Need a 4th for Abacos to Chesapeake in May

jim0123r · #1 (**permalink**) 03-08-2010

We're going home for the summer from the Virgin Islands. All crew is set except the last leg: Marsh Harbour to Hampton VA (6-day passage). You would arrive in Marsh Harbour about 5/17, we estimate; with weather allowances, we want to arrive in Hampton on or before 5/28. Fully equipped 2008 Hylas 49 with very easygoing and experienced captain, owner, and 3rd crewmember...looking for a fourth. The ability to cook at sea would be a plus but not necessary. This is a NON-PAID position. SEND RESUME (PIC TOO?) OR EXPERIENCE AND COVER PARAGRAPHS TO ME, jim0123r, at gmail. Thank you.

JohnRPollard · #2 (**permalink**) 03-10-2010

Jim,

That should be a great trip. Hopefully someone from Sailnet looking to get a small taste of bluewater sailing will take you up on this good opportunity.

My only comment is whether you would consider skipping Cape Hatteras and coming in through Beaufort NC, then up the last bit via the ICW? Hatteras at that time of year (almost any time of year) can be a bit of a crap shoot.

Good luck to you.

(BUMP

)

bacq2bacq · #3 (**permalink**) 03-11-2010

I am in Treasure Cay, Abaco right now, on the web looking for rides/charters around here, and had thought of crewing to get some blue-water experience, having sailed Georgian Bay (Great Lakes) for decades, and chartered both here and BVIs. But I ain't no ship's cook, I am afraid, and I do recall having once been seasick in a storm-induced following, wallowing sea on my uncle's Formosa 51 in the Med as a kid (otherwise it was a great ride through the Greek Isles).

This is not right at the tip-top of my priority list right now, but it's certainly tempting, and I do have the time. Hmmn.

In case no one turns up, or if you think this is the perfect opportunity for a fit and active (just got back from skiing BC, and I club-race a Laser) 49-year-old to see if he has blue-water sea legs, my gmail account is jbbacque (at) gmail (dot) com.

Good luck, and I'll run this one past the 'mate in the meantime...
ben

bacq2bacq · #4 (**permalink**) 03-11-2010

The mate did not use her veto, and I have responded to Jim via email. John, could you please elaborate on your comment about the Cape, for someone unfamiliar with it?

thanks in advance,
ben

sailingdog · #5 (**permalink**) 03-11-2010

Cape Hatteras, one of the three Graveyards of the Atlantic, is a nasty bit of sailing, and best to be avoided if at all possible. It can be easily avoided by going inside at Beaufort, NC and then taking the iCW north to Norfolk, VA.

Quote:

Originally Posted by bacq2bacq

The mate did not use her veto, and I have responded to Jim via email. John, could you please elaborate on your comment about the Cape, for someone unfamiliar with it?

thanks in advance,
ben

tkringstad · #6 (**permalink**) 03-12-2010

Sounds like a nice opportunity.

As for rounding Hatteras, my guess is it all depends on your fortune with the weather and you just need to listen to the forecasts and make prudent decisions based on the crew comfort. The suggestions above are good to know in case the weather does turn nasty. Last year when we delivered Wandering Star from FL to LI the very best sailing we had on the 14 day trip was the day we rounded Cape Hatteras. Had we been there 2-3 days earlier it would have been a real whooping, and the next couple days after along the DE and NJ coasts we had very thick fog with little to no wind. However, we hit a nice window leaving Charleston and had nice smooth sailing all the way around the outer banks. The only real challenge we faced in that area was the next morning off the coast of VA when the USN was conducting live firing practice in the area and broadcasting incorrect coordinates for their firing range.

Good luck with the trip. Please write a report about the experience when you're done.

JohnRPollard · #7 (**permalink**) 03-12-2010

Quote:

Originally Posted by bacq2bacq

...John, could you please elaborate on your comment about the Cape, for someone unfamiliar with it?

thanks in advance,
ben

Oh hey Ben, just noticed your question.

SailingDog and Tom Kringstad pretty well answered it, though. But to elaborate....

Besides the shoals that need to be given a wide berth, rounding Cape Hatteras can be very challenging if the wind comes up strong against the Gulf Stream current. This often happens when a cold front passes bringing strong northwesterlies behind it. That is why the Coast Guard probably pulls more people from boats out there off Hatteras than anywhere else. And why so many boats are abandoned in that vicinity.

As Tom points out, conditions can also be perfectly benign. But it's easier to time the good weather when sailing along the coast, with good forecasts and several places to duck in. The difficulty is in predicting the weather that far ahead -- i.e. when jumping off from somewhere like the Bahamas four or five days prior.

Even coming from Abacos, you have to make a decision fairly far out whether to shoot for Beaufort (between Frying Pan and Cape Lookout shoals), or head farther east and around Hatteras. If you are east of Cape Lookout shoals once you get to about N34 degrees, you are pretty well committed to Hatteras.

I expect that the O.P. (Jim) is aware of the concerns/issues of rounding Hatteras. And he may well have sophisticated weather data available on his boat. I only mentioned it casually, on the remote chance he was not familiar with those waters or how nasty it can get out there in the wrong conditions. But it sounds like he has a capable boat and crew, and a fair bit of experience as well.

Rounding Hatteras does save time, and that's a big reason why folks do it.

bacq2bacq · #8 (**permalink**) 03-12-2010

Thanks all for your comments on the Cape. Shoal waters I am familiar with, the Gulf Stream and the east coast I'm not. I am hoping jim0123r responds soon to my gmail account.

While the discussion might better belong on the "captain/crew references" thread I found last night, I'll ask here anyway: do any of you know who jim0123r is in reality, and what reference would you provide if so?

thanks in advance.
ben

SVAuspicious · #9 (**permalink**) 03-12-2010

Describing Cape Hatteras as a death-trap is a gross overstatement. I've been around a number of times; I had to bail at Beaufort NC only once. It would be wise to have good weather information aboard (something with synoptics, not just gribs) and the training to interpret it. None of that is hard.

I left Little Creek on Dec 3 and made Marsh Harbour before others on the dock made it to Beaufort.

JohnRPollard · #10 (**permalink**) 03-12-2010

Quote:

Originally Posted by SVAuspicious

Describing Cape Hatteras as a death-trap is a gross overstatement. I've been around a number of times; I had to bail at Beaufort NC only once. It would be wise to have good weather information aboard (something with synoptics, not just gribs) and the training to interpret it. None of that is hard.

I left Little Creek on Dec 3 and made Marsh Harbour before others on the dock made it to Beaufort.

Did someone describe it as a "death trap"?

The only time I made that trip from Abaco north, we were much earlier in the season and chose Beaufort after studying our options carefully. That said, I wouldn't hesitate to go around Hatteras with the right forecast.

But it's worth mentioning that it's much easier to predict the weather out there when jumping off from Little Creek, VA and heading south, than it is coming from the other direction.

Especially if the boat doesn't have the sophisticated weather information aboard -- as many don't. We didn't, and that certainly influenced our decision making.