6/30/13 2:00 PM EST

Current Location:

18:00 UTC

56 02 N

05 27 W

Tied to a dock

Crinan Canal

Hi Everyone,

Big day for us...we made it to Scotland and are currently tied to a dock a few miles up  in the FRESH water of the Crinan Canal.  It is quite a spot.  We are maybe 50 feet above sea level looking down on roads and the roofs of houses, its bizarre.  We learned of the existence of this canal by talking withsome sailors at a pub in Cork, Ireland.  This canal cuts off some nasty exposed areas on our

way to the Caledonian Canal and is just plain a coolplace.  The scenery is spectacular and everything you might imagine.  The weather sucks just as much as you have heard as well.  So when the sun peaks through you just gasp at the beauty but you spend a lot of time hunkered down in your foul weather gear.

We have to go through about 14 locks of which 12 of them we actually operate ourselves.  Grandpa excels at the lock operations.  It is all manual but works very smoothly and is a lot of fun.  Grandma is still pretty messed up from being sea sick but she seems to be improving.  Actually I think grandpa is willing her to improve.  For now we just throw a rain suit on her, yes it rains a lot, and

set her in Mark the chair in the cockpit and tell her when to wave to the folks we pass by.  Her vision is pretty sketchy...we are all crossing our fingers that she will get a good nights sleep tonight and wake up herself in the morning.

Our plan is to take our time getting through the canal and we are watching a gale that is set to blow in the next couple of days.  We will have a little

exposure to the sea on our path to the Caledonian and grandma will not tolerate any more big waves so we will travel cautiously.

Anna is doing a great job running the stern line as we work our way through the locks.  Finn seems to prefer watching superman in the aft cabin, we are going to have to work on that one.  I guess tomorrows main goal will be to get Finn and Grandma off the boat for a walk.

All for now...

6/29/13

3:00 Eastern Time

We are currently at: 18:35 UTC

54º 44 N

05º 25 W

We sailed out of Cork harbor with a newly repaired "Big Blue" sail with Grandma (Judy), Grandpa (Bob Sr.), Bob, Kim, Anna, and Finn (AKA SuperMan) on Thursday evening about 15:30 UTC.  Small pilot type whales greeted us as we left the entrance to Cork Harbor.  We sailed East along the southern Irish Coast and then North through the Irish Sea.  We hope to be at our first canal or at a safe anchorage in Scotland by tomorrow evening.  We can, in fact, see Scotland through the mists as well as on our radar.

Most of the sailing has been fine (lake type sailing).  Last night we were hit by a cold front which made for extremely uncomfortable conditions.  We were off the coast of Dublin in the Irish Sea which is shallow and there is a huge tide (3kts+).  This can make short steep waves very quickly...and it did!

Our first and only casualty from the conditions from the cold front was Grandma.  She became very disoriented and has been having vision problems.  We think this is sea sickness as these are symptoms that I (young Bob) have had in the past under similar situations.  We nearly went to port a couple times today but she seemed to be improving.  If she is not a lot better tomorrow we will need to get her to a Dr.  That situation put a real damper on the mood today.

We can see lots of large dairy farms along with some impressive castles along the parts of the coast that we are close enough to see.  There is a tremendous amount of ship traffic all day and night which makes for active watches.  We are all really looking forward to getting to the canals and smaller places where we can stop and rest at night.  There is a gale blowing just to our West so we need to keep the pressure on.

Photos from the Trip

Here is a slide show of the Crossing, including some videos.

Click Here for Slideshow

The videos can be seen at:
Irish Customs Leaving
Dolphins
Grampa at the Helm
A feel for what it is like
Fastnet Rock

The Arrival!

After five great days playing tourist, the need to be where Midwatch and the Bobs would arrive became too much for the land-crew. We travelled southeast down the N-22 from Killarney to Cork and felt our way to the small harbor town of Crosshaven. We had an old road atlas the car-hire folks had loaned us that wasn’t quite up-to-date, no GPS were available. Add in the narrow roads, construction detours and the strange place names and we had several moments of “Where are we?” We did eventually make it to Crosshaven, a town on the southwest corner of the large, natural Cork Harbour. Crosshaven is known as the sailing capital of Ireland and we had made reservations at the Royal Cork Yacht Club, the oldest yacht club in the world! We drove in along the river, four hours early for our B&B reservation, and immediately spotted the yacht club. It is a series of blue buildings along the river’s edge with a parking lot full of racing boats.

Through the afternoon we explored the small village. It was a beautiful sunny day and folks were out enjoying the sunshine and kids were playing on the village green. I was still recovering from my bout of the Irish Revenge and Judy and I sat in the sunshine while Anna led a group “little kids” in assorted games of Simon Says, Duck Duck Goose, and Hide and Seek (Which is a bit tough on a village green). Later we headed down to check out the Yacht Club and the small tourist information office located next door. The very helpful, older gentleman, Dennis, at the tourist office asked me where we were staying and I was surprised when he said he did not know the place. I told him we were supposed to meet the hostess at the Car Park in the village at five. At quarter to five, while waiting in the car park, here comes Dennis, letting us know that he had researched the B&B for us, found the web site that I had found and that he did not know where it was located. Judy and I began to wonder what we had got ourselves into. We met the very nice lady at five and followed her to her terraced home overlooking the harbor. The two rooms she had were very nice and the view was fantastic but the nagging, uncomfortable feeling that it wasn’t quite right, and the two dogs, were enough for us to decide to move on. We tried another B&B, recommended by the tourist office, and found no vacancies and they recommended an older but comfortable hotel on the other side of town.

We headed over to a third place and moved into room number 25 of the Whispering Pines Lodge with a fantastic view down the river to the Royal Cork Yacht Club. A new restaurant has just opened at the Whispering Pines and there is a lovely path along the river right to the marina. We were happy.

 

We spent the morning of Day 200 catching up on school work (an impossible task), had another picnic lunch on the village green and spent the afternoon scoping out places to take photos of Midwatch as she approached the harbor. We got ourselves into more than one scrape trying to navigate the little tiny lanes that spiderweb their way along the coast but eventually found a small park with a spyglass telescope and a bench, and more importantly, a parking lot.

We stopped in at the tourist office to fill in Mr. Dennis on the lodging saga. He had let us know he was anxious to know what had happened and he wanted to hear the news of “Himself”, the common acronym for husband here in Ireland.  We then headed back to the hotel so Finn could have a nap. I got Finn into bed and then headed down stairs to check if we had received any more emails from Bob. A note that morning had said they would probably arrive late evening. It is light until past 11 so we were hoping we would see them before it got too dark.

A new email had arrived and they had made great time that day, I projected their path and realized that they could arrive as soon as five PM and it was already three! I headed back up and the excitement was too much, Finn could not go to sleep. We also didn’t know how long it would take them to get from our selected photo spot to the dock so we jumped in the car and headed up the hill to the lookout point. We had a long wait. Boat after boat left and entered the harbor. Anna analyzed each boat through the telescope and let us know why it wasn’t them until the sea fog came in thick enough to completely obscure any view of the water.  We headed back down the hill and over to the yacht club to continue the vigil.

We were very disappointed to discover that the restaurant at the yacht club only serves food on race days so we settled in for a dinner of crisps and minerals (potato chips and soda pop) while we sat in the bay window of the club. The kids, specifically Finn, had reached a point of frenzied excitement which was evident to everyone at the club. Soon, everyone was waiting for Midwatch to arrive. The bartender even called her dad, who could see the entrance of the harbor from his house, and asked him to keep an eye out for an American boat entering the harbor, white with a blue stripe. I received a new email from Bob that they had been boarded by customs and the entrance formalities were done but that had delayed them a bit; they expected to arrive at seven. Seven came and went and the nail biting began. “What if they ran out of diesel?” “Could they find their way in the fog? And other, unspoken, worries began to creep into our heads, but around eight, the bartender’s Dad called in to say that Midwatch was entering the harbor. We breathed a huge sigh of relief.

We watched from the bay windows in the bar until we saw them snaking their way through the moored yachts and headed down to the docks. I found the friendly dock boy who radioed “Yacht Midwatch” in his thick Cork accent and we were thrilled to hear Bob’s voice respond. He guided them to the far docks and we slowly made our way down the main dock and out to the end of the finger where they would come in.

In all the excitement, we completely forgot about videoing the arrival. I guess my bravado that I better be the one to do it because everyone else would be too emotional, was just that. I was ready to catch the lines though and Grandma and the kids anxiously waited, just out of the way of the dockhand, another sailor and me. As Midwatch carefully approached, we first glimpsed Grampa on the bow and as Bob, at the helm, came into view I glanced back at Grandma and kids. Finn’s eyes were filling with more more tears than I had ever seen, on anybody. I shouted for Grandma to get a picture, but alas, she was a bit too emotional for that too. We got the boat tied and the bumpers placed and I hoisted Finn up to Bob. Anna scrambled on board too and they swarmed Daddy’s lap.





 

 

 

Just at this moment, three customs officers interrupted this family reunion and Grampa chatted gaily with them, telling them of the exciting customs boarding on the high seas. They didn’t check papers or make a call but told us we were done and headed home.

The good news was customs was done! Bob and Grampa could join us at the Whispering Pines for the evening, a good night’s sleep; and better yet a good breakfast in the morning.



Arrived!

Day 200
8:20 P.M. (20:20 UTC)

All is well, the kids have not stopped talking! Will update sometime tomorrow after some sleep.

LAND HO!

LAND HO!

 We sailed within a stones throw of Fastnet Rock at around 06:00 this morning!  It was rugged and awesome.  Hope the pictures will convey.

After I sent my email yesterday the wind had died and we started motoring.  Moral was low as we wanted to be saving diesel etc.  About 20 minutes later we were given a gift of a beautiful southwest wind that allowed us to sail a reach before a following sea.  No Southern Cross but we have certainly made it to Ireland.

We are currently ghosting up the coast in the mist and rain trying to decide if we can spare the diesel to get moving a bit faster.

 Current Location:

10:10 UTC
51 27.414N
9 12.734W
Course 71 T
spd about 4.2-4.5 kts

 

Fastnet Rock, Photo courtesy of Google Earth

Bob and Bob

Day 199!

The kids, Grandma and I have arrived in Crosshaven and checked out the marina today. All is well and we are anxiously waiting for their arrival. I don't think the kids and Grandma can do anything else until they arrive. I still want to go drive around Dingle but was finally voted down after I suffered a little of the Irish Revenge (Food Poisoning) last night. Driving here to Crosshaven, through the City of Cork, was about all I could manage today. Now that we are here, there is no way I'm getting anyone to leave until the boat arrives. Bob asked if we could get photos from Kinsale but we had word that it is all private property and we would not be able to get that close. We will try, however, at the mouth of the harbor which is not too far from here, presuming they make it before dark tomorrow.
We have taken up residency at a little hotel about five minute walk from the marina. There is a restaurant here and internet, all are happy.

Hi Everyone,

Land is about 70 miles away now but we can't see it yet.  It is a beautiful day though with lots of sun but quite calm.  We are struggling to be patient.  Floundering around with sails flapping, moving at 3.5 kts is not conducive to relaxation though...especially with two Bobs who have been in such close proximity for so long.  It will be a wonder if we are both on the boat when it arrives.  The old bastard isn't as strong as he used to be but he is cunning and persistent 

Finished the bacon and pancake mix and syrup this morning.  Still have two giant sweet potatoes that we haven't touched.  Grandpa says they make him puke.  I am thinking of slipping some in his macaroni and cheese to find out.

We are seeing some oil rigs in the distance and we are starting to hear the Irish coast guard on the radio.  Lots of new bird species.  No whales or dolphins though.  The nights are getting very short thankfully.  The sun sets after 10 and we can see it getting light in the east by 2:30 AM.  We now have a moon as well so if it isn't raining we nearly have light 24 hrs.

We ran the diesel a few hours last night to charge the batteries and position the boat a bit to the south to try and get a better wind angle.  I will run the Honda generator this afternoon to save diesel.  We aren't getting any wind generator electricity production now and Otto still uses lots for steering even when it is calm.  Had a terrible noise in the steering system.  I tightened some stuff and lubricated some other stuff and it is better now....nothing serious.

If we can get any kind of wind soon I should be able to get us in late tomorrow night but it is feeling like Friday morning is more realistic.  Too early to know for sure.

We are hoping to be able to sneak in for a picture of Fastnet Rock and light house.  We also might be able to sail in by shore at the "Old Head of Kinsale".  If we can do it during daylight Kim and Grandma and the kids might be able to drive out and get pictures of us.  With my luck we will pass it at midnight.  We will also have tidal currents to contend with.  Trying to clean the boat up a bit but our hearts aren't in it.  We really just need to start from one end and take it all apart and work our way through.

Need to get the flags out and figure out the customs and immigration crap...nothing worse for me.

We even have the local weather report on the radio as well.  Mostly they say "expect rain and drizzle in this area with heavier rain and drizzle elsewhere".

Ugh! The wind is really dying now and big swells are coming in.  Going to have to take the sails down before the whole rig crashes down around us. 

 

Until tomorrow.

 

Bob and Bob

Day 198 - Almost Here

We are all relieved to hear that Midwatch has finally broken free of the rotten, stormy weather. I don't think any of us can understand the extent of the demoralization a week and a half of stormy weather can produce but we sure are glad they are cheering up and looking forward to arriving here in Ireland. We will make it to Crosshaven, the harbor near Cork where they will be coming in, tomorrow and we are looking forward to checking out the marina before they arrive.

We are still greatly enjoying our stay here in Ireland. We travelled a long way south today and will visit the Dingle Peninsula tomorrow before making our way to Cork. I also was able to visit a woolen mill today and was happy. Anna bought some yarn and has started knitting a hat in Midwatch colors. Like me, she is very ambitious, she wants to make four hats. Hopefully she will not disappoint herself! 

Hi Everyone,

Well it feels like we are on the home stretch now, about 280nm to the dock as the crow flies.  Grandpa has renewed vigor, I caught him hand steering with too much sail trying to coax more speed out of the old girl.  Apparently he had her up over seven knots for nearly his whole three hour shift.  He is now curled up on the settee under two sleeping bags.  I just started the heater.  Looks like some sun so I am hoping I can heat the cabin and maybe it will hold through the day…probably wishful thinking.

I received some nice emails from Kim that they are enjoying Ireland...made me feel good.  Grandpa is still bitter about the Azores miss and says he could give a crap about Europe.  I am not gonna win that battle!

It looks like we will have fair winds for the rest of the trip with the exception of some possible calm periods.  We have a bit of diesel that we can put to work if needed.  I see from the charts that I had better save some for getting into the harbor.  It also looks like there will be tidal currents to contend with as we get near shore...o boy!

Still trying to eat all the food Kim stocked in the fridge.  It is getting down now but we are in no danger of starving.  We ran the engine through a calm yesterday which topped up the batteries and gave us hot water for showers.  The tank still reads 3/4s of a tank of water so we don't feel like we need to be so stingy anymore.

The cabin is gross.  The heavy seas we wallowed in for days worked salt water into many places that I didn't know it could.  I think we will have to remove everything from the boat and wash and dry etc.  This will be a big job.  I will also need to try and work on as many leaks as I can find and will be sure to put everything I possibly can in plastic bags before another offshore trip like this one.

The salt on deck and in the cockpit is hard to describe.  A thorough rinsing is definitely in order.  Nothing seems to dry anymore.  Our foul weather gear has turned white and stiff and is cold and clammy but we love it.  We paid what felt like a lot of money for this stuff but it was worth it.  Rubber boots are indispensable.

I am  really looking forward to seeing land.  I want to sit in the grass and smell the dirt.  Somewhere in a hollow where the sun gets in but the wind can't reach me.  I still don't miss concrete or cars!

Grandpa can't sit very well but not because of his Sciatic (sp?) nerve thing, that has been fine.  A couple days ago he was dorking around trying to hang up his wet foul weather gear down below.  The boat took a great roll and he lost his grip and flew backward across the boat and hit his a-- on a board or something.  He keeps asking me to look and see how big the black and blue is.  “No thanks, take some Ibuprofen and show Grandma in a couple days!"

Location:

               10:30 UTC
               51 03 N
               15 33 W
              Course 86 Degrees True
              speed 5-5.5kts
              Wind NW 11-14 kts
              Full Main, Full Genoa, Broad Reach with Otto at the helm, pretty nice!

Bob and Bob

Day 197 - Breaking through the Storm

We had no news yesterday. I have been closely following the weather so I have a good feeling for when it will be too rough to send an email from Midwatch, however, it is nerve racking to go through a whole day and not receive any mail. Grandma says she wants to hit Bobby over the head with a winch handle when there is no news.  We have been chuckling about “Stretching your comfort zone.” Although we recognize that sailing across the Atlantic is a huge stretch, we each have had little pulls in that direction over the past few days, me picking up the manual transmission car and navigating Limerick City Friday afternoon rush hour traffic, Grandma muscling her way up to the bar at a very crowded pub to order us all food and Anna allowing a Harris Hawk to land on her arm at a falconry exhibit. We recognize we are comparing apples to elephants but it is still a good exercise.

Our trip here in Ireland has been more than we ever expected. We found a wonderful family at our first B&B that welcomed us like family. If you are ever looking for a B&B near Limerick/Shannon area, stay at the Bunratty Meadows B&B. We have visited a castle, seen the circus, hiked through a cave, saw a stone age fort, saw the birds of prey/falconry show, Anna patted a wild dolphin while waiting for a ferry, saw the Cliffs of Moher and Puffins (Finn’s favorite), went to Innisheer (Aran Islands), the kids got to drive a horse and cart and we happened into a traditional music festival….and that is only in the first three days!

Ireland is an interesting blend of modern and tradition. In some ways the culture is very Americanized. As we drive around, the farms, limestone and simple homes remind us of New York State; but then you see a castle. I never imagined there were so many castles. I keep asking myself, who were all these people that built these castles? As we get further west, we have encountered a little more Irish language and we learned today that some Irish students go to Innisheer for a year of highschool, where they speak Irish. We had a wonderful cart ride around the island and as we were walking back to the ferry found an artist selling his wares on the side of the road. He had a table composed of two empty kegs with a plank between them and was wearing a kilt. Anna bought a beautiful chiseled stone pendant with an ‘a’ on it and he personalized it by writing Anna on reverse side in ancient Irish. I chuckled as he pulled his ringing cell phone out of the folds of his kilt and noticed he was wearing crocs.

 

 

Good Morning,

We are fine.  Grandpa had a big couple of days steering and doing bow work in big winds and seas.   I believe he has conquered his fear and I didn't even have to whack him with the winch handle.

We played the storm well and have made some decent time.  No records but we made progress.  Unfortunately we have just become becalmed again though.  I think we will risk a little diesel and try some motoring towards Cork.  If nothing else we will get some hot water for a shower.  We sure could use one.

Hope you guys are enjoying Ireland.

Bob and Bob

Day 195 - Overcoming Fear

Hi Everyone,

It’s been a couple days since I have felt much like writing.  We are both well enough but ready to get this trip past us.  The time spent getting north to gain sea room on the Bay of Biscay and to avoid various storms has taken a lot out of us.  We, of course, didn't avoid all the storms but I think we did reasonably well.  Not sure Grandpa would agree on that though.

I have been thinking for the last few days if I would share what Grandpa has been going through and because he seems to be getting himself out of it on his own accord, I guess I will share some of it.  If he doesn't like it he can go after me on his own blog!

So a few days ago Grandpa (my Dad) saw the white whale or the white elephant or a ghost or some damn thing.  Anyway the sea scared him and scared him in a deep humbling way.  We were dealing with the hurricane remnants and squalls and generally feeling like we were some type of target for Mother Nature.  Then the seas got big...real big, passing anything he had seen before and it got him.  Anyway, we have not been making good time and I decided if we wanted to get to land safely we need to get our boat moving and we were going to have to learn to sail in over 30kt winds not just lie hove-to trying to sleep it away.  The effort of steering at those wind speeds becomes much greater than our autopilot can handle so that means hand steering.

Part of the problem is the night.  Nights are just tough, especially on Dad.  With no moon and nasty weather it is blacker than black and incredibly disorienting.  The first situation where Dad worked up enough courage to try and get underway and sail in these bigger waves was just at dawn a few days ago.  What he did reminded me so much of when Uncle Don (Brother) and I went downhill skiing at White Face Mountain many years ago.  We went all the way to the top and were completely stunned to see how steep it was.  There was no way to go except down.  Uncle Don finally worked up enough courage to go over the lip but his body was turned to melted butter by the fear and he just instantly fell and fell and fell.  When he finally came to a stop he got up shook it off and went on fine.

Dad did the same thing.  He took off, lost all confidence in himself, and fumbled.  We jibed and wallowed.  Nothing got hurt but we went back to heaving-to and I went down below to sleep while he wrestled with his demons up in the cockpit.

We haven't spoken too much about it.  I have decided to be really careful about what I ask him to do at night but I have no problem making him steer in the day for short stints.  We have since made up some good time in really horrible sea states and he is getting better and more confident.  I struggle with being a son and being a captain.  The son hurts to see him getting older having trouble doing things he never would have had trouble with before.  The captain wants to hit him with a winch handle so that he snaps out of this crap because there are just two of us and we need to finish this thing.  So for now we will be conservative at night but push during the day.

Of interest, I asked Dad if he had ever been to Europe before.  He has not.  How many people visit Europe for the first time having arrived by 35-foot sailboat?  That should put him in some sort of elite club or something.

Currently we have worked our way north and are hove-to waiting for a wind direction change that should allow us to finally aim for Cork, Ireland.  We will be chasing a giant low pressure system that will park itself at the front gate for a couple of days.  We saw it coming and sailed out ahead of it and then to the north to give ourselves the best sailing angles and wind speeds to make this run.  This is the biggest storm yet with winds approaching 50kts but we feel like we are safe from it and can just use it to pull us in towards our destination.  If we are lucky we will find part of the Gulf Stream to give us an extra push as well.

We are both excited to get on with it.  I just used the last egg and brownies will be ready in a few minutes.

The sea has changed a lot.  It is more green than blue now and it is much colder.  We ran the heater last night and this morning to make ourselves feel a little better and it really helps to be warm.  There are no more dolphins and we are sad about that...we came to expect them each day.  The birds have changed too they look more like some type of white seagull.  We have only encountered other boats at night.  A gentleman with a British accent passed us within two miles in a sailboat.  I spoke to him on the radio just to make sure he saw us.  Neither of us was very talkative as it was raining with lightning so the conversation was all business.

We just ate a 10 year old can of peaches...damn they were good.  Not sure why no one else seems to like them.  We had nachos with chicken and refried beans.  We were trying to guess how much weight in supplies we have used up and we think it is about 700-800 pounds, probably half of that is diesel.  Before this trip I struggled with how much diesel one should carry.  I have decided you will burn as much as you have so only carry what is a safe load for the boat which is what we did.  Every once in a while Grandpa says we should have filled up in the Azores.  I for one don't even want to hear the name of those islands again.

On that note:

We are at:

17:45 UTC
50.00 N
24.00 W

Hove-to waiting for wind to change, supposed to happen before 18:00UTC We plan to head East as close to 80 True as possible till we hit land about 600 miles to the dock

 

Bob and Bob

  

Day 194 - Driving on the left

We have received one very brief message, each of the past two days with a location and just a few words. The crew is a little discouraged with all the heavy weather they have had but they have developed a strategy for skirting around the next one and, hopefully, will be in port before the following system comes through. The mileage left to travel is about 700 miles, so five to seven days. We anticipate we will be back on the boat by next Thursday.
We had a fairly mild trip over on Delta Airlines, Finn and I managed a three seat row for the two of us so he was able t spread out and catch, at least, half a night's sleep. A few delays but we had built enough extra time in the trip to compensate. We are now at a neat little bed and breakfast not far from the airport. This allowed for us to make an easy transfer from the airport and the kids were asleep within an hour or two of landing. They had a nice afternoon nap followed by an early evening out in the village of Bunratty.
The excitement of the day was fetching the rent-a-car, which left me navigating my way back to the B&B through Friday afternoon Limerick, rush hour traffic, driving on the left, with a stick shift. I was mentally prepared round-a-bouts, left hand wheels and city traffic; I was not quite ready for shifting with my left hand. I did fine and made it back unscathed, although I did have just a bit of that adrenaline shaking thing Bob has been analyzing.
We begin exploration tomorrow with a visit to the Bunratty castle and will head north Sunday. Thanks everyone for all the well-wishes.    -Kim

Day 193 to 194 - Extended Crew has arrived in Ireland

We had word from Midwatch that all is well. They are still waiting for more weather to pass but hopefully by tomorrow they will be making time in the right direction. We have travelled to, and arrived in, Ireland and resting.

Days 191 and 192 - Still Weathering the Storm

We had no word from Midwatch yesterday but I was comfortable that all was well, it is not easy to do much when in such big seas. I will admit, though, I was up this morning, a little past five, checking my email. Lucky for me, two emails came in. I was glad to see that all is well and hoping, for the Bobs sake, that they have a day or two to make some ground east.

Meanwhile, we are down to less than 24 hours until departure and still loads to do. As I am writing this we are travelling back from Block Island following a wonderful visit with cruising friend Virginia. We had a fantastic trip and really enjoyed Block Island. There was even a fiber mill across the road from our Inn and we were able to take a tour. I was realistic enough to realize that I will not have time to knit any time soon, so I did not buy more yarn, but it was great fun to see all the fiber and the machines that clean and color and make it into batts, cones, and skeins. There is a small animal farm there and the kids were able to pet a kangaroo and get really close to two huge camels.

The shops and restaurants were interesting without being out-of-reach for the main stream and we ate more that we could conceivably fit into our stomachs. Virginia showed us the channel to enter the Great Salt Pond so that we will know where to come next year on our way north.  We can’t wait!  -Kim

 

Hi Everyone,

 Again, we are fine but it has been a trying day for us.

Last night after dealing with round one of the storm yesterday the wind died and we motored (trying to ease the dreaded sail slap) until just before dawn when the wind came back in from the south.  Grandpa got me up early so we could reef the main.  Sure enough within a few hours we were in lots of wind again.  I decided to furl the storm jib and Grandpa who had been standing on the cockpit ladder jumped (without his jacket and harness) up to help.  He meant well but was holding the sheet so hard I could not furl.  The noise was deafening and I was basically screaming at Grandpa to let the line go so I could overcome the force of the wind.  The more I yelled the more he held.  This was a low point for both of us.  I yelled at him like one yells at a child who is going to get hurt.  You mean it to protect but it comes out all wrong.  We both feel like crap about it.

Grandpa went down below to rest and I sailed until the winds started reaching 30 kts and called it quits and hove to.  We both rested down below and within a couple of hours the winds abated and the sun came out.  While enjoying some soup in the cockpit the wind shifted dramatically so we started sailing again.  At first we were saying we should add sail and then we said we have just the right amount of sail and then we started decreasing and then we were hove to for round three of this damn storm.  In retrospect I think we had been in some sort of eye of the hurricane remnant.  This third round is the most vicious and we have been lying in north winds averaging 35 kts for hours and the seas are the worst of the trip so far.  At the peak the boat went spinning out of control while we were down below.  We rushed out to deal with it amid screaming winds and violent seas.  The wheel had been lashed in the hove-to position but somehow we had swung off the wind and jibed and were rounding up on the other tack.  As quickly as I could I untied the rudder and tried to get us hove-to on the new tack.  The rudder felt strange to me and I couldn't understand what had happened.  We assumed the steering had failed (one of my biggest fears).  We pulled out the emergency tiller and tried to steady things up as much as one could in these conditions.  You don't know if it will keep intensifying.   The winds were well above what was forecasted already.  So we retreated back down below again and tried to rest which was impossible because we thought our steering was broken.  After a restless nap and hours of 35 kt winds the wind backed down into the high 20's.  I couldn't stand it anymore so I went in the aft cabin and tore through all the bags and sails and crap to pull up the mattress and check out the steering gear.  I found nothing wrong.  I came back out in the main cabin and had a discussion with Grandpa about the situation.  We ran through theories and scenarios and options.  We also noticed that we were not really hove-to but were sailing forward at around 2.5 kts.  Again this made us think we had a problem.  The wind was down to the mid 20's so we put on our suits and went out to play with the steering.  We found that the emergency tiller could be moved further to the lee and that the rudder seemed to respond.  I even went out on the swim platform to try and observe the rudder.  Looking out across the expanse of frothy/mountainous seas from "outside" the boat is impossible to describe.  We also found that there is a fair bit of play in the tiller and so the wheel seems screwed up but we think it is OK.  In retrospect my latest theory is that in the 35+ kt winds and huge steep waves and cut away keel at the bow allowed the bow to get blown down a wave and the rudder lost its grip.  It went far enough that the wind got control and we spun and jibed.  So the good news is we think the steering is OK but the bad news is that we can't fully trust heaving-to in heavy weather.  In the meantime we would like to sail but the seas are so big we are afraid to try and come about so we are going to try and be patient and let the seas diminish a bit.

In the bigger picture we have lost lots of time between calms, storms, counter currents, and repairs and this leg of the trip is really testing us.  I am two days behind my most conservative guesses for our progression since we left Flores.  We also see another storm chasing us that looks to be the biggest yet.  I guess this is just how it is going to be for us.

Early this morning I was thinking about fear and storms.  I think for me the scary part is not at the peak but nearer the beginning when it is building but you don't know what it will become.  It is also the stage where you are still sailing and trying to make progress but you know you will soon be faced with the decision to reduce sail and the question of will you do it soon enough and thoroughly enough etc.  This morning while up in the cockpit alone during this process of the storm building I found myself shaking.  The same thing happens when I see a big fish so I think part of it is what happens when adrenaline starts running in your veins and you have no outlet.  You see that in hunting dogs that are just about to be let loose...they quiver all over.  Of-course after the rush of adrenaline you become exhausted.  As I am writing this the wind is once again increasing back into the 30's and I am getting anxious about it and starting to shake...damn it.  Kim and I said part of what this trip is for us is to get out of our comfort zone and learn to deal with it....well I am way out of that zone at this moment.

Hopefully this will pass soon and allow us to turn and continue on our way or at least in a direction roughly towards Ireland.

Grandpa made dinner...gruel (oatmeal) and coffee!  He is also doing the dishes.  I think I am learning how Kim must feel.  I am one lazy bastard when it comes to meals and dishes.  I guess the apple doesn't fall far from the tree.

So, here is our current position. (Actually losing ground now that we are on the wrong tack while hove-to)

19:50 UTC

45 42 N

28 15 W

Wind 22-31 kts out of the Northwest

Hove to on starboard tack

Seas...just nasty...I can never estimate how big they are.

Hoping for a better day tomorrow,

Bob and Bob

*******************************

 

Good morning,

Strong squalls came in yesterday and I decided I didn't want to risk the equipment so sorry I didn't make contact.  We stayed hove-to all night on the wrong tack and lost 25-30 miles over the past 24 hrs.  We are sailing again this morning and now worried about the next storm.  I will download a new chart shortly but it looks like we need to get ourselves north again.  This passage is turning into a true war for us.

The sun is out now and we are moving again so that is good.

Current position:

8:11 UTC

45º 38’ N

28º 13’ W

Course 20 True

spd 6+ kts

Wind 15-20 from west northwest

Seas 10-15 feet estimate...large leftover crap from yesterday

 

Bob and Bob

 

 

 

All OK

Will add emails, yesterdays and todays received this AM, later. Too rough yesterday but all is ok.

Day 190 - Weathering the Storm

Anna went to church on Sunday morning with my Mom and Dad and the minister's sermon was on crossing oceans and having faith. 'Walking on water' stuff. Near the end of the sermon she came over and stood next to Anna and talked about 'Anna's Dad' crossing the Ocean and the faith that it requires to take such a leap. Anna was so excited to come home and tell me about it!  We had studied the word 'Faith' last fall when we read the book The Little Island, and it was a great way to reinforce the lesson. As the kids and I sit in luxury on Block Island visiting with cruising-friend Virginia, Bob and Bob are fighting the remnants of a tropical storm. It hardly seems fair and yet all is well. I have faith that Bob will tackle any situation with skill and common sense and we will meet again on the far side.  We chose this course and it does take a 'leap of faith' to cross an ocean...and for that matter, to take a trip down I-95.

 

Hi everyone,

First off...we are doing just fine right now.

When I left off yesterday I took a nap during Grandpa's afternoon watch.  According to the weather map he was supposed to have painfully slow near calm conditions.   Instead he had winds 16-22 kts with great angry black but isolated squalls to dodge.  He did a great job tacking back and forth to avoid them.  He woke me near the end of his watch and I helped us sneak between the last two squalls for the evening.  I spent my 6-9 p.m. watch working my way upwind to try and get us north to minimize the impact of the storm to hit on Monday morning. Passed within a mile and a half of a large ship headed East.   We kept moving until my second watch at midnight when the wind effectively died.  I started the engine and we motored on till morning to recharge the batteries and continue getting ourselves to the north.

Grandpa woke me up just before 6.  He was a miserable sight to see.  A cold misty rain had developed and he had just sat in it and let it consume him.  I was a bit upset because I wanted him to save himself for the storm yet to come.  There wasn't much point in staying outside in the cockpit the entire time while we were motoring...not to mention he soaked my mittens!  I think he equates sitting on watch to deer hunting...I just don't see the point of getting soaked until it’s necessary which wouldn't be too long with the weather forecast we have.

Anyway, I took over watch at 6 and the wind began to fill in at our backs.  Soon I had the engine off and we were sailing again in 5 - 6 kts.  Not long after though, the wind began to build and, knowing what was coming today, I wanted to get the big main double-reefed ASAP!  I had to open the hatch and wake up Grandpa who was snug under the covers.  He didn't complain though and got back into his soaked gear and came out and helped us get reefed.  Once Midwatch was in order he retreated to his bunk and I got the old girl moving again under double reefed main and working jib.  The rain came in with a vengeance and so did the wind.  I ran the best angle I could about (315º True) for a couple of hours with ever building wind (22-27kts) and seas.   Then the wind shifted dramatically and I was able to veer to a north heading.  Interestingly the sun came out and it was actually quite nice.  The wind and waves, however, continued to build.  About 9:00 PM Grandpa came back on deck.  We decided we would try three hour watches day and night until the storm was behind us.  Grandpa took over and I went below to prep for more wind (putting loose articles in more safe places), closing any unnecessary thru-hulls valves and made breakfast (last of the eggs though I saved one to make brownies).

The waves continued to build and Otto our autopilot decided he was ready for a break and gave up.  That put Grandpa at the helm for the next hour or so.  I have decided that Grandpa is what you would call "a lake sailor".  He is in the habit of using points on the shoreline to steer for.  Unfortunately that does not work here and he has a tough time with it.  In retrospect perhaps I should have made him hand steer for a half hour at the beginning of every watch but that didn't happen.  After his hour at the wheel I sent him down below to get more rest and settled myself in at the wheel.  When Otto let go we furled the working jib so we were running under double reefed main alone.

As the seas continued to build, I think adrenaline kept my mind super active trying to anticipate the next step.  Couldn't help but think about movie quotes like "she's comin' on boys...she's comin' on real strong" or" we're really in it now".  

The next step I figured I would need to make would be to round-up and heave-to into the wind...the question is when?  For now I was making great time towards our destination and away from the main path of the storm.  If the waves get too big it becomes a really hairy maneuver to try and turn the boat approximately 180º and come to a stop.  Fortunately I never had to make the decision...with no warning the wind nearly stopped, but off the port bow I could see a wicked wind coming but from a different angle so I squared up to it and decided I didn't want to dance with it so I came about and parked like a duck with its head under its wing.  Within moments we were laid over with 35kt winds.  Midwatch took it but I don't think she liked it.  I retreated down below with Grandpa.  We watched the anemometer for a while and took seasickness medication just in case.  I closed another thru-hull and chose to melt into the port settee rather than listen to the wind scream and watch the portholes go under water.  When I woke an hour later the winds had backed down to the 20's and now they are all the way down to 15 with gusts to 20 or so.

Grandpa and I discussed the situation at length.  I decided to get more data before trying to make a move and Grandpa took his turn at the bunk.  It looks as though it might become nearly calm tonight in our location and then flair up with winds in the mid 30's again tomorrow (Round Two)!  The rain has just set in again and we are so comfortable that I am hard pressed to want to get back into pushing Midwatch through these giant waves with not enough wind power, so for now we stay put.

 Current Location:

               17:30 UTC
               44 59 N
               28 37 W
               Wind 19kts out of the northeast
               Waves (really big)
               spd 2.2 kts
                    Hove-to on starboard tack facing West
               Course moving slowly to the south west

Thanks for the clear, concise storm report from Ted LaDue, as our friend John Woodworth (pilot) always says "you really need to visualize the BIG PICTURE".

I am able to get very detailed but fairly localized weather info but I haven't learned how to look at the big picture with the technology I have.  So again thanks Ted and Kim as well.

FYI, we still have lots of water and food.  Diesel is only being used for carefully thought out situations.

Power with our new wind generator is a non-issue with the winds we have today.

Showers and clean laundry...not-so-much!

Have a great day,

Bob and Bob

Day 189 - Still on the Mid-Atlantic Ridge

We have had an interesting couple of days trying to track the storm (Tropical Storm Andrea) and predict its course. We have sent lots of texts and emails back and forth and even lost a little sleep. At least the first bit is over. The remnants of Andrea remain. All along, Bob has known that the little bit from The Azores to Ireland would be the worst and, we suspect, he is about to be proven correct.

Good Morning,

Well we managed to stay north of the first round of heavier winds but we have had a long morning with lots of rain and little progress.  We seem to get a little breeze, go a few miles and it dies.  The direction has also been quite variable and has nearly done a full circle in the past six hours.  We spent the night hove-to because of so little wind.  We have also had to lower and raise the main sail numerous times to try and keep it from destroying itself in the calm but big swell conditions.  We are trying hard to be patient as we know we will have more wind than we know what to do with very soon.

Hove-to at night with our anchor light on we have been swarmed by Ballyhoo (a type of baitfish).  We have been wondering what the dolphin eat...these might be it.  Just came across our 4th dead sea turtle today.  Better send Al Gore...we think it might be related to global warming.  Anyway I am not eating whatever these turtles are eating.

Also of interest is that we have been traveling over the Mid-Atlantic Ridge.  This is an area of personal interest for me.  We are actually sailing over the tops of the biggest mountains in the world.  Maybe there is some volcanic gas that is killing the turtles?

All for now, sometime tomorrow we should be back to the races and hope to put up some more interesting position progressions.

Current position:

            13:55 UTC
                43 33 N
            28 37 W
            Hove-to (parked)
            wind 4-11 kts out of the north

Bob and Bob

Day 188 - Preparing for Andrea

(Received Sat. 9:15 A.M., last word is they are moving north again)
                                                                - Kim
Good morning,

The mood has changed again.  We learned last night that this 2nd system we have been watching which seems to be big, fast, and ugly is actually the remnants of a hurricane.  Hard to describe the emotion that term invokes out here where we are.   Our intentions of just a few days ago were going to put us right in the eye.  So we put the brakes on so to speak and have hove-to to gather information rest and prep for the next move, if any.

This morning we put a double reef in the main and changed out the genoa for our working jib.  We tested things out and furled the jib tightly.  We made a nice line for lashing the steering wheel.  Working on many other odds and ends but will also try to get as much food and sleep in the bank as we can.

Bob and Bob

Day 187 - Preparing for Real Weather

It is easy to forget about tropical storms and hurricanes once they depart the east coast, many of us forget that these same weather systems continue on across the Atlantic, sometimes even providing Europe with a feel for the tropics. I have been watching passage weather for days, warning Bob of an approaching system. Only after two things happened, a call from True World Marine (were they were preparing for Tropical Storm Andrea) and I opened CNN to see a map with the track of Andrea, the Tropical Storm, did I realize the system I was following was all related to the storm. I am afraid I have panicked Bob by mentioning the word hurricane. The map below is the wind forecast for Monday noon. I have been emailing an occasional weather map to Bob but it is very slow and cumbersome to send attachments on the satellite phone. Bob tried to download a hurricane track but found that unwieldy as well.The good news is there are people out there who can help with routing in situations like this and we have reached out and initiated the process to get a little help with this one.  We'll keep you posted.

Hi Everyone,

Moving north-northeast at a snail’s pace for the past couple of days.  Hardly any wind.  We have run through a fair bit of our diesel fuel so we either get wind or we sit.  We just got a wind shift and enough wind to make five kts over the ground towards our waypoint so that is good.  Hoping it lasts.  We also sailed out of a veil of clouds and mists that we have been wallowing in for the last three or four days and we finally had a little sun for the afternoon.  It really brightened the mood.  The Azores will always leave a bit of a sour taste for me.

We spent the morning doing prep work for heavy weather sailing.  According to the weather reports we will be wishing for calm instead of wind within the next 48-52 hours.  We think we have taken care of a number of weaknesses.  Mostly trying to stop small leaks and rebalance the boat as we have used up stores and diesel etc.

I made mushroom and pepperoni pizza today with chocolate chip cookies for dessert.  We are on our new time schedule using UTC which is the same as the old Greenwich Mean Time.   This should be the correct local time until we get to Norway.

I started going through navigation and route planning for our arrival in Ireland.  I usually rely on Kim for this stuff because she is so good at it and I think she really enjoys it.  Grandpa is zero help.  He thought Mark and I would do it and besides he is red/green color blind.  Also he can't see much unless he has his special whale watching glasses on.  He told me he is trying to retrain his eyes to see distance by not wearing his glasses.  I don't think anything on his body or mind is re-trainable.

As I am writing this a new wind is filling in:

            Current Position:
            20:22 UTC
            42 28 N
            29 16 W
            spd 6 kts
            Hdg 28 degrees True
            Wind 13 kts
             running a broad reach full main and full genoa at the moment it is very peaceful.

We have been seeing hundreds of dolphins today but they are not very social and many seem to be different species than we have seen so far.  In the calm water you can see all sorts of creepy jellyfish and worm like creatures, some that are eight feet long.  Looks like stuff you would see 10 million years ago.  We also saw three turtles today but strangely and sadly it looked like they were all dead.  One large ship passed about five miles in front of us.  We have one more meal of fish left in the box so grandpa tried to catch more today with no luck.  I think we have been moving too slowly to catch fish.

All for now,

Love Dad and Grandpa