Passage report. Consumption statistics followed by daily log entries. New Nordhavn 55 Salty Dawg, owned by Dr. Dave and Lowie Bock, old friends from Trawler Fest events. Passage statistics: Actual consumption statistics: 945 miles 150.5 engine hours, 6 days plus 6 hours 779 gallons fuel incl. genset use at approx. 3 hours daily for 7 days 1.21 miles per gallon 5.17 gallons per hour 6.28 miles per hour 1550 estimated average engine rpm Esther and I have been on board for about five weeks, first provisioning and equipping the boat in Aventura, FL for cruising, then a month in the Abacos of the Bahamas. Now we are about to depart the Abacos bound for Narragansett Bay, Rhode Island, offshore more or less directly north to New Jersey, then New England. Watch schedules- Dennis 12-4 Esther 4-8 Dave 8-12, morning and night. 5/18/06- Thursday- Day 1 Lat. 26 52 Lon. 7703 Up anchor Marsh Harbor 1115 hours Clear, calm, temp. mid 80s Water temp 84F Seas outside the reef 2-3 feet 5/19 1200 hours, Friday- Day 2 Lat. 29 00 Lon. 75 49 Miles in 24 hours- 163 Off Daytona Beach about 300 miles Past 2 big ships in night on Dennis watch No other activity Sunny, low 80s Seas 4-6 feet, winds SW 15, water temp 73 degrees F Dennis caught a Mahi-Mahi at 1100 hours, estimate 20 pounds Dave caught another larger one, and Dennis lost one of Esthers trying to gaff it Barbecued one in 30 minutes from swimming around-GREAT PM Raycor pulling 10 lbs. vac., switch to new filter 5/20 1200 hours, Saturday- Day 3 Lat. 31 29 Lon. 74 32 About 370 miles off Brunswick, GA Miles in 24 hours 167 Total for passage 330 No traffic seen for 24 hours Seas 2-3 early, building to 3-5, sea temp. 74 degs. Change water maker pre-filter early AM Dennis caught 60 pound Longbill Spearfish around 1200, around 6 feet long Tasted GREAT in about 30 minutes, freezer packages for 8 meals for 4! 5/21 1200 hours, Sunday- Day 4 Lat. 33 37 Lon 73 57 About 250 miles off Cape Fear River entrance, 120 miles at 313 deg. true to Cape Hatteras Miles in 24 hours 147 Miles for passage 402 One commercial ship seen in night, Daves watch Seas 6-8 at night, moderate to 2-4 afternoon. Sea temp. 72 Winds SW predicted to turn to NW at 15-20, head seas coming! 5/22 1200 hours, Monday Day 5 Lat. 35 44 Lon. 7328 About 100 miles off Nags Head, just north of Cape Hatteras. Miles in 24 hours-133 Miles for passage 535 Sea temp. 77 degrees Heavy squall went through on Dennis watch last night around 0330. Winds changed rapidly to N at 20-30 with heavy seas against the Gulf Stream. Lasted until around 1200 and we veered west to get out of the stream as quickly as possible after passing Hatteras No traffic seen all this day. Seas 8-10 in squall and following, moderated to 3-5 feet later. Too rough to fish 5/23 1200 hours, Tuesday Day 6 Lat. 37 21 Lon. 74 39 Just north of Chesapeake Bay entrance, 75 miles off Cape Charles. Sea temperature 77 degrees. Miles in 24 hours- 138 Miles for passage- 742 With constant head winds and seas, the entire crew is getting tired and somewhat beaten up. Lots of commercial shipping make the night watches tiring. Seas mostly 6-8 feet. Weve veered toward land, to just inside the 1,000 fathom line, trying to find calmer water. For the past few days, since just below Cape Hatteras weve been going slower, as slow as 5 knots, and are thinking weve wrapped some rope or other stuff around a shaft or stabilizer fin. 5/24 1200 hours, Wednesday Day 7 Lat. 39 50 Lon. 74 02 Just north of Atlantic City, 12 miles offshore Miles in 24 hours- 159 Lots of commercial traffic continued until past Delaware Bay entrance. Then fishing trawler traffic Finally escaped the Gulf Stream yesterday, and watched the sea temperature drop from 77 degrees to 55! The seas have finally flattened out and the south breeze came back. Smooth cruising and our normal cruising speeds of 6.5-7.5 knots have returned. the line wrap was imaginary, thankfully. 5/24 1815 hours Wednesday Day 7 Lat. 39 50 Lon. 74 02 Miles for passage to date- 945 Anchored Horseshoe Cove, Sandy Hook Bay, NJ. This early afternoon just north of Atlantic City I was thinking of two friends who were delivering a new-to-them Monk trawler Xanadu, from Ft. Myers, FL to the St. Lawrence River valley. The owner, Dave Friedrich, is a fellow Albin 27 owner making an upgrade! Without a cell phone number or other way to contact him, I hailed him on the VHF channel 16, and, wonder of wonders, he came, back. We agreed to this anchorage as we were both too late to get to NYC and the Stature of Liberty anchorage. We had a lovely meal and good times with he and Craig Campbell, another Albin 27 owner helping Dave with the trip. Also, we were able to get a temporary Customs clearance number so the crew (including two large dogs who have not been ashore for the past week) can go ashore pending more formal clearance when we get to Rhode Island. This was the end of the passage, although we day-cruised out Long Island Sound to Narragansett Bay with nightly stops at several north shore anchorages, including Block Island. Interestingly, after 50 or so days of nearly perfect weather in Florida and the Abacos, the sun never made another appearance from New Jersey onward to Narragansett Bay for over a week. Cape Hatteras lived up to its reputation as a place to avoid if time is no constraint. Zero problems with mechanical systems were encountered en route. Esther and I flew back to Florida on June 5, and are preparing to depart to Vermont via automobile and splash our boat, Sadie B, on Lake Champlain. But, I just talked with an old friend there who related that it was 50 degrees and threatening to snow! Dennis Dennis Bruckel, Cruising Editor Waterway Guide M/V Sadie B, Albin 27 Cell 407 414 0531 Website: www.debruckel.com A man who is not afraid of the sea will be drowned, for he'll be going out on a day when he shouldn't. The Arron Islands, J. M. Synge