Ron Rogers wrote: > Why does your message have all these dropouts - see below. Are you a Mac or using a funny font? Hi Ron: Sorry - I forgot to save this Word doc as plain text before sending. Heads will roll. As I think I mentioned, our crew bailed out on the morning of our departure. So, we decided to try passagemaking alone. So, Penny and I departed Chaguaramas, Trinidad, on the afternoon of 18 May. We deployed the outriggers while still in the Bay and launched the fish immediately on exiting the Boca del Monos, one of several Bocas, or mouths, of the Gulf of Paria which lead north into the Caribbean Sea. On the southeastern side of the Gulf is the Serpentbs Mouth, through which the Equatorial current flows, mixing with the waters of the Orinoco River. This brackish mixture is voluminous enough to insure that the current is always west-going through the Bocas. Because the Boca del Monos is narrow and only 200b deep, the rapid current at times creates standing waves within it b an awesome sight. Our course for St. John, USVI would leave Isla Aves, 325 miles to the north, to starboard and had us rounding the western end of St Croix. Initially, we were making about 7.5-8 knots, but 11 hours later, as we passed abeam Point Salines, Grenada, adverse countercurrents slowed our progress to about 5.5 knots. Unfortunately, this lasted until Saturday noon when we were abeam of Isla Aves, at which point we picked up a fair current and were able to reduce RPM and still maintain an average 7.5 knots. A short time later, the sun disappeared, the sea became a ghostly pale whitish-blue and we were enveloped in a grey brown haze, which soon revealed its source as fallout from the Montserrat volcano, 125 miles to the east. This can happen even if you are upwind, as we found out in 1998. The winds aloft are often from the west, and as the volcanobs spew rises into them, it is carried eastward and dropped into the northeast trades. So, whether you are upwind or down, you are never safe from the Monster Rat! Too late, we received, via Inmarsat C, a notification that the mountain had erupted once more. The boat was a mess, and as I write this several days later, we are still hosing down the fine black dust. Some months before, friends on a DeFever 44 told of their encounter with Monster Rat. As they were sailing down the island chain, the volcano was in a bad mood, disgorging steam, ash, rock, as well as some good-sized boulders. The skipper, to his wifebs dismay, insisted on sailing down the windward border of the exclusion zone so as to get a better look at the hot debris raining into the sea. All of a sudden, she saw, in their path, a huge fishing net and cried out a warning. Despite his quick handing of the gears, both wheels were instantly entangled. While he was overside clearing the mess, the boat rapidly drifted into the exclusion zone, and soon they were in danger as boulders splashed into the sea, closer and closer. They were fortunate to get underway again just before the danger became too real. Due to the recent tensions between Venezuela and the US, I had taken the trouble to leave its possession, Isla Aves well off (15 miles) to starboard and was happy I did, as we listened to repeated calls from the Venezuelan Navy harassing an American ship passing just 12 miles east of the island. Aside from the volcano mess, the passage to St. John went well, and Penny and I were fairly well acclimated to our watch-standing by the time we reached Cruz Bay. Total hours run from Trinidad: 96 513 nM Average speed 7.1 knots We arrived after hours (Customs closes at 5PM) and so we picked up a Park Service mooring ($15. b half price if youbre 62 b not yet!) in Caneel Bay, grilled a t-bone, and enjoyed a good eight hour sleep, the first in 3 days. Next morning, we dinghied to Cruz Bay and tied up at a blocalb dock. The Customs dock hosts the ferries, and so isnbt very dinghy friendly. It being b lowb season, we were the only ones there. The Customs guys were very stoic, but friendly enough. When you clear from a foreign country into the USVI, you are, for Immigration purposes, in the United States, and that meant our next passage, to Beaufort, NC, would be a domestic one! We were advised, though, to call and report in to Customs when reaching the mainland. Departed Caneel Bay Monday 5/22 at 1450 Steering 335 M Winds SSE 15 Seas 5-7 Tue 5/23 Winds SSE 10 Seas 3-5 Wed 5/24 Winds SSE 5 Seas 1-3 Thurs 5/25 Wind NNE 12 with N swell b Beautiful motorboat wx! Almost calm Have not seen a ship for 2 days @ 1800 launched windward fish as seas are now on the beam NNE and 5b short chop Fri 5/26 Wind N10 2-4' windwave in 4' N swell Became E 10 seas E 4-5 184 miles made good avg 7.7 knots with one fish in @ 1800rpm Stopped main engine at 1500 - added 2qt LO Running DDW & downsea all afternoon 331 deg mag Sat 5/27 Wind SSW 15 seas 5-6' confused S swell Windward fish is now leeward 153 mi made good #1 propane tank (30lb) ran out after almost 8 months! Wind increased from SW late and seas now 8' Launched windward fish Sun 5/28 Front w/TSTMS & heavy rain passed in early am. then little wind Swell from West diminishing Approaching E side of Stream: water temp: 72 @ 0830 at lat 32-04.5 75@ 0950 76@ 1100 77@ 1150 179 mi made good w/2 fish in at 1800 RPM Wind NE 12 seas 2-4 NE Southbound ships are tracking 15 mi E of stream axis Water temp 78@ 1600 Wind picked up to 15-25kt NNE and seas built to 6-8' on the beam w/4 sec interval - not a comfortable night in the Gulf Stream. Monday 5/29 Crossed W wall of Stream @ 0230 Beaufort sea buoy @ 0655 Retrieved fish and entered channel @ 0720 ICW mile 200@ 0845 Arrived New Bern NC @1200 FO consumed 757 gal 3.15 GPH SOG 7.5kN Regards, John "Seahorse"