Home. Safe and Sound

Now that the Ile de Grace has been moved to her permanent mooring, cleaned, and emptied of her crew and their belongings, I can begin to think about this voyage with a bit of perspective, although it will take more time to fully absorb the significance of making a transatlantic passage.

We sailed a total of 4,360 nautical miles in 32 days, while spending 10 days at various ports. This map from google earth shows our route, thanks to Jon's plotting our positions.  We were tested by the seas, the weather and the boat herself--and I think we met all challenges successfully.

I want to thank Jon for making our dream to purchase the Ile de Grace a reality; for putting me on the passage that he himself has longed to take; for his constant support during this voyage; and for taking care of everything and everyone while I was gone.  I am looking forward to the next sailing adventure being with you.

Thank you Captain Larry.  Thank you for your calmness during challenges; for your patience and your rhymes; for your care and feeding of us crew; for Sunday music; and for getting us home safely.  You are a great sea captain.  I cannot begin to count the things you've taught me that will serve Jon and I in our own circumnavigation plans.  You became a friend on this trip and I will never forget you. 

Thank you Dominique.  Thank you for sharing those six hour watches with me at the beginning; for convincing me that big ships really do follow the rules of the road; for your theory of true to compass calculations; and for your insights into the measurement of time.  I will never forget them.  Best of luck as you become a skipper in your own right.  Reliance is lucky to have you on their team.

And thank you Alex.  You are a very good sailor and I always appreciated your enthusiasm to sail the boat to her best performance; to resolve our various technical problems whenever they arose; and to have fun at sea with chess and other games.  I wish I could read in bumpy seas like you can and I wish you all the best in your future sailing adventures.

Jon and I have 18 months to customize and fully outfit the Ile de Grace before we begin our circumnavigation in January 2010.  We have a lot to do and will make a few postings, but for now I'll conclude this first chapter in our journey.

Jennifer

Coming Home

We left Bermuda around noon on Thursday, May 29th under blue skies and fair winds.  Although the winds quickly started to come from the west (once again the general direction we wanted to head), we were able to sail close-hauled and make some good miles for the first day and a half. By dinner time on Saturday, May 31st, the southwesterly wind was increasing (17-20 knots) and the sea swell was increasing from 2 to 3 meters.  No big deal. 

But by midnight June 1st, the winds were up to 27 knots and we were seeing sheet lightening in the distance.  We had 3 reefs in our main and our genoa sails as we entered heavy squalls.  It was quite a bumpy ride.  Sometime around 5 in the morning we lost our instruments (no wind readings, no speed through the water and no depth soundings) and in daylight we discovered that another batten had torn out of its pocket on our main sail.  :(  We had another two days of sailing ahead of us and could only use our main sail from the third reefing point.

Once we'd passed out of the bad weather, we lost our wind and we only made 65 nautical miles in the next 24 hours.  The highlight that day was seeing an F-18 flying low by our starboard side. The pilot dipped his wing off our bow and then took off in a vertical climb and went out of sight.  It was cool.

By midnight Tuesday, June 3rd, we could see the loom of light from Norfolk and I knew we were almost in the Chesapeake Bay--my nautical home.  Once in the Chesapeake Bay, it took us another 18 hours to get to Annapolis.  And just to be consistent with the rest of the trip, we were not out of the dark yet. We had two night watches of dealing with the shipping traffic coming into and out of Norfolk, Virginia and Baltimore, Maryland.  That evening, just as we passed the mouth of the Potomac River, the US Coast Guard warned all ships of imminent severe weather and said to seek safe harbor.  Winds were forecasted for 60 knots and hail and severe lighting were predicted for our location.  Larry ordered all to be in foul weather gear, with life jackets and tethers on.  While we had scattered squalls, the worst predictions did not occur around us.  We later heard that there were isolated tornados in the region, but we were OK.  (The 60 knot winds, hail and thunderstorms  came the next day, though, once we were safe in the marina.)

So were motored into Annapolis at 6 AM on Wednesday, June 4.  We were tired and it had been a long journey.  The boat still needed cleaning and there many repairs to tend to, but it was really good to finally be home.

More on Bermuda

Most of our brief time in Bermuda was spent addressing our broken stanchion and preparing for our last leg to Annapolis, Maryland.  I thought you might like to see photos of what all the fuss was about.  On May 19th about 900 nautical miles east of Bermuda, the stanchion that supports our boom traveler broke from its bolts.  Dominique and Alex happened to be in the cockpit when it happened and reacted quickly.  They and Larry then figured out a solution to get us to Bermuda.  Once there, we had a stainless steel plate made as an additional backing and now it seems quite secure.

We managed to have some time to enjoy night life in St. Georges, Bermuda.  Alex and Dominique spent a few hours at the beach, and we all had our traditional dinner together the night before sailing.  This time, we ate at the Mariner's Club (Larry's recommendation) in Hamilton.

I also want to mention a special person to all mariners who come to the east end of Bermuda. Bernie Oatley is the retired Harbor Master, but he did not really retire.  He is the Harbor Master Emeritus, listens to the ships coming in on the VHF radio and greets us all at the dock. Once we've cleared immigration, he advises us where we can tie up our boats, gets us tokens for showers and laundry and points us in the right direction for whatever yachting needs we may have.

I first met Bernie in November 2006.  While waiting for Sea Scout (29 foot Darfour captained by Geert van der Kolk) to hobble in from a gale, Bernie and his wife took me in and let me stay in their home until my ship arrived.  He is a gentle soul, and all who sail into St. Georges are enriched by meeting him.   Thanks for everything Bernie!

Northward Bound on the Chesapeake!

Ile de Grace turned the proverbial corner this morning, entered our own beautiful Chesapeake Bay, and is motor-sailing northward toward her home port in Annapolis. Captain and crew are tired but healthy, and looking forward to completing the boat's first major ocean passage -- a trip in excess of 4200 nautical miles. They expect to be dockside in the early morning hours of Wedneday. Their current position is 37 28 N 76 06 W, just south of the Potomac River in the Chesapeake.

Squalls and A Few Gear Failures -- All OK

A rough night of squalls left Grace with another tear in the main luff, around the third batten, which -- as before, seems to have been installed a bit too tightly for the 30 kt winds under a triple reef.  In addition, the signals from the knot meter, anemometer, and depth sounder all disappeared from the instruments, even though the instruments' LCDs are illuminated.  After checking the fuses -- located (a bit inconveniently) in the engine compartment -- a difficult place to access in weather -- there's no apparent fuse issue ... hmmm ...  

The crew are fine, but a bit worn by the night's battering through the confused waters of the Gulf Stream.  With 140 n.m to go to the mouth of the Chesapeake, they should be on terra firma on Tuesday.  Today's position:  36 02 N 72 21 W.