When the temps moderate and the humidity disappears, I get an actual physical and mental craving to be on Moondust, and anchored somewhere pretty overnight. So last Friday I jumped on a spectacular forecast and relocated to Whitehall. I had boat jobs to do, in any case (there are always boat jobs!).
One was to recalibrate my speed log, which I’ve concluded reliably says we are going faster than we really are. It feels good to think you are sailing fast, but I’ve known for a while that it was all a lie (and in fact wondered whether the previous owner bumped the manual calibration up a bit to make for a more impressive and enticing sea trial). After charging the new batteries up to full via shore power, I motored Moondust out into Whitehall Bay and did some calibration runs. They weren’t perfect, but I backed off the speed calibration factor and now get speed readouts that I am sure are closer to reality. I’ll refine a bit further if need be. One important benefit: a more accurate speed readout will allow me to better use my polars to assess how well the boat is trimmed and sailed. There is plenty of room for improvement.
While I was at it, I also adjusted my depth sounder to read true depth instead of depth below the sensor. Now we will run aground when the readout says 6 feet instead of 4.2 feet, which is as it should be.
Since I was out of the marina anyhow, after these technical, yet emotionally satisfying labors, I tucked into the northeast corner of Whitehall Bay and dropped the hook. I was all alone (save for a powerboat raft-up that soon departed). The only minor flaw was a little creek flowing into Whitehall Bay in that corner that disgorged a steady stream of powerboats who didn’t hesitate to hit the throttle as soon as they exited the creek, battering me repeatedly with wake when just a minute or two of patience. A willingness to leave the throttle untouched until they were past Moondust would have left me undisturbed in my solitude. Surely another small sign of the breakdown of civil society. Still, as the sun started to dip I made myself a very tasty rum and tonic and settled into the cockpit to do some reading, thinking I had found myself a little, though slightly rolly, slice of paradise.
Just as the rum buzz started to spread its warmth and cheer, my sublime wa was abruptly disturbed. I heard a slight noise and looked up to see a 150-foot motoryacht—called M3 (just $145,000 a week to charter)—slowly glide past my bow and pick up the large mooring 100 meters from me. Paradise (suddenly but only kinda) lost.
To be fair, it seems that might be M3’s home mooring (and it is right off the beach of an expansive estate). In one sense M3 is a beautiful and intricate ode to modern engineering and ship design. More important, though, this sort of vessel and the culture of excess it connotes feels a little off to me, and out of synch with where the planet is right now. To power all the lights, toys and amenities the crew of course had to run a generator non-stop. So there was a burbling exhaust (and an occasional whiff of fumes) marring the peace and stillness of an otherwise beautiful tableau. I sipped my rum and tonic and did my best to ignore it all. At least they didn’t deploy any jet skis.
The night was cool and comfortable. I was glad to see that the new batteries held their charge beautifully, and the fridge—now being fed a steady and adequate voltage—stayed frosty as well. In the morning, I headed back to the dock at Whitehall Marina, and embarked on Part 2 of my boat mission: starting to transform Moondust from cruising mode back to racing mode. That involves removing cockpit seats, the dodger, the heavy cruising anchor and changing the mainsail. I got most of it done, and will finish off the rest this week. I’ll also take any weight I can out of the boat and re-tune the rig. Saturday is the start of my second AYC Doublehanded Distance Race (Rich will co-skipper with me), and I am really looking forward to it. Right now the forecast looks super-light, but hopefully that will improve in the coming days.
I’ll report on the race next week.
What Else?
Ships and Whales: This is always a sad sight, and a haunting visual reminder of the conflict between commerce and the natural world. Story here.
The Improbable Project: Bruce Schwab is one of the sailing world’s most interesting and innovative characters. And he is going back to the future.
Evoking The Age Of Sail: Ignoring for a moment the violence and brutal geopolitics of the time, it is hard not to feel something stirring in my soul when I look at this photo of the replica of the 18th century French frigate Hermione, which delivered Lafayette to the War Of Independence. No wonder some young people ran away to sea (many were dragged there forcibly, too). It’s enough to make me plunge back into the Patrick O’Brian series (which if you haven’t read, I strongly encourage). (Source).
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