We didn’t have particularly good luck with weather this fall. The first weekend we could have left, Hurricane Fiona was off the coast, and the following weekend, the remnants of Ian came up and and sat off the coast for a few days. While we don’t maintain schedule, the colder, shorter days were a constant reminder that we needed to get moving, and SOON. At the same time, it was good to have the extra time to get the boat ready after having her in the yard for a month. We obsessively checked weather, and it finally looked like this weekend would be the window we’d been waiting for.
We spent this past rainy, chilly Wednesday running last-minute errands and tackling boat chores (laundry, filling propane, filling water tanks, scraping a summer’s worth of growth off Squall). With the dinghy cleaned and hoisted, we slipped the lines and headed over to Manhasset Bay to get fuel, provision, and stage for our Friday night departure. We dropped anchor amongst the field of cruisers who had been holed up, waiting for a good weather window, and reveled in the feeling that even though we hadn’t gone far, we were finally cruising once again.
Being on anchor was a good opportunity to test out Starlink off the dock. We found that when we’re swinging, we drop for a couple seconds, which is an issue when we’re on calls. Otherwise, it’s been working out really well for us, and on a sunny day, the power draw is even pretty manageable. So far, it’s still far better than the cellular data we’ve been using, so I still think it was the right move.
We’ve started a bit of a tradition – on the night before departure, we go to dinner at La P’tit Framboise, a great little French restaurant one of our friends from the club introduced us to – and it’s a nice way to slow down and collect our thoughts before we depart. Friday morning, we fueled up and grabbed a mooring so we could provision after work, and I spent the day working through the pre-departure checklist to ensure we were ready to go.
The hardest part is starting. Once you get that out of the way, you’ll find the rest of the journey much easier.
Simon Sinek
We departed Port Washington at 1940 on Friday night to catch slack at Hell Gate at around 2100. Making the run through the city at night is magical, and photos don’t begin to do it justice. We raised the main just off the Battery as the wind funneled down the Hudson River with gusts up to 30kts. But as we turned downwind and resumed our sail, Windara settled in, and with Manhattan fading away behind us, I settled in to get some sleep.
We reeled off 180 miles in the next 24 hours, and our boat speed wavered between 7-9kts. I had the Saturday morning watch, and I got to watch the full moon slip out of the cloud bank to the west and sink down below the horizon, glowing orange. Instead of sunrise, I was greeted by a gray morning with wisps of rain slowly marching my way as the cold front rolled off the coast. On the tail end of the front, the sun came out and we were treated to golden sunshine dancing on the rushing cerulean blue waves laced with seafoam. I wish everyone could experience that just once – the siren song of the sea rushing away in a boisterous roar, the vast open ocean, and not a soul around aside from the occasional migratory bird pausing on the rail to catch some much needed rest.
It was spicy out there – we had bigger winds than forecast (we saw several gusts over 30 both nights) but with reefed sails (we sail conservatively double-handed), Windara handled it beautifully.
It was cold, especially overnight, but we learned our lesson last season and brought lots of warm clothes. And when the wind shifted, putting the waves on the beam and exposing the helm to heavy spray and breaking waves, we were grateful to be able to stand watch from the companionway where we have clear sight lines, access to the autopilot remote, and a view of the chart plotter below.
We’re still learning how to sleep on passage, but after a chat with the Giffords of Sailing Totem in the spring, we’ve been letting how we feel guide our night watches, and I think it’s working. I actually managed to sleep a little bit on my off watches, which is huge. I’m sure that a greater level of comfort with passage-making helps too.
Windara is an absolute game-changer for us. She’s insanely fast, and being able to reel off the miles like that makes these longer offshore trips possible in a weekend. We were worried because we were three weeks behind our departure last year, but coming straight to Norfolk put us right back where we wanted to be. And our next couple of hops will put us ahead, which means we no longer HAVE to push to travel every weekend.
We docked at Tidewater Marina at 1250 on Sunday. At 285 miles, this was our second longest offshore passage to date, but with consistent wind, it was faster than our 240 mile, 44 hour run from Still Pond in MD to NY in the summer. Of those 285 miles, we only needed to motor for maybe 15 of those – down the East River on the way out and up the Elizabeth River on the other end. We arrived early enough to enjoy some time in Norfolk and check out the macaroni and cheese festival over at Waterside. They must have heard I was coming.
Next weekend, we’ll round Hatteras (I won’t lie – I’m super nervous), or if the weather doesn’t look right, we’ll stay here and hit up the wine festival. Either way, we’re happy to be cruising again!
2 replies on “Casting off the Lines Once More”
You are a great writer! I have very little boating experience, but I felt the waves and wind as if they were hitting me. The East River video is magical. When do you find time to do that? And, forgive my ignorance, what is the skyscraper next to the Chrysler Building? I loved that shot of them in the background.
So thanks for taking us with you on your adventure. Can’t wait for your next report!
Thank you! Chris was at the helm, so I was able to grab some quick videos on my phone – I thought it might be a fun way to share a bit of the experience. The building next to the Chrysler Building is the Bank of America building.