Sailing Ketch Adventure

[American Patriot]

Hi guys. Thought I'd put up a public thread to put stuff in.

I typically post privately on the Staff forum, mostly to keep the staff informed of what we're up to, where, etc.

But, I'll drop this in for the rest of the folks on the site.

Most of you know we decided to retire and over the course of seven years we learned to sail, fix up the house, repaired everything in it, sell most of our crap and at year five the wife was diagnosed with ovarian cancer. She has fought it valiantly, like a superhero - and has won so far. As of April, she is doing great.

So two years went by while she battled cancer, had chemo, surgery and medical problems. After she was told she was clear of cancer, she found our boat for us.

The boat is a Transworld 41.



We were ready to go and planned for June 1st, 2015. Seven years after we had decided to do this.

On May 11th, I turned in my resignation. Two days later, on the 13th of May, my heart tried to kill me. I had an aortic blockage, and "stenosis", a narrowing due to calcification on a deformed valve. My friends on here know I was in good shape and stayed in good shape, so when it happened I was in shock.

The following Monday I underwent open heart surgery - and thought when I closed my eyes it would be for the last time. Fortunately, and with good doctors, I'm still around. I have a new valve and I'm in better shape today than I've been in a few years!

In July we departed Colorado (I spent enough time to heal up my chest and I was on the road as soon as I could go).

We picked up our boat in New York, at Stony Point and splashed her, worked on the things we needed to work on to go, and went without any fanfare or expensive repairs. We knew there were a myriad of things to fix but nothing preventing us from having some fun and traveling. We set out from Stony Point, stopped in Nyack NY, and a few places down range. Eventually we were towed into Atlantic Highlands, NJ due to engine issues.

Later we were towed a second time in the C&D Canal.

The third time we were towed was to the spot we're in now, in Norfolk, VA.

We were hit in the marina waiting on engine repairs - and $12,000 dollars later, we were repaired again.

On 2 December 2015, my wife slipped while boarding a friend's boat and fractured her back. We traveled to Colorado, stayed with one of the kids for a few weeks while she healed up, saw doctors about her back and her (now former) cancer. I've been checked and we both go back in July for one more set of physicals.

She is doing better and we came back to the boat a week ago.

This coming week, we're moving up to the Potomac River in a rather remote location to do some work, installing wind generator, solar panels and a composting toilet, as well as repairing the refrigeration (I hope).

Then this fall, we're shooting for the Bahamas.

Anyway, that's the story so far.

[Toad]

Nice update A.P. God bless and Good Health to both you and your wife. What a tough medical year. You two deserve a little sail time.

Nice boat. When I lived in Seattle a fellow Underwriter had a Formosa 41, which is basically the same design with some tweaks and structural cosmetic variations. He loved it. I'm sure it will serve you well.

[American Patriot]

I thought this boat was a Formosa when I purchased her. In fact, for awhile I was calling it a "Transworld Formosa 41" - which is NOT what she is.

I was invited to a Facebook page about a week after buying the boat, the page was called "Transworld 41 Owners". I was like the third person invited. After a lot of discussion and looking at panels, numbers, web pages and such, I learned that Transworld and Formosa are both COMPANIES, not boat designs.

This boat (as well as the Formosas) are based on a specific design by William Garden. One of my FB friends is a fella named Robert Perry, a famous boat designer who knew Bill G. very well. He told me that our boat is a well designed vessel, and what we call "well found". She will cross oceans pretty easily.

So... we own a "Transworld 41" based on the Sea Wolf design. Also called a "Taiwan Clipper" by some. I dunno why that is.

As for the medical stuff, yeah, it's been a pain. The worst pain the cost of my insurance. I'm a retired Reservist so while I have tricare, I pay for it. 22000 for two years.

Wow.

$22,000 is the same as about 19 months of cruising for us. The cost of food, water and fuel. So, Obamacare caused this problem. The cost went up drastically for Reservists with families. Assholes in the government.

I want my wife covered and I don't give a shit if I am, or take meds. I plan to live life until I die.

Protecting my wife is my main goal. Anyway, I don't mean to rant about it here. But healthcare sucks bad.

[Malsua]

$11,000 / year is insane.

[American Patriot]

Yeah, ya think?

It's called Tricare Reserve Select. I think that means they "select" us retired reservists whom they believe are still working and fuck us while taking our money away from us that we're allegedly working for.

On the bright side next year on my birthday I start getting my retirement pay and that amount drops to a couple hundred a month for my "family"... and nothing for me. It's free.

Still sucks. But at least I'll have something coming in besides my 2 dollars a book I make. LMAO

[MinutemanCO]

Thanks, AP, for the summary. I'm sorry things haven't been smoother. Praying that impediments are lifted and that you take that cool sailing vessel of yours into the islands.

[American Patriot]

I think we're going to be just fine. Thanks.

We're planning our depature for Friday morning pretty early. North winds, not optimum, but they will be 5 knots or so, so nothing significant. Rain looks like it will hold off at least 24 hours.

We're shooting for a place called Fishing Bay. I've anchored there before, so I'm familiar with the place and can probably come in like I know what I;m doing. lol

There IS a fuel dock there too. I can handle getting in now I think. I'm a little more confident driving the boat, especially if I can get someone to catch lines. I can just stop the boat and use a spring line and the bow thrusters to move the boat inward now.

The wife is not ready to do much, not drive much, and she can't throw lines at all. So I can put her on the wheel and let her hold steady or what ever. I want her to start driving more.

So... we'll be offline a bit after Friday. The new Marina is about 80 nm north of here. We're trying to knock out about half the distance Friday. Saturday looks like Rain. Sunday... not sure. Have to look forward in time.

[samizdat]

I heard from a movie about the pirates in the carribean. Hope you got a pair of goat horns on board.

[American Patriot]

hmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm

[American Patriot]

We are finally "home" at a semi-permanent marina in Virginia. We're at Coles Point Marina.

It was a pain getting here too. 90 nautical miles, several anchorages and rain like Noah's Revenge....

We dropped our car up here a couple of weeks ago and had to wait out rain in Norfolk to leave. Then we waited on rain for several days sitting in an anchorage in a place called Fishing Bay, VA. A quaint little bay with a couple of marinas, but best was the fact we could just sit there on Anchor and wait out the storms and winds.

Yesterday we made a place called "Sandy Point" in Virginia near Reedville VA. Very quiet, pretty and peaceful. A couple other boats joined us there, big trawlers.

Today we'd planned to stop in a river south of here to not have to go balls to the wall by engine to get to this marina, but when we got to the turn off, I just kept going another 3 hours and pulled into the worst of the worst zig zags I ever did. lol.

Two 90 degree turns in a short distance with a 40' boat tested my skills (of which, have I mentioned, I have none?) but believe it or not while the wife peed her pants at how close everything was, I handled the turns like a pro and even though I over shot the turn for the slip, I've got a bow thruster and know how to use it. LOL

We made it on the second try and my wife even stepped up and tossed (ok, HANDED) the dock lines to the attendants. Because I brought the boat in slowly enough and close enough. lol

We had a lot of fun the last few days.

A secret I've told no one else though... Somewhere out before Fishing Bay, we somehow picked up and dragged behind us a crab pot. Bastards dot the Chesapeake Bay every place you look. To me, if someone lays them out there and aren't tending them, they must be free.... Anyway, I dropped the thing (without knowing I had it to begin with for sure) in the place where we dropped anchor. I really SHOULD have hoisted that damned thing to get the crabs out. lol

[Malsua]

Hey, congrats! You're going to summer there then? It should be peaceful.

[MinutemanCO]

Good news!!

Glad you two made it. Sounded a little hairy. I hope things smooth out for a while from this point on.

I like the crab pot story. Yeah, damage was done. Should've had yourself a little feast if the critters were still alive. Beer and crab. Not much better in the world.

[American Patriot]

Actually, except for the weather, it wasn't too bad. I was nervous about coming in, but I handled it pretty well. The turns sucked. But a bigger boat than me came in without using bow thrusters (so he said) hahaha

I made screens for the ports, as we didn't have them on all the windows. I also made them for all but one of the hatches. The companionway door needs one too, but I need to get the hardware store to grab some wood to make a frame. Once I do that we should be ok.

I need to get someone to come and make me some screening for the enclosure though. That would be the best.

Expensive though. I dont have a sewing machine so I can't.

I ordered some LED lighting today. 12vdc strips of about 5 meters long (I ordered three rolls) and will put that under the grab rails in the boat (they run the sides and length of the boat). Should light it up pretty well in here.

I have been talking to the C-Head guy. About to order one unit from them. He's looking over my videos and drawings for the boat to help me choose the right one for the aft head.

Tomorrow I'll talk to the guys up at the marina and find the refer guy and get that looked at, and I'm trying to choose which of the solar panels and wind turbine I want.

[American Patriot]

Latest Blog entry is here:

https://windsoftime.us/2016/08/18/future-plans/

[American Patriot]

Basically, I'm getting eye surgery at the end of the month, ASSUMING the medical people get their stuff together.... it's in the blog.

Prepping for a run south in a few weeks.

Getting the boat cleaned up.

Looking for someone to go up the mast for me. I don't do heights.

[MinutemanCO]

It was a good post, AP. I'm hoping you get chance to do some sailing.

[American Patriot]

lol. Sailing? That's something that others do in boats they take out once in a blue moon. I'm living in the boat now.

Actually, we were going to go out this week... BUT, we still don't have the halyard repaired and I'm under two weeks from surgery. I think we're going to wait. I have to have both eyes done, one of the 30th, and the other perhaps a week later. Then I get to heal.

We'll head out of here a little early and just mosey down the way. I think we've come to a firm grasp we will sail mostly out of here and to the ICW, then motor a lot in the ICW, and then go outside when the weather is nice and see what we can see. I think we want to visit some places along the way.

[MinutemanCO]

In honor of your impending journey, I picked up a bottle from the Redstone Meadery in Boulder.

[American Patriot]

LOL. We haven't been there in a few years. That was some good mead too!

We're still a couple months out. I have that eye surgery thing going on on Tuesday the 30th, then a week to two weeks later the second eye (if I didn't kill anyone during the first one). lol

We're looking at dates from 1-15 October to start our trip. At this point it appears we're headed from here to the Norfolk area and into the ICW, where we will motor down a long way, and stop and visit various places along the way, eventually coming to Beaufort, and past Cape Hatteras. We'll make a decision there someplace whether to go on, or to go out and cross over the Stream and sail into Andros or someplace like that.

[MinutemanCO]

Hope all goes well.

Does your October kickoff have you bumping into hurricane season? Or, does the ICW take that out of play?