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Friday, 11 April 2014

Sailing Italy to Malta


February 21-5  2012
The Bora wind eased overnight and by mid-morning had dropped enough that we were able to cast off the lines and leave the marina without the risk of being blown onto the dock, surrounding piles or nearby boats. Tim is very experienced at helming Moksha in confined areas and we were certainly impressed again at how skilfully he extricated the boat from a reasonably tight mooring in breezy conditions.
Wind coming off the snow capped Alps in the distance kept things a little cool as we left Monfalcone.


At last we were underway leaving Duino Castle and the snow capped Alps in our wake. A  month after arriving in Monfalcone we were headed south through the Adriatic Sea along the coast of Croatia towards the heel of Italy for a right hand turn towards Malta. We would then cross the Gulf of Taranto before skirting the Italy’s toe, crossing south of the Straight of Messina and then sailing off the Sicilian coast and on to the Grand Harbour at Valetta on Malta.  All in all we would be covering roughly 800 nautical miles and had our fingers crossed the usually nasty winter Mediterranean weather would be a bit kind to us.
Joining us for the trip was a Slovenian friend of Tim’s, Marko who is also a former employee of the Seaway company which produces the Shipman yachts. With five on board the crew was initially split into two watches with Marko guiding Karen and Rob and Tim providing the instruction for Phil. For the first couple of days we would be alternating the two watches every three hours which means sleep was going to be at a premium.


We never tire of watching the sun dip into the sea
With the risk of unexpected strong gusts from the lingering Bora, once clear of the channel we hoisted the mainsail with the first reef in place along with the full jib. Once well clear of the shore,  the prevailing 14 to 18 knots of North Easterly breeze saw us  getting along at consistently over 10 knots which gave us a little taste of Moksha’s speed.
 
Our first day at sea was largely taken up with getting a feel for the boat and becoming more familiar with her sail handling systems and our roles in the process. At 72 foot she is clearly the largest boat we’ve crewed on and, with her large sails, by far the most powerful. The forces at work demand your utmost respect and any mistake on a line, winch etc could have very serious consequences for boat and or crew. We were feeling nervous and a little daunted but both Tim and Marko were extremely helpful and patient with us.
 
 
In a pattern that was to repeat itself almost endlessly over the next four days, the wind proved extremely variable. At times it blew strongly in the 20 to 25 knot range with gusts over thirty and at others dropped to almost nothing forcing us to fire up the engine. Most of the time we relied on the auto-pilot to steer the ship but we all got the opportunity to hand steer to become familiar with how Moksha behaved. Marko and Rob in particular spent many hours at the helm purely for the enjoyment of it. Despite topping 14 knots of boat speed on the gauge at one point, Rob had to concede the top speed award to Marko who hit 15 on one of his watches.
That be Sicily over there.
Most of our course had us staying well clear of the coasts with just glimpses of land in the distance so to speak but from Brindisi to Castrignano del Capo around the heel of Italy and then again passing Porta Palo di Capo Passero, we sailed quite close in and soaked up the sights as we cruised on by. In between we’d sailed just south of the Straight of Messina, the narrow water between Italy and Sicily. Here the wind is squeezed between the land masses and picks up pace big time giving us a fairly exhilarating downwind ride surfing the good sized swells. We had a good view of Sicily’s Mt Etna just on sunset and hoped Europe’s most active volcano might give us a show during the night but unfortunately she was feeling sleepy on this particular evening.

With a three hours on, three off regimen we started to feel a bit sleep deprived after the first couple of days and with the rough sea state Rob battled a bit of seasickness that he sometimes suffers at the start of a passage after being ashore for extended periods. It was also cold, very cold. Even during the day, we were well rugged up but at night both of us resembled red versions of the Michelin man.


Tim, Marko and Karen soak up the morning sun

We could of safely taken on anyone in a game of strip jack poker and won purely through having so much to lose. One night Rob counted up that he was wearing 22 items of clothing, 2 shoes, 4 socks, underpants, long johns, jeans, wet weather pants, t-shirt, thermal top, 2 woollen sweaters,  hoodie, beanie, wet weather jacket,  2 inner gloves, 2 motorbikes gloves and a life jacket.  Despite having more layers than a millionaire’s wedding cake we were still chilled to the bone after three hours on deck at night. We all wore life jackets on deck, not because the sea was so rough but because with the amount of clothing we were wearing we’d sink like a stone if we did happen to end up in the icy water somehow.  It also took so long to get dressed for a watch you had to set your alarm 20 minutes before handover just to get on deck on time meaning that much less sleep.
When day three dawned with clear skies and sunshine it lifted everybody plus with Tim now feeling confident enough to let us take watches on our own, we also all benefitted from getting some extended sleep breaks. Pure heaven.
Moksha had been setting a cracking pace most of the way from Monfalcone but the wind dropped out almost entirely on the final evening and we spent much of the last night motoring towards Valetta. After completing our midnight to three am watch we had the opportunity to sleep in but were out of our bunks early not wanting to miss seeing our approach and entry to Malta’s famed Grand Harbour.

Tim at the helm as we enter Grand Harbour

Guarded by massive sandstone fortifications dating back to the early fifteen hundred’s when the Knights of St John made Malta their home for 278 years, Grand Harbour is a magnificent sight from the sea. Sailing towards the safety of the twin stone breakwaters we couldn’t help but think of those vessels that had passed before us, everything from the ancient trading galleys and square riggers to the brave merchantmen who survived the Nazi onslaught as Allied convoys fought their way through to relive the island in WW2 that had followed our exact route. Sailing under the forts towering over us on all sides entering  Grand Harbor we were very aware that we were surrounded by living history.  With a ten days or so planned for this stop we were really looking forward to exploring beyond those huge walls as soon as possible.
 
 
We had a berth booked at the Grand Harbor Marina and were guided into our mooring by the mariners to end our first passage on Moksha. She was placed right in the highest profile spot in the marina. Tieing up right alongside the stone wall by the promenade and straight over the narrow street from the Casino and string of Cafes we quickly drew a small crowd of onlookers.  We then spent the next few hours cleaning  and squaring things away because if Moksha was going to be in pride of place we were all determined she was going to look her best.
 
At last five tired bodies  headed off the boat for a much anticipated English breakfast. For us it was still hard to believe that we were really living our Mediterranean dream and actually sitting in a 500 year old square in Malta with a plate full of bacon, sausages, eggs and hash browns.
Life is good!


Moksha moored in pride of place at Grand Harbour Marina


Rob, Karen and Phil relax after the passage (Yes he does look a bit like like Billy)

To stay right up to date with what we’re up to these days and see lots more photos check out and 'like' our Dreamtime Sail Facebook page at Dreamtime Sail on Facebook

If you have only recently discovered our blog and would like to read how it all started, or work through our previous adventures, click the link to go back to our first blog entry. Stuff it. Let's just go sailing anyway.  We hope you enjoy reading the previous posts to catch up on our story.



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Thursday, 10 April 2014

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Wednesday, 9 April 2014

EPIRB and PLB Spring Check List


If you read THIS POST last week then you know we are trying to help you check the safety gear on your boat before Spring arrives and lots of boating gets under way. This week will will focus on EPIRBs and PLBs. Both EPIRBs (Emergency Position Indicating Radio Beacon)  (**note that the link is very helpful but a bit dated as the 121.5 MHz signal is no longer monitored as an emergency response signal and is now used as a fly over homing signal only**)and PLBs (Personal Locator Beacon) operate in the same way. There are differences including a longer battery life, floatation and deployment options, but they all have a battery life and expiration date! 

EPIRBs and PLBs operate on the 406 MHz frequency, if you still have 121.5 EPIRB you will need to replace it.
Starting on 1 February 2009, the Cospas-Sarsat System stopped processing signals from the deprecated 121.5 MHz and 243 MHz beacons; now only signals from 406 MHz beacons are processed. The switch to 406 MHz is expected to result in a substantial reduction in wasted use of SAR resources on false alerts while simultaneously increasing the responsiveness of the system for real distress cases.


COSPAS-SARSAT

If you have an EPIRB or PLB locate the battery expiration date and check it.
If you do not have one you should strongly consider purchasing one.
The gentleman in this post was not going to buy one but we encouraged him to purchase at least a PLB and it saved his life.

EPIRBs have to have a minimum battery life of 48 hours, they are designed to float in the water up right and transmit a signal, they also have a tether line to tied them to you or your life raft. EPIRBs come in Manual Deployment Versions and Automatic Deployment Versions. The Automatic Deployment EPIRBs have a housing and a Hydrostatic release unit that will set the EPIRB off and release it from the housing, allowing it to float to the surface and transmit. EPIRBs are also available with and with out a GPS transmitter built in. The GPS will help narrow down the search area.

PLBs will have a minimum operation time of 24 hours, they all have to be manually deployed and even though some models float they are not designed to float up right and transmit in the water like and EPIRB. PLBs usually have to be held with the antenna facing the sky. This doesn't mean your signal would not transmit if there was not a clear view of the sky, it is simply the best case scenario. Most PLB models have the built in GPS transmitter which will give rescuers a better idea of exactly where the user is.

So the check list is as follows:
Be sure the EPIRB is a 406 MHz and not a 121.5 MHz operating unit. It is OK to have both.
Be sure the battery is not expired
If the battery is expired find a factory authorized replacement center in your area.
Preform the manufactures self test
If it is an Automatic Deployment Unit check the date on the Hydrostatic Release
(good for 2 years)
Make sure the Housing is in working condition
For PLBs
Check the battery and perform the self test.

Safe boating is the best boating. Come back later in the week as we highlight some rescue stories and introduce you to AMVER (Automated Mutual-Assistance Vessel Rescue System , there are some rescue stories like these that resulted because of AMVER.

Also don't forget to fan us on Facebook for our Daily Deal section of our Website using QR Code and a password only fans get... the savings are Awesome!!





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Sunday, 6 April 2014

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Saturday, 5 April 2014

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Friday, 4 April 2014

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I scored a pretty nice deal in the scrap bin at Home Depot. Three, 5/8" plywood wall panels (4ft long x 3ft wide with a 1/2" tongue & groove) for the grand total of $4.01 which I intend to use as a the building frame. Purists may argue that such building materials have no place in a historical bark canoe, but various books I've read mention how many native builders (Jocko Carle, William Commanda, Dan Sarazin) used plywood forms later in their building careers for ease of use. This generally involved a building frame constructed in two symmetrical halves, but I figured using three small panels would work too while also being easier to carry and store.

With my wife away on a 2 day business trip, I hijacked the condo balcony for the purpose of marking out the frame. It was tight but I could just maneuver around. The three panels were layed out on foldable sawhorses and marked out the centre a chalk line. The positions of the centre, intermediate, and end thwarts were also marked out in permanent marker.


Plywood panels taking up on the balcony; Chalk line centre

Then using the same technique as the building bed, panel nails were lightly tapped into position on this lines so that a flexible cedar batten could be bent around them, forming the curve of the hull. This was sketched out in pencil and formed the cutting guidelines.


Panel nails & cedar batten; Finished guidelines

After another visit to the Carpenter's Square where I also did some simultaneous work cutting out square staves from some 2x12 scraps also in the discout bin), the plywood panels were cut and the form emerged. Below are the assembled and disassembled pics back on the condo balcony.



Completed form panels lined up; panels disassembled for transport


Another small step completed.
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Wednesday, 2 April 2014

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Tuesday, 1 April 2014

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Sunday, 30 March 2014

The Nameless Creek


I've seen that guy before - down on the Salmon River - a skinny guy, the low black racing canoe, the short black racing paddle, and the rapid stabbing stroke.  Our conversation goes threefold over our last, we add four words..."how you doing?" and "good".   I think he likes me.

I head downriver and upwind from the Tariffville put-in into new water to me.  Fall continues onward towards us, the trees more red and more gold than the last time I was here, and the temperature just reaching "long sleeve shirt".



A mile or so into it, I spot a heron's head watching me over the top of the shoreline grasses.  It seems that there is a pond back behind there, and as I near that bird, I find that it is fishing from a foot high beaver pond.  I stop and spend 20 minutes taking a photo survey of the dam.



Downstream another hundred yards is the big bend that I've seen on the maps, the bend that turns the river back south and east and towards its eventual terminus at the Connecticut River.  When I get to the bend I discover that there is a nice creek coming in on the outside of the turn, and the river, having become a predictable quantity, is no match for my curiosity.  I turn into the creek.

nameless creek

My nameless (yet) stream has a good current, but nothing that I can't paddle against, and it is choked with deadfall trees, but nothing that can't be maneuvered around.  I enjoy the break from steady paddling...weaving in and around and through tight combinations of downed trees, all the while compensating for the swirling current.  It keeps the mind busy...its almost mathematical, the calculating of the canoe's inertia, summing the differential effect of weak current on the stern and strong at the bow, passing an inch from an obstacle...by plan and not by chance.  Usually, I get it right, but not always.  Some ten or fifteen minutes up I spot a fly fisherman.  I have a schedule to keep today, and so I turn and leave him and his fish undisturbed.



Back at the big bend, before returning to the put-in, I travel downstream to where the current begins to pick up.  It's a good place to turn back, and keep my schedule.


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