GOOBR 2013 by Ed Mustra
Way back in 2007 after listening to my good friend Tony Torphy lamenting that we needed an ocean adventure
‘just for the hell of it’, the first GOOBR RUN was inspired. Without recounting that entire event, let’s just say that
it was a fantastic overnight ocean sail to Block Island. The adventure was planned for several boats but ended
with just one because of a threatening tropical storm named Gabriel.
The GOOBR RUN was born, a Guys Only Ocean Beer Run, designed as an excuse to enjoy four (4) days sailing
from Keyport, New Jersey to Block Island, Rhode Island and back via the Atlantic Ocean.
The name was later adjusted to Group Overnight Ocean Beer Run so that we could also include brave sailors of
the female persuasion. In 2008, the trip was repeated with a larger contingency with Tony leading the pack once
again. The idea lived on, but no trips were planned or executed again until this year. This is a recap of this year’s
adventure, or for some, miss-adventure.
No souls were lost but some were tested…
The 2013 GOOBR Run began, as most things do, quietly on the
morning of Saturday August 17, 2013.
The first boat to leave was Papillon, if you have not seen the
1973 movie of the same name starring Steve McQueen, you
must. Papillon is a 28 foot O’Day captained by Ms. Pat Greer
and crewed with her motorboat enthusiast friend Andy
Anastasio. As the smallest and therefore possibly the slowest
of our fleet, Pat and Andy departed around 0630 hours that
beautiful summer morning. Somewhere between then and
0800, Apparent Wind, a Hunter 33, Captained by Jeff Ullman
with Ed Yurowski as crew also departed for the shores of Block Island. Captain Tony Torphy with crew of Dick
Cole and Luther Tai left around 0830 aboard Integrity, a 32-foot Allied Seawind II. The last of our small Armada,
Captain John Strauss and crew Ms. Cie Stroud aboard Frog Leap, a C&C 39 and Captain Ed Mustra (me) and crew
Tony Garrigan aboard Navstar, a Southern Cross 39, departed Keyport harbor at 1010 hours. Cie was the
youngest crew with Tony Garrigan at 50 years old next youngest, far ahead of Cie. Just for your information, the
rest of this Don Quixote bunch ranged in age from mid-sixties to nearly eighty.
The weather that summer morn was stunningly beautiful, even if only
providing minimal wind and flat seas. All had motor sailed out of the harbor. As
the day progressed, the wind increased and all were under sail moving
comfortably towards our destination. Frog Leap and Navstar sailed almost side
by side at 6.5 to 7 kts during the afternoon. The winds died as the day went on
and all returned to motor sailing. Frog Leap and Navstar continued the voyage
within sight of each other. This becomes important later.
The others were ahead but all kept in contact via VHF radio with updates
passed along from boat to boat to those out of radio range. The trip was on, the weather was still beautiful, an
almost full moon was coming that evening, and all was calm and peaceful. Hot spaghetti and meatballs for
dinner aboard Navstar and other delicious meals abounded.
Sometime before midnight, things changed. Frog Leap was nearby when suddenly the engine died on Navstar.
Captain Tony aboard Integrity, our group leader, was informed of the situation.
We all kept in contact throughout the night.
A quick change of the primary fuel filter did not resolve the problem.
Fortunately the seas were glasslike and the winds non-existent. John and Cie
rafted alongside to provide whatever assistance they could offer. Eventually,
it was decided by John to tow Navstar while we worked on getting the engine
started again. A bridle was set on our bow and John began a steady tow at 4.5
kts while my engine challenged skills were tested. A short while later, after
bleeding the system and trying to ‘do no harm’, the engine was running again!
We ran the engine for 15-20 minutes before releasing our tow and continuing the journey under our own
power. Unfortunately, our joy did not last! Within another 20-30 minutes, the engine died again! Back under
tow, it was decided to wait for morning and daylight before moving onto a replacement of the secondary fuel
filter because it required complete removal of the bracket to successfully align the gaskets (been there, done
that before). At daybreak, the filter was replaced but all attempts to restart the engine were futile. Fortunately,
a light wind returned and we decided to sail into Block Island or at worst-case get a tow through the inlet to the
Great Salt Pond. The tow was again released and we encouraged Frog Leap to do their best to get to Block since
we both had lost so much time through the night.
By this time, Integrity (first to
arrive), Papillon, and Apparent Wind
had all found town moorings on Block
Island and were enjoying welldeserved rests on the hook. Papillon
and Apparent Wind laid back during
the night so as not to arrive too early,
in the dark.
As you will see later in comments from Papillon, the wait was worth it when they saw a humpback whale and a
pod of dolphin early that morning.
Frog Leap could point quite a bit higher than Navstar and moved closer to Great Salt
Pond as Navstar tacked several times attempting to get past Point Montauk. As Frog
Leap got further and further away, the winds lightened to the point of none and Navstar
drifted on the outgoing tide more towards Bermuda than Block Island. While we were
experiencing this negative advance, we called Frog Leap only to find out they had the
same problem with lack of wind, and were experiencing some minor engine problems as
well. Fortunately, they resolved their engine challenge and motored into Salt Pond to
join the rest of our adventurers.
Meanwhile, back on the drift, the crew of Navstar attempted to sail our way to the island as best we could
whenever a slight ghost of a puff appeared. After about three hours of going nowhere, the captain threw in the
towel and called Towboat US for assistance. Having spoken with the Block Island Towboat US people earlier,
white flag surrender and an additional hour and half wait, was sufficient for the cavalry to begin their rescue.
Captain Bob of Towboat US expertly pulled us along on flat seas at 6.9kts with his well-powered inflatable!
Dick Cole, aboard Integrity, contacted some of his friends on Block Island and arranged for us to be docked at
Block Island Basin, you know - the one in front of the Oar restaurant, and arranged for a diesel mechanic, Tony
Edwards, to meet us. Since we did not dock until after 1600 hours, the mechanic did not show until Monday
morning.
The worst part of our miss-adventure was not the $150 a night dock fee or
the stress of not knowing how serious our engine problem was.
The worst part was not being able to hang out with the rest of the GOOBRs,
drink, tell stories, and laugh because we were too involved in figuring out
what was wrong.
Navstar‘s engine woes were finally diagnosed by midday Monday – a severely
blocked primary fuel filter. Unable to repair or rebuild, it was decided to bypass
the filter with an inline filter and head home as soon as the in-line filter(s) arrived
by afternoon ferry from Point Judith. Like the creeping delays some may have
encountered at airports, our filters did not arrive until sometime in the evening,
and made it to the boat at 0800 hours on Tuesday. During that time, Tony Garrigan
and I rigged a hand pump and a bypass so that we could get the engine running
again, and test that no other repairs were necessary. We could have traveled
home under that MacGyver set-up but it would have meant having only a
secondary filter with no replacement if that clogged. The in-line filter (pic on left)
would act as primary and actually be clear so that we could watch for any clogging.
Mid-afternoon Monday, Papillon and Apparent Wind departed for Keyport and reported late in the day that the
winds were heavy, on the nose, and accompanied with 4-foot seas. Since the filters had yet to arrive, Captain
Tony Torphy and Captain John Strauss decided to wait until the next morning with hopes of us all leaving
together. For me, this was a blessing. Not a blessing because they were waiting for Navstar but a blessing
because John, Cie, Tony Garrigan and I got to spend part of the evening at my favorite Block
Island Bar – Mahogany Shoals on Payne’s Dock. If you have not been there, you must go!
The original bar, set on a sloping dock is a favorite of locals and has had the same piano
player, Tuesday through Sunday, for over 30 years. They make the best Irish Coffee and have a very comfortable
atmosphere that is simply not to be believed, with loads of original, unique decorations. Since most old bars
were mahogany, old time sailors would say that they were stranded on Mahogany Shoals whenever they didn’t
get back to their ship.
Integrity departed very early Tuesday morning to get a
crewmember back in time for an important Wednesday
meeting. Frog Leap and Navstar departed a few hours later
after installing the in-line fuel filter and topping the tanks.
These three kept in contact throughout the entire return trip,
checking in on the hour, every hour. Aside from an hour of
strong wind and sailing, most of the trip home involved motor
sailing into a 5-10kt westerly with a magnificent full moon, a
blue moon (the third of four within the same season),
following over my shoulder like a guardian angel.
Of course, Integrity arrived back first, then Frog Leap, with
Navstar bringing up the rear about an hour later on Wednesday morning. It was another adventure well worth
living and learning.
Ship Happens! What Doesn’t Kill You Makes You Strong! All’s Well That Ends Well! SAIL LA VIE!
Checkout Additional Photos from the GOOBR 2013 Rally at:
http://www.keyportyachtclub.com/Home/PhotoGallery/tabid/94/AlbumID/445-170/Default.aspx
Below are comments from some of those who participated in the 2013 GOOBR Rally
FROM NAVASTAR:
“I give a tremendous “THANK YOU” to John Strauss and Cie Stroud for going
beyond the point of Good Samaritans at Sea. Their support and perseverance on
Saturday night, while offering assistance and towing Navstar through the night,
was phenomenal. This is why I am proud to be a KYC member allowing me to
meet and know Sailors like them. They kept contact with Navstar for the entire
trip home, through the night, providing needed moral support, and making sure,
we were safe. Sincerely, THANK YOU CIE and JOHN!
(PLEASE, if you read nothing more,
make sure that you read Cie’s view at the end of this re-cap!!)
Thank You also to Tony Torphy for providing a calm head, support throughout
resolving my issue, and being there hourly for support throughout the trip home.
Tony has been a great friend throughout my years at KYC and I respect and
appreciate his advice and support. I hope that everyone on the trip enjoyed the
adventure and will make many more adventures for themselves in the future.”
- Ed Mustra
FROM INTEGRITY:
“… I am equally impressed with John and Cies' extraordinary
care and support during your challenging ordeal. I learned so
much about compassion and humanity in seamanship on this
GOOBR run. It was an indelible experience.
I enjoyed being a crew on Integrity very much. Captain Tony
kept everyone informed and made sure that everyone had safe
passage. We had a bit of hiccup as well. When we were at the
fueling station, the attendant gave us gasoline instead of diesel
fuel. While Captain Tony was upset, he was calm and civil and
patiently siphoned out 40 gallons of mixed fuel and then filled
the tank up again with diesel fuel. The attendant who looked
like a college kid apologized profusely. Captain Tony knew the
kid felt badly enough so he did not admonish him. Instead, he gave the kid a very generous gratuity. I think that
kid will never make the same mistake again. I think that kid learned a lot about humanity and kindness as well.
I was very impressed with Captain Tony's infinite wisdom.
This was my second GOOBR run and each time I learned so much. It was a pleasure meeting all the folks on this
trip. I had a fun time.”
- Luther Tai
FROM PAPILLON:
“The trip was a great experience for both of us. However, I was very
sorry you had problems as I was so looking forward to drinking beer
with you and Tony, and listening to your fun and funny conversations.
Papillon stood up to the test very well even though we got quite beat
up on the trip back. Nevertheless, I was very proud of her. I had been
looking forward to doing more sailing, but as has always been the case
for me, the wind just would not cooperate. We screamed on the way
up maintaining 6.5 to 7 knots motor sailing to Montauk. A hump
backed whale saluted us about 200 feet from the boat and a school of
porpoises (dolphins) played with us for a while in Block Island Sound
where we had slowed down to await daylight. We never saw the MoA
buoy off Montauk, either on the way in or out and am curious to know
if anyone else saw it. Thanks so much for putting the Rally together; it
is a great experience for all. “
- Pat Greer
“My first ocean sail of some length was a wonderful new experience for me. Traveling at a slower rate gives one
a total appreciation of the sea, sky, and land features around you. Seeing a whale and dolphins adds to the
serene beauty of the whole scene. Block Island was a lot different than I had imagined. The hills, inlets, and
beautiful vintage houses made it a wonderful place to explore. Coming home in less than good weather only
heightened an already great experience. The only downside is the extreme tiredness from the constant watch
changes. But as a friend of mine once said, it was a good tired. An experience I would jump at to do again.”
- Andy Anastasio
FROM APPARENT WIND:
“…Ed Yurowski and I discussed putting in at Montauk for the night. Ed
was recommending taking the LI sound route the next day, on the
theory that there were lots of places to put in in a pinch, but in the end
I elected not to do so: First, I wasn't sure I could make the marina at
Montauk before sundown, and I did not want to enter a strange
anchorage in the dark. Second, I couldn't be certain whether the next
day would be any better; the wind was west, so the Sound would likely be just as bad, and maybe worse. Third,
we were well under control; the boat was moving well and handling the waves just fine, and as long as it did not
get substantially worse, the only real problem was speed. Hard to make time when you are crashing through 4
foot seas coming right at you. Fourth, while it was overcast most of the afternoon, you could see it was clearing
in the west. And I was aware of the NOAA forecast, which said that the wind and the waves would settle down
in the evening, which they did (forecast was for west winds 10-15 and seas 2-3 feet, dropping to 5-10 and 1-2
feet in the evening. As usual, NOAA underestimated the weather, but I always assume that; it is the change in
conditions that they are pretty good at, and they were right on, as it turned out). After sunset, the wind
dropped from 18-21 to 16-18, and ultimately to 12-14 after midnight. The sea responded by dropping to 2-3
feet after sunset, and lower after midnight, ultimately dropping to 1-2 feet by sunrise. Plus, we had a gorgeous
full moon and clear skies, so visibility was not an issue. We were under power the whole afternoon and evening,
but even if we had sail up, we could control the sails from the cockpit. Not so for poor Pat, who put up her main
to see if she could settle things down and then had to climb up on the cabin roof to sweat down her main in the
dark, when having the sail up proved more hindrance than help. I know she was afraid for her boat, which, like
us, took quite a pounding from the waves. We were in touch with her on the hour, by cell phone as her radio
was not transmitting. But all's well that ends well, and we had a glorious sail from about Long Beach all the way
into the Bay, when the wind shifted slightly to the South. And we had earned some good luck, I guess: as we
approached Romer Shoal light, and shifted course to the North, heading into Raritan Bay, we picked up the
favoring current of the incoming tide, zooming in on a beam reach at 8.3 kts, SOG. What a sleigh ride!
Anyway, Ed, thank you -- or you and Tony -- very much for this wonderful idea. Which reminds me: We forgot
the beer (again)! Guess we will have to do this one more time.”
- Jeff Ullman
FROM FROG LEAP: “Cie’s View”
GOOBR 2013 By Cie Stroud
“Not to bug you but I’d like to get our GOOBR recap out,” said Ed.
Right. Let me get off this couch and stop watching “Orange is the new Black”
and write MY story. That’s why people do crazy things like boat to Block Island
and - to write our own story, to live life outside the cubicle, right? Little did I
know I would be putting myself in a cubicle with a loud, stinky diesel engine.
It all started like this. June 17 Ed shouted from NavStar on its mooring to
John (Strauss) circling on Frog Leap with me aboard that the Guys Only
Ocean Beer Run is coming up and I, not a guy, replied that I don’t like beer but I’ll go!
This is typical of me. Guys only? Pff. Who says? Deal me in.
Of course, that was easy to say before I realized that I would have
casted off with jet lag and sore muscles after having returned from hiking in
Glacier National Park or that I would have had little sleep as I had returned to
find that my cat in her loneliness had “overgroomed” the hair off her left
upper shoulder and I would take her to the emergency vet at 11pm only to
have left her again hours later for 4 days (cringe).
For cat abandonment I suffered Karma #1. See below.
Or that John had put off replacing the water pump and water coolant hose on Frog to rip off the roof
of the wrap-around porch on his house and would have to drop then porch and resume Frog repairs ASAP.
Or that we had no life lines or life raft or any offshore skills to speak of.
But that last part, the no-skills-to-speak-of, that’s why we went.
Have been wanting to do it + safety in numbers = just go.
Karma #1. I was all packed and in the car. Then, a flatish tire before leaving my neighborhood. I called John.
“Really, I’m not lying. It’s not that I don’t want to go. I have a flat tire. Compressor switch, right?”
“Yes,” said John. “Ed is going to wait for us.” Phew!
Almost forgot the biggest “Or” of all! Or that the number of boats going had gone from 7 to 5 and
the number of crew on several from 3 to 2 and the wind from any to absolutely 0.
Motored out to the #1 can. Nothing new.
Motored to the Hook. Had to do what we had to do.
Motored ½ way out to Montauk. No real waves to speak of. Kinda strange.
No more daylight. Not a ripple. There was never not a boat in sight. Really
weird. I had expected Frog to be tossed about in heavy seas.
10:27 p.m. John throttled back as he found Frog sidling up to Nav Star.
Ed’s engine was dead. Huh. I thought tow Nav Star into Shinnecock inlet.
Ed thought tow Nav Star until he can get it started.
Bridled and towed a sailboat. Something new.
For a while I saw Ed going up and down the stairs and flashlight beams
pointed all about. Then NavStar was motoring again.
Then she was bridled again.
At dawn Ed reappeared in a new outfit. I thought, “That bitch slept,
ate and had a shower in the quiet of a boat not running an engine and we’re
damp, tired, numb and polluted from manning the helm and running Frog’s
engine all night. Pff. Cut Ed loose! There’s some wind now.” Always the gut
reaction to be paranoid, I have. Karma cringed. Said Ed,
“I decided to wait until daylight before changing the secondary filter which
required removing it from the bracket in very tight quarters (dropping those
tiny nuts and bolts into the bilge would have been even more disastrous). Then I sent Tony Garrigan below to
get some sleep while I hand-steered behind Frog until 4:30 a.m. Then I went below and slept until 6:00 a.m.
before taking apart the filter and trying to get the engine restarted.”
7:27 a.m. Free at last, but Karma #2 came fast. We ran out of
diesel as we passed the Montauk Project radar installation and then we lost
wind between Montauk and Block. Whether it was Karma or governmentcontrolled psychological warfare, floundering in Fishing Area Number 6
seemed appropriate justice for my bad attitude.
John got the engine running again prior to GR “BIS” but wowee, is there
some current there! We nearly came to a stop! After motoring past,
Frog had wind in her sails and we had the engine off. Ahhhh.
A gazillion boats in the Block channel! Engine on. Well, okay.
3:30 p.m. Mooring #60 ho! Engine off for the foreseeable future.
Thank you, thank you, thank you!
We found Block rather unwelcoming. “What showers?” puzzled the
launch operator. “Closed” read a note on the Harbor Master’s shack.
Eau de dumpster juice circled the sundry shack. And at our table in the
Oar, the mouthwatering perfume of festering bacteria in the bathrooms
below billowed up the staircase to our table.
After dinner we wandered over to Payne’s complex.
Familiar eau over there too and we headed back towards the launch.
Ed gave us a token for the showers but we couldn’t be bothered.
The Guys had gathered at a picnic bench for beer and grub.
7 p.m. Group picture for the guys.
8 a.m. Launch to real coffee. What joy! Hike to the east side beach
for possible better showers. I noted how the ocean looked and sounded
more like a vacation from the beach view than from a floating cubicle with
a stinky, loud diesel engine.
We resigned to using the showers at the Oar but at least now I finally get
it – why there’s soap on a rope! Put the string around your neck and you
don’t have to put the soap down on anything gross. Duh.
9 a.m. Launch back to Frog. The dog getting off the incoming launch just could not
wait and lifted his leg on a man holding 4 coffees in a cardboard tray.
Coffee man dodged the dog and we dodged the man’s coffee.
All 4 were spared (coffees, not dog legs).
10:30 a.m. Off to fuel up. A tad windy. Not a pretty parking job. The gas lady was cool
as a cucumber, however, even when she shouted out “It’s shallow over there!” as we
ran aground. Reverse.
It sounded as if the gas lady had the life. For the summer she had a boat in a slip and
was pumping gas. For the off-season her plan included an Airstream trailer.
Deal me in – in 20 years.
Then the litany of calls started. The parts would be on 1 o’clock ferry. Make that the 3 o’clock ferry.
Tony’s tank was filled with regular gas…
4 p.m. Seemed like a good time to frustrate myself trying to splice
an eye in 3-strand polypropylene rope for the new man overboard pole that
John had just glued together. Five times I ended up with 2 strands out the
same side. WTF! When I had accomplished something like an eye splice I
took on making another at the other end, only we had to take off the first 5
feet because it was frayed. Make that the first 10. Make that the first 15. I
added Gorilla tape and called it done.
The parts would be on … make that the 7 a.m. ferry.
A.m.? OMG. I had to get to shore.
Sunset at Mahogany Shoals with nachos and a Manhattan. Ahhh.
7 a.m. We pulled a “moor and motor”
before the Harbor Master came around,
rationalizing that it wasn’t our fault we
had to stay another night.
With the engine roaring again I felt Karma was calling, but she gave us a
reprieve.
Just short of reaching Montauk I was surprised to find a sparrow
(Photo by John) sitting on the lifelines starboard of the helm. I never even
saw him land. He looked a bit disheveled and wobbly. He then flew-hopped
to amidships and readied himself for the next stretch. I could have sworn
that 30 yards out he did a summersault and pitched.
Then again, I need new eyeglass lenses.
I thought of him as “Woodstock.”
I thought of Ed as “abandoned” but he said he would be behind shortly. I offered that when he caught up I’d
take the helm while he had a snooze but he said he’d see us in Keyport.
We never did see him but we heard him plenty. There was a plan to check in every hour on the hour. When I
took the helm at 2:30 a.m., John said that Ed wanted to skip the 3 a.m. call. I was a bit bummed because I kind of
needed those hourly calls too! I’ve made long car trips myself but always there was a rest stop in which to
snooze – a quiet rest stop.
Sometimes at the other end of the VHF he just heard Charlie Brown’s teacher – “noise,
noise, noise, Fire Island.” At those times I thought, “Well, at least I know Ed’s still in the
boat.” Really, I have no idea how he made it the whole way himself.
That night there was little company for anyone on the sea. There were very few fishing
boats until … off Long Beach? There we passed 2 sets of them and 2 stragglers. One set
was most impressive with whiter, wider, taller hulls and with green lights on their arms.
They didn’t seem to be moving. I imagined them sucking up fish like the tripods in “War of
the Worlds.”
5:30 am. I went below to sleep - with the engine on, of course. I am amazed that
that was possible but I sure was groggy and cranky when I got up.
Karma, is that you?
Flatish tire in the KYC parking lot.