Land Ho! Dead ahead!

Amaris sails the world

14.13.11 N

60.30.47 W

 

Atlantic Ocean - 21 miles fom St Lucia

 

Land Ho!  Dead ahead.

 

What a plesant view to wake up to.  In the distance St Lucia with the twin Pitons (Large volcanic mountains) and off the starboard quarter - Martinique.  Hard to believe these two islands were the grounds of many a battle between the navies of France and England.  Very appropo that I read 5 of the Horatio Hornbower books on the way here.

 

As per the rally requirements, we need to sail across the finish line.  Not that this is a big deal- we just sailed 2100 miles - but we haven't raised or lowered a sail in 3 days.  The spinnaker has been working like a champ with her newest patch job.  The finish line is however upwind.  To finish our last two miles we will need to take down and stow the spinnaker and raise the main.  All for a "finishing photograph."   I supposed I shouldn't mind as we are finishing during the light of day.  (but they had still better take the photo!

 

Twenty miles away - a hamburger, a rum drink, a steel drum band, and a diner without dishes.  Oh, and no watch tonight. 

350 Miles from St Lucia

Amaris Sails the Globe

12/2/13

14.40.34N

56.29.85 W

Atlantic Ocean - 350 Miles from St Lucia

We are on the downhill leg of our crossing.  Well, Archimedes would disagree saying that the Earth is round - but you get the drift.

Hard to believe the long legs we have sailed to get here.  700 miles from Gibraltar to the Canary Islands, 850 miles from the Canaries to Cape Verde (of which we sailed all 1150 miles), and now this final leg 2100 miles to St Lucia.  Ugh.  We need a Pina Colada, a shade tree, and A CHEESEBURGER!

The weather has been anything but supportive of this last leg.  Today we sailed through a low pressure cell.  Winds continue to be light, but our Spinnaker - which we set two days ago - keeps us charging towards our goal.  Shawn and I enjoyed a cup of coffee on the front of the boat this afternoon.  It felt like sailing in Seattle as we sat in the rain listening to the rain bounce off the spinnaker.  Well, I suppose it was also 85 degrees which it apparently is not today in Seattle - where rumors indicate that it is forecast to snow for the Seahawks game...  I guess I won't complain about all the muggy tropical conditions we are suffering in.

We started a "predicted arrival pool" when we left.  About 1/2 the people are now out of the pool as our crossing has taken so long.  That said - I had the bright idea of predicting a late arrival.  I thought that if we did get in very late - at least I would win the pool, which would be a nice silver lining to the slow crossing.  My predicted time - 12/4 at 4am.  Fingers crossed we get in by then!  Winner gets a drink from everyone on the boat!  Sadly Shawn predicted the first time - which has long ago passed - so he has to buy EVERYONE a drink when we get there.  Optimist... 

The last 24 hours have improved.

Amaris sails the World

15.24.25 N

51.55.46W

 

Atlantic Ocean - 550 miles ENE of St Lucia

 

The last 24 hours have improved.  Now when someone passes gas-the smell actually blows away! 

 

Yesterday we had all reached rock bottom, hung our heads in shame, and started our motor.  We realized things could only improve - the concern was how long would it take for us to get wind.  Turns out - last night at 1825 we turned off the motor for a nice "quiet" dinner and to watch the sunset.  The winds and boat built speed over the next few hours and we were able to get some miles in motor free!  In fact - today at 1600 (4pm) we swapped out the main and code zero for our spinnaker - the sail we hope to have take us the rest of the way to St Lucia.  Imagine that spinnaker set - Ron Popiel "set it and forget it" would love it.  Fingers crossed the winds hold out for the rest of our journey.

 

Shawn has moved on from "How I Met your Mother" to the Showtime series "Dexter."  Where it was odd watching him laugh all day while staring into his laptop - now he holds a look of horror through each 52 minute episode.  Sadly, I somehow was dragged into it as well.  I suppose there are only what 6-7 seasons with a dozen episodes per season.  So, 60 hours?  If the wind doesn't stay around we may be done before we get to St Lucia!

 

Of course, to give further reason to pray for wind - I have beans soaking for tomorrow's dinner...

I Give Up. I Quit.

Amaris sails the world

15.49.12N

47.49.74W

Atlantic Ocean

 

I give up. I quit. I ask for a refund.  THERE IS NO WIND!

 

It is day 10 and still no wind.  Where are these famous trade winds.  We just had e-mail contact with our friends on "Joy of Shamrock Quay" who started their motor 30 hours ago - and were able to stop to sail for 3...  before taking a dip in the water and restarting their motor.

 

In previous days, I was calculating potential wind angles and selecting sails based on predicted winds.  Now I have started calculating how far we will get with our limited amount of fuel - the answer...  about 40% of the way.  I figure we can run our engine for about two days straight.  Fingers crossed wind will fill in between now and then.

 

And for sour grapes..  we don't have any.  I did peal the hard skin off one of our last oranges an took a bite of the fermented fruit.  It went overboard.  Tomorrow we start with the canned fruit.  I suppose I can look forward to the one gratuitous little cherry in each can!

 

700 miles to go.  One box of gluten free crackers and 4 tins of sardines. 

 

COME ON WIND!!! PLEASE!

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Becalmed - The Reprise

Amaris Sails the World

16. 13. 60 N

46.17.93W

Atlantic Ocean

 

Becalmed - the reprise

 

After a day of bobbing in the Atlantic - we had a nice bit of breeze late yesterday that took us into the night.  It stopped.  And again we are bobbing.  We actually have started aiming for the squalls as we know there is a little bit of wind in them (caused by the cooling of air from the descending rain). 

 

On a bright note - we were able to throw all caution to the wind (or lack there of) and jump off the boat into the refreshing bath water of the Atlantic.  The water was perfect!  And no one was eaten by a shark.

 

Apparently, the crew has become restless and has started a mustache growing contest.  It isn't pretty...

 

Thankfully, today is Thanksgiving (excuse the pun).  So we at least have dinner to look forward to.  Well, sort of.  We have been holding out all day for the elusive Dorado to strike at one of our two fishing lines.  So far - no luck.  Our back up plan is stuffed chicken breasts (we couldn't fit a turkey in our freezer), sliced potatoes, and carrots.  Shawn typically likes black olives for turkey day (yes, one for each finger) however we neglected to buy olives.  Hopefully, pickles will do in a crunch.  I am just excited to have one last meal with real produce as we officially move to canned and dried goods tomorrow.

 

Of course Shawn and I have our Thanksgiving tradition of watching "Home for the Holidays."  This tradition will of course continue as we show the film today/early evening for all the crew to enjoy, hopefully with a belly full of fish.

 

Happy Thanksgiving all!

Becalmed in the middle of the Atlantic

Amaris Sails the World

11/25/13

16.26.04N

38.34.85W

 

Becalmed in the middle of the Atlantic

 

It is horribly difficult to believe we are sitting in the middle of the Atlantic with a mere 4 knots of wind.  Of course we are doing everything possible to sail the boat - but lack of wind, waves, and a lot of sun seems to give us a little time to get a few chores or to do items completed.

 

For example...  while bobbing here in the Atlantic

I reorganized our trash - which has now been sitting in the 80 degree weather for a week

made a batch of yogurt - who would have known it would be so easy

 

Shawn scrubbed the shower and watched 18 episodes of "How I met your mother."  Seriously.

 

Ross knitted.  And we then sat around for an hour trying to determine what it was that he knitted...  Initially, it was to be a case for his sunglasses.  It ended up being either a yamaka, a puppet, a hot pad, a very large coaster, or (as we used it) a cover for the throttle knobs on the boat.

 

Jill baked a gluten free cake - which was then eaten by Ross who unlike me is NOT a glutard!

In addition, she spent 4 hours working on her tan - she should have used a bit more sunblock - but I think she will live.

 

Bryn read a book (Not to brag, but I was able to read one as well)

 

Antonio whipped the ends of about 1/2 the lines on the boat.  When finished he took a nap on the trampoline at the front of the boat.  Ross was kind enough to pick up Antonio's video recorder and record a nice message to Antonio's wife whilst taking a video of Antonio sleeping.  Lovely friends eh?

 

Eventually Ross took to "whistling" which is a no no.  Tradition has it that one should never whistle on a boat as you may "whistle up a storm."  When the bobbing wouldn't stop - we started requesting tunes... 

 

 

The Plague

Amaris sails the world

November 26, 2013

16.25.06N

38.55.14 W

Atlantic Ocean

The Plague

We were somehow exposed to the plague just before we left - All our produce yesterday was covered with mold!  I blame this on the pineapples - they get around.  I mean honestly - do you know of a Thai dish without pineapple?  Chinese?  they are on Hawaiian Pizza - so I think that throws in Italy, and the Pacific Islands - how do they do all this without contracting something.  Then sure enough, put them in the dark with some other fruits/vegetables and they pass their disease all around.  Imagine flaccid carrots covered in green powder.  Certainly not natural in any way.  Sweet potatoes with the same in their crevices...  and the cabbage - how did they get involved - honestly!

After re-scrubbing and drying everything - we hope to be back on the mend.  Although we are realizing the end is near for all the produce.  I think we are one coleslaw away from the end of the cabbage.  We have had a good talking to with the potatoes and expect better of them.  Mangoes are done today as are the lemons.  We may get a few days from the apples.  Honestly a sad state without a produce stand in our future...  for at least 10 days anyway. 

On a brighter note, our spinnaker is still up after our 4th patch job.  We were able to leave it up over the night with a firm watch cycle that involved doubling up on our watches and running a flashlight over the entire surface every 10 minutes.  This boat handles well under spinnaker alone.  Although we are not to our noon sighting yet - we may have had a 175 mile day yesterday.  (I suppose it may help that yesterday was one of our "set your clocks back" days.  We are now on the same time zone as Eastern Brazil!  I suppose we should have Brazilian food tonight for dinner...  just not sure what that is...   

Down Spinnaker

Amaris sails the world

16.25.42N

34.23.23 W

Atlantic Ocean

 

 

Down Spinnaker

 

With light winds all day yesterday and predicted overnight, we decided to fly the spinnaker all night due down wind - conveniently the direction of St Lucia.  When I came out from my slumber, grabbed a coffee, and walked out onto the back of the boat I was eager to look up at our beautifully flying spinnaker. Quickly, the smile "turned upside down" as I saw a 15 inch tear on the side of the sail.  "Down Spinnaker!" I said.  Soon, everyone on the boat saw the same tear and helped me get the spinnaker down.

 

The day was spent trying twice to tape the sail back together using specialized sail tape.  Unfortunately the tear, which is along the edge of the sail, is in an area that develops a lot of strain.  After the second try, I broke out the old sewing kit, disassembled a flag for it's edging material, and spent 2 hours hand stitching the edge of the spinnaker.  I finished just before dinner - phew. 

 

We are gybing throughout the night-running downwind with the main and code zero.  We are all hoping that the spinnaker holds tomorrow.  We will fly it at first light, that is assuming the wind is again blowing from the East - between 10-20 knots and that the seas are less than 3 feet...  Is that all too much to hope for? 

 

 

Eating at Sea

Amaris sails the world

16.30.10 N

31.27.25 W

Eating at sea

While traveling around the Med, we have routinely been surprised on how food is presented to a buyer.  We were routinely shown entire carcases from which to choose our cut of beef, pork, lamb, or horse.  Well, we never saw the carcass of a horse, but the meat was certainly available in several countries. 

In preparing for our crossing we visited several meat markets, produce markets, fish mongers, etc.  In many cases it seemed that we were getting food direct from the growers - which of course we like.  Now that we are 400 miles however from shore, we are finding our food is - well passing the ripe stage quickly.  The oranges never really looked like oranges (mostly missing the varnish that we are so familiar with in the US), and we have bets as to each lemon...  or lime as we are not really sure what it is until we cut into it.  Our papayas and mangos have been delicious - and are all ready TODAY.   The pineapples that we purchased however two days ago are now beyond very ripe.  I fear we are living the pesticide free life with produce that will all be bad in another two days.  My mother will be somewhat proud.  So much however for balanced meals next week however as we dive into the canned food stores.

Today we were lucky enough to catch a Dorado.  Dorado is a stunningly beautiful fish - one I always hope is too small when we get it on deck.  Sadly, today's was of edible size.  Dorado aka Mahi Mahi have bright colors of green, yellow, and blue which fade to an ashen grey as they die.  It is very sad to watch.

After "killing" it by filling it's gills with our cheapest hard alcohol (most people use vodka - but we forgot to get any), Shawn and I looked the other way while the crew butchered the fish.  Well, I first questioned Jill who was holding my bottle of Glenmore a 12 year old Scotch.  Not sure what she was going to do with that - but certainly not poor it down the throat of any fish...

Sailing has been slow today and we finally had to break out the spinnaker.  We were expecting the wind to fill in from the East (away from the NE) and gybed the wrong direction for a chunk of the night yesterday - taking us down from 5th place to 10th with this poor decision made by yours truly.  Spinnaker sailing is anything but fast for us as a catamaran.  We do much better sailing off the wind and gybing back and forth every 8-10 hours, although this adds a lot of distance for us to cover daily.  This type of sailing takes away all our speed advantage and makes errors like last nights difficult to make up for.  At least for those of you watching through the ARC website, we will appear to be going in a more or less straight line towards the finish - still 1750 miles to the West.

Oh well, fish for dinner I suppose!

Cape Verde Islands

Cape Verde Islands

Amaris sails the globe

November 15-20

Like skinning cats, there are multiple ways of crossing the Atlantic.  We chose to cross with a "rally" of other boats that would all cross together.  Whereas we thought this would create a group of boats that "safely transit together" we have learned that you may or may not see another boat each day.  There is truth however that if something goes terribly wrong - there are others within a hundred miles that could re-route to help you.  Certainly there is no hope of help if you run out of mayonnaise...  (Fortunately - this is not the case for us...  yet)

The rally we joined left from Las Palmas in the Canary Islands (750 miles south of Gibraltar) and finishes in St Lucia in the Caribbean.  Whereas the "direct route" may take 15-20 days, there is an option to sail down the coast of Africa for 850 miles and have a quick little "stopover" in the Cape Verdes.  After catching up on sleep, having a nice long shower, re-provisioning, and fixing everything that needs fixing after 5 days of sailing (and more than one beer) this route leaves you refreshed to sail the remaining 2100 miles to the Caribbean.  Of course this run is mainly "downwind" which isn't our fastest point of sail - but the direct route was sold out.  So plan B wins again. 

Cape Verde was amazing - and sadly likely a place we will never have the option to sail to again.  We spent time on both Santo Antao and in the town of Mindelo on Sao Vicente.  I was truly amazed in the beauty of Santo Antao.  The island groups are remnants of volcanic activity and our tour of Antoa took us from the beach (which looked like Phoenix) to an elevation of 2500 meters and a volcanic crater that reminded me of Kaui - just without all the waterfalls.  The people of both islands were incredibly kind and helpful.  One individual spent 1/2 hour with me getting a sim card to work in my phone.  I didn't have the language down at that point (Portuguese). 

None of the following paragraph should ever be quoted or conceived as fact - but it seems to follow my basic understanding of sailing, trade routes, history, and well things that just make sense.  Cape Verde became an independent nation from Portugal in the 1970's.  It is along the trade routes from the Mediterranean to the Caribbean (or more importantly from Portugal to Brazil).  So, I reckin' that if I were a Portuguese sailor, sailing between Portugal and the new colony in Brazil - a good stopover for some rum drinks would fit in nicely about half way there.  Cape Verde is roughly 1500 miles along the trade routes from Portugal and 2000 miles from Brazil.  AND - the weather is wonderful year round.  Not sure if it was introduced by the Portuguese - but I would bet it was... They grow sugar cane in Cape Verde - an important ingredient for molasses among other things (rum).  So, by process of deduction, Cape Verde was an important discovery and colony of Portugal as a stopover for traders who had just spent 15 or so days on a boat without a good bath and desperate for some rum before continuing their sail to Brazil.  To solidify this - they call their rum drinks "grog."  Humm...

And there you have another history lesson from Steven.

Goodbye Mediterranean

Amaris sails the world

Approaching Gibraltar

Seas - calm, Weather clear and crisp

36 deg 11.93 Min North

005 deg 16.03 Min West

Goodbye Mediterranean

We are approaching Gibraltar with both a bit of excitement and a bit of sadness.  We have had so many wonderful adventures over the last 4 months - and it honestly is difficult to count them all.  The weather was brutally hot at times (usually when i had to do some type of task in the engine room) and cool at others (usually during a night sail accompanied by rain-- Shawn and I taking turns standing in it.  Reminiscent of sailing around the Puget Sound, I suppose).  We had wonderful periods of solitude, wonderful visits from friends, and met tons of amazing people.  I can honestly say that we are welcoming the change that is happening within our lives and attitudes.  The stress of the last 10 years is melting away and we are becoming "cruisers."  One translation - we now welcome the afternoon nap and life without an alarm clock and we can let a day go by without checking our e-mail.

A few of the highlights of the last 4 months;

• France putting on a fireworks show to welcome my 40th birthday - (or celebrating Bastille Day)
• Having 50+ packages with birthday "crazy" socks from so many of our friends in the states
• Tasting some desert in France called "floating islands" (or something like that in French)
• Having Cody come stay with us for a month - and letting him explore France, Corsica, Sardinia, and Italy on his terms.
• Cody's quote "Docking doesn't have to be stressful."
• Sailing past the wreck of the Concordia and passing other sailboats...  at 17 knots!
• Having Ron visit in the Ionian Greek Islands - perfect weather each and every day during his visit
• learning how to use the code zero (which the Outremer rep said - "i know it is hard to use at first - but trust me, it will make you fast and you will learn to like it")
• Having Miles visit in Malta - and trying not to laugh when the gangplank fell as he was boarding the boat-with his luggage (splash)
• having crew members join us (Ross and now Antonio) to share in the work.  And learning to let them share in the work
• Having my "sister" Sue and her partner join us for a week in Spain.  Even though she did hit me in the head with the flashlight in the middle of the night when i was once again in the engine room!
• "Pterodactyl" Island
• French food
• Spanish Tapas
• Meeting great people - Lorrie (who was only with us for an hour, but her kindness and spirit will be with us for a lifetime)
• Meeting other cruisers
• Not getting arrested!
• Surfing at 21 knots on the way to Menorca, Spain
• Fried Cheese (Saganaki? - spelling)
• First (and every additional) swim in the Med
• renting a car and driving around Volcano
• Watching the Americans come back and win the America's Cup Challenge (in multiple pubs/marinas while petting random Greek Cats)
• Jazz festival in Nora
• Paxos - Anchoring in crystal clear water

Sailing across the Atlantic will be a wonderful adventure and we are very much looking forward to both the adventure it will bring -and to the peace we will have when this leg is finished as we relax in the Windward and Leeward islands of the Caribbean.  It amazes me that we have had so many volunteers to help sail 3000 miles.  It will be wonderful to have the help and the personalities that will make Amaris home for the 3 weeks that we take to complete the journey.  I am looking forward to the many group dinners and games that we will play on a daily basis (it must be how people lived before TV).  I also am happy to have sailed well over 5000 miles in the last 4 months so that we have total confidence in the boat - and those people that she is taking care of.  And of similar importance - we are looking forward to opening 2-3 envelopes daily at noon during our crossing of the Atlantic - with well wishes and notes that people gave us during our bon voyage party so very long ago.

So - our fare thee well to the Med, and a welcome to the Caribbean.  May we have good winds and a following sea the entire way!

Meeting Giuseppe

Amaris sails the world

Coasta del Sol, Spain

N 36 deg 35.7 min

W 04 deg 30.5 min

After a whirlwind trip through the Coasta del Blanca we are spending a few days in a real marina - this of course represents both a treat and an opportunity to take care of some needed issues on the boat before crossing the Atlantic in a few weeks.  

The Coasta del Blanca was beautiful.  At first, i had anxiety about what appears to be many exposed anchorages - and few that are very protected.  I am leaving the coast longing to come back to spend more time at the beautiful beaches and small towns that line the coast.  Shawn and I did learn while sailing on Vancouver Island that there are not many sandy beaches where storms hit the coast.  Rightly or wrongly, i suppose we could assume that these wonderful, although exposed, beaches would be safe for the night.  Fortunately the weather is accurately predicted these days and a prudent sailor would find appropriate shelter at the first sign of too much wind for their anchor.  

We have met a ton of individuals while sailing through the Mediterranean.  All of them leave us with something that defines their spirit.  While anchored in San Jose just 3 days (and 100 miles) ago, we met a man named Giuseppe who departed Italy in April of this year and was sailing solo around the Med and planned on crossing the Atlantic as well to the Caribbean.  We had a difficult time understanding his Italian and he our English (Especially Ross who, from the UK does an amazing job butchering the language we have perfected in the US).  That said, he was diagnosed with in-operable cancer and decided it was time to set off for an adventure.  We have a lot of guesses as to what he said, but believe he has two children - one from two women that lived together?  and one who is living in his home in Sicily.  We think he worked on watches big in small - including replacing cogs in "big Ben."  Sadly, we received a bounce back from Giuseppe's e-mail (i guess he can't write in English either) so we will likely not know the rest of the story.  Good health, fair winds, and a following sea to our new found and very brave friend.  Oh-and on a side note, while touring his boat we noticed he had a full leg of prosciutto in his kitchen!  

Speaking of Italians - we are days away from meeting our own Italian!  From here we have one more stop before the Canary Islands (an 800 mile sail from Gibraltar).  Antonio - our 6th crew member will be flying in this Saturday to help with this upcoming sail.  This will be the longest leg so far that we will have made on the Amaris.   As the weather is now dipping down to the 60's at night-we are looking forward to a bit of "change in latitude."  

Rats

Amaris sails the planet

Abelike bay, Meganisi Island, Greece

9/7/13

We were warned by a kind German sailor after we anchored that "there are rats here!"  He had awoken the night before with rats climbing up his stern line and scurrying around his boat.  In tight bays, it is polite to anchor and take a line from the stern of the boat to a fixture on shore (tree, rock, shrubbery, pretty much anything stationary).  This allows all the boats to drop an anchor towards the center of the bay and radiate out like a fan towards the shore.  If all the boats anchored without doing so, the boats would need "swinging room" to allow for wind and current changes.  In sum, by "stern tying" there were about 8 boats and room for more in a bay that would otherwise hold 3-4.  

Our guide book had mentioned rats on some of the Ionian islands.  Some reports actually list rats swimming out to boats and climbing up their anchor chain to gain access to their food stores inside.  Not that i was uberly proud of our food stores, but i didn't want rats on board chewing through our wiring and even worse the hoses that are below the boat's water line.  

In a moment of "genius" i remembered having  a few frisbees on board.  I cut a hole through my least favorite frisbee and put our stern line through it as demonstrated in the photograph of of Shawn and our rat deterrent device.  We will never know if rats tried to climb out the line from shore, but we do know the value of the frisbee turned rat deterrent.  Anchored to our port was a kind English couple that were very envious of our contraption.  As we were out of tonic water a fine trade was made and all were happy...  and rat free.

night watches

Amaris sails the planet

night watches

I recall my first solo night watch.  I was crewing on a Tartan 37 sailing from San Diego CA to Cabo San Lucas, Mexico.  Don't get me wrong, I have sailed many an hour in the dark, often alone.  I think if you ask most sailors there is something magical about sailing alone in the dark or (preferably) under a moonlit sky.  

Although we are blessed to have a great crew member now (Ross), I prefer to do my night watches alone.  To aid my mother here - people now routinely sail around the world alone - which gives them plenty of opportunities for something bad to happen.  That said, sailing at night certainly adds an element of risk - as you can't see dangers that lie ahead (as easily).  To further help relax my mother - we (as do most sailors) reduce sail at dusk and slow the boat down to minimize the risk of hitting something, give us more reaction time, and to prevent the need of a reduction of sail in the dark and alone.

I am sad to say that i am unable to capture any of natures magic on film.  I have watched meteorites shoot across the sky in bright red, yellow, and white.  It amazes me the speed at which they travel as they fly across half the sky in a matter of seconds.  I have watched (a bit frightened) lightening storms with bolts striking the sea miles before or behind us.  I have looked up at the stars and looked to the constellations knowing they are guiding us as they have guided sailors for thousands of years.  I am particularly fond of the start of a new day knowing a new adventure awaits and that we will once more be able to increase sail!

While crossing from Malta to Sardinia my watch fell to the time from sunset to 1AM.  Fortunately on this day, the moon had not risen and there was not a breath of wind - a motor through glass like water.  A few hours into my watch, the boat cut through a field of intense phosphorescence.  The sea glowed as millions and millions (Carl Sagan emphasis) of tiny organisms lit up the sea in a response to the boat cutting through the water near them.  As Ross cam on for his watch and mine came to a close, I tried to describe the intensity of the patch of sea i had crossed.  Of course the next morning he had to tell me all about watching the dolphins cut through the water all aglow.  As if that was more impressive than the millions and millions of tiny organisms.

A sailor's work is never done...

Amaris Sails the World

 

Zakynthos - Kefalonia, Greece

 

A sailor's work is never done...

 

Staying in a harbor has been rare for us while cruising the Med.  Twice in Italy we stayed in marinas - once when we had an issue with one of our engines, and a second time when we wanted to leave the boat for a day to visit the ancient city of Pompeii. Both of those nights in a marina cost us over $300 US.  In Greece, we were pleasantly surprised by the low cost options of public quays.  Staying in Zakynthos seemed a luxury at only $30/night.  (half that if you only have one hull).  Most public quays in Greece don't charge at all.  We had found our version of paradise.

 

Once the boat is safely tied up in a marina- we have time to leisurely wander through the town shopping, eating, drinking etc.  Of course being tied up also gives you access to go to a hardware store, where you can get parts, return to your boat, try to make the parts fit, then repeat.  Normally this is a more or less easy process at the conclusion of which you have a job well done - and an ice cold beer.

 

Zakynthos is an interesting type of town.  It serves as a major hub for the cruising community as boats come into the town to clear customs, get their Greek cruising permits (Transit Log), grab a few groceries, and meet friends that fly into the airport from all around the world.  There are several grocery markets, produce markets, butchers, fish mongers, and of course hardware stores.  Oddly - there was no chandlery (place where you buy parts for boats) within the city.  We were given a decent set of directions to walk there (3-4 km away) and instead asked the harbor representative if he knew of a place to buy a cruising guide.  "I will have one dropped by."

 

That was done easy enough.  The gentleman that met us later that day with the guide in hand ready to sell to us (ironically not even marked up) owned the local chandelry.  Because his store is so far away, he doesn't get many customers and needs to deliver the goods.  I had a short list and Shawn and I were quickly invited on a field trip.

 

The man had an amazing store full of stock.  Anything that a sailor could want was available - under an inch of dust.  Not to worry - we picked up our Malta courtesy flag, two new dock lines, some fuel hose (for the project i was about to complete), some teak oil, and a hand full of other items that were not previously on our list.  Amazingly - the man apparently didn't know to inflate prices of his goods annually and likely just did when he reordered.  We paid 1960's prices for our items and left feeling great about supporting his business (we hadn't intended on buying the new dock lines).  After letting us pet his dog for a few minutes, he drove us back to the boat while telling stories of his adventures having been born on Kefalonia, working on merchant ships for 20 years, and then returning to Kefalonia where he had lived for the last 20 years trying to make a go of it with his shop.

 

Once back to the boat, it was time to finish my job of changing out the water separators in the fuel system (one failed earlier causing the loss of an engine as described above).  I was able to finish half the job before Ron came.  He caught me on film finishing the work on the second engine.  And as a side note, I was not the only one in the harbor working on the engine in my underwear!  (Note the shorts in the foreground of the photo)  It is hot in that compartment!

And then there were 3... 4.....3....4....3...

Amaris Sails the Globe

Anchored in the ancient city or Nora (modern city Pula)

Enjoying the local Jazz festival

39 degrees 00 North 

9 degrees.00.06 East

9/30/13

And then there were 3...  4.....3....4....3...

Phew- what fun we had exploring the Greek Ionian islands - Sorry for the lack of recent posts, but we have been busy!

After a 2 day sail to the Ionian islands of Greece from Sicily Shawn and I met our friend Ron who flew in to visit us fulfilling his life long dream of sailing in Greece - or at least so he sold us on visiting Greece.  We met Ron in the harbor of Zakynthos on the island of kefalonia and with him traveled as far north as Paxos - where we anchored in the most amazing crystal clear water.... (where we also learned our holding tank wasn't exactly, uh - holding)  

Towards the end of Ron's visit we made arrangements to pick up our first crew member for the ARC - Atlantic Rally for Cruisers.  Crossing the Atlantic is a relatively big endeavor as one can imagine, and having a bit of help is both an advantage for us and strangely something that people readily volunteer to do.  In total, we will likely have either 3 or 4 crew members when we cross-but certainly are benefiting from having Ross on board to help with the long passages between now and the start of the crossing as we travel the 1500 miles getting to the Canary Islands off the North West Coast of Africa.  And so there were 4 of us.

After making reservations to fly out of Zakythos to make his connection in Athens - Ron decided to make last minute flight changes to return home flying out of Agistoli.  Not a big deal for us to switch airports, cities, islands etc at the last minute - in fact it made for an easier departure for Malta.  It certainly helped Ron however as he had originally booked a flight into Athens arriving some 6-7 hours after his flight departed Athens.  We all got a good laugh when we realized that his calendar had auto corrected his departure time from Athens with the time change from Pacific Standard Time. No one rubbed in the fact that the week before i made a similar mistake in booking a flight from Paris to La Grande Motte the day getting to Paris (day changes...  UGH)  Fortunately these mistakes come relatively cheap.  So then we were back to 3 - Shawn, Ross, and Myself.

Our trip to Malta was a combination of hiding from too much wind in a tiny little village - all our anchor chain out in 35 knots of wind to the perfect dream come true sail from the southern tip of Sicily to Malta.  I think the Sail solidified Ross's enjoyment of the trip so far.  

In Malta we stayed at the Royal Malta Yacht Club. Prior to this stay, we have had few nights in marinas due to the associated costs.  That said, with our friend from NYC coming to visit, a lot of work to be done on the boat (life raft repacking, gelcoat repairs, battery testing, and in general getting things done to ready the boat for the Atlantic crossing), and the desire to see much of Malta and it's glorious history - we opted for 5 nights at the Yacht Club.  This fortunately coincided with the final 10 or so races of the America's cup - with the AMAZING VICTORY on our last night at the club.  And so there were once again 4!

Miles came with a splash.  Literally.  As our gangplank is still awaiting parts from France (I think the parts are "im - po -sible" (a common word in French) we have created a solution that worked using a bit of engineering, a few zip ties, and a part from a fish farm that we were given by an elderly couple cruising in Fiskardo (Ionian Islands).  In sum, we had a working gang plank that didn't likely have the original shear strength of its original stainless steel components.  In crossing the plank from the dock to the boat with his suitcase - Miles apparently exceeded the strain these zip ties could handle - big spash - luggage and all.  Miles was a trooper - and to his credit was amazed that he benefited in purchasing "water proof luggage" thinking that was a trait he would never really need.  Turns out, if you visit us, waterproof luggage may be a good choice.

We had a wonderful week in Malta and were sad to say good bye to Miles, but needed to carry on (with favorable winds i might add!) to Spain -in preparation to meet our friends Sue and Benita.  I suppose that takes us back to 3, but with eager anticipation of soon becoming 5!

The perfect sail

Amaris sails the world

39.13.26 N 20.12.86E

Under motor making way 6 knots

Nearing Lakka, Paxos Island, Greece

The perfect sail.

It was one of those moments - 15 knots of steady wind, 85 degrees, sunny, and sailing with full main and jib in the crystal clear seas with waves a mere foot high.  The boat surged through the water having harnessed the power of the wind.  Ron was napping.  Shawn was reading his kindle.  It lasted for 2 blissful hours.  Mother nature however makes us pay for what we ask for - the wind shifted and is now right on our nose - which gives me a moment to reflect and blog about our last few days.

I have to say that we deserved the treat given the first half of the day's conditions.  Twice we hauled up our "code zero," a large sail that cannot be stored "rolled up" like our jib.  Twice the wind changed within 10 minutes - once shifting an amazing 80 degrees.  Twice we then hauled the sail back down and put it away.  Fortunately, we only hauled up the main once.  Phew - We can tell Dr Daniel (our family doctor) that we got our exercise for the day.  We also had several opportunities to maintain diplomatic relations - which we felt were necessary given current global happenings.  At the conclusion of negotiating a historic canal with documented activity 2500 years ago (at one point managed by the Venetians) there is a bridge that opens once an hour - at the top of each hour.  Of course there were a ton of boats all wanting to get through at the same time-and although we were 15 minutes early, some of the other boaters felt the need to cut us off.  We did however as taught by a wonderful woman from the UK. " the proper response is to smile and wave, (with your hand) above the pearls and below the tiara."   

Prior to our blissful sail today, we spent the last two days on Levkas Island. (near the Onassis Family island-yes we got close and peaked....  and were chased off by a security guard on a zodiac.).  Once we were safely anchored, Shawn had a great idea of spending the day at a local hotel pool and ordering pina coladas-Ron and I couldn't argue the virtues of such an idea.  I had a hankering for Chinese food-a rare treat here it seems.  So yesterday was spent pool side followed by chicken fried rice.  It was of course - wonderful.  

 

Amaris Sails the Globe

8/28/2013

Position N 37.41.05 E 20.50.35

Town of Keri, Zakenthos

anchored 15 feet - sand in crystal clear water (one can honestly see down 60')

Land Ho!

After a delightful sail across the Ionian Sea we are anchored off the small village of Keri.  Because of something Shawn ate, we are flying our "Q" or "quarantine" flag where we should be flying our Greek courtesy flag, which of course has everyone looking funny at us.  In actuality, we have yet to clear customs into Greece and plan to accomplish that later today.  We have hopes that clearing into Greece is easier than Italy.  Knowing that we need to pay the equivalent of a "cruising tax," we expect to find the customs office with a bit of ease.  Then again, entering a new culture means guessing when the locals close for their afternoon naps and how late they stay open before going home to have a glass of wine or shot of ouzo.  

Crossing the Ionian was a bit of a breeze- excuse the pun.  Although the wind didn't pipe up to the predicted force 6 (25 knots) we did have some nice periods of winds in the mid-high teens on the beam - which made for a nice crossing.  It was our first overnight with just the two of us.  There was almost no shipping traffic - which was surprising.  Shawn of course was grateful for that (nothing to hit us in the middle of the night), I missed the challenge  of navigating with and commodore of other vessels.  We did however hear a British warship asking another boat for right of way.  

We missed having Cody aboard as he was able to stand a watch during the overnights (while i "slept" outside).  Cody usually had a few opinions that we needed to correct him on as well.  "Awake time overlap" during our big sails better allowed for dialog.  Alas, it is now up to his teachers to get that mind working now.

The town of Keri isn't really much to write about.  We were attacked the second we "may have gone ashore" by restaurant vendors and tour guide sales people.  (Recall we have not yet cleared customs - so if we did, this is what we would have found).  The guides were selling tours of the local natural stone arches and caves indented into the cliffs surrounding the area.  As were we leaving we made a point to sail by one of the small islands guarding the bay.  Of course it was crawling with dinghies, glass bottom boats, and hundreds of people looking for turtles through masks and snorkels  --  basically, enough people to motivate us not to spend another night and start our trek of finding the customs office.

Mud Bath anyone?

Amaris sails the globe

Island of Volcano, Sicily

Anchored - Porto de Pontente and Cala de Formaggio

8/23-8/24

First of all, any place that sounds like or has a name that has any resemblance of cheese-you know i am there!   "Bay of Formaggio" - count me in!  Alas - as beautiful as it was, we were really at Volcano to anchor in front of the Volcano-so after one night at "bay of cheese" we moved to Porto de Pontente - literally a 5 minute motor around a corner.  After trying to anchor there the previous evening (there was no room at the inn), we opted to re-approach the harbor around 11am - the usual time for people to "move on to the next place."  

It isn't always the case that we feel so confident in our anchor that we are willing to leave the boat for any length of time.  Porto de Pontente however was one of those places that (although packed with boats) seemed very sheltered with good holding in sand.  Not to worry-no story about dragging anchor (this time).  We left the boat with the adventure in mind of renting a quad and zipping to the top of the crater and buying a system with which to change the boats oil.  We were uber surprised to find that 1-the only way to the rim of the crater is by walking-mind you it is several thousand feet up and 90 degrees.  We opted out.  2-we were able to rent a funky little jeep and drive to the top of the "old crater" which provided an amazing view out over the island - it is about twice as high as the new active volcano rim.  3-we were able to stop in a small chandelier, have them order a bronze oil change pump, have it delivered within 12 hours from mainland Italy - all for 19.50 Euro.  The procrastination needed to come to the end and the oil was changed.

Having forgotten that there are mineral "mud" springs on the island (Shawn had not forgotten and was disappointed that i refused to go in them with my recently wounded toe - long story, but there was a bit of skin missing and I didn't think a shared pool of mud would be the best option for recovery.)  The mud springs are in the one "tourist area" of the island, sadly very close to where we anchored as well.  Our guide book of course made mention of these springs and i offer the following direct quote "One does eventually get used to seeing obese people with overall cracked mudpacks waddling down to the sea, but it takes a while."  

I will include a few photos taken during our our stay at Volcano.  One is taken with our mini jeep (quite fun to drive), one of the two of us having found a nice lookout over the bay.  I would say that we were the only ones that had found the spot, but this was obviously an area frequented by the "busy" Italians who did not wish to become with child as to say.  There was substantial evidence of shall we say-activity. The photos of course would not be complete without a few of the tourists bathing in the mud.

Just photos

Photo's taken by Cody

 

 

 

 

Pictures of the locks of gold

golden locks

Amaris Sails the Globe

40.51 N 13.11 E

Making 6.8 Knots under motor

Heading 103 Degrees True

Wind 1.5 knots variable

HOT HOT HOT

It will come to no surprise to those of you who know our 16 year old nephew Cody that his hours are a bit different than ours.  He usually rises around noon, makes a sandwich, stares at a wall for a few hours, takes a nap, and finally in the early afternoon he tells us about his previous evening hanging out with the locals until 2 in the morning.  At first, we would wake up like good little uncles when the zodiac came roaring back to the boat in the middle of the night - or on a few occasions in the early hours of the morning (I supposed we could have had him start the coffee for us?).  We had a few discussions about how we should put a kabosh to this type of behavior and mandate a more reasonable curfew - but we secretly were a bit envious of his ability to hang out with locals, build relationships and learn about the cultures of other kids his age.  Not surprising to us, most of the kids his age speak great English having studied years of it in school.  Cody takes after his uncles however with our knowledge of either French or Italian.

Nonetheless- I didn't decide to post an article about Cody's nocturnal habits - I am simply amazed at his HAIR.  Shawn's hair has of course turned from bleach blonde to super bleach blond with red undertones (that would be from his burnt scalp).  Mine of course looks the same, just a few fewer hairs each day...  and the occasional "distinguished silver."  Cody however has gone from dark brown to layered level of browns and blondes with amazing highlights.  Either one of two things has happened - natural sun, or he attended some fashion institute hair salon in the middle of the night on one of his recent escapades!  I suppose what little sun he gets during the day is doing him some good.

We just spent an amazing couple of days in Ponza - an Island off the coast of Western Italy.  As we are now sadly leaving as we need to continue our trek to Sicily.  I think we all could have stayed a week in Ponza enjoying the food, scenery, and shopping.  Who would imagine store after store all 400 sf with racks of fresh fruit, local (amazing) wines, and cases full of salumi/cured meats.  Unfortunately, we missed the fish monger-Fortunately the store we grabbed last minute provisions at sold "freshly made pesto" along with freshly stuffed sausages.  

Ponza, similar to the more well know Greek island of Santorini, is formed from the crest of a volcanic crater.  The cliffs of several of the sides of the island rise directly from the sea to 200-300 meters and have the appearance of soft white soapstone (I am sure it is likely sandstone).  We anchored near "inferno" bay where the evening sunset turns the white walls various shades of red.  I think the true stunning part of the anchorage was anchoring in 9 feet of water above glorious white sand seafloor.  The boat appeared to hover above the beach in the crystal clear water...  well it rippled a little after i did my cannonball!  

 

Hey Hey, what do you say... Let's go the other way!

Amaris sailing the Planet

41.59 north 011.38 East

Sailing 15 Knots in 25 knots of wind

Course over Ground 150 deg true

Shawn and I had a bright idea - Sail back to France and grab our new washing machine.  It is honestly a pain to find a laundromat ever other week or so.  Besides we didn't want to stop in France when our friend Sherrie comes out for a visit.  So, we left a message with the Outremer crew and headed north.  After a few days of heading north in decent winds, we learned that Outremer closes down for the month of August (with the rest of France so it turns out).  Not to worry, we had some great adventures heading north (including almost dying hiking up to that "not so exciting" castle that you may have read about in my earlier blog).  

As one of my more attractive traits, I seem to push a bit hard in most things in life.  On our way north, one of these pushes was running for nearly 20 hours and arriving just before dawn at Isle de Giglio.  Just before dawn meant we were approaching and anchoring in an unfamiliar harbor in the darkness (which i will also include that the Med has their aids to navigation exactly opposite to those of the US.  Suddenly it is Green to the right when returning...  This added stress of doing something in the dark that you know isn't a mistake, but seems to be putting the boat in jeopardy.)  As we were approaching the harbor, the harbor was surrounded by blinking lights that were not on the chart.  I confirmed our location and checked the mental note-"Don't worry Steven, all the light houses are correct, you confirmed your location with radar etc.  These are obviously beacons marking areas of the park/marina."  

I was further alarmed when i saw a red light about 100 meters in front of us - that was definitely not on the chart.  I slowed down, asked if i was seeing things and further questioned the surroundings.  Alarms started going off as either a red or green light at the entrance of a marina mark either a boat - or a beacon marking an entrance (and the other side of the light very much not an entrance - usually something bad, like a rock/rocks/beach).  Shawn and I were discussing the red light, which we then watched sink into the water from 5 feet to zero and below.  "Shawn", I said "let's get out of here - something isn't right."  As the words left my lips a large ping noise echoed through the hulls of the boat...  followed by 5-6 more.  Sonar.  Submarine?  What?  Leave-quickly.  And we did.  As the sun rose on the horizon we were safely around the corner in a pleasant anchorage where we spent the day (and hiked to that castle-obtaining a few blisters i may add along the way).

Now as we headed south we decided to give a relatively safe, but yet curious look at that same harbor in the daylight.  The entire entrance was blocked off with cranes, barges, and a wrecked cruise liner.  That was obviously not on the chart either.  Wonder who left that there?

Here is the video... enjoy

s/v Amaris sails the world

3 miles south of Isla D'Elba (Elba)

speed 6 knots under motor alone

Destination - town of Portoferraio, Elba

Today was a fascinating sail through a squal/lightning storm.  We wanted to get an early start today so that Shawn and I could each take conference calls from a "real town" with wifi calling.  Or at least that is the current plan.  We had wonderful winds for the first few hours and were making great time sailing along at 10 knots.  We passed a number of boats, which as a sailor is always nice.  I suppose i should have sensed something when the wind disappeared and the humidity started to thicken.  Alas, I didn't.

After lunch (Cassoulet with duck confit of course), the wind picked up a little and we were once again sailing.  Oddly, it shifted frequently between 60-120 degrees.  I am realizing this should have been a tell tale indicator???  Suddenly with a full main and jib, the wind was blowing 20-not a bad thing.  We were scooting.  Within 30 seconds, it was blowing a steady 25.  Now we were really scooting making 15 knots in the wind.  Cody (not in the shower or bed) was assigned the main sheet to let it fly should we become radically overpowered.  

In a normal situation i would have enjoyed such a spirited sail.  We didn't have time to reef (although i should have seen the signs) and we certainly were not prepared for the driving rain or the lightning that was immediately above us (which further prevented me from wanting either Shawn or Cody near our metal mast to reef the main.  10 minutes later it was all gone - winds back to near nothing we secured the jib (easily wound up with a few lines).  We also put away the main once the threat of lightning was gone.

I believe now what i read about weather coming up very quickly here on the Med.  Honestly, the time between 10 knots of wind and 25 was so fast we didn't even have the chance to think about lighting our sails.  The benefit of a boat with in mast furling would have been immediately recognized (you can reef in 2-3 minutes).  That said, Shawn and I will be practicing our reefing the next time we raise the main.  Secretly, I think the boat loved the wind.  The owners manual recommends the first reef at 20 knots - i figure they always write those conservatively...  Right?

Amaris sails the world

Anchored - Isla Del Giglio, Seno di Campese

After an exhilarating sail and boring motor, we anchored at dawn at Campese on Isla Del Giglio.  There is great history to this and most of the islands around Italy.  Giglio (not Gigilo as Cody would prefer it to be called) has a castle at the top that served the residents of Giglio as refuge from invading pirates.  Apparently, when the island was invaded, the locals would all run up the hills to seek protection in the fortified walls of the castle.  The castle, originally built some 1500 years ago, of course continues to be inhibited.  Shawn and I of course had to see.  Cody feigned some interest, but it disappeared once he saw a beach full of bikinis...  Well the bottoms at least of bikinis.  He stayed on the beach, we walked on.

Hitting the 2km marker on the trail brought some relief to us.  We were making headway in the 100 degree weather walking the steep incline to the castle.  Turning the corner and seeing the sign "Castello 4km" brought horror.  We tried flagging a bus, but were denied (turns out if they stop, they cannot get going again).  So continued to make our way up the road - which eventually became a trail through both active and abandoned vineyards.  Eventually we made it to the castle (which we told Cody was well worth the hike).  Turns out that it really was just about 300 tiny condos that are 1500 years old (not sure how the sewage system worked).  We were able to find a vendor that sold us ice cold water and wandered through the castle.  After we caught our breath the wind picked up and cooled the interior walkways of the castle.  Shawn considered buying a sweatshirt, which made me think he was suffering mild heat stroke.  Need i say, we took the bus back to the boat.

Attached is a short video we made while sailing to Isla Del Giglio.  It is hard to make out the audio over the wind - Basically I am describing the boats performance (sailing between 9-10 knots in 13 knots of breeze).  Shawn is casually watching for other boats - Cody of course was resting his eyes.  I have to give him some credit however, he is spending a few hours the last few days reading a book.  We continue to be happy with the speed and the comfort of the boat.  I will admit, i miss the excitement at times of the heal of a monohull, but the balance of performance and lack of fatigue from needing to balance all the time is great.

Enjoy the video and the photos.

 

-Note from shawn... video and photos soon