Posted by Ed
It’s difficult to describe the feeling or magical experience that’s derived from cruising throughout the Caribbean islands, so it occurred to me that through the various boats we have run across, the names of some of the boats are a pretty good indication of how others feel about cruising.
We have spent time with new friends from San Francisco who sail a beautiful Chuck Paine designed custom Lyman Morse 54 called “New Morning”. They are currently in the process of circumnavigating and are headed to the South Pacific. With each new day bringing a new morning, it also brings with it a new adventure to their lives.
“Freedom” is a name I have seen several times which says a lot about the feeling derived of being totally on your own, free from the stress of the everyday work world and other obligations everyone is faced with on a daily basis.
While spending the winter in the Caribbean we have often remarked that this is a wonderful feeling of an “Endless Summer” which seems to be in sync with other boat owners.
Newly married, a young German couple who are spending their honeymoon sailing from Germany to the Caribbean and back to Germany over a six month sojourn are sailing aboard a Bavaria 42 called “Dream Catcher”.
A Hunter 42 we saw, tricked out with dual wind generators, solar panels and a full enclosure for comfortable living aboard was called “Daydream”.
The boat that really had my curiosity was a Jeanneau called “YOLO”. After doing some research, it seems the owner is from Des Moines Iowa and once he was introduced to the Caribbean, he decided to make a life of sailing in the Caribbean as a charter skipper aboard “YOLO” which says it all “You Only Live Once”.
Others we have seen that also say it all, are “Tranquility”, Living the Dream” and then of course, there’s GYPSEA!
Wednesday, May 26, 2010
Gypsea and crew are back home in New England
Posted by Liz
Ed and crew arrived last night (Tuesday) in Beverly. Great to see Ed. They all had a good time, despite getting tossed around a bit in the Gulf Stream. Everyone in the crew chipped in and made for a great team.
This week back is being spent getting our lives in order - cars up to the shop for repairs, inspection stickers, doctors and dentist appointments, offloading the boat, getting the house in order.
We're both really sad that our adventure is over, but feel so blessed to have lived this life. When people ask me about the trip, it's really hard to describe it - but I've come up with three words that really summarize how we felt every day:
HAPPY
JOYFUL
PLAYFUL
Everyone I've seen this week says "You look different", "You look like a completely different person" - and I say - "It's because I'm Happy!".... I'm trying hard to make it last, and keep that happy karma a part of my everyday life going forward.
Ed and crew arrived last night (Tuesday) in Beverly. Great to see Ed. They all had a good time, despite getting tossed around a bit in the Gulf Stream. Everyone in the crew chipped in and made for a great team.
This week back is being spent getting our lives in order - cars up to the shop for repairs, inspection stickers, doctors and dentist appointments, offloading the boat, getting the house in order.
We're both really sad that our adventure is over, but feel so blessed to have lived this life. When people ask me about the trip, it's really hard to describe it - but I've come up with three words that really summarize how we felt every day:
HAPPY
JOYFUL
PLAYFUL
Everyone I've seen this week says "You look different", "You look like a completely different person" - and I say - "It's because I'm Happy!".... I'm trying hard to make it last, and keep that happy karma a part of my everyday life going forward.
Tuesday, May 25, 2010
50 Miles from Home
Posted by Ed
Gypsea is almost to her New England home (she has another home somewhere between 10 and 18 degrees North)! Its been a very cold and foggy last 24 hours and we are in the home stretch. Many dolphins have visited Gypsea the last few days and the crew for both legs of the trip north have been great.
The passage has been uneventful and included a variety of conditions with some very light air, some not so light, a bit of uncomfortableness in the Gulfstream, warm temperatures, some cold temps the last few days, pea soup fog and some really great ocean sailing.
I hope I'm speaking for everyone...I can't wait to get out and do it again!
Thank you to everyone, Liz and I appreciate all your help!
Gypsea is almost to her New England home (she has another home somewhere between 10 and 18 degrees North)! Its been a very cold and foggy last 24 hours and we are in the home stretch. Many dolphins have visited Gypsea the last few days and the crew for both legs of the trip north have been great.
The passage has been uneventful and included a variety of conditions with some very light air, some not so light, a bit of uncomfortableness in the Gulfstream, warm temperatures, some cold temps the last few days, pea soup fog and some really great ocean sailing.
I hope I'm speaking for everyone...I can't wait to get out and do it again!
Thank you to everyone, Liz and I appreciate all your help!
Monday, May 24, 2010
Almost Home
Posted by Ed
We are approximately 40 miles from the buoy at the south end of the Great South Channel near Nantucket. From there we'll head NW for about 140 miles towards Marblehead Bell. We should be in the Gloucester or Beverly area sometime Tuesday night.
It's been very cold lately especially during the night since were back in the northern latitudes and something we haven't experienced for a long time...fog.
Cheers,
The crew of Gypsea
We are approximately 40 miles from the buoy at the south end of the Great South Channel near Nantucket. From there we'll head NW for about 140 miles towards Marblehead Bell. We should be in the Gloucester or Beverly area sometime Tuesday night.
It's been very cold lately especially during the night since were back in the northern latitudes and something we haven't experienced for a long time...fog.
Cheers,
The crew of Gypsea
Sunday, May 23, 2010
Through the Gulf Stream - but not pretty
Posted by Ed
Sunday early afternoon and we are finally through the Gulfstream. It was a rough night probably similar to being in the agitation mode of a very large washing machine.
Our weather guru, Herb, on the SSB radio suggested a different way point to enter the stream which was another 125 miles to the northwest from our original way point that Commander's Weather gave us for entering the stream. Herb suggested the breeze will be about 25 knots from the SE and higher in the Gulfstream so it was best to traverse the stream Sunday night rather than Saturday evening. We actually traversed the stream Sunday morning.
Herb also said there is a discrepancy in the Gulfstream charts produced by the Navy and another Gulfstream chart called an altimeter chart. Herb believes the Navy chart was way off on defining the parameters of the Gulfstream and since his information was more current than our now three or four day old information from Commander's Weather, I chose to go with Herb's way points for entering the stream.
We altered course to the northwest and we were dead downwind with the wind up to 29 knots. The seas were pretty powerful and were tossing Gypsea around rolling port to starboard and back again making it difficult to steer and more difficult to get any rest as you were being tossed around in your bunk. We hand steered through the night rather than risk the chance of the windvane slipping into a jibe position.
In the early morning we were still a good distance from the way point for entering the Gulfstream but since it was so uncomfortable aboard, we jibed over and headed North across the Gulfstream and were clear of the stream in just about five hours.
Everyone is doing well although a little behind on our sleep but since Hans Solo (the Monitor windvane) is steering once again, we are able to relax and when off watch catch up on our sleep.
We are about 290 miles from Marblehead and should arrive sometime Tuesday assuming we don't have a strong easterly preventing us from sailing on the outside of Nantucket and Cape Cod.
Our present coordinates are 37 55.5N and 69 32.2W.
We will update our progress tomorrow.
Sunday early afternoon and we are finally through the Gulfstream. It was a rough night probably similar to being in the agitation mode of a very large washing machine.
Our weather guru, Herb, on the SSB radio suggested a different way point to enter the stream which was another 125 miles to the northwest from our original way point that Commander's Weather gave us for entering the stream. Herb suggested the breeze will be about 25 knots from the SE and higher in the Gulfstream so it was best to traverse the stream Sunday night rather than Saturday evening. We actually traversed the stream Sunday morning.
Herb also said there is a discrepancy in the Gulfstream charts produced by the Navy and another Gulfstream chart called an altimeter chart. Herb believes the Navy chart was way off on defining the parameters of the Gulfstream and since his information was more current than our now three or four day old information from Commander's Weather, I chose to go with Herb's way points for entering the stream.
We altered course to the northwest and we were dead downwind with the wind up to 29 knots. The seas were pretty powerful and were tossing Gypsea around rolling port to starboard and back again making it difficult to steer and more difficult to get any rest as you were being tossed around in your bunk. We hand steered through the night rather than risk the chance of the windvane slipping into a jibe position.
In the early morning we were still a good distance from the way point for entering the Gulfstream but since it was so uncomfortable aboard, we jibed over and headed North across the Gulfstream and were clear of the stream in just about five hours.
Everyone is doing well although a little behind on our sleep but since Hans Solo (the Monitor windvane) is steering once again, we are able to relax and when off watch catch up on our sleep.
We are about 290 miles from Marblehead and should arrive sometime Tuesday assuming we don't have a strong easterly preventing us from sailing on the outside of Nantucket and Cape Cod.
Our present coordinates are 37 55.5N and 69 32.2W.
We will update our progress tomorrow.
Saturday, May 22, 2010
Saturday morning update
Posted by Ed
The breeze filled in late yesterday afternoon and we had a another delightful sail with a clear nights sky full of stars and good illumination from the first quarter of a waxing moon. We were enjoying a nice reach occasionally sailing in the seven knot range and those that were off watch slept very comfortably.
The breeze was getting light in the early morning and we were motor sailing until noon when the breeze filled in from the SE at 17 knots and were again sailing along at seven knots. We expect to enter the Gulfstream around 37 degrees North and 68 degrees West, sometime around midnight tonight.
The breeze is expected to pick up later to 20 or 25 knots from the East but hopefully will be less as we traverse the stream.
It's a beautiful day in the neighborhood with sunny skies and 74 degrees today.
More tomorrow after we get through the Gulfstream.
The breeze filled in late yesterday afternoon and we had a another delightful sail with a clear nights sky full of stars and good illumination from the first quarter of a waxing moon. We were enjoying a nice reach occasionally sailing in the seven knot range and those that were off watch slept very comfortably.
The breeze was getting light in the early morning and we were motor sailing until noon when the breeze filled in from the SE at 17 knots and were again sailing along at seven knots. We expect to enter the Gulfstream around 37 degrees North and 68 degrees West, sometime around midnight tonight.
The breeze is expected to pick up later to 20 or 25 knots from the East but hopefully will be less as we traverse the stream.
It's a beautiful day in the neighborhood with sunny skies and 74 degrees today.
More tomorrow after we get through the Gulfstream.
Friday, May 21, 2010
First 24 hours underway - Bermuda to Boston
Posted by Ed
The first 24 hours has passed and as of noon today and we have logged 128 miles for the first day. The sail through the night was delightful and uneventful. In the early morning the breeze went very light and we have been motoring since 0630.
To conserve fuel we only run the engine at 2000 RPM's and depending on the waves we may only make 5 to 5.5 knots towards our initial waypoint The entrance to the Gulfstream is still about 200 miles away and we should enter the stream sometime Saturday evening or very early Sunday morning. We have chosen to cross the Gulfstream at the narrowest area of the Gulfstream just to get through it and then set our course for home. Weather permitting we hope to sail to Beverly via the outside of the cape otherwise we may put in on the south coast of MA or go through the Cape Cod Canal.
Everyone gets along very well and all are well rested. Jim has been gracious enough to keep the gang well fed with meal preparations.
For our entertainment, Kurt spotted a whale breaching several times just about a half mile ahead of us and by the time he got his camera the whale decided to stop showing off.
Our position is noted below in this email but in case it isn't we are located at 34 03.0N 66 22.2W
The first 24 hours has passed and as of noon today and we have logged 128 miles for the first day. The sail through the night was delightful and uneventful. In the early morning the breeze went very light and we have been motoring since 0630.
To conserve fuel we only run the engine at 2000 RPM's and depending on the waves we may only make 5 to 5.5 knots towards our initial waypoint The entrance to the Gulfstream is still about 200 miles away and we should enter the stream sometime Saturday evening or very early Sunday morning. We have chosen to cross the Gulfstream at the narrowest area of the Gulfstream just to get through it and then set our course for home. Weather permitting we hope to sail to Beverly via the outside of the cape otherwise we may put in on the south coast of MA or go through the Cape Cod Canal.
Everyone gets along very well and all are well rested. Jim has been gracious enough to keep the gang well fed with meal preparations.
For our entertainment, Kurt spotted a whale breaching several times just about a half mile ahead of us and by the time he got his camera the whale decided to stop showing off.
Our position is noted below in this email but in case it isn't we are located at 34 03.0N 66 22.2W
Thursday, May 20, 2010
Back in Black - Ain't that America?
Posted by Liz
So, I left Bermuda on Monday to fly to Chicago to be with my mom post-surgery. It was high 70's and sunny and I cried as I left behind the sun, turquoise blue water, our boat, Ed and Chipper (the three of us haven't been a stone's throw apart for 6 months and I'm going to miss them), and overall, the life being left behind.
I was in shorts, a polo shirt and flip flops... no makeup, hair pulled back under the headband - and as I arrived in COLD, Rainy, Dreary, Ugly Newark NJ airport - I felt like a real "hayseed". All the other East Coast women were dressed in designer jeans, heels, perfectly coiffed hair, makeup and LOTS OF BLACK.
I forgot how the East Coast fashions always include Black. How depressing!! I've been living in a colorful world of blues, greens, yellows, pinks, oranges, purples - and the black clothing immediately dragged me down.
Then, there's everyone glued to their cell phones and laptops and IPods and gadgets - not looking at each other, but looking at intangible things. I don't even own a cell phone anymore (but have to get one now that I'm starting to work again as of June 1)!
I'm stressed out already just being back in this frenzied world.
Yesterday at mom's house I went for a long walk - - I was feeling so claustrophic and closed in. I'm used to being in open spaces 90% of my day, with fresh air and the beauty of nature around me at all times. Now, inside a house, I feel stiff, hard, not fluid, and stifled.
As I walked, I soaked in the blooming trees, the happy birds flitting from one tree to another, a fox. Our winter experience has taught me to take time to observe and appreciate all that is going on around us, instead of being so closed off.
I also caught a few glimpses of Lake Michigan along my path - and was drawn to that vision of open water - blue, but more of an icy cold blue - not the turquoise, warm blue of the Caribbean. Nonetheless, it was water and it was calling me. I stopped for moments to breathe it all in and wished I was back in the islands.
But then, along the walk, I ran into some sights that warmed my heart and to me, epitomize what America is all about... flags up already in preparation for Memorial Day, Fort Sheridan announcing a Memorial Day mass to remember the fallen soldiers, and boys warming up for a baseball game on an immaculately kept baseball diamond. The crack of the bat and the joy in their faces to be playing the game, with specatators arriving on bikes and with their dogs. It made me think of John Cougar Mellancamp's song "Ain't that America".
Getting settled back into this American culture is going to be a challenge - but hopefully I'll carry with me some of the peace and balance I discovered within our sailing and island lifestyle.
So, I left Bermuda on Monday to fly to Chicago to be with my mom post-surgery. It was high 70's and sunny and I cried as I left behind the sun, turquoise blue water, our boat, Ed and Chipper (the three of us haven't been a stone's throw apart for 6 months and I'm going to miss them), and overall, the life being left behind.
I was in shorts, a polo shirt and flip flops... no makeup, hair pulled back under the headband - and as I arrived in COLD, Rainy, Dreary, Ugly Newark NJ airport - I felt like a real "hayseed". All the other East Coast women were dressed in designer jeans, heels, perfectly coiffed hair, makeup and LOTS OF BLACK.
I forgot how the East Coast fashions always include Black. How depressing!! I've been living in a colorful world of blues, greens, yellows, pinks, oranges, purples - and the black clothing immediately dragged me down.
Then, there's everyone glued to their cell phones and laptops and IPods and gadgets - not looking at each other, but looking at intangible things. I don't even own a cell phone anymore (but have to get one now that I'm starting to work again as of June 1)!
I'm stressed out already just being back in this frenzied world.
Yesterday at mom's house I went for a long walk - - I was feeling so claustrophic and closed in. I'm used to being in open spaces 90% of my day, with fresh air and the beauty of nature around me at all times. Now, inside a house, I feel stiff, hard, not fluid, and stifled.
As I walked, I soaked in the blooming trees, the happy birds flitting from one tree to another, a fox. Our winter experience has taught me to take time to observe and appreciate all that is going on around us, instead of being so closed off.
I also caught a few glimpses of Lake Michigan along my path - and was drawn to that vision of open water - blue, but more of an icy cold blue - not the turquoise, warm blue of the Caribbean. Nonetheless, it was water and it was calling me. I stopped for moments to breathe it all in and wished I was back in the islands.
But then, along the walk, I ran into some sights that warmed my heart and to me, epitomize what America is all about... flags up already in preparation for Memorial Day, Fort Sheridan announcing a Memorial Day mass to remember the fallen soldiers, and boys warming up for a baseball game on an immaculately kept baseball diamond. The crack of the bat and the joy in their faces to be playing the game, with specatators arriving on bikes and with their dogs. It made me think of John Cougar Mellancamp's song "Ain't that America".
Getting settled back into this American culture is going to be a challenge - but hopefully I'll carry with me some of the peace and balance I discovered within our sailing and island lifestyle.
Liz with Mom - New Crew with Ed
Posted by Liz
Thanks to our friends/sailing network, we were able to rally a few more guys to help Ed move the boat from Bermuda to Boston, which enabled me to come home and be with my mom who is recovering from surgery.
Gypsea left Bermuda this morning around 11:30am Atlantic time, and it looks like they will have a very decent weather window making for a good trip. Five capable guys plus the cat - a "boys trip". I think they'll have fun!
Mom is doing well and glad to have her only daughter with her in Chicago and I'm glad to be here for a while.
Thanks to our friends/sailing network, we were able to rally a few more guys to help Ed move the boat from Bermuda to Boston, which enabled me to come home and be with my mom who is recovering from surgery.
Gypsea left Bermuda this morning around 11:30am Atlantic time, and it looks like they will have a very decent weather window making for a good trip. Five capable guys plus the cat - a "boys trip". I think they'll have fun!
Mom is doing well and glad to have her only daughter with her in Chicago and I'm glad to be here for a while.
Sunday, May 16, 2010
Update to Ed's posting about False Start
Posted by Liz
It was a tough decision that Ed made yesterday - and both Jim (crew member) and I applaud him for using such prudence and instinct based on many offshore miles of experience.
He emailed our weather routing service this morning (Commanders Weather) to let them know what we encountered yesterday and why he made the decision to turn back.
Turns out, they completely validated this decision, stating: "There have been a lot of changes in the outlook for Mon night and Tue with NE-E gales now expected between 37-40N so it is good that you turned around as you would have gotten caught up in that mess."
In fact, that "mess" would have hit us while we were just entering the Gulf Stream and we'd be on the leading edge of a huge low pressure, so we would have been tossed around - it just would have been ugly and not safe.
It probably looks best to wait until about Thu 5/20 to depart the way things
look now. It should be a quieter pattern late this week into next weekend,
let's hope it continues to look that way.
We are anxiously searching for 2 crew members to meet us here in Bermuda on Weds of this week so we could be prepared to depart Thursday AM. If any of our pals out there are able to help out, we'd be very appreciative.
Again, I have to say that I'm really proud of Ed for making a difficult decision, and couldn't think of anyone else who I'd rather sail with.
It was a tough decision that Ed made yesterday - and both Jim (crew member) and I applaud him for using such prudence and instinct based on many offshore miles of experience.
He emailed our weather routing service this morning (Commanders Weather) to let them know what we encountered yesterday and why he made the decision to turn back.
Turns out, they completely validated this decision, stating: "There have been a lot of changes in the outlook for Mon night and Tue with NE-E gales now expected between 37-40N so it is good that you turned around as you would have gotten caught up in that mess."
In fact, that "mess" would have hit us while we were just entering the Gulf Stream and we'd be on the leading edge of a huge low pressure, so we would have been tossed around - it just would have been ugly and not safe.
It probably looks best to wait until about Thu 5/20 to depart the way things
look now. It should be a quieter pattern late this week into next weekend,
let's hope it continues to look that way.
We are anxiously searching for 2 crew members to meet us here in Bermuda on Weds of this week so we could be prepared to depart Thursday AM. If any of our pals out there are able to help out, we'd be very appreciative.
Again, I have to say that I'm really proud of Ed for making a difficult decision, and couldn't think of anyone else who I'd rather sail with.
False Start on Saturday
Sunday update:
Departed BDA on Saturday, winds were from the WNW and veering to NW about 24 knots, right on our intended course line for an entrance way point to the gulfstream. Could not make decent boat speed with the wind on the nose and it was unlikely we would make the Gulf stream in time to get through it before the gale force moved in. Boats to the north of us as well as Herb of Southbound II (weather guru) were reporting 35 knots from the NW. It seemed likely we would encounter the gale force in the Gulfstream so we headed back to BDA and looking for a better weather window.
I'll keep you posted.
Departed BDA on Saturday, winds were from the WNW and veering to NW about 24 knots, right on our intended course line for an entrance way point to the gulfstream. Could not make decent boat speed with the wind on the nose and it was unlikely we would make the Gulf stream in time to get through it before the gale force moved in. Boats to the north of us as well as Herb of Southbound II (weather guru) were reporting 35 knots from the NW. It seemed likely we would encounter the gale force in the Gulfstream so we headed back to BDA and looking for a better weather window.
I'll keep you posted.
Friday, May 14, 2010
Weather window good - departing BDA on Sat AM
Posted by Liz
Ed just checked with Commanders Weather, and things look decent for an early AM departure tomorrow morning. There will be three of us - Ed, Jim O'Rourke and me, and of course, Chipper the cat! We should be fine, especially since the weather looks reasonably manageable and not TOO hairy! We should arrive back in the Boston area by next Thursday 5/20.
I did some last minute laundry this morning. Jim and Ed are putting fenders away and getting sails organized. We're going to clear out of Customs this afternoon, take nice long hot showers at the Dinghy Club, get some provisioning done (fruits, veggies, chicken, etc) and then have an early dinnner out, probably at the White Horse Tavern - our stomping ground.
Tonight we will hoist the dinghy up to dry off overnight, as it hangs in the harness, take the dinghy motor off and get it stowed away on the stern rail. Tomorrow we will deflate the dinghy and get it lashed down on the foredeck, will weigh anchor and be off - by 6am....
Please keep us in your prayers for a safe, comfortable and uneventful delivery back to Beantown!
Ed just checked with Commanders Weather, and things look decent for an early AM departure tomorrow morning. There will be three of us - Ed, Jim O'Rourke and me, and of course, Chipper the cat! We should be fine, especially since the weather looks reasonably manageable and not TOO hairy! We should arrive back in the Boston area by next Thursday 5/20.
I did some last minute laundry this morning. Jim and Ed are putting fenders away and getting sails organized. We're going to clear out of Customs this afternoon, take nice long hot showers at the Dinghy Club, get some provisioning done (fruits, veggies, chicken, etc) and then have an early dinnner out, probably at the White Horse Tavern - our stomping ground.
Tonight we will hoist the dinghy up to dry off overnight, as it hangs in the harness, take the dinghy motor off and get it stowed away on the stern rail. Tomorrow we will deflate the dinghy and get it lashed down on the foredeck, will weigh anchor and be off - by 6am....
Please keep us in your prayers for a safe, comfortable and uneventful delivery back to Beantown!
Thursday, May 13, 2010
Delay in Bermuda - Looking for Crew
Posted by Liz
We arrived in Bermuda from Tortola this past Sat/Sunday (midnight Sunday, May 2nd). Had a terrific 5 days of sailing (although the first two out of Tortola were a bit rough-going), and then motored in light winds for the last 1 1/2 days.
One crew member left us on Monday, and the remaining three of us awaited new member, Jim, who arrived yesterday (Weds). We were hoping to blast out of here last evening but weather isn't looking good in the gulf stream, so being prudent, we're waiting it out with a new planned departure for Boston for Saturday.
The delay because of weather might mean losing one of our crew members - it's a tough juggling act with everyone's busy schedules back home and weather is always the thing that can't be controlled.
If we lose our fourth, the remaining three of us can do the delivery home, but it will be more fatiguing.... so, if any of you out there are interested in helping to bring Gypsea back to Boston, please let us know. It's not a passage for a first-timer, as we have to cross through the gulf stream where any icky weather will just be exacerbated and can get extreme.
In the meantime, we've had time to get our laundry and provisioning done, and enjoy hanging around St. George's, Bermuda, getting some walks and sight-seeing in and boat viewing done. Lots of boats are here for the ARC rally (all going across the pond together) and some boats heading back to New England are starting to come into port.
Stand by and we'll keep you posted on our departure plans - now tentatively scheduled for this Saturday, May 15th!
We arrived in Bermuda from Tortola this past Sat/Sunday (midnight Sunday, May 2nd). Had a terrific 5 days of sailing (although the first two out of Tortola were a bit rough-going), and then motored in light winds for the last 1 1/2 days.
One crew member left us on Monday, and the remaining three of us awaited new member, Jim, who arrived yesterday (Weds). We were hoping to blast out of here last evening but weather isn't looking good in the gulf stream, so being prudent, we're waiting it out with a new planned departure for Boston for Saturday.
The delay because of weather might mean losing one of our crew members - it's a tough juggling act with everyone's busy schedules back home and weather is always the thing that can't be controlled.
If we lose our fourth, the remaining three of us can do the delivery home, but it will be more fatiguing.... so, if any of you out there are interested in helping to bring Gypsea back to Boston, please let us know. It's not a passage for a first-timer, as we have to cross through the gulf stream where any icky weather will just be exacerbated and can get extreme.
In the meantime, we've had time to get our laundry and provisioning done, and enjoy hanging around St. George's, Bermuda, getting some walks and sight-seeing in and boat viewing done. Lots of boats are here for the ARC rally (all going across the pond together) and some boats heading back to New England are starting to come into port.
Stand by and we'll keep you posted on our departure plans - now tentatively scheduled for this Saturday, May 15th!
Monday, May 10, 2010
The One That Got Away
Posted by Ed
While sailing North from Tortola to Bermuda it was time to dig out the old fishing rod to see if we could provide a fresh tuna for dinner. The St. Croix fishing rod and Penn reel have been hanging in the forward cabin for several years untouched and needed a good dusting off. After inspection of the smaller plugs (fishing lures) it was discovered the best plug for tuna fishing was in poor condition with a very rusty fish hook and was discarded. The next best choice was a nine inch Rapala Magnum Mackerel lure. This lure was brand new and still in the box and waiting to be launched over the side to entice dinner.
The Rapala Magnum lure is a very colorful silver blue lure that wiggles as it is being pulled through the water by Gypsea and should look very appealing to any fish. Several hours went by when all of a sudden the fishing reel started to spin wildly out of control…we had a “strike” on our line and dinner awaits.
Everyone jumped to attend to the fishing rod and reel this creature in. Crew member Hal was working the fishing rod attempting to “play the fish” when this beautiful hugh billfish leaped out of the water into the air and tail walked across the top of the water for a distance of about 100 feet before diving deep into the ocean. Perhaps he wanted to see who the amateurs were that lured him into sampling our Rapala lure. There was a lot of pressure on the fishing rod and reel as this beautiful giant fish of about 150 or 200 pounds dove deeper and soon after bit through the stainless steel leader separating himself from the would-be fisherman and the hopes of a fresh fish dinner. It was collectively decided the billfish that we thought we had was a Marlin. He was much too big and much more than we could handle even if we could have reeled him in.
Now minus one twenty dollar lure, it was time to set another Rapala lure and try again. With the new lure smartly trailing well behind Gypsea we noticed at least three very beautiful Yellow Fin Tuna about four to six feet in length swimming about 10 feet behind Gypsea. They hung around the stern of our boat for about 10 minutes and I’m sure they were laughing their Yellow Fin Tails off at the fisherman aboard Gypsea.
While sailing North from Tortola to Bermuda it was time to dig out the old fishing rod to see if we could provide a fresh tuna for dinner. The St. Croix fishing rod and Penn reel have been hanging in the forward cabin for several years untouched and needed a good dusting off. After inspection of the smaller plugs (fishing lures) it was discovered the best plug for tuna fishing was in poor condition with a very rusty fish hook and was discarded. The next best choice was a nine inch Rapala Magnum Mackerel lure. This lure was brand new and still in the box and waiting to be launched over the side to entice dinner.
The Rapala Magnum lure is a very colorful silver blue lure that wiggles as it is being pulled through the water by Gypsea and should look very appealing to any fish. Several hours went by when all of a sudden the fishing reel started to spin wildly out of control…we had a “strike” on our line and dinner awaits.
Everyone jumped to attend to the fishing rod and reel this creature in. Crew member Hal was working the fishing rod attempting to “play the fish” when this beautiful hugh billfish leaped out of the water into the air and tail walked across the top of the water for a distance of about 100 feet before diving deep into the ocean. Perhaps he wanted to see who the amateurs were that lured him into sampling our Rapala lure. There was a lot of pressure on the fishing rod and reel as this beautiful giant fish of about 150 or 200 pounds dove deeper and soon after bit through the stainless steel leader separating himself from the would-be fisherman and the hopes of a fresh fish dinner. It was collectively decided the billfish that we thought we had was a Marlin. He was much too big and much more than we could handle even if we could have reeled him in.
Now minus one twenty dollar lure, it was time to set another Rapala lure and try again. With the new lure smartly trailing well behind Gypsea we noticed at least three very beautiful Yellow Fin Tuna about four to six feet in length swimming about 10 feet behind Gypsea. They hung around the stern of our boat for about 10 minutes and I’m sure they were laughing their Yellow Fin Tails off at the fisherman aboard Gypsea.
Saturday, May 1, 2010
Time to Say Goodbye
Posted by Liz
Our two crewmembers are arriving this afternoon and Ed and I are just doing last minute things. I'm making a spinach lasagna so it's ready for our first night at sea (Sunday night).
Ed is gathering all the weather information today from Commanders Weather, and so far he believes that we're going to be having 20+ winds from a northeastly direction, which means pretty much on the nose, so we're going to have to make as much easting as possible to have as comfortable a sail as possible.
Tomorrow morning Ed will head over to Customs to check all of us out, we'll get rid of garbage, take a last long, hot shower over at the marina, and then slip the lines mid-morning.
Adrenalin is running - excitement but nervousness. Ed as Captain is always worried about safety of crew, weather, mechanics.
Well, we are signing off now until we reach Bermuda (late Sunday, May 9th, anticipated). If you'd like to know our progress while we're underway, please click on "Where's Gypsea Now" (top right corner of blog) - our location will be updated daily.
Your thoughts and prayers for a safe and uneventul passage will be appreciated.
Cheers for now,
Liz and Ed and Chipper - the cat
Our two crewmembers are arriving this afternoon and Ed and I are just doing last minute things. I'm making a spinach lasagna so it's ready for our first night at sea (Sunday night).
Ed is gathering all the weather information today from Commanders Weather, and so far he believes that we're going to be having 20+ winds from a northeastly direction, which means pretty much on the nose, so we're going to have to make as much easting as possible to have as comfortable a sail as possible.
Tomorrow morning Ed will head over to Customs to check all of us out, we'll get rid of garbage, take a last long, hot shower over at the marina, and then slip the lines mid-morning.
Adrenalin is running - excitement but nervousness. Ed as Captain is always worried about safety of crew, weather, mechanics.
Well, we are signing off now until we reach Bermuda (late Sunday, May 9th, anticipated). If you'd like to know our progress while we're underway, please click on "Where's Gypsea Now" (top right corner of blog) - our location will be updated daily.
Your thoughts and prayers for a safe and uneventul passage will be appreciated.
Cheers for now,
Liz and Ed and Chipper - the cat
Thursday, April 29, 2010
Prepping the boat for delivery home
Posted by Liz
We've been here since Sunday afternoon, and every day we've been busy all day - so busy that we haven't even been able to get naps in!
Have been stowing things away, getting my freezer and refrigerators organized, taking inventory of provisions on board and figuring out what needs to be bought, multiple trips to the market to provision (thank goodness it's a close dinghy ride!), cleaning stainless, doing a few little fixes/repairs, packing away warm summer clothes and bringing out some cold weather clothes for the delivery home. (Even 79 degrees feels cold to us now - we can't even imagine how 39 degree nights will feel out at sea!)
Ed headed into Roadtown this morning to get to the chandlery and poke around, while I'm here in a nice air-conditioned marina office to do emails.
Need to get some fuel and clean down below (chores for Friday), get some last minute provisions (perishables and meats), make a spinach lasagna so we have it for the first night at sea, and then have crew members arrive on Saturday afternoon. We plan on slipping the lines on Sunday morning after we check out of customs, probably by 9am.
Make sure to follow us on the way home - by clicking on "Where's Gypsea Now" in the top right section of the blog.
Cheers!
We've been here since Sunday afternoon, and every day we've been busy all day - so busy that we haven't even been able to get naps in!
Have been stowing things away, getting my freezer and refrigerators organized, taking inventory of provisions on board and figuring out what needs to be bought, multiple trips to the market to provision (thank goodness it's a close dinghy ride!), cleaning stainless, doing a few little fixes/repairs, packing away warm summer clothes and bringing out some cold weather clothes for the delivery home. (Even 79 degrees feels cold to us now - we can't even imagine how 39 degree nights will feel out at sea!)
Ed headed into Roadtown this morning to get to the chandlery and poke around, while I'm here in a nice air-conditioned marina office to do emails.
Need to get some fuel and clean down below (chores for Friday), get some last minute provisions (perishables and meats), make a spinach lasagna so we have it for the first night at sea, and then have crew members arrive on Saturday afternoon. We plan on slipping the lines on Sunday morning after we check out of customs, probably by 9am.
Make sure to follow us on the way home - by clicking on "Where's Gypsea Now" in the top right section of the blog.
Cheers!
Sunday, April 25, 2010
Final countdown - last week
Posted by Liz
Just left Jost Van Dyke, where we spent time in Great Harbour, home of "Foxy's", where we ran into the man, himself and had a nice chat. He's been a remarkable influence for the island - his personality and charisma have drawn sailors to his beach bar for years (42+) from all over the world. Wear a Foxy's t-shirt, and chances are you'll strike up conversation with someone who has been there and will regale you with their stories of late nights, music and libations.
While at Foxy's, we heard a wonderful musician, Mr. K.I. Nicholas - who plays amazing instrumental guitar, calling his music Caribbean Fusion, and also has a great voice. He's been playing at Foxy's since 2005, and plays some gigs in the States. Very talented.
We decided to spend the last week of our winter adventure here in the West End of Tortola (also known as Sopers Hole). There's WIFI (thankfully - we've been without for quite a few weeks now!), a good grocery store to provision the boat before we depart, fuel, Customs, laundry, garbage dumpsters, shops and a Pusser's restaurant which serves good food and is right on the harbor.
We were originally going to anchor outside of Roadtown for the week - but it's busy with ferry traffic and is a bit of a haul in the dinghy to get into Village Cay, and then a walk to/from the laundry and grocery stores. So, this is a whole lot easier - just a quick dinghy ride over to the marina, and everything is at our disposal in one place.
We're both feeling very sad that this is the end of the trip. I've already cried a couple of times. We've shared so many wonderful memories together, and made new friends, and have delighted in all that nature has shared with us.
Our departure date is planned for Sunday, May 2nd - a week from now. Once we slip the lines, we'll be out of communication until we reach Bermuda - where we probably will only be for a day (hopefully) to refuel and provision and drop off/pick up crew members. If you want to stay on top of where the boat is, though, please click on "Where's Gypsea Now" on the blog (top right). Our position will be updated every day while we're out at sea.
Just left Jost Van Dyke, where we spent time in Great Harbour, home of "Foxy's", where we ran into the man, himself and had a nice chat. He's been a remarkable influence for the island - his personality and charisma have drawn sailors to his beach bar for years (42+) from all over the world. Wear a Foxy's t-shirt, and chances are you'll strike up conversation with someone who has been there and will regale you with their stories of late nights, music and libations.
While at Foxy's, we heard a wonderful musician, Mr. K.I. Nicholas - who plays amazing instrumental guitar, calling his music Caribbean Fusion, and also has a great voice. He's been playing at Foxy's since 2005, and plays some gigs in the States. Very talented.
We decided to spend the last week of our winter adventure here in the West End of Tortola (also known as Sopers Hole). There's WIFI (thankfully - we've been without for quite a few weeks now!), a good grocery store to provision the boat before we depart, fuel, Customs, laundry, garbage dumpsters, shops and a Pusser's restaurant which serves good food and is right on the harbor.
We were originally going to anchor outside of Roadtown for the week - but it's busy with ferry traffic and is a bit of a haul in the dinghy to get into Village Cay, and then a walk to/from the laundry and grocery stores. So, this is a whole lot easier - just a quick dinghy ride over to the marina, and everything is at our disposal in one place.
We're both feeling very sad that this is the end of the trip. I've already cried a couple of times. We've shared so many wonderful memories together, and made new friends, and have delighted in all that nature has shared with us.
Our departure date is planned for Sunday, May 2nd - a week from now. Once we slip the lines, we'll be out of communication until we reach Bermuda - where we probably will only be for a day (hopefully) to refuel and provision and drop off/pick up crew members. If you want to stay on top of where the boat is, though, please click on "Where's Gypsea Now" on the blog (top right). Our position will be updated every day while we're out at sea.
Saturday, April 17, 2010
Stargazing
Posted by Liz
The other night I woke up at 3am, and took a peek out of the window in our aft cabin - and I saw a gazillion stars lit up against the black night sky. It's a sight that we've become so familiar with this winter - almost too comfortable. In the early days of the trip, I'd hop out on deck to just stare at the sky and pick out constellations and shooting stars. But now, we're so used to this sight, that I'm not as quick to run out.
On this particular evening though - I thought to myself: We only have a short time remaining on this journey - don't put off looking at the stars and the sky. Go out now, and every moment you can, Liz - and relish this view!
So, at 3am, I hopped up the companionway stairs and out on deck. Chipper followed right behind me (a real treat for him! he loves being out on deck in the middle of the night).
Staring at the night sky, I noticed that many stars seemed to come in pairs of two. Kind of reminded me of people, and I thought how blessed I am to have found Ed to complete my "pair".
I also noticed some stars, usually the brightest ones in the sky, that appeared to be solo. But upon further reflection, they weren't alone at all; in fact, those "solo" stars were enveloped by many smaller stars clustered around the bright star. This also made me think of people.
Sometimes you might feel all alone in your universe, but really, you're surrounded and loved and supported by many others in your star community - - family, friends, customers, neighbors, colleagues, and if you're a believer, your Higher Power. None of us are alone, unless we really choose to be.
Kind of strange - it all seemed to really make profound sense to me at 3am. Now it seems a little non-sensical - but I hope you "get it"!
The other night I woke up at 3am, and took a peek out of the window in our aft cabin - and I saw a gazillion stars lit up against the black night sky. It's a sight that we've become so familiar with this winter - almost too comfortable. In the early days of the trip, I'd hop out on deck to just stare at the sky and pick out constellations and shooting stars. But now, we're so used to this sight, that I'm not as quick to run out.
On this particular evening though - I thought to myself: We only have a short time remaining on this journey - don't put off looking at the stars and the sky. Go out now, and every moment you can, Liz - and relish this view!
So, at 3am, I hopped up the companionway stairs and out on deck. Chipper followed right behind me (a real treat for him! he loves being out on deck in the middle of the night).
Staring at the night sky, I noticed that many stars seemed to come in pairs of two. Kind of reminded me of people, and I thought how blessed I am to have found Ed to complete my "pair".
I also noticed some stars, usually the brightest ones in the sky, that appeared to be solo. But upon further reflection, they weren't alone at all; in fact, those "solo" stars were enveloped by many smaller stars clustered around the bright star. This also made me think of people.
Sometimes you might feel all alone in your universe, but really, you're surrounded and loved and supported by many others in your star community - - family, friends, customers, neighbors, colleagues, and if you're a believer, your Higher Power. None of us are alone, unless we really choose to be.
Kind of strange - it all seemed to really make profound sense to me at 3am. Now it seems a little non-sensical - but I hope you "get it"!
Tuesday, April 13, 2010
Raining in Paradise!
Posted by Liz
I'm starting to go a little stir crazy! The past four or five days have been so blowy, that trying to take a dinghy ride to Cruz Bay to do provisioning and laundry would have meant a wet ride back to Caneel.
Now, the wind has subsided but it's been completely cloudy with lots of rain over the past day or so.... so no wind, but now would still be a wet dinghy ride with the rain! Wouldn't mind if it was just us and not our freshly washed/dried clothes and provisions.
The resort here at Caneel has not been very friendly about letting us leave our dinghy at their dinghy dock, unless we want to go in and have $16 glasses of wine and burgers or something to eat.... which is frustrating, because we'd like nothing better than to go for some nice long walks - - we're getting a little pent up here in the 44 ft.
Hoping the rain clears by this afternoon - and then we can get into Cruz Bay tomorrow, do our chores, get some walking in.... we'll stay here through April 15th - when we'll celebrate our 10th wedding anniversary with dinner at the Equator restaurant here at the resort... Then, will move on to Francis/Maho Bay and over to Leinster Bay - maybe back to Jost/Great Harbour for a couple of days, and then to Roadtown, Tortola for the final days of our trip.
Getting VERY sad that all of this is winding down.....
I'm starting to go a little stir crazy! The past four or five days have been so blowy, that trying to take a dinghy ride to Cruz Bay to do provisioning and laundry would have meant a wet ride back to Caneel.
Now, the wind has subsided but it's been completely cloudy with lots of rain over the past day or so.... so no wind, but now would still be a wet dinghy ride with the rain! Wouldn't mind if it was just us and not our freshly washed/dried clothes and provisions.
The resort here at Caneel has not been very friendly about letting us leave our dinghy at their dinghy dock, unless we want to go in and have $16 glasses of wine and burgers or something to eat.... which is frustrating, because we'd like nothing better than to go for some nice long walks - - we're getting a little pent up here in the 44 ft.
Hoping the rain clears by this afternoon - and then we can get into Cruz Bay tomorrow, do our chores, get some walking in.... we'll stay here through April 15th - when we'll celebrate our 10th wedding anniversary with dinner at the Equator restaurant here at the resort... Then, will move on to Francis/Maho Bay and over to Leinster Bay - maybe back to Jost/Great Harbour for a couple of days, and then to Roadtown, Tortola for the final days of our trip.
Getting VERY sad that all of this is winding down.....
Monday, April 12, 2010
Water, Water Everywhere!
Posted by Ed
When cruising we need to stay in touch with the availability of several consumable resources, food, fuel and fresh water. Eating habits become adjusted to the areas we may be visiting, such as baguettes and croissants on a daily basis when visiting the French islands. Fuel and water are both closely managed so as not to run out at the most inopportune time. Fuel can usually be managed through the awareness of how much fuel is necessary to run the engine to charge the batteries and run the engine driven refrigeration.
Water on the other hand, although tightly managed gets consumed quite rapidly through dish washing, boat cleaning, human consumption and the luxury of daily showers. Many boats have large storage capacities for water and may not worry about how much water they use between ports. Other cruisers are always looking for a dock with a garden hose to fill their five gallon Jerry Jugs or a place to pull their boat up to a dock to replenish their water supply. However, most cruisers I talk with have some type of watermaker on board and once you have a watermaker, you ask yourself how did I ever get along without one.
The basics of the way a watermaker works is through a reverse osmosis (RO) process where sea water is transformed into potable (drinkable) water. The sea water is filtered through a series of prefilters before being pumped at a high pressure (800 PSI) to the reverse osmosis membrane which removes the salt element and other impurities from the water before sending it to your water storage tank. The water that passes through a typical watermaker system discharges approximately 90% of the water as brine and the remaining 10% becomes product water or drinkable water. There are many RO systems on the market that produce anywhere from 3 gallons an hour of product water to hundreds of gallons an hour based on your needs, available space for the RO system and of course cost. RO systems have been in use for years by hotels in the island communities and among others, the island of Jost Van Dyke in the BVI’s depends almost exclusively on their RO system located in Little Harbor to supply the entire island with potable water.
The concern for most cruising boats is finding the available space for the RO system and the energy required to run such a system. We chose a Katadyn Power Survivor 160E watermaker which produces 160 gallons a day or 6.6 gallons an hour, which generally satisfies the needs of Liz and I. One of the main reasons for our choice in watermakers is due to its extremely compact size and its easily tucked away in an area that does not need to be accessed expect to service the unit when needed and its reliability. Typically we run the watermaker whenever the engine is running to charge the batteries and refrigeration.
As of today, we have logged 200 hours on our watermaker which relates to 1320 gallons of water produced by out watermaker. We love the independence of not having the need to chase down the next available water source. Water, water, everywhere!
When cruising we need to stay in touch with the availability of several consumable resources, food, fuel and fresh water. Eating habits become adjusted to the areas we may be visiting, such as baguettes and croissants on a daily basis when visiting the French islands. Fuel and water are both closely managed so as not to run out at the most inopportune time. Fuel can usually be managed through the awareness of how much fuel is necessary to run the engine to charge the batteries and run the engine driven refrigeration.
Water on the other hand, although tightly managed gets consumed quite rapidly through dish washing, boat cleaning, human consumption and the luxury of daily showers. Many boats have large storage capacities for water and may not worry about how much water they use between ports. Other cruisers are always looking for a dock with a garden hose to fill their five gallon Jerry Jugs or a place to pull their boat up to a dock to replenish their water supply. However, most cruisers I talk with have some type of watermaker on board and once you have a watermaker, you ask yourself how did I ever get along without one.
The basics of the way a watermaker works is through a reverse osmosis (RO) process where sea water is transformed into potable (drinkable) water. The sea water is filtered through a series of prefilters before being pumped at a high pressure (800 PSI) to the reverse osmosis membrane which removes the salt element and other impurities from the water before sending it to your water storage tank. The water that passes through a typical watermaker system discharges approximately 90% of the water as brine and the remaining 10% becomes product water or drinkable water. There are many RO systems on the market that produce anywhere from 3 gallons an hour of product water to hundreds of gallons an hour based on your needs, available space for the RO system and of course cost. RO systems have been in use for years by hotels in the island communities and among others, the island of Jost Van Dyke in the BVI’s depends almost exclusively on their RO system located in Little Harbor to supply the entire island with potable water.
The concern for most cruising boats is finding the available space for the RO system and the energy required to run such a system. We chose a Katadyn Power Survivor 160E watermaker which produces 160 gallons a day or 6.6 gallons an hour, which generally satisfies the needs of Liz and I. One of the main reasons for our choice in watermakers is due to its extremely compact size and its easily tucked away in an area that does not need to be accessed expect to service the unit when needed and its reliability. Typically we run the watermaker whenever the engine is running to charge the batteries and refrigeration.
As of today, we have logged 200 hours on our watermaker which relates to 1320 gallons of water produced by out watermaker. We love the independence of not having the need to chase down the next available water source. Water, water, everywhere!
Sunday, April 11, 2010
Blowing in Caneel - and another great quote
Posted by Liz
Here's another wonderful quote, by John Muir, sent to me by my friend Nikki:
"When one tugs at a single thing in nature, he finds it attached to the rest of the world."
It's SOOOO blowy here in Caneel Bay - so much so, that we don't dare get in the dinghy and head around to Cruz Bay (about a 15 minute ride each way) because it would be a VERY WET ride! Getting to the point, though, where I desperately need to do some provisioning and would like to do laundry over there - but unless I want all the groceries and fresh laundry soaked with sea water, we best wait til things calm down a bit (supposedly a day or two).
For some exercise, I'll probably just pop off the boat this afternoon for some snorkeling - the reefs are right here - about 30 feet away from the boat! We also have that beautiful beach (previous photo below) right near the boat, which we can swim to or dinghy over to land the dinghy on the beach.
Had pancakes for breakfast this Sunday morning, just started a new book "Half Broke Horses" by Jeannette Walls, on my Kindle and catching up on emails. A nap and my snorkeling is in order too!
Here's another wonderful quote, by John Muir, sent to me by my friend Nikki:
"When one tugs at a single thing in nature, he finds it attached to the rest of the world."
It's SOOOO blowy here in Caneel Bay - so much so, that we don't dare get in the dinghy and head around to Cruz Bay (about a 15 minute ride each way) because it would be a VERY WET ride! Getting to the point, though, where I desperately need to do some provisioning and would like to do laundry over there - but unless I want all the groceries and fresh laundry soaked with sea water, we best wait til things calm down a bit (supposedly a day or two).
For some exercise, I'll probably just pop off the boat this afternoon for some snorkeling - the reefs are right here - about 30 feet away from the boat! We also have that beautiful beach (previous photo below) right near the boat, which we can swim to or dinghy over to land the dinghy on the beach.
Had pancakes for breakfast this Sunday morning, just started a new book "Half Broke Horses" by Jeannette Walls, on my Kindle and catching up on emails. A nap and my snorkeling is in order too!
Saturday, April 10, 2010
Profound Saying
Courtesy of our friend, Marcy:
LIFE IS NOT MEASURED BY THE NUMBER OF BREATHS WE TAKE, BUT BY THE MOMENTS THAT TAKE OUR BREATH AWAY.
LIFE IS NOT MEASURED BY THE NUMBER OF BREATHS WE TAKE, BUT BY THE MOMENTS THAT TAKE OUR BREATH AWAY.
Thursday, April 8, 2010
Caneel Bay, St. John USVI
Posted by Liz
Gypsea is sitting in gorgeous Caneel Bay, on the northwest side of St. John, where we'll probably stay for the next few days or more. The beaches here are magnificent, and hopefully the snorkeling will be OK too.
We arrived yesterday (Weds, April 7th) and hope to get some hiking in while we're here in St. John. The island provides numerous hiking trails. We'll move over to Francis/Maho Bay and then to Leinster Bay, also on the north side of the island. '
It's pretty blowy for the next few days - northeasterly - and yesterday we had a VERY wet dinghy ride to/from Cruz Bay - where we had to go to check into customs and get some provisioning done. So, we'll hang here til the wind subsides and then move over to the more northern bays.
Caneel Bay resort is right here and it's where we decided to share our lives together, 11 years ago (May 1999), so it holds a special place in our hearts.
Gypsea is sitting in gorgeous Caneel Bay, on the northwest side of St. John, where we'll probably stay for the next few days or more. The beaches here are magnificent, and hopefully the snorkeling will be OK too.
We arrived yesterday (Weds, April 7th) and hope to get some hiking in while we're here in St. John. The island provides numerous hiking trails. We'll move over to Francis/Maho Bay and then to Leinster Bay, also on the north side of the island. '
It's pretty blowy for the next few days - northeasterly - and yesterday we had a VERY wet dinghy ride to/from Cruz Bay - where we had to go to check into customs and get some provisioning done. So, we'll hang here til the wind subsides and then move over to the more northern bays.
Caneel Bay resort is right here and it's where we decided to share our lives together, 11 years ago (May 1999), so it holds a special place in our hearts.
Little Harbour/Great Harbour - Jost - Ed "The Shepherd"
Posted by Liz
On Monday, April 5th, we hopped around the corner from Diamond Cay over to Little Harbour - home of Sidney's Peace and Love and Harris' Place.
We had AWESOME Spiny Lobsters for dinner at Harris' place - and the owner there is a hoot - Cynthia. Her dad started the place years ago and she has taken it over. Her outgoing personality WAS the entertainment. She's a hot ticket.
On Tuesday, we took a good walk up and down some hills over to Great Harbour - home of the world famous "Foxy's" bar. About 3 miles each way. Had a surprisingly yummy lunch (ceasar salads and some of the best wings ever) at Foxy's while we listened to some live music by a very talented guitarist/singer. Delightful.
On our walk back to Little Harbour, we found a beautiful little white baby goat - looked like he had just recently been born. He was laying on all fours, crying for his mama - looking very lost. His mom and the rest of the herd were down below on the hillside, so we motivated him to get up - and he was like a baby colt, all wobbly on his spindly little legs.
Ed shepherded the little kid down the road and over to where his mama was eagerly awaiting him. The little one ran right up to her and started nursing.
Bubbly Pool! - Diamond Cay, Jost Van Dyke: April 3-5
Posted by Liz
Spent Easter weekend here and can't think of a more beautiful place to celebrate God's creations and life, in general.
The neat thing is that while Ed (and I) have both previously been to Jost, neither of us had been to Diamond Cay - so it was a new place for both of us to discover and explore together!
Diamond Cay is right in between Little Jost and the main island of Jost Van Dyke. It's the home of Foxy's new restaurant "Foxy's Taboo". We had a decent meal there but it was expensive and not really worth it. The upside about dinner there is that we met a lovely family from England - Angela, Richard and their 17 year old son, Oscar, who are spending some of the winter aboard their beautifuul Oyster 46 "Sophisticate".
The anchorage's focal point is a big reef where the water gushes over from the North. Also visible is Sandy Cay - a small, teeny little jewel of an island surrounded by white sand and palm treesn (see photo above), and then in the background, on the south side, is the big island of Tortola.
On Easter Sunday, we had a little hike over to the "Bubbly Pool".... hiked over some big boulders, and witnessed the power and roar of the ocean pouring over the huge rocks and onto the reef. Turns out that we were on the wrong trail - but were glad we deviated so we could capture that scene!
Found the correct trail (a much less challenging walk, thank goodness!) - and ended up at the Bubbly Pool. Small little beach area, encircled by huge boulders where the sea comes crashing in and around and lands in the "pool" which has a Fizzy, champagne-like feeling to it when the water crashes in! You get tossed around by the power of the water, so it's best to look for a clear, sandy, non-rocky path behind you so that when the water comes in, you don't get slammed into a rock (like I did on the first go around, with bruises to show for it).
Here's a video that I shot while IN the Bubbly Pool! - - Quite exhilarting and FUN - - that is what I'm loving about our adventure this winter - we have FUN and smile like all the time. It's what life should be about - the joyful celebration of God's creations. Again, a perfect way to celebrate Easter.
Cooper Island, March 31 - April 3
Posted by Liz
First of all, isn't this THE best photo of Ed??! I think it completely captures his "essence" - so in his element with the blue sea and sailboat in the background. So handsome!
After Marina Cay, Tortola, we headed across the Sir Francis Drake Channel to Cooper Island - just about a one hour motor job! We were almost going to blow off Cooper, but when we got there, we were once again awestruck at how beautiful it was - palm trees lining the beach and beautiful water. Even though every island has the same physical properties - palm trees, blue water, blue sky, green hills, fish - each has it's own unique and distinct flavor and feeling.
I immediately hopped in the water to snorkel - and was bummed that I didn't bring my underwater camera - because I saw the coolest Coral - - it was HUGE - the size of a coffee table - big and round and spreadout, somewhat flat with a circumference of probably 5 feet. It was red. I don't even know what it was - but it was spectacular.
Also saw what I think is a Moray Eel - after looking at pictures of them. It was a big and brown/black spotted thing, hunkered down at the bottom, kind of hovering over a white sea urchin type of thing.
Had a fantastic, yet expensive dinner at Cooper Island Beach Club - but it was probably the best meal we've had all winter! Ed had the Tuna and I had a scrumptious steak.
Stayed for a few nights - and towards the end, the wind was really honking and the anchorage was lumpy, but survivable. You probably only only need one or two nights there - the snorkeling is fantastic and the atmosphere relaxed and fun..
Tuesday, March 30, 2010
FINAL FOUR
Posted by Ed
(Not to be confused with college basketball)
As I write this, the “Final Four” is only a few days away! The “Final Four” relates to the remaining four weeks of our winter sojourn.
We departed New England November first to begin the journey south for our winter away for Liz and I to enjoy the cruising life in the Caribbean. The delivery trip was uneventful with only a few minor repairs to attend too along the way and upon arrival in Antigua. As of today, the ongoing repairs have also been minimal with the rebuilding of the hydraulic backstay and the replacement of the engine’s fresh water pump which only caused a few days delay in our laid back schedule.
Since February, which was “hump month”, meaning we were half way through our Caribbean sailing trip, it’s hard not to think about the count-down to the final weeks of sailing. Soon we’ll be leaving this gorgeous cruising ground and preparing for the voyage back to New England.
With very positive thoughts of how wonderful the cruising has been the great places we have anchored and spent time and the warmth and camaraderie of like minded sailors, helps to keep us “in the moment”. To exciting to awaken every day to the warm sun peering through the hatches, puffy fair weather clouds in the sky and the knowledge that each new day is a new adventure in itself. With more than a tear in our eyes, it truly is about the journey!
(Not to be confused with college basketball)
As I write this, the “Final Four” is only a few days away! The “Final Four” relates to the remaining four weeks of our winter sojourn.
We departed New England November first to begin the journey south for our winter away for Liz and I to enjoy the cruising life in the Caribbean. The delivery trip was uneventful with only a few minor repairs to attend too along the way and upon arrival in Antigua. As of today, the ongoing repairs have also been minimal with the rebuilding of the hydraulic backstay and the replacement of the engine’s fresh water pump which only caused a few days delay in our laid back schedule.
Since February, which was “hump month”, meaning we were half way through our Caribbean sailing trip, it’s hard not to think about the count-down to the final weeks of sailing. Soon we’ll be leaving this gorgeous cruising ground and preparing for the voyage back to New England.
With very positive thoughts of how wonderful the cruising has been the great places we have anchored and spent time and the warmth and camaraderie of like minded sailors, helps to keep us “in the moment”. To exciting to awaken every day to the warm sun peering through the hatches, puffy fair weather clouds in the sky and the knowledge that each new day is a new adventure in itself. With more than a tear in our eyes, it truly is about the journey!
Monday, March 29, 2010
Marina Cay, Tortola
Posted by Liz
It was 11 years ago that Ed and I tried to get here when I was sailing with him aboard Gypsea, April 1999. But at that time, we had engine trouble, and had to sail over to Roadtown for repairs, so we never made it.
But here we are and it's a jewel of a place - just a teensie, weensie little island which was developed in the late 1930's by a young couple from Georgia - Robb and Rhodie White. They schlepped all of of the materials needed to build their home from Roadtown, Tortola, back and forth - in their 19 foot skiff.
This is at a time in the BVI's when the islands were impovershed. They left their life of luxury to develop this beautiful plot of land and live here. Robb White was a struggling writer, and ended up writing a book about their adventure, called "Our Virgin Island" which was later turned into a movie (of a different title than the book - can't remember the name) in the 1970's starring Sidney Portier and John Cassavetes.
Their orginial house still stands on the property - small and not luxurious - but with views to die for.
We can see why they came here!
It was 11 years ago that Ed and I tried to get here when I was sailing with him aboard Gypsea, April 1999. But at that time, we had engine trouble, and had to sail over to Roadtown for repairs, so we never made it.
But here we are and it's a jewel of a place - just a teensie, weensie little island which was developed in the late 1930's by a young couple from Georgia - Robb and Rhodie White. They schlepped all of of the materials needed to build their home from Roadtown, Tortola, back and forth - in their 19 foot skiff.
This is at a time in the BVI's when the islands were impovershed. They left their life of luxury to develop this beautiful plot of land and live here. Robb White was a struggling writer, and ended up writing a book about their adventure, called "Our Virgin Island" which was later turned into a movie (of a different title than the book - can't remember the name) in the 1970's starring Sidney Portier and John Cassavetes.
Their orginial house still stands on the property - small and not luxurious - but with views to die for.
We can see why they came here!
The Baths, Virgin Gorda
Posted by Liz
We were on a mooring in Spanishtown, Virgin Gorda for a couple of nights - enought to do laundry one afternoon and then take a 10 minute taxi ride the next day over to The Bath's.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Virgin_Gorda
How cool. I was here about 15 years ago (or more) and it's still as magical. Tons of huge boulders that have been around for millions of years, creating little pools of waist-deep water that you can swim around in, and hike over to Devils Bay.
I snorkeled from the Baths around to Devils Bay - not much in the way of interesting sea life or coral - but it was still fun to swim with the little fishes. Ed hiked over the rocks while I snorkeled.
Sunday, March 21, 2010
Bitter End, Virgin Gorda
Posted by Liz
It's beautiful here - glimmering blue water and bright blue skies with breezes to cool us. As Ed exclaimed this morning, you come up on deck from down below, and see the beauty and it's like "being born".
The other night I was sleeping in the V-berth which gets a ton of breeze with our wind scoop up there - and awoke in the middle of the night, looking up through the hatch, I saw a gazillion stars. The constellations kept revolving and changing as the boat direction changed - and I then realized why babies in cribs have such a fascination with Mobiles hanging over their heads. This was my own mobile - and I was mesmerized by it!
There are a bunch of fellow Swan's here for the Club Swan Regatta and that alone has been quite a sight to see.
The Bitter End is a neat resort, and being here we have access to their pool, some little hikes (if we can get motivated to get moving earlier in the day!), and some snorkeling nearby on the reefs. It's quiet and comfortable and gorgeous, so we're going to stay for a few more days!
Tuesday, March 16, 2010
In the BVI's - Memories and Living in the Moment
Posted by Liz
At first, we were a little bummed to be heading to the BVI's (Tortola, Jost Van Dyke, Virgin Gorda, Cooper Island, Norman Island and others) and the USVI's (St. John will probably be our only stop there) because it meant that we're closing in on the end of what has been a most WONDERFUL winter and adventure together.
But now that we're back here, it's bringing us back to the time of our original courtship and falling in love stage 11 years ago or so. My first experience cruising in the islands was here in Tortola in April 1999 - shortly after I had met Ed (December 1998). It was a magical week in many ways - the beauty and exhilaration of sailing (while at the helm then, as a novice, I got our boat speed up to 9.3, probably with the help of Ed's excellent sail trim and perfect wind too), the warm and blue waters, and the magic that started happening for us personally.
We're here in Road Harbour, Tortola for a day or so to get laundry done and work with an excellent machinist, to possibly recreate a new bimini structure and perhaps work on some other projects for us while we're cruising in this area for the next 6 weeks.
From here, we're heading up to the Bitter End, Virgin Gorda - where "Club Swan" is having their annual Caribbean cruising regatta and festivities - where fellow Swan owners gather to enjoy time together.
We'll just spend the next 6 weeks cruising around these great islands - small, beautiful achorages with great restaurants and nightlife (if we can ever stay up past 9pm!). All of the islands are within a few hours sailing distance from each other, so you can leave one place at 8am and be somewhere else in time to drop the hook, snorkel and have lunch and a nap!
We're going to try to Live in the Moment and cherish every minute!
At first, we were a little bummed to be heading to the BVI's (Tortola, Jost Van Dyke, Virgin Gorda, Cooper Island, Norman Island and others) and the USVI's (St. John will probably be our only stop there) because it meant that we're closing in on the end of what has been a most WONDERFUL winter and adventure together.
But now that we're back here, it's bringing us back to the time of our original courtship and falling in love stage 11 years ago or so. My first experience cruising in the islands was here in Tortola in April 1999 - shortly after I had met Ed (December 1998). It was a magical week in many ways - the beauty and exhilaration of sailing (while at the helm then, as a novice, I got our boat speed up to 9.3, probably with the help of Ed's excellent sail trim and perfect wind too), the warm and blue waters, and the magic that started happening for us personally.
We're here in Road Harbour, Tortola for a day or so to get laundry done and work with an excellent machinist, to possibly recreate a new bimini structure and perhaps work on some other projects for us while we're cruising in this area for the next 6 weeks.
From here, we're heading up to the Bitter End, Virgin Gorda - where "Club Swan" is having their annual Caribbean cruising regatta and festivities - where fellow Swan owners gather to enjoy time together.
We'll just spend the next 6 weeks cruising around these great islands - small, beautiful achorages with great restaurants and nightlife (if we can ever stay up past 9pm!). All of the islands are within a few hours sailing distance from each other, so you can leave one place at 8am and be somewhere else in time to drop the hook, snorkel and have lunch and a nap!
We're going to try to Live in the Moment and cherish every minute!
Second Night Watch...Alone
Posted by Ed
Liz is becoming very experienced at night sailing since she was on watch again, alone at night for the second time during this winter sojourn. Safety harnesses on, spare safety whistles around our necks on a lanyard and two-way radios to communicate to the off watch person resting in his/her bunk below.
The passage from St Martin to the BVI’s is about 90 miles. We left St Martin at 6:00 PM heading Northwest to the British Virgin Islands. This overnight sail was a little different since it was the time of a “New Moon”, meaning there is not any moon visible at all but the stars and their constellations were absolutely spectacular and somewhat lighting the way.
The path between St. Martin and the BVI’s was very busy with cruise ship traffic, commercial boats as well as pleasure boats like Gypsea. Liz has become very skilled at recognizing the light schemes of the other vessels and determining their direction, even before searching and tracking the night traffic via radar. I’m very comfortable with Liz on watch alone at night and her traffic separation skills are excellent. We arrived in the BVI’s in the early morning.
Liz is becoming very experienced at night sailing since she was on watch again, alone at night for the second time during this winter sojourn. Safety harnesses on, spare safety whistles around our necks on a lanyard and two-way radios to communicate to the off watch person resting in his/her bunk below.
The passage from St Martin to the BVI’s is about 90 miles. We left St Martin at 6:00 PM heading Northwest to the British Virgin Islands. This overnight sail was a little different since it was the time of a “New Moon”, meaning there is not any moon visible at all but the stars and their constellations were absolutely spectacular and somewhat lighting the way.
The path between St. Martin and the BVI’s was very busy with cruise ship traffic, commercial boats as well as pleasure boats like Gypsea. Liz has become very skilled at recognizing the light schemes of the other vessels and determining their direction, even before searching and tracking the night traffic via radar. I’m very comfortable with Liz on watch alone at night and her traffic separation skills are excellent. We arrived in the BVI’s in the early morning.
On Watch at Night - Alone
Posted by Ed
The sail from Antigua to St Barths, is about 75 miles and to ensure a daytime landfall we occasionally sail through the night. The wind was predicted to be about 15 knots from the Southeast and our course to St. Baths was northeast so an overnight downwind leg was in store.
We had an early dinner and were asleep around 8:00 PM to get rested for the overnight sail. Liz has sailed through the night before on a delivery from Bermuda to Boston but this time it’s a little different, she will be on watch ALONE.
It was nearly a full moon when we departed Five Islands Antigua at midnight and with great visibility we motored slowly to get through the shallower banks to deeper water. We both were “on watch” until one of us seemed more tired than the other, so Ed took the first off watch and went below for a little sleep. After a few hours of rest Ed was ready to take over the watch and Liz was free to go below and rest.
While on watch and between using the radar and Liz’s keen senses, Liz spotted a cruise ship about 10 miles ahead and right on our course line. As we drew near, we called the ship on the VHF radio to confirm our/their intentions. The Sovereign of the Sea was enroute from St. Martin to St John Antigua and we would both be on reciprocal courses and agreed to pass each other starboard to starboard with a mile and a half distance between us. The radio operator from the cruise ship was willing to chat for awhile which makes the night passage a little more interesting.
We enjoyed the night sail under a full moon and arrived in St. Barths at 2:00 in the afternoon dropped the anchor and we both looked forward to the evening’s dinner and early to bed.
The sail from Antigua to St Barths, is about 75 miles and to ensure a daytime landfall we occasionally sail through the night. The wind was predicted to be about 15 knots from the Southeast and our course to St. Baths was northeast so an overnight downwind leg was in store.
We had an early dinner and were asleep around 8:00 PM to get rested for the overnight sail. Liz has sailed through the night before on a delivery from Bermuda to Boston but this time it’s a little different, she will be on watch ALONE.
It was nearly a full moon when we departed Five Islands Antigua at midnight and with great visibility we motored slowly to get through the shallower banks to deeper water. We both were “on watch” until one of us seemed more tired than the other, so Ed took the first off watch and went below for a little sleep. After a few hours of rest Ed was ready to take over the watch and Liz was free to go below and rest.
While on watch and between using the radar and Liz’s keen senses, Liz spotted a cruise ship about 10 miles ahead and right on our course line. As we drew near, we called the ship on the VHF radio to confirm our/their intentions. The Sovereign of the Sea was enroute from St. Martin to St John Antigua and we would both be on reciprocal courses and agreed to pass each other starboard to starboard with a mile and a half distance between us. The radio operator from the cruise ship was willing to chat for awhile which makes the night passage a little more interesting.
We enjoyed the night sail under a full moon and arrived in St. Barths at 2:00 in the afternoon dropped the anchor and we both looked forward to the evening’s dinner and early to bed.
Sunday, March 14, 2010
Things that go "bump" in the night
Posted by Liz
2am - Gustravia Harbor - St. Barth's
We had a "bump" with another boat in the anchorage! At 2am we awoke to the "bump" and leaped out of our bunks up on deck - indeed, the 51 ft catamaran stern was perpendicular to our mid-ship. Ed was fending off - I ran down below to get him the boat hook. I repositioned our fenders, started the engine, and when the time was right, Ed came back to the helm and I pulled up the anchor with the electric windlass. Bear in mind, the anchorage was VERY tight with tons of boats and we had very limited maneuverability. The adrenalin was pumping for sure. The saving grace was that the winds were very light and again, we had the moonlight, thank God - which helped us out for sure.
Once we pulled up the anchor, we motored into the big open channel, and just decided to drop the hook there til morning. We took turns doing "anchor watch". The two of us stayed up together til about 4am, then Ed slept for a while, and then I slept til 7. Anchor watch was essential because of A) potential ship traffic in the channel, and B) the current was swinging us in a completely different direction than the wind, and we were afraid the anchor would drag under the boat and pull on the keel, rudder and/or prop, which could be very damaging.
The boat finally settled into the right position with respect to where the anchor laid, so we were really just more concerned about channel/ship traffic at that point. All in all, the great part about this experience was that Ed and I worked totally in sync and efficiently with each other - executing all the important steps together - and it made us feel really good about our teamwork!
At 7am, we departed Gustavia and went 3 miles around to the Northwest corner of the island to a spectacular anchorage - Columbier - where we stayed for about 5 nights. It has some free moorings (we took one) and there are only like 30 boats in here. Private, beautiful beach, and calm anchorage for the most part.
The water is SOOOOO blue - you can see clearly down to the bottom from the 22 feet that we're anchored in. I've been snorkeling like crazy - and each time see many Manta Rays, Sea Turtles, Starfish and YES, SHARKS! EEEK! Black tipped reef sharks -smaller guys about 4 ft in length and supposedly harmless, unless agitated! That was a little freaky at first, but now I'm more calm (but on guard) when I see them.
Overnight to St. Barth's
Posted by Liz
Hope that Spring feels like it's coming around the bend for you - but for us, the notion of spring means that our journey is starting to come to an end.... boo-hoo in a big way!
We're currently in St. Barth's, where we honeymooned 10 years ago (!). We did a 12 hour sail, which meant six hours of night sailing (we left at Midnight) - from Antigua, where I had did my first night watch, alone! I've been on watch through the night previously when I sailed from Bermuda to Boston back in 2003, but this time, I was on my own. I was a bit nervous, mostly about ship traffic - but there were only four boats - one big cruise ship, a couple of sailboats and a fishing boat. Ed thought that was a lot of traffic, but it seemed OK to me - he said sometimes they can go for days without seeing a boat, but this is a busy route.
As it turns out, I had nothing to be nervous about. It was very light wind from behind us, so we motored the whole way and I didn't have sail changes or tweaking to contend with. Also, I could read the ships lights (red light on port/left, green light on starboard/right and white running lights or stern lights) and could see them on our radar screen at the helm, so I was able to detect which direction they were moving and how far away they were from us. If it would appear that there would be a close call, I would have had to radio them on Channel 16 of the VHF radio and let them know of our position and make sure we had a plan on how to pass each other. We actually did this procedure with the big cruise ship, which was pretty interesting.
It was pretty exhilarating, actually, because the moon was just about full and lit the way for us - so it wasn't so inky black out (although the beauty of that would be the star-gazing and shooting stars!). It was very energizing, and even Chippy was totally psyched and energized - - he has never been "allowed" to stay out all night and play, so this was a new adventure for him and he was like a little kid - so excited that he couldn't sleep - and the poor thing was just such a tired lump after hours of being awake, that reluctantly he fell asleep in our arms while we were still underway in the late morning hours.
When we got to St. Barth's, we anchored in Gustavia harbor, thinking that we'd spend some time doing a gastronomic tour of the town - fabulous restaurants - however, it was SO lumpy and bouncy because of the wind and the big sea swells coming in. Very uncomfortable - you almost felt sea sick while at anchor!
Also, with the US dollar being what it is compared to the Euro, St. Barth's is more expensive than ever. One night, we went out to a casual place called Le Bistro, on the harbor, and had salads, pizza and iced teas - - $100 US. Yikes - that certainly doesn't fit into our sailor's budget!
Monday, March 1, 2010
Five Islands, Antigua
Posted by Liz
We made our way yesterday from Falmouth Antigua to Five Islands (3 hours) on the west coast - for a straight shot out and good jump off point, as we head out to St. Barth's. We plan to leave tonight at midnight, under the light of the glorious full moon. It's 75 miles, so it should take us about 12 hours, getting us into Gustavia Harbor around Noon on Tuesday.
Five Islands is absolutely gorgeous - serene and the water is the bluest of blue - turquoise. We're anchored in Hermitage Bay, with the exclusive Hermitage Bay resort on shore. (about 30 villas, very private and quiet).
Today, they provided us a very generous service. We needed to get to shore and get around to Jolly Harbor to check out with customs, and also do some provisioning at the excellent "Epicurean" supermarket. However, the northerly swells, causing a surge onto the beach, made pulling our dinghy ashore a bit "tenuous" (at best) and we were wondering what to do.
Yesterday afternoon, I had seen a large tender depart from the hotel anchorage, and I was wondering if perhaps they might meet us at our boat and take us over to Jolly. I called up and asked, and said of course, we would compensate them for their service - and within 5 minutes, out came a super personable lad named Michael. He not only took us over there (giving us a fun little joyride as well) but he waited while Ed went to customs and I did the shopping. Lovely person - and very generous of the hotel to lend us his services - so we'd like to recommend that if you ever are in need of a romantic get-away, to please contact the Hermitage Hotel. (268)562-5500.
As for our overnight sail tonight...It won't be my first (I sailed back from Bermuda to Boston - five days - after the Marion to Bermuda Race one year), but it WILL be my first night sail where I'm on watch alone.... EEK. I'd be lying if I told you I wasn't a bit nervous. But Ed will be down below and if I need him, I know where to find him!
Cheers for now!
Sunday, February 21, 2010
Back in Antigua
Posted by Liz
After being detained by volcanic eruptions, our friends John and Fawn from Boston finally met up with us in Les Saintes, through "Planes, Trains, and Automobiles" (and ferries, and dinghy rides from strangers).
We spent a few days in the Saintes -with our Iguana Hunt hike and a day snorkeling and swimming at Baie de Pompiere...all of our physical efforts supplemented by Pain Au Chocolate, Croissants, Baguettes and some FRESH Dorado (Mahi Mahi) that I purchased from the local fisherman one morning.
From Les Saintes, we motored up to Deshaies, Guadeloupe because of very light air. Walked through the town, spent the night, and then, on Friday, had a delightful 6 hour sail from Deshaies up to Falmouth Antigua. Sunny, nice breeze (10-12 knots) from an easterly direction, so we were sailing along doing about 6-6.5....not setting any speed records, but exceptionally comfortable. All four of us enjoyed naps throughout that afternoon, and we saw a WHALE! Just one whale stealthily floating along the surface, with his spout blowing every few seconds, until he dipped below.
We've spent the last couple of days here in Falmouth and English Harbor, doing the tour of Nelsons Dockyard in English, swimming/snorkeling at Pigeon Beach, and having wonderful meals out. Tonight we'll head up to Shirley Heights for the regular Sunday night "jump up" with steel drum bands, cookouts, drinks, dancing - overlooking English and Falmouth Harbours and watching the sunset.
Saturday, February 13, 2010
Volcano - Part II
Posted by Liz
Friday, February 12, 2010
Pointe-a-Pitre, Guadeloupe
It "snowed" all night.
When we got out of our bunks around 7:00am this morning, there were “drifts” of ash in all the corners of the teak cockpit near the companionway.
Starting at 7:30am and we swabbed the decks, main cover, stanchions, bimini, dodger - everything - with buckets and buckets of sea water - which is so gross and polluted we dared not to make water with it for the past few days - sadly, it’s now the cleanest substance available.
A bunch of salty icky sea water came down the cowl vent in the aft cabin…I'm now sobbing.
If you could see the boat - and after we worked our tails off the last three full days scrubbing, waxing and polishing/cleaning the stainless (even had the toothbrush out), and now it seemed, all for naught.
Looks like the fallout of war...very eerie and grey with haze still blanketing the skies.
At 3pm – the top decks are relatively clean. Ed scrubbed the teak a few times. We took the bimini off and cleaned it with fresh water as best we could. Polished all of the stainless (again!) on the boat. It almost feels a bit futile, because the ash is still coated on thick on everything above our reach – all over the shrouds, rigging, spreaders – and is sure to blow off and down all over everything. We’ll probably be cleaning non-stop for the next few months as a result of this.
As we were hoisting buckets of water today, feeling sad that we and our sea home had been put upon by this event, Ed was the good one. He said: “As much as we feel put out, we’re just a speck; think of others who maybe live on the island of Montserrat who were really affected, or think of the poor people in Haiti who recently have lost not only their homes, livelihoods, but friends and family.”
He put things in perspective for me. This is not insurmountable.
We spent the whole day cleaning decks and polishing stainless – we used all 40 gallons of the new water we just put in the port tank yesterday – gone in a heartbeat. Went back to the marina to refill the water gopher bladder – and when we got back to the boat, grit and ash all over. The wind is just blowing it everywhere.
There’s no escaping it. It’s coated thick and 65 feet over our heads on all of the rigging and spreaders – areas we obviously cannot reach with our human hands.
We were also able to finally obtain reports of this event, and the effects of this eruption are widespread geographically - - the ash fallout goes as far south as 14N (Martinique, two islands south of us) and up to 20N (north of the Virgin Islands!)… but where we sit, we got it bad because of the weird wind direction (NW) which was unusual and took all the ash SE (towards us in Guadeloupe). When the dome collapsed, it sent ash up 6-9 miles into the sky (various reports) and spread out over many of the islands.
The winds have finally (and thankfully) shifted East today, but the breeze is light (only about 7 knots) and too light to blow any of the mess away. But at least it’s blowing it west, which means it should be clearing out of this region. We need more breeze from the East, and we are praying for rain to clean the boat… but that is not forecasted.
Sailing life is tough enough – keeping the boat safe, choosing our weather windows, physical labor on a regular basis…but add in this sort of unexpected act of Mother Nature – and you feel a bit helpless. We’ll manage, and we’re just going to be living in a dusty environment, probably for the next several months. I guess this is all part of the “adventure"!
It's "Snowing" in the Islands
Posted by Liz
Pointe-a-Pitre, Guadeloupe
Thursday, February 11, 2010
Friends John and Fawn were supposed to arrive tonight - so we had spent the previous few days on anchor getting Gypsea all spiffed up. One day was spent waxing the fiberglass, another day polishing stainless, and on Thursday, we spent most of the day down below cleaning heads, woodwork, galley – and then went to the Marina with our trusty “water gopher” to fill that bladder with 40 gallons of fresh water to put in the port tank (42 gallons), as the water here in Pointe a’ Pitre does not meet our standards for running the watermaker.
As we prepared to leave the boat and head to the marina, we noticed the sky, and what looked to be a very ominous storm brewing. The skies were a deep purple, yet oddly, no major cumulus. We were perplexed by that alone.
After our stop at the marina, we hustled back to fill the water tank, and in record time, took down the boom tent and wind scoop – both which act like sails with wind gusts (found in storms).
The other odd thing about the weather in the sky, is that it looked like it was moving from the East to the NW.
Well, we got a storm allright, but not one we expected with wind and rain... not one that we’d ever imagined…
About the time that we pulled everything down, our friend John called from San Juan. Their flight was scheduled to arrive late Thursday night, however, all flights cancelled going into Pointe-a-Pitre due to the volcanic ash from the island of Montserrat (northwest of where we sat) – where the dome had caved in around 1pm and dust was carried east by the unusual windflow (from the NW) – towards us! There is limited visibility for the planes, but moreover, getting all that soot into engines could shut them down, and as such, posed a huge safety hazard.
We were a bit “wowed” by that news…we had no clue about that eruption. When we hung up the phone, Ed touched our teak deck – which had been perfectly clean and smooth, and now, felt like a fine, gritty dust all over.
We start feeling everywhere on the boat – same thing – VOLCANIC ASH. There’s not a rainstorm as we expected – those purple skies were volcanic ash!
We closed the hatches and ports, shutting them tight. We turned off the fans down below to cease the air/ash circulation inside the boat. For hours, we dismally watched the ash fall like a fresh snowfall. The ash fell all night long. It smelled like a fireplace. Despite closing all hatches, the ash still enters via the cowl vents. We had a constant tickle in our throats and eye irritation.
Slept that night with no fans on (didn't want to stir the dust), and all ports closed. Talk about stifling. Decide there's nothing we can do - just wait until tomorrow and see what's next.
Friday, February 5, 2010
Back in Les Saintes!
Posted by Liz
The weather window finally came for us to depart Sainte Anne, Martinique on Monday, February 1st. Even though we observed "Red Sky in Morning" (sailors take warning) we didn't care - we just needed and wanted to get a move on. The wind had finally calmed down and we blasted off around 6:30am. Sailed up to the northern end of the island, to Saint Pierre. Attempted to get Customs that day - but lo and behold, on Monday's, they are closed! (Typical French!)
It's kind of a joke there anyway - - you check in/out of customs at a local restaurant, called "L'escapade". You type in all of your documentation info into a computer there, print out the form, and the owner of the restaurant just rubber stamps it without even looking at anything! Have to love the French "laissez faire" attitude!
Spent the next day in Saint Pierre getting our customs stuff done, doing a little provisioning and relaxing, then took off on Wednesday, February 3rd, headed for Roseau, Dominica - where we can do some major provisioning and get our LPG tank refilled. Yucky sail inter-island - - seas were pretty high for my liking (10 ft) and a bit confused or sloppy. Even Ed felt a wee bit queasy. We were fine, just a bit uncomfortable.
Still had some high winds (hence, the higher seas), but coming from a favorable direction (east) so we actually sailed most of the way with only the jib. Probably should have put up the main for more stability, but oh well... Made it to Roseau in good time - by 1:30 - and called upon our Boat Man, Pancho, to help us out with our "chores". Ed and I agree that when you need to get things done, pay and go to a local. Pancho organized everything for us - had his wife and two adorable kids take us up to customs north of the city to check in/out, get us to the Propane factory, and also take us grocery shopping. In two hours, we were done!
Sleepless night because of the very rolly anchorage....at 7am on Thursday, February 4, we departed Roseau and sailed straight to the Saintes - - DELIGHTFUL sail!! High 6's and 7's the whole way with one reef in the main and the jib rolled out. Couldn't have been better. We had smiles on our faces the whole time, enjoying the experience, and knowing we would be warmly greeted by Les Saintes.
Got here, put the anchor down, and God, we're glad to be back! We ran into a nice French couple this morning, Marie and Jean-Paul from "Vamoose", who we met in Marin, Martinque, while waiting for the bus. We all reemarked that Isles des Saintes feels like home to us - - it just "feels good".
Had the best night's sleep last night that we've had in a long time. This morning, we took the dinghy to town to get fresh "pain au chocolate" and a baguette, and while there, the fishermen had just come in with their fresh catch! So, I bought some Wahoo and marinated it this morning in a wonderful Barefoot Contessa recipe for Indonesian fish marinade (soy sauce, ginger, olive oil, lemon zest/juice, garlic, dijon mustard). We'll cook that up on the grill tonight.
We're psyched to have Wifi/Internet again on the boat - hence, are able to make SKYPE calls to family and update our blog and get our emails. Heading into town now to Customs and to do a little hike...OH, and also, to make a stop at the Ice Cream place in town! LOVING LIFE in the Saintes.
Full Moon Rising - and Setting!
Posted by Liz
One of the best things about living on the boat is constantly being enveloped by our natural world. Sea, stars, lush green landscapes, fish, sun, rain. We have the luxury of Time - and most times, Ed and I can sit in the cockpit, sometimes for hours, just staring with wonder at our environment.
While we were in Sainte Anne, Martinique, there was a full moon, which we enjoyed observing it's rising for a few nights, each night one hour later. Ed remarked that when we're at home, many times we'll notice a full moon for a minute or so while driving or getting out of the car....but how often do we get to watch it rise higher and higher in the sky, until the moonglow is so bright and shining upon us? That alone is a wonder.
But one of the most awesome things we saw... was a FULL MOON SETTING. We were both up around 6am one morning, and sitting in the cockpit. Dawn was just breaking, and looking over to the Northwest, toward Diamond Rock, we saw the full moon setting behind the landscape. We were both awestruck and mesmerized, and remarked that if we hadn't been up at this time, how this event would have come and gone without us being a part of it.
Another observance we've both experienced, finally, for the FIRST TIME ever - is the infamous "Green Flash" that supposedly occurs at sunset, while the sun is setting over the water in the western horizon. Many of our other sailor friends have seen it, but we had not. Even with all of Ed's 70,000+ ocean miles under his belt. But twice, we've seen it now!
Our general observation is that it happens on evenings when there is little to no cloud coverage - a perfectly clear sky. As the sun sets, and is close to the horizon, you'll see it take on a green hue, and then BHAM, when it goes down, the green spreads out across the horizon. It's easier to see when you look through binoculars or probably a high powered camera.
We were psyched to observe this phenomenon - as well as the full moon setting - and thank God for the opportunity we have now to enjoy and be a part of His natural wonders and creations.
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