As we prepared for the November passage to the Caribbean with targeted landfall in the Virgin Islands we continued boat maintenance projects. With the indispensible assistance of Wally, Paul, and David H., Dave completely replaced the ceiling panels in the salon, some of which had begun to crack. We also performed a thorough bilge cleaning under Donna's eagle eyes and discerning nose and began stowing non-perishable provisions. One day when trying to re-install the cockpit windscreen Dave was unable to get the zipper attachments to stay together. This was not unexpected as we knew these zippers had seen their prime. (This is where the removable windscreen at the back of the coach roof attaches to the Sunbrella bimini.) This, together with the existing rips and seam separations in the bimini convinced Dave to bite the bullet and have a new windshield fabricated and some wholesale bimini repairs made before the passage.

Throughout the summer and culminating in a frenzy in September and October, because she had been away for a significant period in NYC, Donna worked her magic to provision for our upcoming seven-month journey . All of the planning for last year’s season had been carefully documented at length on checklists, so the compressed timeframe for achieving this was accomplished through these already-conceived "to do" and “to buy” lists. Keeping a careful eye for a few months on the local grocery store sale circulars allowed us to come in just under Donna’s budget for advance stores onboard for the 7 months. Donna rarely buys any grocery that isn’t discounted to 30-50% (think “two for one” specials) but achieving this takes some serious planning. It leaves us only having to provision mostly fresh fruits and vegetables (perishables) along our cruising route (okay, okay – also rum….)

As is always the case a spending spree was underway in the final weeks of preparation, obtaining the spare parts, charts, and numerous other essentials needed for a safe passage and extended cruise. Then the unplanned disaster hit.

While in Arlington on September 30, we got a call from David H . describing that he got a call from someone at the marina that one of the catamarans had come loose from the dock in a thunderstorm. Almost simultaneously, Dave got a call from John that Pas de Deux had partially broken free from the dock and had collided with his boat, Alize, docked behind it. John had just coincidentally arrived at the marina to check on his boat due to the high winds. What he encountered was not only high wind but also driving rain that barely allowed him to see his customary view of the length of the dock as he walked toward Alize. As he got closer he could see that there was significant damage to both boats and the damage was continuing.

Dave frantically called several friends he thought could assist and asked that they respond to the marina to help John secure the boats. In a short while we got return calls describing how numerous people at the marina had come to the rescue and managed to get the boats untangled and back under control . Dave drove from Arlington to the marina early the next morning. To make a complicated story shorter, a dock cleat holding Pas de Deux and the boat in front of her had pulled completely out of the dock in the storm, freeing two of the seven lines holding Pas de Deux. This put most of the strain on a single line on one bow that then broke. This allowed Pas de Deux to rotate off the dock until it was caught by the remaining lines, but still colliding with Alize, finally being held in place by both. Alize’s dinghy was punctured and deflated and one dinghy davit was damaged. On Pas de Deux, one of six solar panels was shattered, the port stern railing was sheared from its fasteners, the boarding ramp attachment was ripped from the starboard stern, the boarding ramp hand railing was bent and broken, and significant fiberglass damage was present on both transoms. Our Caribbean departure was only 4 weeks away…things were looking a bit dismal.

Soon after the accident, it was learned that the dock cleat that had failed was one installed by the boat owner of the boat docked in front of Pas de Deux – and was fastened by screws far too small for the job. Unfortunately, this cleat looked just like all the real dock cleats and we were unaware it wasn’t “official”. The boat owner who installed it actually assisted us docking Pas de Deux when we arrived on September 18 and tied one of our lines to it himself. At no time did he inform us he considered it his “private” cleat – as he claimed after the accident. We consider that the marina was ultimately responsible for providing us a properly maintained mooring and are still in the process of seeking reimbursement for the damages.

The last things we now needed were new boat projects to add to our list. The shattered solar panel was obviously the challenging item to replace. Everything else was non-specialized repairs that could be achieved using local sources or done ourselves – and Dave commissioned those quickly through references from friends. The solar panel challenge was quickly confirmed when we determined the original Siemens 110 watt panel had long been out of production. We were left with searching for a replacement that would fit in the custom bracket holding it in place. We finally found one currently available solar panel model that was about six inches longer, but the right width. Being a visual mismatch, Dave decided to replace a second panel that had some previously existing photo cell corrosion and was probably not fully functional. This meant the two outboard panels would be replaced and the visual mismatch would be balanced. They were both 130 watt panels (vs the original 110 watt), so we’d gain an extra 40 watts of power. The new panels were ordered and delivered to Arlington in plenty of time to install them. Thanks to David H. for his help with the complex task of wiring in the new panels!!

In parallel with all this, the Furuno electronic compass saga continued. The last news in this story was the electronic compass was suspected to be the problem by Dave and the Annapolis dealer, but the Furuno test facility had tested both the compass and 12 inch plotter as working properly and considered the boat wiring to be the likely problem. The boat wiring was tested satisfactorily by the Annapolis dealer. With nothing to lose, Dave phoned the Furuno test facility from the boat and spent about 2 hours with their guys trying and re-trying various troubleshooting schemes to no avail. To their credit, the Furuno geeks were helpful and patient and genuinely wanted to solve the mystery, but nothing new was discovered. Finally, Dave appealed for a new compass to try out – just in case – there was something about our particular compass that was amiss and to either confirm it was OK or not with a direct replacement on the boat. The Furuno guys agreed to send us a new compass if we would first send them our original one. Our original one was in the mail that afternoon, on October 15. We received the new compass the following week and when Dave installed it – it worked fine! Nothing short of amazing—guess it pays to persevere. Suspected all along, our original compass was the problem despite being tested OK by the experts. Dave informed the Furuno guys that the new compass seemed to work just fine. They responed that "sometimes the individual components don't match up well...."  Note: all the navigation electronics performed well throughout the passage to the Caribbean.

Another interesting component replacement story involved our mainsail halyard, 250 feet of 12mm Paraloc Pirahna, manufactured by a Swiss company. We replaced the halyard in spring 2009 with this high dollar sexy synthetic low stretch line (about $6/foot), but it started falling apart after only 15 months in service. Specifically, the protective outer sheathing over the high strength inside core was fraying at a few specific spots where the halyard passed through a sheave (pulley) or block when the mainsail was fully raised. Dave had contacted the original supplier, Rope Warehouse, who was concerned enough to find the cause of the failure to offer a complete replacement if we would send the original line back for analysis, and report the performance of the replacement line going forward. Not a difficult decision. We loved the performance of this line (despite it falling apart) so we were willing to try another piece on the assumption our original line was faulty. We received the new halyard and installed it in late October. We will gladly recommend this line assuming the new one lasts.

As passage time approached, the frenzy increased. There are numerous last minute items to tend to, such as topping off of fuel – diesel, dinghy, and propane – and fresh provisions. Not so obvious is making final arrangements for the joining crew arrival – playing the weather forecasts to try to predict the latest time crew could arrive. In our case this was easier than many other passage makers, particularly those participating in the annual “Caribbean 1500 Rally” journey to Tortola departing on the same calendar target date (with which friends John and Joan on Alize were participating), now being delayed by inclement weather. Both our crew – Bob and Wally – were flexible with their schedules and only Bob had to travel to get to Norfolk--but not far. Bob and wife Beckie are owners of sistership Our White Magic which was currently hauled at Jaynes boatyard (some 60 miles away) and Bob planned to spend time there working on their boat prior to our departure. Wally lives nearby in Virginia Beach. Wally had already been an indispensible help in late “breaking” projects, including, literally, up to the final few hours. Read on….

Just a couple days before departure, the starboard head malfunctioned. It would not pump and Dave’s initial troubleshooting was non-productive. Disassembling the components one step at a time, looking for an easy fix, Dave finally discovered the problem – the cheap, plastic plunger disc, attached to the impressive stainless shaft, had fallen into pieces. A replacement was needed. This was discovered on Saturday, before our planned Sunday evening departure. Dave resigned himself to swapping the pump assembly from the port side head and living with one head for the passage, since the primary sources for the replacement part were closed on the weekend and finding a replacement plunger assembly much less a replacement disc (both typically not “in stock” items even if the shop is open) in less than 24 hours seemed impossible. Not to worry-- Wally and his local contacts came to the rescue after we advised him we would just all have to share the same head on the passage. While Dave and Wally prepared to run final errands Sunday morning, Wally spotted friend Don across the Willoughby parking lot and suggested we ask him about the needed head part. Don runs a yacht systems business. Don suggested calling one of his contacts - a yacht head systems expert - and pulled out his cell phone and called him. Keep in mind this was Sunday morning. After describing the needed part to him, he thought he had one scavenged from a replaced head unit in his shop and agreed to meet us there. We had already located the part number and cost - $70.00 – from an internet source. Wally and Dave darted off to the Virginia Beach address of the shop to see if the part was the real deal. It was-- and Dave bought it for $20. As a bonus, upon their return to Willoughby, they stumbled upon acquaintance John S., a known pack rat, and described the find to him. “I think I have one of those too,” he said. Sure enough, he pulled one out of his truck in a matter of minutes. So Pas de Deux went from having only one head for the passage, to having two replacement plungers and discs within just a couple of hours of departure. Dave had the second head working within a short while.

One of the last chores prior to passage is determining exactly when to depart. We had planned to be ready for departure Nov 1, when the insurance window opened as the end of hurricane season neared. Hurricane Tomas changed that. Tomas hung around in the Caribbean Sea for what seemed the longest time and all the weather sources – and common sense - advised waiting to make sure he cleared out before committing to an offshore passage. No arguments here. John and Joan on Alize had also been frantically preparing for their departure and were entered in the Caribbean 1500 Rally. From them we had the benefit of another departure timing recommendation/decision. Our primary weather routing source was Chris Parker whom we had used last year for our trip to the Bahamas. We kept in touch with Chris starting the last week of October and each day had been proceeding with “…not yet. Maybe sometime after the 6th.”   On Saturday the 6th of November an opportunity was developing. Chris agreed with our suggestion we shoot for a narrow weather window to cross the Gulf Stream south of Cape Hatteras during the daylight morning of Monday the 8th on NW winds. Otherwise we’d have to wait until expected N to NE winds due later Monday subsided. Crossing the NE flowing Gulf Stream on winds opposing the flow is ill advised due to the short chop seas that can result. Bob and Wally agreed with this strategy so we planned to depart late in the day on Sunday the 7th to arrive at the proscribed Gulf Stream entry point just SE of Cape Hatteras before noon on Monday. Bob departed Reedville to arrive at the marina in time for our departure and we and Wally made final preps. We had a plan….