Vagrant Travels

Vagrant returns

2009-05-22T07:34:00.000-07:00

We left Bermuda as planned on Friday afternoon. Owen arrived at 1530 and we were finished at the fuel dock and gone at 1700. Not much sightseeing for him. The forecast for either northeast winds or no wind. And that is what we got. Northeast, the direction we were heading, for the first day and a half and then nothing for two. By that time though we were in the gulf stream and motoring through the water at six knots and being pushed over the bottom at ten knots. We were secure alongside at DYC at 1215 yesterday(Thursday). Thanks to Jim, Peter, and Owen for helping with the delivery.

Now that the trip is over, it's back to reality. A few days to clean up the boat, get into racing mode for the summer and then I guess I have to find a (gulp) job. Thanks for following along. I still have some pictures to post once I get them all from various cameras and that should happen in a week or two.

Cheers.

The last leg

2009-05-15T05:06:00.000-07:00

We arrived here in Bermuda early on Wednesday morning. The trip from Tortolla was just under 6 days. Wind and weather were good. Only one day of really light breeze when we had to motor. Yesterday was a work day and we are leaving this afternoon for Halifax. Hopefully the trip will go as smoothly. The only things left to do are take of fuel and pick up a few groceries. Next stop, home.

One more sleep

2009-05-06T08:00:00.000-07:00

Peter arrives this afternoon. The boat is fueled and watered and I will be putting the last of the groceries aboard later today. I have to climb the mast in the morning and then we should be off. Hope to be away by noon or one. Looks like good weather all the way to Bermuda although it may be light for a few days as the Bermuda high has really settled in. Next update will be from St. Georges.

Anguilla and then BVIs

2009-04-28T09:22:00.000-07:00

In a previous post I mentioned that we sailed to Anguilla after leaving St. Maarten. We only had a couple of hours there so we had a few drinks at a beach bar and then supper at a beachfront restaurant before heading out. I think this is a place that I would like to come back to.

We motorsailed overnight to Virgin Gorda and cleared customs as Spanish Town. As always, this was followed by a trip to a beach bar, or in this case a marina waterfront bar. The picture is blurry, but that's the bartender's fault and not because we had too much to drink.

Here is a picture I got at sunset in the anchorage.

Next day Stuart and I had a great sail from Virgin Gorda all the way to Jost Van Dyke. Downwind all the way with about four gybes along the way. Mark managed to sleep the entire way. We tried to spend some time at Foxy's but since it was Good Friday, no liquor was being served until 6:30. Mental note for next time.

Saturday was a Soggy Dollar Painkiller day. Rum in the sun. Nothing like it. We finished the tour with a night in the bight on Norman's Island and a day in Sopers Hole back on Tortolla.

Where we have been

2009-04-28T09:15:00.000-07:00

The last two posts were kind of quick so here is a bit more detail on what has been going on for the past few weeks.

Stuart and Mark arrived as planned and we spend a few days hanging out in St. Maarten. Did the usual touristy stuff like a visit to Philipsburg and a trip to the Sunset Bar and Grill. Nobody should vist St. Maarten without doing those two things at least.

Before we left I arranged to have the boat hauled at Bobby's boatyard to clean the bottom

Check out the pictures. No wonder we were so slow through the water. Amercoat is great bottom paint in Nova Scotia, but it does nothing to inhibit growth in the warm water down here. Bobby's charged me $230 to haul and clean the boat. And the cleaning was down by their staff. Pretty reasonable.

Back in the BVIs

2009-04-12T07:14:00.000-07:00

Currently in the BVIs with Mark and Stuart. Having a blast. Spent a night in Spanish Town after crossing from Anguilla, then a night in Great Bay, home of Foxy's followed by a day at the Soggy Dollar, home of the Painkiller. Painkillers are good. Last night we took a mooring here in Sopers Hole and likely will head to Norman's Island today.

Next week (Wednesday I think) the boys home and on Tuesday Max arrives for a couple of weeks. Looking forward to that.

I'll try to post more when I have a few minutes and am not paying for the internet time.

Leaving today

2009-04-08T06:11:00.000-07:00

We will be leaving St. Maarten at the 11:00 bridge today. The plan is to sail up to Anguilla and have a quick look around and then sail to the BVIs tonight.

Still looking for crew to help sail the boat home to Halifax so if you are interested or know anybody who might me, feel free to e-mail.

Getting caught up

2009-04-01T06:25:00.000-07:00

It's been a while since I posted and update. Sorry about that. On Sunday I left Statia and sailed to St. Maarten. Actually "sailed" is probably not the right word. I left the mooring at 0700 and motor sailed from under the lee of Statia and then shut down the engine. Sailing was good for about 2 hours with autohelm working perfectly on a beam reach. Then the wind dropped and dropped and finally died almost completely. That left six hours of motoring to St. Maarten. I arrived in Simpsons Bay around 4:30 and entered the lagoon at the 5:30 bridge opening.

On Wednesday I flew home to Canada for a short visit. Due to some issues in the flights I didn't get in until mid afternoon on Thursday. Now it is April 1 and I am sitting in JFK airport waiting for my next connection on the way back to St. Maarten.

This weekend Stuart and Mark arrive from Halifax. We will hang out in St. Maarten for a few days and then do an overnight passage to the BVIs.

Pics from the Quill

2009-03-22T15:47:00.001-07:00

This a rock crab. How these guys get themselves and their shells 1200 feet above sea level I don't know but I saw at least six of them on the way up.

These two are pictures of the crater at the top. The photos do not do it justice but I was sitting about 1900 feet up, looking across the top of the crater that was probably 200 to 300 feet deep. All along the inside walls and across the bottom is a micro rainforest.

Statia and The Quill

2009-03-20T10:31:00.000-07:00

Yesterday I sailed from Nevis to Statia. It's about 33 miles. Started off as a broad reach in light air in the lee of St. Kitt's and ended up as a screaming beam reach as I cross the 10 miles of open water between St. Kitt's and Statia. I have already written about Statia so I won't repeat any of that.

This morning I hiked The Quill. The Quill is an extinct volcano with the cone still fully intact. It is just over 1900 feet high and the hike to the crater edge and back took three and a half hours. I originally planned to hike down into the crater but the trip up made me realize what an out of shape fat boy I have become and decided to save it for another time. Once I get my computer online I will post a few pictures.

The most amazing thing were the rock crabs. There are crabs that live in shells about the size of a child's fist all the way up the mountain. They live there and move around through the underbrush. I did not know that crabs lived on mountains.

Nevis

2009-03-18T11:44:00.001-07:00

Nevis has to be the most beautiful place I have visited so far. It's too bad that it took me this long to get here and I have such a short time to spend. The sail from Antigua took about 8 hours. I was off the mooring in Jolly Harbour at 0630 and secure here at 1630. It was downwind all the way with five gybes (should have been three) with the breeze steady at 15 knots and 2 to 3 meter swells.

(Nevis from the east)

Check in with customs and immigration was a breeze even though I had to talk to three different people in three different places.

Charlestown is a small city and the only city on the island. By 1100 this morning I had been to the beach, shopped at an open fruit and vegetable market, and been to a Jamaican bakery. Since my day was pretty much done, a beach walk was in order for the afternoon. Accompanied by an obligatory Carib beer or two...it was St. Pat's day afterall. Pinneys Beach runs for about 3 miles. It looks like it was once fabulous but hurricane Omar has taken down most of the palm trees that used to line it and for the time being, shut down the Four Seasons resort. No matter, with the ancient volcano to the east, and the ocean to the west, it is simply perfect.

I plan to spend one more day here then head to Statia to deal with some unfinished business. There is an extinct volcano there that needs to be hiked.

Nevis it is

2009-03-15T10:17:00.000-07:00

Leaving for Nevis at first light tomorrow. The weather looks good for a great downwind romp with two and a half meter following seas. Despite all my earlier plans, this will be the first trip of any distance that I have done on my own.

Travel plans

2009-03-11T08:45:00.000-07:00

Checked the latest forecast on Windguru.com and it says northeast wind and swells for at least the next five days. Once again, plans may be foiled by weather. There is no safe anchorage in Montserrat in swells from any direction that starts with north. I'll be checking it every day but unless something changes Montserrat may be out of the picture, just like Barbuda was. Oh well, just another reason to come back. If I don't get there it will be off to Nevis on Sunday. Stay tuned.

Heineken Regatta

2009-03-10T11:58:00.000-07:00

The Heineken Regatta was a very last second decision. When I packed up a spare pair of shorts and a clean t-shirt I did not think to take my camera, so sorry, no pics. I left Antigua not sure if I had a boat to sail on or a place to stay so I was really not sure what to expect. Sadly I arrived on Friday afternoon to find that Sandy, Mark, Max et al had been involved in a collision and were out of the regatta.

The weather was very unusual with 20 to 30 knots out of the north. I spent 2 months in St. Maarten and never saw wind straight from the north. There were two dismastings on the first day and at least one more on the second.

Max and I met and english guy named Steve on the dock on Friday morning looking for crew. We weren't looking for a boat to sail on a that time but the opportunity came up and who am I to say no to something fun. Three minutes later we were in a tender heading to his chartered Sunsail 39. Tubby little boat with not much keep. We were DFL on the first day, partly because the course was not clear and we sailed an extra couple of miles to a windward mark we did not have to round. Middle of the fleet on the last day.

The hightlight of the regatta was being on the beach Sunday night watching the Wailers (yes those Wailers) play until two in the morning and playing in the surf.

Many thanks to Tamara of Ric's for giving up some space on her couch.

Changes and more changes

2009-03-09T14:00:00.000-07:00

The plans to sail to Montserrat at the end of February got interupted by some good old fashioned fun. I rescheduled everything for last Thursday. Then I got the weather forecast. Friday, Saturday, and Sunday showed winds from the north with speeds as much at 22 knots and swells from the north as high at 4 metres. Sadly Montserrat, Nevis, and Statia have no really decent anchorages and none at all when the swell rolls from the north. So, rather than hang out in Antigua by myself, I took a cab to the airport, jumped on a plane, and flew to St. Maarten to see Max again and race in the Heineken Regatta. Ended up sailing on a 39 foot charter boat with a crew from pretty much every corner of the world. Very fun.

On to Montserrat

2009-02-27T10:10:00.000-08:00

The boat is back in Jolly Harbour once again and I am alone. I have a couple of small jobs to get done (and a few more Wadadlis to drink), then I'll pick up some groceries and head to Montserrat. It's about a 20 mile sail. When there is no haze, you can see the island and it's three mountains from here. Montserrat still has an active volcano so there should be some cool pictures in a week or so.

Cartwheels and green flashes

2009-02-27T10:06:00.000-08:00

After three days of bars and sights we left English Harbour. We had a great sail along the south coast, inside the reef, and up the west coast of the island. The plan was to overnight back in Deep Bay and then head for Barbuda (second attempt). But just like before, that night at anchor, the wind build and swung north.

Instead of Barbuda we decided to stay put. Around noon we decided to visit the next beach over and check out the bar a the Galley Bay resort. There was a bit of swell rolling into Galley Bay but it didn't look too bad on the beach. Wrong. When we were only 20 feet off the beach I looked behind to make sure I had timed the surf right and the wave I was expecting to be a gentle swell had built in size and was cresting. Being down low in the Zodiac it looked about six feet high but was probably only three or four, however it was big enough to pick us and the Zod up and cartwheel us, literally, onto the beach...right in front of a restaurant full with the resort's lunch crowd. Great laughs as we gathered all of our stuff and headed down the beach.

Oh, and that night I saw my first green flash of the trip. I'm told that some people spent their lives down here and never see one. Very cool. It's a phenomena with the light rays that only lasts a second, just as the sun sets. You see a green flash (more like a bright glow than a flash) just after the sun disappears below the sea.

English Harbour

2009-02-24T07:30:00.000-08:00

Since the conditions did not allow for Barbuda we sailed south and around the corner to English Harbour. I only spent 26 hours there before and did not sleep the night before so I didn't see much. It is a natural harbour used by the english in the 1700s. Now it is a historic site called Nelson's Dockyard. The harbour itself is very busy this year for some reason. All of these boats are at anchor. Vagrant is in there somewhere.

The other day we took a hike, starting at the fort above English Harbour going over the mountain to the south. This is the fort.

Lots of cool plants and trees along the way. These cacti were huge. The only animals we saw were lizards, goats, and a few birds.

The view from the top was kind of cool too.

And at the end, we found a beach. This is Pigeon Beach. Sadly for us the beach bar was closed when we got there.

Back in English Harbour

2009-02-19T10:57:00.000-08:00

Looks like the plans to visit Barbuda are on hold for a while. Two nights ago the wind went north and is just now starting so shift. That means northerly swells for the next couple of days. There are no good anchorages in Barbuda in either a northerly breeze or swell. The boat is back in English Harbour right now. I was only here for 24 hours before I flew home a couple of weeks ago so now I have a chance to look around and see what is here.

Some nice boats in port. St. Maarten is big power boats, English and Falmouth Harbours are all about sailboats. Maltese Falcon is here plus a bunch that are much larger. Hope to have some pictures soon.

Tale of two bays

2009-02-17T13:27:00.000-08:00

After a couple of days in Jolly Harbour it was time to move on. First stop was Deep Bay. About a one hour sail. I know, not ambitious at all but a nice change from the big full service marina we were staying in.

Deep bay is a small harbour that we shared with 11 other boats. At one end of the half mile beach is the Royal Antiguan hotel.

The other end is a high hill (where the beach picture was taken) with the ruins of an old fort. Tough climb up. The trip down was a lot easier after we found the path. Mike and Stuart will be able to relate to this from our St. Pierre experience.

This morning was another arduous sail. About 90 minutes in 5 knots of wind to the next bay. This one is Dickenson. The complete oppostite to Deep. In the middle is a Sandals resort and at each end are beach bars, watersport rentals, and lots and lots of people.

Tomorrow we head out early to Barbuda. Very off the beaten trail. I should have lots to write about from there.

Bandwidth at last

2009-02-17T13:25:00.000-08:00

Presidente, the Caribbean beer.

Presidente

2009-02-14T12:58:00.001-08:00

I don't seem to have the bandwidth here to load pictures. Too bad because I had a great one of a Presidente. Oh yeah, Jolly Harbour, Antigua was in the background. Maybe tomorrow. Yep, back in the Caribbean. Left YHZ at 0800 on the 12th, arrived at the airport here at 1900 and at the marina around 2000. Good to be back in the warm air.

Almost forgot, happy Valentines Day.

Crew wanted

2009-02-11T12:44:00.000-08:00

As much as I hate to think about it already, it is time to start working on getting the boat back home in May. To do that, I am going to need crew. The plan is to have the boat in the BVIs for the last three weeks of April travelling from island to island, checking out the beaches and the beach bars. In the first week of May we sail for Bermuda. After four or five days there for sightseeing, restocking, and R&R, we sail for Halifax. That would be sometime around the 18th, weather dependent, with plans to arrive back at DYC around May 24.

I am looking for a couple of people to do either or both legs of the trip. Anybody meeting the boat in BVIs would be welcome to come down a week or so early and enjoy the sunshine and rum.

Catching up

2009-02-06T09:42:00.000-08:00

I finally have access to time, computer, internet, and camera all at once. If you are checking in for the first time in a while, go make some popcorn, scroll down to the "January 29, leaving St. Maarten" entry and enjoy. In the meantime I am back in Halifax enjoying the weather where it is about 35 degrees (celcius) colder than it was 36 hours ago.

Off to Antigua

2009-02-06T09:38:00.001-08:00

We planned to leave early on Monday. But before we could go I needed to settle up with the marina and check out at customs. The crusing guide says customs opens at 0600. When I showed up at 0720 I was told that nobody would be there until 0800. Such is life down here. The dockmaster arrived early and I paid him, then went back to customs. At 0830 we were free to go. Just as we were preparing to slip the lines an english guy with red hair and a beard showed up on the dock asking if we were heading to Antigua and if so, could he catch a lift. He is travelling around the world trying to visit every country in a single year to raise money and awareness for the lack of available drinking water worldwide. He is also doing a documentary on his travels. More about his quest at www.theodysseyexpedition.com. We took him on a crew and set off.

Antigua is about 40 miles from Basseterre but first you have to travel down the west coast of St. Kitts to the Narrows, then northeast for another 6 miles before you can head southeast. This makes the trip more like 60 miles. All of it upwind. We cleared the narrows just before noon and set out on a lively romp in 20 knot winds and 1 to 2 metre seas. With the third reef and a partially furled jib we were making 6 knots. It was a wet, lumpy, sunny, wonderful sail. I saw the best sunset of the trip later in the day. At 0300 we were outside English Harbour but the moon had set and there was not enough light to navigate the reef and the dozens of boats at anchor so we stayed off until sunrise.

Just as it was getting light we were hit by a wicked squall. 30 knots of wind and heavy, heavy rain. It only lasted 15 minutes and when it was done we had the most specatular rainbow I have ever seen. You could see both ends and it had a high sharp arc, not like what you normally see.

Gotta move

2009-02-06T09:37:00.000-08:00

Time is running out. I need to get to Guadeloupe to catch my flight home on Thursday. The plan now is to head to Antigua and I will leave the boat with Jim and Freda and catch a local flight to Pointe a Pitre to make my connection to Halifax.

St. Kitts

2009-02-06T09:36:00.000-08:00

After Statia, the next stop was St. Kitts. It was supposed to be Nevis but the wind was on the nose and progress was slow. I will see Nevis on the way back north. Basseterre is the capital at the southern end of the island and we decided to get a marina slip there in order to top up the water tanks and charge the batteries. This is the first time Vagrant has been tied alongside since Road Town in the BVIs in November.

Saturday arrival in St. Kitts means that unless there is a cruise ship at the dock (just missed it), you have to go all the way to the airport to get passports stamped. Customs and port authority can be dealt with in one building, but not immigration. Saturday arrival also means that the next day is Sunday and absolutely nothing happens in Basseterre on Sunday. The town is completely and totally shut and empty. I spent the day doing some long neglected boat chores while Jim and Freda went exploriing. Met a boat called Spirited Lady at customs. I hope to cross paths with them again as I think there is an interesting story there.

Statia

2009-02-06T09:33:00.000-08:00

We arrived in Statia (St. Eustatius properly) at 3:30 in the afternoon and anchored below the town and the volcano that formed the island. Customs and immigration was the easiest it has been to date and I was back at the boat, all cleared in and out before 4:30. I like this place.

Statia was a huge Dutch trading centre in the 1700s. It was a free port so any country could do business here. That meant that even in times of war, conflicting nations could carry on trade in Statia. I read one stat that said in a particular year Statia produced 600,000 tons of sugar but exported 20,000,000 tons.

That all came to a halt in 1776 when a American flagged vessel sailed into port and received a 9 gun saluted (perhaps by accident) from the governor, thus making Statia the first country to recognize the newly created United States of America. Lots of plaques around the town boasting of this. This of course didn't sit well with the British who started taxing goods from Statia. The French followed suit and Statia's status as a trading nation ended. Now it is one large marine reserve and an internation scuba diving destination. The park extends to the 30 metre depth contour all the way around the island. I will be back here before I head home.

Daily squalls

2009-02-06T09:29:00.000-08:00

Almost every day in the Caribbean it rains. It only rains for 10 or 15 minutes at a time as a squall passes through and then it is clear and sunny again. Sometimes it is a light rain and sometimes a downpour. On the way to Statia we got caught in one of those squalls. The wind went light and the clouds moved in. Then the wind picked up and the rain started. Since it was 27 degrees Jim decided the best way to deal with it was strip down to his bathing suit and keep on driving.

January 29, leaving St. Maarten

2009-02-06T09:18:00.001-08:00

Today Vagrant finally left St. Maarten. I think we arrived here on the 23rd of November. Met a lot of great people and have had a lot of fun, but it feels good to be finally moving on. Next stop, Statia.

This is a typical morning exodus from Simpson's Bay Lagoon. We were in line with a catamaran, a sport fishing boat, four medium sized (60 to 100 feet), and one mega yacht.

When the bridge opens everyone files out into the bay and heads off in their own direction. Our heading was about 150 magnetic. It turned out to be a close reach so we rolled out the jib and off we went.

Been travelling

2009-02-03T07:18:00.000-08:00

Currently in Antigua after short visits to Statia and St. Kitts. Will post more in a day or two when my camera, computer, and internet connection are all in one place. In the meantime I have to find out what is going on in Guadeloupe right now and find out if I can still fly through there later this week. Yikes.

Finally mobile

2009-01-28T13:21:00.001-08:00

The transmission arrived on Monday and we installed it that afternoon. It didn't work. Yesterday morning I got to messing about with it and suddenly I had both forward and reverse gears. How cool is that.

The plan now is to leave at 0900 tomorrow for Statia. If you are following along on a calendar at home, you know that I will miss my 1700hrs flight out of Guadeloupe tomorrow. I have rebooked for February 5. That means I have to cram 3 weeks of visits into 6 days when I finally get to Halifax. After checking the Environment Canada website, that may not be such a bad thing.

Safe arrivals

2009-01-23T11:30:00.000-08:00

Jim and Freda arrived here in St. Maarten on Tuesday evening. Not their original plan, but they are not shovelling snow. Yesterday we borrowed a car and did a tour (circumnavigation) of the island.

Today my repaired transmission arrived in Boston. The plan is to get it out of there and on the way to me by Fedex today. That means it will likely be installed on Monday and we will leave for Antigua on Tuesday afternoon. It's about 90 miles so it will be an overnight trip. Wasn't planning on one of those for quite a while. That will put us in Antigua on Wednesday and I fly home from Guadaloupe on Thursday evening. Thank you Uncle Visa. I think Jim is happy to be spending two weeks in Antigua and I can sort everything else out when I get back in late February.

More adventure?

2009-01-16T12:26:00.000-08:00

If you have been following the Vendee Globe, you will know that Derek Hatfield on Spirit of Canada was knocked down in a storm and and broke two spreaders. He is out of the race. That is the boat that I helped sail from France to Canada this past spring. The boat is in Hobart right now with the mast out and repairs are being undertaken. Here is the big part.....I have been asked to crew the boat from Australia back to Canada. How cool is that? Trying now to figure out if I can do it. Rounding Cape Horn has been on my list of things to do in life for a long time.

Waiting, waiting, waiting

2009-01-16T12:24:00.000-08:00

Yep, still in St. Maarten. The latest is my transmission was to be shipped from ZF in Florida to Foley in Boston on Tuesday. ZF will not ship directly to me, nor will they ship via air to Boston. That means I could have the gearbox as early as Monday. Foley will ship via air. I have changed my travel plans and am not flying home on the 22nd but waiting until the 29th.

Jim and Freda arrive in Antigua on the 20th, I think that is next Tuesday. I have suggested that they come straight here and we will head further south later in the week once the boat is fixed.

In the meantime, I will be racing again this weekend on the 50 footer that I sailed on in December. As always, it will be good to get out on the water.

Sandy Island

2009-01-11T11:22:00.000-08:00

This week I made it to Anguilla. Ian, the owner of the first boat that I raced on runs a day charter business here. I bumped into him at the yacht club bar the other night and he asked me if I could help him out with a trip. Of course I said yes. No way I was going to pass on a day of sailing and free lunch.

We left St. Maarten and sailed around the north side of Anguilla to this place.

It's called Sandy Island. It is about 100 yards long and 30 yards wide and is a mile and a half off shore. There is a reef around it and a few mooring balls. We grabbed a mooring and I took the guests ashore in the tender. In the middle is a thatched roof beach bar. When we first arrived we were the only people there. Very cool. That's what I came down here for.

After lunch on the boat we sailed to the south of Anguilla and picked up a mooring at Cap Juluca. Cap Juluca has been voted best resort in the Caribbean at least once. Room rates start at $1000.00 per night and the villas go for up to $10,000.00 nightly. We just drove the tender up on the beach and jumped out.

All is quiet on.....

2009-01-03T12:58:00.000-08:00

Okay, first the race. The fast 25 footer turned out to be an Open 750. 7.5 metres of carbon fiber fun. It is really a scaled down Open 60 with a massive sail plan and a retractable articulating sprit for the kite. Here is a link to their site if you want to check it out.

http://www.finot.com/bateaux/batproduction/amco/open7_5/750openanglais.htm

And here are a couple of pictures I stole from it. Picture a 25 foot Climax with twin rudders, a masthead kite and a fat head main.

The day went something like this. Get to bed on New Years Eve around 0200. Set alarm for 0530. Get up, pack gear, tender ashore and get picked up at the yacht club here at 0615. Drive to Philipsburg, meet the crew, rig the boat and sail to St. Barth's. Got there around 1100. Race start at 1200 and we sailed around the island. Upwind we were faster than some pretty big boats (think Swan 80). Close reaching they passed us again but down wind, despite the number of gybes we did, will stayed with them. Finished the race at 1400 and cracked some champagne. Sailed back to St. Maarten and had the boat put away by 1730.

New Years Eve itself was pretty quiet. Had drinks with Kevin and Renee at a beach bar and then went for Chinese food. Quick watch of the fireworks at midnight and the off to bed.

New Years Day was another beach day. Had lunch at the Sunset Bar and Grill again at Maho Bay. This time I managed to catch a picture of a plane landing. There is literally ocean, beach, road, runway.

This is Mullet Bay beach. This is where I spent the rest of the day. It is the nicest beach on this side of the island. Oh yeah, very sorry to hear about the latest blizzard.

New Years here too

2008-12-30T09:47:00.000-08:00

Nothing new to report on the transmission. Still at ZF in Fort Lauderdale being fixed under warranty by the manufacturer. The days here seem to roll into one another and sometimes they are hard to keep track of. On both Christmas Eve and Boxing Day I was out on the town with friends here. Christmas itself was a pretty laid back day of reading and eating on the boat with a beach walk and a short stop at the "orphan's" party thrown in.

The new plan, once I can leave is to sail from here to Statia, then to Monserrat, on to Nevis, and finally to Guadaloupe. Each passage is under 35 miles so each can easily be done in a day and that will leave time to have a look around each place.

Today I finished troubleshooting the wind instruments. The problem is definately the masthead transducer. I have a new one but I will need a hand to install it. If not before, I will get it done during the Heineken Regatta. Thanks to Alfred at Budget Marine for making it simpler to solve.

Tomorrow is New Years Eve. I am racing on a 25 footer called Panic Attack. I am told it is a very very fast 25 footer. I get picked up here at the yacht club at 0600 and we drive to Philipsburg to pick up the boat. We then sail to St. Barth's to race. I think it is a round the island race. Afterwards we sail back to St. Maarten. I am told we should be back here by 1530 or so. We'll see. Little River Band is playing here on the island tomorrow night at the big party but I think I'll be too tired to go. I do have a ticket to see the Gypsy Kings on Jan 3 in a very small venue. Should be awesome.

Sorry for no new pictures but I really haven't seen that much new stuff. Once I get sailing again I will start posting more.

Merry Christmas

2008-12-22T09:33:00.001-08:00

I finally got to see Marigot on the french side. Took a drive around on Friday for lunch and then went to the beach for a while. It's only take 4 weeks to make that 20 or 30 minute trip. Island time is for real.

Yesterday I got out racing on a 50 footer. That was pretty cool. It gave me a good idea of what the Heineken Regatta will be like. Vagrant may need a reef for some of the upwind portions. Afterwards it was off to the St. Maarten Yacht Club for their Christmas party.

I hope you all have a very Merry Christmas and a fabulous New Years.

Only in the Caribbean

2008-12-17T08:35:00.001-08:00

Yesterday around 11:30 the power went out over most of the Dutch side of St. Maarten. By 4:00pm, only businesses with generators had power. The reason? We ran out of gas. Really, the power company GEBE literally ran out of fuel to run their generating station. Not only did they run out of fuel but on Saturday, they announced that they would be running out of fuel.

I am quite proud to inform everyone that during the blackout I was personally responsible for allowing the bar at the St. Maarten Yacht Club to remain open. Out of the 2 staff working and 15 customers enjoying cocktails as darkness fell, I was the only one who happened to be carrying a flashlight in his pocket (for travelling after dark in the Zodiac). With my little light, Omar was able to keep serving.

Disaster strikes again!

2008-12-12T10:58:00.001-08:00

Three days ago Vagrant encountered yet another setback, this one the worst to date. While washing up the breakfast dishes I found that the filter on the french press was broken. Having mechanical problems and no way to leave here is bearable but not being able to make coffee in the morning is simply unacceptable. I spent two days gluing the various pieces back together with epoxy, fixing the cracks, letting it set, attaching pieces together, letting it set, etc.

Yesterday I made a morning cup and all seemed good again. Then it was dishes time again. Much to my dismay, plastic, epoxy, and hot coffee do not mix well. Time for a more direct attack. I poked a couple of holes in the screen and wrapped it tight with stainless wire. Success again, coffee this morning, although a bit gritty. Sadly, after breakfast the damage was worse and I have declared the french press a lost cause. Dear Santa...

Simpson's Bay Lagoon

2008-12-12T10:26:00.000-08:00

St. Maarten and Simpson's Bay is probably, along with Antigua, the mega yacht capital of the Caribbean. Every year boats that spend the summer season in the Mediteranean start arriving here in mid to late November. Simpson's Bay Lagoon is 12 square miles of landlocked water accessible by passing through a narrow channel and under a drawbridge that opens three time per day for outbound and three times per day for incoming traffic. In the lagoon there are three marinas that can accommodate these boats, most of them in the 35 to 50 metre range. Everyone tells me the number of boats arriving this season is down but there have to be 35 to 40 here now with more arriving each day and the amount of cash I can see floating at the docks is nuts. Earlier this week Maltese Falcon (if you don't know it, Google it) spent two nights at anchor in the bay outside the bridge.

This picture is from the ocean side of the bridge. The building to the right is the St. Maarten
yacht club. Happy hour at the club is from 4 until 6:30 and the locals seem to all stop in on their way home to watch the parade of boats at the 5:30 bridge opening. Yesterday there were three sailboats and one big motor yacht.

This is a boat coming through the bridge. If I get a chance I'll try to get some beter pictures of a bridge opening.

2008-12-08T11:45:00.000-08:00

Not much new to tell you about. Still waiting for parts from the states. The lastest word is that it is a manufacturers defect and therefore will likely be fixed for free. They want a bit more time to investigate. In the meantime a lot of other boat jobs have been finished. The new vented loop is installed in the head, I have the leach line on the jib fixed, the replacement for the broken furler part has arrivedalthough it is not yet installed and I am going to continue on with the jury rig until I have somehelp to take down and rehoist the jib. I discovered a problem with one of the cabin top winches that was causing trouble with the hoisting of the main so that is apart at the moment. One of the pins inside is bent and I am hoping FKG will have one in stock as they are the local Lewmar dealer.

I keep meeting people here. This weekend past I spent Saturday and Saturday evening with the captain and stewardess from S/Y Unplugged, a 35 metre sloop just arrived from the Med. Met them through someone else I know here. They are here to pick up a charter for Christmas. The general consensus around here is a slow season. A sign of the economic times I guess. We spent the afternoon at the Sunset Bar and Grill enjoying strawberry daquiris and watching planes land.

I have pretty much made up my mind to stay here for the holidays. Especially since it will be another week at least before I have a working transmission. Going to call a marina to see if I can get a slip for a few weeks once that is sorted out. Early in the year I will head down island to meet Jim and Freda and catch my flight home. Looking forward to seeing a lot of you in January. Not looking forward to Nova Scotia January weather though. Did I mention that it is 85 and sunny here every day?

Sunset Bar and Grill

2008-11-30T07:58:00.000-08:00

Yesterday I went to Maho Bay and the Sunset Bar and Grill to check out the beach. Maho Bay sits right at the end of the airport runway. People go there to watch planes land and take off as well as to play in the surf, as the planes come in low over the water, over the beach, and touch down a couple of hundred yards away.

If you get a chance, go to YouTube and search Juliana Airport. There are some good videos there of the planes landing.

The surfboard shows all of the incoming flights and their arrival times so people can make sure they are in place with their cameras.

Sadly the Sunset Bar and Grill was extensively damaged by Hurricane Omar in late October. It is still open for business and they are working to rebuild.

Since the wind always blows from the same direction here, the planes always land from the sea. This means they have to taxi back to the beach and turn around in order to take off. When the big ones take off, you can hang on the fence and be lifted off your feet.

The scream off the runway, over the lagoon where Vagrant is anchored, climbing and banking hard to clear the mountains. Pretty impressive. I'll try to get a picture sometime.

Sint Maarten images

2008-11-30T07:46:00.000-08:00

I have been a bit busy since the guys left. I didn't want to post anything about it until I was certain that it is going to take a while to fix, but I am having a small mechanical problem with the boat. Looks like I am going to be here for a couple of weeks while I wait for parts from the U.S.

On the upside, there are a lot worse places I could be. This is pretty close to paradise. The boat is currently at anchor in Simpson's Bay Lagoon. I had to give up a mooring that we snagged when the owners showed up. I am anchored with 80 fee of chain and an extra 40 feet of rope rode out in about 20 feet of water so I don't think I am going too far.

My current shoreside hangout is a place called Ric's Place. Anyone who knows me well will appreciate that. The owner Tamara is awesome and I have met lots of locals here.

The people here for the most part are great. Everyone is willing to help out. On Friday while I was motoring to shore the outboard on the Zod quit. Could not get it started. So, I started to row. Broke an oarlock. I made it to shore and fixed the oarlock, did what I had to do and rowed back out to the boat. After a few calls I started to row to Budget Marine to talk to their outboard technician. I had to row past a boat that I had been told was owned by Pete, someone who might be a good resource if I needed anything. He was working on his deck so I stopped to chat. Not only did he recommend a mechanic, but he called him, towed me there, and then loaned me this boat until my own was fixed.

How cool is that. In the end it turned out to be water in the fuel. It cost me a total of $20.00 and a case of Presidente to fix.

Life in the Caribbean

2008-11-26T08:26:00.000-08:00

Yesterday was a typical day down here.

- Get up around 9:00 and make plans for the day
- Go ashore to Ric's Place to use the internet at my new favorite bar
- Back to the boat to find out the anchor has pulled out and we are dragging
- Haul in the anchor, more the boat and reset
- Make a quick lunch and revise the plans for the day
- Notice we are dragging anchor again so grab a mooring ball
- Spend 90 minutes trying to find out who owns the mooring.
- Can't find owner so decide to stay
- Revise plans again over a beer
- Decide at 4:00 that nothing is going to get done and hop a cab to Philipsburg to sit on the boardwalk and watch the sun set over the bay.
- Cab back to Ric's for cocktails
- Back to the boat for nightcap

Jim and Sandy just left so maybe I'll be able to get a few of my boat projects started before it is time to move on.

St. Maarten

2008-11-24T10:55:00.000-08:00

What day is this. I have totally lost track of time down here. We left Virgin Gorda on Sunday afternoon for the overnight run to St. Maarten. Arrived Monday (yesterday?) morning in time for the 0930 bridge opening into Simpson Bay Lagoon. As always, it was a lumpy crossing with 8 foot NW swell and a 20 know NE wind kicking up some counter chop. After a few arrival beers we went ashore to check things out. Made happy hour at the Sint Maarten Yacht Club and then out for dinner then back to the boat for a couple of nightcaps. See a theme in this trip yet?

One more thing to add to the damage list. We thought we burned out the masthead tri-light but when Jim and Sandy ground me up the mast on Sunday we found that the light was just gone. Found replacement here at Budget Marine; now I just have to go up the mast again.

Looks like we are moving into a marina for a couple of nights so we don't burn up so much time running around in the Zodiac for the boys last two nights in town. That will give me a chance to top up the batteries and water tanks too.

Haven't taken any pictures here yet, but as soon as I do, they'll get posted.

Life in the BVIs

2008-11-21T13:55:00.000-08:00

Okay, so I can't tell you everything about life in the BVIs because my mom may get a chance to read this and I don't want her to know what a bad influence my friends are and how much rum we have put away.

After arriving in Great Harbour we had supper and some arrival cocktails. Next day ashore had lunch at Foxy's. The man himself was in attendance and we had a great chat. Interesting program going on with the BVI preservation society (google it if you get a chance)

Next day (groggy) Jim and I did some boat work, mostly cleanup, while the other two headed over to the Soggy Dollar Bar in the next bay. That is where we bumped into Julie and Adam (earlier post). Next day was spent ashore there drinking painkillers until three in the afternoon. Next stop, Soper's hole for the night and beers at Pussers. Soper's is where I took the furler apart and patched it up enough until I can track down some proper parts. Um, I think that takes us to Wednesday. Junior flew home that morning and we took the boat to Roadtown to charge the batteries fully, take on water, have showers, etc.

Yesterday was a great sailing day. About 5 hours up to Virgin Gorda and Great Sound, home of the Bitter End Yacht Club. Below is a picture of the entrance to the sound. Looks imposing but not a real risk as long as it is daylight and below that is the club itself.

Looks like tomorrow we head for St. Martin. We had planned a stop at Anegada but a weather system off the U.S. coast had forecasted swells of over 10 feet and Anegada doesn't really have any good anchorages. It is going to have to wait until the spring.

6:15 now. Sitting at the bar with a dark and stormy in hand. Air temp is around 25. Have heard from a couple of people about the great weather in Halifax right now. Have fun.

Damage report

2008-11-21T07:21:00.000-08:00

So what broke along the way? From Halifax to Bermuda we were relatively damage free. The only thing that broke was one small cleat. Sadly for Stuart it was the cleat attaching his lee cloth to the bulkhead and it resulted in him doing a ninety degree midair flip and ending up on the cabin floor.

From Bermuda to BVIs we had a bit more damage but still nothing serious. Three days out Junior blocked up the head and there was nothing we could do to fix it, it had to come apart. Sandy and Jim worked for a couple of hours until Jim was feeling ill and Sandy had to lie down. I took over and with Sandy's assistance and the occasional rush to the cockpit for a gulp of fresh air to try and keep breakfast down, we found the block and had a functioning head again. Beer time.

A couple of nights later the furling line parted from the drum, rolling out the entire jib, downwind in about 25 knots. Three guys on the foredeck and thirty minutes later we were off and running again with the jib lashed down and the storm jib and number 2 reef pulling along at 8 knots.

Looking back, not all bad for a 1600 mile trip. Note: The boat GPS shows Thrumcap shoal at 1587 nautical miles from here. And with a forecast of 15cm of snow in Halifax tomorrow, life is pretty sweet.

To the BVIs

2008-11-21T07:14:00.000-08:00

Late afternoon on Sunday the 9th we left Bermuda for the BVIs. The first night had light winds from the south so we motored for 5 or 6 hours to start. Then we had 5 days of great sailing. The last day was a bit lumpy but Sandy finally sighted land shortly after three.

By 6:30 we were at anchor in Great Harbour, home of Foxy's. The ship's log says we were about six days and three hours from Bermuda.

Dockyard

2008-11-21T07:07:00.000-08:00

I think I posted earlier that we were delayed in Bermuda by Hurricane Paloma which was spinning around Cuba. It looked like it was going to break up, but if it reformed and spun out into the Atlantic it would have been right in our path so we decided to wait an extra day to see what was going to happen.

We took advantage of the extra day to visit Dockyard. That's where the picture of Neptune and the crew was taken. Dockyard was a massive fortification built by the British to defend Bermuda. It exists today as a museum, market, and tourist attraction. To get there from St. George, we took a bus to Hamilton and then a ferry.

Some crew photos

2008-11-21T06:54:00.000-08:00

As promised, here are pictures of the Vagrant crew, as of late nicknamed Smelly Pirate Hookers by a girl named Julie that we met with her boyfriend Adam at a beach bar a week ago.

Left to right are me, Jim, Stuart, and Rob just before we left DYC on the 30th of October.

This is your truly a day or so out of Halifax. I know it was early because I am wearing my winter hat rather than my ball cap.

And this is the leg two crew in Bermuda. Stuart flew home and Sandy joined us there. Sandy is the guy on the left.

The big guy in the middle is Neptune. This is a stone reproduction of the figurehead from HMS Irresistable (the English had pretty cool names for their warships).

Pictures and stories tomorrow, I promise

2008-11-20T17:37:00.000-08:00

We are currently on a mooring in front of the Bitter End Yacht Club in Virgin Gorda. After two days I have been able to transfer a handful of pictures to my computer but I still can't upload them while we are away from the dock. It seems that internet access will be more of a problem than I first thought down here.

Rob left yesterday for Halifax. Jim and Sandy are set to leave on Wednesday of next week. We did have plans to visit Anegada tomorrow but looks like the weather may keep us here for an extra day or two. That means it will likely be straight to St. Martin.

Sun and Painkillers

2008-11-18T11:37:00.000-08:00

Quick update today. Tonight I'll sort out some photos and post some stories of the trip from Bermuda but we arrived in Jost Van Dyke on Saturday at 1800 hours. That's 6 days and a couple of hours. Spent Sunday sorting out the boat, Monday drinking Painkillers at the Soggy Dollar and are now in Soper's Hole.

But first some introductions

2008-11-09T07:49:00.000-08:00

A couple have people have asked for introductions to the crew. On the Bermuda leg we had me, Jim MacDonald, Stuart Lane, and Rob Belliveau. Stuart flew home last Friday and a couple days before Sandy MacDonald joined us for the next part of the Flying Vagrant Circus. I have some pictures to post but I am in a cafe and cannot upload. Need to find a free wireless connection somewhere.

Palmona weakens, looks good for us

2008-11-09T07:48:00.000-08:00

We just checked the latest forecasts and models and things look good for us to go. We need to discuss, it may be today or tomorrow at first light. The next post I make will likely be from the BVIs.

Paloma

2008-11-08T06:40:00.000-08:00

Looks like another day in Bermuda. Hurricane Paloma is forecast to break up over Cuba over the next day or so. We are going to give it another 24 hours and see what's what before we head out. Last thing I need is that to intensify again and move into our path.

Bermuda

2008-11-07T05:47:00.000-08:00

Sitting in Bermuda enjoying the local flavour. Seems Gosling is the local flavour. Also seems like you can't have just one...or two.

The trip down was pretty good. Day one was nasty though. After five days of strong SE winds, the sea was a bit of a mess off Halifax and it took a full day for it to settle down with the new wind. The rest was awesome. Great sailing, great weather. Oddly not much sea life though.

Right now the boat is tied up at the customs dock next to Delawana, also from Halifax. They are leaving later today as it looks like Hurricane Paloma will not be an issue this far out into the Atlantic.

Our plan at the moment is to leave tomorrow for Jost Van Dyke in the BVIs. We still need to fuel and provision and we want to give Paloma one more day to move on before we head out.

St. George's is a pretty cool place. It is where all visiting boats must go to clear customs so there are lots of sailors here and because of that, lots of stories, and again, Goslings.

The day after we arrived we made a run into Hamilton and slid into the Royal Bermuda Yacht Club for a beer.

Tied up on their main dock was Virgin Money/Speedboat. It is frigging huge. If you don't know the boat, google Speedboat and sailing. Standing on the dock there was no way I could a get a picture of the whole thing. Each winch on the boat is worth more than Vagrant. Too bad the speed record attempt ended so badly for them.

Sun is out today. Looks like a visit to the beach is in order. Haven't seen the sand here yet this trip. It's not like sand anywhere else. It's pink, and made from ground up coral so it is very soft when you walk on it or pick it up. If I remember the camera, I'll try to get some pictures.

5 Days, 5 Hours

2008-11-05T08:40:00.001-08:00

We did it! We arrived in St. George at 1300 yesterday, 5 days and 5 hours after leaving Halifax. More later when I can get to a faster internet connection.

Sunday comes and goes

2008-10-26T14:05:00.001-07:00

Imagine my surprise. Sunday evening and we are still in Halifax. Once again the weather did not cooperate for a timely departure. Looks like it will be Tuesday morning before we get away from 30 knot southerlies and things shift to the west and northwest.

In the meantime, the boat is looking good. The new Doyle Stackpack is installed and looks great (free plug for Nathan), the raft is installed, and the Autohelm is working. If you walk down the dock you will notice a definite list to starboard as the fuel tank is on that side along with the five jerrycans lashed to the deck.

Keep your fingers crossed that the next update will include photos from St. Georges.

One more time

2008-10-19T11:23:00.000-07:00

It's almost a year to the day since the dismasting and the boat is right now in final preparations so I can try this crazy trip again. I have a new mast, new rigging, and lots of new cool stuff. The bottom is done, the fuel tank is full. After a few last minute preparations we leave next Sunday.

Stay tuned. I'll be posting updates and photos whenever I get access to an internet connections.

Oh yeah, just kidding about the preparations; the list of things to do is still huge and I am sure that some of it won't get done before we cast off the lines. I wake up regularly around three in the morning and try to figure out how to cram it all in. Screw it, none of that will matter once I get that first Dark and Stormy in St. Georges.

The Whole Story

2007-11-08T17:17:00.000-08:00

Sorry it has taken so long, but here is the whole story of the trip to "half way" to Bermuda.

We left Halifax at 0730 on Monday October 22. There was no breeze so we motored past Chebucto Head before we were able to raise any sail. By noon the wind filled in and the rest of Monday and and all day Tuesday were great sailing days with a 15 to 20 knot breeze from the SW. We went through a variety of sail combinations to keep the boat comfortable (full main, 1 reef, 2 reefs, main down, and various increments of furled jib).

On both days we had great sunsets and the sunrises on Tuesday and Wednesday were just as spectacular.

On Wednesday morning at 0700 we were at 39 degrees 49.426' north and 61 degrees 25.218' west and 308 miles from Halifax. Not bad, two days of over 150 miles each. Sailing was lumpy as we were in a southerly meander of the Gulf Stream with southwest winds although the winds seldom appeared to exceed 25 knots. Early in the day we saw some significant seas, estimated at 20 feet, but these subsided to 10 foot swells with the occasional oddball wave that would break over the boat and soak anybody in the cockpit by mid morning.

It was that afternoon that the mast came down. It happened very quickly and there was no clear first point of breakage. Both spreaders on the starboard side broke from the mast and the backstay parted. My best guess is that the top spreader went first, then the rest. We were close reaching at the time so everything went aft and over the port side of the boat.

We immediately set to work making the boat safe (I love my bolt cutters). The starboard upper and intermediate shrouds were cut away and dropped over the side. The mast had broken in two places, once at each of the spreaders. The top section was dragging in the water with top of the forestay still attached. The bottom section was still standing and the middle section was hanging down from it, supported by cables and halyards. After the shrouds, the remnants of the backstay was cut away and allowed to sink. Then the pins on the forestay were removed and the forestay, furler, and number two jib slowly sank into 1000 fathoms of water. The top section of the mast was lifted aboard, and while my first instinct was to cut it loose and drop it overboard as well, we were afraid that the middle section would crash to the deck if it was gone so we lashed everything secure and prepared to motor home. A storm jib was hoisted upside down on the stump of the mast and we were soon making 5.5 to 6.0 knots in the southwest breeze.

As soon as the boat was secure we called the Rescue Coordination Centre on the sat phone and advised them we had been dismasted but everyone was ok and we were under engine and heading to Halifax. We said we were not declaring an emergency, just letting them know of our situation in case something else went sideways in a hurry. They requested a call back every four hours with status updates.

At 1700 we were at 39 degrees 13.00' north and 60 degrees 39.08' west. A quick fuel calculation showed we had enough to get within 50 miles or so of Nova Scotia if the conditions stayed the same. We advised RCC of this and did not request assistance at this point. The updated weather forecast they provided said we should expect 15 knot north easterlies for a day and a half. That blew our fuel consumption calculations all to hell. At that point we knew we had nowhere near enough fuel and advised RCC. They were awesome in their support. They made a broadcast of our situation and we had offers of fuel from a car carrier, and LNG carrier, Spirit of Canada (thanks Derek) and finally a vessel named Sea Swift. We chose Sea Swift since it appeared we could rendezvous without them altering course too dramatically.

We made radio contact with Sea Swift at 1800 on Thursday and had them in sight about an hour later. If you have never transferred cans of fuel from a 300 foot tanker in a rolling sea, at night, it is hard to describe. The officers were very professional, but for some of the crew, it was a great adventure. The first thing that happened when we got alongside was the flashing of a dozen cameras as everyone felt the need to take our picture. The crew was Chinese so communication was an issue. They actually thought we might come alongside, even though they were rolling three to four metres side to side in the swell. We convinced them that this was not a good idea and they tossed us a line. On the second try we got a 25 litre barrel of fuel aboard. The first one went away with the line that was tied to it. They then lowered another one. They offered one more but I wanted to get a bit of distance between the two boats so we declined, but not before we sent a bottle of single malt scotch back on their heaving line.

At the same time they were coordinating a fuel transfer, RCC dispatched the Sir William Alexander to meet us in case we ran into further problems. All night Thursday we made poor time motoring into the wind and into the one to two metre seas. At 0500 on Friday we had VHF communication with the Alexander and at 0630 we were alongside. They graciously slowed and put us in their lee to break the wind and the waves.
This is how they looked to us.

This is how we looked to them.

Once we were in calmer conditions we poured one of the cans of fuel from Sea Swift into the tank. Not sure what was actually in that can. It was not diesel in the sense that we are used to seeing. It was dark and smelled more like stove oil. It wasn't long before we were making smoke and we decided not to use the second can. Instead we requested some clean fuel from the Alexander. They sent us down three jerry cans. The transfer was simple, we were getting good at it. In the meantime, burning the first can did a job on the injectors which at this moment are being rebuilt.

Friday and Friday night were great. In the lee of the ship it was sunny and warm during the day and relatively calm at night. We could talk with the crew when they were on the aft deck and on Friday night the moon rose full.

At 0845 on Saturday we were only 55 miles to Thrumcap. It was looking like a 2200 arrival at DYC. We were looking forward to getting home, despite the disappointment, and I was particularly looking forward to arriving after dark. I wanted to sneak in without being seen, get home and shower and sleep, then go back and deal with everything the next day. But it was not to be. At 1240 the engine overheated and we had to shut it down. I know now that the heat exchanger failed but at the time we did not know what had caused it. All we knew was that the coolant was gone. We hoisted our storm sail upside down again and in the new southeast breeze were making four knots.

We advised the Alexander what had happened and rather than watch us sail slowly to Halifax, they called the cutter Sambro to tow us the rest of the way. We appreciated the tow, especially the 13 knot surfs, but down inside, I really would have preferred to arrive under our own power.

Sambro took us to the public dock in Sambro Harbour for the night and then finally on Sunday afternoon, towed us back to the club where we went straight to the service dock and pulled out the remains of the mast. Now, two weeks later, it is in the hands of the insurance company. Hopefully the boat will be fixed in time for spring launch and next October I'll try again.

Many thanks to the staff of the Rescue Coordination Centre, the officers and crews of Sea Swift, Sir William Alexander, and Sambro, and special thanks to Jim, Harvey, and Stuart who stayed positive and in good spirits throughout our great adventure.

Dismasted at Sea

2007-10-29T04:44:00.000-07:00

At approximately 1500 on Wednesday October 24, Vagrant was dismasted at sea somewhere near 350 nautical miles south of Halifax and almost half way to Bermuda. That really sucked. We recovered some of the rig, were forced to cut some of it away, and headed for home. With a bit of help, we arrived in Sambro at 1540 on Saturday. Nobody was hurt, but I am pretty gutted right now. When I have a chance I'll write the whole story. In the meantime, here are some pictures of the damage.

Gale warning in effect

2007-10-20T03:44:00.000-07:00

Forecast:
Gale warning in effect.
Winds southeast 15 to 20 knots increasing to southerly 25 near dawn and to southerly 30 to gales 40 this morning. Winds veering to southwest 25 this afternoon and to southwest 15 to 20 early this evening. Winds increasing to westerly 20 Sunday morning and to northwesterly 25 with gusts to 35 over the approaches in the afternoon. Periods of rain beginning early this morning tapering to scattered showers early this evening.

Looks like we are going to wait a day or so since south is the direction that we want to travel. Pounding into 30 knot headwinds in the driving rain on the first day is a good way to make your crew barf. In the meantime I get a minute to say thanks to everyone who is making this possible. Thanks to Andrew and Alexia for letting me live in their house for the past month, to Doug for selling my crap on e-bay so I can afford to go, to Jim for all his work helping prepare the boat, and to everyone else who has helped out in one way or another. I will toast all of you when we get to Bermuda.

Homeless

2007-10-01T17:43:00.000-07:00

It's done now. I am homeless. I moved out of the apartment on the weekend and in less than three weeks we'll be off on the first leg of the trip, the sail to Bermuda. Many thanks to Andrew and Alexia for letting me stay at their place until everything is ready.

New transmission for Vagrant

2007-09-26T06:43:00.000-07:00

Saturday morning with six weeks to go and I hear a noise from under the cockpit floor. Not a "normal" noise. The following Wednesday I can only get to 1400 rpm in forward while heading to the start line for the weekly race. The transmission is screwed. The options are send it away for rebuild and wait two or three months or buy a new one. A week later the new Hurth HBW-50 is sitting in a box in the cabin. Two days after that it is installed and running. Nice way to kick a couple of grand out of the cruising budget.

2007-09-03T18:34:00.000-07:00

The blog is started the countdown is on. October 20 is the standby date. If the three day Atlantic forecast is good and there are no storms brewing off of Africa we will be on our way.