The Maiden Voyage: A His vs. Her Perspective

The following is the maiden voyage of the Stella Maris first from my perspective and then written by Veronica from her perspective:

Dec. 21, 2013
I got the call from the agent that I had to fax over my signed paper work and everything was good to go. I had what I wanted, full insurance, and all for one third of the price of anyone else! If I didn't get it today, I would most likely have to wait until after Christmas and the New Year and wouldn't be able to go anywhere because I was due back at work on the 13th of January. I faxed what was needed and ran down to the boat to be on the way. We had a hour of sun light and the correct tide in about an hour to make it under the highway bridge that was 55ft, while my mast is about 56 ft. Guess I should actually measure that to be sure. I told Veronica that we were leaving and get the boat ready. I don't think she realized that we were leaving right now. My father had planned a vacation and was meeting us in Charleston the next day. We were a little behind schedule and still in Wilmington, about a 30 hour sail away.

We picked up our lines and made our way down the river, getting a feel for the boat. We made it through the first lift bridge for the rail road and then came the dreaded highway bridge. We were still about an hour before low tide and the current was running about 1 knot or so. The tide gauge on the bridge read over 60 feet so I made the decision that everything was okay to make it under. I was so nervous. I went as slow as I could. I bet the people driving over thought we were going to run right into the bridge. We got close and started our way under. The antennae on the top of the mast for the VHF pinged off every girder on the way under. I kept sinking lower and lower, as if that would make the mast shorter. I was ready to duck down in the cockpit in case the mast decided to crashing down on top of me. I made Veronica go up forward to look out and be out of the way of the mast if it did come down. It was such a relief when we made it under! We docked at the downtown Wilmington docks for the night and made some dinner. The local homeless decided to have a street concert that night and were banging on their drums and cans for who knows how long. We didn't get much sleep due to that and the excitement of the whole adventure.

The alarm went off at 4am to get an early start down the river with the right tide. It was pitch black and a little chilly to start out. I didn't have the chart plotter working yet and we were using paper charts and a hand held GPS to "Navi-guess" our way down the Cape Fear River in the dark. I quickly remembered all I had learned about navigating and it came back quickly. Veronica on the other hand, I don't think, had any idea what was going on and I was trying to get her up to speed and teach her as much as I could. We were headed offshore and I couldn't be up the whole time. She had to take the helm at some point. The auto-pilot would drift and not hold a course for me. We followed the channel down the river, flashing buoy by flashing buoy, and just after sun up a dense fog rolled in stopping us in our tracks. We stopped by a channel marker where we knew it was somewhat safe and got the fog horn out. I was hoping that we wouldn't be stuck there all day. It was some of the most dense fog I had ever been in. We sat at the channel marker for an hour or so until the fog burned off and continued on. The day was turning out to be a nice one...

We got out the cut around Oak Island and Bald Head Island. It was cool going past Southport and seeing all the places we explored on foot from the water. The light houses were cool to see too, but the focus was on the journey ahead of us. We still had an over night sail to get through. We decided to motor the whole way, as I was the first time on the boat and Veronica had little sailing experience.

We got far enough out to clear the shoals and set a course for Charleston. While out of the channel and on course it turned out to be a pleasant day with light winds and a gentle roll off the beam. We kept a log book every hour of our position and course and plotted our position on the chart. If all of the electronics decided died on us we would at least know our last position and could find our way from there or if something bad happened we could call for help.

We got about three hours offshore when the motor died on us. We lost sight of land and we moving along nicely and then, two sputters and nothing. Silence. Ut oh.... I run down below and switch the fuel filters over real quick, I have a dual Racor pre-filter with a change over valve. I ran back up and tried to start her back up. Nothing. Sounded like she wanted to for a second but wouldn't stay going. At this point I think that one of the fuel lines is clogged. I switch over the fuel tanks and try to bleed the filter housing by manually using the electric inline fuel pump that I have. Still getting nothing. I got back up top and tell Veronica what was going on. I decided to unroll the Genoa and start sailing. I told Veronica to hold course to Charleston, even though there was not much wind and we were barely moving. I went back down below to rectify the problem.

I started at the tank and started pulling fuel lines and sucking fuel through to make sure it was not clogged. Luckily I had a small vaccuum bleeder pump that is used to bleed brakes on cars and it worked great to suck fuel through the lines without making a mess or tasting diesel. No clog in the tank, no clog to the valve manifold. Nothing up to the filter housing...

"Pat come here! Look!" Veronica starts yelling!

I run up and look at what she is pointing at, thinking that something is going wrong. There is a pod of dolphins swimming with the boat. An awesome sight! I guess you have to stop and enjoy the surroundings sometime. Even though Veronica had us going in circles and when I got up, headed in the complete wrong direction. There was no wind and we were essentially drifting so it wasn't a big deal.

I went back down below to the mess I had made to get to all of the fuel lines. I had fuel up to the filter. I disconnected the fuel line after the filter and drew a vacuum. Nothing. No fuel was getting through the pre-filter. Hmm... I tried switching it over to the other one. Nothing. I knew there were both new, how could they be clogged already! I started to take apart the filter connections. I got fuel up to the three way valve, but nothing through it. I ended up taking the three-way valve apart and found that the spindle, which was made of plastic, was broken and the handle was unable to run it anymore. I guess when I went to switch over it got stuck in the "off" position and stayed that way. I took a screwdriver and set it to the new filter, bled the air out and the engine started right back up.

We were on our way again. One challenge down and only a delay of about 2 hours. The next challenge was the night time. It got dark as the sun set and there was no moon until about 3 am. It was dark. Keeping course by the compass, staying warm, and staying awake was a challenge. We traded off watches. I slept in the cockpit so Veronica would feel comfortable and could wake me if anything went wrong. We always had a life vest on and as soon as the sun went down were tethered to the boat at all times. It was an uneventful night, just tough to stay awake after a long day.

We arrived to the Charleston ship channel and navigated our way in. It is a pretty place to sail into going by the forts and the waterfront town. We made it to the marina, docked the boat, and passed out for a few hours. It was a great experience for both of us and I was really proud of how well Veronica handled the boat. She did a great job, really stepped up, and I would take her sailing anytime! I was happy with how the boat handled and can't wait to get to see how she sails with more sail up!

We met up with my father and explored Charleston for a few days. We then put Stella Maris through some more sea trials with the extra crew to help out. But that's for the next update....

Veronica's POV:

“We’re leaving” Patrick yelled to me as he ran on board.

“When?” I replied

“Right now- grab the bowline and jump on”

We were supposed to have time for a week or two of sailing lessons before our first big trip. A series of bumps in the road led us to this point, Patrick’s father would be in Charleston to meet us tomorrow and we were still in Wilmington, NC- 30 hours away on a boat. I am as beginner as a beginner sailor gets, having only been on a sailboat a handful of times. I knew what the bowline was but what if I didn’t jump on at the right time? I would not dub myself as agile and definitely did not want to end up in the murky Cape Fear River. But there was no time to think about it- Patrick was already in reverse.  

I successfully jumped on board, and then off again at the Wilmington City Docks after we cleared a 55** foot bridge with a 56** foot mast. Going under the bridge was a hold your breath and cross your fingers situation that we had been concerned about for a while. The timing had to be just right to make it under. We reached the bridge about an hour before low tide, and the antenna on top of the mast pinged on every beam on the way under. The first victory for the Stella Maris.

The alarm went off at 4:00AM the next morning to cast off from downtown Wilmington and make our way down the Cape Fear River. I was still putting my third layer on when Patrick was throwing lines on board and starting to move. I didn’t want to miss anything and was eager to learn how all of this sailing stuff worked so I hurried to get ready. Quickly I would learn that, like yesterday, this was Patrick’s way. He was not going to wait for anyone to be ready before heading out.

We were equipped with charts, a compass, and a handheld GPS that told our coordinates.  The electronic chart plotter was not working and we were left to old-fashioned chart plotting to lead us down the river. Thankfully, Patrick’s skills are on point. I actually really enjoyed learning to read the buoy descriptions on the charts and then searching for the one that flashed the correct amount of times. Just as the sun started to come up, we got stuck at a red buoy because a thick fog rolled in, it surrounded us in a way that you couldn’t tell up from down.  Looking at the buoy and it’s reflection in the stillness of the fog, it appeared that either one could be the real buoy. It felt sort of magical, like Alice in Wonderland or a fairy tale of a flying ship. Patrick was too busy with technicalities, like blowing the fog horn to make sure other boats would notice we were there, to notice this “ship in the clouds” feeling but I would make sure to explain it to him later.

The fog lifted and we continued to the mouth of the river, by Southport, NC. It took about 4 ½ hours to reach from Wilmington. It was wonderful to cruise by Southport- a town that Patrick and I had explored on foot months before when there was still a lot of work to do on Stella Maris to make her sea worthy.  And now we were finally seeing it from the water. We also had a nice view of Oak Island Lighthouse and Bald Head Island’s Old Baldy Lighthouse before braving the open ocean. When we got to the ocean, the still river waters turned to 4 to 6 foot waves. Once we were out of the channel and got on course, these waves were hitting us at a 90-degree angle. Which would continue for the whole overnight trip. Thankfully, I only had a seasick scare for a little bit when I was below deck making food. Fresh air on deck and being at the helm quickly healed any queasiness.

The excitement that overcame me was not just from my adventure adrenaline, but it was for Patrick. It was so incredible to see him in his element on his boat. Exactly a year before, we had driven down to take a look at the 41-foot sailboat and Patrick decided to buy her. That day was just as brilliant and nerve-wracking as her first moments at sea. No one could have known what was going to happen but Patrick had the dream and he started chasing it full speed. Hard work does not accurately enough describe the amount of time and effort that he spent on his “vacations” to get the Stella Maris sailing.

Watching Patrick fix things even other colleagues couldn't fathom led me to the belief that he could fix anything. Thankfully, that was not proven wrong on this trip.

We had already been motoring in the open ocean for 4 hours when the engine cut off and had long since lost sight of land. Looking back, I am surprised I was not more worried. But Patrick went below and started tearing toolboxes apart to get to work. I held the wheel and tried to keep course- although we were only going 0.2 knots. Very shortly after the engine cut out, 6 dolphins surrounded us! The water was crystal clear, I could watch them dive all the way down beneath the hull and come up on the other side. It was breathtaking! I called down to Patrick and told him he had to stop working on the engine and come see the dolphins. After checking them out, he turned to me and said, “So, where are you steering? Are you going in circles?” I looked at the compass- whoops! I may have been 180 degrees off course but we were barely moving anyway and I was mesmerized by my dolphin friends.

After two hours and a changed filter, we were back on course. It would be getting dark soon and we were going to start taking watches. I took a nap and arose just before sunset. It was gorgeous. But it meant nighttime was here. This is what I had been most worried about. Let me remind you, I had basically zero boating experience up to this point. And now, I was going to drive offshore in the dark while Patrick took turns sleeping.

The waves that were still directly hitting the side of the boat were no longer visible after dark. It was hard to tell whether to brace myself for a six-footer or just a roller. I’m surprised I didn’t have blisters from gripping the wheel so tight. Being inexperienced, I thought we were going to capsize whenever one hit us. I was also in constant fear of Moby Dick (North Carolina had issued a warning of migrating whales the morning we left) and containers that fell off ships (thanks to Robert Redford’s “All is Lost”). I tried to keep watch to make sure we didn’t hit any, but Patrick told me later that they would have been impossible to see anyway.

We ended up doing two-hour watches, which I felt was perfect. There was enough sleeping time to feel a little rejuvenated and the watch time was short enough to pay close attention without drifting off. We napped in the cockpit. I did because of fear of getting sick without fresh air.  Patrick did because of my fear of not being able to quickly grab him if something was wrong.  It was cold out and not extremely comfortable constantly rolling from side to side in the cockpit, but I have to say I had no problems falling asleep when it was my turn.

The autopilot doesn't work on the boat, so on watch it is important to pay attention to staying on course. Something Patrick made look so easy. I found it more difficult, and it wasn’t until a later trip with a working chart-plotter did I realize the difference a degree could make. Every hour we would plot our position on the chart and make an entry into the logbook: coordinates, time, speed, direction, etc.  I found it to be like driving a car and taking notes- if I took my hands off the wheel to write, we’d loose course. At least there are no guardrails to hit out at sea.

By the time we were getting close to the Charleston channel almost 30 hours from when we started the journey, I was worn out, hungry, and in need of a shower. Track coaches tell runners not to slow down as they approach the finish line. Well I definitely crashed as soon as we entered the channel.  I wanted nothing more with driving plus there were numerous large cargo ships I was too nervous to maneuver around- Patrick even had to steer out of the channel to avoid a couple. All I could think about was whether I was going to shower or nap first once we got to the marina.

I felt so daring and bold being on this adventure. Even so there was definitely a lot of fear inside me as well. A couple times throughout the night I remember thinking that if I made it to Charleston alive I was never going out on an overnight sail again. However after showering, napping, and meeting Patrick’s father for some food and celebratory drinks, I reconsidered. Cruising offshore overnight was one of the most thrilling, exciting things I have ever done. It is one of the rare combinations of excitement and nervousness that make me feel more alive than anything else. I cannot wait to do it again.

The person who says it cannot be done should not interrupt the person who is doing it. –Chinese Proverb

Hurry up and wait

After the boat was launched the fun didn't start yet. It was very exciting get the boat in the water but we still couldn't use the boat yet. I still needed to have the survey finished, submit that to the insurance company and get final approval on the insurance. Plus, I just found out that the alternator doesn't work, so I had to fix that before we left or we would not have anyway of charging the batteries, as the solar and wind are not hooked up yet.

The first night the boat was in the water, I was very nervous and decided to sleep on the boat with a crash pump waiting on the dock just to be sure nothing went wrong. Nothing turned out to go wrong and Veronica and I had an enjoyable night playing cards and getting used to being on the boat. The V-berth turns out to be a very comfortable place, as long as you are not in one of the crack between the cushions. And the first drink on the boat was some MD 20/20 courtesy of Ian, the CFBW yard worker who helped us out so much to get us where we were, and some Bud Light to wash it down (much needed). If you ever need a great boat yard where they will leave you alone when you want to, but willing to jump in a help out with anything, anytime, Cape Fear Boatworks is the place to be. Highly recommended!

After the excitement of the launch, there was still a lot of work to do before we could take off and go sailing. I got the surveyor back down to finish off the survey and go over anything that he wanted to see. It all seemed to go smoothly and he said he would have the survey back in a couple days, which he did. I submitted it to the insurance company when I got it back and started work on the suggestions in the survey. The new dodger, Bimini and sail cover were finished up and installed and makes the boat look great!

Installing the new covers!

The alternator was the main priority as we needed to charge the batteries at sea. After troubleshooting the charge controller for it and completely by-passing it, I determined that the alternator itself was not putting out any voltage. So, I pulled the alternator out and brought it to the shop. A couple days went by and nothing was heard from the shop, so I stopped by to see what was going on. The voltage rectifier was shot and they stopped making the parts for it. What!?! The alternator is last years model and they don't have parts for it! I don't believe it. Going back and forth for a while, I ended up buying the stock 80 amp alternator that came with the engine just to be on my way and get going. I will try and fix the Balmar later...

X-Mas Decorations!

Veronica on the other hand, was busy making the boat look nice. She finished painting the aft cabin and started making decorations for X-mas.

Finishing up the Aft Cabin

She also planned out all of our provisioning and stuff we needed for our trip. We went shopping and stocked the boat and started living on it at the boatyard. She kept the boat organized and was a huge help with getting it ready even though she has never really been on a boat before.

Provisioning!

The insurance company came back and said that they didn't like the survey and I had to fix everything above and beyond and have it resurvey before they would sign off on it. They wouldn't even give me only liability. The agent supposedly "working" for me didn't seem to know that much about what was going on and I felt like was against me the whole time.

I started to shop around, asking the owner of the boat yard for advice and got another one of his friends as an agent that he uses for his boat to shop around for me. I gave him my info and the survey and he had the same result because he only had the same insurance carrier that I already had. He did find out that the surveyor called my agent and basically told him that my boat was a POS. How low can you go... I felt beat down, defeated, and never lower in this whole project. But I was not to be defeated.

I picked myself back up and got the help of the boat yard. We fixed everything on the list that was wanted by the insurance company. I glassed up a rotted bulkhead by the water maker that probably leaked there. I fabricated a sealed propane locker because what was there was too big apparently. I installed a new bulkhead to protect the steering cable. I installed battery switches on the batteries because the ones down below were not close enough. I proved that the shore power system was wired properly by using a multi-meter and basic electrical knowledge. The tech from the boatyard helped out and we fixed everything within a few days. I called the surveyor back to come take a look.

Rotted bulkhead under batteries: BEFORE

Bulkhead after!

 "You've got a little dry rot here Boss. At least it's above the water line. Every boats got it!" 

In the mean time the owner of the boat yard came back with another agent that was supposed to be the best of the best. I got a call from him and gave him my info. By the close of business that day I had a policy in place and was on my way! It happened so fast! The first agent that I felt actually worked for me and got what I wanted, and all for a third of the cost of everyone else! I highly recommend him and can let you know if you want more info. I told the surveyor that his services were no longer needed. And I can let you know who to stay away from too! I may have made some people mad, and some people made me mad, I see it as the customer is always right and you don't want to get in the way of me and my dream. We took off that night to make the tide under the highway bridge... but that's another story.

Ready to go!

“If you are going through hell, keep going.” ― Winston Churchill

Speed bumps to the launch pad...

Well a lot has happened since the last update, so there will probably be a couple coming up soon. I just haven't gotten around to updating it even though a lot of exciting things have happened! (Seems like I start every post out that way)

Anyway, after the mast went up I thought all I had to do was install the propeller when it came back and finish the survey to satisfy the insurance company and be on my way, or so I thought.

While we wait for the propeller to come back from PYI in Washington I was plugging away at various jobs to get the boat ready for launch. I rigged up the mast, boom, sails, and everything that was taken off before, was put back on. She is really starting to look like a sailboat again! I got most of the electronics working as well as the fire place! It turned out to be a life saver later on!

After waiting and waiting, the propeller came back from PYI and looks brand new! Awesome! I get the yard mechanic to help put it back on because he took it off while I was gone and knows how all the gears go back together. As we get all set up and go to put it back on, there is something that is not quite right...

There is no key-way machined in the hub! They forgot to machine it in when they made a new one! After a phone call and complete disbelief by the guy who made it, I brought it to a local propeller shop to machine a key into it. PYI paid for it to be done and I would highly recommend PYI for anything, they did a great job and the propeller looks brand new! It was just a slight oversight, one of those days, that was fixed easily, although the local prop guy didn't want to do it at first because it was such an expensive piece.

After the prop was installed, final preparations were made to put her in the water. The travel lift was brought over and she was all hooked up and waiting to get wet!

Today was the day that she was going to go in! A huge milestone after a years worth of work to get to this point. A lot of blood, sweat, and tears went into her to get her ready. I have never been so nervous in my life. I have all these scenarios running through my head about what could go wrong, but I knew that I prepared her to the best of my ability and that what ever happened I could fix it.

I was pretty much shaking when she finally hit the water. I jumped on board, still in the slings and the travel lift walked the boat back to the end of the lift well. Okay, I was ready to go, and she was lowered into the water. She floats! That's a good thing I guess, I didn't buy a boat that doesn't float. I go down below and check every opening that could possibly leak water, sea cocks under sinks, bilge pump over board, and the engine... the engine! It's leaking! It's coming out of the impeller cover I put on, a new Speed Seal that is supposed to ease the changing and prolong the life of the impeller. I closed the sea cock and took off the impeller cover, realigned it and put it back on. Opened the engine sea cock and no leak! Awesome. But looking in the bilge there was still water leaking from the back of the boat?

I looked at the propeller shaft seal and could see water gushing in. Oh no! I thought to my self that I was going to have to pull the boat and take the shaft out and fix it. A huge job. It is one of those drip-less shaft seals that is supposed to be maintenance free. Then I thought, it has been sitting for a long time, let me try starting the engine and turning it over. The engine, by the way, started up first try and ran great! I turned the prop over and went back to check. No water! Awesome! It seated the seal and stopped the water. Plus I got to learn that both of my bilge pumps work great!

Next comes the first mini sea trial of the Stella Maris. We (Veronica and I) backed her out of the lift well. She has plenty of power with that nice and big prop and plenty of HP. We took her up the river a little ways and then back down. We learned that just about everything on board that needed water to work, did; like the engine, the depth and the refrigerator, but the alternator turned out not to put out a charge. It is an expensive 110 amp Balmar with an external charge controller, it should work! And I will troubleshoot it later. We did some circles and then practiced docking at the Cape Fear Boatworks dock. Where she would end up staying, much to our dismay, for most of the month...

“The brick walls are there for a reason. The brick walls are not there to keep us out. The brick walls are there to give us a chance to show how badly we want something. Because the brick walls are there to stop the people who don’t want it badly enough. They’re there to stop the other people.”
― Randy Pausch, The Last Lecture