Sunday, June 8, 2008
Home. Safe and Sound
Coming Home
More on Bermuda
Tuesday, June 3, 2008
Northward Bound on the Chesapeake!
Sunday, June 1, 2008
Squalls and A Few Gear Failures -- All OK
Friday, May 30, 2008
Annapolis Bound
Wednesday, May 28, 2008
15 Day Passage to Bermuda
In this next video, I tried to show you how we had our traveler to the port side while under sail. This was necessary after our stantion broke on May 19th. (Dominique and Alex were on deck at the time and we quick to respond, by releasing the boom. Larry was quick to come up with a temporary fix, and after a few phone calls on the satellite phone, we were back underway.) I introduce Otto von Helm (our auto pilot) who does most of the driving 24-7, doesn't drink or sleep on the job, and only very occassionally loses his grip. (But then don't we all?) I also introduce Old Sea Dog, our mascot. He sits on watch 24-7 on top of the Navigation Table looking out over our bow. He too never drinks or sleeps on the job, and has kept us out of any serious trouble. We are grateful and I will miss him when he leaves the ship with Larry. I also tried to video myself signing off--please ignore.
[After spending 40 minutes uploading this video, it failed. Sorry. Will try to fix when I get home and don't have to pay an arm and a leg to post.]
And finally, Larry, Alex and Dominique all say hello.
After Larry's 12volt inverter--which we used to charge his computer for weather reports--stopped working, Alex lost access to the necessary power source to run his computer. Thus, the chess matches he and Dominique were having came to an abrupt halt. But no worries, they created their own chess board and were soon back at it.
Will try to post on our brief stay in Bermuda later. Cheers, Jennifer
Tuesday, May 27, 2008
St. George's Bermuda -- Safe and Sound
Monday, May 26, 2008
Sailing As It Was Meant To Be ...
Saturday, May 24, 2008
3000 Nautical Miles and Counting ...
Thursday, May 22, 2008
On the Bermuda Rhumb Line!
Their morning position is 33 49 N 50 21 W.
Tuesday, May 20, 2008
All Is Well; Replacement Underway
Holding It All Together
Sunday, May 18, 2008
Halfway To Bermuda
Friday, May 16, 2008
Calm Seas, Foggy and Overcast
Wednesday, May 14, 2008
Underway -Smooth Sailing
Sunday, May 11, 2008
Passage to Açores
First we had to cross the 4 shipping lanes on the northwest coast of Spain. Two go north and two go south, one each for "dangerous" and "non-dangerous" cargos. Captain Larry had timed our departure from La Caruna so that we would reach the shipping lanes: 1) on his watch; and 2) at night so that the ships would be easier to see with their navigation lights on. There were quite a few ships, but we managed to give them all wide berth ... until just as we were leaving the shipping lanes, Dominique suddenly had to give-way to a rather large whale that passed 10 meters off our bow. Now we can definitely state that we "brake for whales."
Once out of the shipping lanes, we soon entered the first of 2 low pressure areas that greatly affected our trip. As noted earlier, the wind was 20 to 30 knots from the south, so we headed west with the seas getting quite choppy. As we took waves over our bow, sea water began to leak into the boat from what we now think was the air vents in the back of the anchor locker. It wasn´t ever too serious, but had to be dealt with in less than pleasant sailing conditions. At the same time, we lost half of our fresh water in the first 48 hours, when we believe the sea action (though only about 10 feet) "sloshed" tens of gallons out of the water tank vents. We were already on water rationing, so that continued, and we had plenty of bottled water to make it to the Açores--just no baths; so we were all a little gamey after 9 days at sea.
There are no photos from our rough weather sailing because: 1) I did not want to get my camera wet; 2) we were all either too busy or too tired for photos; and 3) truth be told, I was often hanging on to the stern railings giving everything I had to the sea. Larry, Dominique and Alex were perfect gentlemen about it and never made me feel more like a sea sissy than I already did; and I would like to thank them.
In the brief lull between the two lows, we did manage to create some fun with man-overboard drills. Alex spotted a fender drifting in the sea and made casual note of the fact. To which, Larry began shouting "Man Overboard!" and we moved (a bit awkwardly) into action. With Dominique at the helm, Alex at the ready and Larry shouting orders, we managed to rescue the drowning fender. However, Alex would not follow through with mouth-to-mouth resusitation.
We got another chance when I spotted a drowning fishing buoy. This time, with Alex at the helm and Dominique at the ready, we attempted another rescue. After it was clear the poor man overboard would not make it, Captain Larry showed us how a pro does it. Again no volunteers for mouth-to-mouth, but we did end up with two extra bumpers. It was all quite exhausting, however, and the crew took a much need rest. Here is Dominique--completely wiped out from the rescues and Alex recovering on the trampoline, dreaming of his next bilge duty.....
After going through 2 lows with the winds against us, we then had a period of too little wind, and again had to motor. During these respites, Dominique and Alex played competitive chess matches, but always ended up friends. Larry could do his crossword puzzles when he was not pulling double duty as Galley Chef.
As for me, when not on watch, I tried to break all records for most sleeping on an ocean passage--sorry, no photos of that either. We were visited by a couple of whales, many dolphins and a few lost swallows and passed the occasional ship, all of which could easily capture our attention and eased the feeling of being so alone in such a big ocean.
So we ended up on the Island of Faial and the town of Horta on Friday, May 9th. It´s a beautiful island and we can see the volcano on Pico as if it were a short walk away. Faial is known as the blue island because it has so many blue hydrangeas on it. There is a scrimshaw museum dedicated to telling the story of the whaling in this area, and Horta is where Joshua Slocum, in 1895, put in when making his first solo cirumnavigation of the world.
The Marina is interesting for the many paintings left by boats that have past through. Whileat first the paintings look like a lot of graffiti, they tells the story of those brave enough to cross the Atlantic and reminds us all of how nice it is to have the Açores as a resting stop along the way.
Today, Sunday May 11th, I happened across a procession. The tradition here is to decorate the center of the street with flowers and dyed sand. Tomorrow and Tuesday are holidays so I think today´s procession must be the beginning of the celebrations.
We plan to leave tomorrow morning, Monday, May 12th. Again, our intention is to sail a bit south of Bermuda to avoid the lows and arc up to the island in 12 to 14 days.
Talk to you then, in the meantime, Happy Mothers Day to all mothers who read this post.
Best wishes,
Jennifer
Saturday, May 10, 2008
Courtesy of NOAA
Friday, May 9, 2008
Arrival: Azores
Wednesday, May 7, 2008
Azores Bound -- Making Good Time
Sunday, May 4, 2008
Spain Abaft
Wednesday, April 30, 2008
Wednesday, 30 April, 2008
We had a very safe crossing Friday, Saturday and Sunday with an average speed of 5.5 knots; not what we expected, but better than the alternative of a rough passage. My first lesson was the difference between delivery and cruising--if our sailing speed is below 5 knots, we motor. I also learned that, if done correctly, catamarans can go on one engine. To use both consumes twice the fuel and only adds a marginal improvement in speed. We left La Rochelle, with one reef in the main sail and left it there for of the passage.
By Sunday night, it was clear that we should top off our fuel before heading around Finisterre and we had a small fresh water leak in our port bilge so we had already decided to pull into La Coruna on the Northwest coast of Spain when we heard from the Spanish Coast Guard that there were gale warnings within the next 24 hours. The first squall (30 knot winds) actually hit within 6 hours, making for a very interesting watch for Larry and Alex. Happy to say, ile de Grace handled it quite nicely.
But it hasn’t been all fun and play. I, with my mediocre Spanish, got a sail maker to come by Monday to look at a small tear in our main sail and schedule a repair. Larry, Alex and Dominique took the sail off and are currently putting it back on. Next, they got the depth sensor working--it worked just fine in sea trials, but, amazingly the Bay of Biscay read 5.4 meters the whole crossing! Next, they solved the leak in the port bilge. Packing styrofoam had gotten into the pump in Larry’s shower and backed up. Alex, who loves bilge work, did most of the honors, with much encouragement from Dominique. Nevertheless, they both decided that the next time there’s a bilge problem, Larry gets to do the tasting (for salt or fresh water). One tiny leak remains in the starboard bow ceiling, but Larry came up with a good temporary fix until we can figure it out and we are satisfied. All boats have their shakedown issues, and so far, ours have been minor and manageable.
I’ve decided to upgrade from my small 44 foot catamaran to this….
The Queen Elizabeth II docked near us Tuesday on what I believe is her last voyage before becoming a floating hotel in Dubai.
The final squalls are coming through today and we plan to leave tomorrow morning. Captain Larry expects a 7 to 8 day passage to the Azores, and our plan is to head for the island of Faial and its port of Horta. If the winds push us further south, then we’ll just have to go to Madeira. (Not a bad backup plan.)
Adios,
Jennifer
Friday, April 25, 2008
Au Revoir La Rochelle
The staff of Fountain Pagot was also prompt to respond to any inquiry or problem, but special thanks must be given to Jean Vincent and Muriel for their professionalism and assistance.
The captain and crew arrived Monday evening the 21st, and I think we have a great combination for a transatlantic passage. Captain Larry Trow, is making his 32nd transatlantic passage with his trusty sea mascot, who is making the same number. (More about the mascot in a future blog—have to see how good he keeps watch first.)
First Mate Dominique Mertens hails from Antwerp, Belgium and is making his third passage, after which he can captain deliveries himself. This is also his third trip with Captain Larry
Alex Nichols, Second Mate, is making his first passage like me, but unlike me, he has Yacht Masters ticket and more sailing experience. Being the youngest on the boat, however, he had the pleasure of inspecting the top of the mast and installing our radar reflector. Here he is waving hello to his mom (at my request).
Along the way, we have also made new friends with other Fountain Pajot owners. Lawrence and Lexie own a 60’ Eluthra named Papillon and were sources of much needed company before the crew arrived as well as information and tips about our boats, provisioning, and restaurants. Their crew, Harvey and Todd were also instant friends. Next door to our boat is another Orana 440, Far Out, owned by Rick and Barbara. Because our boats are hull numbers 20 and 21, we have relied on each other this week for help understanding our boat’s particular idiosyncrasies. In fact, I still owe Rick a drink for his noticing that our anchors were too small for our boat. 35 lbs. were installed instead of the necessary 45 lbs. FP had the correct one exchanged within hours, so all’s well that end’s well, and many thanks Rick!
Provisioning and preparing Ile de Grace has consumed most of our time. All that remains is rigging the jack stays and topping off the fuel and water. Our float plan is to arrive in the Azores by May 6th, Bermuda by May 21st and Annapolis by May 29th. This is a conservative plan, so hopefully we’ll make better time. The weather looks good for our plans to get around Spain, and if the gods are good to us, then we’ll head out straight for the Azores. If they are not, then we will duck into one of several Spanish towns that Captain Larry knows, which would not be so bad.
So wish us well and I’ll post at our next landfall. Jon may hear from us by satellite phone. When he does, he’ll keep you all posted on our positions and conditions. All the best, and Godspeed.
Jennifer
Monday, April 21, 2008
Sea Trial
Jennifer landed in La Rochelle last week, and took possession on Friday. I'll let her post her first-hand impressions, but here's a picture of her during Grace's sea trial. It's a tough job, but someone had to do it!
Monday, April 7, 2008
The Deeds Are Done ...
Fittingly, in a kind of galactic karma, we closed out the final arrangements on the very day we met up with our friends James, Ingrid, Benjamin, and Gabriella, who had joined us for the pivotal and wonderful one-week test sail of the catamaran sailing/life style in the summer of 2006. We were able to celebrate with them the end of our beginning: we're now ready to begin the breaking-in/learning process of a new boat, in anticipation of our January 1, 2010 departure date.
Our boat's name -- now final -- is Ile de Grace -- a name coined by Jennifer and Kate, and speaking directly to our collective view of the boat: our own island of grace.
Jennifer leaves next week to take possession in La Rochelle, France, and will be joining the delivery skipper and crew for the trans-atlantic passage. Fair winds and smooth seas!
Thursday, March 6, 2008
Lots of Moving Parts ...
The boat is scheduled to leave the factory on April 18, and we're up to our eyeballs in the pre-launch logistics: financing; insurance; delivery; registration; dockage; training; etc.
The Fed's interest rate decisions are moving in our favor, and luckily, we locked in our purchase price in US$ so the depreciation of our vaunted currency is not hurting us (expcet that Jennifer's provisioning of the boat prior to departure for Annapolis in late April will be a bit pricey). We're getting excellent service from our friend Cindy Lewis at Newcoast Financial. Having the boat launched in non-U.S. waters limits the universe of lenders, since -- in the unlikely event of a default -- the loan's collateral would be more difficult to access in non-U.S. waters.
Insurarance is also in good shape; Pat Bannon at IMIS has been very patient with us, and has gotten us a policy for the delivery, for our coastal cruising plans -- all with an eye to having world-wide coverage for our trip.
We had a brief glitch in the delivery -- our insurance company requires not only trans-Atlantic experience on the part of the skipper (good idea), but also blue-water experience for the crew (also a good idea). The first company we began to engage with had a tough time guaranteeing TODAY that their crew would have the requisite experience. Happily, we were referred to Reliance-Yachts in the UK that seems to have a more robust list of available crew. More later on this.
We're registering the boat with the U.S. Coast Guard, and, given our financing, we're relying on a third-party documentation company -- ASAP -- to handle the paperwork. Apparently, there are more than a few cases of conspiracies between borrowers and builders to create "false" documents for non-existent boats for very large loans.
For dockage, our long-time friend Steve L. has offered us dock space at his Annapolis-area home; permitting issues have led us to pursue a "Med-moor" arrangement, where the boat is secured on the bow via a permanent mooring, and secured on the stern to the dock. For a catamaran, this is ideal, given the ingress/egress via the rear of the two hulls.
Finally, Jennifer is hard at work gaining various course and license certificates -- coastal navigation; Maryland boat operator license; etc. She's headed off to La Rochelle, France in mid-April to help deliver the boat across.
Lots of moving parts.