Hi All,
We are underway again after spending the night anchored near Assateague Island near Ocean City. The wind ended up being on the nose yesterday at twice the forecasted velocity so we ducked in right at dark. Ended up entering at low tide and grounding trying to find a spot to anchor... the sand shoals shift from what's charted so we had to wait for the tide to come up a bit, then had a nice night's sleep. We listened to the weather all morning trying to decide whether to stay or go wanting to test the autopilot under more severe conditions. What the hell right?? So it was either leave this afternoon or wait til Saturday after the gale passes. We opted for leaving and taking advantage of the northerly, even if it is up to 35 knots. We plan to get into Norfolk tomorrow (Fri)afternoon. As we write the wind is 10 knots out of the WSW and we're hoping for a west to north clock. All is well and Macy is great!
Thank you to those of you who have written!
Cheers,
Macy

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Macy Report
#4
Friday, November 2, 2007
37.01.16N 76.20.51W
Hampton Roads VA (Norfolk)
Greetings Macy Friends
After spending last night in a true gale (34-40kts) as opposed to a near gale (28-33)- for further study consult the Beaufort Wind Scale - we are now securely anchored in Hampton Roads VA just north and across the river from Norfolk. Upon leaving Cape May 8am motor sailing into a SW (our intended direction)not paying particular attention to our forward progress, our past readers may recall it as VMG,(velocity made good) or actual speed in the intended direction, by dusk we found ourselves having covered a mere 25 miles with more of the same wind direction in store. Conveniently we were within striking distance of Ocean City MD, the only realistic stopping place between Delaware Bay and Chesapeake. Heeding the wisdom that one never enters a strange port at dark and rationalizing that it wasn't officially dark we decided to enter. Into a strong ebb tide we hammered and following red to green to red we turned left to enter the south river and immediately ran aground. (remember only our second port of call). Several extractions and groundings later we were firmly stuck by the local sand bar. Being low tide we had no recourse but to crack a cold brewski and wait for the rising tide to float all ships which it did in due course and floating a few boat lengths in another direction we dropped anchor for the nite and had a sound sleep. The morning found us observing a medium size tug pushing a large derrick device up the very channel we attempted the previous eve. We were actually in the right place only 2 feet too far to the right so following in their wake we continued up the south river to a secure anchorage with a fine pastoral view of the nearby barrier beach. The morning was spent in tidying and chores with a keen ear to the NOAA weather forecast. Anyone who has attempted to listen to the NOAA forecasts will relate to the mind numbing hypnosis that will surely result. Ultimately at 2pm the call was made to press on and by 2:30 we were underway. Exiting the breakwater we proceeded in a southerly direction only to receive a call by the Coast Guard 25' inflatable warning us of a "local knowledge" shoal and were we aware that there was a gale warning for the night. Thanks for the local knowledge and yes we were aware of the forecast but thanks for the warning. The afternoon commenced with a motorsail into of course the SW, but with the engine running and all sail set we were able to hold a reasonably high course. Around 9pm the wind dropped and an eerie silence followed immediately proceeded by a sudden shift to the north and by 9:10pm we were experiencing 20knots from the north quickly building to 25-30. A double reef was considered but rejected in favor of staysail only, a wise choice as the wind continued to build to a sustained 35 with gusts to 40 and the occasional 60 (a fish story). Being from the aft quarter we experienced a beautiful ride. We even eventually rolled in 1/2 the staysail and with sails equivalent to the size of a bath towel we surfed along at 6.5 - 7.5 with occasional readings of 9kts over the ground. the remaining moon eventually rose and with a full sky of stars it was an exciting and beautiful night - autopilot driving perfectly and wind generator supplying the juice. We had yet experienced this amount of wind. This was a conscious decision of "experiential learning" to set out to test the upgraded autopilot, Macy and of course ourselves. We all exited with flying colors. Once one gets comfortable with 35 kts then 25 is a piece of cake. Pre dawn found us off Cape Charles - The southern tip of VA and the entrance to Chesapeake Bay. We needed to head up slightly at which time our sailing performance began to decline to the point of making 3.5 kts OTG at the Bay Bridge/Tunnel. Interesting to see miles of lights signaling a bridge but with a large gap for ship traffic. In lieu of a bridge, a tunnel was elected and so sunrise found Macy sailing over commuters on their way to their daily grind - there could be some irony there but we will avoid the subject for the time being. A long, chilly slog across the Chesapeake followed, not entirely unpleasant. 25-30 kts, short choppy waves, but the sun was shining (for the time being) and the birds were feeding we had triumphed (temporary victory one must always remember).

So what's it like to surf/sail in 30 knots on Macy on a clear, starry night? Scary (in an out of practice kind of way), exhilarating and tiring. Think rocking in a cradle while looking for aids to navigation while-thrill seeking. A 50 year old gets tired and wants to take a nap. Great sleeping I might add nusseled in our sea berth surrounded by pillows and blankets. Once all of the loose objects that rattle are contained and all one can hear is wind and surf passing by your ear it's quite comfortable. Until someone calls you on deck or you wake up and know it's your shift. Suit up, look out the companionway and see huge waves with white tops looming behind your partner and realize you are, in fact, AWAKE now. But look. We are sailing at 7-8 knots and there is not a cloud in the sky. In fact, it's damn comfortable considering. The waves are large but Macy is dry as a bone (except for the very rare breaking wave into the cockpit) and this is COOL. The yet-to-be-named autopilot doesn't even need us most of the time. And it's not really cold. Yippee!!!

thus brings to a close another day in Macy Life, cocktails and Pasta with sausage await!!
Abrazos y Besos
Macy