# Cabin Boy's Big Adventure



## UnlikelyVoyager (Dec 30, 2009)

For anyone interested in following the progress of a new, long distance cruiser, I've started blogging my cruise from the Big Bend area of Florida, down the Gulf of Mexico, through the Keys, and up the East Coast to New York...

* * *​
About once a week, I look at a tool or a trick that seems totally cool and indispensable, and for that week, that tool seems to be the most important tool or trick for boat building.

Of course, none of these are 'the most important'. It would be hard to build a boat without many tools, including things as ordinary as a good paint brush. But I seem to be addicted to such facinations.

However, this week I realized what really is the most important factor for building a boat (or even for just owning one). That factor is a supportive, enthusiastic, and energetic partner...

Read complete blog post: Most Important Factor

Enjoy: John


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## LandLocked66c (Dec 5, 2009)

Awesome, she looks great! Much better color!


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## sailingdog (Mar 19, 2006)

count your blessings...


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## UnlikelyVoyager (Dec 30, 2009)

*UnlikelyBoatBuilder: Tarpon Springs*

One of the great things about cruising in an 'interesting' boat is that it's easy to meet people. People are just naturally curious about an old fashioned boat like the Blue Moon.

Back in Cedar Key, as soon as I rowed ashore, I met three nice people who had admired the Blue Moon from the pier and wanted to know what kind of boat she was and where I was going. Of course, half the people look at me like I'm a bit nuts, when I tell them, but the other half looks wistful and you can tell they long to cast off, too...

Read blog post: Tarpon Springs

Enjoy: John


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## LandLocked66c (Dec 5, 2009)

The boat kind of reminds me of Toad from "Sea Change"


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## UnlikelyVoyager (Dec 30, 2009)

*UnlikelyBoatBuilder: Jessica Watson*

Today I'm anchored in Clearwater, Florida, having decided I didn't have time to make it into Tampa Bay before dark. Ever since threading the needle into Cedar Key in the pitch dark, I've been over cautious about getting to an anchorage before dark.

Today, I found the perfect anchorage, and then decided to try for something just a wee bit better... Oh bitter irony!

But I'm not emotionally ready to tell that story yet. Maybe later.

Read blog post: Jessica Watson

Enjoy: John


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## UnlikelyVoyager (Dec 30, 2009)

LandLocked66c said:


> The boat kind of reminds me of Toad from "Sea Change"


What's "Sea Change"? I'm not familiar with it.

-- John


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## bljones (Oct 13, 2008)

Great blog, john, I have been enjoying your adventures. You have learned much, grasshopper.


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## CaptGriffiths (Apr 7, 2010)

*Different Boats*

I often get passersby commenting on my 1903 ketch Rosalind. One certainly meets interesting people in this way.


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## UnlikelyVoyager (Dec 30, 2009)

The first night I anchored in the Manatee River, I anchored off Emerson Point Park. This is a huge anchorage that was almost empty when I was there. There was just one other boat, and she was at least a half-mile off.

It was a clear, calm night, with a million stars in the sky. My kerosene anchor light was lit and hanging in the mizzen shrouds. I'd just taken a last peek outside and was tucked up in my bunk with a good book -- "Three Men In A Boat"...

Read complete blog post: Jumping Dolphins, Batman!

Enjoy: John


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## UnlikelyVoyager (Dec 30, 2009)

CaptGriffiths said:


> I often get passersby commenting on my 1903 ketch Rosalind. One certainly meets interesting people in this way.


Wow. Can we trade?


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## Jeff_H (Feb 26, 2000)

Capt Richard,

It is nice to see you show up here. Are you still living in Oxford? 

Jeff


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## UnlikelyVoyager (Dec 30, 2009)

While waiting for the antibiotics to work their magic on my poor battered shin, I have been working on my to-do list. Top on the list today was to mount sidelight boxes in the Blue Moon's shrouds.

Sidelights are the red and green running lights that sailboats must show at night. The Blue Moon came with tiny, electric sidelights, in the shape of a small plastic light that looked like it would be more in place on a kids bike than on a boat.

Even though these tiny lights were barely visible, they gulped enormous amounts of electricity from my solar-driven batteries. Taking another page from the Pardey's books, I long ago decided to use kerosene running lights.

Read complete blog post: Sidelights

Enjoy: John


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## UnlikelyVoyager (Dec 30, 2009)

*Unlikely Boat Builder: On the ICW*

Having completed some chores, like lashing my sidelight box into the rigging, it was definitely time to move on.

One problem: getting back up the Manatee River. When the wind has blown at all, it has blown straight down the river. Not only does this make it difficult to beat out of the river, it has made the anchorage darn uncomfortable at times...

Read complete blog post: *On the ICW*

Enjoy: John


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## UnlikelyVoyager (Dec 30, 2009)

*UnlikelyBoatbuilder: The Boss*

Yesterday, it was finally time to leave Sarasota Bay and head south. Unfortunately, a southerly wind was blowing like stink, as they say. No matter, I thought, I'll just motor. That is why sailboats have reliable engines, and I finally have a reliable engine.

So I left my sail tied to the boom, powered up my engine, and headed south. The engine was reliable, and ran 100% better than before. As I've already said, before the rebuild, the engine had been unable to push the boat into any sort of strong headwind. It could now push us along at 3 knots against a 15 knot wind.

The engine was loyal. It was game. It ran and ran all day. But by the end of the day, I knew the strain had been unfair. It was too much for the little one cylinder 4 stroke. If I wanted it to last the rest of the journey, I was going to have to be fair with it...

Read complete blog post: The Boss

Enjoy: John


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## UnlikelyVoyager (Dec 30, 2009)

*UnlikelyBoatBuilder: Planning is Everything*

One interesting thing about cruising is that, on the one hand, you need to plan ahead, and on the other, you need to realize that hardly anything works out the way you planned it.

Gary Player used to say, "The harder I practice, the luckier I get." But I say, "The more I plan, the better I am at improvising."

Read complete blog post: Planning is Everything

Enjoy: John


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## SoulVoyage (May 9, 2010)

UnlikelyVoyager:
Your _Blue Moon_ looks tried and true and sea-kindly! Nice boat.

CaptGriffiths: _Rosalind_ looks like a GORGEOUS vessel!! I would be surprised if you DIDN'T constantly get comments on her!!

I love any type of boat with a traditional hull shape....they just make my heart go pitter-patter.....the same way I like Biplanes and steam locomotives.

Fair winds.


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## UnlikelyVoyager (Dec 30, 2009)

They say you know when your vacation is long enough when you start thinking about work, again. My break away from the Blue Moon voyage must be almost up, because I am definitely thinking about her!

My new engine is on order and should be delivered on or about June 7th. It wasn't easy to choose one. Here's what I was hoping to get:

* at least 15 hp
* 25" shaft
* as high a gear ratio as possible (3:1)
* as big a prop as possible
* as light as possible
* as reliable as possible
* as fuel efficient as possible
* easy to find repair people (on east coast of US)

Dealers call this a 'sailboat' motor, or a 'high thrust' motor. It's designed not for speed, but for power. And since the Blue Moon displaces about 8,000 lbs, power is what's needed.

Unfortunately, no one makes an outboard that meets all these criteria....

Read complete blog post: Missing Her

Enjoy: John


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## UnlikelyVoyager (Dec 30, 2009)

*On the Road Again*

Sometimes I can be such a New Yorker. For example, here I am, living the dream, sailing on a beautiful boat that constantly attracts interest and questions, learning new things every day about sailing and cruising (and myself). And yet this little nagging voice in the back of my head keeps asking "What are you doing out here? What are you trying to accomplish?"

Read complete blog post: On the Road Again


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## WanderingStar (Nov 12, 2008)

Life is a journey, sailing is a destination.


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## UnlikelyVoyager (Dec 30, 2009)

*Enemy #1*

They call Florida "The Sunshine State", but for a small boat sailor in Florida in June, a better motto might be "The Too-Much Sunshine State".

When I set sail from Steinhatchee in April, I was wearing my Irish wool sweater on deck to keep warm, and zipping myself into a sleeping bag at night. The sun was a pleasant companion who's warming rays were always appreciated.

Two months later, I'm doing everything possible to fend the sun's rays off.

Read complete blog post: Enemy #1

Enjoy: John :hothead


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## UnlikelyVoyager (Dec 30, 2009)

*Natural Florida*

Since my mom and brother live in Florida year round, I get to see plenty of 'developed' Florida. But one of the best parts of this voyage has been the discovery of 'natural' Florida, which there is still quite a lot of. Practically every day I've sailed through long stretches of coast which seem pristine, and I've been using the "Skipper Bob" anchorage guide to find out-of-the-way gunk holes in the most natural settings possible.

Read complete blog post: Natural Florida

Enjoy: John


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## UnlikelyVoyager (Dec 30, 2009)

*Beautiful St. Augustine*

If I had to pick my favorite city in Florida, St. Augustine would win hands down. Helena and I made a short visit here a few years ago, and we both loved it. This time, I had the pleasure of landing in it from the sea side.

I anchored off the Municipal Marina, which is located right downtown, at the foot of the main street. I arrived just in time to sit out the daily thunderstorm, which have started to become a real issue... They come like clockwork every afternoon around 5, and you really need to have an anchor down in a sheltered place before they strike...

Read blog post: Beautiful St. Augustine

Enjoy: John


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## UnlikelyVoyager (Dec 30, 2009)

*Improved Out Of Existence*

One of my goals on the Blue Moon is to get really good at this sailing/cruising business. I've sailed practically my whole life, first with my Uncle Marty (who's sailing the Newport-Bermuda race, right this minute), then with my father, and finally on my own boats, but sailing over 700 miles in a small boat has given me a whole new outlook.

Oddly enough, practically every improvement I've made in how I'm doing things has involved eliminating things. I call this process improving things out of existence...

Read blog post: Improved out of Existence

Enjoy: John


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## UnlikelyVoyager (Dec 30, 2009)

*Bronze Casting for Boat Builders demonstration*

This Sunday, Helena and I drove up to Mystic, CT for the annual Wooden Boat Show. One day really isn't enough for this great show. Next year, we plan to sail the Blue Moon down the Sound to Mystic so we can anchor off the show (as several other boats did this year) and spend 2 or 3 days there.

But working guys and gals have to be happy with what they can get, so we made the most of the time there.

One thing I wanted to see was Sam Johnson's demonstration of bronze casting. This is something I have been interested in for a while, so I was super keen on seeing this, and Sam did not disappoint...

Read complete blog post: Bronze Casting

Enjoy: John


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## UnlikelyVoyager (Dec 30, 2009)

I am a volunteer crew member on the Christine -- the oldest Oyster Sloop in America. This 50' gaffer is commanded by Captain Pete, who likes everything ship-shape and Bristol fashion.










A chilly-but-game Girl Scout troop enjoying a spring sail on the Christine
photo jalmberg​
This summer, the Christine was sporting a brand-new set of sail ties, and as soon as I laid eyes on them, I realized that I'd been making due on the Blue Moon with an sad collection of old scraps: odd lengths of frayed rope, a couple of ragged bungee cords that had long lost their spring, and a knotted strip of cloth that must have been salvaged by a previous owner from a drowned kite.

In contrast, the Christine's new sail ties looked like they'd been hand-crafted by a master rigger. Sail-tie envy burned in my breast. I had to have a set, just like them!

Read complete blog post: Sail Tie Envy

-- John


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## UnlikelyVoyager (Dec 30, 2009)

*Building Blind*

Here's something I've discovered: It's very difficult to build something for a boat that is a thousand miles away.

Specifically, I needed to laminate up a wedge to put between my outboard motor bracket and my steeply raked transom, so my new outboard wouldn't be tilted so far from vertical (which is both inefficient and not good for oil flow.)

This was my first lamination job, so I had no idea what I was getting into...

Read complete blog post: Building Blind

-- John


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## UnlikelyVoyager (Dec 30, 2009)

*I Am Captain*

Way back in April (April!?!?), at the very beginning of my intermittent 2000 mile voyage on the Blue Moon, I complained about being relegated to crew member:

There were many reasons why I felt like an overworked galley slave, including the fact that I was in over my head and had no idea what I was doing, and so I had to work twice as hard as I should have.

But the biggest reason of all was that I was a slave to the tiller...

Read complete blog post:

The Unlikely Boat Builder: I Am Captain


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## UnlikelyVoyager (Dec 30, 2009)

*Cumberland Island*

One of the first places I stopped in Georgia was also one of the nicest.

Cumberland Island is a large barrier island off the coast of GA, about a day's sail north of the Florida border. I wasn't planning on stopping there, but as I was cruising up Cumberland Sound, the current was so strong against me that I decided to pull in to wait for the turn of the tide...

Complete blog post: Cumberland Island


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## UnlikelyVoyager (Dec 30, 2009)

*Bowsprit*

On 29 September, I was anchored in Cattlepen Creek. I can't quite figure out how this creek got it's name, because it was just a narrow cut of open water in the middle of the vast Georgia marsh. If there were any cattle around, they were up to their necks in mud.

During the night, the remnants of a tropical storm blew over the anchorage. Not much wind, but torrential rain. I woke up with a tropical stream dripping onto my forehead, and for a few minutes I was dashing around my little cabin, dogging down all 8 port lights, stopping leaks, and mopping up drips. I put my head out into the deluge to see if the anchor was holding, but between lightning strikes, it was black as pitch. I was all alone out there...

Read blog post: Bowsprit


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## UnlikelyVoyager (Dec 30, 2009)

*Southport Wooden Boat Show*

Sometimes it pays to be lucky...

Last weekend, I sailed into the harbor in Southport, NC, straight into the middle of their 1st Annual Wooden Boat Show. Naturally, I stayed to participate!

Read blog post: Wooden Boat Show


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## UnlikelyVoyager (Dec 30, 2009)

*A Dreadful Thrash*

As much as I have grown to appreciate the convenience, safety, and, yes, beauty of much of the ICW, I am looking forward to finally reaching the deep, open water of the Chesapeake.

However, my anticipation is not without an edge of anxiety. My last experience with open water was also the worst on this voyage -- a dreadful thrash across Albemarle Sound...

The Unlikely Boat Builder: A Dreadful Thrash


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## UnlikelyVoyager (Dec 30, 2009)

"Happy families are all alike; every unhappy family is unhappy in its own way."
Leo Tolstoy, Anna Karenina​
I get it, Leo! What can you say about a fabulous cruising ground when every thing (including the wind) is going your way? Who wants to read about happy cruising? Well, I'll give it my best shot, but if Tolstoy couldn't handle it...

Complete Blog Post: The Chesapeake


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## UnlikelyVoyager (Dec 30, 2009)

*An Yll Wynde*

There's an old English proverb that says "An yll wynde blowth no man to good".

Apparently, this was a bit gloomy for Sir Walter Scott, who completely reversed the proverb's meaning (and spelling) with his own version: "It's an ill wind that blaws naebody gude".

Stranded on an isolated river in southern New Jersey in early November by a very 'yll' wind indeed, I wondered which version of the proverb would prove true...

Read complete episode: An Yll Wynde

Fair Wyndes: John


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## WanderingStar (Nov 12, 2008)

A great blog post, thanks. Where in NY are you bound?


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## BigDuece (Jun 17, 2010)

I read your entire blog today. Great read and very motivating for this boatless dreamer.


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## WanderingStar (Nov 12, 2008)

Answered my own question by reading the blog. You're bound for Huntington. I hope to see your boat sometime.


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## UnlikelyVoyager (Dec 30, 2009)

*Home Stretch*

In the end, getting down Delaware Bay was a matter of picking the right weather.

That's a phrase you read a lot in cruising guides: "Pick the right weather to cross ______". Fill in your favorite nasty stretch of open water.

But picking the right weather isn't so easy...

Complete blog post: Home Stretch

Fair winds: John


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## UnlikelyVoyager (Dec 30, 2009)

WanderingStar said:


> Answered my own question by reading the blog. You're bound for Huntington. I hope to see your boat sometime.


Sorry I don't get to check in as often as I'd like. Glad you figured it out. She'll either be based in Huntington Harbor next summer, or Cold Spring Harbor. Not quite sure, yet. Either way, you're welcome to drop by!


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## WanderingStar (Nov 12, 2008)

Great. I keep a ketch in Mt Sinai. She's strip planked (yours too I think). Perhaps we can sail on each boat.


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## UnlikelyVoyager (Dec 30, 2009)

*Going For It*

E.F. Knight's "Sailing" is one of my favorite sailing books. It's the book that John Walker consulted when, as a young lad, he had to sail the Goblin across the North Sea to Holland in a gale (in "We Didn't Mean to Go to Sea"), and it's probably the book Arthur Ransome learned to sail with.

Knight says the science of sailing is "practically infinite", and I agree -- particularly when it comes to weather. After many months of studying weather forecasts, and comparing them with the weather that actually showed up, all I can do is quote the ancient weather proverb: "Believe it when you see it."

Oh, and "Take it with a grain of salt."

Complete blog post: Going For It

Fair Winds: John


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## UnlikelyVoyager (Dec 30, 2009)

WanderingStar said:


> Great. I keep a ketch in Mt Sinai. She's strip planked (yours too I think). Perhaps we can sail on each boat.


Definitely! Summer is just around the corner (I hope!)


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## WanderingStar (Nov 12, 2008)

I look forward to it. Hard to see summer through the snow!


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## UnlikelyVoyager (Dec 30, 2009)

*East River Adventure*

At last! The final segment of "Cabin Boy's Big Adventure". Don't miss it!

_When you reach the southern end of Governor's Island, you have a choice of either the main channel to the west, or the Buttermilk Channel to the east. I chose the Buttermilk because it took me out of the main traffic and seemed a bit more protected from the northerly breeze.

Governor's Island got it's name when New York was a British colony. The island, being just a mile south of Manhattan, and close to the anchorage for the British fleet, was reserved for the use of the royal governor.

Even back then it was location, location, location..._

Read complete blog post: East River Adventure

Fair tides: John


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## CalebD (Jan 11, 2008)

Congrats John on finishing your blog and of course your trip (back in November, 2010). I was eagerly awaiting the final post about your trip up north. You made back it before Old Man Winter woke up and now he is pretty angry or so it seems.
The bridges over the East River are most impressive when passing under them in a boat. One of my particular favorites is the 'Hell Gate Bridge' which was used as a set in one scene for a famous Hitchcock movie in 1943 ("Shadow of a Doubt", I think). You were probably prudent in keeping a lookout while in this area (before 'Rikers') rather then snapping pictures with a camera. 
The several times I have been up or down the East River I have never found Hell Gate to be more then an area with very fast moving currents, some whirl pools and small standing waves. Each time I transited the area the weather had been good. I doubt that Hell Gate (a Dutch name, by the way) would be so peaceful after a few days of north easterly winds. 
There are ice bergs in the Hudson now. 
I hope you continue to find reasons for keeping up your blog. 
Thanks for sharing.


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## UnlikelyVoyager (Dec 30, 2009)

CalebD said:


> Congrats John on finishing your blog and of course your trip (back in November, 2010). I was eagerly awaiting the final post about your trip up north. You made back it before Old Man Winter woke up and now he is pretty angry or so it seems.
> The bridges over the East River are most impressive when passing under them in a boat. One of my particular favorites is the 'Hell Gate Bridge' which was used as a set in one scene for a famous Hitchcock movie in 1943 ("Shadow of a Doubt", I think). You were probably prudent in keeping a lookout while in this area (before 'Rikers') rather then snapping pictures with a camera.
> The several times I have been up or down the East River I have never found Hell Gate to be more then an area with very fast moving currents, some whirl pools and small standing waves. Each time I transited the area the weather had been good. I doubt that Hell Gate (a Dutch name, by the way) would be so peaceful after a few days of north easterly winds.
> There are ice bergs in the Hudson now.
> ...


Thanks! I'm not sure which was harder: the voyage or blogging  Both were fun.

Also addicting, so there won't be any pause. I've got a bunch of winter projects lined up and next summer I'm going to try to do a whole lot of sailing in LI Sound. Real sailing, where you can play the wind and currents all day, and be happy with making 10 miles. Trying to do 50 miles every day is tough and forces you to use your engine way too much, particularly when the wind is blowing against you every day, as it seemed to do for me. Except in the Chesapeake, which was the only place with enough room to sail, anyway, so I was lucky.

Spring is coming!


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