First Offshore Experience (part 2)

We were sailing along in a good 15-20kt breeze when Rob noticed the odd bend in the mast. I looked at it and right away knew something wasn’t right. It didn’t look like a ‘normal’ bow or bend like when the mast is out of tune. It was more of a bulge, a crooked spot, right around the boom above the deck. We both thought it appeared abnormal and we just weren’t willing to risk loosing the mast for the sake of making it to our destination. Could we have made it? Probably, but it was a serious risk in our minds and not one we were willing to take lightly.

So we took down the main and headed back to port, feeling a bit defeated. We knew we would need a tow into port since the motor was out. The entrance was upwind and we simply couldn’t sail into the wind with the jib alone. The sky was cloudy, the wind was pretty strong, and the seas seemed to be building. The last forecast we heard said it would be a worse day than one before. So the decision was made to go ahead and call for a tow.

I’m not going to go into all the details, but let me just say that SeaTow was absolutely horrible. They refused to honor my membership, dropped us at anchor inside a channel, and charged us 6 hours for the 3 hour tow. A few moments after the SeaTow guy left, a TowBoat US captain showed up (its a busy port). He had passed by earlier and knew we were getting screwed by SeaTow… So he stopped to help, in the way a fellow boater is supposed to. He said there was a free dock right around the corner and he’d give us a tow over to it (And why did the SeaTow guy not mention this?!) Not only did he tow us for free, never asked for a membership or anything, he also came aboard and diagnosed our motor problem for us. He then recommended a local mechanic and even called him up and asked him to come down. This was in the evening on a Sunday… The mechanic came down and had our motor running in no-time. He just happened to have the right spare part at his house…

Now, that’s good service… No questions asked, no arguing, no charge, no bullshit. Just good service. I’ll never use SeaTow again. They are a big company that has no interest in helping their customers out, all they want is that money and they’ll do whatever it takes to maximize their profits. TowBoat US, on the other hand, is a franchise operation. The captains are local to whatever community they work from and it’s in their best interest to provide a good quality service.

Drew abandoned ship at this point. I think he had enough excitement for one weekend We still had to get upriver back to the marina. But now that the motor was running, all was well once again. Well except for the big hole that SeaTow dug through Robs bank account…

Whats funny though, is that the sun had come out, the wind died down, and I’d imagine the seas were calm once again out on the Atlantic. The weather for the entire weekend was almost the exact opposite of the forecast.

Anyway, we went and had a good meal at a local waterfront restaurant. I couldn’t really afford it, but I figured we deserved it. As soon as we ate and were back on the boat, we both passed out and slept for the next 14 hours. Rob and I had stayed up manning the ship for more than 30 hours straight. With only a wink or two of sleep in between intense physical activity, mishaps, and helm time. I’m really surprised how sore I was the next day. It seemed like every muscle in my body got a good workout. And I didn’t do half the work Rob did. I know he was pushing himself to limits he might not have known existed…

So, we woke up early to catch the morning upriver current, and set out once again. The motor back upriver was as pleasant as motoring can be. The antique Atomic4 purred like a kitten once again and we had a pleasant and relaxing trip up the scenic Cape Fear River.

All-in-all I had an a great time Despite the moments of intense fear and impending doom, I loved every minute of it. I’d do it again in a heartbeat, except next time I’ll be a little more prepared. I feel bad for Rob about the whole SeaTow thing. This trip shouldn’t have been so expensive for him. But, it is what it is at this point… I have to say Rob did an incredible job. He never hesitated to put himself on deck (which is one of the scariest places on Earth!) in the middle of that storm and take care of whatever needed to be done. I’d crew for a guy like that any time.

 I learned a lot on this trip, which I’ll share in another post. But, the one thing I learned above all is that a small sailboat needs to be offshore ready before heading offshore (no, really!…). You hear people talk about “well, if you wait for the right weather, you can go anywhere”. But there’s a major flaw in that theory… The ocean doesn’t give a shit about you and your little boat, and it doesn’t care what NOAA says it should be doing. If something is ready to break, in WILL, and it’ll probably do it at the worst possible moment…

Anyway, I’ll work on another post about the actual learning experience of this trip. A lot happened in such a short period of time, it’s hard to work out the details. The entire trip we were in a constant state of action. You simply couldn’t let your guard down, even when trying to rest, not even for a moment. Whenever a problem would arise, it was either do or die. You either take care of that problem, or founder. Period.  I mean, you can’t just give up… there’s no pause button or time-out. You can’t pull over to the side of the road and take a break. You simply can’t quit. Ever. It’s not even an option… You have no other choice but to keep going until the end. It’s an amazing feeling to be in that type of situation, and as scary as it was (at times), I loved it.