the reassurance of 2 of almost anything, a fact of which JT can attest. Check out this article on the Bahama mooring:
http://www.goodoldboat.com/reader_services/articles/anchor.php
   Thank you Jt for keeping such a detailed journal of this trip...it has been one of my reading highlights so far this summer. And thanks for letting me be a part of it. And I can almost promise not to post the photos of Adagio leaning over while sitting on the muddy bottom of Harry's Cove, my home  mooring. Almost!
Best,
Bob23

[jthatcher]

Day 5.. this is the second time that i am typing this..   not sure where the first version went!   i probably fell asleep before   hitting post     

Got an early start out of surf city..    pulled and stowed anchor number 1...    warmed up the engine... retrieved  line from anchor 2 up to the chain  - this pulled me a bit closer to the channel and  away from the shallows      then  pulled the anchor and left it on the deck  - returning to   the cockpit to steer a course away from the beach..     the wind had actually diminished  since  4 am..   so that was in my favor.    Followed the local channel  out to the ICW   and headed home..    I used the  auto tiller  for a while so that i could  stow the second anchor  and gear..   

the wind was light early, but  I was entering the  wide open part of the bay and almost felt guilty about not sailing..  so i set the jib to see how she would respond..   2.5 knts..   double the time to get home..   I   was definitely feeling like the horse who had caught a glimpse of the barn!    got the engine going again and off i went..     

there were many more boats on the water compared with early in the week when i was the only one on the entire bay for the first two hours!   in fact,  as I got off of  Waretown, there must have been at least a 100 fishing boats bobbing all around..      I encountered a few sailboats..  many motoring like me..    The seaside heights bridge was ahead  and getting clearer by the minute..    after a few hours,  I was at the entrance to Toms River..  there were folks cutting all kinds of  corners  as far as the  bouys were concerned, but i was determined to stay in the channel and not  push it -   I had no desire to  hop into the water again! 

came back to the  dock..  was hoping to  end the trip with a smooth landing.. almost!

nudged the  dock just a bit..   and of course,  my neighbor was watching 

final statistics..     110 nautical miles   ave   4.5 knts , spent lots of money
Highlights:
  learned a huge amount.. 
  got a chance to visit with bob and his family  and a wonderful meal at his daughter's restaurant!
  finally  got a chance to experience traveling by boat after  soooo many years of dreaming about it
 
Only in retrospect did I realize how exhausted i was when i got back yesterday..    I literally nodded off while typing this account..  Being on a small boat on the water, in the heat  really drains a person of energy!

i learned that   I really should have been doing this when i was 30..     and i am not 30 anymore! 

I learned that  being on a boat alone, is particularly intense..   i thought a lot about the term self-reliant through the week,  and I like to think that I am self-reliant,  but in fact,  there is nothing like sharing thoughts with experienced folks..    or having a crew of young guys  come off of the beach to lend a hand when  the chips are down..     I think that I am much more inclined to  believe in a goal of  neighborly support  as opposed to  having to do everything myself.  (  this after building my house,  largely by myself!)     

so i need a few days rest , and then i will tackle the  problem of getting the boat to Maine next year..  i guess that i have a full range of options to consider..  buying a trailer and renting a truck..   having it shipped..  or taking the time to sail it..    time will tell! 

thanks for reading..  this closes the recording of the first long distance adventure of Adagio   2013   jt

[Billy]

110NM that's pretty good. Glad you made it back safe. And as for running aground....there are two types of sailors. Those who have run aground and those who have lied! I very much enjoyed reading your trip reports. Hope you took some pictures.

Bob,
I have used the Bahama mooring a few times when I first started over nighting on the boat and while it does cut down on the swinging when the wind direction stays consistent (see Mac's post about the bobbing 19), my luck always seems to have the wind shift  just as I am dozing off...
Now the two anchors are in a straight line forward of the bow instead of off at 45 degrees each. And the anchor that is now closer to the boat is no longer working. The rode slacks and it pretty much becomes useless.....and the boat swings anyways. As we all know, these Com-Pacs have a mind of their own. But if a bad situation occurs and you had to pull up the anchor(s) in a hurry, your now having to pull up and stow two anchors and rodes before you can begin making way. Which can be dangerous when single handing. And there is also the time it takes to set up the Bahama Mooring. I would prefer the Bahama Momma. 

But one of the things sailors argue about most is how to anchor and proper techniques. To each there own.

[jthatcher]

billy,  what size line to you use for your anchor?    it was the line that concerned me the other night..     i know that  3/8th is supposed to be adequate..   by some accounts , more than adequate..    but i would feel more comfortable with  half inch..     although it was a bit  disconserting to  have the wind blowing as much ,  it is good to get through a night like that just to see how well the anchor and line did hold..   my  second anchor was pretty much in line with the first..  just might have  helped out had the first one failed..      lucky for me.. they did not get tangled.  i have heard that can be a problem as well..    jt

[Shawn]

" it was the line that concerned me the other night..     i know that  3/8th is supposed to be adequate..   by some accounts , more than adequate..    but i would feel more comfortable with  half inch.."

I had 3/8" and switched out to 1/2" double braid on Serenity for my main anchor. The 3/8" should be plenty strong (tensile strength is greater than the displacement of the boat) but I preferred the 1/2" due to greater chafe resistance and it is a little easier on the hands. The downside of wider lines is less stretch. The stretch helps reduce shock loading. I have almost 60 pounds of chain (38' of 3/8") on my main anchor, the catenary helps reduce shock loading too. My secondary/lunch anchor uses 3/8" line.

For those that are worried about wind shift while anchored what type of anchor are you using? Different anchor designs handle wind/tide shifts better/worse than others.

Shawn

[Billy]

I have 3/8" but I'm on a 19 not a 23. I'm sure the line is plenty strong for both boats though. But chafe is an issue.  Especially when laying on the bottom. I am considering switching to all chain though. I currently have about 8' of chain now.

My reason for switching to all chain is so
1. chafe will no longer be an issue
2. Better holding due to cantenary curve (the weight of the chain will pull the boat closer to the anchor and reduce the load on the anchor).
3. Get some more weight up front. I feel like my boat squats a bit when under way (especially with 4 people in the cockpit).

I mostly use an 8lb Danforth and 90% of the time.....it works all the time. I also have a 11lb (maybe 16lb can't remember) claw that is great too, but heavy and I keep that one in the back in a lazerette. Same rode on that anchor too.

When I go to the beach I drop the danforth about 30' or so out and then walk the plow up to the beach. I think that is called a mediteranian mooring but I'm not sure. The plow is really heavy and I should probably throw that off the bow and walk the lighter danforth up to the beach but i don't have a way to store my plow on the bow. I also have a little grappling anchor I could use for a stern anchor but I am pretty sure it is too small.

[jthatcher]

good discussion guys..   i do have about   25 feet of chain on the line..    i am just going to  change out the line   for a new  3/8 ths one  and let it go at that....   

on another note..   apparently i did give the good samaritan in the C Dory the right number.   he just called this afternoon and we had a nice chat..   i will work on a plan for getting his gear back to him..    i could do it right now, except that i don't have a car..   waiting for my wife to show up later this after noon   for  a sunset cruise..   doesn't that sound romantic??      i will finally  get to do some sailing !!  jt

[Bob23]

Quick note:
   I use 1/2" for my primary anchor and I have an 150' of 5/8" line as an auxilary. My mooring tackle, above the water, consists of two 5/8" lines. You might have guessed I'm a redundancy and overkill freak! But I am mooring in open water which sometimes tends to get nasty. I'd hate to loose my 23 because I thought my tackle was "strong enough".
   JT: I was thinking of you when I saw the light wind on Friday morning. And it blew so hard for almost 2 weeks straight out of the SW! Glad you had a great return trip. Enjoy the sunset cruise! Hi to Janet.
Bob23

[jthatcher]

When Bob and I were  extricating  Adagio from the soft bottom  in his cove,  we noticed that there were some bare spots   on the hull under the water line..   i remarked that it looked like the  bottom paint job  did not get done!     When i talked to the guys at the marina,  I was told that  it had been done but that the bare spots would not hold the paint ..  indicating that the bottom needed to be prepped..    I guess there was no time to do that before getting it in the water.. 

It is kind of hard to tell how good a job was done when you show up  and the boat is in the water!     So , I have been giving this some serious thought..    I think that it is time to make room here at home and bring the boat home..  of course, the big dilemma is that I do not  have a trailer..  also don't have a vehicle large enough to tow it, but that can be remedied in a number of different ways..      I figure that I can   have it hauled here..  or  borrow a trailer.. or buy one..      I am investigating that right now..   first quote came bake at  5K+   ouch!   the boat didn't cost me much more than that!     I am just about to  fill out some paperwork for a second quote..   

if anyone knows of a used trailer that is available and which is relatively close to NJ or PA.. let me know!     I can always put it on blocks here at home.   and that will give me an opportunity to    scrape the bottom  ,  do a good job of prepping it..  and putting on the bottom paint myself!    it will also give me a chance to  rewire the boat.. a job that I have been contemplating for a while..    And I can do much more justice to the patch that i put on her hull  early this spring, along with a few more patches that are necessary..     

The reality is that it may not make it into the water next summer, but at least it will be handy ,  and I can work on it as I can afford the time and expense..   and I can always sleep aboard if  I start feeling nostalgic..       jt

[Bob23]

JT:
  Schedule permitting, my trailer sits naked all summer and is available for you to use. When are you thinking of bringing Adagio home? Even if it's the fall, it'll probably work. It would mean a return trip for you to bring the trailer back to NJ. Let's talk on the shoe phone. \
Bob23

[jthatcher]

Over the past week or so, I have been  rewriting and editing my  posts about the trip for another blog that  I have..    I must say that I am more than a little embarrassed  at the poor spelling and lack of editing that  was apparent in my posts on this site!  In fact, I should have prefaced each one with the warning   Rough Draft !!    It goes to show just how tired I actually was each night as I jotted  down my experiences for the day..   What a nice bunch to  read and suffer through all that.    It occurred to me that some might read my entries and walk away thinking that it was a journey from hell..  or possibly to hell     But, of course, that was not the case at all.   How often do we get the chance to spend five days "at sea" on our boats?    In fact, it was a golden opportunity to see New Jersey from a totally new perspective ..  ok.. lots of  room there for sarcastic thoughts, but I will let that pass..    I am already thinking about the next trip     jt

[Bob23]

I for one enjoyed reading the account of your voyage. I don't read with the idea of picking things apart and looking for errors. Very enjoyable and I'm glad I was a small part of it. Also glad you learned that there's more to NJ then the Parkway, Turnpike and (very thankfully) "Jersey Shore".
Bob23

[Billy]

I too enjoyed your post and I have no room to talk about grammar or spelling.

Keep'm coming and please post a link to your blog, or add it to your signature.

[jthatcher]

wow.. what kind-hearted folks!    But that should come as no surprise...    http://lifeat6mph.wordpress.com/    this is a link to my blog..    Originally, it was intended to be largely focused on sailing, but  I have strayed far and wide     It has not generated a great deal of interest or followers.. in fact, the biggest response that I got was from a post regarding my  grandmother's  poor dutchman's cake recipe..  if you try it, let me know how it turns out      jt