September 13, 2001
Labor day weekend Trip from Lake Pontchatrane to Pensacola went very well.
We had a great Sail (134 nautical miles). Started out in a drizzle and with current / wind bucking us but the weather got better as day went on. By noon we had 15k Southeast winds, who says these ketches don't sail well closehauled, with Gen, Main and Miz we were making 6 to 6.5k headway! By 2:00 the wind increased to 18k and shifted more southerly propelling us to 6.8 and then 7.2k under Gen and Miz only! Wow what a ride! Made up all the time we lost then Anchored off of Ship Island in Mississippi Thurs. night and saw the phosphuresance on the waves under a full moon.
Friday started out great with 15k winds out of the SW. Most of that day we had dolphins playing around the boat. Made great time and arrived at Dolphin Island Al. early. We cooked navy bean soup and sandwiches and cornbread for dinner, showered on the foredeck, relaxed and all four of us fell asleep on deck. About 9:00pm we were awakened by a thunderstorm that caught us by surprise. We scrambled to get everything on deck stowed below and secure the anchors and hatches. For two hours the boat rocked violently while we stayed below. Things were a little hairy but the Good Ship PickPocket held together and took care of us. Great fun! Rock and Roll! Mike got very seasick and Charlie and Jason were a little queasy but I came thru this fine, I actually enjoyed the ride. The 33lb Bruce and 50ft of 3/8 chain bedded in the Dauphin Isl. mud bottom held us firmly in place thru 40k gust and 4ft heavy chop and rising tide. By 12:00 the weather and seas calmed and everyone slept comfortablly.
By Saturday morning the front was thru and there was no wind. Hot and pretty boring motoring to Pensacola from Mobile Bay. Sat at 7:00am we were underway, only 37 miles from home. Besides dolphins constantly playing with us, the day was hot and pretty boring with no wind so we motored all the way.
In the 2-weeks before this trip I performed all the impeller,oil, fuel and filter changes and stowed 3 sets of spares as per the list advice. With all the shake, rattle and roll of the night before I was expecting the Fram to clog, happily this wasn't the case so maybe my steel tank has been spared the "Rust and Scale" build-up of 25yrs. Once docked pulled the element and found it clean.
Got to PickPocket's new home at 4:00pm. We were very lucky. The boat is 25yrs old, but everything worked great. I was fully expecting something to break, clog, or leak and we were fully prepared for most catastrophes. Now I regret we didn't make the run offshore!
Thanks for all the advice that helped make this trip a success!
April 8, 2001
PICK POCKET is a fine example of the well known Allied Sea Wind Mark II. These full keel, shoal draft vessels have taken care of sailors on many offshore voyages. She is an aft cockpit, ketch rigged boat with many upgrades and is in excellent mechanical condition. All thru hulls, seacocks, rudder boot, muffler and exhaust system are new (93). As well as a new 120 Amp dual output alternator. There is a new bimini (99), new Seward propane 3 burner stove (99), new Navico auto pilot (99), new waste tank and plumbing. The Westerbeke 4-91 engine has all new pumps and works very well (approx. 2200 hrs). There is a new shaft and dripless shaft seal (93), new halyards, new forestay and running backstays. She has a 155 Genoa, spinnaker, main, and mizzen. There is a roller furl unit for forestay that is not installed. Her ground tackle includes a 33 LB Bruce with 120' of chain, and 250' of 5/8" rhode. Also included is a backup Danforth plus a lunch anchor. Down the companionway steps, the galley is to port, and nav station to starboard. The galley also has a sink with pressure water. Forward are port and starboard settees. Port is a single, and starboard makes into a double. There is a pilot berth above and outward from the starboard settee. Forward to starboard is the head with a shower. One can enter from a door into the hallway or through a second door to the V-Berth. Also included is a vanity and mirror. To port is a hanging locker. The V-berth is very spacious. There is access to the chain locker forward of the berth.