Is the dream just a dream?

[Twister_Ken]

Blue water sailing, the Atlantic circuit, the round the world cruise?

Piracy.
Killer mozzies.
Bizarre diseases.
Agressive boat boys.
Bays full of expensive mooring buoys and 'no anchoring' signs.
$5 a rum punch.
Expensive permits and harbour dues.
Marina full signs in the Azores.
Mad bureaucrats not letting us sail without form 357f in triplicate, or a back-up EPIRB.
Being 'visited' in the middle of the night by the USCG hoping for a drug bust.
Panama Canal about to close to yachts.
Boring blokes in pubs boasting about how many ARCS they have done.
Mid-ocean litter.
Iridium phone calls from the office.
Insurance costs an arm and two legs.
Sunsail flotillas left, right and centre.
Rent-a-bunk ocean cruises with a civic reception in every port.

Tell me it's not true.

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<P ID="edit"><FONT SIZE=-1>Edited by Twister_Ken on 15/09/2003 16:52 (server time).</FONT></P>

 

[Roberto]

<<Panama Canal about to close to yachts>>

and Armada de Chile closing Southern Am channels to uninsured yachts, that only leaves the door open to North West passages or Around Alone emulation, must be someone else s dreams I suppose!



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[ParaHandy]

here's some guid nooos fer a' ra wet dreamers http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/3072021.stm

surely EC$5 not US$ for the rum? (It comes by the 5 gal bucket for US$5)

[oops ... EC = Eastern Caribean]

<hr width=100% size=1><P ID="edit"><FONT SIZE=-1>Edited by ParaHandy on 15/09/2003 17:09 (server time).</FONT></P>

 

[jimi]

Is this the life for you?

I quote ...

We've been here a few days now, enough time to catch up on some sleep, effect some minor repairs, fine tune some of the rigging and dry tomatoes. Morag has perfected the art of tomato dehydration, they were cheap in Trinidad so she stocked up and now we're experimenting with tomato ala tomato. In fact "Diesel Dried Tomatos" seem to be the most tasty. The 'ol gamma ray just doesn't standup to the gentle tick-ticking of a cooling engine block. Consider the benefits: sun dried tomatoes are at the mercy of every insect, native, nasty parasite, wind gusts and the occasional size 14 foot that comes across our decks. On the other hand the engine room is a temperature controlled environment, always warm, occasionally loud (what's that to a tomato?) and certainly less likely to be trespassed by my extremities. It's a fine balance between need, necessity and rotting vegetation, as all good yachties can attest to.



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[Twister_Ken]

Re: Is this the life for you?

I'm torn between drying my own tomatoes, or mangos for preference, and maintaining my current philosophy of not sailing beyond closing time.

If I were to change my lifestyle, I wouldn't like to find I was being held to ransom by Big Tom, who has got the sole tomato concession for yachties visiting the Cokes and Pepsis islands. "You don't use my mooring, a bargain at $50 a night, you don't see a tomato from here to Valpariso. Not even in your Bloody Mary."

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[jimi]

The week for you?

I still feel a little weak from what just happened, but I thought I would write and warn you that just because you’re in a harbor doesn’t mean you’re safe. Winds are very light and variable yet the boat next to me swung one way on her anchor and Joanna swung the other way. They hit a couple of times and I went out to fend off the other boat. The last time it didn’t work because I had used that floating poly line on my second anchor and it had got caught up under the other boat’s inboard rudder. I tried unsuccessfully to get it loose with my homemade boat hook. I was glad I bought a diving mask a couple of weeks ago because that looked like my only option. I’m not a strong swimmer, I’ve had a couple of drinks today, and I’ve been smoking cigarettes again so my lung capacity isn’t what it should be… but it looked like and easy dive. My poly anchor rode was all the way out so to make slack I tied another line on to it with what I thought was a sheet bend, or sheep bend, whatever you call it. Anyway, I got in the dinghy and tied it to the other boat and slid into the water. I could tell right away I wasn’t doing real well at holding my breath but I swam around between the boats and got a hold on my anchor line… and discovered I had a hold of the end of it. The knot came apart where I had tied the two lines together. Not wanting to lose my second anchor, I wasn’t about to let go of that line. I got the line free but was getting winded trying to get back to the dinghy. That’s when the line I was hanging onto got wrapped around my feet. I had to consciously tell myself not to panic, take slow deep breaths. I was able to get my legs untangled from the line and get back to the dinghy. That’s it! When I run out of the tobacco I’ve got, I’m going to quit smoking again!



March 2, 2001 11:21 p.m.



I’m stuck here in Marathon waiting for a new prop. The hub started slipping on my propeller and the mechanic won’t re-hub it as these small propeller often break when they are re-hubbed. I’m missing all the good wind.



March 4, 2001 7:08 p.m.



Maybe it’s a good thing I had the propeller trouble. If I had left for Key West this weekend as I had planned, I would have been caught temporarily anchored somewhere around Big Pine key right in the middle of the severe thunderstorm and waterspout watch that was just issued. As it is, I will just be on the edge of the warning area. I’m about to let out a little more scope on the anchor line and ‘button down the hatches’. I might get a chance to see if my lightning arrester works tonight. Nice thought!



9:29 p.m.

The storm is here. Lightning, heavy rain, and winds predicted at 40 knots, but in this protected harbor it doesn’t appear to me the winds have gusted over 30 knots as Joanna is just not bouncing around much. My sleeping bag has some wet spots now. I had all the rags stuffed up into the right places to catch the water blowing through the gaps, and dripping through the two bolts going through the deck that leak. The bag got wet because I wanted to test the two air vents I made out of 3” PVC pipe and fittings. I wanted to see how much wind and rain they could take before the water started coming in. I estimate they did fine bringing in fresh air and no water in the heavy rain up to about 15-20 mph winds. Above that, it came pouring in quick until I capped them on the inside. I think most of the lightning has passed now and I didn’t get to test the lightning ground cables, but that’s OK.



March 5, 2001 7:25 a.m.


This is just not my week for knots I guess. The cold front last night brought in north winds of 20-25 mph and I looked out of the cabin this morning to see the loose halyard that I had tied to my engine lift boom arm flying free out from the stern. It took a few minutes with me hanging off the stern rail but I caught it between the gusts of wind. Whew!



8:33 a.m.

I am just a few feet from that trimaran on my north. When the wind comes out of the north, I get squeezed between it and the houseboat on my South. Apparently the trimaran has a lot more scope on its anchor rode then the houseboat and I try to split the difference on my line so I can stay in between them. I did finally get some 3-strand twisted nylon to replace that poly line that I’ve gotten into trouble with twice now, but I’m not installing it until I pull up anchor to leave.



8:17 p.m.

I’m not only stuck in Marathon, I’m stuck on the boat. With the north winds gusting to 30 mph, I’m not getting in the dinghy. I don’t like getting wet. Tomorrow looks like more of the same. But this has given me a chance to get some work done on the boat. I now have running lights, and two more cabin lights. With all the cabin lights on it’s lit up like a bank in here, but to conserve electricity I usually only use two at a time. Actually I over estimated how much electricity I was going to be using. I’ve got two 55-watt solar panels, a small gas generator and I had thought seriously about getting a wind generator. I’m glad I didn’t. I actually could have got by with one solar panel. I haven’t used the generator. In fact it is just extra trouble to pull it out every month or two just to run it for a few minutes so the fuel won’t stagnate.



March 7, 2001 6:15 p.m.



I left Boot Key Harbor, Marathon, Vaca Key.



9:09 p.m.

I shouldn’t have left the harbor; it’s really rough out here. I figured if I left at sunset, which I did, I could make it to Key West without stopping. Everything in the bow is wet from water splashing through the forward hatch. I can’t maintain the course I planned because that’s where the wind is coming from. So I’m going farther out into the Atlantic. I just put a seasickness patch on and I noticed the directions said to put it on 4 hours before you travel. I was lucky to find some dry long-sleeve shirts to layer up. They were in the bow. I had to go to the foredeck and retrieve the anchor line and chain that got washed off by the waves crashing over the deck. I got soaked. I’m feeling kind of seasick. There is a big pile of stuff on the cabin sole. When the radio fell… all the batteries came out, and when the toolbox fell… the lid came open. It’s all a mess. Tomorrow is supposed to be calmer so it should be easing up. I didn’t think it would be like this out here. I tried tacking but that headed me straight back toward the Keys and I didn’t want to run into anything, so I tacked back. The jib sheet is creaking like a tree limb where it goes through the fairing. The sheet is really tight. It’s a good thing it’s dark. I can see the breaking waves in the moonlight but I can’t see how big they are.



N24o 37.74’ W81o 11.77’

Tracking between 150-230o, the auto-helm can’t keep it steady. I’m fighting back the nausea.



11:01 p.m.

It’s eased up a lot. Don’t see many white caps now. I just shook out the second reef. What a job that was. I fell and hit my jaw on the companionway hatch but all I got was a headache. She should point better now. She’s really out of balance with the second reef.



11:49 p.m.

I just shook out the first reef so now I’m riding under full main and working jib. That’s why I left when I did, because I knew the wind was going to die and I wanted to get there before it did. I also tacked back toward the Keys so I’m headed straight for Bahia Honda Key. The wind is supposed to veer to the north as it lessens, so after the next tack maybe I can stay on course. I threw the patch away.



March 8, 2001 12:23 a.m.



I had to tack as I was coming up on a reef. I’m headed back to my course line, almost.



2:02 a.m.

I guess I need to get a new alarm clock. I set it to wake me up at 1:30 a.m. and I just woke up and found myself passing less than a half a mile from Big Pine Shoal. I’m watching the flashing light just aft of my port beam. I sure needed that nap though, I feel much refreshed. I was able to add a few degrees to the auto-helm – whoops, maybe not – the sails just lufted and I’m down to 2 knots. I was hoping to get out of this area marked on the chart as a ‘prohibited area’ and get closer to my desired course without tacking. The less moving around I do the less chance there is to slip in the wet cockpit and get hurt.

I might not have left Boot Key Harbor last night but I was stuck in this cabin at anchor for two days and three nights when the cold front came in. I ran out of tobacco and ate so many peanuts and dried bananas that I got sick, so when the wind let up enough to take the dinghy into shore, I got my new propeller, some tobacco, and I couldn’t wait to get moving again.



3:38 a.m.

The moon is in front of me now and it’s lighting my way with a glimmering silvery path. It’s really quite beautiful. I’m out of the prohibited area and expect to intersect my planned route within the hour. I’ve passed Big Pine Key and can see the lights from Ramrod Key, Summerland key, and Dudjoe Key off the starboard beam. Life doesn’t get any better than this.



4:21 a.m.

I’ve intersected my planned route, allowed her to fall off the wind 10o, and eased the sheets a little. As an added bonus, I found an apple in the pile of stuff on the cabin sole. It should be easy from her on out.



6:48 a.m.

I was able to find my other alarm clock so I got another hours worth of sleep and woke to see the sunrise and ease the sheets as the wind has lightened to 10 mph or so, and veered back behind from the northeast. I welcome the sun’s warmth, as I’ve been cold ever since I got wet last night even though it hasn’t dipped much below 65o.



7:23 a.m.

Oops, I’ve got to start keeping a better watch. I just passed within 300 yards of a marker that I was suppose to be 3/10 of a mile from. I could have run right into it!



7:45 a.m.

I had to drop the main as it was blanketing the jib in this light following sea, then Mr. Auto-helm ‘dropped the ball’. I’ve got him tied to the tiller now so he can’t leave his responsibility. Maybe after breakfast I’ll put up the Genoa, but I’m to hungry right now and I’ve got this mess to clean up before I can cook.



9:36 a.m.

With the smooth sailing and even keel I was able to clean up the mess and cook breakfast. Only there wasn’t much I could do with all the wet clothes I yanked out of the bow looking for something dry to wear except pack them back up into the bow. Fortunately the water didn’t make it to the cabin sole where my tools had been dumped. The cushions soaked up most of the water and everything in the bow that could be ruined by water was in watertight containers. The irony of all this is that last trip into Marathon, when I picked up some weather-stripping for that hatch. I was gung ho to go and didn’t think I would need it for this trip.

That fly had been with me for over a week. He thought this was the only island in the world I guess. He wouldn’t leave on his own and I couldn’t run him off. But he was kind of slow this morning, and now that I’ve sent him home to Jesus I think I’m going to miss him.



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[claymore]

Para - ma wee Stramash

Jings laddie yer back an' no a hoor tae soon. Wee Jamesie lost it - ah've tried, ma Goad ah hef tried tae keep hum oan ra straight an' narrow - bet fer a'ra wirrld - ah've nivver ken't hum bletherin like he es jes noo -
Yin nicht in ra Kings Hoose an anither in ra Clachaig an yer mons awa wi the spirits o they Macdonalds - or possibly anither kind o' spirit a' taegither.
Whet wull we dae Para laddie?

<hr width=100% size=1>regards
Claymore
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[jimi]

Re: Para - ma wee Stramash

Help ma boab .. its no mah focht ah wiz led astray. Mind ye every cloud's got a suver lining .. mind ye if that were richt ah'd be rich noo efter the Glencoe experience .. its jist boredum mannie, boredum, we've din CR tae deth, Polyteecs an a'. A keep menshuning dink but naebodies lishunin' .. whit dae ye want tae talk about then .. frogs? There wiz a barra load o' wee speckly yins up ra hill oan Gearr Aonaach, think they wiz rinnin' awa fae yon Rene character ... Dae ye thik Para's trying tae tell yon Leevaboards they're a wanch o' bunkers?

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[claymore]

Re: Para - ma wee Stramash

Nivver bin oan they livaboards forum sae ah dinnae ken wheit ets a' aboot. Ah allus thocht thet es a live a Claymore toors which es a hoosie, ah widnae bi quwellified tae comment. Hef a' missed a trick here - d'ye mean tae tell me thet there's yet anither forum ah cuid gang an disrupt?

Know what ye mean about the boredom though - bet Tome's not bored getting wide eyed and legless at Kim's expense in Southampton. Wonder if he met up with Happy?
See he'd bought some anchorplait from JimmyGreen - must be taking up macrame - either that or he's bust his 'jama cords again. Why would you want to plait an anchor anyway?

<hr width=100% size=1>regards
Claymore
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