I got up early with the intention of leaving the dock before sunrise. I needed every minute of the day to do it, especially since later in the day I expected less favorable wind conditions.
The wind was brisk to start and I got all sail up and got a nice stretch in before I turned out of the Patuxent River down the Bay and had the wind more on the bow. I left the main up but the genny had to be rolled up.
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| THIS MYSTERY BOAT WAS ABOUT 2 MILES AWAY AND MOVING VERY FAST! |
I was pushing more wind and waves but the motion was still reasonable. Decided I better have lunch before it got worse. So I had my leftover pizza and a beer for lunch at about same time the wind and seas began to build even more. The usual, forecast 5-10 and the winds are actually 10-15 on the bow.
Conditions got worse and worse and every time I turned to a new course I would think I could squeak out the Genny, but no, it would follow me around! Just could never get an angle. I was squeaking what I could out of the main, but it was not much.
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| I ACTUALLY PASSED INSIDE OF THIS LIGHT STANDING BY ITSELF OFF SHORE |
The wind and current by mid-afternoon had me down to as low as 2.5 kts when a wave would knock me back. I seriously thought about tacking so I could get some foresail up to help stabilize the boat but the distance was so long I just did not think it would help with the velocity made good (VMG).
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| THE VARIETY OF SHIPS YOU SEE: HERE A CONTAINER SHIP LOADED TO THE GILLS |
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| WHO KNOWS? LOTS OF PIPES, SO MAYBE IT'S HEADED TO THE GAS TERMINAL I SHOT YESTERDAY? |
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| MORE STANDARD FARE |
The afternoon was painfully slow and the pitching got very uncomfortable. I always say, don't power upwind in this cat, and I was doing it!
It was getting late so I tried to call the marina but no cell signal! So I pushed on just wishing the next turn to come. The port engine was cavitating in waves but for some reason the starboard engine was not. That is not good for the engines since the RPM can build too high, in this case up to 5000 RPM! The dinghy was also occasionally being caught by waves on its bottom due to steep pitch angle.
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| LOOKS LIKE AN A-BOMB WENT OFF! |
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| SAME CLOUD STRUCTURE BUT NOW BUILDING AGAIN DIFFERENT SHIP |
There was not much that could be done but slog on. Finally I got to the final turn to the marina and was able to get them on the phone only to be told they would be closed on arrival. I told the harbor master that I was solo and with the wind would need assistance at the dock. He agreed to alert some of the live aboard sailors in the marina and they would assist me.
Just outside the marina I decided to round up at idle and lower the main sail and ensure I was ready for docking. The entrance channel was extremely narrow so I did not want to try and do that inside.
I got the sail stowed and checked all the lines and fenders were set, but I went back to power up and the port engine was dead! I thought, oh no! The fuel is low and I ran out of gas! So I'm drifting around in some waves trying to put fuel in the tank which is a bit of a balancing act hanging off the stern steps. I just put a couple gallons in and tried to start, nothing! It was not fuel, nevertheless, to be sure I added fuel to the other engine just in case.
Finally I got the engine going by pushing it forward into gear at a higher RPM setting. It started and ran but would not idle. Now I have double trouble, no dock hands for certain and an engine that may quit at any moment.
Fortunately, the live aboard sailors were ready and waiting so that was good! Especially since the port engine quit on approach. I got docked okay but I was wiped!
The long hard day, the heat, and added stress of trouble shooting on the fly, and then docking with an engine out just takes it over the top.
I got careless while I was hurrying to cook something to eat before it got dark and ended up adding to my problems by getting a severe burn on my arm by inadvertently backing into the hot grill.
The good part was I still had a great grilled steak dinner and hit the sack knowing I was not going anywhere tomorrow!
Stats: 53.29 NM Charted, 50.9 Logged, WT 88.7 F, Total Log 8348.7 NM, Max speed 6.79 kts, Max wind 18.2 kts.
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