Averisera: January 2018 Archives

Valanta: Virgin Islands Charter Prep

By Norman H. Martin on January 25, 2018 6:00 AM | No Comments

The Hanse 400, Valanta, needed a good cleaning and rearranging. Hot work in a rolling anchorage. The results are OK.

View of the harbor from "up the hill" and the USVI have hills. Valanta not visible though off to the left. Great St James Island in background. Christmas Cove anchorage in lee of island.

For some reason, this computer will not publish a portrait image as anything but landscaape. Maybe operator error??

Dishes are clean, lockers are tidy, floor is wiped and the boat is ready for the next sailors to step aboard and sail, sail, sail.

The "rubber ducky" leaks and Norm had some repair materials in his kit for just such an event. The little quick patch from West Marine is OK. The major leaking is stopped. The problem is that the patches do not overlap well so the air weeps in a few places. Much improved, though.

The problem to solve is one of reinforcing the Hypalon at the verry afdt end bottom of the pontoons. No matter how diligent we are, the boat gets dragged up the shore and the tube gets a slice or puncture. "Captain" Norm recommends a sacrifical layer of Hypalon laid onto the exposed areas of the pontoons.

The other idea is to have a nice rowing dinghy in plywood with an epoxy/glass bottom layer.

.The damaged area is repaired with a clear plastic patch, adhesive on one side. There are three of the three inch rounds arranged to cover offending slices. The slices were discovered using a soapy water solution. Bubbles mean leaks. As luck had it, the slices revealed themselves one at a time.

About nine feet long, tows like a dream, strong as a horse and carries a big load. A bit difficult to stow on deck. Difficult but not impossible.

tag: Valanta. Also see Valanta Bermuda to St Thomas

USVI Scenes

By Norman H. Martin on January 20, 2018 12:29 PM | No Comments

Mid-January 2018, Norm sailed in a US Sailing Assoc Bareboat Instructor Qualification Course and snapped a couple of images of the local scene. Yes, he passed the qualification.

A big British catamaran is loading charter guests at American Yacht Harbour in Red Hook, St Thomas. The white shirts and green shorts are a nice livery for the crew.

The view from the water at Secret Harbour resort. We did anchor practice and had lunch here.

A beautiful home with an impressive stone foundation adjacent to the resort. Nice anchorage.

Hurricane destruction. Boats loaded off the beaches in St John onto a barge and carried to Red Hook for demolition. Each boat has a number. We saw numbers in the 60s and there is still a lot more work to do. Some boats a very nice looking. Others appear to be old derelicts finally being removed.

Another view of the same pile of old boats being demolished.

A couple of beach bars at Lindberg Bay which is near the airport. This area got hit hard by Irma and Maria losing a lot of beach sand. A beautiful anchorage.

Fearless Leader?

Cowpet Bay, East End of St Thomas

January Thaw

By Norman H. Martin on January 10, 2018 9:46 AM | No Comments

After the record breaking cold temperatures of a week or so ago, things are much warmer now... just above freezing. Balmy. The Bay and the Sound are thick with ice. Cape Cod Bay has floes piled up on the Brewster and Orleans beaches. In some places the chunks of ice are six to eight feet above the ground. A "strong breeze" will do that. Over on Nantucket Sound, the ice sheet runs all the way down to Monomoy Point. A couple of pictures taken at Paine's Creek Landing of Cape Cod Bay and from Harwichport Boatyard of the Sound.

Winter Storm One

By Norman H. Martin on January 4, 2018 11:42 AM | No Comments

A big cyclonic winter storm is here. Wind and rain soon to turn to snow. Went to boat and removed Mainsail which Elizabeth reminded me we should have done a month ago. I agree. It did not take too long to accomplish. However, we were frozen by the time it was safely below.

Averisera is heeling about 5 degrees in the strongest gusts from the NE. This is from 1100 on the 4th.

Picked up E at her work at noon and went to see the sights at Chatham Lighthouse. Very stormy winds, the USCG station was flying the "storm" flag, a square flag, red with a black square. Then off to the Squire for lunch. Very jolly. Finished our tour with a look at the beach at Battlefield Road Landing. The tide is high in Stage Harbor. Some access roads are closed. At Harwichport Boatyard, the water is almost into the buildings.

The beach is covered with water and there is surf. Wind against tide makes for a big chop. When the current begins to run the other way a lot of water is going to flow into the sea. We expect a new shape to the Chatham Inlet.

Can't see much. That's where the Fool's Cut is/was.

Snow started at 1400, temps down and we're hunkered down.

After the Storm pictures:

The next day, sun, cold, and wind. A view of the Atlantic from Chatham Lighthouse. Compare to the same view during the storm. Seawater was washing up to the base of the cliff. Lighthouse Beach in Chatham survived intact. Nauset Beach in Orleans is almost gone.

The inlet seems very much as it was before the North Easter. Just north of the main inlet is the so-called North Break which seems to have moved south to just opposite of Tern Island off the Chatham Fish Pier.

A friend took this photo of the catamaran I had plans to deliver to the USVI this Fall.