Mission Accomplished: We Made It!



The sunrises and sunsets are the best!

I can't believe we have actually completed 3,000 miles of sailing in the past seven months! A year ago it seemed like a wild dream of Dennis'. And I was going to "tough up" and participate in this adventure. As it turns out, I really like living on Trillium. Aside from some rough weather, life aboard is good!

Once we finally left Bermuda, we had good weather for the first two days. We also finally got to sail some distance. It was great not to hear the engine. One of the things I love about sailing is the special quietness: just the wind and the water passing by the sails and hull. And the beautiful sky - day and night.

As we headed west, we were joined by schools of dolphins on several occasions. We tried our hand - half heartedly - at fishing. Actually, I was glad we did not catch anything as I was trying to use up the food in the freezer. Last fall I had too much food at the end of the trip, so I worked at improving my provisioning skills on the way home. There were just a couple of meals left at the end of the trip this time. I am so tired of sandwiches - making them, eating them ...

Here it comes!

The weather was not a problem except on two occasions. A huge storm popped up quickly and caused us to go into action quickly to reduce the sails and start the engine. The second time was when we were crossing the Gulf Stream. From a distance you can see the line of weather over the stream. It is quite interesting. Since warm southerly water is meeting cold northerly water, you can expect both turbulence on the water and in the sky in this area.

After the first storm, we lost the wind and had to go back to motoring. I know understand the statistic: for every day of sailing, you spend seven not sailing (motoring, anchoring, at the dock, etc.). This sure turned out to be true on this trip. The return trip was more like a "delivery" rather than a sailing trip. I guess that is what we were doing: delivering Trillium back to the boatyard in the US.

We crossed the Gulf Stream in eight hours of daylight. The only way we could tell we were in it was from the water temperature. It went from 67 degrees to 76 degrees as we moved through it. Then it cooled off again on the other side. The Atlantic Cup Rally had given us a good printout of the stream showing its flow and the eddies. As a result, we charted a course to ride the westerly eddies into the heart of the stream just north of Cape Hatteras. This allowed the stream to carry us north toward the opening to the Chesapeake Bay. I learned a lot of strategy from Gary during this part of the crossing. My job was to navigate using the chart plotter to keep us on the right course. (Once we were at the dock, the Immigration officer complimented us on our boat handling as he was impressed that we made it across the stream in such a short time!)

Navy games make entering the bay a challenge!

 Once across the stream, our next challenge was navigating though heavy vessel traffic approaching the east coast. We saw more vessels than anywhere on the entire trip and even played "dodge 'em" with one freigher in the night. That was an interesting experience that again offered several learning opportunities! When a big one is coming at you, it is not the time to debate whether or not we are on a collision course!

Seeing the bouys marking the entrance to the Chesapeake Bay was a welcoming site! Even from there it is still five hours to the dock in Hampton Roads. The Navy was out in full force with live fire training going on around us. I think they had every kind of vessel and flying machine in their inventory in action! They kept reminding us that we must keep our distance from their vessels - as if I was going to sail right up to them to say "hello!"

Homeward Bound - At Last!

Living at a 15-20 degree angle!

It is finally departure day and we are heading west!  We are leaving on Saturday morning with four other boats going to Virginia. The rest of the fleet is headed to various ports in New England. I will miss our new friends, but plan to reconnect with some next fall in the Caribbean 1500 Rally back to the BVI.

The weather reports are mixed. Some forecasters say little wind (more “driving” in the future) and others suggest strong winds and storms. It will depend on what is in the area in which we will be sailing. I sure hope we don’t have to motor all the way to Hampton! I am tired of hearing the engine.

Sunset through the rain.

As it turns out, all of the weather reports have been correct. We have seen it all: flat water, ten foot swells, 40 knot gusts, driving rain, sunny skies, beautiful sunsets, full moon … It has been a Mother Nature smorgasbord! The crossing of the Gulf Stream will be the biggest weather challenge.

We had several schools of dolphins swim along with us and play in our bow wake. It is fun to watch them as they lunge out of the water in pairs and dive back in like synchronized swimmers. There was a dozen or so each time swimming back and forth under the bow, then running alongside. This went on for 30-40 minutes. I tried to get a photo but could never get them out of the water!

A couple of the nights have been extremely rough. I am physically tired from being rolled back and forth across my bunk. It is also physically exhausting to maintain your balance and posture whether sitting or standing when it is rough. I did not get many bruises this time so I have learned something from the trip south!

We saw a couple of freighters and a cruise ship. Other than that, we had the ocean to ourselves with the dolphins and an occasional stray bird that would come along. We did not have any luck fishing, but then we did not put a lot of effort into it either.

Things To Do - And Not - In Bermuda



I love the bagpipes!



Being tied up here next to the Town Square has given us a good view of tourist entertainment. In addition to the daily dunking of the town shrew (apparently not a wench as I earlier stated) and harassment of the town drunk (a tourist grabbed out of the crowd), there was a musical event one evening. Since I love the bagpipes, it was a real treat to see the performance. However, there was a moment that was not too politically correct!

There were several dignitaries seated in front of a special seating area to watch this performance. Unfortuantely, Gary and I did not see this set up as we tried to cut through to get to the boat. They had the whole street blocked off so we thought we would just cut close to the Town Hall and walk along the shops to get around it all.



Opps! We are in the wrong place!



Wrong! I suddenly realized we were standing dead center behind the Mayor (we think he was the one with the gold braided sash across his chest – unless it was the governor!)  and whoever it was dressed in a fancy uniform. The bagpipers came marching toward the men so we were caught there. Then the marching band came marching in. I wanted to disappear into the bushes, but there weren’t any!

I suggested we sprint on across until I noticed a bench of men in uniform directly in my path! Once both bands were playing, we made a dash back from where we came and tried to blend into the crowd. Since we could not get to the boat, we stood there for over an hour watching the performance. It was well worth it, but I wish we had not become part of it!

Preparing for the Next Leg



Preparing for the big blow!



The big storm never hit Bermuda, but then it wasn’t supposed to. Its fury was in the middle of the path across the Atlantic that would have caused the fleet to ride out a gale (34-47 knots of wind on the Beaufort Scale). It has turned north and east so the boats going to the Chesapeake Bay will leave early Saturday morning. There are only five boats going there; the rest of the fleet is going to various ports in New England. We will be in SSB radio contact with the fleet as we cross. However, I am not sure how clear the channels will be once we all start to go our separate ways.

Gary, Brent and Dennis preparing for the crossing to USA



Dennis arrived back on the boat Thursday evening and brought a new crew member with him. Brent is from Dallas-Fort Worth, Texas. It will be helpful to have another person for the night watch schedule. Friday was spent getting the boat ready for the next leg, checking out with Bermuda Customs and attending the Skippers’ Meeting to get the final weather briefing.

I cleaned the refrigerator and restocked the provisions. Another trip to the grocery store! It seems to average $40 per brown shopping bag – and that is without buying meat or alcoholic beverages. The bread in the bilge locker had started to mold so it was time! to shop.



Dennis flying high!



Dennis had his first trip up the mast in a bosun’s chair. Gary was going to go up to untangle the Atlantic Cup Rally flag, but since we have never experienced this process, I wanted to see how it is done should I need to raise Dennis in the air at a future date. Taking him up is relatively easy. Letting him down gently will be more of a challenge for me – hopefully not for him! I think the electric winch will become his best friend!

Friday night will be the final (one of many) rum tasting parties at the St. George’s Dingy & Sports Club. The local rum suppliers just love it when the sailors get stranded here! It will also be our time to say “until we meet again” to many new friends. The cruising world is relatively small so even though spread across the world people stay connected via email, Skype and blogs. (We need to learn to Skype! Being without a phone has not been fun.) We will miss many of our new friends, but we’ll continue to follow them as they carry on their cruising adventures. We are already looking forward to seeing them in Hampton, VA next October as we prepare for the Caribbean 1500 Rally to Tortola again.

We will have set sail by the time you read this. You can continue to track us on the www.carib1500.com website. It has undergone some changes recently since the World Cruising Club has taken it over and is adding it to their main website. Don’t be surprised when it says World Cruising Club at the top. Just look for Boat Positions and find Trillium at the end of the alphabetical list.

We are planning to be in Virginia on Wednesday. Then two more days up the Chesapeake Bay to Tracy's Landing, MD and we will call it a day! Until then, wish us fair winds. We will see some of you soon. (Can’t wait to get out the golf clubs!)

Moving Again - To Another Dock!

It’s moving day again. We have been hanging on the old cruise liner dock, but just received notice that a “government” ship is coming in so we all have to leave the dock and find a new place to anchor or tie up. Since the ARC Europe group is starting to arrive, there are very few places to tie up. Fortunately for me, the wonderful Atlantic Cup Rally staff is taking care of the details for me. They have been a godsend. I can't thank them enough for all of the caring concern and assistance.

Dunking the Town Wench is a daily tourist event right
next to me! She kept asking me to come and save her.

They have secured a place for me to raft up to two other boats at the Town Dock. This is a great location since it is in a busy area and I am not off somewhere by myself. It is also close to the public restrooms, the grocery store and restaurants. 

The town square is very active and full of tourists and entertainment so it is not as peaceful as other places, but I feel safe here. And the Customs & Immigration dock is next door so there are cameras watching the area. This is the center of the tourist area with a daily program and music right beside my new spot. There is a reenactment of old punishment traditions every day at noon. I just sit on the deck and watch the show! 


You can see we are packed in there.



Rafting up was a new experience! I had to coast into a narrow area, passing boats on either side of me and then pull in front of S/V Mowari and “parallel park” this 48.5’ vessel next to a big beautiful black-hulled Alden. Backing out of here is going to be a nightmare, but we are out of the wind and waves.

I ran the generator again before walking over a mile up the hill to St. George's Dingy and Sports Club for the Skipper's Meeting. At least the Internet is working again so I can connect with Dennis. He just let me know he found a new crew member so we are going to have four of us again. That will make the trip home easier. If we leave on Saturday, Gary will be able to go with us. He has to be home by Wednesday.

Good things do come out of challenging events. The whole Rally community has come together to help each other with repairs, moving, dingy transportation, etc. It has been a great opportunity to get to know the other sailors. I have made new friends and hopefully we will all connect as we sail around the favorite areas for cruisers.



Sherry, Han from Ottawa, Nirit from Israel & Patti from Texas



Last night several of us were invited aboard S/V Magnetic Sky, a 70' Hylas, for a dinner party. It is a beautiful boat with a full time Captain and First Mate (the Captain's wife, who is also a watercolor artist). The owners, Ray and Susan are from Toronto and were gracious hosts.

We all brought an appetizer and Susan prepared a Jamaican fish dish with coconut rice. Then topped it off with the best gingerbread and fresh pineapple. Susan learned the recipe for the fish from her family's longtime Jamaican domestic helper - who is more of a family member than employee.                                                                               

 

Susan & Ray on S/V Magnetic Sky from Toronto



The whole crew of Magnetic Sky has been so helpful to me. From lending me a hand when "walking the plank" at St. George's club to climbing over the giant tires to get on and off the pier, they are always right there to lend a hand. What a super group of people!

Actually, all of these yachtsmen are special. It is a group of people who have stepped out of the box and are doing things about which others only talk! I am priveldged to be part of this! 

The rain is starting to blow in sideways, so it is time to brace ourselves for the brunt of it. The walk back to the boat after the rum tasting party will be rather wet!