Cuba - An Adventure, The Good The Bad and The Ugly

The good news is that we made it to Cuba and had a great time.......The bad and ugly news is that we were dismasted in our first attempt.  So read on for the details.........

We left Pensacola at approximately 8 am on October 31, Cuba -bound on Midnight Sun II.  It was a fully sanctioned and approved regatta - The Pensacola a La Habana Rally/Race.  This was a historic race given that entry to Cuba from the US has been severely restricted (at least legally) for some years.  For more details of the race, please visit Cuba Race 2015.  As we left the Pensacola pass, we were aware that winds were not favorable for our passage.  In fact, it looked like we were going to be beating into the wind for the approximately 500 miles.  Winds were at about 20-25 kts, with seas in the 4-6 ft. range.  Seas at 4-6 ft does not sound very much, but in the shallow waters of the Gulf of Mexico, that translates to short period waves (about every 4 seconds) that just tend to beat you up.

Leaving Pensacola, the fleet of boats was quite tight - everyone was headed southwest.  After several hours, a few boats tacked east back towards Cape San Blas.  We could see most of the fleet on our AIS, So we had a pretty good idea where everyone was.  As nightfall came, the winds picked up some - now in the 25+ range and we saw gusts at 30.  We talked to the crew of another boat, close by to us, and they reported 35 with gusts to 40.  Seas were now building at more like 6-8 ft.  But I will admit that wave heights are hard to accurately estimate, particularly at night.

Our crew set up watches for the night hours - 3 shifts of 3 hours manned by each of the 3 couples on board.  At midnight, I was off-watch, trying to get some rest, but the pounding waves, did not allow sleep.  At midnight (yes on Halloween), there was a resounding "CRASH" bringing everyone to attention immediately.  Julie and Ron (on watch), yelled, "you had better get up here".  Already on the way, I could only imagine what I was going to find in the cockpit.  My first thought was the dinghy davits had broken as the crash sounded to come from the rear of the boat.

Entering the companionway, I could see Ron and Julie - at least they were safe.  The Bimini and dodger were crushed.  Thankfully, the helm is located under a heavy arch and that was intact.  In fact, as an aside, I am convinced that the arch was crucial in preventing serious injuries to the crew on watch.  The crew was amazingly calm and now completely awake.  A few words and a quick inspection revealed that the entire rig was down - we were dismasted and the mast was over the port side; the boom was still attached to the arch and over the bimini and dodger.  Thankfully at that moment, the winds subsided some, and we were all on deck surveying the situation.

A quick check revealed no water in the boat - no need to pull out the life raft.  "Bolt Cutters - get the bolt cutters.......and a sharp knife".  Without delay, we decided that the rig had to be cut free and jettisoned before a spreader or something did damage to the hull.  The adrenaline was high on all the crew, but I must stress and applaud everyone,  nobody panicked and we worked quickly and efficiently as a team.  Larry and I set about cutting the standing rigging with the bold cutters.  Ron and the girls set about cutting all the sheets and lines and figuring out what was holding the rig to the boat.  We were also curious as to what exactly failed.  As we were cutting rigging we were working through what had happened, but our priority was to make the boat safe and ensure that we were not holed by any part of the rig.  We had to cut every shroud, the backstay and the forestay.  Looking at the way the mast had fallen (backwards and to leeward), it had to be the forestay that had failed.  It was intact at the deck and under some tension, but that was likely just he sails in the water.  After much thought and discussion recollecting the events of that night, I am confident that the forestay failed at or near the masthead.  Whether it was cable fatigue, a fitting that failed or the cable in the foil/furler will remain a mystery as the rig is now in over 100 ft of water in mid gulf.  I will discuss more thoughts on this later - so back to the story of the Halloween night.

With the standing rigging and all sheets and lines cut, the mast started to sink downward on the port side of the boat.  We eased the boom off of what remained of the cockpit, hoping nothing would foul on the boat.  remembering stories of a previous dismasting of a fellow member of PYC, Julie urged us not to start the motor until we were clear of the rigging to reduce the risk of anything becoming fouled in the prop.  Sadly, we watched the entire rig sink into the dark waters of the gulf.  Once we were sure it was free, we started the engine.  During the latter stages of our recovery, we had attempted to contact fellow members of the fleet via VHF.  Our primary radio was out of action - the antenna being on the masthead.  We have a second VHF with antenna mounted on the stern rail.  While this appeared to be working, we were unable to make contact.  Once we had assessed our situation and started to motor back to Pensacola, we made contact with PYC Race Committee via Sat phone to report  our situation.  We also sent messages to our "ground followers" using our DeLorme tracker/2-way communicator.  We were safe, no injuries, we were not taking on water.  We secured a few remaining things, and motored back to PYC.  Our navigation equipment was working fine, as was the auto-pilot.

The crew gathered in the cockpit.  I think (and hope) we gave thanks for our safety.  Whether we said this aloud, or all independently thought it, I know we were all immensely thankful for our safety, and the fact that nobody was injured.  We started to figure out our shortest course back to Pensacola.  Although we had been sailing all day and night, we had been tacking back and forth due to the wind direction.  If I recall correctly, in terms of distance made, we were about 60 miles south of Pensacola inlet.  We quickly figured that we could be back at PYC by 8 to 9 am. Now, wide awake, all the crew was huddled in the cockpit.  We discussed the events of the night, piecing together what might have happened....what failed, could it have been avoided?  A lot of second guessing, but we all agreed, the failure was at the masthead.  Realization then set in........."Cr@p - we are not going to Cuba".

The conversation moved from "what happened" to "what should we do now"........six people on a boat with no mast, plenty of food and drink, and time set aside for a trip to Cuba.  Maybe we could just hop on a plane and fly down and at least be there for the rest of the fleet?  Once within cell range, we would Google flights.  Each of the other couples on board had great boats - maybe we should just go somewhere - New Orleans, The Keys.........we couldn't go to Cuba as our USCG Permit was for Midnight Sun II.  Cr@ap, all this preparation and we are not going to Cuba.

As we got close to land, we got cell service.  Phones lit up with text messages from friends and family.  Our friend Google reported that flights to Cuba were not really feasible - we had no visas, we would have to change planes twice, and it was $800 each.  No we are not going to Cuba.

We returned to PYC.  By now, news of our situation had made it out.  We were greeted at the dock by great friends, Chuck and Peg, race committee members Murt and Larry, Commodore McMillan, and the club manager who brought the crew consolatory Bushwhackers.  Hey - 8:30 am CST, its 5 o'clock somewhere.  I'm not sure exactly where it was 5 o'clock, but who cares, the Bushwhackers hit the spot - Thank you Scott and Jim!  We made our way up to the clubhouse.  By now the local Coast Guard had arrived to check on us - thank you guys for keeping a watchful eye.

Midnight Sun II return to Pensacola

Awaiting Repairs

Its sad when all that's left of your rig fits in a small box :(

We talked to Zern Rigging and made arrangements to take the boat to Pensacola Ship Yard - hopefully our insurance will provide coverage.  While at PYC, our plans for "what now" were discussed and a new plan formulated.  "No point crying over spilled milk", if we stay home, Midnight Sun will not be fixed any quicker.  I noticed Larry and Tracy step away from the bar and have a brief private discussion.  I hope they are not  too disappointed and planning to head home.  But who could blame them.  We were all tired and plans for the next 2 weeks had gone away.

"Hey Guys - Tracy and I have discussed it, let's take our boat TraSea and head for Cuba"......what??...what about our permit, insurance.....err...."Are you sure Larry?"...."Let's contact the Coast Guard and tell them our plans - transfer all the gear, let's get underway.  Maybe we can be there in time for the party"

Why not - if you fall off a horse, you should get right back on and ride it - right?

Pensacola to Cuba Race - - starts Tomorrow (Oct 31)

We are currently in Pensacola Yacht Club, ready to set off for Cuba tomorrow at around 8 am.  The crew is excited if not just a little apprehensive.  We will have 6 on board.  For anyone  interested in tracking our progress, there are a few options:

1. Use our DeLorme ling by visiting https://share.delorme.com/Midnightsunii 
2. To see all the boats in the race, go to http://kws.kattack.com/GEPlayer/GMPosDisplay.aspx?FeedID=1498

For some reason we are not showing up on Kattack, but we hopefully will by tomorrow

Headed for Cuba!

They say that making a public declaration of something on your "bucket list" is the best way to make it happen.  Well here goes - we are headed for Cuba!

Behind the scenes, we have been working on getting the approvals in place to participate int he Pensacola to Havana race, commencing Oct 31, 2015.  Well today we got the final approval needed the USCG Permit to Enter Cuban Territorial Seas.  We had a crew meeting tonight and we are committed to go!

CUBA here we come!

Watch this space for updates

Our Tentatively Planned Route

Also see the official race website at www.cubarace2015.com

A Wonderful Summer on the Gulf, and Lost Bay Regatta

It's been a wonderful summer here on the Gulf of Mexico.  We feel so so very fortunate to have found such an amazing place that suits the lifestyle that we enjoy.  I could write many things about this area, but on one hand I am a bit hesitant..... I know this blog has a few readers (not thousands), and I would hate to be responsible for a "mass invasion" of this amazing area!!  when I talk to neighbors, they all ask "how did you find this area", and secretly, I have come to know that what they mean is "how did you find out about this well kept secret paradise...you haven't told others have you?"  So I can't be the one responsible for spoiling it!  The answer that I always give to that question is "we sailed here", and that actually seems to be an answer that provides some immediate credibility, since most of our friends in this area are associated with boating and or are active boaters or sailors in some way shape or form.

So what makes this area so unique?  First and foremost I have to say it is the friendly people in the area, and secondly the wonderful boating waters we have found in very close proximity to where we live.  The people we have met have welcomed us into the community and have included us in  the many water-centered activities in the area.  This has included: regular "happy hours"; raft-ups at local anchorages; weekend and multi-day boating trips to neighboring gulf-coast areas; local regattas; and invitations to generally join in with anything going on in the community.

I feel remiss that I have not kept up with the blog this summer - but it has been such a busy summer combined with that four letter word that gets in the way of fun  - yes W@RK...(sorry to use the "W" word).

Anyway, by way of a summer catch up, I thought I would post just a few photos of a few key activities from here on the gulf, together with brief captions.  AND  if you are reading this post, please look out for the next post which I promise to be more exciting for those interested in adventure and sailing.  our next adventure will hopefully commence on or about October 31.....more details in the next post to this blog.

Fort McCree Wildlife

Sunset at Ft. McCree

Well - this just says it all!

A visit from friends on TraSea - in our canal

First Mate "Salty" - with his smiling face!

Dolphins on the "Lost Bay"

Scenes from the Lost Bay Regatta

And below are some scenes from the 2015 "Lost Bay Regatta", hosted by Point Yacht Club, and heavily attended by friends from Pensacola Yacht Club.

Friends assemble for Sunday Brunch (Pt. YC).

You may well ask "what is he is doing??"  This is the famous "Spoon Man" - yes, he is playing spoons with the band, and the red item really is a microphone!

Captain Larry and Admiral Tracy - receive prize for third place!  We were crew.

Arcadia - closing in on us!

Chasing the "pack"

And a great weekend was had by all......on the "Lost Bay"

Post Cruise Projects!

Since our cruise, I have been spending some time catching up on boat projects...........you have  probably heard two of the more well known definitions of "BOAT" right?

1. Bring On Another Thousand....and
2. a hole in the water in which you pour money

Well I try to minimize the impact by doing most if not all of my own maintenance.  At times I bring in a specialist if i am stumped, just acn't figure it out, or just think its time for an expert.  Here are a couple of examples.

Before heading off on our cruise, I hired a local rigger to come and inspect my standing rigging and make any adjustments needed.  Yes, I could likely do the inspection myself looking for obvious corrosion etc, but since I essentially riggd the boat myself when we recommissioned after transporting the boat to Savannah, I decided that I just wanted another set of eyes, and it was time for an expert.  So I  hired Rick Zurn, a local rigger.  He did a great job, saying everything was basically in good shape, but gave me a list of things to put on the "to do" list - such as replace the halyard in the next few months, service winches, etc  It was well worth his fee for the expert advice and peace of mind.

Then there were a few things that had just broken in the past few months, and a few things that broke on our trip - some non essential but in need of fixing, and some a little more pressing:


Front A/C unit - compressor had locked up.  After researching pricing, I decided to simply replace the complete unit

New Ocean Breeze unit on the bench

Exisiting SMX controller

rewiring the control box

The replacement selected was an Ocean Breeze Unit (16,000 BTU).  the biggest challenge was rewiring the controller so that I could use my existing SMX controler.  I really did not want to have to start modifying cabinetry for a different shape.  Tech support at Ocean Breeze was pretty good, once I managed to get them to understand exactly what I was trying to do.

Another project was the windlass motor - it quit for the second time.  I had replaced the motor a few months ago, and it quit again.  Last time, the motor was worn out - brushes and bearings that nobody could seem to find for me.  But this time it was a brand new motor....hmmmm. So i took the motor our once again, and discovered the motor was dripping with oil.  I took it back to the shop where i had purchased it, and not surprisingly, they confirmed that the motor should not be oil filled.  It had to be the oil seal that had failed on the gearbox above.  If that failed, oil from the gearbox could run into the motor.

windlass gearbox (in place)

Yes, that was it - the seal had gone bad.  The motor supplier took pity on me.  The motor was essentially ruined, so he sold me a new one at cost.  I found a replacement seal on ebay - yes, the failure of a $5 part ruined a $500 motor..  Interesting thing about the gearbox - there was no apparent way to re-fill or replace the oil.  I contacted the manufacturer - Simpson Lawrence, but they were not much help.  So I filled it with SAE 30 through the bearings before inserting the seal.  It seems to be working fine - fingers crossed!

And finally - the front water tank! Referring back a couple of posts ago, the outlet pipe to the front tank had separated from the tank, likely due to pounding seas and the fact that all the valving was supported on the pipe.  The galvanized tank had a threaded outlet and a brass nipple pipe had come free.  I thought it was going to be a problem, fearing that the threads on the tank may have stripped. Of course i could not get a good view of it, even with my iPhone camera.  And, of course it was way down low with access only for one hand.  Anyway, I cleaned out the threads with a stiff wire bottle brush, used plenty of PTFE tape and thread seal, and the pipe seated well with no apparent leaks.  I reconfigured the valving so no weight was supported by the nipple, so another one off the list!

In among all of this work, we had to make some room for play......so we attended Point Yacht Club's Sailstice event. About a dozen boats gathered at nearby Redfish Point for a weekend of fun, eating drinking, and some sailing.  Hope this little video shows up ok on the blog.

If you like the video, pleasae vote for it after August 13, 2015 at this link http://www.summersailstice.com/harkenvideocontest 

Well that's all for this post - hoping to go for a sail today!

Pensacola to Apalachicola Cruise (PAC II) - Part 2

....continued from Part 1

We had a wonderful time in Apalachicola, starting off with drinks in the Bowery Station, located close to our mooring for the night.  Scenes below are from this great little watering hole!

 Local entertainer - Bowery Station, Apalachicola

PAC II Cruisers - Bowery Station

And later that evening a near complete compliment of the sailing and power boat participants in PAC II aboard Julie's amazing Tartan, s/V Night Sky.....Julie, I just love your boat!

 Ladies of PAC II.....and Ron?

Guy's of PAC II......and Belle

S/V Midnight Sun II and S/V TraSea made a day sail to Little St. George from Apalach and we spent a great time on the beach.  Salty got on the trail of a very large ghost crab and managed to dig it up, but then didn't know what to do with it.

In Apalachicola, we had the traditional "club brunch" by the pool of a local hotel and also great dinner of shared dishes on the wharf next to our mooring. The next morning, several of us set off back up the river towards Port St. Joe, starting our return journey.  S/Vs Midnight Sun II, TraSea, and Night Sky all anchored at Crooked Island for the night, located about 10 miles west of PSJ.  The entrance is uncharted and there was quite a swell, so navigation into the continually changing entrance is "visual".  A couple of the boats had a few "touch and go" moments, but the bottom is sand, so no damage was done.  if you have the right conditions and/or nerve to try it, Crooked Island is a wonderful anchorage.  other than a couple of small boats fishing, we had the place to ourselves, and it could have been anywhere on one of the remote islands of the Bahamas.

From Crooked Island, we said farewell to the other boats we had sailed with and ventured back to port St. Joe,  one of our most favorite spots on the Forgotten Coast.  We discovered a couple of new restaurants in the area that have recently opened.  Ever heard of a restaurant that has free beer and wine - yes, that's the current deal at Shipyard Cove in PSJ.  I say the "current deal" as I suspect its an interim situation until they get their license.  Right now, they are simply asking for donations to the wildlife fund.  The food and staff are good and owner Bill is trying to make a go of this, a gift shop, and ice cream.  I believe Bill is also a part owner in the development on Black's Island located in St. Joe's bay.  Anyway, if good food and free drinks is not enough to tempt you, a look at the interesting table tops made from salvaged wood from Wewahitchka is definitely worth the trip.  Seen below is the "Captain's Table".  Bill apparently got the wood from local "deadheaders" that run a mill in Wewah......next visit, we will try to track it down.

Captain's Table - Shipyard Cove 

Other places to try include: the newly opened Bin 411 (wine bar, coffee shop and sandwiches), Provisions (one of our all-time faves), Joe Mama's Pizza (first class pizza), and Peppers (good Mexican, but then they are the ONLY Mexican).

Before heading back, we had a couple of nights at our beach retreat on Cape San Blas.

the beach - Cape San Blas

Salty goes  fishing (his favorite sport!)- CSB

A little pool-side relaxation before headed home.

and of course a sunset at CSB!

But all good things come to an end and it was time for us to start the sail back to Pensacola.  The plan was a two-day trip reversing our trip out here and stopping the night at Panama City/St/ Andrews.  So after a little provision top-off, we headed out late morning to arrive in the early evening.  It was a superb sail - wind conditions, and some great wildlife sightings, including dolphins on the bow, and two brief sightings of a very large turtle (unfortunately not caught on film), that looked like the Loch Ness Monster!  But Salty did go dolphin fishing! - and that was caught on film....

Leaving Panama City and heading to Pensacola, we saw a few interesting Naval happenings....for instance.......

Look at the commercial salvage vessel in the background...he announced on VHF that he had limited maneuverability as was towing an "anonymous vessel".......looks like a submarine to me and he headed to the Naval base.  This was taken at daybreak, approximately 5:30am - long before the tourists were awake!

Then when we got to Pensacola, we saw a vessel on AIS doing 30+ knots.....that suddenly stopped.  Very strange - perhaps the AIS lost its fix...and what could move at 30+ then stop?  Well this did:

According to our neighbor, its called "No.5" and is an aluminum jet boat that was (perhaps still is) used as a minesweeper.  It was quite a breezy day and I think some naval commander was having the crew practice docking as he came in and out of the Pensacola inlet (docking each time), in the time that we took to sail on in.

But in summary - what a wonderful trip!  Thank you to everyone from PYC that participated and a special thanks to Julie and others that took lead roles in organizing things!

Pensacola to Apalachicola Cruise (PAC II) - Part 1

The Cruiser's Group from Pensacola Yacht Club (PYC) organized a cruise from Pensacola to Apalachicola.  our "ad hoc" group of both sailing vessels and motor boats left from various spots around the Pensacola area between May 21 and May 23.  I think those with the flexibility to leave on the 21st hit optimum conditions, but because of work, travel, and other such less important matters, the larger group departed from Ft. McRee in the early hours of Saturday (23rd).

Taking the sound decision to skip all the madness at Destin, the first stop for the main group was a nice anchorage located within the entrance to Panama City/St. Andrew's Bay, known as Redfish Point.  After a day that fellow sailor Chuck described as "riding a horse named Fu Manchu", we were happy to reach the anchorage before dark and rest up.

 One of many of our wonderful sunsets

Motor-sailing very lumpy conditions

I seem to never get the camera out except on the calmest of days.....but this time I decided to risk an iPhone.  In this part of the Gulf, the water is not that deep (typically 20-40 ft), and while the waves were not that high, they were every 3 seconds making for a bumpy ride beating into 15 kts or so.

S/V TraSea

The next day, we continued on into more of the same to arrive at Port St, Joe marina, passing fellow PAC II cruisers Mike and Carol that had set off the day before in calmer conditions and sailed straight to Cape San Blas.  They were anchored on the Gulf side of the Cape.  We saw them at anchor on our way in down the channel.

Part of our group decided to stay an extra day in Panama City, while others decided to head for port St. Joe.  On our way over, we learned that fellow cruisers Chuck and Peg had experienced mechanical problems and were now searching for parts.  At first, I heard it was a broken steering cable, but that was later clarified to be a transmission/gear shift cable.  Ahhhh!!  I know something about that having broken one in the Bahamas!  The upside was that they were in a good spot to find parts and one was quickly located.  I understand that Chuck (S/V Point of Sail) with help from Ron (S/V Night Sky) spent the next day getting parts and making the repair.

Peppers - Port St. Joe

The next day as we were readying to reluctantly leave PSJ, I was filling the water tanks and noticed that the bilge was running...Hmmm   - am I filling the boat with fresh water somehow?.....after a rather frantic search, pulling up floor boards to locate the source of the water, looking in lockers etc, the leak was found.  The outlet pipe from the front water tank had separated from the tank.

Sure enough, I was filling the boat with fresh water.  An iphone can work as a handy substitute to a boroscope when trying to see what's going on in an obscure location.  It looked like the pipe was never seated too far into the threaded tank port, so rather than messing with it at this point, I let the tank drain, and isolated the pipe with the valve.  I was sure we could get by with one water tank and make a better more permanent repair when we got home.  It looks like the threads need a good clean  our before putting the pipe back in.  I am sure this connection was a victim of the previous two days of beating we had taken in the Gulf.  

So off we set for a more relaxing motor cruise to Apalachicola.  We decided to go via the ICW which actually makes use of the Jackson and Apalachicola Rivers.  For anyone that makes it to this part of the world, to me this is a short trip not to be missed.  With very little imagination, you could easily be miles up the Amazon with some wonderful river scenery, wildlife and tranquility.

The Captain Salty Shrimper - based in the mouth of the Gulf County Canal 

Our "First Mate" Salty....and Captain Salty

One of many Osprey Nest on one of the ICW markers

We saw some wonderful "Cyprus and Mangrove" anchorages on the river.  Some members of our group decided to anchor on the river, while we decided to continue on to Apalachicola.  Our decision was driven by a lack of shoreline suitable to land "Salty", and the likelihood of a bug invasion out here in the wilderness. Apalachicola was just an hour further.

We arrived in Apalach and tied up to the public seawall.  No power, but that was OK - it was only $30.  The instructions were to call the Chief of Police.  When we did so, we got a recorded message, but later received a call back.  When we told him we were two boats, he actually gave us a "two for one" special.  What a wonderful part of the world this is!

...........more to follow in Part 2