Our Year in Maine!
Happy Holidays
Friday, December 11, 2015
Friday, April 17, 2015
In the Exeter News Letter
We are in the paper!
Posted Apr. 16, 2015 at 2:00 PM
20 MONTHS AT SEA
A family recounts their transatlantic journey
Stratham library to host presentation April 21
Zoom
The LaDue family aboard S.V. Midwatch
By Brian Ward
newsletter@seacoastonline.com
newsletter@seacoastonline.com
Posted Apr. 16, 2015 at 2:00 PM
STRATHAM — A husband and wife, two small children, a 35-foot boat and 20 months at sea. The LaDue family took the adventure of a lifetime in 2012, travelling around the Atlantic to North Carolina, the Bahamas, Norway, Scotland, Ireland, France, Portugal, Spain and the Canary Islands. And now Kim Scamman LaDue, a Stratham native, will share her family's experience aboard the S.V. Midwatch at 6 p.m. on April 21 at the Wiggin Memorial Library.
Kim LaDue had been sailing with her husband, Bob, for 15 years before they set out on their world tour. They had previously considered an RV trip, hiking or a volunteer program before deciding they want to have a sailing trip.
“Since we got together as a couple we’d talked about having some sort of adventure,” said LaDue. "We’d kept a notebook of cool places we wanted to go; there were a lot of things that came together at the time that let us go.”
The moment came when the LaDues had to decide between selling their home in Maine or remaining in New York. They decided to move their family back to Maine and realized the transitional time before their kids settled down in a new environment was the chance they needed. Sixteen months later they had planned their trip, bought a boat and were heading out on the high seas.
“It was pretty significant,” said LaDue. “We had a sum of money and we had to make our trip work within what we had. We knew if we had a smaller boat we could go farther. We also had an ultimate goal of where we wanted to go and a bunch of a smaller goals: let’s get the boat in the water, let’s get out of town, let’s get to Florida, let’s go to Bahamas. Each time we sat down and discussed what we wanted to do next.”
LaDue said the decision to make the first transatlantic crossing was one of the most difficult steps. Once they left they were committing to a long and expensive return trip home. LaDue said that living on the Midwatch encouraged the family to go out and explore while traveling. While sometimes it felt cramped aboard the boat, LaDue said she and her family found they enjoyed being together more.
“One of (the best moments) for us, we went swimming in 18,000 feet of water in the middle of the Atlantic, halfway between the Canary Islands and Martinique in the Caribbean,” said LaDue, “It’s a scary thing, but also a very exciting thing. The water was so amazingly clear and blue it was just fantastic. I think also it influenced the kids so much when they realized what they’d done.”
LaDue said that while the family did face some scary moments during the trip, nothing they faced was really unexpected. LaDue remembers a tussle the boat had with a tidal current and a dock sign in Ireland that held them up for a few months in the town Crosshaven. Off the coast of Portugal the Midwatch was hit by a huge wave and the boat tipped to the point where the mast was nearly parallel with the ocean and had to go to shore for a landing. But the LaDue family took advantage of problems, using their ship’s repairs to explore whatever port they found themselves in.
“We were living in this small town in Ireland for a few months; the kids were being invited to birthday parties,” said LaDue, “We’d never talked about going to Portugal but we ended up enjoying it there.”
LaDue said that if she got the chance she would definitely go on another trip like this. She noted that it takes a huge amount of organization and financial planning, but the trip itself was worth it.
“It takes a tremendous effort,” said LaDue, “and you need to be flexible enough to allow change in plans, but making it’s been one of the best things we’ve ever done as a family.”
The Wiggin Memorial Library is located at 10 Bunker Hill Ave.
Monday, July 28, 2014
A Few Last Photos
I finally had the nerve to check the camera to see if there was any chance I could find the last few pictures that didn't download before it died. Success! We are thrilled.
We have had a very busy summer so far trying to get everything moved into our Maine house, Midwatch on the market and trying to integrate ourselves back into 'life' on land. We had a big chuckle this morning. We took Anna to sailing school and her response when asked if she had ever been sailing..."I sailed a Sunfish this summer!" I guess living aboard is a whole other category.
I am trying to write one more blog but things are a bit busy now! Hopefully soon. - Kim
We have had a very busy summer so far trying to get everything moved into our Maine house, Midwatch on the market and trying to integrate ourselves back into 'life' on land. We had a big chuckle this morning. We took Anna to sailing school and her response when asked if she had ever been sailing..."I sailed a Sunfish this summer!" I guess living aboard is a whole other category.
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| Anna working on a bandana order in the ICW |
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| Finn's many photos include some of his own artwork! |
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| Finn at the Virginia Air and Space Museum, we also saw 'Malificent' there ! |
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| The kids hoisted all our courtesy flags! |
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| This route looks familiar! (At Historic Jamestown with Uncle Don Swain) |
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| The last photo of Midwatch... |
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| A moment after... the last photo of Midwatch |
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| Arrival at the Farm in New Hampshire |
Thursday, June 12, 2014
Back In NH
We have now been back in NH for almost a week...well three of us. Bob was here for two days and then headed to Amsterdam. We all thought he could use some international travel experience. I downloaded photos this morning that date back to our time in Morehead City, NC and the camera crapped out after half were downloaded so apparently our photo record ends in NC. I have a post half written on the NC stay and I am really hoping I can somehow recover the photos of the kids saying goodbye to Midwatch.
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| Finn in the Bosun's Chair |
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| Finn under the companionway ladder. |
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| This is a game...Find the sleeping kid |
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| Midwatch getting spruced up for sale in Morehead |
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| Anna's Androsian dress |
Monday, May 26, 2014
Into the Chesapeake
We reached Mile 0 of the ICW today, that means between last year and this we have travelled the length of the ICW from Norfolk to Fort Lauderdale or 1,066 miles. Wholly Smokes! We have had three excellent days, only plowing bottom twice ;) and greatly enjoyed being on the water for Memorial Day Weekend. The weather was stunning. We are glad to be done with the ICW and I was very tempted to toss the book in the water at Mile Marker 0 but I'm too cheap. What's the chance I will ever use it again? We are now anchored adjacent the US Navy Headquarters and feel that we are in the right place to reflect on our nation's service men and women. We will head up the James River tomorrow for a little side trip and visit with my Aunt and Uncle that live near Jamestown, We are really looking forward to it.
After staring at the water for hours on our way south, we finally saw what we had been looking for in the Alligator River, a big alligator!! We knew we were reaching the northern limits of the range but were looking, thinking we might see a little nose poke up. All of us were surprised to see a 10 to 12 footer, it's full length fully visible, on the surface. We saw lots of other wildlife too, deer, turtles and a few dolphins but the alligator was definitely the high light.
After staring at the water for hours on our way south, we finally saw what we had been looking for in the Alligator River, a big alligator!! We knew we were reaching the northern limits of the range but were looking, thinking we might see a little nose poke up. All of us were surprised to see a 10 to 12 footer, it's full length fully visible, on the surface. We saw lots of other wildlife too, deer, turtles and a few dolphins but the alligator was definitely the high light.
Thursday, May 15, 2014
A Visit to Andros and the Fabric Factory
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| Anna's reflection in the flat calm |
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| The marina in Fresh Creek, Andros |
We arrived in Andros late afternoon. A quick glance in the
direction of our planned anchorage and we were on the radio hailing the one
marina on Andros about the possibility of getting a spot. After several tries we were contacted by
another boat, what we presume was a US navy person, with some great advice
about how to get into the harbor and letting us know that there would not be
anyone at the marina, there would be one boat and to just pick a spot. We did, right on the largest face dock. We
found reception at the local hotel. The receptionist was very nice but couldn’t
find the credit card machine so she told us to come back the next day. We went
for a nice long walk and found a surprisingly well-stocked grocery store,
picking up some milk, eggs, bread, apples and a small package of cookies. The
cookies were gone before we reached Midwatch.
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| The entrance to the factory |
We had a nice evening on the dock and the next morning
headed over to the Androsian Batik Factory. As some of you may know, Anna has
been making these cute bandanas since she was six and to date has sold well
over 600. We bought some locally-made Androsian fabric last winter and once we
managed the time to get them assembled, they started selling like hotcakes. We
have also been experimenting with other items and decided a visit to the
factory, not only made educational sense, but would likely make economic sense
as well if we could pick up a load of fabric at factory prices. Unfortunately
the factory was essentially sold out. Only after calling the manager on her
cell
phone did we get permission to select fabric from the cutting room, where
employees cut fabric for their clothing assembly business. Apparently they are
not only a bit behind on the manufacturing process but a boat load of German
ladies came and bought them out a few days earlier. This was very disappointing
to us but we did manage to meet the manager, Casey, the next morning and get
her onboard with Anna’s plans. Anna has set up an account and has all the
information for ordering yardage, bolts and even specialty prints. Anna and
Casey discussed setting up a Facebook account and linking it with the Androsian
factory’s page. We have lots of planning going on here including business
cards, labels and a Facebook page. Expect some news this summer on this front.
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| Anna presenting questions at the factory |
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| The Dye Room |
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| The Assembly Room |
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| Finn got a new shirt at the factory! |
We made one more trip to the market before heading out and
chuckled when a lady stopped to offer a ride as we drudged up the road in the
hot sun. We finally headed out late
afternoon for the Berry Islands for one more little adventure in the Bahamas
before departure for ‘home’.
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| Anna sporting her new Androsian wear |
Wednesday, May 14, 2014
Felix Felicis
We spent only two and a half weeks in the Bahamas but what
an amazing time it was! Upon our
departure we reflected that the period of time reminded us of Harry Potter’s
experience with Felix Felicis or ‘Liquid Luck’, a potion that makes everything
go your way. Like Harry, our journey just seemed to roll with little effort from
one adventure to another, each topping the previous.
We left Long Island, heading for Warderick Wells, the Exuma
National Land and Sea Park to rendezvous with Cariad and crew for Easter and
even better than that, for a joint expedition to the wild, and seldom visited,
Green Cay on the Tongue of the Ocean. We were thrilled they had agreed to join
us on the expedition. Warderick Wells was an adventure in itself and we timed
our arrival perfectly for a slack tide entrance into the cut and a rendezvous
with Cariad within five minutes of our planned arrival time at the Warderick
Wells mooring field. We considered ourselves lucky but Cariad was impressed, I
guess ‘luck comes to the prepared mind’. (I’ve heard that a few times in my life, thanks
Dad.)
Despite our 24-hour passage we were excited to get moving
and explore. We hiked, snorkeled and explored the island. We had a great couple
of days eating my big bull mahi mahi in the form of kebabs, fish cakes and
fried fish and Anna and Alice (10) were a matched pair with their snorkeling. They spent hours at it and never flinched
including chasing down sharks and sting rays. I can’t imagine two girls better
at snorkeling than that pair.
The evening of our arrival at Warderick Wells, Anna spent
some time cleaning the stern and swim
platform of all the fish blood. Cariad
arrived a few minutes later for dinner to discover a horde of sharks and jacks,
sniffing their way towards Midwatch. A few tidbits out of the ‘compost’ bucket
(yes, we still call it a compost bucket despite the fact that we have not had a
compost pile for more than two years) and we had ourselves a show that would
have rivalled a SeaWorld shark tank. We
settled into a nice dinner of fried fish and catch up on the adventures of the
past weeks since our St. Maarten meeting.
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| Cavara's driftwood plaque on Boo Boo Hill, memorial bench in background |
The island setting was beautiful and we managed to get in a
little hike, discovering the drift wood signs on Boo Boo Hill. You may remember
last year, while passing Warderick Wells, we were audio witnesses to an
evacuation of a woman, we had met just a few days earlier at Black Point, after
she fell on a hike. They evacuated her with a helicopter from the actor Will
Smith’s nearby private island to Nassau. It did not sound too positive on the
radio and we finally learned on this recent visit that the outcome was not
positive, she died there that day and we witnessed it on the radio. There was a
lovely Memorial Bench on the top of Boo Boo Hill that, after a few minutes, I
put two and two together and realized what it was. It was a sobering moment but
we realized that a fall such as this could have happened anywhere to anyone and
once again it only reinforced our decision to take this journey.
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| Crossing last year's track, closing our Atlantic loop! |
After two days and a final check of the ever-improving weather,
we all departed Warderick Wells, a day earlier than planned, and headed to
Green Cay across the seldom-used Decca Channel. It was at this point that we crossed
paths with last year’s track, officially closing our Atlantic loop. Cariad, in
the longer boat, was a bit ahead of us and had found a nice anchor spot when we
arrived just at dusk. The next two days passed in a whirl wind as we went from
one activity to the next, exploring, snorkeling, eating and playing. We had a
wonderful campfire on the beach. The girls, Anna, Alice and Hattie (7), were
thrilled to be sent over to the beach early to gather fire wood and set up a
tent, sans adults. Short of the no-see-ums, that were relentless, it was a
picture perfect evening which ended with a long swim off the back of the boat
in the glossy, smooth (and very warm) water. Tired, sated and relieved of the
insect pests and gobs of repellant on our bodies, we slept like babies.
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| Our Green Cay camp fire |
This was the third time in our voyage that we had the great
fortune to meet up with Cariad and we were once again amazed at how easily our
two families got along. It was lovely to have them join on our wacky adventures
without hesitation and to share in the escapades with smiles. We are
really looking forward to seeing them once again whether in Maine, Cornwall or
some other more exotic location. Thanks
Cariad Crew!
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| We found a sea turtle carcass on the beach, amazing! |
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| Tired kids and hero Daddies. |
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| Cariad in the amazing calm weather at Green Cay |
The Cariad crew was departing Green Cay to head to New
Providence and a flight to Orlando to visit Harry Potter World. It sounds like
their Liquid Luck persisted as well and they made it through the culture shock
of Florida with little trouble. We were headed to Andros to visit the Androsia
Batik Factory, only about 15 miles from Cariad’s docking destination. We departed
together before dawn and despite the similar destinations we quickly pulled
away from each other but not before witnessing Cariad under full sail. Mother Nature gave us ample opportunity for
some great photos of Cariad including some with their Mule sail flying in the
early dawn light.
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| Before the mule but still amazing |
Tuesday, May 13, 2014
Mother's Day and Approaching Beaufort
May 11 Sat Phone update
The fishing has been out of this world. The first two
days we caught four tuna and three Mahi Mahi as well as lost others. We
did the trick of leaving a Mahi attached to a line and then casting with a
spinning rod. That proved very effective but our gear is not beefy
enough! We fought a big bull for nearly an hour before we gaffed
him...but we got him. A third fish broke the line. Not fishing today because I am sick of cleaning
fish.
Lots of ship traffic which is to be expected but no
sailboats have passed within site.
Happy Mother's Day!
We are about 40 miles outside of Beaufort, NC just before
noon and there isn't much wind and not much fuel so we expect to get in a bit
late. Fortunately we know the area relatively well.
Since leaving Saint Augustine we have seen an amazing amount
of sea life. I suppose sailing on the edge of the Gulf Stream has a lot
to do with that. The weather has been settled with a big high pressure
over us, which has meant minimal wind and minimal seas. We have been
sailing as much as possible but have had to run the engine a fair bit as
well. We are still running on the fuel we bought in the Canary Islands on
January 1st, Amazing!
Just outside the inlet to Saint Augustine we saw a large
shark on the surface. We couldn't see his body but the distance from the
dorsal to the tail was considerable. There have been abundant sea turtles
the size of your kitchen table. Fortunately, they seem to know enough to
dive when you get close to them. Lots of Dolphins have visited us with
multiple species and lots of acrobatics.
We saw schools of Mahi chasing bait and free jumping as high
as 10 or 12 feet.
The fishing has been out of this world. The first two
days we caught four tuna and three Mahi Mahi as well as lost others. We
did the trick of leaving a Mahi attached to a line and then casting with a
spinning rod. That proved very effective but our gear is not beefy
enough! We fought a big bull for nearly an hour before we gaffed
him...but we got him. A third fish broke the line. Not fishing today because I am sick of cleaning
fish.
Kim bought a bundle of movies in Saint Augustine and the
kids have been busy catching up on those. Anna has done some school but
it is difficult for Kim to facilitate when we are on these overnight
passages. It has also been sunny and hot so we tend to hide down below
for a lot of the day just to preserve some skin.
The VHF radio is busy with people battling their way up the
ICW and we are glad to be on the outside this time. At least three boats
have capsized near various inlets since we left St. Augustine. We suspect
drinking has a lot to do with it but who knows. Again it's a lot safer
away from land.
FYI, our satellite phone subscriptions are running out
this coming week and we don't plan to renew so this may be the last MIDWATCH
email.
We aren't sure what our next step will be. We have decided
to sell the boat in Annapolis but we have a lot of work to do to get it cleaned
out and fixed up for sale. We are considering NC for a haul-out and
possibly NH. Kim and I are gearing up for some real work. In any
case, we expect to spend much of Monday on the phone and internet getting
organized. We are also out of milk, coffee and fuel so we must stop.
Bob, Kim, Anna and Finn.
Current Position:
12:30PM Lunch time
34 D 06.226N
76D 53.762W
Speed 5.8 kts
Course 19 D true
Departing St. Augustine
May 8 Sat Phone update
Hello everyone,
Just a quick note to update you all on our position.
At 10:15 AM Thursday we passed the big buoy outside the Saint
Augustine inlet.
Headed northeast on a course of 39 Degrees True.
We are motoring as there is no wind at all.
We had a great time with Ted and Carolyn. The kids
cried for an hour after we left their house.
Looks like a three day and three night passage to Beaufort
where it all started for us. This is likely to be our last off-shore
passage so we are hoping for a smooth one.
Will keep you posted.
Bob, Kim, Anna and Finn
P.S. Setting the fishing lines now!
Thunderstorms on the Approach to Florida
April 29 Sat Phone Update
Current Position:
We have done well since last night but we are watching some
nasty thunder storms develop nearby. We really don't like thunder storms.
Highlights today were watching a giant sea turtle eating seaweed
and having giant bottlenose dolphins swim with us. A little bird dropped
in for a rest and stayed for about 6 hours. He took over the boat.
We passed Cape Canaveral a little while ago. We should
be in St. Augustine mid morning tomorrow.
7:21 PM EST
28 D 51.689 N
80 D 29.345 W
Speed 5.8 kts
Course 324 D true
Motor sailing wing and wing to charge batteries.
Yellow Fin in the Gulf Stream
April 28 Sat Phone Update
Thought we out to let everyone know roughly where we are and
where we are going. We have had an amazing couple of weeks in the
Bahamas. We had so much fun that we haven't even tried to keep up with
the blog but we will update it soon. I will just say that the experiences
have been nothing short of EPIC! We truly love the Bahamas!
.JPG) |
| "If Dad won't put out the fishing lines, I will" |
.JPG) |
| Anna's Yellow Fin |
Current position:
7:35 pm EST
26 D 59.426 N
79 D 22.841 W
Speed 5 kts
Course 333 Degrees True
All the best from the crew of Midwatch
.JPG)
Easter Sat Phone update April 20
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| Mermaids on the Beach |
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| Chris from Cariad barbecuing the Mahi (Photo credit to Finn) |
Happy Easter to you all via satellite email!
Tomorrow we plan to head to Green Cay with Cariad. We
intend to own that island for the next few days. After that we will
head to Fish Creek on Andros perhaps Thursday or Friday.
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| Easter Dinner, Yum! |
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