Carrot a day to keep the scurvy away! Right?!

Final Passage Preparation

Passage Prep became real-real the day that ISBJORN skipper August Sandberg and Ships's Photographer James Austrums arrived in Annapolis, MD. By real, I mean real fun! I graciously relinquished my captain's quarters aboard ISBJORN to August, who moved aboard ready to get to work.

Photographer James split his time between ISBJORN and ICEBEAR, going wherever his lens and sharp eye was required. August taught me the basics of diesel engine maintenance during our first night together, and I was happy to be an able assistant as we readied the boat for passage.

The energy during the ten days leading up to our first passage was fantastic. Everyone was working at 110%, from Andy & Ryan sorting through mountains of business legalese to August bonding with his new charge. Mia was a powerhouse as always, managing logistics and preparing for our incoming crew.

To Sea

My mother, Stephanie, visited me on Friday, November 7th, the day before ISBJORN departed for Tortola. We spent the better part of an hour in a cafe on the main street, sipping on Coffee and Chai. We talked in-between sips & bites of cookie: discussing where we thought my little brother Graham would end up at college. He had his eyes set on my mom's old alma mater, Washington University in St. Louis.

We talked about my summer travels through Europe & her recent trip to Utah. Finally, we settled into a conversation about past & future, namely how I had found myself about to set sail down the Atlantic seaboard and what life could contain looking forward. I asked mom how she was doing; what she could see for herself in the future. My mom works in a pathology lab in Virginia, cutting specimens and viewing them under the microscope to determine various diagnoses. She's loved her job for a long time but recently has started to look forward. Right now, she's training an A.I. to recognize various diseases. Pretty forward-looking if you ask me.

Mom walked me back to the waterfront where ISBJORN was tied up in Annapolis's 'Ego Alley' - a long inlet leading from Annapolis Harbor straight to the center of town. We said our goodbyes with a hug and a kiss on the cheek. I stepped back and aboard, watching mom get into her car. I wouldn't be back with my family until May, but I didn't have time to dwell on that - we had a passage to prepare!

Ben Doerr had arrived - I hadn't met Ben yet, but I recognized his voice from a particularly inspirational episode of Andy's 'On the Wind' podcast. Ben and I (Ben & Ben, not confusing at all!) visited a Trader Joes Market to provision for the journey ahead. Ex-ISBJORN skipper James Butler contributed his invaluable company (and mini-van!) to the provisioning cause, picking us up from ISBJORN at 9 AM. James skippered ISBJORN, then the INSURGENT, during her Naval Academy racing days.

59 North Mate, Sail Bainbridge Owner, & Musician Ben Doerr

We filled two shopping carts full of tasty, fresh ingredients. We had left this provision run to the last possible moment, as it's essential to collect your perishables as fresh as possible before setting sail. This way, we can enjoy fresh fruit, meat, yogurt, etc. long into the journey.

Back on the boat, all provisions inventoried and put away - Just in time for the crew to arrive! Mark, Martha & DZ arrived promptly at 5 PM. Mark & Martha were 59 North Alumni, having sailed many nautical miles with Andy and Mia in years past. DZ was new to ocean sailing, and this would be his first time venturing offshore!

We conducted a quick meet-n-greet and jumped straight into the boat briefing and weather routing; there would be plenty of time to get to know each other in the days ahead. August handled his first crew briefing as skipper with the patience, calm, and authority of a seasoned captain. Starting with large scale charts, we plotted our Rhumb lines and the actual course. It helped to have Mark aboard, an ex-airman who essentially worked as a professional navigator for 20+ years!

Pretty much the only thing on my mind at this point

If you've ever sailed with 59 North or read Andy's blog, you probably know about the ETA game. After plotting our course on the chart, each crew member calculates an ETA. In this case, the exact time & date we were to arrive in Tortola! I had the most hopeful guesstimate - eight days & eleven hours. Blame my youth, but I call it optimism! I was really, really ready for some warmer weather. Martha had the most generous guesstimate with eleven days with the mindset of the more sailing, the better. Skipper August made his calculations last and arrived at nine days, eight hours. Stay tuned to find out who won!

We set sail the next day at 11 AM, narrowly missing low-tide. The pre-passage tension was tangible, like a thickness in the air. We filled our tanks with diesel gasoline and water and finally turned our bow towards the ocean.

The tension slowly dissipated as the crew settled into a steady passage routine. ISBJORN spent the first 24 hours broad reaching down the Chesapeake Bay: COLD but very enjoyable sailing! We sprinted along at a constant 7, 8 knots.

We crossed the mouth of the bay within 48 hours of steady sailing. I woke up for the 8AM watch to dolphins off our starboard bow. I sipped my coffee & watched the shoreline slowly recede behind us.

Ocean-passage life started in earnest as soon as we left the bay:

Ocean Sunsets are alllll about the clouds.

Sunday, November 10th

I got off the 0400-0800 watch about an hour ago. Getting occasional nausea from the rolling and pitching of this smaller boat, but I guess that's something I'm going to have to get used to!

We entered the Gulf Stream just north of the Carolinas this morning. Everything looks and feels the same, except now we have no wind. August made the call to fire up the engine. A low rumble accompanied by a high metallic pitch is settling like a white noise blanket throughout the boat. The noise is tiring, but going less than 5kn is even worse.

I cooked a bean chili last night that was received quite well, and I was happy to be able to make what felt like my first real contribution as second mate.

Final thoughts - I woke up today feeling slightly groggy, worried I'm getting a little cold. Also, I can't poop!

The wind picked back up as soon as we cleared the Gulf Stream - after four days of beating upwind. I forgot how tiring this could be. I had all these visions, and plans of creative projects I would tackle on the boat - ranging from a private journal to sounds recording for Andy's 'On the Wind' podcast.

Almost all of these good-natured aspirations went out the window. To my credit, I was cooking for the crew, but I was surprised by how consistently exhausted I was. I realized that this was a new experience for me, my first ocean passage aboard a vessel under 100ft!

We turned south into the trade winds about halfway through the passage. The beam reach sailing was a delight, and I quickly regained energy. I started to read the book Ryan Finnstad had gifted me a couple of weeks prior - 'Caribbean' by James Michener. I couldn't put it down! The history of the Islands enthralled me. It was special to be sailing on the very waters that the book was describing. I could vividly imagine old sailing legends stalking the 'Spanish Lake': Sir Horatio Nelson, Captain Morgan, and my favorite, Sir Francis Drake!

We beamed south for five days. I sat my watches with Martha & Mark, two incredibly smart and inspirational people. Their stories were unique and robust; they lived full lives in a style that inspired me to live with more intention.

Taking a sight is by far the easiest part of the Celestial Navigation process.

Guest Captain Jack Swallow taking a quick nap at the helm

Arrival

Finally, we arrived in Tortola. Captain August won the ETA game, almost to the hour! First Mate Ben Doerr was right behind him; your's truly came in last :) We celebrated in 59 North style, saying Skål over a glass of bubbly (before breaking out the Aquavit)! Everyone was just happy; the sense of accomplishment was immense.

We spent the night on the hook just off Tortola's customs dock. In the morning, we checked in and raised sail again. We traveled to Nanny Cay, 59 North's homeport in the B.V.I. (also home to the most excellent washroom facilities in the Caribbean)! There we met ICEBEAR, along with her complement of crew. A joyous family reunion was had! We ate and drank, swapped stories, and were lucky enough to enjoy a visit from Coconut Santa (AKA just Andy climbing trees and grabbing coconuts, I love my boss)!

Thanks for reading! Stay tuned for P.4 - passage debrief, dealing with repairs, and more fun stuff. Please don’t hesitate to reach out with any thoughts or questions you might have.

Fair Winds, Smooth Sailing, and as always: HOLDFAST!

Ben

Find Ben at @Bsoof on Instagram or email holdfast@59-north.com!