The morning sunrise was spectacular. I felt very confident as we made twelve knots motor sailing north. Bruadar was now well into the Gulf Stream. Our newly installed SSB and Pactor Radio Modem was working well. I had spent a few years studying Amateur Radio and the wonderful benefits it could bring us while cruising. After some hard work and studying I earned my General Class License; this meant we could communicate with the almost anyone. With Bruadar's SSB we could use radio voice communication as well as data/e-mail via a Pactor radio modem to keep in touch with the world and more importantly Commander's Weather Service. Early on in the trip planning process we came to the decision that an outstanding weatherman on the payroll was worth the a small fee. After all, we were in the Gulf Stream were things can go wrong quickly and the peice of mind seemed well worth the $150.00 it cost for a professional offshore forecast. A few times a day I would send e-mail to friends and family as well as update our position on Winlink. (http://www.winlink.org/positions/PosReports.aspx) Our friends could log in daily and look up our progress. Our nephew, Thomas Updike (3), would look at our position each evening and say "Uncle Dan and Auntie Ebeth!" As our romantic day offshore came to a close we experienced porpoises dancing under our bow. What a great sign of luck and the omen of a successful voyage. This was to be the highlight of Bruadar's first offshore passage.
As Ebeth and I approached the North Carolina coast from 90+ miles offshore things started to get complicated. Ebeth was starting to feel really seasick. The Admiral had suppressed these feelings for a full day but now it was starting to catch up. The only way she could feel OK was to lay in the fetal position on deck. This meant that the Captain had not really had any time off watch. After 28 hours at the helm I knew that our plans to hit Beaufort, NC, just did not seem realistic. I went below deck and fired up the radio modem to check my e-mail. More discouraging news, Commander's Weather Forecast was letting us know that the wind was about to increase to 20+ knots from the north over the next two days. This meant that the moderate 10 foots swells we were in would now increase to 15-25 feet as time progressed. The strong headwinds would also slow our progress. While below deck I could not help but notice the bilge pump was running a lot..... what was going on? My worst fears were realized when I peered into the engine room and saw a heavy stream of water running from the stern tube. It was time to get out of the Gulf Stream and head for land.
More to follow......
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