CLEWISTON TO FORT MYERSWe arrived at the Clewiston Lock at 4:20 PM on Monday, November 7, well before sunset and well before the lock’s scheduled 8:00 PM closure. This was the benefit of running a little hotter than usual since leaving Morehead City.Du…
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Sarasota Bound: Pit Stop then Express Clewiston
We arrived at the Morehead City Yacht Basin on Friday at 1:40 PM with a goal of fueling and getting back on the road in less than two hours. Complicating this year’s “pit stop” was the failure of both the starboard and port running lights, which …
Sarasota Bound:The Fat Lady Screams
NOTE TO READERS: I’ve had this article ready for several days but could not publish due to lack of internet connectivity. The first part of the story anticipates what we think is going to happen and the second parts is what happened.
THE PLAN:
Thursday, November 3:
Weather, weather weather.
You will recall that the forecasts were very favorable for the entire run down the coast. Well, things change. We are now looking at a cold frontal passage in the vicinity of Cape Hatteras and the question we have been dealing with since last night is simply one of the timing of its arrival.
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| Wednesday at midnight – A cold front stretches from New York to Texas |
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| Thursday at midnight – The cold front approaches North Carolina with light rain |
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| Friday at midnight – The cold front has passed Cape Hatteras |
As we cross the Chesapeake Bay and approach Cape Henry (Virginia Beach area) with the threat of heavy weather we face a critical decision. Stop at Virginia Beach and wait for the front to pass (possible 3 day delay), head down the ICW from Norfolk to Morehead City (3 days for sure. More if the Alligator River Bridge is shut down due to 30 knot winds) or proceed to Hatteras on the outside (24 hour passage to Morehead City).
We know we will arrive at the east end of Diamond Shoal at 1:00 AM on Friday, well before the front arrives. Below is the forecast for Cape Hatteras as of 6:00 PM. The forecast for tonight calls for seas 2 to 4 building to 3 to 5 with a dominant period of 10 seconds. This is very favorable. By morning the winds will have built to 30 knots with seas reaching 6 to 9 feet. This was the case in November 2014 when I went south with Dick Singer and Phil Fuoco. Stated another way. I’ve seen this movie before and it is not pretty.
Looking forward to Friday night you can see the 6 to 9s subsiding to 5 to 7. So stopping at Virginia Beach at noon on Thursday would have produced a three day delay while we wait for Cape Hatteras to calm down.
WEATHER FORECAST – CAPE HATTERAS
Synopsis: A COLD FRONT WILL MOVE THROUGH THE REGION TONIGHT AND EARLY FRIDAY MORNING. HIGH PRESSURE WILL BUILD IN FROM THE WEST FRIDAY AFTERNOON INTO EARLY NEXT WEEK.
Thursday Night
SW winds around 15 kt…becoming W 15 to 20 kt late. Seas 2 to 4 ft…building to 3 to 5 ft. Dominant period 10 seconds…decreasing to 5 seconds late. A slight chance of showers late this evening. A chance of showers with a slight chance of tstms after midnight.
Fri
N winds 20 to 25 kt…increasing to 25 to 30 kt in the afternoon. Seas 4 to 6 ft…building to 6 to 9 ft in the afternoon. Dominant period 5 seconds. Showers likely with a slight chance of tstms in the morning.
Fri Night
N winds 25 to 30 kt…diminishing to 20 to 25 kt after midnight. Seas 6 to 9 ft…subsiding to 5 to 7 ft after midnight. Dominant period 6 seconds.
The run from Cape Henry to Morehead City is actually more than just going out to sea 13 NM to go round Diamond Shoal at Cape Hatteras (which is actually 33 NM from the west shore of Pamlico Sound – a sizeable amount of fetch). Once clear of Diamond Shoal the next obstacle before arriving at Morehead City is Cape Lookout, where a second shoal so named extends out to sea 9 NM south and east. There are no marked crossings. Short cut this one at your peril (as the bottom does move around).
Cape Lookout Shoal is over 40 miles south of Diamond Shoal. Add another 10 NM if you run northwest toward shore after rounding Diamond, then run along the coastline and then, finally, head out along the north edge of Cape Lookout Shoal.
There are also no usable inlets along the 212 nautical miles between Virginia Beach and Morehead City. Therefore, once you start this leg you are more or less committed. Yes you can turn around and head back but that comes with its own set of challenges especially when a front is moving north to south.
So, the weather at Cape lookout Shoal must also be considered before proceeding on this leg. Remember, Cape Hatteras is affectionately know as the graveyard of the Atlantic.
WEATHER FORECAST – CAPE LOOKOUT SHOAL
We will arrive at the Morehead/Beaufort Inlet at approximately 11:00 AM on Friday. The forecast calls for winds of 20 to 25 knots with gusts up to 35 knots in the afternoon with seas 3 to 5 feet. On the surface this looks threatening. However, a wind out of the north produces a following sea. A following sea with 3 to 5s is easily doable.
Another factor to consider. The forecast for the coastal waters south of Morehead City after our “pit stop” called for 25 to 30 knot north winds with 6 to 9 foot waves offshore and 3 to 5s close to shore. This is depicted in the sea conditions photo below.
So weighing all the factors we democratically decided to “go for it.”
WHAT HAPPENED:
At 12:30 PM we plugged in the Virginia Beach to Beaufort route and began the passage with winds out of the southwest at 7 knots and seas at less than one foot. Conditions were so good that we operated from the flybridge for 3 hours in 72 degree sunny weather. Back in the pilothouse at 6:00 PM we noted west southwest winds at 14 knots with seas less than 1 foot. A gourmet dinner followed.
By 11:00 PM winds had built to 21 knots (still of out the southwest). We estimated seas at 2 to 4 feet. Rounding Diamond Shoal at 2:00 AM Friday, we noted a 3 to 5 foot head sea off the port bow. Wind speed and direction had not changed. The words “very stable ride” appear in that log entry.
Given the stability of our ride we elected to go directly to the tip of Cape Lookout Shoal saving 9.3 NM by not heading in to shore. We noted at 6:17 AM that the wind had shifted to the north at 23 knots and waves had built slightly to 4 to 6 feet.
A communication between the Coast Guard and a 44 foot sail boat south of our position got our attention. The captain reported the boat hard aground and taking on water. He also reported injuries. The Coast Guard was sending a cruiser, a chopper and a (Sea Tow) tow boat. We never learned any more.
The fat lady screamed (well ok, the front passed): Log Entries:
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| Wind graph showing the trend line leading up to the frontal passage |
· 08:38: Heading direct to the tip of Cape Lookout Shoal. CRS 242. Wind NE 28 to 35 knots with gusts to 40. Seas 7 to 9 with an occasional 10 to 12. We are 14 NM southeast of the shoal.
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0 9:06: Barometer rising from 29.96 to 30.06. The front has passed.
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| Frontal passage |
· 10:20: Direct WP (waypoint) 477 around the end of the shoal. CRS 222. Winds 33 knots gusting to 40. Following sea 8 to 10 occasionally 12.
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| High seas – photo does not due it justice |
No fun for better than two hours. By 11:57 AM we were on the south side of Cape Lookout Shoal with the Morehead/Beaufort Inlet about 9 NM ahead. Winds were still howling at 33 knots from the north but seas had subsided. We were now in 3 to 4s owing to the shelter proved by the shoal against the north wind. We entered the inlet at 12:45 PM.
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| Forecasted 3.6 seas at the point we are experiencing 8 to 10s |
So what happened? NOAA got the wind and sea part of the forecast right. They totally blew the timing. Essentially the front passed quicker than expected. Mind you, I’m not blaming NOAA. We made a decision and took a calculated risk. Factored into that decision was a cost benefit analysis. If it all worked out we would be south of the Cape(s) with a favorable north wind and a following sea on our tail and clear sailing to Florida. A second consideration was my experience with the 63. The 63 has seen 10 to 12s before and on different points of sail and handled it well.
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| Forecasted sea conditions showing a narrow path along the coast |
We arrived at Morehead City Yacht Basin at 1:30 PM with the goal of refueling quickly and getting back on the road within 2 hours.
Stay tuned for the next adventure. Pit Stop then Express Stuart
Data Hingham to Morehead City:
Stay tuned for the next adventure. Pit Stop then Express Stuart
Data Hingham to Morehead City:
- Distance Traveled: 643.1 NM
- Average Speed: 8.1 NMPH
- Time Enroute: 80 hours
- Fuel Purchased: 872.2 gallons
- Price per Gallon: $2.18 plus tax
- Fuel Cost: $2029.74
Written by Les.
Sarasota Bound: Off to a Good Start
Those of you who have followed my bi-yearly coastal runs know that none have escaped a weather incident. And yes, I know it’s not over until the fat lady sings, but as we proceed down the coast of Virginia with 479 NM under our belt the weather has been VERY cooperative. Most important, the forecasts continue to look promising although not perfect due to higher 20 to 30 knot winds from the north starting on Friday, the result of a frontal passage. However, a north wind once we clear Cape Hatteras will give us a following sea, perhaps all the way to Stuart. Stay tuned for an update.
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| Sunrise as we head southeast toward the Cape Cod Canal |
The voyage started on a high note on Tuesday, November 1 with a 6:24 AM departure, 36 minutes earlier than planned. That 36 minutes coupled with other time pickups could mean getting into Clewiston before dark. We’ll see.
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| Minots Light Cohasset |
We experienced light winds and favorable seas from Hingham to the Cape Cod Canal and then a favorable 1 to 2 knot current through canal, which continued through Buzzards Bay along with flat seas. We averaged 8.8 knots to the Buzzards Bay Light (.4 knots above the 63’s optimum 8.4 knot cruise speed at 1400 RPM). At the light we set a direct course to Cape May. This course took us within 100 yards of the Block Island wind farm, which you may recall was the subject of a blog article last May entitled “Alien Lights in the Night.” We passed the wind farm just before 7:00 PM, in the dark, but knowing the farm was there eliminated the mystery. Now it’s just a friendly “landmark” along the way.
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| Morgan sitting on the flybridge stairwell |
Last November when we went direct to cut out the Long Island and Jersey shorelines we started out with a favorable forecast for winds and wave heights. NOAA lied, or, perhaps I read it wrong, but winds built overnight and before reaching Ocean City we experience waves that ultimately reached 10 feet before subsiding as we got close to shore. Not fun and it fouled the anchor chain on both anchors.
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| Guy in command |
This year NOAA’s forecasted for this offshore run predicted 5 knots winds out of the south with flat seas. Well they got it wrong again. Winds built overnight to a solid 15 knots and seas built 3 to 4 feet. Mind you I’m not complaining, just reporting. Except for a little spray the run was pleasant enough that I cooked a gourmet meal. Monday’s dinner consisted of a caprese salad, an entrée of poached salmon with shallots, garlic and herbs, asparagus with garlic herb marinate and baked herb de Provence potatoes slices, white wine and raspberries with whipped cream for desert.
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| Morgan and Guy pose with the caprese salad |
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| Ready for a gourmet dinner |
We did have one interesting incident. The Coast Guard at 10:19 AM broadcasted a warning of a wooden dock floating in vicinity of Ocean City and provided the following location; 39 degrees 16.302 minutes north, 074 degrees 36.263 minutes west. I programmed this into the chartplotter and discovered the location was on land. Something was amiss. The problem is that there are different three different formats for latitude and longitude and my chartplotter’s format did not match the Coast Guard’s.
I called the Coast Guard and requested the location in degrees, minutes and seconds. Looks like I stumped the stars as it took a good 10 minutes and numerous calls to finally get the information I needed (36.16.19 N, 074. 36.14 W). We plotted the location. It showed the object floating in the ICW in the vicinity of Shooting Island. I called the Coast Guard and described the location and asked for confirmation. Yep. We got it right.
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| Location of the floating object (a dock) after getting the location in the correct format |
My recollection of the warning is that they reported the location as Ocean City and gave the latitude and longitude. Had they stated it was on the “intracoastal” I would have disregarded the warning as we will pass Ocean City well offshore. I find the Coast Guard’s communication here as sloppy.
Further, not being able to immediately provide the location in degrees, minutes and seconds is also sloppy. I did not realize that there were multiple was to format lat/lon until last year when I called Garmin to find out why I could not program the recommended route for the shallow water at Sarasota Big Pass. I suspect that is true of most boaters.
Stay tuned for updates on our progress.
Written by Les.
Sarasota Bound: Favorable Weather Predictions
Note to readers: This article started out on October 28 as a weather update email to Guy and Morgan (this year’s crew) and was revised daily with new information as NOAA updated their forecasts.As of Friday October 28:While the Hingham weather has been…
Sarasota Bound: Preparation
It’s that time again.
On Tuesday morning November 1 at 7:00 AM, we depart for the 1,430 NM voyage to Sarasota. Assuming cooperative weather (attention sea gods) and no mechanical issues, the plan is to run six and a half days direct to Clewiston Florida with a two hour pit stop in Morehead City. Then take two more days to finish the Okeechobee Waterway and run north from Fort Pierce to Sarasota. I’m estimating arrival in Sarasota at 2:00 PM. My ability to make this schedule is pretty good, again assuming no weather issues, as I can increase speed as necessary.
Explanatory Note: When you are running 24 hours a day, a 1 knot increase is speed adds 24 nautical miles or a time reduction of three hours each day. Two days of running knocks off 6 hours. Of course there is a corresponding fuel penalty. The 63 will burn an an additional 5 gallons per hour to run at 1600 RPMs. That translates into 120 gallons per day. Since we carry 1,300 gallons and will have full tanks leaving Morehead City the extra fuel consumption is not a problem.
Essentially, I hope to replicate what we did last November, when we knocked off an entire day’s travel by getting to Clewiston, which is located on the southwest end of Lake Okeechobee, on the seventh day. While optimistic, this plan is doable. The key is getting past the Mayaka Lock before 5:00 PM, when the lock closes. You will notice in the detailed plan below that I’m estimating arrival at the Mayaka Lock at 15:26 (3:26 PM). Again this is based on last year’s run. Once on Lake Okeechobee we have clear sailing to Clewiston. The only “problem” is that the sun sets at 17:36 (5:36 PM). This will necessitate running the last 90 minutes in the dark. Considering that the final stretch (see photos below) is well marked, along with our night vision and the fact that I have a programmed route, that I’ve run twice before, the problem is surmountable.
Besides the sunset, it turns out that there are two more “wrinkles.” First, Lake Okeechobee” water levels are high at 15.7 feet. Second, the Ortona Lock is under construction which necessitates limited openings.
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| Southwest segment of Okeechobee Route 1 |
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| The final stretch is a narrow but well marked channel |
The first wrinkle has two implications. The first is good. The water levels on Route 1 is 9.26 feet. Last May we noted clearance of only 2 feet at the southern section of Route 1. The second implication is that the Clewiston Lock is now operating. Last May, and in fact on all of our previous trips, it was open 24/7. However, this does not pose a problem as long as we are on schedule (7:00 PM arrival). The lock closes at 8;00 PM giving us a 60 minute buffer.
Now to the Ortona Lock, The Okeechobee Waterway website shows a Notice to Mariners indicating that the lock is under construction until October 14. I called to the lockmaster today and learned that the construction will last until November 18. Planned closures are between 7:30 AM to 11:30 AM and 12:30 PM to 4:30 PM Monday through Friday. As indicated by the proposed plan below, we should arrive at the lock at 12:09 PM. Back to the Clewiston Lock. Fortunately it opens at 5:30 AM. Allowing for locking time we should be clear of the lock and on our way by 6:00 AM. However, we are looking at a crack-of-dawn departure from Roland Martins Marina which is located inside the Clewiston Lock.
This year’s crew consists of myself, Guy Aries and Morgan Watt. Guy has experience with this trip having accompanied me last year with Skip Roper. Guy is an experienced boater with a captains license. Morgan Watt, who is flying in from Sarasota, is also highly experienced. He too has a captains license along with years of experience as a commercial pilot. This is my most experienced crew to date.
Now to the weather. As of today (Tuesday) we have limited information as NOAA marine forecasts only go out six days. That said, at Day 6, Sunday, NOAA is showing high pressure dominating the east coast with the isobars (pressure gradient) far apart. This makes for light winds. Our Tuesday departure will depend on how fast that high moves off the coast and what fills in behind it. The other critical factor is tropical depressions, storms and hurricanes. At the moment there is no tropical activity in the Atlantic. Obviously this can change but as a general rule, the hurricane season is over by November 30 and storms are rare in November. Our insurance company requires us to stay north of Cape Hatteras until November 15. However, we have “special dispensation” to cross the boundary a few days early. However, that comes with a $200,000 wind deductible.
Finally, we have food. The captain and the crew must be fed. This year, Chef Bernard Kinsella at Good life Kitchen is providing our evening meals. I met Chef Bernard last summer when he had a shop in Hingham. His take out meals were excellent. This year, the chef prepared two of each menu item for me to sample. I’ve had a ball tasting his fare. I’ve included the menu. You will find it below the Proposed November 2016 Cruising Plan.
Written by Les.
Proposed November 2016 Cruising Plan
Explanatory Note: The calculation of days miles divided by speed. The ETA (Estimated Time of Arrival) is based on log entries from last years run.
| FROM | TO | MILES | CUM | TIME | CUM | RPM | KNOTS | DAYS | ETA |
| Depart Hingham | 7:00 | ||||||||
| Hingham Mass | Morehead City | 641.5 | 641.5 | 76.4 | 76.4 | 1400 | 8.4 | 3.18 | 12:30 |
| Fuel Stop | 0.0 | 641.5 | 2.0 | 78.4 | 0.08 | 14:30 | |||
| Morehead City | Fort Pierce Inlet | 574.7 | 1216.2 | 68.4 | 146.8 | 1400 | 8.4 | 2.85 | 7:20 |
| Fort Pierce Inlet | Okeechobee R240 | 23.7 | 1239.9 | 2.8 | 149.6 | 1400 | 8.4 | 0.12 | 10:10 |
| Okeechobee R240 | Roosevelt Bridge | 6.5 | 1246.4 | 0.8 | 150.4 | 1400 | 8.4 | 0.03 | 11:02 |
| Roosevelt Bridge | St Lucie Lock | 8.4 | 1254.8 | 1.0 | 151.4 | 1400 | 8.4 | 0.04 | 12:00 |
| Locking | 0.0 | 1254.8 | 0.7 | 152.1 | 0.03 | 12:42 | |||
| St Lucie Lock | Port Myaka Lock | 15.0 | 1269.8 | 1.8 | 153.9 | 1400 | 8.4 | 0.07 | 15:26 |
| Locking | 0.0 | 1269.8 | 0.7 | 154.6 | 0.03 | 16:06 | |||
| Port Myaka Lock | Clewiston | 23.0 | 1292.8 | 2.7 | 157.3 | 1400 | 8.4 | 0.11 | 18:56 |
| 6.55 | |||||||||
| Depart Clewiston | 6:00 | ||||||||
| Clewiston | Moore Haven Lock | 11.0 | 1303.8 | 1.3 | 1.3 | 1400 | 8.4 | 0.05 | 7:24 |
| Locking | 0.0 | 1303.8 | 0.7 | 2.0 | 0.03 | 8:06 | |||
| Moore Haven Lock | Ortona Lock | 14.0 | 1317.8 | 1.7 | 3.7 | 1400 | 8.4 | 0.07 | 9:27 |
| Locking | 0.0 | 1317.8 | 0.7 | 4.4 | 0.03 | 10:09 | |||
| Ortona Lock | Franklin Lock | 25.0 | 1342.8 | 3.0 | 7.4 | 1100 | 8.4 | 0.12 | 12:09 |
| Locking | 0.0 | 1342.8 | 0.7 | 8.1 | 0.03 | 12:51 | |||
| Franklin Lock | Captiva | 33.4 | 1376.2 | 4.0 | 12.0 | 1400 | 8.4 | 0.17 | 16:51 |
| Locking | 1376.2 | 0.7 | 12.7 | 0.03 | 17:39 | ||||
| 0.53 | |||||||||
| Depart Captive | 8:00 | ||||||||
| Captiva | Sarasota | 53.5 | 1429.7 | 6.4 | 6.4 | 1400 | 8.4 | 0.27 | 14:00 |
| 0.27 | |||||||||
| Optimum Number of Days | 9.00 | ||||||||
Menu Le Bateaux Guided Discovery
Breakfast:
- Bagel Deluxe. Everything bagel with smoked salmon and fixings of your choice (cream cheese, capers, tomatoes, and onion)
- Cascadian Farms Fruit and Nut Granola served with fresh blueberries, raisins, walnuts, and banana
- Oatmeal Supreme. Steel cut oatmeal infused with banana, blueberries and raisins topped with raisins, bananas, blueberries, walnuts and milk
- Joe Dillon’s Protein Shake. 16 oz non-fat milk, 2 scoops of chocolate protein powder, ground seeds (flax, sesame, sunflower and pumpkin) and one frozen banana
- Assorted dry cereals and yogurts
Lunch: Deli sandwiches:
- Choice of ham, roast beef and mesquite turkey
- Choice of cheese (provolone, Swiss, cheddar)
- Condiments (mustard, mayonnaise, pickles)
Snacks:
- Hummus
- Assorted cheeses (Blue, St Angel, Brie, etc.)
- Back to Nature Multi-grain Flax and assorted crackers
Dinner:
Salads:
- Avocado Salad: Herb greens with avocado, plum tomatoes, onion, walnuts, pine nuts and raisins with Newman’s Own balsamic vinaigrette (or light raspberry with walnuts)
- Caprice Salad: Tomato, basil and mozzarella cheese over baby arugula greens with Diamond balsamic vinegar and olive oil
Entrees: By Good Life Kitchen
· Chicken Parmesan with Bow-tie Pasta and tomato sauce
· Salmon with potato and vegetable
· Lasagna with Turkey Bolognese
· Alfredo Pasta with Grilled Chicken and Broccoli
· Eggplant Parmesan
· Lobster Raviolis with Tomato Cream Sauce and Mixed Vegetables
Desserts:
- Ice Cream
- Medjool Dates
- Brownies
Beverages:
- Diet Coke
- Classic Coke
- Ginger Ale
- Kendall Jackson 2014 Chardonnay
- Trefethen 2012 Cabernet Sauvignon
- Sam Adams
- Cigar City Jai Alai IPA
- Polar Seltzer (Bubbly Water)
- Bottled Water
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