offshore voyage – Have Wind Will Travel

Our First Atlantic Circle Complete! This Calls for an Annie Seuss Treat!

January 15, 2019anniedike

From the Bay of Biscay across an entire ocean to the BVIs,

Under our belt now a full Atlantic Circle lies!

My mind firing, my knuckles cracked and loose,

I’m certain this event warrants a famous ditty by Annie Seuss!

With our biggest voyage to date behind us (albeit with many more the world to span)

I thought it was time to share with you the night when it all began:

When I met a man with a dream, who was so ablaze, so vivid, so itching to go.

That my words leapt before me in agreement. That was 14,000 nautical miles ago.

“There’s someone I want you to meet,” she said, a line we all immediately dread.

Lord, who now? I thought. A sad co-worker, a weird cousin with cats, probably a red head.

“Trust me,” my well-intentioned friend demanded. “He’s not you standard fare.”

And in my neck of the woods, Polos, Croakies, and Crocs was all they would wear.

When she pointed him out at the end of the bar,

My eyes blinked unbelievingly, my mouth flew ajar.

He was different, regal, commanding attention, demanding my stare.

I can tell you this: he most certainly did not have red hair.

I sauntered over cautiously, cosmopolitan in hand,

My instincts telling me I was stepping into new, wild land

Both of us practical, straightforward, we cut right to the chase,

Telling one another about our goals, our desires, time we did not waste.

“I want to travel,” I said. “Go, see, adventure, explore.”

I’m certain he decided at that moment he needn’t hear any more.

“I’m going to live on a boat,” he countered. “And sail around the world.”

I eyed him curiously, as my thoughts unfurled.

On a boat? I thought. Confused, taken aback, my forehead scored.

Country to country by boat, my mind wandered. “You mean live aboard?”

“Obviously,” he chuckled. “That’s typically how it’s done.”

Typically? I thought. “You mean you’re not the only one?”

Looking back now, this moment makes me laugh with him, too.

Phillip knew neither the vastness of my ignorance, nor my thirst for any experience new.

“Well, you shouldn’t have told me,” I said, simultaneously grasping and craving his irresistible plan

Knowing in that moment he had gained a life-long, utterly-smitten fan.

“Because I’m coming with you now,” I boldly announced,

And promptly flagged down the bartender for another courage ounce.

Phillip stood there, eyeing me slowly, now the one struck with bewilderment.

“I’ll have a martini, filthy,” I told the bartender. “When you have a minute.”

Relishing Phillip’s attention, his curious, piercing stare,

I wondered if he believed I would truly hop on a boat and go with him anywhere.

I did not wander at all myself, as I believe I made my mind up then and there,

And I’m confident our next exchange solidified it for Phillip, as well

For I, too, was not his standard fare.

“A martini to follow your cosmo?” he asked, as he finally settled into his seat.

“Obviously,” I said, mimicking his previous line. “I like things salty and sweet.”

You have my absolute honest word followers: this story is in no way fiction!

I’ve recited mine and Phillip’s first exchange, down to the very diction.

In our first conversation, during our very first meeting,

We spoke of this dream that felt neither imaginary or fleeting,

Of our mutual desire to travel, wander, venture, and explore,

I simply did not know until I met Phillip I would be doing it on a boat, shore to shore.

But, Phillip’s intriguing proposal for world travel only encouraged me further,

And I know now: as friend, companion, and captain, I could not have chosen any worthier.

For all our blue water voyages and the many more adventure seeds we still have to sow,

It still humbles and thrills me to this day to know it all unfolded over a dream and a drink, in a moment when I was immediately willing to go.

With five sailing years, many voyages, and a complete Atlantic Circle now behind us: Behold and lo!

It’s fun to remember how Phillip and I began, only 14,000 miles ago.

Photo taken January 9, 2019, with only 100 more nm to go!

N: 18° 079’ W: 61° 129′

Hope you all enjoyed this little HaveWind ditty.

I’ll be back with more to share from our travels in a jiffy!

Until then, know Phillip and I have made it back, our hearts full and swell,

Thinking: Another ocean crossed under sail!

What a testament to a life lived well!

2018 Atlantic-Crossing Announcement!

November 7, 2018anniedike

Some pretty big news here at HaveWind! Many of you have been wondering about our cruising plans this coming season, where we are going, which routes, etc. I’ll bet this one hadn’t crossed your mind! We’re going to complete our first Atlantic Circle! We’ll be helping some new friends deliver their new Lagoon 42 from La Rochelle, France to the BVIs, likely via the Canaries, in Nov-Dec, 2018. Phillip and I are both stoked to go and share the journey with you. We’re flying to France this very day to spend some time with Captain Yannick from our first Atlantic crossing and enjoy La Rochelle for a bit before we shove off. Check out the announcement video below and follow along in real-time via our Delorme posts on our Facebook page! I’ve also got some fantastic shipyard videos coming out here for you, too, while we’ll be offshore so be excited for those. Au revoir! : )

Post-Bahamas Podcast – Shooting the Breeze Sailing Podcast

May 24, 2018anniedike

“Man, y’all are terrible at this!” I distinctly recall saying while talking to Jeffrey in this podcast interview about how our sail skills have improved the more offshore voyages we’ve done. On the way to Cuba, our friends back home were right: we were terrible. But on our way to the Bahamas, Phillip and I were much better thanks to our new offshore jib and a newly-anointed Captain Annie! Ahoy followers! My first post-Bahamas interview here for you, sharing a few of our fun Bahamas stories and misadventures. Many thanks to Jeffrey Wetting with Shooting the Breeze Sailing Podcast at The Escape Pods for reaching out to me and putting this piece together. Enjoy!

STBSP ep. 88: Annie Dike, Part Three, Bahamas!

BV4 (VIDEO): Across the Gulf Stream to West End

January 29, 2018January 29, 2018anniedike

“Never cross with a north wind!” Can you hear it? Pam Wall’s little energetic voice? She repeated this warning many times when we first saw, heard and met her at the Miami Boat Show back in February, 2015. I had no idea that amazing little enthusiastic woman would soon thereafter change my life.

Love that bubbly little lady!

After listening to her inspiring “Cruising the Abacos” seminar (and finding ourselves in dire hunger soon after for some “fresh baked Bahamian bread,” Pam always squeals when she says it) Phillip and I had originally decided back in 2015 that the first place we were going to cruise our boat to outside of the states would be the Bahamas. And that decision held firm for a long time until we heard Cuba had thankfully opened up for American cruisers. Heck yeah!

While the Bahamas were hard to pass up, we knew they would be there waiting for us the next season, and with the tumultuous state of American-Cuban relations, we weren’t sure Cuba would be. That was when we decided to set our sights first on Cuba, and it was a fantastic decision. Mine and Phillip’s cruise to Cuba in December, 2016 was a monumental, memorable voyage for us both. It was our longest offshore passage (five days) just the two of us and it was the first time we had sail our beautiful little boat from the shores of one country to another. What an incredible feeling! I still remember when we watched the sun come up over the horizon on the fifth morning.

“That’s a Havana sunrise right there,” Phillip said and he played “Havana Daydreaming” most of the morning as we made our way towards the inlet to Marina Hemingway, singing heartily along as his late Uncle Johnny would have, who had also wanted to sail to Cuba but he unfortunately was not able to do so before he passed away. I know Johnny was there with Phillip in spirit and I can still hear Phillip’s voice from that morning as he sat on the foredeck and sang. “Oh he’s just scheming … his life away.”

Thankfully, we’re not just scheming. We are going! Our voyage to Cuba was a phenomenal trip and only told Phillip and I that we are ready to travel further and longer, just the two of us, on our boat. So, in 2017 we decided we would set our sights on the Bahamas this season and enjoy the wonderful pristine patch of islands we have so close by. It’s amazing to think that jewel-toned paradise is really only a 12-hour sail from the states. How lucky we are! All we needed was just a sliver more luck to give us a nice “no north wind” window of favorable conditions to allow us to sail from the Keys and across the Gulf Stream to the Bahamas.

In the months before our departure date from Pensacola, Phillip and I (well, and I will admit Phillip far more than me) spent many hours studying the Explorer Charts for the Bahamas making decisions about where we planned to enter the Bahamas, where we wanted to check in and what islands (called “Cays” in the Bahamas, pronounced “keys”) we wanted to sail to and visit and in what order, although knowing every plan is and will always be weather-dependent. Having just recently completed my first Bahamas article for SAIL Magazine (thank you again, Peter Nielsen, for requesting more articles from me!) which will focus on preparing and packing for a trip to the Bahamas, Phillip and I both agree an intense study of the Explorer Charts and determinations as to where you want to go in the Bahamas and what route you want to take to explore them is a great first place to start when preparing to travel to the Bahamas. Much of what you will need aboard will depend on how you are planning to traverse the Bahamas and what you are planning to do there as supplies are readily available in some places, limited and altogether unavailable in others.

After talking with fellow sailors back home who had cruised the Bahamas many times and taking into consideration what time of year Phillip and I were going (during December-January, when we knew we could expect many sudden and intense north fronts, the “Christmas winds,” and some chilly water and weather), we decided to make our way as far north as possible first and check in at West End.

We would then start dotting our way along the Sea of Abaco seeking protection from the northerly islands as needed when storms and heavy north winds were expected. (And boy did they come. I recorded 36 kts of wind on the boat one afternoon in Green Turtle Cay. Just wait.)

With the plan to enter the Bahamas at West End, Phillip and I knew we wanted to “ride” the Gulf Stream as far as we could north before jumping out to make entry into West End. Initially, we weren’t sure we would get a window large enough to allow us to sail all the way from Key West to West End. If we did not, our plan was to dot along the Florida Keys to Marathon then perhaps Rodriguez Key while waiting for a good window to make the jump. But, when we saw a beautiful two-day window blooming on the horizon, we started to top off the provisions and ready the boat to make way. While we had a ton of fun in Key West (we always do!) meeting the new Geckos and getting to spend some time with them, seeing our old pals Brittany and Jeremiah and getting to watch their beautiful Alberg splash, as well as enjoying the many great restaurants and poolside views, we are always eager and excited to get back underway.

On Wednesday, December 20th, with expected 10-12 kt winds the first day (which would offer us a fun, comfortable sail around the Keys) and light, fluky winds of 5 kts or less the following day (which would allow us to at least motor safely across the Gulf Stream), Phillip and I decided to toss the lines and seize the window! You’ll see in the video, Annie de-docked like a boss (I tell you I’m getting much better at this), and we then had a fantastic cruise all the way from Key West to West End, just shy of a two-day run.

Man, that’s living …

So, is that. With all the work comes all the rewards.

There’s the entry to West End!

Don’t tell Pam this, but we totally broke the rule because you know what kind of winds we had throughout the entire Gulf Stream? That’s right. North! We crossed with a north wind, Pammy. I’m sorry! But, when it’s howling at 3 kts, a north wind isn’t really going to affect the boat that much, particularly when it had been blowing from the south for a short time before. Meaning, the sea state was just starting to turn around and we essentially crossed on a smooth, glassy lake. It was beautiful though. While I always prefer to have wind to sail, there is nothing that can replicate the beauty of a hull sliding through silk at sunrise. It’s just stunning.

I hope you all enjoy the video. I have had such a great time filming just for pleasure and putting these videos together for you all, just for pure fun. Not to make any money from them. Not in hopes they will get a lot of hits so I can get YouTube ad money. Just because our views were amazing, so I clicked the camera on occasionally, and because the videos are such a vivid personal scrapbook for us. I really will be excited to sit down when I’m 70 and watch my Atlantic-crossing movie. Can you imagine that? I wonder if YouTube will still be a “thing” then? Who knows. If any of you have read Dave Eggers’s The Circle (one Phillip and I both read in the Bahamas), apparently we all will soon be be filming and uploading every moment of our existence for all the world to see. Heck, with the immediacy of Instagram and Facebook these days, we’re almost there.

But you know where you can truly unplug and get away? Out there. On the big open blue. I can’t tell you how good it feels to be out there, nothing but satiny water all around you and nothing you have to do but eat, sleep, mend the boat and read. I could sail offshore forever, happily, I do believe. I hope you all love this bit. As always, I try to capture the beauty of the voyage, the work and maintenance it requires, and the reward of having your beautiful, strong boat carry you from the shores of one country to another. Next up, we’ll begin sharing the Bahamas with you, one Cay at a time. Be ready to pick your jaws up off the floor because it’s breathtaking. Stay tuned!

Pack Smart, Pack Safe & Book Giveaway #3

December 1, 2017anniedike

“Thru-hulls? Oh, hush! Nothing goes through my hull.” You gotta love Mitch! And every other new boat owner out there who is in that particular stage of boat-buying grief: Denial. When he thinks he is the only person in the world who just bought a boat that can’t sink. As Phillip and I are preparing our boat for the big, blue water passages ahead, I have a much greater appreciation now for all of the gear, supplies, and spares we need to carry aboard not only to make our boat comfortable and well-stocked so Phillip and I enjoy the passage, but more so the safety gear and supplies we must pack to keep her and the two of us SAFE. And by that we mean supplies that both: 1) ensure the boat is prepared to handle rough conditions, inadvertent collisions, fire, power shortage, or one of any other hundred equipment or engine failures that can happen out there; and 2) in the very unlikely, but possible, situation where Phillip and I need to ditch or distance ourselves from the boat, that ensure we, too, are prepared to do that as safely as possible.

While these are not the things you want to think about when planning for a voyage (i.e., a potential emergency), it is something you need to prepare for. And, the more I have truly opened my eyes to cruising this past year and pushed myself to learn and master the more difficult tasks such as navigation, steering, docking, weather planning, and emergency response, I see the need more than ever for the safety gear we carry aboard. I am also noticing that each time Phillip and I set off for another 4-5 day (or even 30-day) offshore run, we learn a few more lessons and add a few more very handy items to our safety gear and spares list. I will share below the new spare items we have added to the list this year as a result of our experiences in sailing from Florida to France with the esteemed Captain Yannick on his 46’ catamaran and mine and Phillip’s longest-ever five-day offshore passage to Cuba, both in 2016. And, since our Holiday Book Giveaway #3 will be a signed copy of my third sailing book, None Such Like It (of the tale of our Amateur-Kretschmer-like experience delivering Mitch’s Nonsuch across the Gulf of Mexico), I’ve included a fun excerpt from the book below from our efforts to fully prepare Mitch’s boat to safely handle an offshore passage. Enjoy and good luck on the trivia!

None Such Like It, Chapter Two: DENIAL

Having gone through the process of trying to outfit a new-to-us boat for a pretty extensive offshore passage on the Niagara, Phillip and I knew, if we were going to be making this trip with Mitch, that that we needed to start making lists early. It’s amazing the things you remember to bring the second time around. Before Mitch even went down to Ft. Myers, Phillip and I jotted down critical safety equipment, spare parts and other items that would be needed for the boat and crew to safely make the passage from Ft. Myers to Pensacola so Mitch could verify whether any of the items were already on the boat while he was there for the survey/sea trial. We sent Mitch with our rudimentary checklist and told him to inventory the items, note what was missing and what might need to be replaced, replenished or re-certified before we headed offshore in the Nonsuch.

LIST FOR MITCH

The house batteries─What’s the situation?
- How big of a bank?
- Starting battery and house? 2 bank?
- Charged by the alternator?
- Power cord, battery charger, etc.?
Is there an autopilot?
What safety gear does the boat have?
- Flares
- Fog horn
- Life jackets
- Smoke signals
  - Check expiration dates on all of those
- Ditch bag?
- First aid kit
- Emergency underwater epoxy kit
Does the boat have a 12 volt (cigarette lighter) charger?
What spares are on board?
- Impeller
- Oil filter
- Fuel filter
- Alternator belt
- Zincs
- Gaskets
- Hose clamps
- Fuses
What fluids are on board?
- Oil
- Coolant
- Transmission fluid
Is there a repair kit for the sail?
- Sail tape
- Needle, thread
- Whipping twine
- Cotter pins, etc.
Make sure the head functions
Does the boat have a life raft?
Do all sea cocks function just fine?
- How many and where─identify and try all
Dock lines, fenders, etc.?
Cockpit cushions?
Make a list of what tools are on board
Make a list of galley supplies on board dishes-wise─pots, pans, silverware, etc.
What’s the bilge pump situation?
- How many bilge pumps?
- Are they wired together or separately?
- High-water alarm?
- Check for manual bilge pumps─how many?
Check for emergency tiller, make sure it works
Make sure there’s wooden plugs, nerf balls, whatever for plugging holes
Fire extinguishers?
- How many and expiration date
- Smoke alarms, CO2?
- How many and where?
Spotlight
Radio and VHF─check them
- Handheld?
Reef the sails during the sea trial─learn the procedure

While Mitch really was taking it all like a champ, checking and double-checking the list with us, I knew he was having trouble understanding the real need for some of these things.

“Nerf balls,” Mitch screeched at me over the phone one day while he was getting ready to make the trip down to Ft. Myers, and I figured that was a reasonable question if he didn’t know that that magically-squishy material, an accidental invention by NASA I’m sure, is wickedly effective at stopping leaks. But, figuring when it comes to Mitch is where I went wrong. Turns out he knew they could be used to stop leaks, he just didn’t expect any leaks.

“Yeah, Mitch. You can use them to plug a leak.”

A moment of silence and then: “But, isn’t that what the sea-cocks are for?” Mitch asked, sincerely curious. “Water starts to come in, you just close them, right? That’s what they do?”

I was glad he couldn’t see my face because I could not hide a smile. That’s when I knew it. He had reached stage two. Mitch was knee-deep in denial. I knew because I had been there. When Phillip and I were looking at our Niagara for the first time, I kept looking around the interior for a good bulkhead wall to mount a television on. Yes, a television. When I finally showed Phillip the “perfect place” I had found for it—the wall between the saloon and our separate shower stall—I only found one slight hold-up.

“We’ll just need to take this lantern out,” I told Phillip, all Bambi-like.

“We’ll need the lantern,” Phillip told me flatly. When my blank stare back didn’t convey understanding, he tried another route. “How are you going to power the T.V.?” which was met by an even blanker stare (if that’s possible). Then Phillip tried to walk me out of my denial, into the land of the knowing. “Honey, we have to run wires and power it. We need the lantern for light and warmth. I don’t think I want a T.V. on the boat.”

It turned out he didn’t. Neither did I when I finally understood what we were truly buying and outfitting—a completely self-sufficient mobile home where we had to engineer a way to generate every bit of light, power, refrigeration and energy needed. I’ll be honest, it baffled me when I first learned the two-prong AC outlets on the boat simply would not work when you’re on anchor. They’re such a tease! I thought they would always magically have power at any and all times, just like they do on land. In Innocent Annie Land, boats out on the blue are still connected to the grid.

I was up to my eyeballs in denial. Like me, Mitch was now refusing to believe he had just bought a complete mobile home that sat, at all times, half-dunked in water with the ability to sink.

“You’ll want the nerf balls, Mitch, trust me. The sea cocks don’t always work.”

But that didn’t really frighten him either. I truly believe Mitch felt he had purchased the only boat in the world upon which sea-cocks never seized up, because he maintained his stance, renouncing all things possible.

“Well, what about the spares? How many of those impellers and fuel filters and zinc things do I really need?”

“However many make you feel comfortable,” I told him, thinking a little fear and weight on his shoulders might help give him a little bit of a reality check. Pssh! He thrust it off like a rain-soaked jacket.

“Oh, nothing’s gonna break twice.”

After a while I kind of admired Mitch’s euphoric “can do” attitude—as in “my boat can do anything.” It was actually nice to not have the significant worry and responsibility of making the trip on our own boat. For Phillip and me, the fact that we were embarking on this journey on Mitch’s boat made it less stressful and more pure fun. It was also exciting for us to think back through that mental process of rigging out a boat for the first time on an offshore passage. It’s a little frightening, a little exhilarating, certainly a fun prospect for adventure. I remembered when Phillip and I wrapped up our own survey/sea-trial and reached that point where it was really happening, we were really about to buy a boat and we were really about to sail her out into the Gulf of Mexico.

Wow, that photo was taken April 12, 2013, the first day Phillip and I ever sailed on our boat. Can you believe that? Time doesn’t just fly, she soars! Because she does, it makes me even more grateful to know we spend most of our days on the boat, on the water, in the sunshine, soaking it all up, even as it’s soaring by. Phillip and I have been busting our hump this summer and fall getting our boat ready for another offshore adventure this winter and I believe she (and we) are more ready than we’ve ever been. And I also believe that our “ready” benchmark will continue to notch higher and higher with each passage we make because we always seem to face a new situation (in addition to the ones we’ve faced before) that teaches us a lesson and prompts us to add something new to the safety/spares list.

Fuel filters. You can never have enough fuel filters. We changed our primary just last week and are bringing 5 spares! We also changed the oil, transmission fluid and coolant and stocked up on extra fluids.

In addition to all of the safety items we usually carry (EPIRB, hydro-static life vests, jack lines, life raft, handheld VHF, handheld GPS, Delorme, Weems & Plath SOS light, flares, compasses, first aid, not to mention our dozens upon dozens of engine spares (oh heck, here’s a detailed inventory list from our Cuba voyage HERE if you want to see everything), Phillip and I have added the following to the list this year, just … in … case:

A spare raw water pump for the engine: It is our old re-built Sherwood which we replaced this year with a new Johnson one (because the Sherwood often leaked around the two seals that separate the oil side from the water side). After seeing the struggles Yannick faced with his raw water pump on the starboard engine across the Atlantic, we thought a complete spare pump would be a good idea.
A spare alternator for the engine: We recently found the old one our previous owner, Jack, had taken off our Westerbeke 27 when he replaced it with a higher-output one. We had it checked by B&M Starter and Alternator here in Pensacola, who verified it runs great. So, just in case our alternator goes kaput and there is not enough sunshine to allow the solar panels to power our battery bank, we have a spare alternator we can put on the engine to ensure we have continued power for radio transmission and the bilge pumps in case of an emergency. Speaking of bilge pumps …
Two spare bilge pumps: While our boat technically already has four (a 500 gph one in the forward bilge, a 1,000 gph in the center bilge, which sits under our sump box that has a 500 gph pump, as well as our manual bilge pump that is operated from the cockpit), we thought it never hurts to have more. So, we purchased a back-up 500 gph and 1,000 gph to replace the pumps in our forward and center bilge areas if need be.
A spare carburetor for the outboard: Okay, so this isn’t technically a safety item. The dinghy is more of a luxury, but if a failed carburetor would stop us from being able to see and feed the Swimming Pigs, or get to a killer kite-surfing spot, or even just get to shore so we can be served drinks by a chesty bartender who smells like coconut rum, I might consider that an emergency ; ).

Phillip was a grease monkey this week, rebuilding both the raw water pump and the spare carburetor.

Now, since we’re having so much fun talking about spares and packing safely for an offshore voyage, even those where Phillip and I are merely helping to deliver a boat as opposed to sailing on our own, I decided to base our book giveaway trivia this time on a very important spare that we certainly could have used on the Atlantic-crossing. This one is for all my diehard YouTube fans out there.

TRIVIA:

What was the first and foremost spare Brandon said we should have carried on our Atlantic-crossing on Yannick’s catamaran, a system which did ultimately fail us and forced us to pull in for repairs in the Azores?

When you need one of these, none such like it will do! First follower to answer correctly gets a signed copy of None Such Like It. And … GO! And, if any of you do not know the answer because you haven’t yet seen our two-hour YouTube movie on the Atlantic Crossing, then you’re in for a holiday treat. Pop some corn and call it Movie Night!

Hope you all are enjoying the holiday season. Phillip and I are excited to take you along vicariously on our holiday cruise! ’Tis the season … to go to the Bahamas Mon! Ha!

#95: Historic Havana: Sail There with Me!

March 14, 2017anniedike

Mojitos at La Bodeguita del Medio, walk the historic Cathedral Square, tour Hemingway’s house, Finca Viega, dance at the Floradita and see inside the Casa Particular we rented for $40 CUCs/night. We take you all through Havana in this video with some very exciting news at the end. I’m also going to sail to Cuba again very soon in the Pensacola a la Habana race on SailLibra and you can come too! Book at www.saillibra.com/join-a-sail/! My need for more training and days on the water is all part of some very big news we have coming soon at HaveWindWillTravel. I can’t wait to see the guesses come in as to what I’m going to try to accomplish this summer. Let me have it!

Interview with Captain Yannick from Our Atlantic-Crossing

March 4, 2017anniedike

Ahoy crew! A real treat for you here. An interview with our very own Captain Yannick from our Atlantic-crossing on a 46′ catamaran in June of 2016. After all of the photos, stories, blog posts, even a two-hour movie that I have produced talking about our ocean-crossing, Yannick said he needed to “set the record straight.” Ha! He was really happy to do this interview, though, as it was an incredible adventure, such a learning process and an eye-opening experience, it’s definitely worth talking about. Yannick is also a very interesting, multifaceted guy with a lot of great insight and perspective and he shares a lot in this discussion about his boat-shopping process, recovering from the lightning strike and his thoughts and preparation for an ocean-crossing. Thank Jeffrey Wetting with Shooting the Breeze Podcast for putting this together by leaving him a review on iTunes. I hope you enjoy the interview.

LISTEN TO CAPTAIN YANNICK’S INTERVIEW

Many thanks to Yannick again for letting Phillip and I and the infamous Johnny Walker join him for a life-changing, challenging, fulfilling voyage across the ocean. It brought back many memories hearing his French accent talking about our trip. We miss you Yannick!

We Would Love to Meet You this February: Pensacola, Miami or Key West!

January 24, 2017anniedike

Hello crew! We hate to interrupt your regularly-scheduled Cuba Series, but we wanted to send you all a special invite for an opportunity to meet up with us this February, in Pensacola, Miami and/or Key West and make sure you all are aware of some very cool opportunities we have in store for you. As you likely know, we are commuting cruising for a bit and will be taking a short break while we sail on s/v Libra to the Miami Boat Show. We will be hosting and planning several get-togethers, parties and educational opportunities during that time and wanted to extend a personal invite to each of you. We hope you can make some of these:

Send-Off Party in Pensacola, Feb. 9th:

This was a pic from our send-off party before our voyage to Cuba back in December at a restaurant in downtown Pensacola and we’re planning a similar get-together for our send-off to the Miami Boat Show the evening of February 9, 2017. No set time. ‘Round happy hour’ish. At a little delightful gin joint in Pensacola called O’Riley’s on Palafox. We’ll have some drinks, tell some tales about our recent voyage to Cuba (feel free to ask us anything!) and have a fun night out on the town before the Miami Boat Show crew gets ready to toss the lines the following morning, February 10th, headed out Pensacola Pass to Miami for the boat show. If anyone ends up crashing in Pensacola that evening, feel free to come out to Deluna Plaza that next morning and snap some pics of Libra on her way out into Pensacola Bay to share on Facebook! Then follow along via our Delorme tracker posts on HaveWind’s Facebook page where we will keep you updated as far as our conditions and headway during the passage, much like we did during the Cuba voyage, as we make our way, back once again, across the Gulf. (We must like out there or something. ; )

Sail With Us to Miami on s/v Libra, Feb. 10th – 15th:

Okay, this is a biggie, but that’s a good thing. An offshore sail on Libra is a phenomenal experience that we would love to share with you if you have time available and can join us on the sail. Like our recent trip across the Gulf on Libra, this sail will include a stop at the exquisite Dry Tortugas, weather permitting, or Key West on the way to Miami. Phillip and I here, snorkeling at Ft. Jefferson. Such a cool place!

I have included a fun video below for you all from our recent sail to give you a flavor of what this voyage entails. The dates are Feb. 10th – 15th, $2,750 pp and includes tickets to the Miami Boat Show (all days) and all passage expenses. You can also stay on the boat the evening of Feb. 9th before castoff on the 10th. Just as the boat show is a great experience to help you learn more about boats, meet other cruisers, absorb engaging, educational seminars from some very experienced sailors, a sail on Libra is all of that, but hands-on, on the water. We hope some of you can join us. There are still a few bunks available; enter promo code HWWT for a $500 discount. Book at http://www.saillibra.com/join-a-sail/.

Meet Us at the Miami Boat Show, Feb. 16th – 20th (particularly Feb. 17th!):

Who’s already planning to go to the Miami Boat Show? Sweet! We can’t wait to meet you there!

Phillip and I went to the Miami Boat Show in 2015 for the all the reasons most folks new to (or dreaming about) cruising do: to learn more about boats, products, rigging, sail tactics, navigation, weather routing, you name it! The Boat Show is also where I made some very rewarding and long-lasting connections with many cruisers I now call very good friends, including Pam Wall and Bob Bitchin’! Phillip and I, as well as Captain Ryan, will be on Libra many of the days during the show talking with boat show attendees and sharing stories from our recent offshore voyages, including both of our recent trips to Cuba, as Libra plans to make that run again in April 2017 in the second annual Pensacola a la Habana race. In particular, we will be hosting a fun meet-and-greet style get-together on Libra, Pier 2 at Miamarina at the Miami Boat Show February 17, 2017 at 4:00 p.m. where we will serve drinks, snacks, have music and my fiery friend, Hanna, and I will do some aerial silks performances. Please come!

Hanna was one of my first silks instructors, the first person I ever saw doing silks on a sailboat (which totally inspired me) and the person who made it possible for me to go race in the Abacos Regatta back in 2015. I’m serious! Story here. She’s a huge part of my sailing/silking career and I can’t wait for you all to meet her. Thanks again, Hanna, for agreeing to come “hang out” with us : ) during the show!

Attend My Seminar at the Show, Feb. 20th:

It’s official! I’m speaking at the Miami Boat Show, and I am so honored to be listed right there among my many idols–Nigel Calder, Pam Wall, Chris Parker–whose seminars I attended wide-eyed and eager just a few short years ago. I will be speaking about my “First Time Across the Atlantic,” sharing our reflections on a first time ocean-crossing and lessons learned that are applicable to all passages.

I hope all of you who will be at the show still on Monday can attend. In addition, please help me make my presentation the absolute best it can be by commenting below with your own input as to what topics you think I should cover. If you were considering an Atlantic-crossing and had the ability to ask a fellow sailor about his or her recent first-time crossing, what would you want to know? What, specifically, would you ask? Thank you followers!

All-Women’s Offshore Sail, Feb. 21st – 22nd:

Ladies, come sail with me!

I put this sail together specifically to offer women who want offshore experience (but who perhaps may be reluctant, a little scared or just unable because of work and time commitments to jump off on an extensive five-day overnight sail) a quick, more cost-efficient opportunity to get some overnight experience underway. You can stay on Libra the evening of Feb. 21st at Miamarina, downtown Miami and we will cast-off the morning of Feb. 22nd headed for Key West on a quick, 24-hour run. There will also be a fun congratulatory get-together in Key West afterward where you can all cheers your awesome all-women’s voyage on Libra. I will serve as your instructor providing detailed sailing instructions and will share anything with you that I know about navigation, electronics, weather routing, sail tactics, etc. (along with Captain Ryan who knows way more!). I am no expert, but I’ve made a ton of mistakes and I’m happy to share all 138.4 of them with you! This is where you can ask all the stupid questions (because there are none) and learn in an environment that is comfortable for you. The cost is only $500 pp. If you are planning to come to the Miami Boat Show Feb. 20th, let us know and we will get you tickets to the show if you want to come see my presentation on the last day. Book at www.saillibra.com/join-a-sail/. Also, follow along on HaveWind’s Facebook page for updates from the ladies while we are underway. I hope some of you salty gals join me!

Key West Get-Together, Feb. 22nd:

Heck, let’s do it again. We love to get-together (obviously). Which means we love a good party. If you’ll be in Key West on Feb. 22nd, join us for our all-women’s post-sail celebration. To be honest, I have no clue yet when we’ll dock, but we will likely be at one of the downtown marinas and will probably start rounds at Schooner’s Wharf Bar or somewherest (that’s an Annie term) close by. I’ll probably be wearing that very dress, as it’s one of my three ship-to-shore numbers. Look for the gal in stripes or stay tuned on HaveWind’s Facebook page for updates and come hang out with the salty, sultry ladies in Key West who just went offshore on Libra. Oooooh.

Okay, whew! After all of that, Phillip and I are going to have to crawl in a cave for a while. And by cave, we mean head out on Plaintiff’s Rest for some quiet days on the hook alone! We love those too. But, we also love to meet our followers, share our stories, hear theirs and enjoy spending time with like-minded people like all of you. We hope some of you can join us at some of these get-togethers or on passage, and we are grateful for all the support you have shown us on our journey. It’s all about sharing the passion Phillip and I have for this lifestyle and inspiring others to it. Get inspired and what … ??

That’s right. See you soon!

#90: Cuba Voyage II: Heavy Heeling

January 13, 2017anniedike

Get ready for it to blow! These weren’t super heavy winds but they were on the nose and had Plaintiff’s Rest really heeled over during the second night and day of our voyage to Cuba. Our Niagara 35 proved she was up for the task though, practically sailing herself across the Gulf. Follow along as we share some storm sail tactics in here as well: rigging up of the inner forestay, setting the second reef in the main and checking for chafe on the furling lines. Hope you all are enjoying the Cuba Voyage series!

When to Wake the Captain

January 11, 2017anniedike

At the first moment you think you should. That’s probably what any captain will tell you. As much as he likely abhors that first jolt—when the shout of his name or a shake of his shoulder rouses him out of a deep slumber—the second moment, when his mind clears and he realizes your intent in waking him is because you sense danger—real or merely perceived—he is grateful. A well-intentioned, albeit false alarm wake of the captain is welcomed one hundred times over a skittish hesitation that makes it too late for him to salvage the situation. I can only hope I speak earnestly on behalf of most captains, as I have not served as one myself, merely as a relief captain here and there. I have never been the person, the only one fully responsible—at all times—for the safety of the boat and crew. That’s quite a responsibility. I can speak, however, as the first mate who has woke the captain both too early (i.e., unnecessarily) and too late. All lessons are free today.

“If the CPA is less than five nautical miles, wake me up.”

This was the “too early” incident. Phillip and I were sailing across the Gulf to Cuba, sharing helm duty during the day and each taking two-hour shifts at night. Aside from the monstrous dredging vessel we squeezed by in the Pensacola Pass, we hadn’t seen many ships the first couple of days and nights on passage. This was night number three, however, and we were crossing the large shipping channel where many carrier ships make their way into the Gulf and across to Texas. We had already had to watch, call and maneuver around several big vessels during the dark evening hours before our night shifts began, so I asked Phillip before he went below to lay down around 10:00 p.m. when he wanted me to wake him if we began approaching another vessel while he was sleeping.

Could I have monitored our CPA alone, haled the ship and/or deviated course if necessary to avoid a collision? Very likely. So, why did I ask for specific instructions? I’ll admit I like my role as first mate under Phillip. I would rather be the one following instructions, than making them myself. That may sound lazy or meek and that’s fine. I will be the first to admit I do not enjoy the stress of being solely responsible for the vessel or our navigational decisions. I like sharing those duties with Phillip as captain. While I will hold the helm as long as necessary for Phillip to sleep, I do so with the comfort of set parameters to follow in case a situation arises, the decision for which exceeds my pay grade. The decision in this case was what to do if our closest point of approach with an oncoming vessel dropped below five nautical miles. That was when I was told to wake the captain.

I had been watching him for about a half hour. He was a bright beacon, a blazing battleship on the horizon, easily visible and definitely far enough away from us to not cause any danger—at the time. I had learned from Captain Ryan with SailLibra during my voyage to Isla Mujeres that you can use the CPA (closest point of approach) on the AIS to determine whether you are going to cross the ship’s bow or stern by turning your heading toward the vessel’s approach (meaning, turning your vector line toward the oncoming ship) to see if the CPA increases or decreases. If you turn toward the ship and your CPA decreases, you’re going to cross the ship’s bow and that’s when you need to worry. If it increases, you are going to sail behind the ship’s stern and you are likely safe. You can turn back to your heading and you should be able to watch the CPA continually increase and take comfort in your approach. If you cannot turn enough due to the wind angle (or the CPA is too erratic) to allow you to make a clear determination that you will cross behind the ship’s stern … better pick up the VHF and give him a call.

Here is a sample screen shot of AIS. You will see the vessel receiving AIS on the left and the oncoming vessels on the right, showing their approach (i.e., their heading) and CPA. This looks a little different than the AIS screen on our Niagara but it will give you an idea. I apologize I don’t have a good image of ours. Turns out, when a ship is coming, thinking about filming the AIS screen is the last thing on your mind:

Ryan’s rule is a great theory and it does work, but some vessels are not charging ahead on a constant heading. Some bob and bounce around in the waves. Some stop to drop fishing lines in the water or check on their nets. This means the CPA can sometimes bounce around erratically and not give you sufficient confirmation as to whether you’re going to collide with the vessel or not. I hate when it does that! And that is exactly what it was doing with this stupid bright beacon on the horizon, night three during our voyage to Cuba.

I had done what Captain Ryan told me by turning our Niagara toward Mr. Battleship and the CPA seemed to increase (although it was somewhat erratic, not constant), so I fell off again and continued watching as he crept toward my bow about eight nautical miles out (or so I believed as we do not have radar on Plaintiff’s Rest). I believed he would cross safely in front of our bow and we would pass behind his stern, but I wasn’t 100% sure. I tried to hale him on the radio for my own comfort just to make sure he could see me and let him know that I was under sail (which in theory means the ship under engine power will divert if necessary to avoid collision). But what happened? He didn’t answer. Three times he did not answer. Ryan did tell me this can happen often because many commercial ships have to log a radio call and make a report of it and sometimes they’re just lazy and don’t want to do that. In that case, if they see you and know they’re not going to hit you, they will just ignore your weary cries. Of course that doesn’t give YOU—the poor little bobbing sailboat out there—any comfort, but it just happens sometimes. And, of course it was happening to me on my shift! I was cursing the ship channel Gods!

As I mentioned, I was fairly confident this Kiratzatsoo (or something like that I swear, a very hard name to say three times in a row on the radio) was going to cross our bow and we would sail safely behind his stern but the CPA was very finicky and dipped a couple of times below five nautical miles. What did that mean for me? You got it. Wake the captain. Even though I felt I knew we were safe (I knew!)—and when I did wake Phillip because I had been instructed to do so and we both watched as the ship moved safely across our bow and we sailed safely behind its stern, I did not apologize for waking him. Why? Because I knew I’d been given orders to follow and I should never trust my own judgment over the captain’s as to when is the right time to wake him. How did I know this? Because I had breached this sacred command before. I’m not proud of this, but I share it because it is a valuable lesson to learn. Your knowledge, pride or even fear and embarrassment about waking the captain should never come before a very clear order you were given on when to wake the captain.

It was on the Naples delivery, my spur-of-the-moment invitation to crew on the delivery of a Leopard 48 from Pensacola to Naples, FL under a very good friend of mine, Captain Jack.

It was an awesome adventure, an honor to be included and an opportunity I will forever be grateful I was able to seize. And while I believe (and hope) I served as a valuable contribution to the crew, I do know I made one could-have-been-very-bad mistake. That was not waking the captain soon enough.

We were holding two man watches during the delivery. Two hours, two crew at the helm, with the captain floating. It was around 5:00 a.m., our first night on shifts. I was supposed to be on with my buddy Bill. Bill was sleeping and I felt energetic so I propped myself up at the helm with the plan to let him sleep another hour before waking him. Looking back on it, that was probably an unwise deviation from the captain’s orders as well. If he wants two men on shift, don’t try to be the hero and hold watch alone. Wake your partner. While two-man shifts was an indirect order, Captain Jack had also given a very specific order:

“If a ship comes within 6 nautical miles on the radar, wake me.”

That’s a pretty clear instruction, right? You’re right. It is, and it should have been followed. I was holding alone around 5:00 a.m. and I saw a ship coming toward us on the radar. The Leopard did not have AIS, but having used radar extensively to “acquire targets” via radar during the Atlantic-crossing with Captain Yannick, I felt pretty comfortable using the radar to watch oncoming vessels. However, Yannick typically kept the radar set at 12 nm miles out and (my first mistake) I assumed this one, on the Leopard, was on the same setting as I was watching the ship approach. Lesson #1: I should have looked more closely at the nautical mile ruler and I would have noticed it was set on 8 nm. So, ships were actually closer than they appeared.

It was difficult to tell which way the ship was going as I did not have an AIS vector or heading to confirm its direction. I was looking intently at the ship itself for a red or green nav light to tell me which way the ship was heading. It was off my starboard bow, so I knew if I saw a red light (on its port), that would mean it was coming toward my bow. A green light would mean it was headed away from me. I repeat these things to you now as these are the things I ran through my head three times over to make sure I had them right (“port is red, starboard is green, port is red, starboard is green”) thinking this entire time I’m being very careful and doing all the right things. Poor Annie. Because what have I yet to do? During all of these critical tactical moments? I’m sure you know the answer, but humor me a little longer.

A few moments later, Bill wakes up. I ask him to come quickly to the helm to get a second look at what I’m seeing and gather his thoughts. While this is good practice, when there is plenty of time to react, I’m sure (and I hate to admit this, but it’s just likely true) I likely did this as well because I was the only female sailor aboard, one of the least experienced, and I wanted a second opinion before I … you know what. This is precisely the reason I’m sharing this story. Do not let your pride or nerves cloud your decisions out there. Bill squinted and looked and clicked and few things and then we both saw it: a red light on the oncoming ship, which was now well within 6 nautical miles of us, likely closing in on five at that point and aiming to cross our bow. “Go wake Jack,” I told Bill.

While it did afford Jack *just enough* time to quickly jump to the helm, assess the situation and fall off so we could clip behind the ship’s stern, it shocked me how long it took for that maneuvering and a safe passing to occur. In my indecisiveness and attempts to assess the situation myself, I ended up giving Jack just enough time to react quickly and correctly. That’s not the kind of margin any captain wants! They want plenty of time, which is why you should wake the captain when?

I hope you all said it out loud. At the first moment you think you should. Trust me, he would prefer too early as opposed to too late to take the helm and save the ship. Stay alert, follow orders and sail safe out there crew. More Cuba footage, stories and lessons to come.