Dalia's first open sea passage

[George.]

Tomorrow evening, if the SW blow that is forecast comes through, we take Dalia on her first open sea passage... 60 miles to Rio. No harbours on the way. Supposed to blow 20-25 knots, with 3 meter waves. A quartering wind, perfect for the passage, and a full moon... if we can see it through the rain...

Spent the whole day aboard, rigging lifelines, checking, fussing, freaking out. I have made this crossing before, on other people's boats, I have made longer ocean passages, but never as skipper of my own boat.

Then again, as Captain Nemo once said, "the engineer has more confidence in the vessel than the builder, and the builder more than the captain. I am engineer, builder, and captain..." So if I go down with the ship, I'll sure deserve it! :eek: :D

Hope I can get some sleep tonight...

[Joe ( Cold Spring on Hudson )]

Fair Winds my friend - PHOTOS please ;)

[Concordia..41]

We'll be anxiously awaiting your story on what a wonderful passage you had smile.gif

[Bruce Hooke]

Fair winds and a safe passage...

[Domesticated_Mr. Know It All]

The rewards of the journey far outweigh the risk of leaving the harbor. ;)
--Unknown

[John B]

:cool:

[George.]

What a lovely morning! Woke up to a gusty 30+ knots, WNW, and driving rain.

Hopefully it will moderate by evening - at least the rain. The forecast for tomorrow is sun, though. smile.gif Entering Guanabara Bay at dawn with the sun shining on Rio's mountains is a legendary experience, written about by Darwin and by the sages that came with the Portuguese court in 1808.

Looks like the worst part of this passage will be loading supplies this afternoon, in the rain...

[martin schulz]

George - my sympathy!

I have crewed on a lot of boats myself. Mostly big traditional working boats, old Yachts, but also modern yogurt-cups. When I bought my litte boat I thought that sailing with her will be a piece of cake, but I was terribly wrong.

It was totally different when you are climbing around in the rigging, steering a 30tn logger or even navigating for a big yacht, compared to sailing my little 24ft boat. I was frigthened to death in my boat and it took me awhile to figure out why. Everything was the same, the work, the sailing the navigating. What mades me shiver was the responsibility. Until I owned my own boat I always thought that being the captain is an easy job, since I did all the work on those boats I crewed on. Unfortunately subconsciously I have always counted on the captain to make the right decisions should anything happen. And the moment I was out on the sea, with no land in sight and with no captain except me I was really frightened.

No wonder so many captains start drinking.

I guess you all know what I mean. Opinions?

[bamamick]

George; I hope that the passage goes/went o.k.. From the pictures that I've seen of your boat I don't think that you'll have much trouble.

Martin; I had my first real anxiety attack while helming a 60' IOR boat in a race one time. I was called on to helm in the dark, in a 20+ knot breeze, with the kite up. Couldn't see anything. Instrument bank blinding me. Guys all around shooting the bull, while I was getting more and more nervous as the minutes passed. After an hour I told them to let someone else do that job and went back to my trimmer's spot. I have sailed many big boats upwind and done fine, but that downwind junk in the dark? No thanks. Not with a 110' rig towering overhead and just wanting to fall.

Until you've done it yourself, it's just about always harder than it looks.

Mickey Lake

[Noah]

Good luck, and have fun! Yep, it's always scary to be the captain. Be careful, and stay smart.

Noah

[Matt J.]

Martin, thanks for your post. I understand 100% what you say - and felt / feel exactly the same. It's embarrassing, especially when Jenny realized I was nervous - I'm supposed to be the one who knew and was comfortable - the captain. We're (I'm) still working on it. I guess misery loves company, or some such thing, so thanks.

[martin schulz]

Originally posted by Matt J.:
...especially when Jenny realized I was nervous - I'm supposed to be the one who knew and was comfortable - the captain. We're (I'm) still working on it. I guess misery loves company, or some such thing, so thanks.Yep that's it.
The first time I went on a sailing trip with my girl I was nearly as naive as she (well I knew what to do, but the new responsibility hadn't got through at that time). After we couldn't tack (too much growth on the hull - I had recently bought the boat) and the engine didn't start I became more nervous and tried not to let her notice that. It worked for a while, but the added effort to keep smiling really wore on me.

[Matt J.]

Sorry for topic meander here, George.

Martin, how long have you had your boat? How long did it take you to grow comfortable (confident)? I get better each season - each sail, but with our penchant for finding strong adverse winds, I do still get nervous.

[PatCassidy]

"Any fool can carry on, but a wise man knows how to shorten sail in time".
-Joseph Conrad

[JimD]

We want pics!

[martin schulz]

Matt (sorry there George!).

I own my boat now for 4 years. And only since last year I started getting more comfortable with it. What helped me a lot was to sail on my own - no honestly! But then the first time I sailed alone was very bad, bacause it was much too early.

I was a bit over enthusiastic and too self-confident. I went out of the harbour thinking that it should be very easy to sail the boat - hell I have steered big 2 Masts Steel Logger, what can happen to me. But when the first gust hit me and I almost froze scared and I suddenly didn't know what to do and realised nobody will help me, I was feeling totally helpless. I brought the boat back in the harbour went home and slept almost 14hrs just because of the agitation.

Now the problem is more that my girl has realised that sailing is being totally handed out to nature and she hasn't come to realize that there are means to work with nature instead of working against it (what helped was to heave to when it got rough. That way you can prove that there is always a choice you can make). And unfortunately those stories of our friend who lost his boat last year, because he didn't have an engine on his 20tn Salmoncutter and couldn't tack out of a close bay didn't help either. So to get her familiar with the boat and sailing is one task I have to master. The other one is my own mind, and I have experienced that sailing alone on rather easy days helps a lot, because you get to accept that you yourself are in charge and also there isn't the added burden of your girl staring at you in fear.

[brian.cunningham]

Originally posted by JimD:
We want pics!http://www.woodenboat-ubb.com/ubb/icons/icon14.gif

[Art Read]

"A vessel is safest in harbor... But that's not what vessels are made for."

[Donn]

Suppose he got to Rio, and decided to just keep on going?

[John of Phoenix]

George.? You out there?

[George.]

We made it! Last Thursday, actually - but didn't get around to an internet connection until now. I could have posted from an internet cafe near the marina, but no pictures, no good ;) .

We didn’t sail on Wed night as planned because of a gale warning. By Thursday 6 am, with the gale warning cancelled (it passed offshore) and the wind in the WSW, we cast loose and made sail.

http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid171/p2f138a0008d0a84aa50f0b783942bb36/f3db97c1.jpg

The seas were running around 3 meters, but we had a fine quartering breeze, so Dalia went at around six knots all the way. By midmorning, things were looking bright and sunny. But as Martin pointed out, being skipper is a different experience. It took about six hours of no funny noises and no unusual moves by Dalia for me to start to relax and enjoy the passage.

http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid171/p2dc470f6d4d3d1bd64b9d174103fd246/f3db9759.jpg

Around noon, Rio’s trademark mountains were ahead.

http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid171/p0f6085ea014aa9bf09a61653ff3747af/f3db9700.jpg

The seas got smoother and the crew got mellower as we sailed off Barra da Tijuca…

http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid171/paec9756071c72fa8e369fec127dcd9ce/f3db9605.jpg

At sunset, our bowsprit was pointing at the Sugarloaf, which guards the entrance to Guanabara Bay…

http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid171/p5ecef3342bb135fc2786e20e33353e12/f3db9554.jpg

We docked at Marina da Glória at 7 p.m., and spent the next two days partying, drinking champagne, and receiving visitors, Dalia’s official inauguration bash. :cool: On Sunday afternoon we had a nice sail around Guanabara Bay, with 17 people aboard – mostly landsmen. Jibing in a swell with such a jolly champagne-drinking crew was a bit nerve-racking! :eek:

We are spending a few days in Rio, living aboard, enjoying the urban life for a while. We plan to sail back to Angra on the first easterly or southeasterly after Tuesday…

[MJC]

Here's wishing you all many, many more successful voyages.

[John of Phoenix]

Well done Captain! :D

[Concordia..41]

Congratulations!

[Donn]

Cruising and Champagne! Sounds awful! :D

[Ross M]

Great Stuff!

Thanks for posting this, George.

Ross

PS: What are the dog's names?

[Joe ( Cold Spring on Hudson )]

Congratulations :cool: :cool: :cool:

Envy is a hard thing to swallow but you da man. WOW that is sooo cool.

[L.W. Baxter]

Fanfreakintastic!

So now you're just gonna hang around and wait for a fair wind to blow you home? Come on man, beat to windward, you know you want to! :D

[RodB]

Congrats George, I knew all that Ipe would become a moving work of art, full of great memories. I wish you many many happy voyages.

More photos, show us the whole boat.

Rod B

[ 06-04-2005, 01:25 AM: Message edited by: RodB ]

[PeterSibley]

smile.gif smile.gif

[Meerkat]

http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid171/paec9756071c72fa8e369fec127dcd9ce/f3db9605.jpg

The pair of dalmations in PFD's is hilarious! :D

[George.]

Originally posted by Ross M:
What are the dog's names?Lua and Estrela - "Moon" and "Star" - and no, it doesn't sound New Age in Portuguese...

Those PFD's are also harnesses, so we can tether them to the lifelines and let them hang out forward with no stress at night or in high waves.


Originally posted by L.W. Baxter:
So now you're just gonna hang around and wait for a fair wind to blow you home? Come on man, beat to windward, you know you want to! :D On a gaff-rigged schooner? Gentlemen don't do that. ;) :D

Seriously, winds have been favorable but very light all week - 5 knots, sometimes dying to a dead calm. We want to sail, not motor-sail.

[Ross M]

:cool:

[Thad]

Excellant!!!

[George.]

On Thursday, we went out in the light airs forecast - time to go back to Angra. We cast loose at 4 AM, hoping not to end up motoring or motor-sailing all the way - 62 miles at four knots is fine if you are sailing, but with the infernal combustion engine growling and the swell shaking your gaff...

We passed the Sugarloaf in pitch darkness, surprised to see the Forte da Lage light out - it is only a rock right in the middle of the entrance to the Port of Rio de Janeiro, after all. :rolleyes: We could barely make out the rock in the haze, so we hugged the Sugarloaf, whose near-vertical loom was more visible.

Right outside, a flashing light on a ship channel buoy - one that wasn't working when we came in last week, we learned - "that explains why we couldn't find it last time..." If you want to cruise Brazil, a friendly warning - watch out for lights that aren't working. They are all too common.

After that, things started to improve. A breathtaking dawn and sunrise. A very light swell as we motored past Copacabana and Ipanema. A light breeze out of the ESE started around 10 AM, and by 10:30, the engine was off! By lunchtime, we were going wing and wing at nearly seven knots, preventers on both booms, but with the unusually light swell making steering a breeze. We rode it all the way to our bay, and motored in the last half hour in the dying breeze at at sunset.

A good trip.

[Garrett Lowell]

George, I'm glad all went well! Love the dogs' names, as well.

[Thad]

Beautiful!

[martin schulz]

Originally posted by George.:
http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid171/p2dc470f6d4d3d1bd64b9d174103fd246/f3db9759.jpg [/QB]Great Story great pics George.

I esspecially appreciate your "Jacques Cousteau rememberance hat"!

[George.]

"Il faut aller voir..."

[John B]

Glad it all went to plan there George. Sounds like a neat trip. :cool: