Sleep: Grab It When & Wherever You Can!

Who's driving?

Sleeping on board can be challenging - especially during a crossing. Everyone has his or her own bunk or bed. Some are better than others in various situations. For example, the forward cabin has two really comfortable beds. However, the ride up there can be nasty in heavy seas. At least you can choose whichever side of the cabin where you would roll into the wall instead of onto the floor!

Bob grabs an afternoon nap on deck.
Note that he snuggled in on the low side.

The center cabin has two bunk beds. With their lee-cloths up, they are very secure. And being in the center of the boat, they are not a bouncy as the forward cabin when the waves are high. It is a smaller space so it gets rather cozy. But when you come off watch and are exhausted, who cares! Both of these cabins have the advantage of being far away from the engine and generator, too.

Larry snagged the same spot later.
Sherry is  bracing herself on the high side!

Our aft cabin is very comfortable with it's queen-plus bed. The lee-cloth hangs in the middle to keep one from rolling all the way across to the other side when the boat is heeling. It can be rolly depending on the waves, but not as bouncy. However, it is noisy when the engine or generator are running. Again, we are usually so tired that it doesn't matter. During a long period of motoring, the engine noise can become annoying. 

Even in the salon you need to hang on while sleeping

As a result, the best place that everyone tries to grab in on the settee in main salon. That is, if the heel is working for you. There is a lee-cloth for that location, too. Since it is dead center of the boat, it has the least amount of motion. 

Several times people tried sleeping on the floor of the main salon, but the side-to-side rock caused too much motion for sleep. On a nice day, the aft deck was a good location - as long as you had on your life vest and your tether was attached to the jacklines.As a result, we slept anywhere and everywhere we could manage!

Or tether yourself in place!

What Do You Do During a Crossing?



Sherry taking a turn at the helm. Look at the angle
of the horizon! How many degrees are we heeled?

Some of you have been wondering how we pass the time while on a crossing. After all, there are no docks or anchorages along the way. No towns to visit; no sightseeing. We just keep going once we leave the Chesapeake Bay and head out to the Gulf Stream. (That's right, we do not follow the east coastline south and then cut over!)


Of course, everyone has their time at the helm (as in steering with the wheel or managing the autopilot). I don't spend as much time at the helm as the guys since I manage the galley and the radio net. When the autopilot is working, the helm is not too difficult. But you do have to remain alert, constantly be checking around you, watching the sails and maintaining the course. We did come across a large wooden container floating off to our starboard. Fortunately it was during daylight and we missed hitting it.



Bob and Larry off watch.

In addition to good conversations, Bob was busy reading, reviewing a book and using his iPad during his free time. He publishes articles, too, so he was doing some writing. Bob and I have had many good discussions around the topic of leadership. And as an avid reader, he can recommend many books.

Larry enjoyed listening to music and often had his earphones in while at the helm. Sometimes I would forget that he was "plugged in" and chatter away with no response! Maybe he had the earphones in because I WAS chattering away! Humm... Larry also used his Kindle to read some of the 200 books he has downloaded. And he intrigued Dennis with his iPhone apps! Unfortunately, Dennis does not have any electronic devices that allow him to download games, apps, etc. since they are firm equipment. So he is a frustrated non-app user!



Dennis is checking the mainsail during a squall.

Dennis used his off-watch time to exercise, log, navigate, check the boat regularly, make repairs or adjustments and sleep. As the Skipper/Captain, he has the responsibility for the well-being of the crew and vessel. He read a couple of books, too.

I used my time to blog (even though the entries couldn't leave my computer until we reached land), plan and execute mealtime, do some housekeeping, review the navigation plan and enter information into the chart plotter, act as a radio net controller, read and sleep. I probably had more sleep than the men.



Bob's aft deck bucket shower

Some days we could spend more time below than others. On really rough days, you want to be top side. We took time to practice some maneuvers on calmer days: "heaving to", bathing and showering on the aft deck (I used the real shower below!) while the guys were on deck, etc. If the wind isn't moving you along, you might as well entertain yourselves! If you were following us on the tracker, you may have seen when we were actually turned toward Virginia in the middle of the crossing! It was just a "heave to" for lunch one beautiful calm sunny day.

Not a good day to go below!
Everyone is getting weary of the
huge swells and hand steering.


Once we were into the higher seas and heavier weather, it was more difficult to relax and use the free time. Everyone stayed alert to assist the helmsman and keep a watch on the sea and the sky. Since it was too uncomfortable to go below, we tried to nap with life vests and tethers on in upright positions! Not the best sleep, but better than none.

Is Larry playing Cat's Cradle or what?

Of course, there are some more entertaining times, too! It seems on each trip we manage to make a mess of the fishing line. Sometimes it just happens! Check out this mess.

Just What Is the Sargasso Sea?



Just one of hundreds of Sargasso seaweed
patches in the Bermuda  Triangle

The Sargasso Sea is an area in the central part of the North Atlantic Ocean. They say you can spot it easily because the currents move in a clockwise motion. I could not see the current direction, but I knew we where there when I saw the large patches of Sargasso seaweed floating on the surface for miles.


The Sargasso Sea is 700 statute miles wide and 2,000 statute miles long (1,100 km wide and 3,200 km long). It stretches from roughly 70 degrees West to 40 degrees West and from 25 degrees North to 35 degrees North. This means we have to sail through it as it is in northwest section of the Bermuda Triangle.


The Sargasso Sea is the only "sea" without shores.The ocean water in the Sargasso Sea is distinctive for its deep blue color and exceptional clarity, with underwater visibility of up to 200 feet. The color is indescribable in that it is a deep sapphire blue. I have tried to capture the color in a photo and it doesn't come close. You just have to see it for yourself!


The water in it is very warm and clear. This sea is filled with seaweed of the genus Sargassum,which floats en masse on the surface.The water is very calm even with the current. The Sargassum is not a threat to shipping, and historic incidents of sailing ships being trapped there are due to the often calm winds of the "horse latitudes" (named as such apparently because early sailors referred to sailing in the calms as "beating a dead horse") not to being stuck in seaweed.

The early Portuguese sailors used to blame the seaweed when their ships entered the Sargasso Sea and became becalmed, that is why they named this part of the ocean Sargaco which is Portuguese for grape because the bulbous floats on the seaweed looked similar to grapes to them.

Another strange thing about this part of the ocean is the lack of nutrients. Even though a good portion of plankton is produced in the Sargasso Sea area, there is still not enough food to attract commercially viable fish. Because of this, the area has become known as the floating dessert.

The floating seaweed has become the home to many small animals, these include small octopuses, along with tiny crabs and tiny shrimp. For some unknown reason eels are drawn from all over the ocean to meet in this place. This is where they mate, spawn and die. When the larvae are hatched they swim back to the waters off of Europe, the U.S. or Mediterranean. We saw many, many small octopuses (or is it "octopi"?). They look like large bubbles floating on the surface. Swimming here is not recommended!

Happy New Year to You from Tortola

Happy New Year!

We are wishing all of our family and friends the best in health and happiness in 2012 and always!  We are enjoying the balmy 85 degrees of sun and surf in Tortola, BVI. The islanders celebrate with a lot of loud music, dancing, flame throwers, fireworks and of course, tropical drinks!

Some of the boats dress up for the holidays with flags. Others go all out and light up their boats with Christmas tree lights and other decorations. This one is two docks down from us. We  have not done anything to decorate since we just arrived at 6 pm on New Year's Eve. We are just enjoying all of the fun!

How Fresh Is Fresh?

The trip across the ocean is long so there is time to do other activities. When you are not on watch, you can sleep (highly recommended), read, listen to music or fish! It is somewhat challenging to keep the boat at the appropriate speed for fishing off the stern. If you go too fast or slow, the fish may not be interested. Or you just might not be in an area where the fish are present or biting!

We use two approaches: a hand line and a pole. They each present their challenges, both in the water and out. Dennis or a crew member has to tether themselves to the boat (with a life vest on, of course) and get out of the cockpit and onto the aft deck. Then we hand the fishing equipment out to him. Once he gets the hand line and the pole secured, he attaches the lures and lets out the line.

Dennis and Larry bringing
 in a Mahi Mahi

Then we watch - and wait - and watch some more. We sort of ignore the lines until we see the pole bend or hear the line run out. And then the fun begins: out they go to the aft deck again to start the process of bringing in the bacon!

Actually, it has only been Mahi Mahi. We have yet to see a Wahoo, but we have heard others talk about catching them.

With great patience - most of the time - the guys bring the fish closer to the boat, trying to tire it out before it tires them out! Experience has taught us that rushing the process leads to the loss of the fish - and sometimes the lure, too. Really, what does the fish see in a bright pink or lime green plastic fish wearing a matching hula skirt anyway?

This one went back to grow up!

Sometimes there are challenges with the line(s) - especially when the fish decides to cross over the other one. Or when there are weeds on it. You haven't seen weeds until you have seen the huge patches of Sargasso weeds! And as the line drags through it, you know it is time to go back out to clear it off -again.

And this one was dinner!

We don't keep all of the fish we catch. If the fish is too small to get a good meal for four, we toss it back and try again.  Then we wait for the bite and the fight to bring it in.But it is worth the effort when you fillet the fish on the deck and send it to the galley to dinner! Now that is FRESH FISH!