Sailing on Stap Isi

Why return to Mobile?

When we left Mobile for our trip across the Pacific, we thought that we had prepared for every contingency. The boat was well equipped with every manner of navigation and safety equipment and there were several months of provisions on board. We were ready for anything.

Kathy’s diabetes had been a concern for us in planning this trip but because she had been able to control it so well for so long with insulin injections we did not think it would be a serious factor. She had almost a year’s supply of insulin on board and a good supply of healthy foods. There was no reason to think that controlling her glucose levels would be a problem.

One thing that has an adverse affect on diabetics is stress. In the past, stressful situations had had a negative impact on Kathy’s glucose levels, sometimes lasting several days. That is one reason why we spent as much time in Mobile as we did waiting for a good weather window. We wanted to make that first long passage as stress free as possible.

Unfortunately those plans went a bit awry. The gale we encountered three days out together with the other weather systems we were either running from or dodging, produced about as stressful an environment as one can encounter. In addition, we were not sleeping well due to the rough seas and often for the same reason were not able to cook the healthy foods for Kathy. All of those factors hit Kathy hard and by the time we got to Isla Mujeres her glucose levels were seriously out of control. It was almost three weeks before they came back down to normal levels.

We were left in a quandary. Do we continue and just hope for the best, or do we go back and consult with her doctor. After a lot of prayer and consultation with our home church, we decided to return to Mobile so that Kathy could get checked out. Assuming it was uneventful, the return trip would give us additional insight into how she handles the passages. Finally, since we had blown out a sail and discovered a few other items on the boat that needed attention a trip back to Mobile would give us a chance to make repairs and upgrades on the boat.

May 7-8 – Sailing north with the current

After a long wait in Isla Mujeres, we finally had the weather window we were looking for. The NWS models showed about seven days with east winds and no serious storms. That would give us good sailing for most of the trip. So we checked out of Isla Mujeres on Friday, bought some provisions for the trip, refueled, and were ready for an early morning start on Saturday. (We could have left on Friday but were tired of bucking the superstition about Friday departures.)

At first light on Saturday we cast off from the dock and motored north out of the harbor. There is a strong current that flows north through the Yucatan channel and our plan was to head east about ten miles into the channel and then turn north to take advantage of the boost that the current would give. About 30 minutes out we saw three other sailboats leaving the harbor. There had been a Florida to Isla Mujeres race the previous week and these boats were heading back to Florida. It was nice to know though that they would be keeping us company for most of the first day.

Just as planned, as we turned north our the current boosted our speed to 8-9 knots. The wind was blowing at about 15 knots from the ENE – perfect for our NNW heading. Stap Isi was just flying over the waves. The first day passed without event and when we checked our progress the second morning we found that the boat had covered over 180 miles in 24 hours. That is fantastic for a 30 foot sailboat.

One of the problems we faced in our passage down to Isla Mujeres was the lack of sleep caused by having to have a constant watch for other ships. So on the trip back we tried a new approach. Kathy would take the first watch from 7-11 PM, giving Kyle a chance to get a few hours of uninterrupted sleep. Then he would have the 11 PM to 6 AM watch, giving her seven hours. Kyle got a small timer and set it for 18 minutes. During his watch he would sleep until the timer went off, wake up, do a quick scan for other boats, and if nothing was out there set the timer again and go back to sleep. We had calculated that if a ship were coming directly at us, it took about 20 minutes or so from the time that it appeared on the horizon to the time that we would have to alter course. It doesn’t seem possible but IKyle found that at the end of each night his multitude of 15-18 minute naps had left him feeling fairly rested. And Kathy enjoyed the seven hours of uninterrupted sleep.

The second night out we were glad that we were keeping watch. During the night we saw at least eight ships out there. At one point we could see four within about three miles of our position. It seemed that everyone was taking advantage of the boost from the current. Twice we had to slow down or alter course to give ourselves plenty of room.

By the end of the second day we were well over half way across the gulf. If the boat was able to continue at this speed we might make Mobile on Tuesday – a three day passage.

May 9-10 – Stuck in the counter-current

We had been expecting a wind shift to the SE or south and finally on the third day it occurred. The wind dropped to about ten knots and clocked around to where we were sailing almost straight downwind. One would think that sailing straight downwind would be a good thing, but in reality that is about the most inefficient point of sail. The sails are not able to produce any lift and are simply pushed along by the wind. In addition the boat tends to roll a lot making a very uncomfortable ride. Therefore we decided to bring our course around to the northeast to get a better angle with the wind coming over our starboard quarter. That gave us a faster and more comfortable ride – for awhile.

The current coming up the Yucatan Channel goes NNW to within about 150 miles of the US coast. At that point it splits, part of it making a big loop to the west and part of it branching back south again towards Cuba where it becomes part of the Gulf Stream. Our plan had been to ride that north setting current as far as possible. Unfortunately there are no signs marking the boundaries of the current.

By the evening of the third day the wind had dropped to almost nothing so we dropped the sails and started motoring again. This time we had almost 60 gallons of fuel on board so we could have motored all the way across the Gulf. About this time, too we noticed that our speed was starting to drop. We had been making 8, then 7, and then 6, 5 and now just a bit over 4 knots. Normally under motor we can easily make 6 knots. Something was wrong.

Besides the drop in speed, the rudder was feeling stiff. We began to wonder if we had picked up a net or some rope or debris in the prop or rudder that was dragging us. Leaning well over the side, though, Kyle could not see anything on the rudder or prop. Finally we remembered the countercurrent. Had our NE course taken us into the branch of the current that was heading south to Cuba? A quick way to check was to swing the boat around on a reciprocal course and see what happens. When we headed SE the speed quickly climbed from 4 to over 7 knots. AAARGH. We were in a 1.5 knot countercurrent.

So after making amazing headway the first two and a half days, now we were slogging along bucking the current. Fortunately the maps showed that we were close to where the current ended and sure enough, by the morning of the 10th our speed was beginning to come back up.

By the last day the wind had died completely and we were motoring along on glassy seas. We don’t like motoring but with the seas that calm it was certainly a smooth and gentle ride. Around noon we saw our first oil rig and from that point on we would not be out of sight of at least one. Ship traffic also increased enough that on the last night Kyle cut my timer to 15 minutes. Gulls and terns made their appearance. We were obviously getting close to shore.

May 11 – Back in Mobile again

The last night was almost uneventful. We had slowed down a bit so that we would reach the buoy marking the entrance to the Mobile Ship Channel just at dawn. No sense in trying to enter the channel at night. We were motoring along at 4 knots on a perfectly flat sea when at 4 AM the motor simply died.

I couldn’t believe it. We had ran out of fuel on the way to Isla Mujeres just a couple hours from the island. And now the engine died a couple hours from the entrance to Mobile Bay. We had just refueled that afternoon so we knew there was plenty of fuel. Fortunately diesel engines are very simple and there is a short list of things that would make one stop suddenly. A fuel problem is high on the list.

Quickly we removed the dog house covering the engine. Kyle checked the first fuel filter and could see grunge in the bowl. He pulled the fuel line off the engine and tried to suck diesel through the filter. It was completely clogged. Micro-organisms grow in diesel fuel in warm climates. Even though we used an additive that is supposed to keep that from happening, it is possible that the critters were already in the fuel when we bought it. And they had completely clogged the filter.

Fortunately we carry a lot of spares. We quickly found the spare filter elements, put on a new one, bled the fuel lines, and were on our way again in 30 minutes.

The rest of the trip was uneventful and at noon we were tying up to the dock in Mobile. It was a great passage, very relaxed, and at four days and six hours was half as long as the passage down. It was encouraging to see that Kathy’s glucose levels remained in range and we were both able to get adequate sleep.

Departure from Mobile – March 18

On Wednesday we got an email from our friend Eric at the National Weather Service in Mobile stating that it looked like starting Friday we would have about a seven day window in which to reach Isla Mujeres. The only caveat was that due to a weak front moving across the Gulf on Tuesday the 22nd, it would be good if we could be below 25 north latitude by then. That gave us four days to make about 300 miles. No problem we thought so we quickly made the final preparations for leaving on Friday.

There is an old sailors superstition that it is bad luck to start a voyage on Friday. But we did not want to cut a day off our weather window to cater to a silly superstition. Bad move. Friday morning early we cast off from the fuel dock and started down Mobile Bay. We had 45 gallons of fuel on board, enough for about four days of motoring. I had considered buying another couple of 5 gallon containers before we left but decided that 4 days of fuel to make a 6 day trip should be plenty. Certainly in 6 days we would get a couple good days of sailing. Bad move number two.

The First Two Days – Wind on the Nose

The first couple of days were really fairly uneventful. What little wind we had was right on our nose so we kept the motor going and headed south. At this stage in the trip we did not have the luxury of taking our time since we wanted to be below 25 north by Tuesday.

We saw a lot of dolphins the first day and surprisingly they turned out to be the only dolphins we saw on the entire trip. There were a lot of pelicans and gulls and an amazing number of oil platforms. Through the first day and almost all night we were never out of sight of one or several platforms. It was sort of reassuring to look out and see them there.

On Saturday the wind had started to pick up and we put up the sails a couple of different times. But since the wind was still from the south, sailing required tacking and that added miles to the trip. So for the most part we continued under motor. By Saturday night the wind was blowing at 20 knots from the south and the seas had picked up to 4-6 feet. It made for an uncomfortable night and neither of us slept well.

Dawn Sunday found us still motoring and making good progress against the wind which had now picked up to about 25 knots. The seas were in the 5-7 feet range and increasing. We were starting to get a bad feeling about how things were developing.

The Perfect Mesoscale Convective Complex – March 20

That bad feeling proved justified. A little after noon we could see storm clouds gathering in the west and soon could see a squall line approaching. Kyle watched it carefully and it was obvious after a couple of minutes that it was roaring down on us. We had the main sail up at the time to give the motor a bit of a boost so we decided that this would be a good time to get it on the deck before the line hit. We got it down and secured just before the squall line arrived.

Suddenly our world turned inside out. The wind increased to 30 and then 40 knots and then higher yet. There was a weather buoy just south of us and we found out later that it recorded gusts as high as 56 knots. The seas began to build quickly and by 3 PM we were in 15-20 foot waves. The wind was ripping the tops off the waves and foam and spray were being blown across the water. It was at once the most terrifying and awe inspiring sight we have ever seen. It is not often one gets to experience first hand the incredible power of God’s creation. And it is not something that we ever hope to see again.

There was no question of continuing on course through this. We kept the motor on and simply ran with the storm, trying to keep the stern to the waves. Studies have shown that boats are least likely to be capsized by a wave when they are stern on to the direction the waves are traveling. We were hoping that the studies were correct.

By dusk Kyle had been fighting the storm at the tiller for six hours. The power of the waves were just too much for Kathy to handle. And after six hours Kyle was beginning to wonder how much more he had left. There was no way that he could continue at the helm for another six hours. We began discussing whether to call the coast guard to see if they could give us some advice. If the storm was predicted to continue, we might need to consider having them come and assist us. Finally after another hour with no sign of the storm letting up Kyle made the decision to make the call. With having gotten little or no sleep the previous two nights and now with almost 8 hours of fighting the helm, he was done in. He told Kathy to come up and take the helm for just a bit while he made the radio call.

Just at that moment, the wind seemed to die down a bit. We waited to see what would happen. In a few minutes it was clear that the wind was abating. With new hope came new strength and Kyle was able to continue at the helm for another couple hours during which time the wind dropped to 25 and then to 20 knots and the seas began to calm. As soon as things had settled to where the autohelm could handle the tiller, Kyle turned it on, pointed it west to continue running with the seas, and we both collapsed into bed. We kept no watch that night – neither of us really cared if we were run down by a freighter or not.

Go West Young Man – March 22

At first light the next morning, it was clear that the seas had subsided enough for us to alter course and start heading southeast again. We had lost almost 75 miles to westward during the storm; over 12 hours of sailing time. But there was nothing else we could have done. During the day we continued to make our way to the southeast trying to make up the ground we had lost the day before. The goal of reaching 25 north by Tuesday, which had seemed so easy just a day ago, now seemed a bit questionable.

We were able to get the sails up again and finally shut off the motor. In the first three days we had consumed over half of our fuel on board, but we thought there was still plenty left for the rest of the trip. As the day wore on, however, the wind continued to drop until finally there was no choice but to start motoring again.

Each day we made a phone call via our Iridium satellite phone to Eric in Mobile for a weather briefing. Tuesday morning he told us that the mid-week front that was to move through was looking stronger than earlier predicted and that our best move was to be as far west as possible. That would keep us out of the area where it would intensify. After Sundays little affair, we’re all for staying away from intensifying storms. So we headed west.

Tuesday started out with enough wind for us to be sailing, but once again as the front approached the wind dropped to nothing. On went the motor again. Kyle was beginning to get the first feelings that maybe he should have bought that other 10 gallons of fuel, but was still confident that we would make it.

That evening the front approached and we could see cells of thunderstorms lining the horizon. As it got closer we could also see areas where there was no lightning. The plan was to aim for those and hopefully get beyond the front without encountering a storm.

It worked. By 8:30 PM the storm had passed and we heaved to and got a good nights sleep, planning to start east again in the morning.

Now East East East, Faster – March 23 – 25

When we talked with Eric the next morning, he emphasized that we must be into Isla by Saturday. The next front would be coming through on Sunday and it was not one to mess with. We were beginning to be thankful that we had waited for a weather window. We certainly would not want to attempt a Gulf crossing when the weather was actually bad.

So we started east again. We had three days to cover the 300 miles to Isla Mujeres and only about 13 gallons of fuel left. That was about enough for 24 hours of motoring if necessary.

That first day was the best sailing day of the trip. Fifteen knot winds blew from the north and Stap Isi flew along at over 6 knots. We began to think that if this kept up we could cover most of the 300 miles in a couple of days and have plenty of fuel in reserve.

But it did not keep up. By early morning on Thursday the wind had died and we had to start up the motor. Thursday was a day of trying to balance the need to make headway east with the dwindling fuel supplies and the flukey winds. We sailed when we could and motored when we had to and all the time kept an eye on the fuel gauge. We wanted to have at least 12 hours of fuel left when we made that last turn south towards Isla Mujeres. That should leave us a few hours in reserve.

Finally on Friday the wind started to pick up and we were again able to sail almost all day. That was good since we were down to only 12 hours of fuel on board. Still it looked like we would make it fine.

Those three days took a lot out of us. The stress of avoiding the coming storm kept us from sleeping well. We were constantly tweaking the sails or adjusting the course to try to get every knot and every mile out of the boat. By Friday night we were both exhausted. But we were looking forward to spending Saturday night on the dock at Isla Mujeres.

Mexican Marine Rescue Service – March 26

At dawn on Saturday we made the turn south towards Isla Mujeres and ran into a wall. The wind was blowing hard from the south and we were running against a knot of current. The wind was raising the seas up to the 4-6 feet level and each time we pounded into one it lifted the water over the boat into the cockpit. We were soon a couple of drowned rats. That was of less concern to us than our fuel supply. Because of the wind and current we were having to run at higher rpms to make headway, and that was consuming fuel at a higher than normal rate. Kyle was thankful that he had left a safety margin of several hours of fuel.

As the day wore on, though, he began to be concerned whether or not that margin would be enough. We continued to plow on through the waves and wind and we continued to watch the fuel level drop. Finally at 11:30 we saw the large hotel at the northern end of Isla Mujeres. Kyle pointed it out to Kathy and told her that we should be there by one-thir… putt putt silence. The fuel was gone.

To the south was a reef with large breakers roaring over it. To the west was the shore of the Yucatan Peninsula. We were in fairly shallow water so Kyle kicked off the anchor to secure the boat while we got a plan put in place. It was a sail boat after all so we should be able to sail the last eight miles to the harbor. But in judging the strength and direction of the wind it was clear that we would not be able to make the harbor by nightfall. And coming into a strange harbor, threading our way around reefs and shoals, under sail, at night did not sound like a healthy thing to do.

Well we thought, we are only eight miles from Isla Mujeres. We can see it right over there. We will just call on the radio and get someone to come and bring us out a few gallons of fuel. So we called on the marine vhf. Nothing. Call again. Nothing. We tried the marine HF emergency frequency. Nothing. Kyle reminded Kathy that this was the Saturday of Easter weekend. Not the best of times for getting help. There were sport fishers around and each time one went by we fired a flare or two. Nothing, they just went on. This was getting frustrating. We used the satellite phone to call the Coast Guard in New Orleans for the phone number of the Mexican Coast Guard. The number they gave us connected us to what sounded like a bordello in Tampico.

Finally in desperation we called our daughter Melissa. “Get on the internet and look for telephone numbers in Cancun and Isla Mujeres,” we told her. “Then start calling and see if you can find some help for us.” She did and after an hour of calling random hotel numbers found a travel agent in Cancun who knew the person in charge of the rescue service in Isla Mujeres. Melissa gave him our coordinates and he promised to have them come to our aid.

The day wore on and we had about given up hope of receiving assistance when just at dusk the rescue service arrived. They had brought ten gallons of fuel in a huge container. In the high wind and seas we were experiencing, there was no way we were going to get the fuel transfered into our tank. So we asked if they could just tow us in. They were happy to assist and soon we were on our way again, being towed by the rescue service.

At 7:30 PM we arrived in Isla Mujeres and the rescue boat expertly got us along side the fuel dock. Finally after eight days, our passage was over.

The Little Yellow Bird – March 24

I think that the worst day of our trip was not the day of the storm. It was Thursday, the day of flukey winds. We were exhausted and completely stressed out about making Isla Mujeres ahead of the coming front. It just seemed that every step of the way we were hitting obstacles and our options were fast disappearing.

That afternoon while we burned precious fuel motoring for a couple more hours, Kathy told me to look aft. There on the wind vane was a beautiful yellow bird about the size of a canary. It showed no fear of people, hopping down into the cockpit and sitting on Kyle’s leg. It picked a bit at the hairs on his arm and then found a comfortable place out of the wind behind the beanbag chair, put its head under its wing, and went to sleep.

We were amazed. What was a bird like this doing hundreds of miles from the nearest shore. This was not a long distance cruiser with large powerful wings to soar on the air currents. This bird had to work hard to get where it was going. What was it doing here!?

All afternoon the bird slept. Occasionally we had to trim the sails and we scooted it out of the way. It sat patiently and when we were done it hopped back to its place behind the chair and went to sleep. It was our mascot and we were happy for its companionship.

And then early Thursday evening we looked and it was dead. The little thing had come to our boat, spent its last hours sleeping quietly, and died in its sleep. At first we were crushed and it seemed like just one more in the litany of setbacks. But then we were reminded of the scripture in Matthew 10 – “Are not two sparrows sold for a cent? And yet not one of them will fall to the ground apart from your Father. Therefore do not fear; you are of more value than many sparrows.”

We both knew at that point that God would bring us through. He had sent His messenger to remind us that the very hairs on our head are numbered and that He holds us all in the palm of His hands.