Seadaddler in Florida

[seadaddler]

Left Greenport,NY Oct 19 and arrived in Ft.Pierce,Florida,Oct 30.
Left Montauk on Oct 20 stopped in Cape Hatteras,nc Oct 24
went back outside the 26,went inside Cape Carnaval the 29
stopped in Fort Pierce 30.
Leaving boat in Fort Pierce for now,it's all a blur right now waiting to get our
land legs back,it was a great trip.
Nick

 

[Jerry Clark H356 SV Persi]

Congratulations!

Glad to see you safely made it to Fort Pierce!

 

[cbsailor]

That was a pretty speedy trip. We did the inside route last year and enjoyed many great places along the way. Hope you have a great season!

 

[seadaddler]

My crew was limited to two weeks before they needed to return to NY
for their real day jobs.
The only equipment problem was on day three the autopilot stopped working
and so we had to do hand steering the rest of the trip.
When we did stop on the inside it was real nice but we needed to get to Florida.
The boat did real well out offshore with some real nasty weather,the weather constantly changed every day and when a gale did hit hit us one night the roller furling jib and IN-Mast main furling was great,we could reef when ever we needed day or night without
leaving the cockpit while we were being tossed around in ruff seas,we did three hour shifts at the helm.
Nick

 

[Ed Schenck]

Very impressive Nick.

How much sailing versus motoring? How far offshore were you sailing? Did you ever think that maybe you should find an inlet and try to get inside? What was the failure of the authelm? I find it amazing how much better time you make outside.

 

[seadaddler]

The first plan was to sail from Montauk to abaco Bahamas some 150 miles offshore,but not getting good weather reports and the autopilot not working decided to try and repair the autopilot we went into Cape Hatteras inlet which not easy to do.
I am not sure but I think that one of the folding spokes on my folding wheel came loose and that it pulled on the MK II wheel and motor part of the auto pilot and pulled it out of
alignment.
We always were sailing and just motoring going in and out of inlets from cape Hatteras down to morehead City and out into outside until Cape Carnavaral where we went down the barge canal into ICW until Fort Pierce city marina.
I am dry docking in Riverside Marina and will paint bottom and work on the getting the wheel and autopilot repaired.
Nick

 

[Jim Seamans]

Great news Seadaddler

I've been wondering were you have been:dance:
We expect a trip report in the next 30 days or we will haunt you....

 

[Nereussailor]

Hey Seadaddler,
Welcome to my stomping grounds. I live in Vero Beach, and manage Wahoo's on the Waterfront in Stuart. If you stop into Wahoo's, ask for me. I'm there most of the time We are right off your Starboard side at the Roosevelt bridge. The Harborage marina is right in front of the restaurant.

Fair Winds,
Dave

 

[Buck420]

GOOD JOB, Nick ! !

Kinda gutsy going into Hatteras Inlet. Did you'all call and get some local knowledge or had your capt/crew been in and out of the inlet?
Regardless, you guys toughed it out on the outside, ... hand steering from NC to Fla .... that says ALOT.
I'm guessing there were a few times out there that you said to yourself "WHAT am I doing out here ! ! " .. But once you get safely into port, it makes it all worthwhile.
Hope the repairs go easily and the remainder of the trip is relatively uneventfull.

 

[Scott B]

Hey Nick, great to hear, sounds like a good trip. I'm jealous, we just spent all weekend tarping the boat for the winter, and still not done. :cry:

Enjoy !!

 

[seadaddler]

I'll get to start telling the story soon but I need to make a trip back to the boat today and visit some friends east side Florida.
Nick

 

[Al - s/v Persephone]

Congratulations and questions

Congratulations, SeaDaddler.

Since I know you also have an H36, I'm impressed at your endurance at the helm with hand steering.

Were you able to keep the sails balanced within a few degees of weather helm most of the time, or was the gusting over a range that made that difficult and required constant helm correction for weather helm induced by changes in heel angle of the hull?

Also, I wonder if you could expand a bit on how you prepared (or modified) your H36 for the trip?

Any more detailed comments you'd care to make about the boat's performance in varous blue water sea/wind conditions would be informative for a single-handing coastal sailor like me.

Fair winds,
Al
s/v Persephone