sy Timoneer

Noon Position  29deg 30N 71deg  57W

Course  – 121 Degrees   Speed – 10   Knots        Day’s Run –  231 Miles

Weather – Overcast with 7′ (2m) swells from E

Wind  – Light and very changeable

We had very nice sushi for lunch and pan fried Mahi Mahi for dinner. We have only just put the fishing lines out today as there has been rain showers all morning. Today we put the clocks forward 1 hour to GMT -4 which is Antigua time. It has been a slow progress with over a knot of current against us and wind mostly on the nose. Later today we will turn and aim directly for Antigua and head down in to the trade winds. Hopefully then we will be able to sail and pick up a bit of speed.

JC

Noon Position  31deg 26N 75deg 47W

Course  – 122 Degrees   Speed –  10.5  Knots        Day’s Run – 230  Miles

Weather –   Sunny, warm and 7′ (2m) swells from E

Wind  – Light and variable

We left Charleston, South Carolina just after 2pm yesterday with very light winds. Seeing as we were motoring and not too fast we put the fishing lines out and caught 3 tuna in the last half hour of daylight. Last night we entered the warm waters of the Gulf Stream and left them just before sunrise. The water still a lot warmer than the coastal waters. It has been a rolly, bouncy ride with swells and no wind to stabilize us. Half an hour ago we caught a Mahi Mahi. Lets hope the good fishing continues.

We are all enjoying being back in shorts and T-shirts and looking forward to it getting warmer and warmer as we head South. The total distance from Charleston to Antigua is 1400 nautical miles which should get us in early Sunday.

JC

Noon Position  32deg 47N 79deg  57W

Course  –  Degrees   Speed –    Knots        Day’s Run – 167  Miles

Weather –   Grey and drizzle

Wind  – 12 knots from N

Our afternoon yesterday suddenly got exciting when we noticed the headboard car on the mainsail had broken away from the mast track and the sail was only held on by the bolt rope. The sail came down surprisingly well and since we were motoring again we put out the fishing lines for the last 2 hours of daylight. We caught a small Mahi Mahi but threw it back as it was not big enough to feed the crew. We spent a rolly night motoring with just the staysail.

This morning we followed a cruise ship up the channel in to Charleston Harbour. Once out of the swell we hoisted the mainsail  to take it off. We have a new mainsail  and luckily also a new head car arriving here tomorrow.

Timoneer will be in Charleston doing maintenance for the rest of November.

JC

Noon Position 33deg 37N 77deg 02W
Course – 230 Degrees Speed – 8.5 Knots Day’s Run – 247 Miles
Weather – Overcast with 10 foot (3m) following seas
Wind – 25 knots from NNE

Yesterday afternoon the wind slowly went forward and then died. It came back early evening from behind. Once we rounded Cape Hatteras the wind built enough for us to keep the sails full which helped to stabilize us in the choppy seas. When dawn came we switched the engine off and have been sailing with the staysail and 1 reef in the main which has kept us going at 8-9 knots. We were accompanied by 30-40 dolphins for nearly an hour this morning which kept us entertained as they surfed below the waves beside us and also seemed to like doing belly flops.

We are on schedule to arrive at the entrance to Charleston Harbour at first light tomorrow.

JC

Noon Position  36deg 56N 74deg  11W

Course  – 207 Degrees   Speed –  13  Knots        Day’s Run – 282  Miles

Weather –   Overcast with 3 foot (1m) seas from NW

Wind  – 11 knots from  WNW

It has been a bumpy rolly ride but we have been covering some good distance as we dash to get around Cape Hatteras in good conditions. Cape Hatteras is renown for bad conditions when the Gulf Stream, heading North, close to shore and opposing winds cause the Gulf stream to become treacherous. 

At the moment we are motor sailing with one reef in the main and the genoa and conditions for rounding the Cape tonight look smooth. Tomorrow we will slow down and sail down the coast  for a morning arrival Tuesday in Charleston.

JC

Noon Position  41deg 09N 71deg  31W

Course  – 207 Degrees   Speed –  11.4  Knots        Day’s Run –   24Miles

Weather –  Fine with 3-6 foot (1-2m) swells from WNW 

Wind  – 18 knots from WNW

After all went well with our sea trials yesterday, we went through some emergency drills this morning and then departed Newport around 1045am. It was a very fresh morning with temperatures around 36F ( 2 degrees C) and felt much cooler with the wind chill. We are all happy to be heading south. Daylight savings is due to finish tonight so we changed our clocks back after leaving the dock so that those on watch at 2am don’t have to then do an extra hour.

It is 720 nmiles from Newport to Charleston, South Carolina which should get us in first light Tuesday morning.

JC

Timoneer is safe after hurricane Sandy. Even though the eye of the storm passed more than 200 miles away, the effects of Sandy were felt in Newport, Rhode Island. Winds over 70 knots battered the few yachts that stayed in the marina. It was the spring tides and the storm surge that was more of a concern. The high waters caused flooding and kept the crews of the yacht anxious as the floating docks came within 3 feet (1m) of floating off the top of their pilings. Fortunately Newport Shipyard was well very protected from any waves caused by the NE to Easterly winds that came with Sandy, as you can see by the flat waters in the marina.

We are now waiting for the seas offshore to settle before departing for Charleston, South Carolina.

“JC” John Cornish

Timoneer is back in Newport, Rhode Island, after 2 weeks in New York City.

We picked up the compulsory pilot 20 miles out at 7am and entered NY harbour under the Verrazano Narrows bridge which connects Staten Island to Brooklyn. We could not have arrived on a more stunning day with not a cloud in the sky and hardly a breath of breeze. Soon after the bridge we reached Liberty Island and slowed for a few photos in front of the Statue Of Liberty. We continued on into the Hudson River to North Cove marina in downtown Manhattan. This marina presents a challenge with its narrow entrance and the Hudson River whipping by at 2-3 knots unless you time it right for the very brief slack in the current at the turn of the tide. Surrounded by the sky rise buildings of the Financial District and the nearly complete Freedom Tower makes this marina quite spectacular.

After the weekend we moved Timoneer to the more access friendly 79th Street Boat Basin further up the Hudson River to meet Mrs G and prepare for the two dinner parties for the Miller’s and their guests. Wind and rain tried to put a dampener on the first night but it was a beautiful evening for the 2nd dinner party. Later in the week Mrs G had cousins come and stay and we went for a cruise down past Ellis Island ,the Statue of Liberty and around Governors Island to view the Brooklyn Bridge and then back up the Hudson river taking in the skyline of Manhattan.

The next morning we went for a cruise further up the Hudson River to pass, with very little clearance, under the George Washington bridge which connects New Jersey to Manhattan. The optical illusion that we will not fit under a bridge always gives a thrill to the guests and crew and an increase in blood pressure for me!

A couple of days later we moved back down to North Cove Marina and had 10 very excited 17 year olds turn up for Mary’s 17th birthday party. The girls went shopping after breakfast and then we went out for a birthday lunch cruise down to the Statue of Liberty before returning to the marina for some close quarters maneuvering to get back on the dock. Soon  after, Mary and friends left Timoneer, the ships pilot arrived, Mrs G headed for the airport  and we headed off to sea for a very rolly overnight passage back to Newport arriving at 8am.

Now we will be in Newport for a month doing permanent fixes to the mechanical and hydraulic problems we had during the summer.

JC

Friday we left Newport for the 38 nm trip down to Fishers Island to meet Mrs G, the Millers and the Hunts. That evening we had a dinner party onboard for 17 and luckily the thunder storms stayed away for the tender runs ashore.

Saturday afternoon we went out for for a sail through The Race and headed towards Montauk on Long Island. The wind co-operated and we had a great sail there and back to Fishers Island.

In the morning we headed off for the 55 nm journey to Cuttyhunk in the Elizabeth Islands. Unfortunately there was a swell running which made for an uncomfortable ride. We had the fishing lines out and attracted the attention of a shark but it didn’t find the lures to its liking. When we arrived the guests went to the beach off the sleepy little town of Cuttyhunk.

After breakfast we motored along the Buzzards Bay coast of the Elizabeth Islands until we got to Quick’s Hole where we passed by beautiful sandy beaches between the islands and headed into Vineyard Sound. We tacked our way across the sound and rounded the colourful cliffs of Gay Head before returning back around it and anchored off Menemsha, Martha’s Vineyard. It is a quaint working fishing port with a long white sandy beach and a huge harbour inland. The weather that evening was perfect to have a BBQ of Penny’s much loved ribs.

There was very little breeze in the morning so we motored along the beautiful Martha’s Vineyard coastline to Edgartown. The ladies headed ashore for some shopping and the rest went exploring the massive inland Katama Bay.

In the morning we took Mrs G for a tour up the channel towards Katama Bay but had to cut it short and return to Timoneer. We left as the sky darkened with an approaching storm and headed for Nantucket. We got delayed entering Nantucket Harbour by a whale that was in the channel and blocking all vessels from entering or leaving. Eventually it left, having caused plenty of excitement and chaos, allowing us to tie up at the dock.

JC

Timoneer is on her way back from Portland, Maine to Nantucket after a week of cruising with Ashley, Anna, Frances and Nicole. We left Nantucket for Provincetown on the tip of Cape Cod. After a couple of hours we had encounters with whales. We think we saw Fin, humpback and the very rare Atlantic Right whales.  We also encountered the first of the many lobster pots we were going to see in Maine. Little did we know that this was nothing compared to what Maine had installed for us. The evening was  beautiful and calm and perfect for a wakeboard. After dinner the girls went ashore and discovered why P-town is know as the gay capital of the US.

We left at 5am for the 100 mile trip to Portland. The weather just got better. Hardly a cloud was seen in the entire week. We were welcomed to Portland harbor passing the “most photographed” lighthouse in the US at Portland head. We tied up in the middle of the old port area of town which is full of life due to the large number of shops, bars and restaurants along the many docks and in the historic brick buildings on the few blocks inland.

In the morning we headed out in to the 1000’s of island’s Maine has scattered along its coast. First stop was Jewel and Cliff islands where the guests had a go on the  stand up paddle boards and Ashley was sporting enough to volunteer as a moving target for the water balloon slingshot. We then moved on to the tiny Seguin Is for a memorable tour of the lighthouse before the short dash across to the very picturesque town of Fort Popham. We anchored off the fort in the river and at times had 2.5 knots of current ripping by. The weather was perfect for a BBQ and Penny’s world famous ribs did not fail to please. The light, as the sun set, was amazing and then the starved mosquitoes arrived and forced us to retire for the night.

The next day we headed off to Damariscove Island but the swell and the lobster pots prevented us from stopping. The wind picked up and we headed off out to sea for a  lovely sail before turning around and heading in to Boothbay for the evening. This is a quaint little fishing town. In the morning the guests went off on a kayak tour and had perfect conditions. We headed off to Muscongus Bay in to the most dense concentration of lobster buoys we were to encounter. It was impossible for us not to run over some of them. The line cutter on the propeller shaft more than payed for itself that day. We finally had to stop off Hog Island and continue in the tender up the river to see the wreck of the Cora F Cressy, the rotting wooden  hull of a once glorious 5 masted schooner. With a crew member on Timoneer’s bow guiding us through the buoys we made our way back out of Muscongus bay to the equally congested anchorage off Allen Island. Perfect weather and fresh lobster on the BBQ made for another great evening. It was topped off with “smores” and watching a few sky lanterns drifting off into the darkening sky. (Thanks Bill)

We got underway for Monhegan Island and anchored off it around 9am. The guests went ashore to check out some of the 20 or more art studios and the museum at the lighthouse. After a couple of hours hiking they returned and we set sail for Portland. In the morning Ashley felt she had not accomplished all she had wanted to on the wakeboard and so went out for one last go and succeeded in crossing the wake a few times before having to head back to Timoneer to pack and hit the road.

Half an hour after Ashley and friends left, Nick and 4 friends arrived for a lunch cruise. There was no wind so we motored out through the islands. By the time they had finished lunch the wind picked up and we went out for a great sail reaching speeds of 13 knots before turning around and sailing back up the harbor to Portland.

A great week and none of Maine’s infamous fog to be seen!

JC