Autumn & Winter 2011 / 2012

Greetings sailors! It has been awhile since we took some time to fill everyone in on the goings on around our sailing school- but we have been busy boys and girls- rest assured!

The Autumn Passage Adventure
As noted on our home page our autumn passage went very smoothly given the adversity and complexity of the weather systems passing overhead. We made it to our winter home in the Tampa Bay area in 17 days from Highlands, NJ!
We departed Highlands after a strong norther filled in creating a favorable west to northwest breeze. We made some nice miles running right down the beaches of the Jersey Shore. Once we get around Atlantic City we started a straight run to Ocean City, Maryland which took us further offshore at the mouth of the Delaware Bay. We try to avoid the rough conditions to be found there... but it did not work out too well! We got pretty beat up for a few hours overnight in the contrary wind over water flow conditions! Unless you have spent an evening sitting in your washing machine it is hard to imagine how crazy a ride we had for 3 or 4 hours! But it was worth it- as we were back in the lee of the Delmarva peninsula and off Ocean City at dawn! Not a bad days work! By that evening we were tucked in a nice anchorage at the start of the Elizabeth River in Norfolk for a good nights sleep.
We started our trek into the Atlantic ICW and southbound at "0-dark-thirty" the next morning. We finally cleared the locks at Great Bridge and started to make some miles towards Coinjock for a big party with our friends on other vessels also heading south. We wooped it up at dinner and everyone enjoyed their long hot showers at the Coinjock Marina.
Departing the next morning we opted to sail on a favorable Northeast wind down the Albermarle Sound out towards the barrier islands. Passing by places like Kitty Hawk we entered into the Pamlico sound for a long spinnaker run until darkness set in and the winds lightened up. Continuing on we motor sailed until very late into the evening in the open waters of the Pamlico and Neuse River coming to anchor in Adams Creek, just across from Oriental, NC. That night we had zero moon and a very very rare spectacular display of northern lights! It was a truly remarkable night sky!
Heading onward at first light we made the offshore jump from Morehead City to Masonboro Inlet at Wrightsville Beach, NC. As the winds were southwest (on our nose), from then on we made our way down the ICW through some of the prettiest country in the lowlands of South Carolina towards Charleston. The section of ICW between Myrtle Beach and Charleston is just spectacular and worth seeing if you ever get the opportunity. Charleston is always a must do stop.
We left Charleston on the leading edge of the powerful norther that dumped an early October snow on the Northeast. Fortunately there was no snow that far south, even the colder air was tolerable, but the shorts went back into the lockers. We had another wild ride in winds gusting to 30 knots, mostly on a broad reach with slowly veering winds until we wound up on a dead run. We sailed from the Charleston breakwater at dawn until midnight when we finally stowed the sails for safety's sake and motored in the by now very large and confused seas. Only the most experienced of sailors could keep the boat under control and not have repeated accidental jibes. We are a sailing school after all, not in a race. Risk is one of the many factors that has to be considered. Since it was such hard work and so difficult to keep a course under sail in the conditions no one was having a good time sailing. Add in the total blackness, the late hour and bouncy ride- the choice became obvious. At one point that evening a huge sea rolled under the boat and I remember being on the back side of the wave pointing upwards and the entire window of the boat still had only the sea in front of it! The sky was not visible! That was a big one... but most ran in the 10 to 12 foot range, so things remained tolerable and under control. We made the St. Johns river entrance at dawn and were in sunny Florida. Even with the front bringing cool air down we wound up in shorts by the afternoon as we grabbed a mooring at St. Augustine. 
As the Northeasterlies continued to howl for the remainder of the week, we opted to avoid what would be treacherous conditions going around Cape Canaveral and instead motor sailed the ICW all the way down to Lake Worth. By the time we got there and sat for a day the seas were calming down and the winds moderating. We changed some crew and headed back out in the late afternoon for a run down to the Keys and then back up the west side of the Florida peninsula. We had another beautiful sail that lasted until north Miami, when the wind finally blew itself out and we were left steaming. By now we had a the last of a perfect half moon as it set right on the downtown Miami skyline. We anchored behind Key Biscayne at 4am for three hours of shuteye before heading into the crab pot strewn Hawk Channel. We cannot motor at night in the pots as the props will grab a line and that's trouble for sure. So we waited (slept) till daylight when we hoped the next weather system would arrive on time and we could sail. It worked perfectly for most of the next day and we sailed 2/3 of the way to Indian Key, where the next front crossed overhead at sunset. By the next morning the winds had settled into the north/northeast and we made our way through the Channel Five cut and up into Florida Bay. During the day we sailed and motor sailed across Florida Bay and sunset found us under sail rounding Cape Romano with the lights and cell phone coverage of Marco Island ahead. Another bouncy overnight sail found us at Sanibel Island at dawn and by days end we were anchored just inside Long Boat Pass a little north of Sarasota and west of our winter home in Bradenton. Within a few hours the next morning we were docked and cleaning up the boat. Another good trip and teaching experience concluded.

Winter Activities in Florida
Over the winter months we are teaching our full menu of ASA courses. Since we do not keep a vessel in Florida for the Basic ASA-101 course we partner with our friends Larry and Terri at Seaduced Watersports to handle the ASA-101 courses. If you are a mono-hull type, we can also send you their way for Basic Coastal Crusing (ASA-103) and Bareboat Charter Certification (ASA-104). If you have come to the dark side of sailing and embrace the speed and comfort of multihull sailing then you can join us for your intermediate and advanced courses on our Maine Cat catamarans. 

Speaking of Catamarans
I don't know who ever decided that you have to suffer to sail but I for one am not playing along with that dogma. I like monohulls, I own monohulls and I enjoy them greatly for a few hours at a time. But I would never sail one any great distance, ever again. Maybe I'm just cranky- but why on God's green earth would I want to stand outside on a slanting surface for a few days traveling at the speed of a medium jog if I had a choice not too? And I do have that choice, so I sail a cat.
That is not to say you are not still a little nuts to embark on a trip that takes 2-1/2 hours in a plane, 20 hours in a car and 17 DAYS on a fast multihull sailboat! You will definately not qualify to be on the board of directors of the sanity committee if you are a sailor, at least not in most people's perspective. But hey, at least I do it flat and fast and I'm standing in a nice indoor bridgedeck. Last time I looked there is not a commercial vessel or warship in the world where the crew stands outside to drive the boat? So I'm not going to either. Especially since I'm paying for it!
So by now I guess you have figured out we are catamaran centric?
I cannot boast that we are the most experienced catamaran school in America for a number of reasons. One, we are tiny so in sheer numbers we'd likely lose both in quantity of students and by passenger mile measures... but apples to apples- we probably are. We have been teaching on cats for 8 years now. We have had a few hundred students on board. The Kathleen D has made 13 trips between NJ and Florida or the Bahamas with students. We live, breathe, eat and sail on catamarans. That is our niche and we are most happy teaching others how much fun it is to sail "on the dark side". So if its cats you want to explore and learn about, you've come to the right place.

Enough already
So let's wrap this up and let you get back to surfing the web. We had a good time, we are going to continue to have more good times. All boats are good, we like them all... but some are better than others. The important part is that you get out and see those northern lights, the moon sets and the sun rises. Take a break from the madness on land, the job, the boss, the house, the kids, whatever. Learn a little, sail a lot and get out and do it, not for me or anyone else, but for yourself. You only go around once and you'll live longer and happier if you slow down a bit.
See you on the water.

Capt. Tracey