December 20th, 2017

December 20th, 2017 Wednesday

Hello from sunny Bahamas all.  The weather this week has been delightful with light variable winds, plenty of sunshine and now rain.  We are still anchored in Man Jack Cay with boats coming and going.  There is about 24 boats in the cove at this time.  We have been working on the boat for the past week.  Our latest projects have been sand and varnish the Toe rails and the eyebrow (trim on the outside), repaint the 50’ and 100’ foot markers on the anchor chain, if a track guide on the mainsail and the main project is repairing a section of wood around one of the Port lights (window) in the aft stateroom.  The window is an on going project at this moment.  We had to remove the window, remove all the old damaged wood, fill and put in new pieces of Teak.  That’s where it is at this moment, we still need to sand, varnish on the inside and paint on the outside and replace the window.  Hopefully the window will go in this evening.   

With such great weather the water temp has been raising and I went for the first swim in clean, crystal clear water.  It was heavenly and very refreshing.  We will be going into Green Turtle and anchoring for a few days during Christmas and then head back over here next Tuesday.   So until then Happy Holidays, fair winds and happy sailing to all and to all a good night.

December 12th, 2017
Our Crossing was lovely with 3-4’ roller and Winds only 10-15kts out of the SE.  Unfortunately we had to motor the whole way, but all in all it was a pleasant ride.  We made the outer banks of white sand around 3am Thursday morning and then made our anchorage at Great Sail Cay near lunch time.  On Friday we headed straight for Green Turtle to clear customs.  What a mess that was.  We arrive at the customs office around 330pm and they were closed.  Some of the locals told us we would have to take the ferry in the morning and go to Treasure cay then take a taxi to the airport and clear customs there.  So 730am Saturday morning Kevin headed in to catch the ferry to go clear customs.  Around 9am he had text me to say he was coming back, with the customs officer and would then have to clear in Green Turtle.  Well after all that craziness, we then had to deal with a frontal system coming in later that day.  We would have no more protection where we were anchored at Green Turtle then if we moved up to Man Jack Cay.  So we decided to stay put in Green Turtle.  Well that only lasted until 330 in the afternoon when the winds where blowing 30kts out of the NW and the seas where very rough, then we drug our anchor when the wind spun us around.  Now we are in the middle of the storm, with pouring down rain and sheeting winds, making our way north to Man Jack Cay for better coverage (since the winds where now NNW and not WNW).  We got anchored around 6pm and settled in for a bumping night.  Sunday, Monday and Tuesday was wonderful weather and then we had a front come through Tuesday night.  Well it is now Thursday and we have dinghied back to Green Turtle for the day so we can use the internet, send this blog and pick up a few supplies in town.  Oh yes and have some lunch.  Sorry I was so late posting this, but I have had no internet since arriving.  Will be trying to get that straight today also.  Fair winds and happy sailing my friends.

Departure update

December 4th 2017
It’s update time and stowing time.  We have left the Melbourne area and making our way down the ICW toward Ft. Pierce.  Today the destination is, the Grant Islands.  The plan is to anchor in Grant until Wednesday morning and leave at daybreak.  At this time there is a good weather window, of 5-10 Kts SE winds with 1-2’ seas.  If this hold true we will make Ft. Pierce in the late afternoon, fuel up and then head to sea. Our destination is the northern Abacos for the next month.  It will be several days before we are close enough to a cell tower for internet coverage.  We purchased a T-Mobile plan that should cover most of the Bahamas.  This will be a good test.  Tuesday we will spend the day preparing for an offshore run.  The task at hand consist of finding a home for everything that is not screwed, nailed or strapped down, mount the dinghy motor on board, strap down the dinghy, clear everything off the decks, run jack safety lines, pull out offshore life/harness vest and last put most important, prepare the ditch bag (all emergency items and paperwork for an emergency escape).  Luckily the ditch bag has never been used, but it is a must in an emergency situation.
Well fair winds and happy sailing my friends

The party’s over, time to move on.

It is 0630 Wednesday, November 8th, we have had three great weeks in St. Augustine.  Since arriving here, we have made a lot of new friends, went to an awesome Halloween party, visited a distillery, learned how to use the public buses (that was an interesting experience) and was active in the Tuesday and Wednesday night cruisers net group.  I was able to get off the boat and walk every day, with the help of the City Marina’s tender service, which would pick me up and drop me off at my boat.  The nice thing about walking around St. Augustine’s historical area is, every time I went walking, there was something new to see.  We have had amazing weather since our arrival and eaten a lot of great food.
Our adventure is now taking us back down the ICW, heading for the Melbourne area for a few weeks.  Today is a test of the shaft log after all the repairs and realignment of the engine.  If we still have a leak then December 1st we head back to the port for another haul out to put in a new shaft.  If there is no leak then we continue heading south to WPB and then cross to the Bahamas.
Friday November 10th.  Serena Rose has done well this trip.  Our only leak is a small one with the rudder log, this will be fixed today with new packing.  The main shaft log leak is a very tiny drip once in awhile and the bilge pump only went off a few times during the two day journey.  We have safely anchored in the SE corner of Pineda Causeway, just North of Melbourne.  This will be our safe haven until after thanksgiving at which time we will start heading to the Bahamas.  I will post again before we head out.
Fair Winds and Happy Sailing my Friends.

Serena Rose for Sale

Sailing Vessel Serena Rose is a 48’ Sparksman & Stevens Sunward, design number 1674-C1.  She was built in Wilmington, NC.  This is a true bluewater ketch rig that is very comfortable living aboard as well as cruising.  This vessel has 3 staterooms and 2 heads.  The interior is all solid Honduran Mahogany, with very unique wood scrolls, inlays and stain glass cabinet doors, all handcrafted by master craftsman Cabrini.  Decks are ¾” solid teak that were completely re caulked 2 years ago.  The complete enclosed pilot house is a safe secure area when off shore, it was refurbished 2017. The rigging is a cutter ketch,
Specs
Loa 48’, Length from bow sprint to davits 56’
Waterline length 38.6’
Draft 5’7”
Hull Depth 12.5’
Hull breadth 14.5’ (measure 15.9’ this includes rub-rails)
Beam 15.9’
Vertical Mast Clearance 63.5’
Ballast 16,500lbs
Gross Tonnage 43 per CG doc
Net Tonnage 39 per CG doc

Rigging All rigging was replaced new January 2013, with Hi-Mod fittings, Lifelines and gates also replaced
Full batten Main
Full batten Mizzen
Head sails light weight and storm 120% Genoa
Staysail (hank on plus spare)
Main anchor - Rocna 88lb with 250 ft. chain
Secondary anchor 65lb Bruce with 300 ft. Rode.

Running Gear
Detroit Diesel 453, 125hp with 2000 hrs
WH hydraulic autopilot
Maxwell 3500 hydraulic windlass with saltwater wash down.
Electronics
Compass Danforth 6 “ (second inverted compass located in aft berth)
Raymarine Radar/Chartplotter
Standard Horizon Sailing instruments
Icom VHF radio w/remote mic at helm station
Icom M802 SSB
Inreach Satellite GPS tracking system

Electrical
Beta Marine 10KW generator 1400 hrs
Silent Wind Turbine 400 Watts
Solar Flex panels 600 Watts, with Morningstar MPPT controller
12 Volt Charging System, Xantrex 2500 Watt inverter/charger
100 amp high output alternator
Group 31 gel cells batteries 700 amp hours (new fall 2016)

Plumbing/Tankage
Fuel (2) 200 gallon tanks (400 total)
Water (2) 200 gallon tanks (400 total)
Waste 60 gallon located in aft section of the keel
Watermaker PUR-160E
Forward head Raritan electric Sea-Era with Lectra-San (Type1)
Aft head Raritan PHII
Hot water heater 12 gallon Raritan

Other Equipment
A/C & Heat 16,000 BTU Dometic Reverse Cycle heat with condensing unit (new April 2016)
Washer/Dryer Splendide WDC 7100
LED Flat screen TV Samsung 35”
Microwave/convection oven “Contour” 1.2 cubic feet
LPG Stove/oven
Front load Refrigeration 240 V. Copland system and a 12 volt SeaFrost system.

Safety Equipment
Tender: AB 10 ft RIB with 15 HP Mercury outboard, less than 200 hours.
Fire extinguisher (7)
Life Sling
Life Jacket both offshore and inland
Safety Harness (2)
Offshore inflatable life vest with harness

Serena Rose is one of approximately 15 boats built by Sunward Yacht Corp. in Wilmington NC, now know as Bennett Brothers. She is a true sister-ship to Walter Cronkite’s Sunward 48 “Wyntje”.  Serena Rose’s hull was built in 1986 and after further refinements she was commissioned in 1992. This vessel has some of the finest hand carved woodwork and joinery ever seen on a boat her size; rich in Honduran Mahogany, Teak, Cherry and Ash.  Truly a work of art and happens to be a very stable, great blue water sailing vessel.

Sale price $297,000.  Contact Kevin via email; svserenarose.48@gmail.com.

https://photos.app.goo.gl/Wg9pogwJz1mtv9je2

Chapter 2

I guess it's time for an update.  Many of our readers have stated that our last blog post read like a first chapter of a book. So for those readers here is chapter 2.  Let’s see, we last left off anchored in New Smyrna Beach awaiting the water level to drop for an increased bridge clearance.  That anchoring lasted about 3 days with high winds and rain, which of course brought more water and raised levels more.  During our time anchored we did get the refrigerator running and filled the water tanks with the new water maker.  After three days of working on the shaft leak, Kevin decided to place a call to Scorpion Marine in Port Canaveral.  This marina is where we had the boat hauled twice and their mechanic had installed the last primary and secondary shaft seal.  The results of this conversation ended with us scheduling to have the boat hauled out in 4 days, due to a possible bad cutlass bearing.  Friday morning we started heading back south down the ICW and 3 days later arrived in Port Canaveral to be hauled out the next morning.  Serena Rose was hauled Tuesday morning.  By 3:00 we received a call from the mechanic.  The bad news is we not only need new motor mounts, shafts seals and the cutlass bearing.  Now we need a new shaft, which consist of sending the old shaft off to have the new one made.  This will have her on the hard for almost 2 weeks.  We have two problems with this; a place to stay for that period of time and second issues is a freezer stocked for about 2 months worth of food that would not keep during this time.
With all this Kevin and I have decided to put the shaft back together, go back in the water tomorrow, have the four motor mounts replace and then go to St. Augustine.  We will stay there for three weeks, then back down to Port Canaveral and haul out again for two weeks.
I am inviting anyone who wants to come visit in St. Augustine to come for dinner.  We need to eat 2 months worth of food in a 3 week time period.
So Serena Rose and her crew will be departing Port Canaveral by this Friday and making our way to St. Augustine again. Fingers crossed for a safe journey.   Updates will come after we make St. Augustine, until then. Fair winds and happy sailing my friends.

We are attempting to make it to St. Augustine.

On September 30 Serena Rose and her crew left the safety of Waterline Marina.  It was late afternoon, so we planned to just go north of Pineda Causeway and anchor for the night, then venture on toward St. Augustine over the next 2-3 days.  Well that’s not happening.  Our first of many issues, is the high water in the ICW.  We have a mast height clearance of 64’ , if the bridge clearance is 63.5 we will scrap and bend out lightning rod, 63’ will break our anchor light off and 62.5’ will hit the top of the mast and we don’t wont to go there.  So! We bent our lighting rod over about 60 degree under Pineda Causeway and every bridge in Brevard county did not have any clearance markers on the south side of the bridges.  This was a nail biting experience.  We made it all the way to Daytona and stopped.  Since the hurricane, moon phase and high wind, the bridge clearance at low tide is 62.5’.  So now we are anchored in New Smyrna on the back side of the ICW across from the cut.  Our second problem is the main system for the refrigerator is not running and we have use a good amount of fresh drinking water to run it. Now if that’s not enough excitement for you.  On Sunday morning we pulled anchor around 7:30 and by 8:30 our bilge pump had gone off about 8 times.  So upon inspecting the engine room for leaks.  Kevin notice that two motor mount were broke and the engine is out of alignment, causing a steady leak off the shaft seal.  After stopping and anchoring twice to check it, we made it passed all the bridges and anchored north of the 528 causeway.  We debated turning around the next morning, but received a text and call from Melbourne stating with all the rain the night before the water level was up 2’.  So now we can’t go south either, until the water levels drop.  All and all this has probably been the worst four days of bad luck.   As I was typing this blog, Kevin called St. Augustine Marina to let them know we will be a few days late.  Now they state if we don’t make it by Sunday, then we can only stay a week and not the whole month.  This just can’t get any worse.  So here we sitting in New Smyrna inlet for the next three days to see if the water level goes down and then we will decided if we go North or South.