Wednesday, February 10, 2010

Wrapping up

My last day of liven the Dream

Unfortunately the Job originally arranged in New Brunswick didn't work out and we are now heading to the Rock...Newfoundland. The rest of the crew will hopefully following Mid March.
Plan remains the same, to deliver the boat in May but will skipping Bermuda and heading a little further North and East with our final port being St. John's.
Trip just got worse..... volunteers?
Vicky & kidz are still secured at Turtle Pier and look forward to seeing more fellow Cruisers.



Olous Out.

Sunday, January 3, 2010

2010 Happy New Year

Wow,

It's coming to a close, (this chapter at least)
We have just turned around, not going any further West or North in completing our circle of the North Atlantic.
Our Log from when we started is now over 9000 nm...
..well our heading is now SSE.. after spending New Years in the Isle de Colebra (Spanish Virgin Islands) Before that we blew through Norman's Island, St. John's, St Thomas and now the Spanish Virgins Islands. Should be back in the British Virgins later tomorrow. Funny all this talk of "Virgins" an Oxymoron these days, both in Place and People, (the later I'm just guessing), not much on these islands that is untouched.

Reality aside, I feel we pulled the pin on going to work way too soon,..... this life style is so Freakin Good... just not ready for it end, been lucky and blessed every step of the way, thus I don't dare complain, just need to make the best out of the month that is left.
Our plan to leave the boat in Cuba was altered due to a meeting I have to attend back in Canada next week, however it all seems to be coming together as we found reasonable dock $pace in Simpson Bay back in Sint Marteen. It's not a Marina but a great Pub called Royal Turtle Inn (by the Airport Terminal building) which has it's own dock and few boats on it, we pay a small amount for the boat per month and gave oath we'd visit the bar at least once a day, was thinking a few times a day wouldn't hurt, but was quickly Vetoed by Vicky.
We are planning to leave the boat there till May, with Vicky and Kids remaining onboard till things are settled away (or the snow melts) back in Saint John's, New Brunswick. Vicky is now hoping many of our friends we met along the way (which we thought we'd miss) will now be able to visit as they make there way Caribs. ??

Then it will be a quick delivery will be back very quick trip back to Canada late May, probably via Bermuda, looking for Suicidal Volunteers
??

Happy New Year to All


From the Boags

Saturday, December 26, 2009

Merry Xmas

Barbuda, a week on the beech and nothing else, then it was Virgin Gorda, Spanish Town and now Xmas and Boxing day here at Road Harbour Torotola. All is well

Friday, December 11, 2009

Antigua and Beyound

Antigua,

17*04.32
61*53.29

Historic and great Anchorage at English Harbour and no shortage of waterside pubs to sample the local Wadadli Beer, Red Stripe the well know Jamaican brand is brewed and bottle here also very good. Also had a chance to sample the "Carib Beer" a few times although flavourless, does have good tasteless ads, the type with hot models, bikini clad, plastic boobs and all holding/grasping and clinging all over their bottles, I digress.. We are now in Jolly Harbour, a marine suburban neighbourhood where all the houses and villas have their own dock. Suspect they spent millions in dredging this all out.
Ton of Canadian flags here there and everywhere, met a neat couple from South Coast of Nova Scotia in their very classy classic schooner, one of the gals on board was Chief Officer
of our Bluenose II. Yesterday it was a couple from Sidney with their boat Registered also in Victoria. Two of us were moored side by side here in Jolly Harbour. They had just purchased one of the Villa here, dock included, so unlikely the will see Victoria for sometime.
Well I have to go and try and find space for all the Xmas stuff (small made in China tree included) Vicky picked up today.
Off tomorrow to Barbuda, apparently nothing but beeches and crystal clear water, no Internet or phones....should be good, we really haven't had the classic sit on the beech and swim all day since we left on this trip..

ciao

Monday, December 7, 2009

Channels...

Definition of Channels: the night before returning back to home port, that something feeling that keeps you up after being out at sea for sometime"

Everyone has the Channels this evening.....We have great winds now which are pushing us along at over 8 knots, so the miles are just going fast. We are about to arrive in English Harbour, Landfall early tomorrow morning (with luck). I suppose this will concludes our sail across the Atlantic for this year. Essentially take out our stop over in Cape Verde's It took 17 days to cross from The Gambia in Africa to Antigua in the Caribbean, a distance of about 2,800 nautical miles as the crow flies. All down-wind with the current to our back. Our average speed over ground was about 6. 5 knots so we traveled about 165 miles per day. Our best day was 201 miles. We used the engine a little too much during our last week racking up almost a 100 hours, alot considering most will not use their engines at all.....plus we have only 900 hrs total on our engine.

Average wind speed was 10 knots (kind of light), and the winds seldom exceeded 20 knots or dipped below 6 knots. After almost six months without rain, we were delighted to get a few pours offered on by Mother Nature as we approached Antigua. Kids really enjoyed the colorful double rainbows.

Fishing would have been good, but without our reel, I settled with just teasing the kids with the flying fish that landed on our decks, cockpit, and head on an almost daily basis.

Friday, December 4, 2009

A Day in the Life

12/04/2009
01:07:52 GMT
17° 10.13' N
51° 13.18' W

0200hrs Nothing Happens, 0300hrs nothing happening. 0400hrs still nothing happening. If we kept an hourly log it would read something like that, the days melting into each other. Although we did see a couple of boat or at least their lights, was almost going to call them on the radio but chicken out at the last moment realizing I really didn't have anything to say. More flying fishing, the coolest creatures this side of the Arctic Circle, one flew into our shower last night through an open port, didn't discover it till the morning however. We also had some dolphins with us, which kept the kids busy for a whole two minutes before they got bored watching them. I guess they didn't talk or weren't on a rescue mission with Dora the explorer.

Well e probably have less than 4 days left to cover off the remaining 578 miles. Unfortunately there remains very little wind, the boss even agreed to flying the spinnaker provided 1) it was taken down for her watch and 2) I stop using the blogs to communicate with her ,3) no more poop stories.

Well had everything set up yesterday, then the wind decided to shift on the nose, making it impossible to fly,thus we have decided to keep the engine going anytime the sails start flogging, which has practically been for the last three days. Although expensive and not so eco friendly we do have enough fuel to keep motoring the rest of the way and then some.

It's time to check the forecast, see how long or where we can find some wind.

Olous Out