Hingham Bound: Spoke Too Soon

The following two paragraphs are borrowed from my last article, Direct Stuart to Morehead City.

“Hours of boredom punctuated by moments of stark terror.” I learned this phrase years ago when I flew airplanes as an instrument rated private pilot and it very well describes what can happen. I have many tales. Now change the word “moments” to “hours” and the phrase now works for boating. As readers who follow this blog know, I have some pretty wild tales.

Sorry, no wild tales at this time and, hopefully, not on this voyage. On my 4 to 7 AM watch Wednesday night, I did a complete review of the weather for the remainder of our route and as of 8:00 AM the weather window remains open and OK enough. So much for boredom even on a three hour watch."

In the previous article I also mentioned that we had not reviewed the Abandon Ship Procedures and stated since we were 10 miles or more from shore that its review “might just be appropriate."

Time for a wild tale.

It's around 2:00 PM on Thursday afternoon. Winds are 15 to 20 knots and we have been running in a 3 to 5 foot following sea for several hours with a forecast for more of the same. That forecast also mentions a chance of thunderstorms but up to this point we have been in partly sunny skies with no rain. Ahead of us at Cape Fear and to the north of there, Sirius Satellite Weather is showing a large area of rain and thunderstorms.  The storms appear to be moving north at a speed greater than Guided Discovery's 8.4 knots. We should be OK.

Our position around 4:00 PM

So the three of us sit down at the pilothouse settee to review the four page Abandon Ship Procedures. 

Explanatory Note: Cliff Rome, Captain of the 70 foot Delta trawler Oasis, who Diana and I met in 2014 when we were commissioning Guided Discovery is the author of the Abandon Ship Procedures. Cliff, to his credit, is more OCD than I am and he wrote this brilliant document, which he generously shared. I adapted it to reflect our situation and equipment level.

At 4:00 PM, we paused our review to make a 4 hour log entry. It included the following:

• 20 NM south of Cape Fear 
• Wind WNW 26 gusting to 34
• Following Sea 6 to 8 feet (off the starboard aft quarter)
• Comment: We have clear skies with no storm visible for 360 degrees. Strong thunderstorms north and west of Cape Fear. A low pressure center is close to the boat. Barometric pressure is 29.56.

Side Note: It's probably not the best idea to discuss abandoning ship when you are in the vicinity of a place with a name like "Cape Fear."

Then, at 4:08 PM, Wylie noticed a Marine Warning (above) on the Sirius Weather screen. It advised "thunderstorms with gusts to 33 knots" We noted in the log that waves were off the starboard aft quarter. At 4:55, the marine warning was lifted. We noted winds of 20 to 25 knots. At that point we got out our standard Operating Procedures and prepared the boat for heavy seas (including securing the salon table).

Wind at 32.4 knots. We are 479 NM from Stuart

Winds and seas quickly built. We noted at 5:41 PM that winds were northwest at 40 to 44 knots with a 7 to 9 foot following sea off the port aft quarter. We also noted that the marine warning was reissued but noted it was not for our area. We were experiencing 8 to 10 feet big rolling waves. We could see storms around us at a distance but nothing close by.  

Winds came up fast, died down and then blew with a vengance

Heavy seas with wind driven spray

Seas viewed from the port aft quarter

Heavy seas

Explanatory Note: Gauging wave height and wave period is difficult when you are in a boat. Further, to avoid exaggeration, either high (to brag) or low (to minimize risk), I ask each crew member for an opinion and we agree on a consensus log entry.

When we crossed the narrow "short cut" passage at Frying Pan Shoal at 6:40 PM, we were in 10 to 12 foot (big - very big) seas with sustained winds in the mid-thirties. Once past the shoal seas started to diminish, albeit very slowly.

Throughout all of this turbulence we were relatively comfortable although we limited our movement. We had to re-secure the salon table, not fun, as our first attempt allowed some movement, which given its size and weight, well over 100 pounds, could do some significant damage if unsecured. We also became concerned about the refrigerator which groaned, suggesting it wanted to break loose on the 10 to 12 foot rollers. I had not experienced refrigerator "groaning" on past encounters with big seas, but then this was the first experience with a big following sea.

Thanks to Wylie, below is a link to a video showing us pitching and rolling. Enjoy.

 https://youtu.be/VKAJ7RMczrI

We had one casualty. Wylie announced that he was experiencing sea sickness and rated its severity at 8 on a 10 scale. Wylie, a pilot, had not previously experienced any motion sickness in his life. Tom to the rescue with a wrist band that puts pressure on the wrist pulse points, ointment behind the ears, and a ginger lozenge that he claimed would cure this and many other ailments. Well, too little, or depending on your viewpoint, too late, Wylie succumbed 10 minutes later. Wylie was lucky. His "bout" lasted only 5 minutes. However, he needed a full night's sleep to recover.

Explanatory Note: This is my fourth Sarasota to Hingham voyage (1,600+ statute miles each - 6,400 miles) and my track record is unbroken. Someone gets sick on every voyage. Wylie holds the record for the shortest bout. Other have fared worse with vomiting and dry heaving lasting for hours! The only good news is that once the person recovers, it's over and they seem to immune from future sea sickness (at least for the remainder of our trip).

Tom shooting photos as the sea rages around us.
Does he look concerned?

I polled the crew regarding anxiety and their opinion of whether we should head in. Both Wylie and Tom expressed some level of concern but not enough to call it quits. That said, heading for shore was not without a few problems. 1. We were over 10 miles from shore, which in itself translates to over an hour of punishment. 2. We were over 20 miles from safe harbor at the Cape Fear River. 3. Either choice required a turn to port which would have put the massive rollers on the beam. We would have taken some horrendous rolls despite our over-sized stabilizers. 

That said, I had little to no anxiety and, except for a flying refrigerator, no concern about our safety. Why?

1. I had experienced big seas including 10 to 12 footers in the past and knew that the boat could handle the seas.
2. The 63 Outer Reef is built to Ocean Category A standards, "Unlimited Navigation."
3. Outer Reef's shipyard in Taiwan is ISO 9000 certified. This provides some assurance of build quality, which two years running have confirmed.
4. The lazerette door, the engine room doors (forward and aft) and the pilot house doors are heavy duty with dogs to secure them. 
5. The chance of a mechanical malfunction was very small. The boat has run almost 1,000 hours without a hiccup to the engines or running gear (including stabilizers). 
6. I perform an engine room check every 6 hours. This limits the chance for a surprise.
7. Sirius Satellite Weather allows us to monitor the weather, including forecasts, radar and sea conditions. Again limiting surprises.
8. The storms were moving north faster than we were. 
9. The hour of the day worked in our favor. Storms tend to diminish as evening comes with cooler temperatures.
10. The seas would be smaller once we crossed the Frying Pan Shoal "short cut."
11. I'd used the Frying Pan Shoal short cut before and in the dark of night. I knew that while shallower than surrounding water, there is adequate depth to reduce being hit with a breaking wave.

Further, to ensure our safety, I called the Coast Guard to see if there was a Notice to Mariners on the Frying Pan Shoal shortcut. There was none. We proceeded through the shoal, noted that the G1 buoy was missing, and, over the next few hours seas began to diminish as the storm ahead pushed further north. The 8:30 PM log entry noted diminished NW winds at 16 knots, seas 3 to 5 foot and, the words "smooth ride."

Side Note: The Coast Guard was not up to date on the missing navigation aid. So much for ‘their” local knowledge.

A little perspective. The old cliché “experience is the best teacher” is valid for me at least as it relates to weather. With experience I’ve come to view weather more like a four dimensional chess board. Dimension #1 is NOAA weather reports. What are the facts? This includes current conditions, big picture forecasts (pressure and fronts) for the next 6 days. Dimension #2 is time. Where will we be in relation to our route (see chart of route with 100 mile intervals below)? Dimension #3 is the trend. What will conditions be before and after our arrival time at a particular waypoint? Dimension #4 is contingency plans. When all else fails, where can I go to seek shelter? With this approach it is possible to venture out into conditions that would previously have kept me at the dock.

A little more perspective. Here is the exact coastal forecast for Thursday, May 5 for the Cape Fear area, recorded at 5:00 AM that day. "West wind 10 to 15 knots. Gusts to 20 knots increasing to 25 kts. seas 2 to 4 feet increasing 3 to 5 feet. Chance of a thunderstorm." The forecasts for the remainder of the route all the way to Block island (RI) calls for chance of thunderstorms or rain showers (which can also develop into thunderstorms). You could sit at the dock and wait for a "clean" forecast but you might be there a long time and that's still no guarantee. Weather can change.

Pilot house navigation and controls
L to R: Speed/distance, weather station, chartplotter, radar, and weather

Meanwhile, after crossing Frying Pan Shoal we finished our discussion of the Abandon Ship Plan as we proceeded north to Morehead City with a favorable tail wind and 3 to 5 foot following seas. The “sea gods” (Neptune et al) looked favorably upon us as we entered the Beaufort (Morehead City) Inlet on a rising tide where we saw speeds over 12 knots. Good News: We got to the Morehead City Yacht Basin at 7:03 AM on Friday. Bad News: The gas dock does not open until 8:30 AM. Oh well.

Guided Discovery at Morehead City Yacht Basin

Hours of boredom punctuated by moments (or "hours" if boating) of stark terror (or at a minimum if boating, cause for concern)." 

Statistics: Stuart to Morehead City

·         Distance: 596 NM

·         Time on this leg: 72 hours

·         Average Speed: 8.5 knots

·         Distance since leaving Sarasota: 779 NM

·         Time enroute to Morehead City: 5 days

·         Fuel Used this leg: 596 gallons

·         Fuel taken on since Fort Myers:

·         Cost per gallon: $2.12 including tax

·         Fuel Cost: $1,759

Written by Les and Wylie
Photo credits: Wylie, Tom and Les