Throughout the summer of 2011 we had been planning to winter again in the Eastern Caribbean, but planned not to travel as far south nor move around quite as much as our initial "reconnaissance" cruise there in the winter of 2010-2011. Regardless of where we would travel about once we had arrived, what dominates our preparations now is the offshore passage from the Chesapeake Bay direct to first landfall in the U.S. or British Virgin Islands.

In the big picture, the offshore passage preparations mean getting the boat, crew, and provisions ready for 7 to 10 days at sea in time to depart near the end of hurricane season in early November, then picking a favorable weather window as near term forecasts become available. The specific departure has to be “not too soon, but not too late.” The scheduling dilemma that develops is that the longer into November we wait, the less likelihood a late season tropical weather system may develop in our path (read: hurricane—the season doesn't officially end until November 30); however delaying too far into November leads to more likelihood of severe cold fronts developing off the North American continent and disturbing the weather to the extent that they make a lengthy passage uncomfortable to unsafe. As is quite common, the insurance coverage of Pas de Deux requires we stay north of the latitude of Jacksonville, FL until November 1, so early in our planning we intended to be ready to depart as early as October 30 knowing it would take multiple days to travel that far south.

Once again this year we subscribed to a weather router’s service (Chris Parker’s Caribbean Weather Center) with whom we interface over the SSB radio while cruising. We begin this interaction approximately one week before our targeted passage date so as to try to identify a good weather window for our departure that ideally will last through the length of the journey. In reality, forecasts become unreliable beyond about 4 days, so we continue to communicate daily once underway. Once we have arrived at our destination, we listen in to forecasts as necessary for the region we are in, especially if we have no local VHF radio source for local weather information.

Our planning included leaving Pas de Deux “on the hard” (out of the water) at Jaynes Marine in Reedville until about 3 days prior to our earliest possible departure date (October 27) in order to maximize the amount of time Dave would have to prepare the boat for launching, and for Donna to finish preparing passage and 7 months of cruising provisions at home in Arlington. Included in this timing was coordinating crewmember Bob’s arrival back to Jaynes from Ontario and affording him as much time as possible to finish some projects on sister ship Our White Magic which was also hauled there. More of the 3-day choreography after getting the boat launched would involve transporting Donna and the remainder of our provisions from Arlington (the boat has to be in the water for refrigeration to work), jockeying automobiles so that Dave’s car (and Bob) would end up at crew Wally’s house in Virginia Beach and Bob’s truck would end up at our home in Arlington for his return flight into Reagan National Airport, and sailing the boat to Norfolk to get fuel and pick up Bob and Wally just prior to departing the Chesapeake. That was the plan, anyway...

By October 23^rd we could tell that long range forecasts would not support an Oct. 30^th departure. Conditions favorable for development of a LO pressure system were coming together in the Atlantic south of Bermuda. So launching Pas de Deux was delayed until Oct. 30^th. Hoping for the best, from that point we implemented the provisioning, car jockeying, and moving to Norfolk choreography for a newly targeted departure on November 2. That was the plan, anyway….

After the launching on October 30, Dave and Bob drove to Arlington the following day in Bob’s truck. Donna had already begun loading the last of our provisions into Dave’s car. We drove back to Jaynes that same day in Dave’s car, with coolers overflowing onto the roof, leaving Bob’s truck in Arlington. With much appreciated help from other cruisers at Jaynes, we loaded the provisions bucket-brigade style aboard Pas de Deux just before dusk. Dave and Donna departed Jaynes for Norfolk the next morning of November 1, stopping by Hampton for diesel fuel before anchoring in Willoughby Bay after dark. That same day, Bob drove Dave’s car to Wally’s house in Virginia Beach. All was ready for departure very late the following day. That was the plan, anyway….

After listening to the morning weather reporting November 2, we all agreed that we should delay the departure indefinitely until the LO pressure system that did indeed develop (and unfortunately was lingering for quite some time) decided where it was going and when. Realizing we probably had to wait multiple days, Dave and Donna sailed Pas de Deux back up the Bay a short distance the next day. This would provide a more pleasant anchorage in Mobjack Bay to wait out the rough weather that would affect Norfolk from the movement of what had become the named storm “Sean”. Bob drove back to Jaynes to do more work on his boat. Wally had to go back to (real) work.

Finally, five days later on November 8, after it was clear Sean would pass well offshore, Dave and Donna sailed the boat back to Norfolk and docked in Willoughby Harbor Marina for a night with a plan to take long hot showers, board Bob and Wally, and depart late the next day. Several well-wishing friends stopped by the boat with drinks for a final farewell. Finessing the weather analysis a bit more, the “next day” became the day after that. Finally, the weather fell into place and we devised a departure behind a passing cold front on strong NNW winds around midnight of November 10, slipping out of the Chesapeake on a falling tide and getting to the Gulf Stream off Cape Hatteras during daylight the next day.

This was another example of “not too soon, but not too late” timing. The winds ahead of the cold front were very strong from the NE and offshore seas were very rough from Sean. Just behind the front, expected to arrive late in the evening, the winds were forecast to back to the NNW – allowing seas to moderate - and subside by the time we reached the Gulf Stream crossing point east of Cape Hatteras. The front arrived and passed as expected – identified by the backing wind - and we left the dock at 0008 EST on Friday November 11. Dave reminded everyone of the age old seafaring superstition that it was bad luck to begin a voyage on a Friday (where does he get this stuff???!!!). Regardless, since we actually began removing our dock lines minutes before midnight and also could consider that the “voyage” began days ago when we left Mobjack Bay (heck –even when we left Jaynes!), everyone was comfortable that King Neptune would give us a pass…..