Position : Lat: 28 Lon: -15 [View map entry]
Time : 1/11/2006,15:15:00
Note : Departed Las Palmas, Gran Canaria
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Position : Lat: 27.35 Lon: -16.433333 [View map entry]
Time : 1/12/2006,12:00:00
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Position : Lat: 26.166667 Lon: -18.616667 [View map entry]
Time : 1/13/2006,12:00:00
| | Email : Hey Dave, How's it going? We've been underway for 48 hours. I was seasick the first 36. Yuck. But I'm OK now. I'm sending you here our noon positions for the first two days. Let me know if/when you get something going on the web to track our position. I'll get a list of emails ready so you can let others know also. Take care, Oscar |
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Position : Lat: 25 Lon: -21.2 [View map entry]
Time : 1/14/2006,12:00:00
Wind : NE 20 kts
Sea : 8-10'
Note : (24-hour run of 160 miles!)
| | Email : Had a windy, rainy night but all is well except we haven't been able to sleep much yet because of the heavy roll. We should get used to it in a few days. The self steering gear had a major breakdown. Four 3/8 inch bolts sheared off so I had to climb into a hold in 10' seas to do some machine work. Not fun but it is a critical piece of gear that had to be fixed. After a few hours I got it going and we're back to sailing fast. Everyone is happy.--Oscar |
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Position : Lat: 24.20 Lon: -23.68 [View map entry]
Time : 1/15/2005,12:00:00
Wind : E 25 kts
Sea : 8-10'
Note : Noon Position 1/15
| | Email : Stil feeling a bit under the weather. A bit rough and rainy at night |
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Position : Lat: 22.83 Lon: -26.05 [View map entry]
Time : 1/16/2005,12:00:00
Wind : E 25-30 kts
Sea : 10-14'
Note : Noon Position 1/16
| | Email : Same as yesterday -- don't quite feel 100%, but hangin in there and going fast |
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Position : Lat: 21.86 Lon: -28.40 [View map entry]
Time : 1/17/2005,12:00:00
Wind : E 25-30 kts
Sea : 12-15'
Note : Day 6 Noon Position 1/17
| | Email : A bit windier than yesterday and seas are building. Gusts near 40. Only tiny scrap of jib out on a pole. Yves (self steering equipment) broke again. This time a block exploded and a 1/4 eye bolt pulled open. There are some very heavy forces on it when Calypso slides off the face of one of these doing 12+ knots! But I put in new stronger parts and he's back in form. I'm feeling much better today after a bit of a rough night. Forecasts expect the weather to persist for another day or two, then 'calm down' to around 25 on Thusrday. We can't wait. Crew are doing excellent. Everybody's doing their job. Our present heading is 255 deg: straight line to Barbados with only 1850 miles to go. If we keep our present speed up, we can make it in only 12 more days. |
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Position : Lat: 21.26 Lon: -30.89 [View map entry]
Time : 1/18/2005,12:00:00
Wind : E 25 kts
Sea : 10-12'
Note : Day 7 Noon Position 1/18
| Email : The last 24 hours have been probably the roughest we have seen but at least we're more accustomed to it now so it doesn't seem so bad. Jenn seems to be suffering from some kind of food or water poisoning with the same symptoms I was suffering a couple of days ago. She is getting better now. I think we took on bad water in Canaries and she didn't boil the water completely for her tea. The only other event worth mentioning was a large boarding sea yesterday evening that filled the cockpit with water and continued down into the cabin, drenching the galley and half of Jenn's berth (it was not Jenn's best day). I had just removed one of the three hatch boards to let Jenn out when we got pooped. All week we have had minor poopings but nothing like this wall of green water crashing in. Fortunately the sun is out today and the forecast is for the wind to start dropping for the first time in a week. Tomorrow it should be 20 kts and Friday down to a nice 15. We're still only flying the genoa (about 50%%) on the pole. Seas are down a bit from yesterday too. I'm feeling good. Dorie is still not 100%% but at least she didn't get the water sickness that Jenn and I got. The good weather and sunshine tomorrow should do wonders.
We left the Canaries in the company of 4 other boats all heading for the Caribbean. One of them is a Cuban-American -- we are everywhere! Since departing we have been in radio contact twice a day monitoring each other's progress. It's nice to have neighbors out here. Even though the other boats are larger and faster, Calypso is staying pretty close behind. If it was on corrected time, we'd be ahead for sure! Now two of the boats lost there spinnaker poles in the bad weather, so when the wind goes light I should close the distance. (I know, always racing...) |
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Position : Lat: 21.01 Lon: -33.47 [View map entry]
Time : 1/19/2005,12:00:00
Wind : ENE 10-15 kts
Sea : 4-6 ft
Note : Day 8 Noon Position 1/19
| Email : Yesterday afternoon was a welcome change. The sun came out and the winds decreased a bit so that we were able to really enjoy our time in the cockpit for the first time this trip. Jenn is still recovering from the bad water -- she is now at the final diarrea stage (been there...). It looks like only Dorie was spared this unwelcome surprise. However, everyone is in good spirits today with a relatively light wind from astern (yes, we are "running") and sunshine.
Yesterday evening during our twice-daily radio com with the nearby yachts, we learned that Cape Verde rescue authorities had detected an EPIRB (emergency position indicating radio beacon) signal an hour earlier only 30 miles away from La Danseuse, one of the sailboats in our group (the other Cuban!), and only 250 miles due west of us. They were directed by search-and-rescue aircraft to proceed to the last known position of the EPIRB to search for survivors. Unfortunately, it would be dark by the time they arrived. It was not clear who the source of the distress signal was, but it was believed to be a British sailing yacht. All the yachts including us adjusted their heading towards that location in case our help was needed, though it would have taken us nearly 2 days to get there. A supertanker nearby was also dispatched to rendezvous with La Danseuse. The two had laid adrift all night in 25 kts and large seas until they could commence searching at daybreak. Finally the tanker located the liferaft near La Danseuse and directed La Danseuse to pick them up, which they did under very difficult circumstances. When they arrived, they found inside the two survivors from a row-boat rowing from Canaries to the Caribbean! They had been adrift for two days. Why would you row when there is so much wind is my question. We were all relieved to hear everyone was OK. It was a very anxious night and I'm certain everyone was very worried -- especially knowing it could have been any of us in that situation. You can't help but get a false sense of security while sitting inside the boat and everything seems under control. But a lot of things can go wrong. If you bother to think about it, the same applies to life on land, every time you hop in your car or walk across the street. We just don't think about it because it would paralyze us with fear. All we can do I suppose is be thankful when things are going well. Don't sweat the small stuff.
Presently we are enjoying some refreshing sun-showers while motoring for the first time in a week to charge batteries. For breakfast we had crepes with maple syrup. Later today I hope to hoist the spinnaker to begin week 2 and the fun portion of the sail. |
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Position : Lat: 20.25 Lon: -35.577 [View map entry]
Time : 1/20/2005,12:00:00
Wind : NNE 10-15 kts
Sea : 4-6 ft
Note : Day 9 Noon Position 1/20
| Email : Beautiful day today. We fished for the first time. Within 1/2 hour we caught a huge yellowfin tuna and a nice sized dorado.
Here's Jenn's account: The weather is great, we are flying the spinnaker at a speed of 6.8 knots. We have been listening to music, eating normally and you guessed it, fishing! I got hit by a flying fish last night while on watch and as he landed in the cockpit, I threw him back to sea and wished him well. Since the last week had been too rough to fish, I got up this morning on this beautiful day and decided it was time for fishing. So we pulled out my favorite lure (sorry I cant tell you which one Lew) and sure enough we got a Fish ON. A huge yellowfin tuna came to us. Dorie and I wrestle that thing for at least 30 minutes got it to the boat and as we pulled on the line to get to the leader to gaff him, our 60 pound test line snapped. Bummer, any fisherman knows the feeling of loosing a fish at the boat. The fish was too big anyways for our crew and nowhere to keep it so we figured that it was best that we lost it. We bend the rod holder and broke the pole at the end...it was too big for us. We figure probably a 60 pound > fish. So being the fisherman that we are, Dorie and Oscar went on to fix the pole with epoxy while I fixed the other pole, greased it and put the lure on it and back in the water. Then what happened? Fish ON! not even five minutes later we were landing a 32" dorado, perfect size, perfect everything. I was yelling fish on, fish on...Oscar and Dorie still working on the other pole down below thought that I was kidding. We all worked into getting it aboard and sure enough we are having dorado for dinner. What a treat.
Last night was a difficult night because of no winds. I had the midnight-to-4 watch and spent the entire time flat on my back staring at the wind indicator for shifting zephirs that would pass with the showers, making 3 knots (and happy I was getting even that). I actually saw a lunar rainbow! It was only silver but definitely a rainbow opposite the moon. (for you physics-minded people: why didn't I see the full color spectrum?).
This noon position puts us less than 130 miles away from our halfway point (longitude 38). If all goes well we should be halfway by the noon fix tomorrow. We plan a small ritual of tossing a bottle over with a message in it. |
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Position : Lat: 19.67 Lon: -38.19 [View map entry]
Time : 1/21/2005,12:00:00
Wind : NE 20 kts
Sea : 4-6 ft
Note : Day 10 Noon Position 1/21
| Email : Yesterday afternoon was a thrilling spinnaker run averaging 8 knots. Fortunately the seas are down considerably. Life aboard has finally fallen into a comfortable rhythm where each of us is doing their own thing. I'm usually working some small boat project while the crew are reading or writing or cooking or cleaning up the mess of the difficult past week. For the first time we are actually playing the stereo -- an indicator that things are back to normal.
Last night's sail was an effortless beam reach under clear skies at 6.5 knots. Presently we are going full blast at 7+ knots, wing-and-wing with double-reefed main and poled-out reefed genoa. The sun is managing to peak out between clouds about half the time. Last night we celebrated the halfway mark with a splendid dinner of fresh mahi-mahi cooked by our resident chef Jenn whose specialty happens to be pirate cuisine. At the moment she is preparing to make fish tacos with the second half of the dorado, and it sure smells good!
We have determined with good certainty that the ship's water supply is indeed contaminated. The first clue (besides Jenn and I getting sick) was when we looked at it in a glass and saw it was completely cloudy. Then through the daily radio net with surrounding boats we learned that many others were also getting sick. I recall now, in the airport in Las Palmas, when I was getting ready to drink from a water fountain that an employee had warned me against it. Maybe they have a problem with the supply. I don't understand how Dorie avoided it. We have tried putting a bleach product in one of the two tanks, but it turns out that the product apparently contains some kind of detergent as well. Fortunately we mostly use that water for cleaning. Now we use strictly bottled water for coffee, tea, and cooking. We are a bit concerned that the supply of bottled water may not last until the end. If that happens, we'll have to draw from the remaining ship's tank that was not treated, and just make sure we boil it well. |
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Position : Lat: 19.12 Lon: -40.83 [View map entry]
Time : 1/22/2005,12:00:00
Wind : NE 25 kts
Sea : 8-10 ft
Note : Day 11 Noon Position 1/22
| Email : Another fast 24 hours. This last period we made 155 miles! The trade winds are an incredible source of energy that has fueled countless voyages across the Atlantic since Columbus' times. We have stayed just a bit north of the great circle route to Barbados in order to avoid heavier winds that are being forecast just south of us. We certainly don't need any more wind. Presently we are sailing under 80% genoa poled out. Earlier today we had to douse the double-reefed main after things were getting a bit out of control for Yves the drunken sailor and none of us were willing to hand steer for the whole day.
Though it has been quite cloudy the past couple of days, the sun is out now and we're in warm weather clothing: shorts! After all, we're in the tropics now, the same latitude as the Dominican Republic. Calypso is celebrating by dancing its own merengue, rolling 20 degrees either side of vertical. It gets a bit tiring but once you wedge yourself in some corner of the cockpit or berth, you forget about it and actually enjoy it. Typing on the computer is a different story... |
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Position : Lat: 18.27 Lon: -43.38 [View map entry]
Time : 1/23/2005,12:00:00
Wind : NE 25 kts
Sea : 8-10 ft
Note : Day 12 Noon Position 1/23
| Email : Again another 150+ mile day. We are still sailing under 80% poled out genoa only. The crew is in great spirits. Our estimates indicate only 6.5 days to Barbados. Life on board has become somewhat routine -- as routine as it can get since there is always something that needs attention. Yesterday Yves busted yet another block but fortunately it was a quick fix and we were back to him steering in short order. Fortunately it happened before the sun set. It is still quite lumpy and doing repairs at night in these seas is not a welcome proposition.
Yesterday I tried using the sextant to get a noon fix. It was a wasted effort trying to line up an elusive horizon with an even more elusive sun. I did get readings but they were so scattered that had I reduced the sights down to a fix, the circle of error would have probably covered half the north Atlantic.
Our life is dominated by the incessant roll. Jenn says that it would drive any sane person crazy. Other parts of our day include running on deck to reef down when the squalls pass. We don't really worry about them. We actually look forward to the fresh water cleansing and good speeds.
The fleet of 5 boats that departed Las Palmas 13 days ago has been spreading out with Calypso smack in the middle. We have been doing quite well given that we are by far the smallest boat. The fastest, an Italian boat named Argentaria, is now over 200 miles ahead, while Quest, an American boat, is over 600 miles astern. |
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Position : Lat: 17.55 Lon: -46.02 [View map entry]
Time : 1/24/2005,12:00:00
Wind : E 25 kts
Sea : 10-15 ft
Note : Day 13 Noon Position 1/24
| Email : Noon-to-noon we made 157 miles this period. Still sailing under 80% poled out genoa only. We are getting ready to jibe as the wind is clocking south a bit as we get closer. It has been getting a bit rougher each day. Last night was (and continues to be) a roller coaster of a ride. You always have to be holding on to something to avoid getting flung across the cabin. It is getting on our nerves. Ironically, the source of frustration is precisely the only consolation: there is nothing we can do about it. During the day we amuse ourselves by looking at the large waves rolling in from astern, sometimes breaking in foamy white horses that every once in a while make it all the way into the cockpit. We are keeping the hatch boards in to avoid a repeat of the last dousing. At night you can only hear the breaking seas, and wonder if that loud one you hear approaching fast is going to make it all the way in to disturb your starry reverie.
The endless onslaught has inspired this poem:
If calm water is a mirror
Revealing a man's true nature
The raging sea a better reflector still
Of courageous heart or of suffering will
Her white horses rearing on mountains of blue
Carry grim knights with jagged scythes shining true
Reflect the fear in hearts that harbor reason
And swiftly defeat hubris, a fearless fools' treason
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Position : Lat: 16.90 Lon: -48.56 [View map entry]
Time : 1/25/2005,12:00:00
Wind : ESE 20 kts
Sea : 8-12 ft
Note : Day 14 Noon Position 1/25
| Email : Noon-to-noon we made 151 miles this period. Sailing under full, poled out genoa only. The winds have been forecast to drop a bit, which I suppose is true but we still are getting gusts around 25. Just now I had to run on deck when Yves had a lapse and let the boat round up in a flurry of flapping sail and waves crashing over the side. I hate when he does that. It happens when we carry a bit too much sail for the wind. With full genoa, a 25 knot gust will send Calypso on a wild sleigh ride which Yves is not too keen on.
Last night was interesting. At the start of my midnight watch I was startled to see a immensely bright green flare directly ahead of us. It was so bright that Jenn, who had just come off watch and was down below, saw the ambient glow through the ports and thought I was shining a flashlight on deck. The light rose slowly and disappeared behind a cloud. We monitored the emergency radio channels to see if there might be a distress call but heard nothing. What is confusing is that green is not a distress color. We still don't know what it was.
Shortly after that I was forced to gybe as the wind clocked a bit south. That brought a nasty sea on the port quarter which soon resulted in yet another pooping. This time I had just finished unzipping my foulies, removed my boots, and removed two of the three hatch boards to go down below when a large sea broke over rail and sent green water higher than my head slamming into the cockpit and on into the cabin. Fortunately, my berth only got a small splashing -- nothing compared to the previous pooping. However, I was completely underwater and had to change clothes. My foulies stayed wet for the remainder of the watch. Impeccable timing! Now the boards stay in religiously.
This morning we had crepes with maple syrup. The mood on board is resigned. We are all getting along great, but we are physically tired of constantly bracing against the roll, and mentally tired of watchkeeping and the difficulty of performing even the simplest of tasks. We are all anxious to get to land. This is the part of the trip where you count the miles remaining (654.5). Most of the time is spent reading, playing guitar, or just looking at the waves. It is still a beautiful sight. When the sun is shining, the water's blue is spectacularly brilliant. |
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Position : Lat: 16.26 Lon: -51.27 [View map entry]
Time : 1/26/2005,12:00:00
Wind : E 15-20 kts
Sea : 8-12 ft
Note : Day 15 Noon Position 1/26
| Email : Finally we're in the 50's! Home stretch. Noon-to-noon we made 160 miles! Still sailing under full, poled out genoa only which we have to gybe every 12 hours or so. It was a relatively peaceful night last night though we are still rolling quite a bit. We were just visited by a large pod of dolphins. The sun is shining and reggae is playing on the stereo. The mood is up today -- the sun does wonders.
Here's Dories perspective on the boat's motion: 'Want to feel a day in the life of us? Go out into your car, in wet clothes. Sit in the driver's seat, better yet, sit on the emergency brake. Slam yourself into the driver side door. Spill water on your head and your seat. Slam yourself into the passenger side door. Rinse and repeat. Now don't come out for 2 weeks.'
Of course the view is better here, and we get to eat cooked food and sit on a toilet whenever we need to, so the car analogy is a bit stretched, but you get the picture.
It looks like we'll make landfall in Barbados early Sunday morning around midnight. Calypso has really performed spectacularly with only a couple of repairable problems with Yves.
A note on the mysterious green flare I saw in the western sky two nights ago: I verified with La Danseuse, another sailboat out of Las Palmas that was 180 miles ahead of us that evening, that they also saw the green light but astern. I don't know of any flare bright enough to light the decks of two boats 180 miles apart. I'm open for suggestions. It wasn't a meteor because it was moving slowly vertically up. A rocket launch from a submarine is the only possibility I can come up with, though I have never seen a green plume on a rocket. I guess we'll never know. |
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Position : Lat: 15.70 Lon: -53.83 [View map entry]
Time : 1/27/2005,12:00:00
Wind : E 10 kts
Sea : 3-5 ft
Note : Day 16 Noon Position 1/27
| Email : Are we there yet? No, but we're getting there soon! 153 miles run in the last 24 hours. The wind has dropped considerably and we have been running fast all night under full main and genoa flying wing and wing. But now we are down in the 5.5 knot region -- the slowest we have gone all trip -- so I am getting ready to launch the spinnaker.
Nothing extraordinary to report this period. No UFO sightings. The girls are on deck 'washing that thing' as Jenn is fond of saying. You have to excuse her, English is not her first language. So I am relegated to cabin duty until they finish. The smell of clean soap wafting down is overpowering. Another of Jenn's sayings: 'It smells like a damned French whorehouse in here!' Who taught her English I want to know. I truly believe she was a pirate in her past life. Now it's my turn to curse obscenities because they're up there chatting having a Roman spa bath while I'm down here baking in the cabin anxious to get the boat moving. Hey you worthless bunch of bilge rats! Hoist that bloody spinnaker. Arrr! You see what I'm up against! |
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Position : Lat: 14.67 Lon: -55.92 [View map entry]
Time : 1/28/2005,12:00:00
Wind : ENE 10 kts
Sea : 4-6 ft
Note : Day 17 Noon Position 1/28
| Email : Noon-to-noon was only 137 miles this period. The wind has dropped considerably as have the seas. We still feel a gentle swell but nothing like the rolling we were feeling before. Last night we all sat in the cockpit and watched a movie. That was surreal. We just spoke to a Spanish sailboat who was 20 days out of Cadiz in a regatta to Martinique. As they got next to us we hoisted the spinnaker and have been staying even with them for an hour now. Yesterday afternoon we had a scary moment when the spinnaker wrapped several times tightly around the headstay. The last time that happened to me I had to go up the mast and cut the spinnaker down. This time we motored in circles, slowly unwrapping it while the wind was doing its best to launch me off the deck. Fortunately we were able to salvage it. Now we have only 230 miles to go. Hopefully the wind will cooperate for these last days, but if not, we estimate we have enough fuel to motor the rest of the way if necessary.
Dorie and Jenn are scheduled to fly out of Trinidad on 06 Feb, so our stay in Barbados wll be very short before we must depart again for the 180 mile sail to Trinidad, maybe stopping in Tobago if time permits. After that I hope to stick around the TnT area to enjoy some of the carnaval activities that are ramping up there. I look forward to a hot shower, a steady bunk, and a cold beer! |
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Position : Lat: 13.42 Lon: -57.90 [View map entry]
Time : 1/29/2005,12:00:00
Wind : NE 10-15 kts
Sea : 4-6 ft
Note : Day 18 Noon Position 1/29
| Email : Today should promise to be our last full day of the transatlantic. We are presently only 95 miles away from the southern tip of Barbados. The last 24-hour period we made only 137 miles due to fluky, light winds. We were actually maneuvering in order to intercept passing squalls for the welcome wind. Finally, around sunset, the wind came up to around 15 and we were able to make 7 kts all night, albeit with the return of... the ROLL. But it could be blowing a gale and we'd be happy because we should see land today.
My dad asked me to write more about what I was feeling rather than what I was doing and seeing. I guess he wants me to express some kind of TV-documentary style narrative of the sense of accomplishment, overcoming fear and fulfilling a dream. (If you knew my dad, you would know exactly what I mean.) To do so however would be insincere because I don't give those things any thought. I don't even see this whole endeavor that way. Sometimes I think of it more as a personal failure of not being able to deal with things on land. It was the 'easy' escape from the 'real world.'
As far as having a sense of accomplish, I guess I started out with that feeling. I think when you do something like this, with so much research, planning and preparation, you have to assume from the beginning that you will accomplish the project. I mean, you don't think: well, I might sink so I don't have to buy that storm sail or carry antibiotics. It's all about the details -- things the TV documentaries don't get into because they are boring. There are so many details, even during the passage, that your mind is entirely taken up by these things and not the romance and the drama. The free time you have you occupy with mindless things like looking at flying fish, or talking to crew, not replaying some TV narrative in your head of what a great endeavor this is. You don't think about it, you just do it. In an interview with Pete Goss, a famous British singlehanded sailor who sailed 3 days upwind in the southern ocean to save the life of a fellow racer, the interviewer asked the enthusiastic Goss whether the glass in front of him was half full or half empty. Goss responded, 'Who cares, just drink the damned thing.'
Dealing with fear is something I think we are all familiar with. We can feel fear laying in our comfortable bed: what to do with our life. Should I have risked starting my own business? What will happen if I get a divorce? If I get married? What if I lose my health? We each have to deal with fear in our own private way. Those that believe in god pray to it. Others maybe pray to themselves. You have to find your source of strength somehow, and have faith that you did all you could have beforehand during the preparation phase (i.e., the details). Out here it might be easier to deal with fear because you really don't have any survivable option. I can't call up a support group or my therapist. Fear out here is a wonderful motivator, not a crippler as it is sometimes on land.
As far as fulfilling a dream is concerned, all I can say about that is to be careful what you wish for. But a word of advice: pick a dream that doesn't involve so much rolling! |
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Position : Lat: 13.09 Lon: -59.62 [View map entry]
Time : 1/30/2005,06:00:00
Wind : ENE 10 kts
Sea : CALM
Note : Anchored in Carlyle Bay, Barbados 1/30
| Email : Rejoice! We arrived this morning at 06:00 (2 AM local time) into Bridgetown Harbor, Barbados. This marks the end of the 2700 mile voyage that took 18 days, 15 hours. Average speed was 6.0 knots. Of course that's assuming a straight line between noon positions. In actuality, Yves was steering 20 degrees each side of the proper course. Considering this detail, the actual average instantaneous speed was more like 6.5 knots. That is fantastic.
We were all awake and anxiously looking forward to stepping on land. We pulled into the commercial harbor to tie up to the customs dock. All the lines and fenders were ready but the swell inside was so bad that I was afraid Calypso would be beat to a pulp. We had to pull away from the seawall and the prospects of solid land. Instead we went out to the anchorage where we are still (we slept a LONG time).
I am very proud of how Calypso stood up to the abuse. She did wondefully. I am also very happy with the crew. Being together for over three weeks in a small space and very difficult conditions, it is a miracle we are even talking to each other. But we are and enjoying our company still. I will be sad to see Dorie and Jenn leave and the boat will seem very empty. Then again, I'll have so much room to myself!
Would I do it again? Of course, just not right away. We have to run and clear customs. I'll continue updating the site as we continue on to Trinidad and beyond. |
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Position : Lat: 11.33 Lon: -60.55 [View map entry]
Time : 01/31/2005,8:00:00
Note : Man-of-War Bay on the North tip of the island
| | Email : Finally we have gotten off the boat, but instead of in Barbados, it was in Tobago, 120 miles away. After arriving in Barbados, we were unable to land because of a heavy swell coming in from the north. After several tries (and a good night's sleep) we decided to just continue sailing on to Tobago and hope conditions would be better there. After a fast and bumpy overnight sail, we dropped anchor in idyllic Man-of-War Bay on the northern end of Tobago. The north swell was working itself in here also, but with the help of a local who jumped from his fishing boat into our already overcrowded dinghy, we surfed past the large breakers and somehow made it to the beach without capsizing. But we landed! FINALLY. I had my first beer in 20 days. This place is absolutely the perfect example of a Caribbean postcard. We plan on doing some hiking tomorrow and then departing for Trinidad (50 miles away) the day after. I wish I could stay right here for a month. Maybe I will. |
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Position : Lat: 11.33 Lon: -60.55 [View map entry]
Time : 02/01/2005,8:00:00
Wind : NNE 10-15 kts
Sea : 4-6 ft
Note : Arrive Tobago
| Email : We just arrived to the north end of Tobago after a 120-mile overnight sail from Barbados. We had to leave Barbados without even stepping on land because the swell was so bad that any attempt at landing would have smashed Calypso against the seawall. After a few attempts at figuring out a way to land, we abandoned the effort and pointed our bow towards Tobago. At least we had a good night's sleep in the anchorage in Barbados. It was very frustrating after nearly 19 days at sea to be just next to land but unable to step off.
The ride to Tobago was a bit bumpy with a few light squalls keeping things amusing. At daybreak the island was in view and by 8AM we were anchored in the spectacularly beautiful Man-o-War Bay on the north tip of the island. The same N swell that was affecting Barbados was working into here as well, causing large waves to crash on the beach. The landing on the beach with the dinghy would have been disastrous if a local had not jumped on and maneuvered the dinghy backward through the surf. Even though I studied his technique, the very next attempt with me alone had me thrown off the dinghy and tumbling in the surf. Fortunately, though the dinghy was completely flooded, it did not capsize like others here. |
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Position : Lat: 10.6767 Lon: -61.6417 [View map entry]
Time : 2/14/2006,12:00:00
Note : Trinidad
| Email : Arrived to Chaguaramas on the 14 Feb after fantastic 2 weeks on Tobago. Met up with fellow transatlantic voyagers aboard La Danseuse who are still here making repairs from damages sustained during the crossing. The carnival festivities were beginning with concerts nearly every night. My sister and brother-in-law visited for a week and we did a few tours around the island. My friend Tony from Florida, a native of Trinidad, got us and other friends to join up with an all-inclusive section for J'Ouvert (big street party on the early morning before carnival) as well as for carnival itself. I danced and wined until my legs could no longer sustain me. We won't talk about my 3 hour lapse in memory on carnival Tuesday afternoon... I'm just grateful that Tony babysitted me, otherwise I don't know where I would have ended up.
I ran into a problem with immigration when I was getting ready to clear out of Trinidad for the sail to Grenada. It turns out that Dorie and Jenn still appeared on the crew list and I had to present proof that they were out of the country. So my Grenada trip was delayed. I was scheduled to meet my friend Maria from Miami the following day there. I had to call her and have her change her flight so that she would arrive in Trinidad instead. Two days later I finally got the whole mess cleared up and we headed out towards Grenada. |
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Position : Lat: 12.0000 Lon: -61.7617 [View map entry]
Time : 3/05/2006,01:00:00
Note : Grenada
| | Email : The sail from Trinidad was close hauled but fortunately we made it on a single tack. It was a bit bumpy but finally dropped the hook in Prickly Bay at 1AM. Here we rented a car the following day and toured some of the island. |
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Position : Lat: 12.3000 Lon: -61.5883 [View map entry]
Time : 3/06/2006,01:00:00
Note : Ronde Island
| | Email : The sail around the windward side of Grenada prooved to be a difficult upwind slog in the strong northeasterly trades and against the current. We finally made it to lee of Ronde, a completely deserted small island, where we spent the night. |
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Position : Lat: 12.4567 Lon: -61.4867 [View map entry]
Time : 3/07/2006,01:00:00
Note : Carriacou Island
| | Email : Left the rocky anchorage of Ronde for the upwind sail to Carriacou. We arrived at the exquisite Sandy Island where we anchored for the afternoon and did some diving. Later, we motored around the headland to the well-protected anchorage at Tyrell Bay. There we partied on te floating bar and I played drums with one of the local musicians. |
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Position : Lat: 12.5950 Lon: -61.4133 [View map entry]
Time : 3/08/2006,01:00:00
Note : Union Island
| | Email : We expected this to be an uneventful stop on the way to the Tobago cays, but the beautiful anchorage at Clifton, and Clifton itself were delightful as well. |
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Position : Lat: 12.6350 Lon: -61.3583 [View map entry]
Time : 3/09/2006,01:00:00
Note : Tobago Cays, Grenadines
| | Email : Finally Maria and I make it to the highlight of the trip: the Tobago Cays! And I can see what all the fuss is about. Very beautiful scenery, quintissentially Caribbean. We were anchored between two white-sand beaches with coral reefs surrounding us in all directions. |
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Position : Lat: 12.7083 Lon: -61.3267 [View map entry]
Time : 3/11/2006,01:00:00
Note : Canouan Island
| | Email : We stopped here for the night on the way north, but thoroughly disliked the vibe of the place. There are a few very exclusive resorts and everything as a result is sterile. We decided to leave early the following morning to return to Union island. |
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Position : Lat: 12.5950 Lon: -61.4133 [View map entry]
Time : 3/12/2006,01:00:00
Note : Union Island
| | Email : We sailed again through the Tobago Cays and arrived early enough in Union for Maria to change her flight in order to depart from here. It is very nice here in Union. Everyone is friendly -- but that has been my observation for all of the places I have visited in the Caribbean. |
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Position : Lat: 12.6333 Lon: -61.3983 [View map entry]
Time : 3/14/2005,21:00:00
Wind : E 20-25 kts
Sea : rolly anchorage
Note : Anchored in Mayreau
| | Email : I am presently anchored very near the Tobago Cays in the Grenadines. The weather has gone south so I aborted my upwind sail to Mustique since I'm in no hurry. I just had dinner on a French boat with three couples on board who felt sorry for me being alone. It's not that bad really but I have to admit that evenings do get a bit lonely sometimes. I practiced my French: 'Je ne se pas q'est que passe avec mon pais. C'est dingue. Donne moi autre rum. Mercy!' |
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Position : Lat: 13.0050 Lon: -61.2417 [View map entry]
Time : 3/15/2005,12:00:00
Note : Bequia Island
| | Email : Had a nice singlehanded upwind sail in 30 kts from Mayreau to Bequia. When I arrived, I found some sailor friends I had met back in Tobago (Trinidad) 6 weeks ago. We hired a taxi and toured this small but very pretty island. There are some very good artists (paint and sculpture) who live and sell their art here. I would love to buy some things but $ and space is a problem. I'll come back after I make some money... |
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Position : Lat: 13.2467 Lon: -61.2717 [View map entry]
Time : 3/19/2006,12:00:00
Wind : NNE 15-20 kts
Sea : 4-6 ft
Note : St. Vincent
| | Email : Arrived at Wallilabou Bay, St Vincent. This is where Pirates of the Caribbean, with Johnny Depp, was filmed. The props, actually completed buildings now serving as restaurants and a few vacation villas, line the beach. The rest is wild tropical vegetation lining the steep hillsides. I'm slowly making my way to St. Lucia where I hope to haul the boat. All the antifouling paint I applied in Turkey exactly one year ago is completely gone and I have to dive ever other day to clean the bottom. |
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Position : Lat: 14.0787 Lon: -60.9490 [View map entry]
Time : 3/26/2006,12:00:00
Note : Rodney Bay, St. Lucia
| | Email : Came here to haul out the boat. This is a really nice island. I've been taking it slow -- slowly preparing myself for the onslaught of the real world when I return in 3 months. It's difficult to visualize. I'm watching CNN now at a cafe. Hopeless. Maybe I'll stay in the islands. |
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Position : Lat: 13.9667 Lon: -61.0275 [View map entry]
Time : 3/28/2006,12:00:00
Note : Marigot Bay, St Lucia
| | Email : After finishing the haul-out, I left Rodney bay and headed south a few miles to anchor here in this beautiful bay. I had to leave Rodney Bay because the boatyard manager told me that customs was going around asking questions about me. Apparently I had befriended a known local drug dealer (though not known to me of course) and was therefore marked as suspected of purchasing drugs. To me he was simply a friendly guy that was working on the boat next to mine in the yard. Either way, I felt it was best to just leave town. |
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Position : Lat: 14.4645 Lon: -60.8700 [View map entry]
Time : 3/29/2006,18:00:00
Note : Le Marin, Martinique
| | Email : I arrived here after a hard upwind sail from St Lucia. I spent over a week in this nice town that is a large yachting center. I met many nice people and did some exploring inland with a rental car. |
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Position : Lat: 14.6697 Lon: -60.8847 [View map entry]
Time : 4/06/2006,17:00:00
Note : Pointe de la Rose, Martinique
| | Email : Sailed the windward coast of Martinique with local friend Delphine who is accompanying me to Dominica. We stopped in this nice anchorage for the evening before heading out tomorrow early. Nice sail today inside the barrier reef. |
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Position : Lat: 15.2823 Lon: -61.3765 [View map entry]
Time : 4/07/2006,12:00:00
Note : Roseau, Dominica
| | Email : Arrived here with plenty of time to see some of the town. Dominica is real nice except crime is very bad. Someone came into the boat at night while I was sleeping and stole all my money out of my wallet. He walked into the cabin, grabbed my shorts that were next to me, pulled out the wallet and took out the bills. He left the credit cards and even left the receipts (that were together with the bills). He didn't take anything else (computer, GPS, radar). It could have been worse. I told the cops and wondered why I hadn't woken up. They said it was probably a good thing I didn't wake up! That's the first time anything like that has happened to me. Sucks! That was the first night there -- two nights ago. Too bad because the countryside is spectacular. Delphine and I had a chance to see some great waterfalls and rainforest. She returned to Martinique two days later. I left soon afterwards also. |
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Position : Lat: 15.8743 Lon: -61.5967 [View map entry]
Time : 4/10/2006,18:00:00
Wind : E 15-20 kts
Sea : 3-5 ft
Note : Ilet A'Cabrit, Les Saintes (Guadeloupe)
| | Email : Arrived here after a fast sail from Dominica. Les Saintes are a group of islands with a few quaint small villages. I wish I could spend more time here but I need to get moving. |
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Position : Lat: 16.3077 Lon: -61.7965 [View map entry]
Time : 04/12/2006,12:00:00
Note : Deshaies, Guadeloupe
| | Email : Just stopped for the night befoire the jump to Antigua. Had a nice French dinner at a beachside terrace restaurant. |
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Position : Lat: 17.0037 Lon: -61.7607 [View map entry]
Time : 4/13/2006,12:00:00
Note : English Harbor, Antigua
| | Email : Arrived after a lightning-fast sail from Guadeloupe. I'm anchored next to Horatio Nelson's Dockyard with all the old buildings from the 18th century. Boatyards were much nicer back then. |
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Position : Lat: 17.2933 Lon: -62.7250 [View map entry]
Time : 4/19/2006,12:00:00
Note : St Kitts
| | Email : Finally I sit down and write all the updates since the April. I really do not have the time (or the will sometimes) to sit in front of the computer and type. I arrived here way back in April. Very poor country. |
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Position : Lat: 17.9000 Lon: -62.8550 [View map entry]
Time : 4/21/2006,12:00:00
Note : St Barts
| | Email : Very ritzy country. I felt like I was in the Mayfair. |
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Position : Lat: 18.0667 Lon: -63.0917 [View map entry]
Time : 4/23/2006,12:00:00
Note : St. Martin
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Position : Lat: 18.4278 Lon: -64.6602 [View map entry]
Time : 4/27/2006,12:00:00
Note : British Virgin Islands
| | Email : Arrived here with a friend from Miami who joined me in St Kitts. We had a great time, especially here in the BVIs. These are in my opinion the nicest of the Caribbean for beaches and partying. |
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Position : Lat: 18.2877 Lon: -65.6333 [View map entry]
Time : 5/3/2006,12:00:00
Note : Fajardo, Puerto Rico
| | Email : Arrived to pick up a visiting friend then prompty returned to the BVI's for 2 weeks to join my sister and brother-in-law. We were also joined by La Danseuse, who had done the return Atlantic crossing with us. I returned to Palmas del Mar a bit south of here along with La Danseuse to meet up with more friends and continue the sail along the south coast of the Island. I was joined by Delphine, my new crewmember, that I had met earlier in Martinique. |
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Position : Lat: 17.8852 Lon: -66.5305 [View map entry]
Time : 5/23/2006,12:00:00
Note : Isla Caja de Muertos (Coffin Island), PR
| | Email : Calypso and La Danseuse spent a night here after a night in Bahia de Jobos further east. The following night we did a short motor to nearby Salinas, then Ponce the following evening. |
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Position : Lat: 17.9705 Lon: -67.0547 [View map entry]
Time : 5/26/2006,12:00:00
Note : La Parguera, PR
| | Email : A mangrove-lined maze of small islands and shallows with pretty houses on stilts along the water's edge, resembling a Caribbean Venice. Had a great time with friends there. |
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Position : Lat: 18.0883 Lon: -67.9418 [View map entry]
Time : 5/30/2006,12:00:00
Note : Isla de Mona, PR
| | Email : Departed Boqueron on the west of PR, saying goodbye to La Danseuse, for the 40 mile sail to this nature reserve considered the Galapagos of the Caribbean. We stayed three nights anchored inside a beautiful pristine reef. We were boarded by the US Coast Guard 'for my safety.' They patrol the area for refugees. They gave me a citation for not having up-to-date flares (they were 2 months expired). In the meantime, I had to go rescue a poor sailor who was having trouble navigating the entrance through the reef. He was hitting bottom close to the USCG cutter but do you think they offered to help him 'for his safety?' I had to swim out passed the reef with mask and snorkel and conn the boat in through the narrow pass. However, as soon as he safely anchored, the coast guard came over and boarded him for a safety inspection. They don't even take their shoes off when boarding. |
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Position : Lat: 19.9040 Lon: -70.9497 [View map entry]
Time : 6/2/2006,12:00:00
Note : Luperon, Dominican Republic
| | Email : I did the long sail from Mona to here in order to visit an old friend from Miami who is spending the summer there on his boat. It is a nice place but truly a banana republic, complete with men in sweaty uniforms carrying shotguns. They were nice people though. We all visited a beautiful river called Rio Damajagua (no kidding). We did a motorcycle tour through part of the interior. It reminded me exactly of pictures I have seen of the Cuban countryside: lush green pastures on rolling hills with royal palms scattered to the horizon. We spent a week here and finally left for the 170-mile sail to Great Inagua, Bahamas -- the last foreign country I'll be visiting in this three-year tour. |
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Position : Lat: 21.0913 Lon: -73.6510 [View map entry]
Time : 6/10/2006,15:00:00
Note : Great Inagua, Bahamas
| | Email : Finally arrived to the last foreign country after a quiet sail and motor from Luperon. I caught a yellowfin tuna while trolling in the dark at 04:00 AM! Cleared in customs and paid there thoroughly abusive $300 entrance fee, just to play it safe. The water is spectacularly clear here. |
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Position : Lat: 21.6833 Lon: -73.8083 [View map entry]
Time : 6/11/2006,15:00:00
Note : Hogsty Reef
| | Email : Stopped in this coral atoll in the middle of nowhere hoping to find a nice lee. However, the lee suggested in the charts was not correct. Where there were supposed to be a string of small cays was instead 1 meter deep. After arriving we went for a snorkel around the reefs. There were nice grouper and trigger fish everywhere, but since we still had the freezer full of tuna, I couldn't kill in good conscience. Apparently no humans come out here because the fish would come close and lay on their side (the best for spearing them) in order to look at us. Later that afternoon the new wind came in and it stated blowing 20 kts. We spent the evening with the boat rolling and pitching as if we were at sea. |
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Position : Lat: 22.1333 Lon: 74.5000 [View map entry]
Time : 6/12/2006,15:00:00
Note : Mira Por Vos Cays
| | Email : Left Hogsty early this morning for the 40 mile sail to this small group of cays. It was blowing around 20 with a choppy sea building. We arrived in this desolate group to find (fortunately) a decent lee from the waves for a few hours rest before departing on the overnight to the Jumentos, 70 miles west of here. We went for a hike on one of the islands to find a huge nesting ground for terns and boobies. The baby chicks with their white down were still unable to fly. They would look at us with a dumb expression, unable to get out of our way. We of course gave them a wide berth so they wouldn't have a heart attack. We departed at midnight for the sail west. |
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Position : Lat: 22.2422 Lon: -75.7532 [View map entry]
Time : 6/13/2006,15:00:00
Note : Hog Cay, Jumentos
| | Email : Arrived just after high tide in the southern extreme of the Jumentos cays, a desolate chain of islands bordering the SE edge of the Great Bahama Bank. This area will be our last stop before the 300-mile sail to Miami. We plan to explore up the chain for a few days, keeping an eye on the weather. Everyday I receive weather faxes to see if anything is coming at us. Fortunately, T.S. Alberto left us alone, but I am a bit anxious about sailing around here with little protection available should a big storm hit. The Jumentos so far are very nice: all shallow water with sometimes less than 6 inches under the keel. One really has to pay attention to the tides while picking your way through narrow passages. It's nice to be in calm water though with endless beautiful beaches as far as the eye can see. |
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Position : Lat: 22.4215 Lon: -75.8387 [View map entry]
Time : 6/17/2006,19:00:00
Note : Flamingo Cay, Jumentos
| | Email : Since leaving Hog Cay, we have visited Buenavista Cay, a quarter of the way up the Jumentos chain, then on to Flamingo Cay where we arrived this afternoon. This is a really desolate part of the Bahamas. We have not seen another cruising boat yet, except for a big motoryacht that passed us earlier today. We have beautiful white sand beaches and coral reefs all to ourselves. Nice way to end a three-year sabbatical. I speared a 25 lb Grouper yesterday! In two days we plan to leave from here for the 300 miles to Miami. |
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Position : Lat: 25.565 Lon: -79.2800 [View map entry]
Time : 06/26/2006,12:00:00
Note : Cat Cay, Bahamas
| | Email : Another overnight sail over the shallow Bahama bank. We arrived at 4AM. Now only 47 miles from Miami. There is a nasty low pressure chasing us from the east so we decided to continue the next morning to Miami to avoid getting stuck for a week here. |
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Position : Lat: 25.7883 Lon: -80.1567 [View map entry]
Time : 06/28/2006,16:00:00
Note : Miami
| | Email : Had a nice fast sail across the Gulf Stream to arrive at 4 PM at Biscayne Channel (Stiltsville). No fireworks, no trumpets. It felt like just another daysail in the bay -- a three year daysail. We (my crewmate Delphine and I) docked the boat behind friend Tom Seghi's house on Venetian. The big fireworks arrived the following day. While we were inside waiting for a storm to clear, Calypso was struck by lightning. I lost all electrics (radar, SSB and VHF radios, autopilot, frig, alternator, cabin lights...) It certainly marked the end of Calypso's sailing days for a while. I guess if I had to pick a time for this to happen, this would have been it. We weren't hurt but it certainly was a frightening experience. Nevertheless it is great to be back home. No regrets and I'm looking forward to sailing again someday. |
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