Captains Log - Our Trip to Bermuda

Black Line Planned vs. Green/Orange Actual  (windy where Orange)

(Warning this is a bit long as I document what happened for my own benefit as well as yours!)

How was the trip to Bermuda??

Well, it wasn't the best! For those of you that considered coming along for the ride (Sue!) and then decided not to...you made a good decision.

It probably sits at number two in our all time least enjoyable list of passages. Tough call, since the Auckland to Tonga trip had more than 48 hours with winds over 30 and this one only 24 hours. But, on the trip to Tonga the Autopilot steered through the worst parts, and on this trip we lost the autopilot less than an hour into the windy stuff. An autopilot is worth at least two capable crew. Lesson learned....we need to fix what broke and organize a backup system for the future!

As earlier posts have pointed out, we left a chilly Newport, RI behind with a forecast (from professionals (that we PAID for!!!)) that predicted 24 hours of very light conditions, the possibility (becoming more likely) of a new Low that would affect us with 20-30 knot winds pushing us downwind for the next 24 hours, and then 36 hours of ideal sailing conditions as we finished our trip into St. Georges Harbor in Bermuda.

Quotes from our Forecast Provider...
1) There is some change to the forecast but still think it looks best to get going today (Sun)
2) You may see adverse conditions for a time Mon, or Mon Night but will see better and more favorable conditions Tue and Wed to Bermuda
3) Look out for increasing NE wind, possible to 20 kts later at Night.
4) Winds: Sun - light and Variable, Mon - 5 to 15, possible gusts to 30 in squalls, Tue - 12 to 26, Gust 30?, Wed - 22 to 11

So, what happened....

Arts & Crafts Day

Rainy day activities onboard Morpheus as yet another gale moves past Bermuda!

Jim Gregory 

Re: Passage to Bermuda

Well wow! Bermuda triangle BAD! Jimmy Kim GOOD! Deb SMART! Snowing in NY. Glad you are out safe!!! Love you / love JIm and I'm becoming very fond of Kim :) T
Sent from my iPhone
On Oct 28, 2011, at 4:17 PM, Deb Gregory <deb@jdgregory.com> wrote:
> Hi All.
>
> Jim, Kim and I are safely in Bermuda. It was an interesting/scary passage.
>
> As soon as you get casual about the ocean, she reaches up to remind you just how inconsequential we are in the scheme of things.
>
> Our friend Kim Comfort from Newport, RI joined us for the passage from Newport to Bermuda. She's the daughter of the Amazing Potato friends, and a good sailor. We left Newport with a good weather window. We use a service call Commanders Weather that helps us plan when to go. Only 4 days and nothing bad between us and Bermuda.
>
> The 1st day was cool, calm and easy. Day 2 the weather was suppossed to get up to 20 knots as we crossed the gulf stream, but not too bad. It definitely got warmer and nicer. By the time we got 1/2 way to Bermuda, it was 30k with gusts to 35. But we were going down wind, so it really wasn't that bad. We had taken down the main sail, and only had this tiny part of it up we couldnt reach to pull down. Waves were huge, about 30 feet, but we were surfing down the front of them. Jim hit 18 knots surfing down the waves. Yucky, but ok. Then we got hit with a gust of 46 knots out of no where. The Auto pilot was steering. Auto handeleld it well, but as Jim was running on deck to make sure all was well, we heard a huge "sproing" noise. Jim didn't tell Kim and I until we reached Bermuda, but the Auto pilot had ripped free of the boat with the force of trying to steer the boat through that gust. Jim reached the tiller before we rounded up or down and started steering or we would have been in big trouble.
>
> That left us in the middle of that big storm with no Auto pilot. Auto counts as at least 2 crew, so with him out, we had to hand steer for 2 days.
>
> So we started steering by hand in 30 knots of wind and 30 foot waves. We had to line the waves up right, or they would butt slap the boat, making it spin out. Sucked. This was during the day. At night you couldn't see the waves, because of course, it's a new moon. We would hear them coming, but you just had to stear by the compass and trust you didnt get butt slapped by a rouge wave.
>
> Kim and Jim steared all night. 1 hour on, 1 off. Somehow I got taken off the rotation. I definitely was scared doing it, and somehow those guys got the impression I didn't want to stear. I didn't correct their assumption.
>
> We got through the night without crashing the boat. The next day was more of the same, but every hour was better. Smaller waves, lower wind. By Thursday am the waves were small, wind was light and it was warm and sunny to finish the passage.
>
> So, long story short, we are good. We need to tell Commanders that they suck, and we need the auto pilot repaired. No worries.
>
> Love to you All,
>
> Deb
>
> On Oct 28, 2011, at 12:04 PM, Deb Gregory <deb@jdgregory.com> wrote:
>
>> In Bermuda. Trip SUCKED.
>>
>> All good now. Phone and texts out of commission for next 6 mos but email works great!
>>
>> Love you all. I am fine, but you were closer to -1 sister than ever before.
>>
>> Deb
>>

Primary Damage

Anyone that has seen this bracket will be amazed that it deformed and pulled up from one base!  That's what 47 knots of breeze does when you don't have time to react. 

The real axing thing when you really think about it is that the rudder did not break!

Jim Gregory 

In Bermuda Safe and Sound

It was one hell of a trip which needs to be fully documented. Stand by for more details.

Jim Gregory 

Arrived Bermuda Safe and Sound

Was an interesting trip. Stories tomorrow. All onboard are fine and would do it again. But, just barely....

More tomorrow. Now to sleep more than two hours in a row!!

-Jim

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This passage will have two stories to tell

All's well onboard Morpheus today.

The biggest issue we had leaving was the fact that our primary computer used for email, weather, and navigation had a problem and needed to go to the shop. Normally that would not be a problem and we'd just delay our departure. However....our weather routers were saying "go now!", or prepare to wait for at least a week.

That didn't seem very attractive. Deb was running out of extra layers to put on in the cold, and we have a perfectly good backup computer. So off we went!

Based on our weather since leaving, and our forecast the first third of the trip will be a very light one, and the second two thirds pretty windy!!

I've spent the first day fixing the solar panel issues and we now have three functional panels pumping free electricity into our batteries when the sun is out!! I've also managed to get all the systems up and running on the backup computer. (This email is proof of part of that!!)

So, it looks like we reach the Gulf Stream between 10pm and midnight tonight. It's always midnight when things get wierd. We should have very nice conditions for the first six hours or so, and then the wind will have built to 20-25 from the NW. The stream is running North at about three knots, so that's wind against current and normally that's not the most comfortable way to travel. Luckily, the wind will be behind us so that should help.

Then tomorrow will be pretty windy but having crossed the stream, I'm hoping for a fairly comfortable and fast downwind ride!

Thats all for now!!

-Jim, Deb, and Kim

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Castle Hill Lighthouse

Here we go as we cross the line of the Newport to Bermuda race start. 

From the looks of Debs outfit we may have waited too long!

Jim Gregory 

Time to leave

Sunrise in Newport. Time to head for Bermuda!

Jim Gregory 

Pacific Cup '08 - Coverage of Morpheus Delivery from Hawaii

As most of you know, while onboard Morpheus I can only send text based updates to the blog. Normally, I'd get home after a trip and update most of the blog postings from that trip with photo's, video, etc.

Well, this time I managed to convince Mike Wallach that we should compete to see who can update his blog with the most interesting "multi media" content. This was sort of a head fake that Mike played right into.

You see, I knew Mike would do a fantastic job on his blog.

So, now all I need to do is give you the link to his entries and I've saved myself all kinds of work!!

For details on our trip home go to ....http://eatarf242.blogspot.com/search/label/Morpheus

Enjoy!!

Pacific Cup '08 - We made it!

Pacific Cup '08 - Cocktail Hour as we pass the Farallon's

06:30pm
Still a bit foggy, but a nice view of the Farallons. Always interesting, especially for those that have not been here before.
25 miles to go.
- JDG
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Pacific Cup '08 - 4pm Update

45 Miles to go
Boatspeed = 8 knots
You do the math....
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Pacific Cup '08 - A Bridge too Far???

1100
80 miles from GGB
Deja Vu. I think I may have used that title before???
Anyway...good morning from Morpheus. Hopefully, the last good morning of this trip.
Over the past three days, I have held out hope of a mid afternoon arrival under the Golden Gate. That would be followed by a quick right hand turn into the StFYC where we could adjourn to the Grill Room for many arrival cocktails with friends and family and perhaps a short trip into the Marina District for dinner at one of my favorite local Italian restaurants.
Nice plan.
The only problem is that last night the wind shut off. Not like in the high where it shut off and left us with 5-6 knots. No this time we are talking less than 2.5 knots of wind. Plenty of hazy fog, and water like a mirror. The engine has been on, but our speed is not what we'd hoped for and now unfortunately we are looking at (what is becoming typical) an arrival time close to 11pm or more likely midnight.
So, have a drink for us this afternoon, and we'll see how things develop. Forecasts do not include any winds that will change things for us.
Patrick - You may need to find some pizza and beer for us. I'm sure you can figure out how....
- JDG

PS. Mike says he spotted a 2ft long shark a while ago, and we just saw an otter more than 80 miles from shore?
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Pacific Cup '08 - Cocktail Hour...

On a delivery, you always need something each day to look forward to. Each day, the good crew of Morpheus has had that thing that holds us through the day, that inspires us to continue to slog through the ocean, to keep our eyes open for ships, nets in the water, and floating glass balls. That thing is... COCKTAIL HOUR!!!!!!!

Each day about 5:00, Deb starts her chant, "Jim, is it cocktail Hour? Jim is it cocktail hour? Jim, is it cocktail hour?" We wake Scott up, purely for the social aspect of cocktail hour since he doesn't drink, and we retire to various locations (How many locations are there on a 50 foot boat?) on the deck for an hour of totally random and spontaneous conversation... Today, it was mostly Star Trek and spin offs, specifically about the various female characters on the shows, and their (lack of) costumes. Oh, and of course, fish. We always talk about fish, fishing, lures, lack of heavy fishing line, hooking vrs catching, how close to the boat you need to get a fish before it constitutes a catch... OMG! In the high's where we are motoring and no bow waves, we usually have cocktail hour on the foredeck, so we can watch for nets and garbage that we need to avoid. When the weather is worse, we all crowd under the dodger. Not that it offers any protection, since Scott got a wave right down the neck, and Deb got a lap full of a really cold wave, right after taking a shower and getting into her last pair of clean, really nice warm fuzzy sweats. *&YUYH&* But I digress...
Since Morpheus has historically been a dry boat on passages, cocktail hour caught the provisioning officer off guard. But, we did scrounge enough beer so that we could each have one Coors Light each day for most of the passage. Mike and Deb relished these beers, savoring the delicious "hiss" upon opening their daily beer. But the beer ran out. Horror. But, the provisioning officer came up with the goods and broke out the left over hard stuff from Hawaii. Since mixers were scarce, we had to improvise and come up with our own boat drinks. Jim's clever way of making ice in a zip lock was critical to the success of the boat drink experiment. Mike's "Morpheus Martini" of gin and Ginger Root was pretty much a flop, especially compared to the Rum and Pepsi Jim and Deb were enjoying. Rum, Pepsi and all sodas being gone today, Deb came up with "Pink Vodkas"! Vodka, ice and pink lemonade! Actually, very good. Since we are now out of Vodka, tomorrow we will try "Pink Gins"
Spirits are good upon the good ship Morpheus. See you all late Sunday!
Deb
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Pacific Cup '08 - How to cross an ocean on Morpheus

As this trip winds down, I will try to provide a summary of what the standard daily routine looks like onboard.
This may seem overly simplistic, however, please understand that we have spent considerable time discussing this and we believe it to be an accurate representation.
Here we go....
1) Standard Routine
- Sleep
- Stand your watch
- Eat
- Read
2) Repeat step 1 three times
3) Throw a fishing lure overboard with a disgusted look
4) Cocktail Hour - discuss some random topic in excruciating detail
5) Repeat all above until you arrive at your destination
- JG
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Pacific Cup '08 - Happy Birthday Christopher!!

8/16/08
Sunrise
Winds dropping, seas becoming more normal, still plenty of "mini-squalls" crossing our path. Interesting.

Happy Birthday Chris! 20 years old, wow!! Your Mother and I are sorry that we didn't make it home in time to celebrate with you. More than that, we are sorry that you couldn't join us for this trip. Hopefully, things will all work out better the next time around??
Hope you have a great day. We are pretty sure you'll manage just fine!!
See you tomorrow??
- Mom & Dad
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Pacific Cup '08 - - Miscellany

MW - Fishing and Gaming Correspondent - Morpheus Bureau - About 380 miles west of San Francisco


As pointed out in prior post,s there has been little happening on board Morpheus the last few days. Consequently we have had no time to blog about what we have not been doing. I will attempt to remedy that oversight with this post.



FISHING

No fish. Hooked something big and heavy at dusk a couple days ago on the light line. Never saw it. It went deep. After playing it about 15 minutes we got it close to the surface, it swam under Morpheus dragged the line across the rudder and broke it. Another lost lure.

We had three lines in the water yesterday, one today. Nada. Nada. But on a positive note, we have lost no additional lures.



GAMING

Thursday I won the Morpheus Liars Dice Tournament. It was not close. I never lose at that game.

Wednesday we established a pool for arrival under the gate. Entries:

Scott 1:00 PM Sunday
Jim 3:00 PM Sunday
Deb 5:00 PM Sunday
Mike 7:00 PM Sunday

Closest time wins. Loser buys the first round on land. Winner picks the drink. All four passengers must still be on board as we cross under the gate for results to be certified official.


OTHER
As cocktail hour convened today, Debby - fresh from the shower - claimed the only guaranteed dry spot directly under the dodger - She explained she was wearing her last clean dry clothes. Being gentlemen, the rest of the Morpheus crew, of course, acquiesced.

Do I even have to say what happened? Freak wave smacked the dodger at an odd angle, sending a river of water surging under the dodger and along the sliding door guide, pouring a bucket of water directly into Debby's lap.

The Morpheus is not a happy boat right now.

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Pacific Cup '08 - Not such a great day

Grey Sky
Windy aprox 20 knots
Confused Seas, swells from a variety of directions
Some onboard not feeling so good
Rain
Squalls
Uncomfortable, but safe and sound!!
Tomorrow better.
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Pacific Cup '08 - Reporting from Morpheus 081308

Just wanted to report nothing happened today. A B S O L U T E L Y nothing.
Scott
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