THE CAPTAINS' LOG
I. THE FIRST LEG: ORIENTAL, NC TO ST, GEORGES, BERMUDA
PRE-DEPARTURE LETTER
[Peg and Tom sent this note out to friends just before leaving on their trip May 19, 1999]
Hi, Everyone:
We must apologize for being so bad about keeping in touch this year (even at Holiday time)! Our only excuse is that we’ve been quite focused about preparing for our trip to the Mediterranean. You may remember that we were actually planning to set out last May. We underestimated the amount of work involved and had to delay our departure until this May. We did take a shake-down cruise offshore to Maine last summer, which we thoroughly enjoyed. Also took a brief vacation at holiday time to spend Christmas with Tom’s sister and brother-in-law on Man-O-War in the Bahamas and then on to Albuquerque and Huntsville to see Peg’s sons. It was a nice respite in an otherwise boat-oriented, work-filled year.
We are now ready to leave (mid-May, depending on weather, etc) on our transatlantic journey. We’ll have another couple on board (Greg & Debbie) with us to Bermuda and plan on spending some time there. Friends Garry & Lorraine will fly to Bermuda in June, spend a week with us and then Garry will continue on with us as we sail the 1850 miles to Horta in the Azores. The last Atlantic leg, from the Azores to Portugal and Gibraltar, will be sailed by just the two of us at this point, but those plans may change.
We’ll soon be talking to you from the Wine-Dark Sea - keep in touch.
Love,
Peg and Tom Maynard
Trip Report # 1
Date: Thu, 20 May 1999 23:00:31 -0400
Hi Everyone
We're finally on our way. We left home yesterday, sailed to Whittaker Creek to fuel up, and then crossed the Neuse and anchored in Cedar Creek, 14 miles from home! We intended to make our way to Beaufort today and leave on Friday when the wind would be in the SW and favorable for going across the Gulf Stream. But when we got to Beaufort, we decided to go out to Cape Lookout. And when we got out the Beaufort Inlet, we decided to go to Bermuda -- Cape Lookout would have been a 10 mile beat to weather and Bermuda was a reach. We had downloaded the latest weather forecast from our MBO, Rick/KN6KB, and it looked OK.
Our present position is 34 03N 076 40W , about 15 miles from the Stream. Winds tonight will be from the NE about 10-15 and we should not have any significant weather until Monday, when we may get a strong front - more will be revealed.
It's been a really beautiful day today. When we were coming out of Cedar Creek this morning, we crossed paths with old friends on "Forget-Me-Knot" who were headed to our house on their way north. We circled each other and took pictures and shouted "bon voyage". We're sailing right now with a 3/8, early-rising moon. And we just passed to the stern of a freighter a mile off - it's amazing to me that we can sail miles seeing nothing and then pass close to another boat on this big ocean.
Everything is working fine and we're set to get started on our night watch routine. Only 603 miles to go!
73s and 88s
Peg/NV4C and Tom/N2WJY
s/v Starboard Home
Trip Report # 2
Date: Sat., 5/22/99 4:01:30 PM Eastern Daylight Time
Hi Everyone:
We've been out two whole days now and our position is 33 25N 72 25W. Noon to noon, we traveled 135 miles. We've had pretty light winds, 8-15, northeast yesterday and now backing around toward the southwest last night and today. We exited the gulf stream yesterday and it was noticeably cooler without all that warm water flowing under us.
We haven't seen another boat since yesterday morning. There were no lights last night and not a single bogie on the radar screen. The only life we've encountered is birdlife. One stayed with the boat for a while the first night. He kept flying around us and finally landed in the cockpit. I think he was a thin-billed murre - about the size of a good-sized quail, charcoal grey with white undersides, a long thin black bill and little webbed feet. I had just handed Tom up a few gingersnaps(good for mal-de-mer prevention <yeah,right!> or an attack of the munchies) and the bird flew in, looking very interested in the cookies. And today we've had a bay-breasted warbler with us - friendly little guy, sitting on our shoulders, very curious.
We've been doing what we usually do the first few days out - trying to get into a rhythm with the boat and getting our sea-legs. We're on a demand-sleeping watch rotation which seems to work pretty well. The person off watch gets to sleep as long as he/she wants, which usually ends up being 2-3 hours. For us it works better than establishing a rigid time frame for a watch and more closely matches our own rhythms. Walking through the boat is getting better - that sensation of placing your foot where you think it should go and then having the boat drop out from under it or come up to meet it is getting less bothersome.
So far we've had warm, sunshiney days and clear starry nights, but we're watching a cold front coming off the coast and low pressure pushing up from the south. Their meeting may produce some sparks, so we're pushing right along, motor-sailing in the lulls, and hope to get to Bermuda on Tuesday. Only 408 miles to go (I've added the 30 miles it will take to actually get to the Town Cut into the harbor at St. Georges).
73s and 88s
Peg/NV4C and Tom/N2WJY
s/v Starboard Home
Trip Report # 3
Date: Mon., 5/24/99 4:02:21 PM Eastern Daylight Time
Hi Everyone:
We've been out 4 full days now and our position is 32 32N, 66 54W and we have 130 mi go. Our weather has been beautiful, but we've had very light winds, under 15 kts. This boat really prefers 15-25. Yesterday we got the drifter up. It came with the boat, looked like it had never been taken out of the bag, and it was enormous. Friend Mark at Bank Sails recut it for us and did a beautiful job. We love that sail. Got some pictures with the digital camera to send Mark so he can check out his handiwork. We had nice wind last night and a beautiful sail at 6-7 kts under a half moon.
Yesterday, we had two pods of dolphins check us out and play in our bow wave - we were so interested in watching them that we forgot to get the camera out. We've been in regular ham radio/SSB contact with a number of other boats headed for Bermuda, some of whom have been there many times and who have tips on where to go, what to do, etc.
It's amazing how much we appreciate things out here that we don't give a thought to at home, like taking a shower! God, it feels good! It takes a little planning and it takes a good sense of balance, sometimes a good sense of humor! And forget the blow-dryer and all of that. My hair has gone au naturel. Tom's hair is just gone. Our appetites have returned. Yesterday for dinner we had a roasted, teriyaki marinated pork tenderloin with sweet potatoes and some sauteed green squash and onion - yummy stuff. And today Tom made a Greek salad ( all of this food is low fat) and served it with some flat bread. We have not yet dipped into the ice cream in the freezer.
Tomorrow this time should have us in Bermuda talking with the Customs folks and getting settled.
73's, 88's, love & hugs,
Peg & Tom
Trip Report # 4
Date: Wed., 5/26/99 5:02:08 PM Eastern Daylight Time
Hi Everyone:
We made it. Our present location is 32 22N 64 40W, St. Georges Harbor, Bermuda - a passage of exactly 5 days. The last day and a half has given us the best sail of the trip, a nice 20 kts from the SW moving us along at 7 kts in beautiful weather. As we neared Bermuda during the night on the 25th of May, we looked for the loom, but never saw it. We called Bermuda Harbor Radio from 30 miles out and they had us on their radar. They operate a lot like the air traffic controllers do and their reasons for tight control over harbor entry are really threefold: to schedule and coordinate the comings and goings of the big cruise ships, to facilitate safety for all shipping and prevent need for rescue missions, and to prevent environmental disasters such as big oil spills from tankers going aground on the reefs around the islands. They are so friendly, helpful and superbly professional - it was a pleasure to speak with them.
After being out on the Atlantic for days seeing nothing, St. Georges Harbor seemed to be teeming with boats and activity. When we got to the Customs dock, waiting for us was a group of men from Cabaret, a large catamaran about to leave for the Azores, who needed help getting their weather fax program working. After we cleared Customs (another friendly, professional and speedy experience), we anchored in Powder Hole. The Cabaret crew picked Tom up and he went off to help them as best he could. I went to sleep. Tom had a nap when he came back and we both slept a full night after that - I guess we're playing catch-up. Last night Russ, a single-handing sailor from a boat named Hyglieg (pronouced Hue-glee), came over and sat in the cockpit with us over sippys. We had been in radio contact with him as he made his way to Bermuda from the Bahamas in 9 days. He wears a timer to wake him up every 20-30 min. and relies on his radar alarm to warn him of vessels within his 13 mile warning zone. I can't imagine the allure of single-handing.
We put the dinghy in the water this morning and the motor would not start. It is a little frustrating, because we had it professionally serviced and winterized. Usually Tom does it himself and it runs like a top. Tom has spent several hours now field-stripping the carburetor. The little jet that allows fuel to get into the venturi thing-a-ma-jig had a bad case of arteriosclerosis. Problem now solved.
We'll be here for 3 weeks exploring this island gem. Y'all have a great Memorial Weekend.
73s, 88s, love & hugs,
Peg & Tom
Trip Report # 5
Date: 6/3/99 5:02:19 PM Pacific Daylight Time
Greetings from Bermuda:
We've been here in Bermuda 10 days now and we still have not done it all. We're still in St. George's Harbor, but have taken the bus into Hamilton several times. The public transportation system here is very reliable and convenient and one can choose from a variety of routes into Hamilton, so sightseeing is pretty easy - no need to sign on to a special tour. There are also visitors' bureaus conveniently located with maps, charts and lots of information about what's to see and do here. And, as always, there is all the scuttlebutt one gets from the community of sailing vessels in port.
We have hiked to St. David's Head lighthouse and the view of the Atlantic and the reefs around the island was spectacular. There were so many people up there who had their easels and paints or watercolors out that we thought we must have walked into an art class. We have also taken the tour through the Bermuda Harbor Radio facility, quite fascinating to see them at work. It costs nothing; we only needed to call on the VHF radio to make an appointment with them. The facility is within the confines of an old fortified structure, surrounded by a deep moat, that was once part of the island's defense; and there are still two old cannons there, unique because they are very early examples of the first rifled cannons. We have toured the museum in St. George, which gave us a little history of the island and a lot of info about the role of Bermuda during the US Civil War and the work of the blockade runners.
Yesterday, I went into Hamilton and, in addition to poking through the shops, toured the Bermuda National Art Gallery where the private collections of some prominent Bermudian collectors were on display. There were many fine works, including some wonderful wood carvings done by prisoners, from the days when Bermuda served as a prisoner-of-war center during the Boer Wars. I thoroughly enjoyed it and Tom got a chance to do boat projects and get the watermaker going.
We have found some nice restaurants in Bermuda, including the Pickled Onion, where I had a Pineapple-Wahoo Popsicle, a really tasty concoction of fruit and fish on a skewer and Tom had a Pepper-grilled Tuna-excellent! Also stopped at the White Horse Tavern for a Dark and Stormy (a mixture of ginger beer and dark rum), which seems to be the Bermudian national drink. Tom really likes the Ginger Beer - we've got to stock up before we leave.
We've gone to some pot-luck picnics that were attended by 50 or 60 cruisers, the kind of affairs that seem to pop up spontaneously wherever cruising sailors land, and we've met some great people here, many on their way to the Azores, whom I am sure we will meet again. It is amazing to note the different flags of vessels from around the world in the harbor - every country in Europe and the UK, Brazil, South Africa, US, Canada, Sweden, Norway, etc. - and to hear about where they've been and where they plan to go.
73s, 88s, love & hugs,
Peg & Tom
Trip Report # 6
Date: Fri, 19 Jun 1999 19:00:28 -0400
Hi Everybody:
Yes, we are still in Bermuda. While waiting for friends, Garry and Lorraine to arrive, we continued our exploration of the islands. We took a trip out to the Royal Navy Dockyard, two hours by bus all the way to the northwestern end of the island. The Bermuda Maritime Museum is there and documents the naval and maritime history of Bermuda through the "glory days" of privateering, whaling, ship-building and salt-trading. It's about a 3 hour tour. The restored buildings on the site also house many shops and boutiques and several restaurants, all in all a very marvelous day's trip. That end of the island has many beaches, famous for their pink sand and reefs with excellent snorkeling opportunities. Many of the fine resorts and golf courses are located along that section of the island as it curls around Great Sound. There is a very scenic public walking trail, created by the Bermuda Government along the vacated site of the old Bermuda Railway, through much of this area. Stretches of the Bermuda Railway Trail weave along the coast in most of the parishes in Bermuda. We were impressed that, while Bermuda is a fairly densely populated island with private homes and buildings covering much of it, the government here has done a very good job of establishing and maintaining parks and recreation areas for public enjoyment in prime locations throughout the islands.
Garry & Lorraine arrived on the 10th of June and we spent time with them exploring Hamilton and St. Georges, hiking to Fort St. Catherine and Tobacco Bay and enjoying some of the restaurants. We had an excellent dinner at the Carriage House, reputed to be one of Bermuda's finest restaurants. The food was terrific and the service couldn't have been better.
We have survived Tropical Storm Arlene which turned out to be much ado about nothing. During the several days leading up to Arlene's approach, weather reports here predicted a direct hit or passage of the storm within 2-50 nautical miles to the east of Bermuda. Bermuda weather stations advised people to take in their lawn furniture and anything else not securely tied down and to stock up on water and food supplies. The cruise ships were advised to leave the harbor. We talked with some of the passengers on one of the ships, who told us that after spending only 1 day in Bermuda, they were now headed to Halifax, Nova Scotia, to spend the remainder of their vacation there. They were somewhat disappointed, but seemed to be adapting, wondering whether they should buy sweatshirts and pack up the straw hats.
Boats in the harbor moved to more favorable locations and put down anchors to stand up to the 50-65kt winds that the storm was expected to produce. We put two anchors down in 38 ft of water: a 20H Danforth anchor on 50 ft. of chain, shackled to our CQR plow anchor with 200 ft of chain, both anchors set in a serial arrangement. Boats that were tied up on the stone quays in the harbor moved to more open water and anchored to reduce possible damage to their boats from scraping against the wall. People on neighboring boats introduced themselves to each other and discussed preparations. This step is very important. It opens lines of communications that may be needed in tense moments during the height of a storm, and enhances the probability that those communications will be civil and helpful. It also helps to reassure sailors anchored around you that you have done everything necessary to ensure the safety of your boat, and that your anchor won't be dragging, thereby placing their boats in harm's way.
We secured everything on deck that could possibly come loose, took down canopies and unnecessary canvas, and hauled the dinghy motor up onto the stern rail. Some boats took the air out of dinghy pontoons and sunk the dinghy, while others hauled the dinghy out of the water on davits or secured them on the deck. We elected to bring the dinghy up close to the stern on a bridle (Tom had removed the wind vane and oar from the Monitor) and to leave the plug in the boat, figuring the extra weight of the water that would accumulate would keep the dinghy from flipping over in a gust of wind. As it turned out, the storm neared Bermuda, passing within 90 miles to the east, weakened, produced no more than 25 kt. winds and virtually no rain. As all the preparations were being made, one could feel anxiety among the boaters, including ourselves, increase, but there was also a sense of excitement and cameraderie. With the fizzling of Arlene, there was a feeling of relief, but also of somehow being let down, cheated out of an adventure for which we were very prepared. The Bermudians, too were disappointed. They had expected that the storm would bring some much-needed rain to their cisterns and gardens.
We are now preparing to leave. The laundry is done and grocery items will be purchased and stored today. We are watching the weather and will be checking in with Herb (Southbound Two) Hilgenberger this afternoon on his weather net on Single Sideband radio 12359 MHZ at 1600 UTC. Herb follows about 80 boats (and a lot of others listen in) who are sailing offshore in the Atlantic and provides weather information and routing advice. His is a volunteer service and an excellent source of weather information. Tomorrow morning, we will take on fuel, duty free, which is $1.75 per gallon as opposed to the usual rate here of $3.89 per gallon. Then we will check through customs, where our flare gun, which we surrendered at check-in, will be returned to us. And we will be off to the Azores.
73s, 88s, love & hugs,
Peg, Tom & Garry aboard s/v Starboard Home
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Page Created June 20, 1999.