Phil and Rudys Adventure - Chapter 2 (read from bottom to top as this is a real-time entry)

10:07 am, Saturday: We return to Constitution Marina after accumulating 197nm without stop over 39.5 hours with an average speed of ~5 kts, 6 hours of sleep each, one blue fish, one destroyed mainsail and lots of fun stories. Now its time to sleep. Stay tuned for chapter 3 scheduled for live unrehearsed, non-stop acton commencing on October 24th 2014

Prairie Gold returns 

6:35am - Prairie Gold just passes 10,000nm

Now 36h into trip and we have jet passed Minots ledge. Total elapsed miles in this non stop sail are 183nm which is 59nm in the past 12 hours.

4:43am Saturday 

Not much time for sleep. Rudy and I each took a two hour rotation. Seas to active, 2 crew needed. Will sleep when I get to the marina. Sailing at 6.5-7kts with just the genoa

4:26am Saturday

Navigated through the Cape Cod Canal at about 10 its with the goal of anchoring at the other end and sleeping. There was little wind in Buzzards Bay so we thought rather than motoring toward Bsotn we would sleep and hope for wind in the morning. As we were nearing the end of the Canal, the air took on a chill and was damp - the climate was changing. As we got to the end of the canal the wind came up and we have been sailing close hauled since. Winds have grown to 25kts apparent and we are happy for a dodger which has stopped us getting soaked many times. However we have still received face fills of sea water and are glad to have fowl weather gear. About 12 nm to Minots Light.

Sunset

Trying to use the 90% jib as a main sail - we tried everything, even my underwear

7:08pm - I just realized that SPOT turns off 24hours after it is activated so it looks like we stopped. She is now back on again. If it looks like cut through land....

7:00pm - We made it - We made it through the Woods Hole channel locally known as the Hole. We passed through about an hour before slack water at 9.5kts. At 6:35pm we hit 24 hours of the journey, or should I say "adventure"? We checked the mileage and found that we covered 124nm in that 24 hour period. In the first 12 hours we had reported that we had covered 55nm. Thus, in the second 24 hours we managed 69nm. Significantly, a large portion of this transit was with a single sail. Initially, we were on a run with a reefed main only (until we tore it - no, destroyed it [pictures to come]) then since about 10am we have been sailing on a genoa alone. Of course the secret to the success is that we caught the current as we rounded the tip of cape cod, then as we passed through the Rip channel we caught a current and managed to maintain it through the Hole, and still in Buzzards Bay. Fortunately, the Cape Cod Canal has turned to our favor, so we are slowly sailing up to the canal then will pass through while its in our favor. Not certain if we will anchor somewhere for the night or will head non-stop back to Boston. TBD. Time to cook some fish

4:37pm - You may wonder why I haven’t posted for so long on this trip. Well ----- we only have one functional sail! We were heading south toward Pollack Rip channel and the wind was +25 from the stern. We had part of a mainsail only and were sailing nicely. As we gybed to begin our entrance to the channel an ENORMOUS tear formed in the mainsail. If you follow our track you will probably see that we did a loop. The reason was to head into the wind, unfurl the mainsail (what was left of it) and lower and tie to the boom.  Once completed we headed back to the Rip Channel (aptly named) and passed through uneventfully. Once through the channel we have tried all sorts to get two sails. We tried using our 90% jib as a mainsail, with a lot of effort but little success. So now we are sailing on our 135% genoa and making good headway.

We need to make it to Woodshole by 7pm to get a favorable current. If we do we can then get a good current at the cape cod canal.

While this has all be unfolding we caught a nice bluefish just north of Nantucket – tonight’s dinner. Time for a nap and a rotation of crew. Now we are physically tired as well as just tired.

7:20 am - First shark sighting. Now Rudy has the rod out!

7:10 am - Wing-on-wing. Current is now against us, we are on time for the channel. Time to make breakfast

6:35am - 12 hours elapsed, 55nm

5:50am gybe main, headsail out, broad reach 5.4kts, 24nm to pollack rip channel

5am: Twilight. It's going to be a glorious sunrise and we could do with some radiant heat to start warming us.

4:35am: Passed Highland Light. Can hear the surf crashing on the beech. A few minutes ago we heard a coyote! We have been sailing since 1am with mainsail alone and are making about 5kts SOW on a dead run, 6.5kts SOG.

3:53am: aout 1.5kts of current in our favor. At this pace we will arrive over 2h early to Pollack Rip channel

3:12am: Two cafe lates looking at the stars the moon and cape cod. Life is good

2:50am: Accidental Gybe wakes me. Preventer added. Off the tip of cape cod. We might be going too fast for timing the Pollack Rip channel current to our favor which turns at 12 noon.

1am: making fast progress again - 5.5-6 knots. Rudy awakes. Sleep time for me

Winds have picked up to about 20 kts true

Midnight - Gybe the mainsail. 

11:57pm - running wing on wing, speed back up to 4.7kts. wind still turning so will need to gybe the mainsail soon

11:37pm - gybed headsail 

11:30pm - as predicted the wind is turning to the west and we are almost on a run. Speed dropped to 2kts but now back to 3.5hts

10:47pm - first watch shift. Rudy goes to bed. Phil hAs water, chocolate and a miller lite - just in case. Moon is lighting the sea.

10:14 pm - Just had a dinner of sausages (bangers) bbqed on grill with fired onions, potatoes and garlic. And of course an IPA. Winds ~ 11kts, beam reach, making 5-5.5kts SOG.

8:31pm we have been sailing all the while. Just exiting the southern channel near Hull. 4-5kts SOW, 10kts apparent wind on a bean reach. Will soon make course correction for the tip of cape cod
6:50pm sails out - a beautiful evening
6:35pm disembark
6:15pm Thursday 09.11.14

You may remember that in the spring we sailed Kalue to Maine. Today we will go for a trip on Prairie Gold around the Cape. I will try to give real time up dates in this blog entry with a summary after the trip is over. Check out our location using SPOT on the right hand side of the blog entry.

Just finalizing preps for the trip.