The guys dropped me (Rachel) in Oban, Scotland yesterday, from where I took a train to Glasgow overnighted and am now off to Aberbeen on the east coast of Scotland. Again by train. Then it's immediately off to Oslo. I'll be there tonight.
Sophia's new gear box meant having to creatively get to Oslo for my Fulbright Orientation meetings on the 5th and 6th. I'm sorry to miss the Caledonian Canal. But our plan is for me to meet them in Kristiansand at the south tip of Norway after they cross the North Sea. Then we'll head up to Oslo together.
Our adventure story is nearing it's end...
Tuesday, August 3, 2010
Sunday, August 1, 2010
She's Got Irish Legs Now
Our Sophia done tuckered herself out after all this travel about. We had planned to leave Northern Ireland several days ago, but discovered a "wee" leaking transmission. ("Wee" is the preferred term in the Wee Northern Ireland.) The prognosis was not good and we had to have Sophia's transmission replaced. You can see some photos of the new gear box in the "Ireland" photos on the right. We just finished up the job today, so we'll be off in the middle of night. Not slipping out of moorage payment mind you, just catching a favorable tide.
Alas the delay has put a monkey-wrench into our schedule and I (Rachel) will have to miss the Caledonian Canal and instead travel by train to Aberdeen to make my flight to Norway. The guys will carry on without me, though I'm not sure how well they'll fare now with the Loch Ness monster ;-)
Daniel will leave us in Inverness and travel to London and then Quebec. Karl, Phil, and Jeffrey will make the crossing of the North Sea. I plan to rejoin them in Kristiansand at the south tip of Norway to do the final push into Oslo.
So start looking for us again on the SPOT!
Alas the delay has put a monkey-wrench into our schedule and I (Rachel) will have to miss the Caledonian Canal and instead travel by train to Aberdeen to make my flight to Norway. The guys will carry on without me, though I'm not sure how well they'll fare now with the Loch Ness monster ;-)
Daniel will leave us in Inverness and travel to London and then Quebec. Karl, Phil, and Jeffrey will make the crossing of the North Sea. I plan to rejoin them in Kristiansand at the south tip of Norway to do the final push into Oslo.
So start looking for us again on the SPOT!
Tuesday, July 27, 2010
Heading to the Highlands
We are leaving for Scotland and the Caledonian Canal. If we have all our bits together we'll head out at nightfall to catch the favorable current north, and if not we'll have to wait until tomorrow midday. In either case we're on schedule.
Our time in Ireland has been wonderful and the wedding was simply lovely. We're still marveling that we made it in time! In fact, Karl was able to just make it to the wedding too after sailing to Belfast (I had gone ahead by train). We made wonderful new friends here and look forward to visiting again.
Our time in Ireland has been wonderful and the wedding was simply lovely. We're still marveling that we made it in time! In fact, Karl was able to just make it to the wedding too after sailing to Belfast (I had gone ahead by train). We made wonderful new friends here and look forward to visiting again.
Wednesday, July 21, 2010
Sophia Says "Hello, Ireland!"
Leg 6: Azores to Ireland
Departing: Lajes, Flores, The Azores
Arriving: Crosshaven, Cork Harbour, Ireland
Distance: 1206 nautical miles
Dates: 11 July 2010 – 21 July 2010
# of Days: 9.5 days
Crew: Rachel, Karl, Phil, Jeffrey, and Daniel
She Just Needed to Stretch Her Legs...
We're beginning to think Sophia only needed a little stretching of her legs to show us how fast she can really be. We had another great and faster-than-expected crossing from Flores in the Azores to Cork, Ireland. 1206 miles (rhumb line) in 9.5 days. We plan on 100 miles per day and then added a few days more for this leg for storms.
Our Thanks, Once Again, to Poseidon
Alas the weather was once again with us. Each leg we start out with a toast to the God of the Sea, Poseidon, and give him a couple of drams of our finest. He seems to like expensive Bermudan Rum. One doesn't get thrifty with the Sea God. We had a series of fronts pass over that kept the wind consistent (usually somewhere between 15 and 25 knots), but no real storms to speak of. We feel quite fortunate as we heard several boats had difficult crossing a week prior because a steady march of storms. We watched the weather faxes we receive on our SSB radio from Boston and Northwood, UK like hawks, but the lows either went north of us or never developed into storms. That said, the fronts did bring wind, rain, and colder weather. I think it is safe to say that Karl has taken his last ocean shower on this leg (where he dumps a bucket of sea water over himself). And he finally started wearing socks and shoes!
The Ocean Comes Alive
This leg was marked too by consistent visits from the local sea life! We saw many Common Dolphins, Bottlenose Dolphins, a Cachalot (or Sperm) Whale, and several Pilot Whales. We even had 2 dolphins right alongside Sophia (so close their exuberant splashes got the cockpit all wet!) as we approached the entrance to Cork Harbour early this morning.
A Turn Around Fastnet
We went by Fastnet Rock yesterday evening on the south end of Ireland. This rock is famous for the Fastnet Race and, in particular, the tragic race in 1979 when several boat and lives were lost (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1979_Fastnet_race). On this eve it was calm with a gentle rolling swell crashing on the rock. It is an impressive site nonetheless! And it marked our successful crossing of the Atlantic. It is still boggling to think about how far we have come.
Arrival in Crosshaven, Cork Harbour
From Fastnet Rock we still had about 60 miles to go to tuck into the safety of Cork Harbour, so we pushed onward following the coastline all night. At dawn we came to the entrance of the Harbour as the sun rose alighting the green hills of Ireland. So here I sit now, in an Irish Pub (Cronnin's) in the village of Crosshaven, having just finished a pint of Murphy's. We will push off north into the Irish Sea to Belfast. I will head out early (by land) in order to make it to Naomi and David's wedding at Belfast Castle on the 25th, and Sophia and crew will pick me up there. It's hard to believe that we made it here on time for me to make the wedding! There's a sailor's saying that you can choose the place or you can choose the time, but you can't choose both...
Departing: Lajes, Flores, The Azores
Arriving: Crosshaven, Cork Harbour, Ireland
Distance: 1206 nautical miles
Dates: 11 July 2010 – 21 July 2010
# of Days: 9.5 days
Crew: Rachel, Karl, Phil, Jeffrey, and Daniel
She Just Needed to Stretch Her Legs...
We're beginning to think Sophia only needed a little stretching of her legs to show us how fast she can really be. We had another great and faster-than-expected crossing from Flores in the Azores to Cork, Ireland. 1206 miles (rhumb line) in 9.5 days. We plan on 100 miles per day and then added a few days more for this leg for storms.
Our Thanks, Once Again, to Poseidon
Alas the weather was once again with us. Each leg we start out with a toast to the God of the Sea, Poseidon, and give him a couple of drams of our finest. He seems to like expensive Bermudan Rum. One doesn't get thrifty with the Sea God. We had a series of fronts pass over that kept the wind consistent (usually somewhere between 15 and 25 knots), but no real storms to speak of. We feel quite fortunate as we heard several boats had difficult crossing a week prior because a steady march of storms. We watched the weather faxes we receive on our SSB radio from Boston and Northwood, UK like hawks, but the lows either went north of us or never developed into storms. That said, the fronts did bring wind, rain, and colder weather. I think it is safe to say that Karl has taken his last ocean shower on this leg (where he dumps a bucket of sea water over himself). And he finally started wearing socks and shoes!
The Ocean Comes Alive
This leg was marked too by consistent visits from the local sea life! We saw many Common Dolphins, Bottlenose Dolphins, a Cachalot (or Sperm) Whale, and several Pilot Whales. We even had 2 dolphins right alongside Sophia (so close their exuberant splashes got the cockpit all wet!) as we approached the entrance to Cork Harbour early this morning.
A Turn Around Fastnet
We went by Fastnet Rock yesterday evening on the south end of Ireland. This rock is famous for the Fastnet Race and, in particular, the tragic race in 1979 when several boat and lives were lost (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1979_Fastnet_race). On this eve it was calm with a gentle rolling swell crashing on the rock. It is an impressive site nonetheless! And it marked our successful crossing of the Atlantic. It is still boggling to think about how far we have come.
Arrival in Crosshaven, Cork Harbour
From Fastnet Rock we still had about 60 miles to go to tuck into the safety of Cork Harbour, so we pushed onward following the coastline all night. At dawn we came to the entrance of the Harbour as the sun rose alighting the green hills of Ireland. So here I sit now, in an Irish Pub (Cronnin's) in the village of Crosshaven, having just finished a pint of Murphy's. We will push off north into the Irish Sea to Belfast. I will head out early (by land) in order to make it to Naomi and David's wedding at Belfast Castle on the 25th, and Sophia and crew will pick me up there. It's hard to believe that we made it here on time for me to make the wedding! There's a sailor's saying that you can choose the place or you can choose the time, but you can't choose both...
Tuesday, July 6, 2010
We have arrived in the Azores!
We had another fast crossing, taking 15 days to cross over 1800 miles from Bermuda to the Azores. We are on Flores Island. It is breathtakingly beautiful. Dramatic cliffs rising 1000 feet from the ocean, lush green rolling hills atop the cliffs, red-tile roofed houses nestled in little villages. We arrived yesterday (July 5, 2010) and already remiss to leave. The food is amazing! Fresh from the island, complete with cheeses, wine, and fresh bread.
We will re-provision here and await meeting up with Jeffrey who flew into another island in the Azores yesterday. In fact, Jeffrey, if you're reading this, email me :-)
The crossing was very enjoyable. Perfect winds, gentle seas, and sunny days. We saw many dolphins, Cachalot (or Sperm) Whales, turtles, and many other residents of the sea. We also came across a Pheonecian replica gaff-rigged boat that was also on their way to the Azores from the Ascension Islands. When we saw them they had been at sea for 72 days!
Photos to come (forgot my cord on the boat).
We will re-provision here and await meeting up with Jeffrey who flew into another island in the Azores yesterday. In fact, Jeffrey, if you're reading this, email me :-)
The crossing was very enjoyable. Perfect winds, gentle seas, and sunny days. We saw many dolphins, Cachalot (or Sperm) Whales, turtles, and many other residents of the sea. We also came across a Pheonecian replica gaff-rigged boat that was also on their way to the Azores from the Ascension Islands. When we saw them they had been at sea for 72 days!
Photos to come (forgot my cord on the boat).
Sunday, June 13, 2010
Leg 2: Panama Canal
Departing: Panama City, Panama
Arriving: Colón, Panama
Distance: 50 nautical miles
Dates: 17 April 2010 – 18 May 2010
# of Days: 2 days
Crew: Rachel, Karl, Phil, Daniel, and Jeffrey
To Transit or Not To Transit?—That is the Question
Isn’t it always the case that once you know how a process works, it appears that the whole process is obvious and even, dare I say, easy? This was certainly the case with the Panama Canal. The accounts we had read of transiting the canal made the endeavor seem dubious and at times dangerous. Boats crushed against the rough side walls of the lock’s chambers. Handlines ripping cleats clean out of the decks. Solar panels being shattered by the lead-filled monkey fist knots used by the canal line handlers. Boats spinning out of control in tights chambers with the force of the freighter’s propwash. Careless travel advisors who misguide the uninitiated. Karl wondered if we would be better off tackling The Horn than to risk the perils of the canal. To add to this, the process for arranging canal transit was a complete mystery. Our internet searches were essentially fruitless, other than indicating that most cruisers decide to hire an agent to assist with the process whereas comparatively few attempt the process on their own. But be warned that to do it on your own may mean increased risks of mugging! Villains may be lurking near canal offices to snag wads of cash from your clutches. The Horn was sounding all the more tempting despite it’s notoriety of sailboats being dismasted or pitchpoled in the raging winds and seas. Yet, a plan in place has its own inertia, and we charged forward despite our misgivings.
It is no secret that both Karl and I are rather frugal. We don’t spend much money on fashionable clothes (at least not new fashionable clothes) and are more “do it yourself” types – well, both for the savings and for knowledge and experience gained from the DIY approach. So it took some doing for us to decide to hire an agent to arrange for our canal transit. Ultimately, we appealed to our desire to help others in need; that is, we saw it as our contribution to supporting the financial well being of some Panamanian families. At the very least our agent expedited the process, although even then we had to wait a week before we were able to start our transit. The process is, hmm, you might say, thorough, but certainly not efficient. Here’s a brief overview: Once the process is started you have to schedule the Admeasurer to come measure your boat (the cost of transit is based on length of vessel). The Admeasurer only measures from 8am-2pm. Even if your appointed time is 9am (as our was), the Admeasurer may not come for a few hours depending on unknown factors. Once the vessel has been measured, these documents must be taken to the bank to pay the canal transit fees. The bank accepts payment until 1:30pm. Once you’ve paid the fee you can then call the Scheduler to arrange your transit day, but only after 6pm on the day you paid the fee. So while it is theoretically possible to complete these steps in one day, in practice it is more on the order of 3-4 days, and this is just to get to the point of getting on the schedule. We also learned that yachts (although we still guffaw at that title for our boat) all transit at the same time, and at the end of the north- or south-bound transits for that day.
In the end, we had arrived in Panama City on May 4th and were scheduled to start our two-day transit on May 17th. In the interim we worked on projects, provisioned, and enjoyed a little of Panama.
Transiting the Canal
Our transit advisor joined us on Monday morning around 9am. We were transiting with 3 powerboats. We would raft up next to one of the powerboats. The first set of locks was the Miraflores Locks which has two chambers, or two steps up to Miraflores Lake. Each step up was approximately 30 feet. We then crossed Miraflores Lake to the Pedro Miguel Locks for the 3rd and final step up to the elevation of Lake Gatun. Once through Pedro Miguel (and another 30-some feet) we entered the 9-mile long “Cut” through the Continental Divide. Here there is only enough room for ships to transit in one direction or the other (either northbound to the Atlantic or southbound to the Pacific). While the Panama Canal Authority (PCA) has widened the cut to accommodate two ships width, the Pilots have so far refused to pilot ships in both directions through the cut believing it too risky to have ships passing in both directions through the narrow cut. The PCA, in response, is in the process of carving down more of the hillsides for greater visibility in the Cut. The narrows then open into Miraflores Lake, a once broad valley where the Gatun River flowed north to the Atlantic.
Sailing Through a Forest Canopy
The lake is dotted with small tree-covered islets, what once were hilltops where one might look far in the distance to glimpse the sparkling blue ocean waters. Once the dam was completed it took a full seven years to fill the lake to operable height. The entities that could leave did. The local people were required to moved to new villages erected by the U.S. government. The animals shifted with the rising waters to outlying areas. But the trees could not flee. They stood where they were as the waters breach their roots and made a steady climb up their trunks to their limbs and leaves. Today they still stand like ghosts beneath the surface of the water. Now ships pass above their boughs as birds had done in centuries past. I was reminded of the story “The Wreck of the Zephyr,” in which a young boy learns to sail the winds so well that he can rise above the water through the forest canopy. Yet the winds changed over the land and would not carry the boy and his boat over the treetops. Today only the wreck of his boat can be seen high above the water in the trees.
Departing: Panama City, Panama
Arriving: Colón, Panama
Distance: 50 nautical miles
Dates: 17 April 2010 – 18 May 2010
# of Days: 2 days
Crew: Rachel, Karl, Phil, Daniel, and Jeffrey
To Transit or Not To Transit?—That is the Question
Isn’t it always the case that once you know how a process works, it appears that the whole process is obvious and even, dare I say, easy? This was certainly the case with the Panama Canal. The accounts we had read of transiting the canal made the endeavor seem dubious and at times dangerous. Boats crushed against the rough side walls of the lock’s chambers. Handlines ripping cleats clean out of the decks. Solar panels being shattered by the lead-filled monkey fist knots used by the canal line handlers. Boats spinning out of control in tights chambers with the force of the freighter’s propwash. Careless travel advisors who misguide the uninitiated. Karl wondered if we would be better off tackling The Horn than to risk the perils of the canal. To add to this, the process for arranging canal transit was a complete mystery. Our internet searches were essentially fruitless, other than indicating that most cruisers decide to hire an agent to assist with the process whereas comparatively few attempt the process on their own. But be warned that to do it on your own may mean increased risks of mugging! Villains may be lurking near canal offices to snag wads of cash from your clutches. The Horn was sounding all the more tempting despite it’s notoriety of sailboats being dismasted or pitchpoled in the raging winds and seas. Yet, a plan in place has its own inertia, and we charged forward despite our misgivings.
It is no secret that both Karl and I are rather frugal. We don’t spend much money on fashionable clothes (at least not new fashionable clothes) and are more “do it yourself” types – well, both for the savings and for knowledge and experience gained from the DIY approach. So it took some doing for us to decide to hire an agent to arrange for our canal transit. Ultimately, we appealed to our desire to help others in need; that is, we saw it as our contribution to supporting the financial well being of some Panamanian families. At the very least our agent expedited the process, although even then we had to wait a week before we were able to start our transit. The process is, hmm, you might say, thorough, but certainly not efficient. Here’s a brief overview: Once the process is started you have to schedule the Admeasurer to come measure your boat (the cost of transit is based on length of vessel). The Admeasurer only measures from 8am-2pm. Even if your appointed time is 9am (as our was), the Admeasurer may not come for a few hours depending on unknown factors. Once the vessel has been measured, these documents must be taken to the bank to pay the canal transit fees. The bank accepts payment until 1:30pm. Once you’ve paid the fee you can then call the Scheduler to arrange your transit day, but only after 6pm on the day you paid the fee. So while it is theoretically possible to complete these steps in one day, in practice it is more on the order of 3-4 days, and this is just to get to the point of getting on the schedule. We also learned that yachts (although we still guffaw at that title for our boat) all transit at the same time, and at the end of the north- or south-bound transits for that day.
In the end, we had arrived in Panama City on May 4th and were scheduled to start our two-day transit on May 17th. In the interim we worked on projects, provisioned, and enjoyed a little of Panama.
Transiting the Canal
Our transit advisor joined us on Monday morning around 9am. We were transiting with 3 powerboats. We would raft up next to one of the powerboats. The first set of locks was the Miraflores Locks which has two chambers, or two steps up to Miraflores Lake. Each step up was approximately 30 feet. We then crossed Miraflores Lake to the Pedro Miguel Locks for the 3rd and final step up to the elevation of Lake Gatun. Once through Pedro Miguel (and another 30-some feet) we entered the 9-mile long “Cut” through the Continental Divide. Here there is only enough room for ships to transit in one direction or the other (either northbound to the Atlantic or southbound to the Pacific). While the Panama Canal Authority (PCA) has widened the cut to accommodate two ships width, the Pilots have so far refused to pilot ships in both directions through the cut believing it too risky to have ships passing in both directions through the narrow cut. The PCA, in response, is in the process of carving down more of the hillsides for greater visibility in the Cut. The narrows then open into Miraflores Lake, a once broad valley where the Gatun River flowed north to the Atlantic.
Sailing Through a Forest Canopy
The lake is dotted with small tree-covered islets, what once were hilltops where one might look far in the distance to glimpse the sparkling blue ocean waters. Once the dam was completed it took a full seven years to fill the lake to operable height. The entities that could leave did. The local people were required to moved to new villages erected by the U.S. government. The animals shifted with the rising waters to outlying areas. But the trees could not flee. They stood where they were as the waters breach their roots and made a steady climb up their trunks to their limbs and leaves. Today they still stand like ghosts beneath the surface of the water. Now ships pass above their boughs as birds had done in centuries past. I was reminded of the story “The Wreck of the Zephyr,” in which a young boy learns to sail the winds so well that he can rise above the water through the forest canopy. Yet the winds changed over the land and would not carry the boy and his boat over the treetops. Today only the wreck of his boat can be seen high above the water in the trees.
Tuesday, June 8, 2010
We made it to Bermuda
Arrived yesterday (June 7th) at 6:00am. Beautiful sail. Record setting speed (for Sophia) of 138 miles in 24 hours. Yowza, she was smokin'! More details and photos to follow...
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