Endeavour Members Forum News
SEPTEMBER
THE ENDEAVOUR OWNERS GROUP seeks to provide a place for owners of ALL Endeavour sailboats to get together and meet other owners, share experiences, and discuss issues relevant to this line of sailboats. You can find THE ENDEAVOUR OWNERS GROUP at: http://members.aol.com/endvr32/home.html
IN THIS ISSUE
1. News
2. Membership Statistics
3. Security, Security, Security
4. Member News
5. Story by Fred and Donna VerPlanck
6. Pour Another Round
7. Web Site (ings)
8. Need Info
NEWS
Where does the time go. It seems that we just put our boat in and it's time to take it out. I guess that's the cost of living 'up north'--we're just lucky to be able to go sailing in the first place. It didn't help that we put "Friendly Confines" in late this year. As some of you know we replaced the original alcohol stove system with a new propane system which you can read about on the site. We did make it out on the weekends and was able to do a 12 day trip. It wasn't the long summer trip to the northern end of Lake Michigan that I had hoped for (Door Peninsula, Beaver Island, and Traverse Bay), but that's how it goes. Instead we made it across Lake Michigan to one of our old haunts, Saugatuck, Michigan. It's a small (artist) resort community with sand dunes so there is plenty to do. The boys are growing up (9, 8, and 6) and really starting to help out. Both the older boys helped sailing the boat, as well as with the lines, etc. And would you believe it, there was an E37 in the slip next to us! Needless to say we met the owner and got a tour.
While we were there we received some disturbing news. The day after we arrived a storm blew through and produced 12ft breakers on that side of the lake. Some boaters were lucky to get in but there were a few who couldn't negotiate the breakwater and had to go elsewhere. For those of you unfamiliar with Great Lakes sailing, it has a reputation for steep chop and when the wind blows across it, the wave pile up on the other side. Several days later we heard of another, but unrelated, story of a father and his two daughters missing. The found the sailboat, engine in gear, out of fuel, life jackets on board, but all missing. As of today the father and oldest girl were recovered but the youngest has never been found. No one is sure what happened. Sorry for the sobering message but being on vacation with my 3 kids, it was a reminder for me that you can never take enough precautions.
Now with fall beginning to settle in, I'm starting to think about putting the boat away and working on those winter projects. And for some reason, the list seems exceptionally long this year. If you've been reading through some of the discussion threads, you'll have seen some of my postings about redoing the cushions for the interior of the boat. They're the original ones and at 17 years, they need help. So we intend to pull them off and build new ones from scratch. We have also been thinking about working on the mast. The only problem is that to do it properly, I also need to do another 6 or so other 'major' projects. It all started with the idea of adding a dodger--but the top of the boom is 6' off the cockpit sole--my height. So I began looking into raising the boom but that means a new mainsail. By the time I finished mapping out the project, I'd moved the mainsheet to the coachroof, added a Dutchman, vang, new gooseneck and sheaves, repainted the mast, switched to all rope halyards led internally and led aft to the cockpit. Don't know that I want to manage all that right now but I'll let you know how it turns out. Then there are the projects that didn't get done this year! I guess that's what winter is for.
Also, we've been working on getting all the Endeavour Manuals. We've had a tremendous response from our last Newsletter with owners sending us copies of their manuals, and in one case we received an original! However (and this is where you come in) we still need the complete manual and drawings for the Endeavour 34, 42, and 48. If you have one we'd appreciate a copy so that we can prepare it for owners that don't have them. On that note I'd like to thank Steven Glick for sending us the E33 manual, Bob Stocker for sending us the E35 manual, Les Baston for sending us a copy of the E37 sail plan, Andy Egeressy for sending the E37 manual, Bob Tressler for the E38 aft-cockpit manual and SAIL Magazine review, Bill Strauss for the E38 center cockpit manual, Joel Fryer for the E38 center cockpit color brochures, Tom Powers and Wayne Turk for the E40 manual, John Bartoszek for copies of the E40 SAIL Magazine review and color brochure, and Dick Jewell for the E43 Ketch manual.
Well as you know, just getting the stuff is a project in of itself and we still need those last 3 boats. The second phase is to get the material into the computer so that we can offer copies to anyone who wants them. Our current plans are to provide them in PDF format which will allow you to perform a search on the manual, view it in you computer, or print it out so that you can have a hard copy. Lee McIntire has offered to do the E32 manual and is reportedly about half way. Way to go Lee! If any one would like to volunteer to do one drop us a line! All we need is the text--we'll deal with the diagrams and build the documents.
The Forum has gone Global! You can read more about it below but we are growing rapidly and now have members from almost all the continents! Keep passing the word that we're out there. Thank you everyone.
MEMBERSHIP STATISTICS
One of the more exciting things that happens around here is the receipt of a new Membership Form. Needless to say, this past quarter has been very exciting, not so much over the number of new members, but where they're coming from. During the past quarter we had 34 new members join us bringing the total up from 185 to 220--this includes the loss of several owners that sold their boats. But most significant were the number of new members that live outside the continental U.S.: 1 is from Hawaii, 1 is from Australia, 2 are from England, 3 from Puerto Rico, 5 from Canada, and most recently 2 from Israel! This does not include our non-owner membership which is 7. Again, many have found us through searches on the Internet, but many continue to join due to member referrals. Thanks to all of you who have passed on info to friends and people you've met.
| SIZE | NUMBER | YEARS REPRESENTED |
| 32 | 50 | 1975-1982 |
| 33 | 18 | 1983-1987 |
| 35 | 9 | 1983-1986 |
| 37 | 40 | 1977-1983 |
| 38 | 15 | 1984-1986 |
| 40 | 34 | 1981-1985 |
| 42 | 38 | 1983-1991 |
| 43 | 15 | 1979-1984 |
| 45 | 5 | 1992 |
| TOTAL | 220 |
WELCOME NEW MEMBERS!
On that note, all I can say is WOW! We're really growing fast. I'd like everyone to welcome all of the new members who have joined the Forum since our last newsletter:
L. Phillip Auerbach (PA) "Shooting Star" 1980-E32
Bill Lezotte (IN) "Adventure Bound" 1980-E32
Michel Portelance (Ontario, Canada) "Sonata" 1976-E32
Rick Rheinlaender (TX) "Cloud Nine" 1978-E32
Steve Kepran (Ontario, Canada) "Moonshadow" 1978-E32
Chuck Iem (FL) "Elise" 1977-E32
Chris, Bill & Christopher Berry (MO) "Glass Slipper" 1977-E32
Dean Beckman (CT) "the Gnarly Wench" 1982-E32
Pete Doddato (FL) "Teresa" 1977-E32
Rex & Ann Crawford (AL) "Tranquility Base" 1987-E33
Bud & Nancy Ledsinger (FL) "Anita Marie" 1986-E33
Daniel Bolla (MI) "Gust" 1983-E33
Keith Jones (PA) "Golden Daze" 1986-E33
Henry Gild (Israel) "Mistral III" 1984-E33
Jeffrey Stack (IL) "Forget About It" (formerly "Eagles Nest")1984-E35
Rick Martini (MN) "No Matter" 1979-E37
A.C. & Laura Whitlow (VA) "Spider John" (formerly Viva Max) 1979-E37
Lawrence & Donna Frank (NJ) "Blow Me (Over)" 1981-E37
Robert T. McWhorter (AL) "Eden" 1979-E37
Mike Miller (Puerto Rico) "Seagull" 1981-E37
Bob Farrar & Bob Caltabiano (Ontario, Canada) "Bacchus III" 1979-E37
Bob & Sheila Deal (OH) "Movin'On II" 1981-E37
Roy & Marilyn Stephen (FL) "Mistral" 1979-E37
Don & Gail Buck (FL) "Island Tyme" 1980-E37
Bob & Marilou Tressler (NY) "Carousel" 1984-E38
Fred Altman (Israel) "Asterix II" 1988-E38
Dave & Carolyn Thurston (CA) "Decadence" 1984-E38
Joel Braverman (NJ) "Olive Aye" 1984-E40
Douglas Banks (TX) "Anabel Lee" 1984-E40
Tom & Doty Powers (FL) "Pinball" 1984-E40
Dave & Judy Nofs (FL) "Fia" 1981-E40
Ray & Wendy Jackson (Western Australia) "Bubbles" 1981-E40
Mike Nicholson (Cheshire, England) "Windsprint" 1984-E40
Michael D. Redenius (CA) "Celebration" 1981-E40
Van & Norma Stoffer (FL) "Falcon" 1984-E40
Sam Woolsey (MO) "Solveig" 1983-E40
John Regina (England) "Albion" 1984-E40
William Bonewitz & Shawana Lieb (Puerto Rico) "Bonnie Kailum" 1985-E40
Edward Piriczky (NC) "Sugar" 1981-E40
Keith & Cathy Childs (MO) "Childs Play" 1987-E42
Ferdy Sant (AZ) "Pipe Dream" 1983-E42
Bob & Pat Sikora (NY) "Chanticleer" 1988-E42
Rick & Donna Cass (RI) "Triumphant" 1986-E42
Skip Thaler (MN) "Obsession" 1988-E42
Joe & Eve Kovacich (WI) "NeverLand" 1981-E43
Dick Jewell & Roger Ball (CA) "MaLu" 1980-E43
Rand Heister (Hawaii) "Other Places" 1979-E43
Stephen Ginsberg (NY) "Castada" 1992-E45
SECURITY, SECURITY, SECURITY
FREEWHEELING PROPS As an FYI, there recently was a long discussion in a boating list-serv about whether it was better to let your prop "freewheel" (spin) when under sail versus keeping it in gear. This discussion covered several manufacturer's transmissions with their service and manufacturer reps adding comments as well. It appeared to be a unanimous agreement on NOT letting your prop freewheel--the reasoning being that 1) the transmission does not receive proper lubrication while the engine is not running, and 2) it causes premature wear to the transmission cone (clutch device). So what gear do you use? Forward? Reverse? Well, that depends upon the transmission but from what I understand, the transmission on the Yanmar engine using the cone clutch device should always be left in REVERSE. Apparently leaving it in forward still allows the propeller to spin the shaft against the transmission. They went on to say that when you start the engine while sailing (remember your trans is in reverse) that you should also START it in reverse and then shift into forward (the water pressure on the prop makes it difficult to shift into neutral or forward while under sail). My recommendation would be for you to contact the appropriate service person, dealer, or manufacturer for your engine/trans type and find out.
If you would like to comment or continue this discussion, we've set up a page in the Discussion Forum at: http://members.aol.com/endvr32/dscsn/frewhl.html
MEMBER NEWS
Jerry Bernath (NC) aboard s/v BIBI writes: Hi Paul, just a short note to tell you that I have returned to Wilmington, NC after my 7 month cruise south to the Bahamas. I had a heck of a time! I also learned much. The E42 was a great boat to do the trip in! I did a few changes/additions to her. I split the anchor locker into 3 compartments, and added a 55lb Delta to my 44lb Bruce and 37lb Danforth. I installed a MACK PACK Lazy Jack system for the main which I would recommend any Endeavour 40-42 without a roller furling main to do. I now use the main since I can get it down well! I completed the install of a Freedom 10, Link 2000R and high output alternator after installing golf cart batteries as my main house bank. The charging system and the inverter work very well. I never had any power problems after this since I need to run my engine for 1 hour each day for my engine driven refrigeration, I essentially topped of my batteries and needed no additional charging (wind, solar) systems. Sylvia Nexas did a tune up on all my electronics and the boat can almost sail itself now! BUY Nexas products, they are great!
Lee McIntire (TX) writes: Hi, Just a note to say that I appreciate you taking the time to create and maintain this forum. I just had a deal fall through on an Endeavour 32 and plan to find another one. After getting to know this boat and sailing her a few times I just don't want anything else (well, anything that I can afford). Your forum is excellent and I intend to join when I get my boat. In the meantime, I check in periodically to see if anything new is posted. By the way, I read a review published by Practical Sailor in 1988. The owner of the boat I was considering had it with the owner's manual. They report that the design was originally an Irwin produced as the Irwin 32 until it was sold to Endeavour and used to start the company with. Interesting trivia. I intend to contact Practical Sailor and see if a reprint may be available. Well Lee and his wife have not only bought a 32 and been out sailing, but he's also helping us put together the first digital owners manual. More about this later.
Stephen Ginsberg (NY) aboard s/v CASTADA tells us that he owns a 1992 Endeavour 45. Our first E45 in the group is a sloop with center cockpit. He owned an E38 previous to this one. Now that's what I call a happy Endeavour owner. Stephen also told us that while the 'new' Endeavour company is primarily building cats these days, they still have all the molds from the old Endeavour Company!
Carol & Steve Glick (RI) aboard s/v "Moby" writes that they've been busy: This summer they replaced the holding tank and hoses and installed a macerator pump. Three new batteries and a whole new configuration were the week before. Our new main arrived in May and we could not be more pleased. So, the "big jobs" are done and sailing here in NE has been great. We have had no rain (40 some days now) and every weekend has been a getaway. Last week we arrived at Cuttyhunk Is. on Friday afternoon. While the mainland was sweltering in 100 degree temps, we wore sweaters in the evening and slept with a wool blanket! It was wonderful until Saturday when it was announced that JFK, Jr's plane had gone down right there. For those of you from other parts of the US, Cuttyhunk is only a few miles NW of Gay Head on Martha's Vineyard. Well, then the radio chatter started, and the planes and helicopters and media began to arrive and our quiet weekend (there is not much on Cuttyhunk) turned a bit noisy. People were out walking the beach, searching for debris, which I thought was somewhat morbid. We did enjoy the trip home (approx. 28 miles to Newport) with a SSW wind at 13kn, a slack tide, and 1-2ft seas, the boat performed as well as she ever has. (Could be that new sail) 30 degrees off the wind, with a 110 genny we glided home between 5.5 and 6kn. We couldn't be happier. We are next off to Block Island for a weekend, and in mid-August we will head for Martha's Vineyard and maybe Nantucket for a week or so. The interior of the boat is so comfortable for the two of us, we have no trouble staying aboard for the 10 days.
Ed Phillips (OR) aboard s/v Mag Mell says that he's 6 months into a 2-year refit. He and Melissa are readying their E37 (cutter w/bowsprit) for a 7-year circumnavigation! Their itinerary is (if all goes as planned) as follows: Leave Oregon in May 2001, head to Alaska for a shake down. Head south and plug into the "Baja Ha Ha". Continue south to Central & South America as far as "Peru". All this planned around hurricanes season(s) of course. We have no time frames, so don't know exactly when we are going to head out to the "Marquises". Will stay awhile in the South Seas, then to Indonesia, Indian Ocean. Sri Lanka, Madagascar, etc, and then thru the Red Sea. We will do the eastern part of the Med. up to France, and then head around up to England, Norway, etc. leisurely, but without lingering long as we plan to come back to the Meed via the canals, and spend time in the western part, Spain, Portugal, etc, before heading across to the Carib....Panama canal, and home.... This is the general plan, won't have to stick to it, and probably won't 100%. (Oh boy, can I come too?!)
Dave & Judi Nofs (FL) aboard s/v FIA write that since 1988 they've owned hull #1 of the E40s. He says that it was the show boat for 4 years before Rob Valdez (co-owner of Endeavour) bought it for personal use. They are the third official owner. The boat had little use and was still in showboat condition when they bought it in February 1988. Currently they've been out cruising the Caribbean since Dec 91. Since 94, we have stayed mostly in the southern area around Trinidad, Venezuela. This year they are in the U.S. cruising for the summer. Thanks to Paul Medlock (TX) of s/v CONSORT for bringing Dave and Judy into the fold.
Fred VerPlanck (Puerto Rico) aboard s/v Liberty wrote to us last April saying that although Hurricane Georges spared us, when we arrived in PR in mid-December we found our boat had filled, sorta, with rain water. Torrential rains in PR during November had done the damage. The cockpit drains had clogged from hurricane-blown debris and the water filled the cockpit, over the companionway sill and up to 4 inches deep on the cabin sole. The boatyard worker we had asked to look after our boat "took off" after the hurricane and by the time we got there the damage was done. Boatyards were getting extraordinary prices for hurricane-related work.... does the term USURY come to mind? It took us until early February to get floating again, having done all the repair work ourselves.....it's surprising how much damage even fresh water can do......and we've been on a mooring at Roosey Roads Naval Base ever since. It's back to the boat next week and only a month left until we put it on the hard again and head for Michigan. Ask me how much fun it is to be a boat owner in the tropics, sometime later..... MUCH later.
(August) Liberty is on the hard at Rodney Bay boatyard, St Lucia.... the Hurth tranny having decided to "pack it in" when we were getting u/w from anchorage off Rodney Bay. We were on our way to Trinidad to be "out of the box" during hurricane season when the time-clock ran out and the casualty struck. We were lucky it happened when/where it did. We were the next-to-last boat to be hauled at Rodney Bay for the season.... they ran out of room and hull support hardware. We hope we are far enough south to avoid the hurricane tracks. We're watching "CINDY" with some considerable interest.
Dean Beckman (CT) aboard s/v Gnarly Wench writes: Glad I finally found some Endeavour People! I have been rebuilding a 1982 E-32 for the last year and a half. I will be sailing out of Riverside Marine in Bridgeport, Ct. and Rex Marine in South Norwalk, Ct. After working more weekends then I care to recall I am quite eager to do some cruising in Long Island Sound.
Bud Berry & Diana Boulden (FL) aboard s/v Island Time are sailing from Jensen Beach, Florida to Oriental, North Carolina leaving Nettle's Island May 4, 1999. They plan to take their time and should arrive in Whittaker Creek Yacht Harbor late May. We'll start a new log and will try to keep you informed of the adventures of "island time" as we progress north ... we hope to see everyone this summer...!!!
Sam Woolsey & Mary Ann Barry (MO) start the 3rd leg of their odessy journey aboard Solveig, their '83, E-40, from Seabrook, Texas to Portage Des Sioux, Missouri on the 29th of August. Phase I was from Seabrook to New Orleans via the Gulf Intercoastal Waterway in early April. Phase II was a truck trip from New Orleans to Barkely/Kentucky Lake, Kentucky (also in April) where she has spent the summer. Phase III will be down the Cumberland, or Tennessee, River to the Ohio R. Down the Ohio to the Mississippi at Cairo, IL and then up the Miss R. to the Alton Pool above St. Louis. The distance is about 304 Miles. We hope to make it on, or before, Labor Day. It all depends on the current. Solveig will spend next summer on the river and move on to the Great Lakes the following summer.
Andy Egeressy sold his Endeavour 37, Quest. He writes: Thanks to all of you who have expressed interest. By the way, anyone need Endeavour experienced crew (on or offshore)? You can drop Andy a line at egeressy@worldnet.att.net Good luck Andy!
Rand Heister (Hawaii) writes: Aloha Paul, Actually just bought my E43 so I have just done a few day sails off Waikiki here. I will jump over to Maui for Christmas and then the Island of Lanai for New Years. I will take about three weeks off and see how the boat does. The channels between the islands offer a real challenge. I plan on summer trips to the island of Kauai and winter in Maui area. Just replaced all the rigging and will get the lifelines and batteries replaced next. Still need to replace my chain plates and hope someone else in the forum will point me in the right direction on where I can buy some new ones. Other than that she seems to be in great shape and being 6'5" I must say I love the headroom.
Josh Wallach wrote us with some bad news about a fellow Endeavour Owner: It is with great sorrow that I inform you of the death of an Endeavour owner, GEORGE HEARN (E-40. "Mark Ten"). Several weeks ago George and a female companion were offshore Galveston at night and the weather started to build. They decided to shorten sail and approach the jetties after sunup, as it was then around 4:00 AM. George went forward to shorten sail and got very dizzy and disoriented. He staggered back to the cockpit, and became very seasick. During this, the boat drifted onto Galveston's south jetty and was smashed apart. He and his lady friend managed to get on the rocks of the jetty where a Coast Guard helicopter rescued them. He told me that the next day a helicopter lifted the remains of the boat off and flew it to a nearby shipyard. George then went to see his doctor about the incident and was told that he had "acute leukemia". In his own words, he said the doctor gave him "3-6". He passed away two weeks ago, only a short time after his boating accident and the day after I spoke with him. George Hearn was 66 years old. He was a very considerate and thoughtful person who loved life and his sailing. He had intended on going cruising on "Mark Ten". I don't know if he was a member of THE ENDEAVOUR OWNERS GROUP, but I know that there are a number of other Endeavour owners out there that knew him or have heard of him and I felt that this was the best way of to pass along the sad news . . .
Fred Altman (Israel) aboard s/v Asterix II writes: Dear Paul, Sailing in Israel is totally different from your experience. We sailed in the Long Island sound before taking the boat "over the pond". We have 2 types of weather: storms or stills. Kind of 50/50%. That is the reason that people have big engines in their boats. When we leave Israel it's always for Cyprus, which means at least 1 night at sea. So those are major undertakings, but the toughies in Israel do this regularly. We always go to Cyprus, then Turkey or Greece. Fairly large distances, to Cyprus is 130 miles, then to Turkey is a similar distance, another night at sea. We cannot sail via the NE point of Cyprus, would be too close to Syria. We cannot sail south of Crete, would be too close to Libya. Sailing to Egypt makes no sense, in Alexandria there is no marina, only the commercial harbor.
Then we could go through the Suez canal, a very tough journey. On the way south, it is OK if you look carefully for the reefs, but on the way north there are fierce storms on the nose. If one would take all this into account the journey through the Red Sea, after rounding Ras Muhamed, the southernmost tip of the Sinai peninsula, is well worth it. The Red Sea ends with Eilat our little Las Vegas.
We have done probably 20,000 by now, so we have had a lot of salt water. And we still like it. This weekend we plan to take a trip along all our marina's in Israel starting in Acco, then Haifa, Hertzlya, Tel Aviv, Jaffo, Ashdod, ending in Ashkelon. So 7 marina's in this country with a very straight coast line. Turkey or Croatia is more fun for the yachty.
A FUNNY THING HAPPENED ON OUR WAY TO TRINIDAD
by Fred and Donna VerPlanck
"Liberty" 1984-E40
We decided that as we had luckily dodged two hurricanes in the past three years in Puerto Rico (Hortense in '96, Georges in '98), we would sail our E40, Liberty, to a point south of the normal hurricane tracks in the Caribbean....that means south of 12N, and Trinidad seemed as good a place as any to put Liberty on the hard for the hurricane season. It would make our insurance agent very happy and perhaps reduce our anxiety during the 1 July-1 November time period.
We left Roosevelt Roads, PR before Memorial Day, intending to haul out at Peake Shipyard o/a 25 June...giving us (we thought) just enough time to make the roughly 700 mile trip, island-hopping all the way from the Spanish Virgins, USVIs, BVI.s, St. Martin and points south.
The first part of the trip (not a CRUISE by any stretch of the imagination) was comparatively uneventful.... unless you consider sailing 16 hours from Virgin Gorda to St Martin at night with no auto pilot, having the port anchor break loose in the middle of the night and send itself and 200 ft of rode rapidly (!!!) toward the bottom ... which was, oh, about 1,000 fathoms away. How fast do you think I made it on deck and forward in stormy weather to grab the last few feet of rode before it was gone forever?? I had no idea this 55 year old body could move that fast.... but there's something about the sound of chain rattling through the hawse at midnight that really got the adrenaline flowing.
After a couple of days in Simpson Bay Lagoon, anchored about 50 yards from another s/v Liberty (whom we got to know REAL quick), another boat ,"Wand'rin' Star", from Roosey Roads caught up to us. We had previously decided to head for Trinidad/Tobago together. We picked up another mutual friend, "La Sabia", and decided to catch a "weather window" that night to make the passage to Antigua. Bad decision. An unexpected (as in: David Jones didn't see it coming either!) tropical wave decided to engulf us as we slogged our way under reefed main and "iron" Genoa toward Antigua. Halfway across we were going nowhere slowly and decided, except for La Sabia who has a MUCH bigger iron Genoa, to head south and catch a lee behind St. Kitts.
We had slightly better weather the next day and caught up with La Sabia in Five Islands harbor, Antigua. As we all wanted to rest a spell, we decided (I'm not sure whose idea it was) to motor around the South end of the island and put in at English Harbor....a "piece of cake" two hour motor sail.... Right ?? Wrong !! Another tropical wave comes out of nowhere and for a couple of VERY EXCITING hours we attempted to avoid getting slammed into the inhospitable lee shore of south Antigua. We were only 200 yards off shore, between the main island and a reef, when the sky turned dark, the winds gusted to 30+ knts and the rain came down in torrents... or was it sideways? We felt like we were the crew of the "Minnow", and expected to find the skipper, Gilligan, the professor, et al. when the sky finally cleared 4 hours later.
A couple more days rest.... And a few Rum and Cokes later we picked up a fourth member of our south-bound caravan. s/v "Warthog" joined us as we began to worry about our schedule.... We had less than 2 weeks to make Trinidad and it was still several hundred miles and about 10 island stopovers distant.
We began a routine: Up in the morning at 0500, have breakfast, weigh anchor at 0600, head out the harbor, turn left, have a reasonably comfortable sail down the leeward side of the island in fluky winds (0-20kts), hit the channel between islands, turn on the iron Genoa, get the livin' cr*p kicked out of us for the next 5-7 hours as the wind was hard on our port bow, make the lee of the next southerly island, turn to port and put into the first harbor, fix whatever broke during the day (and there wasn't a day when something didn't break), have a sundowner rum 'n coke, grab a bite of supper (who feels much like cooking a big meal after a day like that ?!), hit the sack and repeat it all the next day... and the next... and the next, etc..
We arrived after a typical day (see above) at Rodney Bay, St Lucia and anchored off the beach in company with another 20 or so boats. We went ashore and were immediately impressed with the island folk.... well, maybe not particularly with the customs and immigration staff, but that's not unusual.
The next day was going to be a short hop to the Pitons, a few hours south, but still in St. Lucia. We had already cleared in and out with customs and immigration, so our timetable to Trinidad was still "doable".... Barely. The wind was ESE at about 15 knts just past noon when we weighed anchor. Dear wife, at the helm as usual when we drop/weigh anchor, noticed the engine was up to speed but we had no maneuverability. A few exciting moments later, having expended our entire range of hand signals from bow to cockpit (we don't "yell" at each other when maneuvering), I dropped the anchor again in desperation and hoped it would hold. We were rapidly gathering sternway, due to the 15kt easterly, and were headed for a couple of VERY expensive yachts astern of us. Luckily (!!) the anchor held and we put out just enough scope to bring us within 20 ft of the yacht astern. The owner came on deck, I took one look at us and asked politely if we had let out more scope...completely unaware of our previous emergency situation. Whew....
A couple of hours later we had found a mechanic at the nearby boatyard who came out in our dinghy to diagnose the problem. He found it real quick. The tranny had decided to separate itself from the bell-housing. One bolt was in the bilge, two others were stripped, the shaft was oscillating wildly, the variable pitch, feathering Martec prop had two screws loose and the blades were at different pitches, the stuffing box was leaking furiously, and the decision was quickly made to get ourselves tied up at the marina in the lagoon. A couple of dinghies were soon secured along our port and starboard quarter and we made a "deadship" move into a slip at the marina. Dear spouse made a beeline for the travel agency and booked our flights back home while I negotiated with the boatyard for haulout and storage.
Again we were lucky. The boatyard mechanic had already disassembled our tranny and had a parts list prepared; the boatyard could haul us two days later.... we were soon to find out that we were to be the NEXT -TO- LAST boat hauled this season as they ran out of space and boat chocks.
Dealing with the customs folks (it seems we needed a "temporary importation certificate") was a whole 'nuther story. Give a person a desk, a clipboard, and a uniform, and there's no limit to the paperwork and misdirection they can impose. As I said, a whole 'nuther story. But only six days after the casualty occurred, and on the very morning of the date we were to have been hauled in Trinidad, we boarded a flight from Castries, St. Lucia toward home. Soon we were flying over Roosey Roads..... It had taken us the better part of three weeks to get to St. Lucia and we had made it back to our starting point in only 2 hours!
Now we are at the summer cottage in Michigan, watching the Weather Channel reports of Cindy, Emily, et al., as the hurricane season heats up in the Caribbean, hoping Liberty, now on the hard at Rodney Bay, will again be spared the ravages of hurricane force winds and seas at it awaits our return, What did we learn from this? Never again will we create for ourselves a "schedule".... ...And a passage is not the same thing as cruising!
POUR ANOTHER ROUND!
Since it's hurricane season, I thought I'd offer a thematic item this time around. Awhile back I read a book called "The Perfect Storm" by Sebastian Junger which is a story about a Sword fishing fleet caught off Nova Scotia and Newfoundland during an October 1991 hurricane. Some of you may have read it. Aside from the story itself, the book offered some insight into the power of mother nature:
Q: What is the theoretical maximum wind driven wave height?
A: Oceanographers have calculated it to be 198 feet!
The air above one square-foot of equatorial water contains enough latent energy to drive a car two miles.
A single thunderstorm could supply four days' worth of the electrical power needed by the United States.
The combined nuclear arsenals of the United States and Former Soviet Union don't contain enough energy to keep a hurricane going for one day.
A typical hurricane encompasses a million cubic miles of atmosphere and could provide all the electric power needed by the United States for three to four years.
During the Labor Day Hurricane of 1935, winds surpassed 200 miles an hour and people caught outside were sandblasted to death. Rescue workers found nothing but their shoes and belt buckles.
WEB SITE (INGS)
Nautical Links from the US Coast Guard. Lots of cool stuff
CRUISERS CONNECTION HOMEPAGE Too much to list--Great stuff that will keep you busy for the entire winter!
Practical Sailor Index A privately maintained list of their publication
From Out There: The Cruising Lifestyle As the effects of Hurricane Floyd linger on, Sue and Larry's "A Day in the Life of Hurricane Waiting," will hit home for all sailors doing that ongoing "dance" with the weather gods.
Waypoints: Anchoring Out Differences Sailing has changed. Couples sail a lot together without other crew and a new teamwork has evolved on board. Editorial Director Micca Hutchins thinks couple sailing requires the total team approach --or die.
Latitudes and Attitudes For those of you who can't get enough of this magazine, here's their Web Site!
NEED INFO
Thanks again to everyone that's sent us copies of Owners Manuals. Since that was such a big success, we're now asking for volunteers to type them into MS Word or Word Perfect. If you can help us please drop us a line.
If you have a story, would like to share an experience, or have a bit of humor or sailing knowledge you would like to share, please send it to THE ENDEAVOUR OWNERS GROUP. And by the way, I don't make any overtures about the accuracy of the information in the newsletter.
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Paul Uhl
Endeavour Owners Group