When I first started thinking about doing serious blue water sailing, I started looking for a way to make my first passage a safe one.  I had read a lot about different races across oceans and I knew I was neither interested in nor qualified to join a race across an ocean.  But a Cruising Rally where all of the boats are cruising yachts crewed by cruising couples with augmented crew of sailors who enjoy cruising on the ocean, "Perhaps this is the way to make my first off shore voyage as captain of my own boat." I thought.

I started looking through magazines for articles on cruising rallies and reading advertisements.  One of the oldest on the east coast was the Caribbean 1500 Cruising Rally sponsored by West Marine. "When it's time to head South, join the event hat has it all -- briefings & inspections, large volunteer crew list, daily weather services en route, position sharing and festive parties before & after.  It's the perfect way to get to know other boat owners who'll be sailing in the Caribbean this winter." The rally sailed from Hampton, Va. to the British Virgin Islands.  I wasn't real sure where Hampton, Va. was, but I new the rally started from the end of the Chesapeake Bay.  I thought this might  work out well because I could sail to the Annapolis Boat Show and then on down to Hampton for the rally.  So I contacted Steve Black, the rally organizer for more information.

The brochure and web site looked like just what I was looking for! I read all the articles I could find on the Caribbean 1500 in Cruising World, Blue Water Sailing and other magazines.  I like what I read, especially:

1. An organized sail with support from the rally leaders and other boats through daily radio chats.
2. Slower boats would start a day early to allow time to complete the rally with the larger faster boats.
3. Complementary Rigging inspection to insure the safety of the boats as well as detailed safety inspections of the entire boat.
4. Daily weather briefings.

So I sent in my reservation.  This was even before I had purchased Quietly!  But I knew I wanted to cross oceans and explore the world on a sailboat.  Silly man... Or so my friends thought.  No one believed I would really be doing this.  But then I have surprised many skeptics over my life.

You don't have to read very many sailing magazines or books before you run across an article about how someone has been working to make their sailboat perfect before setting sail.  These are the people who are still tied to the dock years after they start working on their boat.  Everyone will tell you that you must have some deadline to get off the dock.  For me it was November 3rd, 2002 as part of the Caribbean 1500.

Here it was; Quietly and I are one week before the Caribbean 1500 after nine months of almost constant work.  The hours and days have been long.  Final test of the new Shafer Furling Boom and Carol's new Port Townsend Sails Main sail and Jib are sailed.  Gretchen has finished sewing sheets for the four bunks, and the time is now. Jim arrives and joins Gretchen and me the evening before moving Quietly the 400 yards from Pete's dock down Sunset Creek to Bluewater Marina, the official harbor of the Caribbean 1500 at the end of Sunset Creek.  It's Wednesday October 30th and Jim and I are checking the life vest and safety equipment to be ready for registration on Thursday morning. 

That evening, a hungry crew of, Gretchen Whitney from Washington DC; Gary Matusow from Vail, Colorado; Jim Norton from New York and myself make a trip to COSO in Pete's truck to provision for the trip. The projected trip length is 10 to 14 days with four days of crew parties following in Tortola plus four days of briefings and preparation here in Hampton means food for three weeks. We are expecting good weather and a pleasant voyage where we will grill and eat our meals in the cockpit each evening. So our food includes frozen meats, chicken, pork, and salmon not to mention everything to go with it.  Sandwiches for lunches along with eggs, meat and cereal for breakfast each morning, that's a lot of food to be stored away on board.  Gretchen takes responsibility for packing it all away.  A huge job!

Thursday, October 31st - This week is the first cold weather of the coming winter in Hampton, VA.  It is a cold and rainy morning,  something probably not expected for the first week of November by any of us as only a few dozen people are milling around in the damp cold, when we arrive at the tent promptly at 9:00 in the morning for check in and registration.  There is a sign at the entrance to the tent saying the check in has been moved back to 10:00.  I stick my head in and see three people busily setting chairs and tables up.  We all head back to our boats to get warm.  We go back again at 9:50 looking forward to a cup of hot coffee but the coffee pot is  empty and the dozen donuts are gone as more than 100 people had come out of the rain. 

Today is the first briefing when we will get general instructions and instructions for the vessel safety inspections.  These inspections along with weather and routing help are the primary reasons I and several other boats have joined the rally.  I am looking forward to having Quietly inspected by other knowledgeable boat owners and the opportunity to learn from them, both while they are inspecting Quietly and while I am inspecting their boats using the  safety inspection checklist prepared by the rally organizers.  However, we are told that this year, we are to inspect our own vessels and have our crew sign the safety inspection. 

I am extremely disappointed with this last minute change ... This is one of the touted benefits of rally participation that I signed up for and it is just done away with without any explanation!  I know that other captains were looking forward to this as was I, not only to have three other trained eyes looking over our preparations, but to learn from one another different and possibly better ways of making our boats safe and ready for ocean passages. But my crew and I go through the safety checklist checking each and every item before signing it and turning it in.

Thursday evening is Halloween and as the children's Trick-or-Treat and the sun goes down, we attend the first of the "lavish parties" promised.  With the cold weather, the party is not in the beautiful marina facilities, but in the freezing cold tent where there are tables with chips and dips, cheese trays and trays of carrots, celery, olives, cauliflower and dips. In the corner there is a table where they are serving wine, beer and soda's.  After 30 minutes the party is pretty much finished and we are talking with other crews about plans for dinner.  Steve Black makes a comment that there will be heat in the tent by morning.

Friday, November 1st  - The morning briefing starts promptly at 9:00 with roll call of all the yachts.  There is coffee and donuts for a "donation" of one dollar and with a cold and hungry group, those are gone by the time roll call is over.  As each captain replies, a packet of sailing instructions is passed to him.  After roll call, the packet of sailing instructions is discussed including radio procedures.  There is to be a ladies meeting later that Gretchen attends and finds most interesting and informative.  We spend the day stowing the rest of the provisions and going through the safety inspection. 

The evening cocktail party is to be a special event as each boat is to bring a hot hors d'oeuvre which will be judged and recognition given for the outstanding contributions.  I'm not sure why, but the judging and party is delayed an hour so the hors d'oeuvre are now cold and the ladies who prepared them are a little annoyed when the judges decision is announced.  The temperature is in the low 40' and everyone comes either bundled or returns to their boats for warm clothes as the tent seems even colder now that the sun is down.  Evidently Steve has not been able to secure heat for the tent as of yet. This evening after dinner on Quietly we sit in the salon talking about the systems and safety equipment on Quietly before turning in.

Saturday, November 2nd  -  The morning briefing is started by Davis,  a member of the 1500 staff.  The weather is improving as at least it is not raining this morning and the sun was out briefly, but it is damp and cold as roll call progresses. We are told that it is not possible to have heat in the tent.  Each captain receives a packet of information about arrival at Tortola and alternate destinations.  Also included is another handout with additional radio information and procedures. 

This morning's discussion is about departure and arrival.  The fleet will depart the docks at Bluewater Marina starting at 10:00 on Sunday morning to be at the starting line and read for the start at 12:00.  One of the other slower boats ask about the early start for slower boats as promised.  We are told that is not an option.  Looking over the fleet, I am a little concerned about not being able to start early as most of the fleet are much larger and faster boats.  Keeping up with them will not be possible I think.  Oh well.  Everyone is enjoying the meeting as we laugh at the discussion that any boat across the start early will not have to turn back and cross the line again, but they must buy a round for the fleet at the finish.  Everyone agrees to be on the lookout for those who cross early...

Included in the packet is a sketch map of Tortola Harbor and the Village Marina there and the area where you can anchor out if you arrive late at night and the "T" at the end of the dock is already occupied. Also included was a sketch drawing of St. George's Harbor, Bermuda along with a very small chart of the Bermuda approach as an emergency destination.  Next was a discussion of the customs and immigration procedures for Tortola.  Hal held up a copy of the forms but when someone ask if there were copies he said they did not have enough to give out to everyone.  It was announced that the weather briefing was postponed until 4:00 in the afternoon so as to get updated weather information.

Most of this day was spent doing final preparations including a trip to the fuel dock to top off all of Quietly's tanks and fill the five "Jerry Cans" we would strap to the stanchions as extra fuel for the trip.  This gave us 150 usable gallons of fuel and when we top of the water tanks a total of 225 gallons of water for the trip.

All of the captains are gathered in the tent at 4:00 pm for the weather briefing when we are told that Steve is trying to get the weather information copied and that the meeting will be delayed 20 minutes.  At 4:20 we are told that Steve is still not finished and that it will be another 20 minutes.  At 4:45 Steve arrives and hands out a seven page weather report listing expected winds for the next several days and on the back page a Gulf Stream analysis. 

After handing out the report Steve tells everyone that the weather looks favorable for Sunday's noon time start and has everyone flip to the last page where he has a suggested point to enter and exit the Gulf Stream.   I am disappointed as I was expecting a thorough weather briefing as Steve had described; "Everyone will get a thorough weather briefing with overheads and a thorough discussion of the weather and Gulf Stream." 

What we got was not a thorough weather briefing!  I have been a pilot for 25 years and I have never received this poor a weather briefing for even a four hour flight, much less days crossing an ocean!  Perhaps this is the norm, but I for one would have expected more than a text description of the weather.  Charts showing several days weather with suggested routings plotted over the weather information would have been more valuable information.  But there will be a brief weather update at 9:00 in the morning and the meeting was adjourned at 4:55 in time for the evening "festive departure celebration" which was the same as the previous evenings cash bar and snacks with the addition of warm chili being served to warm us up in the cold tent.

Roy and Robin (local friends for those who have not red the preceding chapters) had loaned me their son Michael's car.   Robin's sister Ginger and her husband Frank along with  Michael  joined us for the evening happy hours and to pick up the car.  Frank and Ginger were very excited as their offer to purchase a Liberty 44 had just been accepted so they were about to become live-aboards in preparation for setting sail a year from now.  Frank is retired from the Navy and Ginger is a partner in a canvas shop.  With Frank's specialty of diesel engine repair and Ginger's of canvas work, they should have no problems as a cruising couple.  Keep an eye out for them starting next year when you need engine work or canvas!  Frank and Ginger had to get home and we joined in with the discussions of the other crews about getting started in the morning and what  we were going to do when we got to Tortola.

After dinner onboard and a crew discussion on safety and a review of where all of the sea cocks and safety equipment were located, we all turned in a little after 11:00 PM.

Sunday Morning, November 3rd  -  We awake to a beautiful sunrise as we prepare for the departure.

At 9:00 all of the captains gathered in the tent for the weather update as their crews made final preparations.  Steve handed out an updated weather sheet with the comment that the weather was as expected and we would make an on time start at 12.00 Noon. I glanced through the weather sheet and it looked pretty much the same with updated wind forecast. No mention of storms nor significant weather. 

The weather information contracted by the Caribbean 1500 came from Commanders Weather which is the most respected commercial weather routing service.  I had personal experience from their routing of Manina Tari in August 2000 when I was taking my off shore sail training off the coast of Norway.  Commanders Weather had been spot on in routing us around two gales in the North Sea.  I had no reason to question the weather information though I had thought about contacting Herb on SSB to get his opinion of the weather.  Steve had told us in the briefing one morning we were not to contact Herb.

Evidently, on Saturday afternoon "Herb" was telling boats anticipating leaving the East Coast for Bermuda and the Caribbean to stay in port as there was a large storm forming.  And, though I do not have personal knowledge, friends have told me that the local evening weather reports on Saturday night were talking about a forming storm that would impact the East Coast. Many boats in the fleet got caught in this storm with sever suffering damage with several diverting to Bermuda with significant damage.

Steve, the Caribbean organizers and the fleet were not aware of this significant building weather system that would affect the fleet a few days out of Hampton.  If they were, the fleet might have been held in port as is the stated policy of the Caribbean 1500 when significant weather could threaten the fleet. 

In that perfect 20/20 hind sight I should have checked the weather with Herb anyway as in weather forecasting, the more opinions the better!  Also thinking back to earlier in the year at a conference where I met Ken Campbell, founder and President of Commanders Weather, I had been told that the Caribbean 1500 did not contract for the "full services" provided by Commanders Weather.  I know we did not get the forecast charts that we received from Commanders Weather while off the shore of Norway dodging gales in the North Sea the year before on the Mahina Tari.  Perhaps Ken's statement was a personal warning to me that I did not perceive...

At 10:07 on Sunday, November 3rd we cleared the dock at Bluewater Marina and joined the procession of boats sailing out the channel to the starting line which was a sea buoy channel marker just south east of Thimble Shoals Light House.  With 52 boats leaving the docks at the same time, only one incident was reported when another boat clipped the wind vane of Sea Wings.  Otherwise the process was orderly and without problems.  It was a beautiful clear morning, the first in over a week, and looking out over the fleet leaving could not help but bring a lump in your throat!

Sunday, November 3rd, 2002 , 12:00 Noon - The Gun Sounds and we are off!  

For the last half an hour the fleet has been milling around the starting line in preparation for the noon start.  As noon approaches we are sailing back toward the fleet to get behind the starting line. Two minutes to go and we are behind the line and ready for the start. As the count down progresses we make the turn to the starting line and when the gun sounds, we are one of the first boats to cross the line!  It is a beautiful sight to see with all of the boats so closely grouped with all of their flags and sails flying.  Everyone on the crew is smiling and happy to finally be on our way!

As the sun begins to set the fleet is still fairly well grouped.  A few boats are taking the northerly route towards Bermuda and a few others are hugging the coast line.  The few really fast boats are long out of sight, but the remainder can still be seen either close to us or the tops of their sails on the horizon.

The wind has been slight all day and at 6:00 PM we are at 36 40 N,  75 39 W motoring along at 5.5 knots with 4 knots of wind under clear skies.

Monday, November 4th -- The morning chat starts promptly at 7:30 with the roll call by Hal.  The chats are twice daily events at 7:30 in the mornings and 7:00 in the evenings when each boat reports its position, weather, sea conditions, and winds along with any other comments ranging from engine problems to the size of fish they have caught.  It is raining at our location and the winds are down to less than 2 Knots True Wind Speed.  The seas are virtually flat with 2 foot swells from the North East.  We are at 35 31 N, 74 49 W and have covered 117 Nautical Miles since starting.  After the morning roll call is the daily weather update.  By the evening chat the sky is now partly cloudy and the winds have picked up to 10 Knots out of the NW with seas 3 feet from the NE. There could be another weather update if warranted, but  there is none.  My 20-20 hind sight makes me wonder what was not being said here on Monday night with a storm clearly in our path. Someone surely must have known by now...

Tuesday, November 5th -- The schedule is becoming routine by this point.  We check in when called with our position report and weather conditions and receive the wind forecast for today as our daily weather briefing. We are at 34 04 N, 74 02 W under partly cloudy skies with NE winds at 13 and 3 foot seas from the NE. The rest of the fleet is slowly pulling ahead of us as the Mason is known as a very strong and seaworthy craft, but not an especially fast boat.  Those characteristics, strength and seaworthiness, will become critical in the next two days. By the evening chat we have sailing along with a pretty constant 11-13 knot Easterly wind a total of 306 Nautical Miles since the start.  No one has been seasick and everyone is having a good time acclimating to ocean sailing.

Wednesday, November 6th -- During the chat this morning there is no weather report, though some of the lead boats are reporting building winds and seas.  Something to take note of...  As the day goes on, our wind begins to clock more southerly and is increasing to the 17-20 knot range with seas beginning to build to 5-7 feet.  By the evening chat some boats are reporting a lumpy seas and winds above 25 Knots.  Our winds are increasing and seas are building to the 8-10 foot range.

Thursday, November 7th   -- The crew is becoming a little more tense as the weather continues to deteriorate.  At the morning chat the fast boats are reporting that they are through or ahead of the weather and several of the boats in the middle of the fleet are reporting being hove-to.  Our position is 32 53 N 73 17 W and we have SW winds 27 Knots and building seas of 12 feet.  We have pulled in the jib and are sailing under staysail and three reefs in the main.  There is still no weather report during the morning chat and our computer screen from which we can look at weather faxes has broken in the night.

To be candid, the following account is at best hazy in my mind.  This account is from log book entries, a few scribbled notes, and the memory of the crew.  Each of us would tell you that the events took place over two days as time when you are frightened tends to move very slowly.  I have experienced this before in the military in Viet Nam, so I know from experience how the mind deals with such and flushes the memory of things like this...

By mid morning we are attempting to hove-to with winds of 40 knots with gust to 45 in 20 foot seas.

Quietly with her new sails wants to sail out of the hove-to position and by 2:00 in the afternoon I decide to deploy the para-anchor off the bow with a pennant to control Quietly's position in the water relative to the wind and waves as described in the Pardey's "Storm Tactics" book.  Gary and I get the 375 foot 3/4 inch Megabrajd line out and attach it to the shackle of the para-anchor. Next we attach a Schaefer snatch block rated for 6,000 pounds of force to the 3/4 inch line and attach another line to the block which we lead aft to the large port winch. Quietly is laying with the wind approximately 45 degrees of the aft port side with Jim at the helm trying to maintain position.  Gary and I toss the para-anchor off the port bow and watch it as it begins to deploy off the port side.  I do not know what caused the following, but somehow the trip line became tangled in the man-overboard-pole and collapsed the chute.  At the same time the boat came through the wind and sailed across the 3/4 inch line which could have spelled disaster as the line caught in the prop.  Thank goodness I had installed "Spurs" in Florida which quickly cut the line with no damage to the prop and we watched the brand new para-anchor, line and Shafer snatch block drift away...

We returned to hand sailing Quietly in as much of a hove-to position as we could achieve. With the wind and seas continuing to build we took a knock down which ripped the radar antenna from its mounting 30 feet up Quietly's mast.  This with the loss of the para-anchor, I become concerned enough to call a "Pan Pan" to the Coast Guard to inform them of our position and give them our EPIRB information.  I did this because in reading a book that talks about a rescue at sea, it took the Coast Guard most of a day to confirm that the EPIRB of an overturned boat in the Pacific was an actual emergency.  When I called the Coast Guard, I gave them our position and reported that Quietly and crew are Ok but wish to set up a 30 minute scheduled radio call with them as a precaution. I also tell them that if something were to happen I would activate the EPIRB and that would be their signal  there was a real emergency in the event we could not contact them.  With that understood, I took the watch to relieve Gary and Jim who had been on watch.

The funny things you remember...  I remember seeing and feeling  the slow motion of Quietly being knocked down.  While standing on the side of the refrigerator which is now the floor,  watching the starboard window go under water  I looked over my shoulder to see water flowing over the port window and then slowly beginning to again stand on the cabin floor as Quietly stood up after the knockdown.  She took on no water and the modification I had done during the summer installing locks on all of the floor boards kept them in place as well.  I also have this vivid memory of going on deck  after the knockdown and watching the radar dome float slowly by the side of the boat.  There was no way to rescue it.

As best as I can estimate, this knockdown must have occurred around 2:30 or 3:00 in the afternoon, but there is no log book entry for it but the next log book entry simply reads "Breaking Waves seas 40 feet." Half of the entry is in my hand writing and half in someone else's.

When I went on watch to relieve Gary and Jim, I told them to keep up the 30 minute scheduled calls with the Coast Guard.  Jim is a retired Coast Guard Auxiliary Commander so I assumed he was making the calls, though I am not certain.  At this time Gary was extremely concerned.  A few hours later with a Coast Guard C-130 flying around us he told me quietly "We are all going to die."  I assured him we were not.  Gary evidently convinced Jim that we were in peril for our lives as Quietly's engine had quit momentarily even though it immediately started and continued to run.  Someone, I assume Jim, requested that the crew be removed from the vessel without my knowledge.  At the end of the watch when I came down I was told "The Coast Guard will be here soon to rescue us."  Both Gary and Jim told me they wanted to be rescued and extracted from the boat.  Now I had a real problem dealing with the Coast Guard.  About this time C-Clef comes up on the Coast Guard frequency and agrees with me that Quietly can handle the storm far better than the crew and under no circumstances should I leave the boat.  This is the first advice I have gotten which I thoroughly agreed with. The Coast Guard ground station tells me to switch frequencies and talk to the Coast Guard C-130 that is approaching our position. 

Now what seemed like 30 minutes, was probably much less, I was talking with the C-130 pilot  and some command level person ashore who wants to take everyone off the boat.  I explain that at no time have I called May Day.  I can hear the frustration when they want to know who they are talking to and who is the master of the boat. I explain they are talking to the Owner, Master, Captain of Quietly and that I have called a Pan Pan to alert them of our position and EPIRB information only.  All other communications have been with a member of the crew instructed only to check in and report our condition.  At no time have I requested direct assistance. I repeat to the next level command that I have not made a May Day call and that Quietly is not in peril and that I will not leave the boat.  Actually I think I said; "The only way I am coming off this boat is at gun point."

The crew is all standing around me at the radio. I poll the crew. Gretchen wants to stay with the boat even if Jim and Gary leave.  Jim and Gary want off.  I explain the conversation to the Coast Guard pilot who says he thinks he can solve my problem and to get everyone around the radio and turn up the volume where everyone can hear.  I do and he goes into great detail of how the rescue must be done. Paraphrasing; "Because you are a sailboat, the helicopter which is about 30 minutes out can not get near your boat.  Each crew member must put on your life vest and when told to jump into the water, swim 200 yards away from the boat (he may have said feet, but I understood yards) where the helicopter will lower a rescue sling which you must slip around you. You will then be hoisted aboard the helicopter and we will instruct the next person to enter the water and swim out to the helicopter."  While listening to this, Jim and Gary reconsidered.  We were in what looks to us to be 40 foot seas with true winds of 50-55 knots and everyone realized how dangerous it would be to enter the water.  The rest of the crew decides to stay with Gretchen and me on the boat.

I inform the C-130 pilot that all of the crew will stay with the boat and he says something about turning the helicopter back and being glad that no one had to enter the water.  He then told me that the worst of the storm had just passed over us and that weather was clearing to the West along his flight path out.  We talked a little about my flying C-130's in the Air Force, more to help calm me down as anything, I guess.  In any case, the crew of that C-130 were very professional and treated us with respect and confidence.

Another of those things you remember...  looking out of the hatch and seeing the C-130 flying directly over the boat 500 feet over our heads.  For some reason I see it in bright sunlight, but I know it was completely overcast and I seem to remember the 130 pilot saying something about breaking out at 700 feet, but I am not sure.

Later that afternoon and evening we take three large waves that flood the cockpit.  I was on watch and Jim was resting on the settee behind the salon table when one of the large waves knocks the boat.   Gary was thrown into the table ripping  it out of the floor and Gary and the table slam into Jim.  The table then goes crashing about the cabin.  Thank goodness no one was seriously injured though both Jim and Gary got good bruises.

As the storm begins to subside about midnight I here a loud noise and Gary shouted; "I NEED HELP NOW!'  The jib had come loose and was flogging in the 45-50 knot winds.  I take the helm in my pajamas as Gary rushes forward to drop the jib.  As Gary gets to the jib, Jim comes on deck and takes the helm and I run forward to the mast to lower the jib.  Gary on the bucking deck is desperately trying to control it as he pulls it in.  When Gretchen comes on deck she takes the helm and I go forward to help Gary and Jim goes to the mast to lower the sail.  I fall on the sail to hold it on deck and keep gathering it under me as Gary pulls it in.  The wind is strong enough that the sail is lifting me off the deck so I have one arm rapped around the anchor chain to hold me on deck.  As the sail comes down Jim comes forward to help Gary pull it in and puts his foot in my back to hold me and the sail on deck. I am soaked to the bone and beginning to go into hypothermia.  At this point Gary is the only one clipped in, Jim has his life vest on and I am in my pajamas as we tug and pull the sail down the side of the boat into the cockpit and then on into the salon below. By this time I am in hypothermic shock and shivering beyond control but the emergency is past.

I must say this about both Gary and Jim, when the chips were on the line, never hesitated one second to do what was necessary regardless of the risk.  They are true men and sailors without whom things would not have turned out so well.  Gary taught me how to trim sails so that we could get the maximum speed.  Jim was great at diagnosing engine problems and loved being on deck watching the ocean  .... And Gretchen, the rock of the crew who did not have the physical strength of the men,  took care of us and was always there regardless of what was going on. During the ordeal with the Coast Guard, she was the person who along with me could calm Gary and Jim and who knew from her sailing experience that no matter what, we were better off to stay with the boat.

Friday November 8th - By morning the winds and the seas were down and our chat time log book entry reads winds 200 degrees at 16 knots and "moderate" seas whatever that meant at the time.  My guess looking back is perhaps 10-12 feet and slightly confused with two wave patterns slightly different, one following the current wind and a larger swell from the direction of the storm.  Our position was 31 33 N 71 52 W. The winds and seas continued to moderate throughout the day and by the time of evening chat we were motoring at 5.5 knots on a course of 170 degrees in almost calm winds at position 30 40 N 70 42 W.  This morning there is a weather report but it is of no value to us because it is based on 120 mile days out of Hampton.  We and several other boats have been hove-to for most of a day in the storm. Thus the weather report is 100 to 200 miles a head of our position.

Since we are reporting our positions every evening, I question why the weather reports could not be more tailored to the actual position of the fleet.  Certainly C-Clef could have given our positions to Commanders Weather with perhaps three reports produced as their seemed to be three pretty distinct groups of boats...the fast ones way out ahead, the moderate speed boats that did not  hove-to in the storm and the group that hove-to and got really hammered in the storm.

Most of Quietly's crew slept all that we could during the day as we were all exhausted from the day before. Gretchen took the helm and rode the rolling seas east.  Thinking back on it, the exhaustion was a significant contributing factor to our reactions during the storm.  Gary had slept very little since leaving Hampton three days before.  Jim was having terrible headaches which he attributed to a bump on the head in calm condition the second day out. And I started out physically exhausted from working 18 hours a day on the boat for three months with no rest before leaving.  We were in fact in pretty poor shape when the storm hit us.  Only Gretchen was well rested.  She had the ability to just turn the boat off and go to sleep when she needed rest.  That is perhaps why she had the clearest head during it all.

My advice to anyone starting a passage.  Never start on someone else's schedule and never start when you and/or your crew are exhausted.  Make that a rule, I certainly will.

That afternoon I decided to tune in  "Herb" on SSB 12C to listen to his advice to other boats in our general vicinity.  He is talking with "Janus", another boat in the Caribbean 1500 which diverted to Bermuda the day after the storm.  I make a decision to call during "check-in time" the next afternoon rules or no rules.  By now I am not confident of the weather or advice we are getting from the Caribbean 1500 managers during the morning and evening chats.

Saturday November 9th --  After a calm and restful night our morning chat position was 29 52 N 70 26 W with winds at 13 knots at 135 degrees with seas increasing from 2 feet overnight to 5 feet. I ask for some routing advice and am told that we are too far west and that we must proceed east and get to 65 degrees west before we proceed any further south. We turn easterly and start motor sailing into ESE winds of 12 knots.  As the day progresses we are making very slow head way as the winds increased to 17 knots and seas to 5 feet pretty much on the nose.

Sunday November 10th -- We are still lumping it out easterly when finally at 5:00 AM our small starboard fuel tank runs out.  We take the opportunity to change the Racor fuel filter just in case we have picked up some dirt in the bottom of the tank and add one quart of oil to the engine.  The engine restarts on the larger port tank with no problem.  We continue on our easterly heading and our through the water log says we are making progress, but when we plot our positions we are going nowhere fast!  In over 24 ours we have actually covered only 14 miles over the ground.  We report our position at chat time but there seems to be little interest.  We are told we must continue east to at least 65 degrees.  We keep working east very slowly.

This is the afternoon I have decided that I am going to break the rules and check in with Herb.  We make several blind calls giving our position and destination during the check in period which is the procedure.  Herb list us and one of the boats he has heard during the check-in period.  When he contacts us later he seems to know all about our being caught in the storm.  We give him our current position and he ask us to confirm our position and our course.  I confirm our position and our course east.  The first thing he says after this is "Quietly, you should turn south west NOW" with a tone that indicates this is not an idle request.  My finger is all ready on the autopilot course button when when I acknowledge.  He tells me that he is looking at a low forming southeast of us that will track directly on our course.  By proceeding southwest "the frontal line and squalls will still hit you tonight but it will not be as  bad."  After the front has passed by morning we can resume our course.

It is my turn on watch as we approached the weather that Herb had told us about at about 10: 45 PM with an abrupt 45 degree wind shift under clear skies but I can see lightning off to the side of us is coming our way.  Gary comes on watch at 11:00 and I tell him to wake me when we get close to the frontal weather.  It is a little after midnight when Gary wakes me.  He is at the helm with his fowl weather gear on and it is raining with lightning in the area.  I stand on the companion way steps where I can work the main sheet as the wind comes up.  It is just plain eerie looking out over the ocean.  The wind is blowing 20 knots but is is raining so hard that the sea is  knocked down flat and appears to be a white sheet laid out around us. We are in and out of rain squalls for the next 30 minutes and then we break out of the other side into a clear night again.  We continue on our southwest heading putting distance between us and the frontal activity and when Gretchen relieves Gary she does the same until morning when we again turn east trying to get to 65 degrees west. We are now making progress as our position is 29 38 N 67 32 W at evening chat time.

Monday November 11th  - - We continue to follow the instructions of the Caribbean 1500 managers struggling eastward all day beating into the wind and sea, getting nowhere fast to say the least.  At least the weather is nice and the crew is getting some much needed rest when not on watch.

Shortly after 8:00 PM when I was again on watch I noticed all of the engine warning lights dimly lit and beginning to flicker.  I called down to Gary to unlock the floor boards over the engine and check the engine. A few minutes later I get a loud call to come down. I see water flying everywhere as the engine is half submerged in warm sea water and the belt and flywheel on the front of the engine is throwing water in the air.  This is serious!  I grab the manual bilge pump handle and start pumping when after perhaps 10 strokes it starts moving quickly and with that the instant realization that the manual bilge pump had just failed.  As Jim is pulling the floor boards to check all  the sea cocks, I am pulling the Edison Bone Dry Emergency Pump I purchased at the Annapolis Boat Show out of the cockpit locker and hand it down to Gary.  Jim reports no obvious leaks around any of the sea cocks as Gary, Gretchen and I start pumping frantically with the Edison pump.  In moments it is obvious we are making quick progress on lowering the level of the water in the bilge and within a few minutes the bilge is pumped dry. 

By now all of the floor boards are up and we are looking  where the water came from.  Finally I spot a small stream of water running by the main engine exhaust water muffler.  As I look further with a flash light I see that the water is not coming from the muffler, but flowing past from higher in the bilge.  As I trace the stream of water, I find it is coming from the transmission fluid heat exchanger which is mounted where it is almost impossible to see or get to.  After loosening several cable clamps which are holding it in place under the bilge pump motor I free it to where I can now see a small hole in the end spewing forth a small stream of water spraying directly on the electric bilge pump wiring and then spattering on the bilge pump motor which is what caused it to fail.  For water to have gotten to this level, the leak must have been spewing water for many hours un-noticed.  The electric bilge pump would have certainly kept up with the small leak, but was in fact disabled by the spray of the leak.

I remembered the "Atomic Tape" demonstration at the Annapolis Boat Show about how the tape would seal a leak of up to 750 pounds of pressure.  The tape should patch this leak and after 10 minutes and a few feet of the tape, the leak was stopped.  We searched further to make sure that this small leak was the source of our problem and finding no other leak felt confident we had averted disaster.  We kept the Edison pump out and started checking the heat exchanger patch and bilge hourly.

[This certainly proves the need for multiple backup systems, especially when it comes to bilge pumps!  Now, a month later, the bilge pump motor is protected from getting wet and a bilge alarm sounds when ever water levels rise and will continue to sound even if the bilge pump were to fail again.  The Edison pump is kept ready in the cockpit locker should it be needed again.]

Tuesday, November 12th - -  With the problems last night and a tired and concerned crew, I make the decision to divert to Bermuda which is two days away to the northeast.  ( It could take us seven days to get to Tortola because of the winds and seas would be on our nose.)  It should be an easy sail to Bermuda  with 17 knots of wind from slightly ahead of the beam.  The seas are down and the sun is out as we make the turn towards Bermuda.  There is a noticeable sigh of relief from the entire crew and for the first time in days smiles are on everyone's face.  We check-in with Herb in the afternoon and are told we can expect good conditions and winds for the next two days but we need to get to Bermuda before Thursday afternoon to avoid an area of unsettled weather coming off the east coast.

Wednesday, November 13th - Arrival at St. Georges, Bermuda

The weather continues good and we have now sailed consistently for the longest time of the trip.  The wind is ESE at 18 under clear skies.  We should make Bermuda by night fall if the winds hold.  We dump our reserve diesel fuel in our tanks from the four "Gerry Cans" we have strapped to our safety lines.  I want to have plenty of fuel if the wind dies to make Bermuda before Thursday afternoon.  But the winds hold and at 5:10 PM Jim calls me up to see a bright object on the horizon.  I recognize it as the light house high on the hill in Bermuda.  Land Ho!

We sail north along the east coast of Bermuda as night falls.  Everyone is on deck watching the city lights. I am not too concerned about making a night entrance as I was here in Bermuda in July and remember the Town Cut well.  I have the electronic charts up as well as paper charts as we approach the Spit Buoy and Harbor Radio clears us for entrance through Town Cut.

At 10:45PM we tie up to the Customs Dock in St. Georges Bermuda.  Bernie from the St. Georges Dinghy Club is there to meet us and helps us clear in with Bermuda Customs.  We are the last boat to clear before customs closes at 11:00 PM so we are allowed to remain tied to the customs dock for the evening.  We adjourn across the street to the White Horse Tavern before turning in...

First order of business the morning after our arrival is moving Quietly from the Customs Dock to the St. Georges Dinghy Club pier.  Notice in the picture that the flag is still tied in a knot around the aft pole from the storm. 

Docking at the St. Georges Dinghy Club pier entails med-mooring, my favorite {not} thing to do!  But with Bernie's guidance from the pier we make it.  After getting properly tied to the pier, both Jim and Gary take off to get airline reservations home from Bermuda.  Something they manage to do with ease for the next day!  They are both glad to be on land and have had enough sailing for a while...  I can't blame them.  Gretchen decides to stay another week to help me get repairs started before flying home for Thanksgiving.

Here in Bermuda repairing our boats are Bill and Judy from the boat "Janus" and Donald and Susan and their two children, Sally and Teddy, lfrom the boat "Alembec".  We become close friends.  We help one another with problems and enjoy one another's company for meals and sight seeing.  I also get to know Steve and Suzanne Hollis who own Ocean Sails.  They are working on repairing the damage to Quietly's sails, but quickly become friends as well.  Suzanne makes an appointment with their family doctor when I get a case of  spatial disorientation and is a great help in getting parts shipped in from the United States for Quitely. I also had the pleasure of meeting another friend from www.matchmaker.com, Brenda Warwick whom I had corresponded with for over a year as she loved skiing in Vail!  Brenda is a travel agent in Bermuda and has been trying to talk me into working there. But the sea was calling...

On Thanksgiving evening I hear the radio call "Quietly, Quietly, Ocean Sails" about 7:00 in the evening.  When I answer, it is Steve inviting me to their house for Thanksgiving Dinner.  Ten minutes after getting directions, I arrive at their home in St. Georges.  The house is full of friends and family with a huge Thanksgiving dinner laid out on the kitchen counter.  Suzanne is putting the finishing touches on.  I meet their children and their friends along with two other boaters who are in St. Georges.  It is a wonderful evening, one that I will remember for years...

As the third week starts, the repairs are coming along and parts are arriving from the States including the electric drive for the new wench we installed in Hampton for the Furling Boom.  I have learned my lesson... An electric wench is necessary to make the job easy enough for one to raise and furl the main sail.  Roy Tailor has agreed to come and sail with Gretchen and me from Bermuda to the Virgin Islands.  Both he and Gretchen arrive on the same flight three days before an expected weather window.

I am checking with Herb daily now and planning our departure to the Virgin Islands.  While we wait, I run into town and get the cable and a few parts needed for Roy to mount the electric motor for the wench above the bunk in the aft cabin.  Roy is a magician when it comes to this sort of work.  In just a few hours he has it installed and tested.  Herb is saying we can get away a day earlier this evening and we are almost ready.  We think about waiting until morning but decide as Roy and I did last summer to leave in the evening getting a jump on the weather and starting with a nice quiet night sail.

At 11:00 in the evening on December 7th, we clear out with Bermuda Customs and head out of Town Cut for the Virgin Islands.  To the amazement of the Custom's officer,  we toasted  the god Neptune  for a safe and pleasant voyage by drinking Bermudian rum and giving Neptune his share in the sea.  It is a beautiful clear night with bright stars. We decide to split the nights into three watches with me taking the first watch starting at 10,  followed by Gretchen at 1 AM,  and Roy at 4 AM, and then with me taking over from him at around 7 in the morning.  During the days we will alternate as each person is ready for a long nap.  Roy and I have crewed this way together on long trips from Florida to Annapolis and know this works even when there is just two of us.  With Gretchen the schedule works even better.

The sail to the Virgin Islands is totally pleasant and uneventful.  We are making excellent time sailing and motor sailing any time the wind drops our speed below five knots.  We make 176 miles in one 24 hour period which I would not have though possible!  Roy is anxious to get home as he and Robin are driving to Florida for the Christmas holidays so rather than stopping in Tortola, we decide to sail to St. Thomas so he can get a flight home a few days early.

On December 13th (What is it about arriving places on the 13th anyway?) we sail into St. Johns, US Virgin Island and clear in with United States Customs and Immigration a little after 5:00 PM.  We have a reservation (made by Bill on "Janus") at Crown Bay Marina on St. Thomas for the following morning and as it is late, just motor around the corner to Caneel Bay, St. Johns, USVI and pick up a free mooring for the evening.  The next morning motor sail on to Crown Bay Marina where Bill from "Janus" is waiting with a bottle of Champaign for us.   We have finally made it...

By 2:30 PM Roy is on his way home and Gretchen and I settle in for a weeks stay at Crown Bay to re-provision and unwind.

Gretchen and I are to enjoy sailing and exploring the Virgin Islands for over a month before we finally sail across the official finish line at Road Town, Tortola  and thus finish the Caribbean 1500.  Our official finish is logged as following:

You may be asking, certainly I have asked myself, would I participate in a rally such as the Caribbean 1500 again?  I think I would prefer to sail in tandem with several boats the size and speed of Quietly,  to keep in contact and provide reports and support to one another if need be.  Large Rally's like the Caribbean 1500 certainly have their place, but smaller groups of similar boats, like what we did sailing from Bermuda to the US Virgin Islands, I think is better. 

Our small group leaving Bermuda for the Virgin Islands was able to support to another boat that lost it's rudder.  While we staid in radio contact, another boat in the group that was closeer to the damaged boat met up with them and helped them rig a line to steer the rudder.  Cruisers helping cruisers sailing together, I think,  is a much better way to make a passage!

Join us as we Cruise the Caribbean in the section "Virgin Islands"

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