Fiasco 1
As reported in November 1996:
You may recall that two weeks ago I sent a message boasting about the 5 weeks I was about to spend sailing on a boat to and around the Virgin Islands. Well, it didn’t quite work out that way, and I’m back at work three weeks early. The full version of my sad tale is too long to relate, but even this short version should bring tears to sympathetic eyes.
Basically, the owner of the boat was clueless about ocean sailing. While his boat may have been fine for weekend sails in protected bays and rivers, it was not equipped for an ocean passage. When I arrived along with the other two crew members, the boat looked like a garage that had not been cleared in decades. After a few days of tossing off useless junk, we got a better view of how ill-prepared the vessel was: The back-up bilge pump was broken, the main sail did not have enough reef points for heavy weather, the boom did not have the proper hardware to reef the sail, the shortwave radio was broken, the autopilot was broken, the electrical system was flukey and needed to be diagnosed and rewired, the galley and entire main cabin were not equipped to prevent cooking implements and everything else from flying around every time the boat heeled, the main cabin was not installed with the proper lighting needed to prevent the helmsman outside from being blinded when sailing at night. Etc etc.
Needless to say, a good number of days were wasted while these problems were addressed – and not all of them were corrected. By the time we were ready enough to sail, the good weather had passed and we set out into conditions that were predicted to be mildly rough for only a day or so. Alas, the predictions were wrong. Conditions got worse: The wind grew to about 30 knots and was blowing us in the wrong direction…with no sign of abating or shifting direction. The seas grew heavy and very nasty, and we had to pound into the waves head on. Frequent squalls turned into a constant storm, with rain pouring down non-stop and waves breaking over the boat. In addition to the contrary winds, the current was strong enough that we were never able to get far enough east to break free of the Gulf Stream. In fact, we kept going north despite the best efforts of our engine and sails. (Geographical note: The Virgin Islands are south and east of our starting point in North Carolina.)
Heading in the wrong direction was bad enough, but within 24 hours the following other things happened:
- The deck leaked like a sieve, and after an hour of setting out there was not a dry spot in the boat. And since it was storming outside, no one was too keen on staying in the cockpit when not on watch.
- Something happened to the fuel lines, and diesel fumes filled the main cabin, making it impossible to stay below. But since it was storming outside (see above), no one was too keen on remaining on deck all of every day and all of every night.
- The shortwave radio broke again, making it impossible to receive weather reports.
- The autopilot broke again.
- The newly installed reefing system blew out, making it impossible to reduce the amount of sail we had up (without dropping the main sail altogether).
- New electrical problems arose.
- The batteries would not recharge.
- The head (toilet) broke, reducing us to using a pail. A fine prospect for four men on a two week crossing.
- Sheets (the ropes that control the sails) that should have been secured by knots were discovered to be secured by shackles – and, of course, one of the shackles shattered in the heavy winds and the jib flew free and had to be hauled in.
The list goes on, but you get the picture. After 24 hours, we all decided that we either had to turn back or settle for a wet and wooly ride to Newfoundland or some other northern locale not known for clement winters. The winds that were previously against us now worked in our favor, and we were blown briskly back in just 12 hours.
And that’s why I’m back in the office three weeks early, returning just in time to see the 49ers throw away a winnable game to Dallas.
Moral of the story: When crossing the ocean on a boat you can’t inspect ahead of time, not only make sure the owner has sailed it a lot (which I did), but make sure he’s sailed it in the ocean (which I did not).
Anyway, my cats are glad I’m home early.
