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Kir McLinn
Kir McLinn

Kir McLinn

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  • Kir McLinnGone Sailing for a YearKir McLinn

    Pre Bermuda Thoughts

    November 30, 2015 in the United States ⋅ ☁️ 16 °C

    I learned long ago not to overthink life. It’s not worth the headache and in the end you’ll be sitting on the dock for an eternity thinking through all the ‘what if’s’. Don’t get me wrong, safety and preparation are absolutely paramount. I believe in safety plans, drills, studying forecasts, and being realistic about sailing capabilities but it comes to a point where you’re either willing or not willing to accept the fact that ‘no, you’re NOT in complete control, mother nature is’. Once you pull up the anchor and point the boat out to sea; it’s you, the boat, and ocean.

    Mike has sailed from St. Thomas to Bermuda (solo) and from Bermuda to Cape Cod. He’s also delivered boats across the gulf stream and experienced gale winds (although the Captain on board called it a baby gale). Mike is a strong sailor and handy engineer. I, I’ve done a lot of my sailing around the protected coast near Boston, MA. I can handle sailing Gaia solo but I am susceptible to light seasickness. I can see how Mike was okay with going out to sea for 4-6 days….. but me…. What was I thinking?

    Well firstly, I’m pragmatic. I don’t think I’m afraid as in terrified, but I am concerned and understanding of the WCSs (Worst Case Scenarios). Mike and I share a respect for nature. We’ve both experienced our share of howling winds that knock you down while hiking Mt. Washington, we’ve both been clipped into the side of a rockface hundreds of feet up from ground. Hiking, sailing, and climbing in particular can be sobering and it’s not a sport to jump into with little more than an afterthought. Strategy, knowledge of your gear, contingency plans, and an awareness of changing landscape are ‘must haves’. This is how I approached the 630 nautical mile sail to Bermuda. Of course I was worried, but I know I’m tough, I trust my captain, and I know I trust my boat. And one last thing, I’m the adventurous type. Leading up to the day prior to departure I’d have sudden ‘realizations’ that I’d be sailing into the ocean blue for 4-6 days and it’s like a firework in my heart. I’d start grinning, my eyes would widen, and I’d shake my head in disbelief that I would actually be able to complete something so……. Rad.

    Here’s to all the fireworks that have gone off in the hearts of my fellow hikers, climbers, and sailors.

    And here’s to a safe passage.    Read more

  • Kir McLinnGone Sailing for a YearKir McLinn

    Passage Planning, The Sailors Obsession

    November 29, 2015 in the United States ⋅ ☀️ 20 °C

    Background about the Passage to Bermuda.

    If you’re not already aware, Bermuda (BDA) is in the middle of the Atlantic. Crazy tiny little island all by its lonesome surrounded by ocean that’s 5,000 meters/ 16,400 feet deep, that’s about 3 miles deep!

    Passage departing from Newport RI, Moorehead City, NC, and FL are about equidistant to BDA (NC being just slightly shorter). From NC it’s 630 nautical miles, that’s 725 statute miles, which is about the same as Boston to Cincinnati, OH/ Boston to Myrtle Beach, SC/ Boston to just past Quebec (as the crow flies). In planning an off coast passage you double check safety measures and the backups are in working order. The basic list consists of: communications, autopilot, GPS, bilge pump (and secondary bilge pump!), safety (liferaft/ditchbag/EPIRB/fire extinguisher/pfd/jacklines), medical, rigging, steering, sails, hull, electrical, plumbing.

    The planning of the passage logistically requires obsession of the marine weather forecast. We use www.PassageWeather.com . We were constantly updating the newest GFS weather model (as opposed to the European model ECMWF) and analyzing low pressure systems moving in conjunction with high pressure systems and how that will affect the wind, waves, and cloud cover.

    We thought through water, fuel, food, and propane consumption. And we researched the Gulf Stream where it was how it moves, and what to look for in crossing it. The Gulf Stream is a fast warm ocean current (about 80 degrees!) that starts from FL and curves toward Newfoundland then off to sea. Its 45 nautical miles off the coast of NC and is 60 nautical miles wide where we crossed and adds about 2-3 knot push to the boat. The Gulf Stream moves more like a river and ungulates. You can track the movement by geothermal readings updated by NOAA (http://www.opc.ncep.noaa.gov/newNCOM/NCOM_GulfS… ). Cape Hatteras is about 35 degrees N Latitude.    Read more

  • Kir McLinnGone Sailing for a YearKir McLinn

    Thanksgiving With Family

    November 26, 2015 in the United States ⋅ ☀️ 21 °C

    We made a side trip to South Carolina by car to visit our family friends and my parents in Murrells Inlet. We also enjoyed a day of golf and and meandered the old plantation grounds of Brookgreen Gardens which is filled with old oak trees with spanish moss, captivating sculptures and the land is just beautiful.Read more

  • Kir McLinnGone Sailing for a YearKir McLinn

    Beaufort, NC II

    November 23, 2015 in the United States ⋅ ☀️ 6 °C

    Went to the Pirate Museum on a rainy day, where the town actually flooded :( We wore our fouls and took a stroll around town in the downpour then made butternut squash soup and steak for dinner. We also roamed the surrounding islands.Read more

  • Kir McLinnGone Sailing for a YearKir McLinn

    Bye Oriental, We're On The Road Again

    November 15, 2015 in the United States ⋅ ☀️ 15 °C

    Lastly and the greatest news in our haul out was the fact that everyone said our rudder was fine ….. and we should stop being a pair of Nancies about it and sail on over to Bermuda already.

    A few months earlier before our shake down sail in September, we hauled out in Salem MA. The inspector mentioned a bit of “play” between the rudder post and rudder and saw water bubbling out of the post. We had a wet rudder and he showed concern about it. We contemplated and researched all our venues of possible outcomes on the way down. We learned that FossFoam (in FL) was our go to for a new rudder. And if they had a mold already set for a Pearson 424 they just had to reconstruct the rudder which would be a HUGE cost savings. Unfortunately (or fortunately …) Pearson boats aren’t known for rudder problems. We have a skeg rudder that is essentially built solid with epoxy on the perimeter and has two or three metal arms attached to the rudder post and act as the skeleton of the rudder. Next to the metal skeleton is foam. The concern would be if the welds attaching the arms to the rudder post were corroded and broke in heavy weather. Then we would be left with a free spinning helm and no Shit-happens-cough-it-uprudder control. We drilled a hole in the top outside of the rudder in case of a rudder
    emergency. The idea is to tie a rope through the hole and steer Captain Ron style. The following day we also asked if Turtle, expert mariner, would take a look at our boat. He did and explained how boats like ours were born (made). The woven fabric of fiber glass allows the boat to heave and move with the ocean whereas the epoxy acts as the solid rigidity. Both sides of the equation will change meaning your hull will change and you’ll see “age lines”. Over the years, your boat takes hull shuddering hits, enormous gusts bending and testing the rigging and the keel. What I found interesting was the fact that the hull shape will change when it moves from water to land. You’re engine / Vdrive shaft alignment is different on land than it is in the water. After looking Gaia over, and talking to us about boat construction for a better half of an hour, he looked at us point blank and spoke honestly. He said ocean worthy boats like this are overbuilt. The boat will last, it may sail differently if the hull were to be waterlogged balsa core but she’d still sail. He looked at our rudder and shook his head. “I wouldn’t touch the rudder if it’s working right now. If it’ll help you sleep at night, then sure. Do it if you want for that reason but other than that, you’re fine to go to Bermuda.” And it dawned on me, most of my fears were mental or because I was still novice.    Read more

  • Kir McLinnGone Sailing for a YearKir McLinn

    Oriental, That Small Town Feel

    November 12, 2015 in the United States ⋅ ☀️ 22 °C

    Another character and incredible wealth of knowledge was the fiberglass genius, Turtle. One day I was half way on my mile walk into town to get a propane regulator when he pulled over and offered me a ride. I said sure. He pointed out historic sites in the town and recited the history. He drove me to the hardware store and then drove right past it saying I had to cross the town bridge and get a good view of the entire town... I learned his great great grand daddy founded the town and the origin of the town name came from a Civil War era ship! A few laughs later and a great tour of the town I found myself at the the hardware store.

    My small town story continues with the hardware store…. I found two identical products that would work for the propane tank but wasn’t sure about the sizing. The owner agreed it could be either size and after a few minutes of deliberation he set his car keys on the counter and said ‘Why don’t you take my car to your boat and test out which one is right for you. When you’re done, just come back with the packaging of the one you need and the one you didn’t use. I’ll be here until 5, so no rush.’ I’d just like to mention, I’ve been living in cities for the past 13 years and am in no way accustomed to an offer as this. I let him know, I was perfectly okay with walking, my legs worked fine, it was sunny and warm… why was this man trying to lose his car and give away his products…. I would never dream of stealing a car but still…. this kindness didn’t sit right with me, it felt bizarre. And yet…. 10 minutes later I drove into the marina where Mike had a few questions for me… Yes we fixed the regulator to the propane unit. (As a side story, the damn thing began malfunctioning on the coldest night of our entire trip. I was going to fight the cold with BAKING! Terrible timing but that’s the way the cookie tends to crumble on a boat).    Read more

  • Kir McLinnGone Sailing for a YearKir McLinn

    Oriental, It's All About BOGO Night

    November 9, 2015 in the United States ⋅ 🌧 20 °C

    Let me start this post with the P to B ratio of Oriental (the Population to Boat Ratio)… 1:3ish. That’s right, 900 people and just about 2,500 boats.
    Our two weeks was made wonderful by the amazing establishment and closest bar, ‘Silos’. Open Tuesday-Saturday there’s always something on the calendar. Tuesday was BOGO day (Buy One pizza Get One free), Wednesday was open mic night, Thursday was dollar drafts, Friday was live music in the back yard (Lake Street Dive played there), Saturdays are party nights. For a community that is increasingly becoming dominated by retirees looking for a good town, this place was wildly fun. Tuesday pizza night was easily the towns favorite. We went into the hardware store and the clerk felt it necessary to alert us ‘transients’ of the phenomenal BOGO day. We also ran into two separate friends who informed us we should get to Silos early tonight to secure a good seat for BOGO. It’s pretty great to see a community come together over pizza.

    Sitting in Silos, everyone is in the boat world, you work for the boat yards, you work as a fisherman, you teach boating, you race, you do canvas or boat related services (West Marine / Radio Shop). In some capacity EVERYONE we met in town is tied into this interwoven community.

    In general, a great thing about boat yards are seeing all the other boats and if you’re lucky enough, meeting the owner and having a few beers together. We met a fellah named Mike from Canada and he was finishing up redoing his entire interior. He bought his boat as a fixer-uper and the entire below deck had mildew problems (ceiling, floor, and cushions). He was a wealth of knowledge and we were grateful for all his tips on engine alignment.    Read more

  • Kir McLinnGone Sailing for a YearKir McLinn

    Oriental, Where We Live On The Hard

    November 6, 2015 in the United States ⋅ ⛅ 25 °C

    Dust and woods bits will inevitably find there way into your bedroom sheets, kitchen and salon with any form of drilling or sanding. To unearth needed power tools, epoxies, varnish, sanders, and materials you need to tear through cabinets & mattresses to access storage units. All of this equates to a temporal work room war zone. I’m sure we’ve all been there whether it be moving, or buying a new house, it’s the first week of sleeping on a few cushions or camping gear. That was us for the past three weeks. But to be honest as sour of a situation I paint, I love the people, I love the stories, and honest to god I even love the work (Sometimes. As long as there’s a good podcast. and it’s sunny. with a beer. and beer koozie. and I have help…)Read more

  • Kir McLinnGone Sailing for a YearKir McLinn

    Oriental Where We Work Hard For It Honey

    November 3, 2015 in the United States ⋅ 🌧 19 °C

    For the every day life. You walk up and down a ladder to get to your home, get a drill, forgotten power cord you name it.
    Every morning you wake up get dressed and walk to go to the bathroom. Since the plumbing filters out into the yard gravel; I’m not a fan of brushing my teeth where I work. It’s not a far walk to the bathrooms thankfully but enough to make you skip your polite hellos to friends and power walk. Most people understand. When we did dishes, we carried the dishes in a tub down the ladder and past the docks. When we showered we climbed up and down the ladder with our shower bag and towel. And lastly, the little problem of having NO cell phone service and little to no internet.

    I took a few pictures of our work in the yard seen below. We also varnished the bowsprit and toerail, rebedded the stanchion and inserted epoxy in the deck to reinforce soft balsa wood, install new aft cabin and kitchen lighting (led strips!), there was a bunch of parts ordered and one passport expedited. Thankfully, there was a car at the marina we were able to use to drive 30 minutes into a neighboring town for the nearest CVS for a passport photo.    Read more

  • Kir McLinnGone Sailing for a YearKir McLinn

    Gaia Gets Hauled Out

    November 1, 2015 in the United States ⋅ ⛅ 25 °C

    Oriental NC had previously been this unseen golden city that boaters would wistfully sigh over and preach the good works of the peerless marine services conducted here. It’s where anyone with major boat issues trudged their vessel to so the expert mechanics, riggers, glass workers (fiberglass), and electricians could work their magic. So when we arrived in Oriental, I could finally feel our goal, Bermuda, was within reach! Our rudder would be new our propeller would be fixed and our boat would be prepped for departure!

    We chose SailCraft Marine Services, known for their fiberglass work as opposed to Deatons. The two rivals sit literally within throwing distance of each others travel lift.

    Upon entering the SailCraft dock, Alan, the owner, showed us the layout, the bathrooms, amenities, the different offices and tool sheds, he introduced us to the employees, and other boats hauled out from our neck of the woods! Really above and beyond and we learned of the catastrophic boat overhauls they had completed. One man, came in days earlier with a keel partially torn off. Remember the Dismal Swamps we went down and my post on watching out for deadheads (= dislodged logs pinned to the bottom of the canal pointing upward)? Yeah, the boat hit a deadhead straight on and busted a hole in the boat. And if your curious, yes it was a fin keel.

    So being on the hard, on the stilts, stuck on the dirt… it’s not fun. The marina backs you up into a slip where they lower two thick nylon slings and synch it snug around your 22,000 lb vessel and hope the sling is far back enough it doesn’t catch on your ruder, prop, or shaft but not too far back that the slings don’t capture the weight of the boat evenly. And then you watch as your 22,000 pound home is raised, above your head; OUT of the environment you’ve learned to keep your boat safe and protected. And then you watch as your baby is driven away by a complete stranger from you, it’s very emotional (*this end part was overdramatized by the author in case you’re not familiar with her*).

    But really, Alan, was very professional and maneuvered the travel lift perfectly. He’s been around boats his entire life and it shows. He put us down on the block and put a few more extra stilts under the hull than what we’re used to. Alan mentioned they do this for added protection. As someone who has slept on a boat on stilts… let me tell you, it can be REALLY unnerving when you first feel the boat move on land, so I was quite pleased to see this. He also kept the boat level on the blocks which was nice.    Read more

  • Kir McLinnGone Sailing for a YearKir McLinn

    Ocracoke Pirate Jamboree

    October 28, 2015 in the United States ⋅ ⛅ 24 °C

    We stayed in Ocracoke Island for a few days and enjoyed the small island life; where most people get around by foot or golf cart. It held a very laid back ‘Block Island feel’. The entire weekend was dedicated to pirates and learning the history of Ocracoke/Blackbeard from story telling and sea shanties to pirates dueling! Everyone walked around with a pirates garb on or at the very least a beer in hand.

    At Ocracoke Blackbeard was awaiting King Georges pardon from his pirating ways. Lieutenant Maynard had other plans. Ltnt. Maynard and crew successfully attacked and apprehended Blackbeards crew and beheaded the feared pirate at Springers Point.    Read more

  • Kir McLinnGone Sailing for a YearKir McLinn

    Stumpy Point - All I Have To Do Is Sail

    October 26, 2015 in the United States ⋅ ⛅ 17 °C

    We decided to break up our sail from Roanoke Island to Ocracoke into two days. We wanted to make the Pirate Festival and had plenty of time just not plenty of wind.

    Not much to report. The Pamlico Sound is extraordinarily shallow. The average depth is about 10 feet for sailing waters. For our stop-over we decided to tuck into the quiet cove of Stumpy Point which provided us a well protected anchorage from the Southerly winds.Read more

  • Kir McLinnGone Sailing for a YearKir McLinn

    Roanoke Island

    October 26, 2015 in the United States ⋅ ⛅ 17 °C

    As exciting and beautiful a new port can be, sometimes the biggest scores are the little things. But first, let’s back up a little. On the dismal swamp we had access to a grocery store (across the street) whilst tied up to land. We made away like bandits since we went grocery shopping hungry…. A big no no for obvious reasons but it feels so good. We had mighty dreams of stews and extravagant pasta dishes, chicken salads, Mike even had an itch to make cornbeef stew…. We bought just under $200 worth of food. It felt like we bought everything…..everything except for cabbage for the cornbeef stew.

    The next few days we searched; no cabbage in sight. We motored over the shallow sound to Roanoke Island and found a 24 hour free dock with some outstandingly fun veteran cruisers filled with all sorts of great tips.

    Not only did we refill the tanks we walked to the nearest grocery store called Piggly Wiggly, would they come through…… ??? I know what you’re thinking, ‘with a name like Piggly Wiggly how could they not come through and provide the cabbage!?!

    Yes! Of course Piggly Wiggly had the cabbage (did you not read the title of this post?), they also had the bacon, and ham bone…! After our 2 nights, we were kicked off the 24 hour free dock despite us being the only boat. Whatever we had our cabbage.

    I’m not sure if you’re familiar with the early history of the United States. If not, listen up because Roanoke should be apart of your Alex Trebek Jeopardy arsenal of answers (or questions since they only accept answers in the form of a question – I hope I haven’t lost you yet).

    Firstly, let’s get the time period right.
    -Christopher Columbus “discovered” America in 1492…. I say discovered because we all know our favorite Norseman Leif Erikson (son of Erik the Red) discovered America way before him…. But really I’m not a fan of any culture that could discover a land already inhabited by other cultures but that’s my own pet peeve. Anyway.
    -Around 1560’s Elizabeth I gives her blessing to Sir Walter Raleigh to colonize the new world.
    -1585 Roanoke Island becomes an English settlement
    -1607 Jamestown, VA built and established by John Smith.
    -1620 Plymouth Rock becomes a refuge for the religious-persecuted pilgrims and their belief they should separate from the Church of England.


    It’s believed Roanoke Island is where the first colony was created by a group of 100 or so English. One of the resupply ships never arrived and the next resupply ship reported the settlement….. gone. Had they moved elsewhere, had a local Indian tribe slaughtered the newcomers, did the Spanish remove them? Roanoke Island, also named the ‘Lost Colony’, has few answers to these questions. However, a Jamestown expedition lead by John Smith was reported to search for the lost colony and came back claiming that the Powhatan tribe had massacred the colony for siding with an enemy tribe. Is that the full and honest truth?

    The colonists were never found but a recreation of what did stand over 400 years ago is available for the public in the Lost Colony park area. It’s not much, just a series of grassy hills in a square formation; used for food, water, or protection, we’re (*I’M*) not sure. What we are sure of is how the colony started. Sir Walter Raleigh received funding and 100 English men and women arrived in a foreign land not necessarily famers or engineers and not equipped for the struggles of creating a new settlement.    Read more

  • Kir McLinnGone Sailing for a YearKir McLinn

    Do The Dismal - ICW

    October 23, 2015 in the United States ⋅ ☀️ 20 °C

    The Intracoastal Waterway (ICW) has several segments (one that even leads out to Texas) but the segment I’m referring to is Norfolk, VA at mile marker 00. to Key West, FL . The ICW uses natural inland rivers, marshes, and manmade dredged canals to allow commercial and social maritime safe/alternative passage from the Atlantic Ocean Cape Hatteras Shipwrecks.

     It’s amazing but it’s not sailing. I wasn’t looking forward to the ICW motoring until I saw a friend of mine post a picture of her experience. It was a picture of flat glassy water reflecting lush beautiful trees on either side of her boat. It was gorgeous. Firstly, it technically wasn’t a picture of the ICW, it was another passage that reconnected with the ICW. Secondly, it was called the Dismal Swamp but frankly I don’t give two nuts what it’s called. It looked amazing from the photos.
    So the Dismal Swamp dates back to as early as George Washington. Yes the first U.S. President, George Washington. He had a company that helped build the canal. It’s 6 feet deep and less so in some areas (reminder, Gaia’s draft is 5.2 feet). And the water is tea colored due to to the tannic acid created by decaying vegetation.

    Now that you have some neat-o facts to recite to friends, let me tell you of our experience. It was pretty entertaining actually. There are two locks which allow you entry and exit which opens 3 times a day. On Friday, we were gunning to make the 1:30 locks opening. To do that we had to go under three bridges, one of which, was a railroad bridge that opened at noon. It took longer than anticipated to get the anchor out of this nasty “cakey” mud and it also took longer than anticipated to fill up the fuel and water tanks at the nearby marina. Somehow, in all our luck, we were still early for the locks. In fact, there was a traffic jam. The 11:00 opening had a 17 boat rally traveling together down the ICW. Since only 10-12 boats can go through the locks at a time, several boats were anchored out in front of the locks in a single file line waiting their turn. We motored down to get a better look but a few of the anchored boats loudly and anxiously announced they were there first. As a sailor, I didn’t care, but the accountant in me appreciated their order. So the locks master eventually got on the radio and began corralling boats into the locks one by one at 2:30. The locks master ushered 4 boats in on either side of the wall and any late-comer boats got stuck in the middle and rafted up to the side boats. Once we were secured in the locks and the water levels slowly rose, people began starting conversations back and forth.

    ::Scene:: What’s your boat? Who are you? Where are you from? Where are you going? ::End Scene:: But we did have two boats comment on how young Mike & I looked. We turned around and saw another young couple looking at us anxiously. She yelled over ‘There’s not many of us around are there?”. Being a bit daft I had no idea what she meant by “us”. Wall to wall boats, we were both white couples on boats…. we looked the same as everyone else…… ahhh, except for that 20-40 year age gap I didn’t notice…. After the locks the rally continued onward down the canal but us youngsters tied up at the free dock after the locks and bridge. And that free dock was amazing. There was a grocery store across the street so we could fill up on food. There was also an autoparts store that had our engine oil and filled our propane tanks! Thank you universe for being so good to us! We started on our journey at 7 am and we were first on the water! On the down side we had to be extra vigilant for stumps and deadheads since we were first on the water. No, that’s not a Jerry Garcia / Grateful Dead reference. Stumps are partially submerged logs drifting through the water and deadheads are dislodged logs that have been pinned to the bottom sticking upward. Hitting a stump or deadhead is a really great way to lose a prop! Throughout the entire traverse, we only heard one loud thud that shook the mast. We also bumped one smaller log but it wasn’t terrible. When we passed the rally boats rafted up at the Welcome Center, we also passed a beautiful navy blue sailboat called Valiant, absolutely pristine. The captain wore a hat, sun glasses , a scowl, and ….. driving gloves on at the helm. He did not smile, he did not wave, but he gave me a chuckle that I won’t soon forget.    Read more

  • Kir McLinnGone Sailing for a YearKir McLinn

    Norfolk, VA

    October 20, 2015 in the United States ⋅ ☀️ 15 °C

    After our second overnight passage we pulled into Willoughby Bay just inside the mouth of Norfolk Harbor as dawn was breaking. We were exhausted so we passed out and slept for the morning and cleaned the boat / relaxed that evening.
    I made apple pie and ran out of crust so made a sailboat on top.    Read more

  • Kir McLinnGone Sailing for a YearKir McLinn

    Overnight Sail to Norfolk, VA

    October 20, 2015 in the United States ⋅ ☀️ 15 °C

    I think sailors largely suffer from acute selective memory loss (must be all the rum).

    Sailing is glamorous. It’s you and the elements. The endless seas to new horizons. That’s what we remember…. at least that’s what I remember, the other stuff are just details to a story.

    In planning a sail, you weigh variables & tradeoffs like Distance, Comfort, Time, Weather, Risk; and always remember strong winds can kick up high seas over time and space. The first overnight passage on this trip was 110 nautical miles Conney Island NY to Cape May, NJ. We had good wind from the West (from the coastline), which meant a limited amount of space for waves to kick up. We assumed it would be a smooth sail. So WHY the heck were there large swells coming from the South! Once the sun went down and the horizon disappeared, I was down for the count & not in a good way.

    People react very differently to seasickness (aka the imbalance of the inner ear). Seasickness is disorientation between your visual perception and perceived balance. Women and children tend to be more prone. The usual aids for prevention are bonine, ginger root, bitters…. (no joke, I mean bitters, the stuff you put in your Old Fashions), and prescriptions like stugeron or cinnarizine.

    I’ve seen people hugging the railing unable to move, I’ve seen others who just stand swaying back and forth. In the past, I’ve only gotten dizzy, taken a nap, and woke up to function just fine. This time, I tried taking a nap giving Mike the first 4 hour shift. I woke up feeling completely unbalanced in the stomach and in the head. Mike told me he was fine. It was a partly clear night with good light wind. We were just bouncing around everywhere. Swells from the south and waves from the West made for an uneasy ride. Around 1 AM I tried sitting on deck for my watch and finally submitted to seasickness. It’s the most awful feeling. I struggled; fighting exhaustion, nausea, and a very unbalanced inner ear for the next 3.5 hours. Around 4:30 AM I told Mike to go down below and take a nap. It was still pitch black but the seas were calming. As the sun illuminated the sky so too did my sense of health and happiness.

    The Overnight Passage:

    Our second overnight passage had far less nausea…. but wow we pulled our New Englanders card and muscled through the coldest night on our trip. You’re probably thinking, ‘but Kirsten why would you pick the coldest night to stand outside in the wind, cold, and dark for 12 hours….’ Well, we wanted to spend one day exploring Assateague Island where the wild horses roamed. Secondly, we had this cold snap due to wind/weather coming from the Northwest – a great direction, but it brought the cold! The wind was stronger than anticipated, unfortunately for us. Instead of leaving at high tide from Assateague Island, sailing 120 nautical miles, and arriving at the mouth of the Chesapeake Bay around sunrise; we were going too fast and hit one of the busiest ports around 4:30 AM. In all our tips and advice, everyone always said, keep clear of the shipping channels, they’re busy (dangerous). Great job planning this one Mike & Kirsten (sarcasm)!

    But in all that bitter cold, we saw a pod of dolphins various times, a whale breach, and a little bird take refuge on our boat for an hour or so. We also had amazing gumbo stew to keep us fed and provided an amazing boost to morale.
    We made it into Norfolk under the cloak of darkness when I took over. As we shifted to a more westward direction, 4-6 foot steep waves rocked the haul swaying the boat by 45 degrees in either direction. It took me an hour to come to terms with my fear and discomfort. It was pitch black & little red dots surrounded the harbor (some being channel markers, telling you to avoid dangerous waters!), the wind was shifty and howling 25-30 knots, and series of steep 5 foot waves would violently knock the boat back and forth. On top of that, 200-300 foot tankers/containerships moving 10-13 knots could appear and pass you within a 4 minute period. We were on 3 hour watches and those 3 hours were the worst. The first rays of dawn had never been so welcomed, once again. We’re going to work on planning our estimated time of arrival better…. but in the meantime, I’m going to enjoy Norfolk, VA! I think we’ve earned it.    Read more

  • Kir McLinnGone Sailing for a YearKir McLinn

    Assateague Island

    October 19, 2015 in the United States ⋅ ☀️ 9 °C

    Today we got up early and took the dinghy to the north end of Assateague Island, which is a national seashore known for it’s herd of “wild” horses. After hunting around for an hour or two we spotted a small group of 4 of them.
    Interesting story about these wild horses (actually the ones a bit south on the Virginia side of the island). It turns out the herd is managed / “owned” by the Chincoteague Volunteer Fire Company… and the herd is capped at 150 individuals. Every year the fire department “swims” the herd across to neighboring Chincoteague island where they sell off most of the years new foals to keep the population down and prevent the firemen from having to fund the new fire truck entirely via bake sale.
    Tomorrow we’re leaving here early for a long passage to Norfolk, VA – the wind looks great with 15-20 out of the NW for the duration of the passage, but COOLLD. So it’ll be time for ALL the layers.    Read more

  • Kir McLinnGone Sailing for a YearKir McLinn

    Crossing the Delaware to Ocean City, MD

    October 18, 2015 in the United States ⋅ ⛅ 10 °C

    Yesterday we got up real early and left Cape May, NJ bound for Maryland – thats right, Delaware doesn’t even get a stop… poor tiny little Delaware.

    Cape May has a beautiful wide deep inlet, but as soon as we reached the end of the jetty there were steep standing waves. The wind wasn’t that strong, but it was blowing out of the west-northwest and what we didn’t realize was a strong current flowing into the Delaware bay around Cape May, this meant wind opposing the current resulting what feels like being in a washing machine. As the day wore on we both got less green and by the time we were skipping over the Delaware coast it had gotten positively nice out. 40 some odd miles later we approached the Ocean City inlet which we timed perfectly wrong to find ourselves trying to motor into a rapidly outflowing current. Ocean City has some pretty sweet carnival rides & rollercoasters that are sadly closed for the season, but thankfully the corn dog stand was open!Read more

  • Kir McLinnGone Sailing for a YearKir McLinn

    NY to Cape May, NJ

    October 16, 2015 in the United States ⋅ ☀️ 16 °C

    The wind and the swells were at opposing odds making for a rocky night on Gaia. Our first overnighter and you guessed it.... I booted the second that sun jumped below the horizon. I somehow mustered the strength and still did my watches but I begrudgingly stood up to check all was clear and steady our course to NJ. I took a selfie at first light and thankfully I was already on the mend at this point.

    Cape May NJ is wonderful! Loved the visit particularly this great fish and tackle store... I sure hope we stop here on our way back!    Read more

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