Sailing on Stap Isi

Tropical Storm Cindy and preparations for Dennis

When we decided to stay in Mobile for a few weeks, live on the boat, and work on our translation manuals, we knew that there was a certain risk involved. It was, after all, hurricane season and the experts were predicting a particularly active hurricane season. But we figured that if a hurricane did make its appearance in the Gulf we could just take our boat up river to safety and wait it out. What we did not figure on was being pinned down by a tropical storm while a hurricane took aim on Mobile.

Tropical Storm Cindy brewed up in the Gulf and made landfall just west of Mobile on Wednesday. With winds of 70 mph it was just short of hurricane status but was not strong enough for us to head up river. We put extra lines and fenders on the boat and waited out the storm tied to the dock in Mobile.

While Cindy was moving through Mobile, hurricane Dennis was moving north through the Caribbean towards Jamaica. Projections had it aiming towards the Mobile area and developing into a major hurricane. So on Wednesday we watched Cindy with one eye while tracking Dennis with the other. If we were to make a move it would have to be quickly.

Thursday morning we woke early and turned on the TV to catch the latest weather report. The storm was taking aim on Cuba with 145 mph winds making it a strong category 4 hurricane. The projected track still showed it taking aim at Mobile. It was time to leave. We refueled the boat, drove to the grocery store for some last minute supplies, and stopped by West Marine for an extra anchor and line. By 10 AM we were ready to go.

Our plans at that point were to try to reach Demopolis, Alabama about 200 miles up river. Demopolis had a nice marina and a travel lift that would enable us to haul Stap Isi out of the water if necessary. If we could average about 50 miles per day, we would make it to Demopolis on Sunday.

The trip to Bates Lake (July 8,9)

It soon became apparent that we would not be able to make Demopolis. Tropical Storm Cindy had dropped a lot of rain in the watershed to the north and all of that water was now making its way down river towards Mobile. As we proceeded north we watched our speed drop from 5.5 knots to 4.5 and finally to 3.7. It was time to consider other options.

We anchored Thursday night in Briar Creek about 25 miles north of Mobile. This was a popular hurricane hole and many Mobile boaters took their boats there to wait out hurricanes. We wanted to check this out and see if we might just hang out there.

Friday morning the hurricane was still pounding Cuba and aiming for Mobile. We called a friend back in Mobile who had used Briar Creek as shelter to see what he thought. He strongly urged us to continue north. During a hurricane, Briar Creek would fill up with boats, some well anchored and some not. Those that were not would drag down on other boats causing as much or more damage than the hurricane itself. So at 7 AM we started north again.

It was a long day as we motored along at about 4 knots. The sun beat down on us and the temperature was in the 90s. After about 12 hours we reached a small inlet called Bates Lake. During our trip down river in January we had anchored one night in Bates Lake. It was a fairly sheltered inlet with good holding for anchors. In addition there was a small community located along the southern shore. So if things when seriously wrong, there would be people around. We pulled in and found a suitable place to anchor for the night. Tomorrow we would look around for a good place in the inlet to wait out the hurricane. That afternoon several other boats came in and anchored. It was nice to have company around.

It was a peaceful night. At first light on Saturday we heard the sound of motors as the other boats made their way out of the inlet. They were all power boats which were able to make much better headway up river than we could. Most of them would easily be able to make it to Demopolis. After they had all left, we moved further up the inlet and found a sheltered area along the north side of Bates Lake. If the hurricane took a course to the east of us, most of the winds would be from the north. So if we stayed close to the north side we would be in the lee of the trees. We put down two anchors and started getting things squared away. Everything that was loose was either taken below or tied down securely. Dennis was now in the Gulf and strengthening again towards a category four. By Saturday afternoon we were as ready as possible.

By Saturday afternoon the first rain bands made their way ashore. A large squall line came across Bates Lake about 6 PM with high winds, rain, and lots of lightning. The winds came in from the south and blew Stap Isi up the inlet. We had set the anchors for a north wind and were a bit concerned that the south winds might pull the anchors out of the mud. But everything seemed to be holding well and we did not think much more about it. By Saturday evening things had calmed down again. The evening weather report showed the hurricane with 145 mph winds bearing down on Mobile. The projected course showed it coming directly over Bates Lake.

Hurricane Dennis (July 10)

By Sunday morning it was raining lightly and the wind was starting to increase. The hurricane was wobbling a bit in the Gulf and taking a more northerly course. That was excellent news for us as it would take the storm east and then north of us. About 10 AM we heard someone call out on the marine VHF radio for any boats anchored in Bates Lake. We responded and had a nice chat with Ed, the owner of a trawler who had come in on Saturday afternoon. He had found a nice little hole on the far end of the inlet and had tied up between some trees. It was as “bulletproof” a setup as one could find in a hurricane. After talking a bit, Ed invited us to come down and tie up to his boat. Our first reaction was to tell him that we would just wait it out at anchor. But the more we thought about it the more we liked the idea of being tied to a boat that was tied to trees. It turned out to be a great decision.

When we tried to haul up our anchors we discovered that our main anchor had, in fact, tripped in the storm on Saturday and was just laying on the bottom tangled in its own chain. There is no way that it would have held us in any kind of serious winds. When the hurricane hit, we would have dragged into the trees or into one of the boats anchored behind us. In just a few minutes we had the anchors in and motored down to Ed and Lee’s boat. We tied up and relaxed a bit for the first time in several days.

By this time it was clear that the hurricanes path would take it to the east and north of us. It would come close enough that we would still catch some wind, but nothing like the 145 mph that we had feared. On Sunday afternoon Ed and Lee invited us over for dinner. As the hurricane moved closer, we ate spaghetti and watched their satellite TV. Around 6 PM the storm made its closest approach. The wind kicked up to around 50 mph and we stood at the back of Ed’s boat and listened to the trees cracking and the branches falling in the woods around us. In about 30 minutes it was over. The storm was passed and the wind started to settle down. We went back to the TV and then called it a day.

Heading Home Again (July 11)

Monday morning dawned with a bit of drizzle and a nice solid overcast. Ed and Lee had decided to continue north towards Demopolis. We figured that with all the additional rain that Dennis had dropped in the watershed there was no way we could continue north. So we cast off from Ed and Lee’s boat and made our way back out into the Mobile River. With the current we were making about 7-8 knots and with the overcast it was a pleasant trip south. All day we were passed by power boats heading south. Everywhere there were barges and tugs tied up along the side of the river. The harbor at Mobile was closed so all the commercial boats were sitting tight.

About 4 PM we arrived back at the Dog River Marina and tied up again to the dock. The power was still off and the water in the river was still quite high. But it was nice to be back again and off the river. We were so thankful for God’s protection and for Ed and Lee’s hospitality during the storm.

Our plans at this point are to remain in Mobile until we have to drive north for our son’s wedding. There may be a few more hurricanes come along this summer, but if there are we are going to head north and tie up in Ed and Lee’s hurricane hole.

March 4 – Leaving Mobile

Sailors tend to be a superstitious bunch and one of those superstitions is that starting a voyage on Friday is very bad luck. We thought of that as we pulled out of Dog River into Mobile Bay on Friday morning. Of course all that superstitious stuff was just silliness, but it is a big ocean out there and to be honest if we had had the option of waiting a day we probably would have. But we had a six day window of good weather in which to make a six day trip so cool rationality won the day.

Other than being Friday, it was a beautiful day to start the trip. We had light winds and calm seas as we motored down Mobile Bay. Because the bay is so large, it took us six hours before we came to the last buoy marking the end of the Mobile Ship Channel. Now we were officially in the Gulf.

As soon as we cleared the last buoy, we hoisted the sails and shut off the motor. In the light winds the speed soon dropped from the 5 knots that Stap Isi was making under motor to under 3 knots. That simply was not going to do. Because of time constraints we really needed to average 5 knots or about 120 miles a day to make our window. So down came the genoa (a large foresail) and we fired up the motor again.

The rest of the afternoon was spent making final preparations for the first night. Kyle ran jacklines from a bow cleat to heavy stern cleats. With harnesses and tethers, these jacklines allowed us to remain tied to the boat at night and in heavy weather. We have a rule that anyone on deck by themselves, at night, or in heavy weather clips onto a jackline. By dusk, the boat was squared away and we were ready for our first night on the Gulf. The winds were still light and we were still motoring. With our fuel on board Stap Isi could make about 450 miles so there was no concern about running out of fuel on this leg.

Kathy took the first watch of 6 PM to midnight. Kyle dragged his sleeping bag up on deck and got a few hours sleep while the boat gently rolled and the motor droned. At midnight Kathy went below and Kyle settled in for the midnight to 6 AM shift. There were a million stars and the boat was moving well a over 5 knots. Night watch is a great time to sit and think and pray. A couple times dolphins would come by and swim along with the boat, their presence detectable in the darkness by the splashes when they jumped. It was a beautiful night and a wonderful way to start the journey back to PNG.

March 5 – In the Gulf

A little after midnight the wind started to pick up and we were soon in 10 knots of wind. The seas also picked up to 2-4 feet. Kyle was thinking about raising the genoa again and proceeding under sail but did not want to wake Kathy. (We have another rule that no one goes forward at night without getting the other person up on deck. Our biggest fear is for one of us to wake up one morning alone on the boat.) At 3 AM, though, the quiet of the night was broken by the beeping of an alarm. At first Kyle thought it was the autopilot acting up again. It had stopped working earlier in the day and he had been able to fix it. After a couple of minutes of hitting all the buttons on the autopilot to no avail, he realized the beeping was an engine alarm. He checked the control panel and found the low oil pressure light blinking and beeping.

At first this was not a concern. The alarm had gone off one time before while coming down the river and it turned out to be a loose wire. Kyle went down below and checked the connections but the alarm continued. By this time Kathy was on deck and she shut down the engine so Kyle could check the oil. The dip stick came up completely dry. Suddenly it looked like we had a situation.

Where would three quarts of oil disappear to? At first there was no evidence of a leak, and the engine had not been smoking excessively. Finally Kyle found oil sprayed on some fittings and it became clear what had happened. The raw water strainer (the device that filters seaweed and debris out of the engine cooling water) had broken off its mount, fallen and punched a hole in the oil filter.

At first it did not appear that this would be a big problem. Our biggest concern is that we had run the motor for several minutes after the alarm started sounding before we identified the source. Hopefully the engine was not damaged. We had spare filters and more oil so it should be a simple matter to put on a new filter and refill the crank case.

The raw water strainer, however, proved to be another thing entirely. There was no way to secure the heavy brass filter without getting into the battery compartment and removing one or more of the 50 lb deep-cycle batteries. By now the wind and seas were up and the idea of working on the motor while loose batteries galloped around interior of the cabin was not a pleasant prospect. In addition to that, the close work on the engine in the heavier seas had given Kyle a roaring case of sea sickness. So the work on the motor was punctuated by mad dashes to the rail.

Finally at about 4:30 AM, Kyle gave up the fight and crawled up to the cockpit, covered himself with the sleeping bag, and tried to get a grip on his stomach. We had left the main sail up and with the better winds the boat was still making 3-4 knots. Kathy kept an eye on things while Kyle tried to recover from the sea sickness. Finally at about 6:30 AM with the sun rising he felt a bit better and was able to tackle the strainer again. But he still could not find a good way to secure it. It was OK just sitting there, but if seas really got heavy there was the potential that it would start banging around in there and damage something else. Finally with nothing else to be done, he positioned the strainer as well as possible, closed up the engine compartment, and went on deck to get the genoa back up.

We figured that if we had fairly gentle seas (under 5 feet or so) for the duration of the trip, we could make it Isla Mujeres and make the repairs there. But if it looked like the weather was going to deteriorate it made better sense to return to Mobile for repairs. So our trip all depended on the 1 PM weather briefing we had scheduled with Eric Esbensen at the National Weather Service office in Mobile. He had been watching our weather window for us and would let us know how things looked further south.

It was a beautiful day for sailing and the boat was making 5-6 knots under sail alone. The sun was out and it was picture perfect. We enjoyed napping in the cockpit or reading while we waited for 1 PM. Finally Kyle called Eric on the satellite phone and got the briefing. It looked like we were going to soon encounter 20 knot south winds that would continue for a day or so. With those winds we could expect at least 5-7 feet seas and a lot of pounding as we proceeded to windward. That was not the news we had hoped to hear. When Kyle told Eric about our engine problems, he recommended that we abort the trip and return to Mobile. There would be another weather window later on.

So 100 miles into the Gulf, we turned the boat around and plotted a course that would take us back to Mobile. The wind vane (a kind of autopilot that works by wind power) was steering the boat and the conditions were great for sailing. During the day the wind continued to strengthen as it slowly veered around to the North.

As dusk approached we squared everything away and got ready for the night. Again Kathy would take the early watch and Kyle the late one. As the wind continued to veer we had to sail closer and closer to the wind in order to make our course. That meant a rougher ride as we beat into the waves. Spray was blowing over the boat and the occasional wave would wash over the bow. Finally the wind shifted to where we had to make a decision. We could either start tacking under sail to maintain our course or we could lower the genoa and start up the motor. We decided to go with the motor so Kyle clipped onto the jack line and carefully moved up to the bow. Kathy lowered the halyard while Kyle wrestled the sail to the deck. With the waves washing over the bow he got the sail down and tied securely to the deck.

• March 6 – Back in Mobile

The rest of the night was not a comfortable ride. We pounded into the waves with the wind directly on the nose. Kathy went below to try unsuccessfully to get some sleep. It was good to see that the motor was doing well and that it apparently had not been damaged by running with low oil pressure. Finally light began to appear in the east and soon, just as we were approaching the entrance to Mobile Bay we were treated to an absolutely stupendous sunrise.

Entering Mobile Bay we were out of the larger waves. It was a pleasant six hour trip up the ship channel to Dog River. Kathy got out the camera and took a bunch of pictures of lighthouses and fishing boats. Soon the channel markers appeared that indicated the channel into Dog River. We radioed ahead to the marina to inform them we were coming and they were ready to help us get tied up when we arrived.

The first order of business was to get the boat squared away. Because of all the spray, everything was coated with salt crystals. So we took the hose and gave the boat a fresh water bath. Then it was time for a hot shower and a rest. Just before dinner, Greg and Gloria, some friends we had met here in Mobile stopped by to invite us out for dinner. After dinner we went to bed and slept for 14 hours.

Right now we are working on the boat and waiting for another weather window. It looks like it could be the third week of March before it is safe to try it again.

January 11-15, 2005 – Mobile, AL

This week we are working on maintenance on Stap Isi and preparing it for the next leg of the trip. Since we knew when we left Moline that we would be making the trip to Mobile almost entirely by motor, we had not worried about getting the sails and rigging all set up. Now it is time to do that. We are sending our main sail to a local sail maker for some modifications, checking all the lines, sheets, halyards, and standing rigging, and basically getting the boat ready to sail. By next week we hope to be ready to take it out into Mobile Bay for a shakedown cruise. Our plans at this point are to be here for about two weeks and then start on the trip to Panama.

January 16-22 – Mobile, AL

One of the questions we are asked frequently concerns how we will keep the batteries charged while on the ocean. Being strong believers in having redundant systems, there are three methods available on Stap Isi for charging our battery system. The engine has a 40 amp alternator so an hour of running the engine would replenish about a day’s usage. We also have a 1000 watt gasoline generator on board that can power the battery charger. While under way, the main method of keeping the batteries charged will be a wind generator. This is basically a small wind-driven alternator mounted on a long pole at the stern of the boat. In strong winds it can generate up to 40 amps of current.

Since we had been running the motor so much up to now, we had not worried about installing the wind generator. But when we leave Mobile it will be under sail power so it is time to get the wind generator up and running. This is one of our big projects for the week.

On Monday we finally got connected to the wireless internet system at the marina and were able to download two weeks of email and also to upload the logs to the web site. Everything was put on hold for a bit while we worked through a large backlog of emails.

The rest of the week was spent on various projects on the boat. Mobile has several excellent marine stores so we were able to find or order all the items that we need. On Saturday a cold front with high winds came through and as soon as the temps come up and the wind dies down we will be taking the boat out into Mobile Bay to do some shakedown sails.

January 23-29 – Mobile, AL

On Wednesday we were finally able to get the boat out onto Mobile Bay and get the sails up for the first time. We spent a few hours just sailing along on different points of sail and trying everything out. It all was going well until a shackle holding the main sheet broke and sent a block whistling over Kathy’s head. That was the end of the sail for the day. We got the main sheet cleated down, dropped the sail, and motored back in.

We had been saying that one of the goals for this time in Mobile was give everything that had a mind to break a chance to do so. It is much easier to replace parts at a marina in Mobile than it will be on the Gulf or in the Pacific. As soon as we got back in to the marina we replaced the broken shackle and then just to be safe went ahead and replaced all the rest of them on the boat. We also re-checked all the of the hardware to make sure that everything was fastened down tightly.

On Saturday we had a chance to visit the National Weather Service office in Mobile. Through a friend of a friend, we got to meet Keith and Eric, two of the forecasters at the NWS office. Eric is an avid sailor and was able to give us some advice about routing to Panama this time of year and also helped us out by introducing us to some of the weather resources on the web. When we get ready to head South, he and Keith said that they would assist us with choosing a good weather window.

Now that the boat is sailing, our plan at this point is to get it out on the bay every chance we can. Again, we mainly want to make sure that everything is functioning perfectly before we leave and to fix anything that is not.

February – Mobile, AL

February was spent putting the finishing touches on the boat and thoroughly testing everything on Mobile Bay. We alternated between sailing and working on the boat, installing something and then going out to test it on the bay. By the third week of the month everything was ready to go and we were just waiting for a weather window.

The trip across the Gulf of Mexico to Isla Mujeres should take us five to six days so we are waiting for a window of at least five days during which the winds and waves are manageable. Eric, the National Weather Service meteorologist, is working with us to find a safe window. Originally we had hoped to leave Mobile on February 27th but the NWS models showed two weather systems moving through the Gulf that week. Not a good time. So we are looking now at the first weekend in March.

While we are looking forward to being on our way back to PNG, we don’t want to take unnecessary chances. The goal is to actually get to PNG. So as February comes to an end, we are waiting and taking the opportunity to sail on the bay every chance that we get.