Things That Go Bump in the Night

Night sailing is an amazing experience during which very sound, smell, and vibration command full attention.

The sun set around 2000. Sandy and I organized ourselves into 3-hour watches during which one of us drives the boat, and the other can rest, while remaining on-call to help with a maneuver or to prepare a meal or coffee.

We had a 3/4 moon following us a good part of the way. When it set, it gave way to one of those starry nights that you just can’t stop staring at. We also had front row seats for a dramatic sunset and an equally dramatic sunrise.

Without vision, every bump in the night causes heightened concern. We had two. One “bump” was a flood alarm from the aft storage locker. Safety-conscious Amel put float sensors in several critical locations throughout the boat, wired to an array of alarms at the NAV station. This one was beeping intermittently. There were swells from the beam causing water to slosh left and right, lifting and lowering the float. That much was clear. What was less clear was where that water came from. I went down and sponged out about a half liter of water. A few weeks ago, we took some big waves over the bow on Nantucket Soumd. The rubber seal that makes overhead hatches in the forward cabin watertight had lost their suppleness and the seal was breached. Although we immediately cleaned up everything visible, water has a way of working its way through the various bilges to a point that can be quite remote from the source. My suspicion is that this was residual water from that incident and the rolling motion from the swells caused it to actuate the alarm. It was quiet the rest of the night once dried out.

The other bump was really a bump. Shortly after setting sails, we heard a repeated bump. That was concerning because it was hard to tell where it was coming from. After extensive sleuthing, it turned out to be the plexiglass shower door in one of the heads. It’s latch had released, and it was opening and closing with the swells. Not exactly a life-threatening issue, but you can never assume!

As I write, we are appraoching the Maine coast, welcomed by mobs of… you guessed it… lobster traps. So after a respite of lobster-less sailing for a month, welcome home!