Now playing: jmvdono

A radio documentary about Paula Stone and the AQVA – L’Association quebecoise de voile adaptee – recorded on location at the Point Claire Yacht Club in Montreal

A 150 km from Rio de Janeiro, Cabo Frio is a natural paradise that charms with its beautiful beaches with crystal clear waters, white sand, huge dunes, islands of rare beauty, salt marshes and inlets.

City created and settled soon after the discovery, during the extraction of Brazil wood, Cabo Frio guard archaeological and historical treasures that belong to the natural scenery of the region. Seventh city founded in Brazil, Cabo Frio, which has been called St. Helena, began to awaken to a new vocation: cultural tourism. In addition to musical shows, there is a historic circuit that can be explored on foot.

Excellent destination for holidays or weekends with the family, the city has something for children, youth and adults. Has program for those who want excitement and for those seeking tranquility. Calm beaches for children and agitated for surfers. Sea perfect for diving, sailing or fishing. And for those who like a little shopping, beautiful works of craftsmanship, not to mention the famous bikinis and swimwear.

Photo: Divulgation

Source: Dia Online

For over 20 years, we have been paying bridge tolls for the car behind us. Think about that: driving up to the booth and someone already paid! (No small thing in the Bay Area, as we have 7 toll bridges that I can name right off the bat.) It was fun, and hopefully made a difference for those drivers.

Last night, someone paid for us! Wow.

It was a fabulous topper to an amazing afternoon and evening. Spencer and I drove to Alameda to get our boat, with the intention of moving her to Pier 39 and then taking the ferry/bus back to the car. We accomplished that, although it was about 5 hours later than we expected. More details on the other blog (ultimatecypher.wordpress.com).

Never in my wildest dreams did I imagine that I would be piloting my boat (our boat) across the San Francisco Bay on a clear, mostly windless night with the entire City and Bay Area lit up. And a moon and stars overhead. Words fail me.

Here’s a photo looking over the Caribbean from Eagle Beach, Aruba. Those sailboats are racing along while the tanker sits at anchor.

Mean time, that handsome couple takes their morning stroll. Just one of the things that makes Aruba a fine destination.

Bon dia.

Ship’s Log: November 21, 2009.  So I’m out on the river on September Blue, only the second time out under sail, and I send my faithful crew down below to prepare the daggerboard.  On a West Wight Potter – 19, the dagger board is a 450 pound slab of steel that is lowered through the bottom of the hull to supply both control and stability.  It helps keep the boat going straight, instead of sideways, and helps old it right side up.  If fact, the manual warns the reader very sharply that under no circumstances should you raise sail unless the dagger board is down.  In any case, F, my crewman, went below and released the retaining pins that keep it up in storage mode, and I lowered it using the winch at the helmsman’s station.  F then proceeded to apply the second set of retaining pins that hold it in the down position.  Not normally an issue, these pins hold the daggerboard in place should, God forbid, September Blue turn turtle (capsize) due to a sudden burst of wind.

F is somewhat . . . methodical in his approach to safety gear, and that’s generally a good thing.  But since the dagger board was down, it was now safe to raise sail, so I went ahead and deployed the main, whilst F was fiddling with the retaining bolts.  And we got under weigh.  The air was light that day.  Very, very light, but it was enough to get us moving just under the mainsail, so I maneuvered the boat about the lake while waiting until F came back to the cockpit to deploy the foresail.  We were sailing down wind under a quartering “run,” and I wanted to get to know the boat a little.  So for no particular reason, I changed course.  The sneer quotes are there because the tiny zephyr I was sailing under could hardly provide a “run” of any kind, except technically.  Now as it happens, this course change would bring my stern across the eye of the wind.  Jibing, is the jargon for this maneuver.

Under normal circumstances, jibing is introduces controllable hazards in sailing.  First, as the stern moves through the eye of the wind, the boom will move, often sharply, from one side of the cockpit to the other.  If you’re not paying attention, you can get a sharp crack on the head.  Even if the boom misses you, there’s a shifting of sheets and other tackle that can cause you to trip or lose your balance.  A secondary effect of a jibe is that, again, under normal circumstances, the movement of the boom and sail from one side of the boat to another causes the boat to stop heeling (tipping) one way, and to heel in the other.  The humor ensues when you come to understand just how slowly everything was moving.  When I executed my jibe, the boom moved sedately from one side of the center line to the other.  The wind was so light that September Blue was not heeling at all, so there was no change in the orientation of the cabin.

But it was a new boat, and I was playing, so I executed the turn as though we were running under a stiff breeze.

I barked to the crew below, “Prepare to jibe!” so that he would be able to brace himself.  Nothing perceptible happened, but I noticed he was a little startled.

F was below decks, facing away from me, has tinnitus in both ears, in different pitches.  So he doesn’t hear very well.  What he had heard me holler, his brain interpreted through the filter of all those submarine movies he’s seen.  What he heard was all those Executive Officer’s hollering “Prepare to DIVE!”

When you are in the cabin of a small sailing yacht, this can be some cause for concern.  When he came back above the deck, he explained what had gone through his mind.  Not “Wait, no, I’m on a sailboat.”   Not “Wait, no, this is not a submarine.”  No.  The first thought to go through his mind was, “You can’t dive.  The hatch is still open!”

So. I was looking forward to last Sunday because I was joining a group of people to go onto Fuji Maru, a cruise ship that is the host of The Ship for 36th Southeast Asian Youth Programme (SSEAYP). It had been docking in West Port since the 19th and had issued an invite to Aleps to go on board for a few hours.

After being notified that I wasn’t able to bring a guest along on Saturday evening, I proceeded to find directions to make my way there. I even made printouts complete with a map, plus I gave myself an extra half hour, just in case.

Long story short, I didn’t make it onto the ship. Making people late for more than 20 minutes was just too much of a meiwaku. I was more angry at myself than at Google (the one time it has failed me!). There were three routes I could’ve chosen from and I chose the nearest way of course, although the second option was slightly more familiar to me. *sigh* Memang terasa agak bangang.

I consoled myself by saying that Fuji Maru is not a saiboat and I’ve been on passenger cruise ships before. The journey from Holyhead to Dublin in ‘97 came to mind.

Anyway, I was quick to let it go also because I was joining Davie on the KL Hop On Hop Off bus from downtown KL to the museum on Monday.

It was a fun outing, although I wished the bus’s huge windows didn’t have water stains so that I could take photos of the places we passed through.

One surprise I wasn’t expecting yesterday was an e-mail from Firefly.

Congratulations on being the ‘HOT’ ones for ‘Sail your way to Monsoon Cup 2009‘!

That one line just totally made my entire week, and it’s only Monday.
A big thank you to Eddy who sent me the link to the contest. Yes, 2 packs of nasi lemak is on me.

As I was still reeling from the news, Sherry came to pick up a book I’m giving away. Mum was kinda confused when I said I didn’t know who she was. Heh. Well now I do, sort of. It was so nice of her to bring muffins, when she didn’t have to. Arigato!

The last part of the night was spent with girlfriends, eating and talking the time away. If that’s not marvellous, I don’t know what is.

As you know we’ve been looking for replacements for Valentine and Zotelot for next season. We can now announce that one of our new yachts will be Phoebe, a 2003 Jeanneau Sun Odyssey 45.2. She will be joining the school in the New Year and will be available for courses from February 2010.

The yacht is currently in the Cleopatra Boatyard in Preveza. George, Mark, and Nektarios went there early in November to carry out a pre-purchase sea trial. Here’s a video of the sea trial – Phoebe’s first venture into the water for over a year.

done

You will notice that they picked a rather grey, rainy day. If you’ve read my post on the October milebuilder you’ll see that we had a fair amount of rainy weather before it changed to the lovely sunshine we are enjoying at the moment.

About the Sun Odyssey 45.2

I’ve seen this model of yacht described as “the best charter yacht ever built” and “absolutely ideal for all levels of experience”

We wouldn’t argue with that. The yacht is a classic Jeanneau design, providing safe, comfortable performance-oriented cruising. She has many features that appeal to us and we are sure you’ll agree.

Like Valentine she sports twin wheels to help you. She has an in-mast furling mainsail slightly flat-cut to aid the less experienced when bringing the sail in or out, a padded foresail to help retain shape when reefed. Her spacious cockpit features double doors at the transom that open out onto the swimming platform and she’s equipped with a bimini to keep the sun’s rays off when required.

There are a number of things that we particularly like about Phoebe’s interior. Firstly, the bulkhead between her two forward cabins can be removed to convert it into a large en-suite master cabin, which will be ideal for our private courses for couples or families.

Secondly, she comes equipped with both air-conditioning and heating making her a good “all year round” boat.

She also has excellent ventilation from numerous hatches, essential in our climate, and every hatch comes with both fly screen and sunblind. There are plenty of lockers both in the cabins and the roomy saloon.

Her navigation area is particularly nice and will be appreciated by all our skipper candidates. Angled at 30° it features a large desk and plenty of room for electronics.

Those more interested in the galley won’t be disappointed either. She is as well equipped in that area as you would expect from a French yacht.

We’re delighted to be able to offer RYA courses on Phoebe next year and think she will bring a new level of comfort to clients who sail with us. We are planning some special packages, in addition to normal group and private RYA courses, to make the most of our new yacht. For spring 2010 we’ll be offering ‘Spring Gold’ packages – a master class for three students, who will each have a large cabin to themselves and lots of individual attention from the instructor.

More details to come in our newsletter and on this blog.

I could raise a sail

Look to the horizon and

Cast off in in his shoe

It’s over.  Boat’s officially up on her rack for the winter.  Balanced on some iron rods on a cement parking lot, waiting for the return of summer days.  We keep her about 15 miles south of downtown, up the Calumet River at Crowley’s Yacht Yard.  It’s about a 2-3 hour sail south from Monroe Harbor where we keep her moored in the summer.  My boat partner and I do the trip together most every year and it’s always a great time.  This year we had perfect wind and weather, fairly warm for a late fall day, with a beautiful sun and nice breeze out of the west.  Each year we need to take the harness off our buoy, get the dinghy from shore, pump out the head (where the toilet proceeds are stored), and fill her up with diesel before heading south.  Noteworthy this year was the dinghy pickup procedure.  I dropped Aaron off on shore to get the dinghy, which he promptly did, dropping her into the water and shoving off while I pulled the big boat up beside him.  He got ahold of the boat, stood up in the dinghy and began tying her to the stern of the Imjatse (the boat’s name, she’s an Ericson 28).  I asked him “You all set?” and he said “yep!” so I gunned it as we were in a hurry.  Next thing I hear is “hey! hey! hey!” and I look back to see him laying on his back on the side of the dinghy, flailing around, body half in the water, half in the dinghy, desperately trying to stay out of the water as it slowly heeled over.  I watched him, turned back to the wheel, turned back to see him, not sure what to do for a split second before I cut the gas, but too late as I watched him, fully clothed in about four layers, slip into Lake Michigan.  I dropped the ladder and in a split second he swam to the boat and seemed to fly up it, next thing he is standing there in the cockpit with me and we both begin laughing, doubled over.  Would have been even better had he not had his I-phone in his pocket which was destroyed.  Suck.  Fortunately he had some foul weather gear on board he was able to change into.

A tradition we have is drinking some Ol’ Grandad Whiskey on the way down.

Ol' Grandad on the Imjatse

Before we left, there was a fairly bad omen – a sunken boat being hauled out of the harbor.  Very sad to see.  Apparently several boats broke loose from their moorings during a fierce storm out of the southeast.  Monroe Harbor is unprotected in the north end of the harbor to swells out of the southeast – huge waves can roll in straight from the lake after miles of building up, unchecked by a seawall.  A few boats’ harnesses couldn’t take it and broke loose and the boats were quickly blown into the north end of the harbor where they were beaten to death against the iron walls and sank.  Very sad and a recurring nightmare of mine.

We made a gorgeous sail about three hours south under jib and main, avoiding the shoals but barely, watching the depth gauge go from 28 feet to eight feet in just a few seconds, that’ll wake you up!

We entered the outer Calumet harbor and radioed the drawbridges, they kindly stopped the car traffic and both opened for us.   We waited maybe five minutes for another sailboat as well as a tugboat to both head up the river with us.  After a smooth landing at the Crowley’s docks, my girlfriend Lisa picked us up, great day!

A weekend or two later we again headed to the boatyard and winterized the boat, and also shrink-wrapped her.  About a four hour job.  Also changed the oil, put in a new oil filter, and ran antifreeze into the engine and through the water system.

Okay so i’m completely new to blogging. It’s been happening for years but iv never given into it, simply due to my lack of need for it, with social networks until now being my primary usage of online activity. Social networking has finally taken it’s toll on me, with the fore runners such as the well known “book of faces” being completely riddled with hopeless App’s etc.

So here I am, about to give blogging a go. I’m yet to figure out exactly what i’m going to ramble on about here, but my major interests are Property (Bsc Real Estate) and water based activities such as surfing.  **I’m also very very very interested in enterprise and entrepreneurial thinking.

*Watch this space and subscribe. Ste*

My, my, my, my, my. It is getting that as many boats show up for this show as during the summer. Could be that it was a beautiful day with no wind until after lunch. It picked up to maybe 12-15 knots, but died off about dusk.

The air show was excellent as usual. It is held at Pensacola NAS and there are thousands of people that show up at the base to watch the air show and see the large static display.

Some friends of ours stopped by and we had a nice visit during some of the show. They left shortly before the Blues started to fly. The Blues start there show with the flight of their C130 called Fat Albert. This was the last time they took off with Jado assist. It was used for short runways, but the updated aircraft does not need the assist. Too bad. It was always impressive to she such a large lumbering plane take off at about 60 degrees up angle.

We had a nice sale home until we made the turn for the beach bridge. Then we wind was dead on the stern. This boat does not move fast on that angle and will roll back and forth for no reason. One should tack down wind like on a schooner. Yes one should, but I knew my martinis would be waiting after the boat was put to bed. I could have used the alcohol for medication for the no see’m bites by the time we had everything put away. A very nice day.

Sunday, Nov 22 0930

We are anchored in Wreck Bay, Puerto Baquerizo Moreno, Isla San Cristobal waiting for our zarpe to depart for Puerto Ayora. The navy and immigration were here at 0830 but needed to come back in one hour with the necessary papers.

I woke up early this morning to my favorite alarm clock — roosters! We discovered that we had had a night visitor, as the aft deck was covered in slime, mud and fur. Sven and I went ashore at 0600 to try to get some extra diesel for the trip over only to find out that they can’t sell it on Sundays. There is a “diesel trafficking” culture here much akin to drug trafficking. After taking a taxi to several houses with chain link fences and finding no one at home, we resorted to asking fisherman. Luckily we were able to get some and all is well.

The wind is howling in the right direction and we shouldn’t need any fuel anyway. The up side to all this is that we had a great breakfast including TOAST and fresh fruit. It felt wonderful to walk again. I got a small dog fix as a fuzzy white one befriended me in the outdoor café. I am sure it was because of my toast, but I took the affection anyway.

It is about a four-hour sail to Puerto Ayora and we are all looking forward to getting settled in. Tomorrow, we leave in the morning for Quito and then home.

Monday Nov 23 – 0730

Our sail yesterday could not have been finer. We skated across the Canal de Santa Cruz past Isla Santa Fe to Puerto Ayora. Whales along the way, wind at 13-15 knots, we were very close-hauled to stay near our course and doing 10-11 knots all the way — what a day! Johnny Romero and Javier, our agents, greeted us, promptly taking Sven and I to Hotel Mainoa, a beautiful five story winding building with plenty of island charm. We did a whirlwind tour of the Darwin Center as it closes at 1800 and we didn’t get to the hotel until 1600. We bought some gifts for the children and took a welcome shower. We had arranged to meet Mark and Rita with their friends from Ohio for a last toast before heading off to our first evening without working in a very long time. Edgar, the bartender at SolYMar, a lovely outdoor bar on the waterfront, remembered me (and mostly Joanne, who was here with me last time) and took very good care of the thirsty/hungry sailors.

I explained to Sven what a “foodgasm” was as we both felt the same way about the fresh ceviche and fried plantains at the SolYMar. Julian, the resident pelican with only one wing, came by the table to say hello. He is well cared for there and fed fresh fish by the staff. When Mark and Rita arrived we made our toast to the “Captain and Mate” of Avida wishing them safe journey, fair winds and following seas.

My favorite, Red Sushi restaurant was next on the agenda where we ate more than our share of fresh yellow fin amongst other local delicacies accompanied by cold sake for me and some fruity mixed drinks for Sven. Being and older, morning-type person, I retired happily knowing that I could sleep through the night for the first time this trip…. aaahhh. Sven ventured out on the town to do what young people do, drink more and socialize. He met some rasta guys and enjoyed their company until the bar closed. I feel better than he does this morning despite the fact that the bed and the shower keep moving.

We were served a beautiful breakfast and café con leche this morning at the hotel. We made one last turn around the town and are preparing for our ride to the airport at 0900. I can only imagine the incredible sights from the plane on the way out. I have never been to Quito, Equador before and arriving at 1700 tonight, perhaps can get a glimpse of what kind of place it is.

Thanks for riding along.
D

A reminder of the United Nations (UNICEF) Convention and a second view from yours truly.

On November 12th I was the author of a Post called Our next generation featuring the young Jessica Watson from Australia who is on course to try and win the record for the youngest person to sail, solo, unassisted, non-stop around the World.  Here’s a part of what was said:

Jessica Watson

Jessica Watson is a teenager.  She is hoping to break the record for the youngest person to sail solo, non-stop and unassisted around the World.  Whatever modern materials and technology can do to make sailing easier, sailing solo for weeks on end is grindingly tough at any age.  She’s a wonderful example of the next generation!

Jessica left Sydney Harbour on October 18, 2009 sailing her sloop Ella’s Pink Lady. Her course is an estimated 23,000 nautical miles requiring her to be roughly 230 days at sea.

You can see that the tone of the Post was supportive.

However the comments that the Post attracted were critical of the pressures and influences that may have been brought to bear on this child.  For at 16 ‘child’ is what Jessica is.  One of our regular contributors pointed out that under the terms of the UNICEF Convention:

The Convention on the Rights of the Child is the first legally binding international instrument to incorporate the full range of human rights—civil, cultural, economic, political and social rights. In 1989, world leaders decided that children needed a special convention just for them because people under 18 years old often need special care and protection that adults do not.

(My underlining)

As the author of that Post I admit that this aspect had completely missed me and this Post is an attempt to remedy that omission and to remind our readers that it is so easy to see one’s own children as extensions of our adult ambitions.

More on that Convention:

The Convention sets out these rights in 54 articles and two Optional Protocols. It spells out the basic human rights that children everywhere have: the right to survival; to develop to the fullest; to protection from harmful influences, abuse and exploitation; and to participate fully in family, cultural and social life.

Again, my underlining.

Now I am not saying that the parents of Jessica knowingly set out to expose their child to harm but Clause 1 of Article 32 of the Convention could make uncomfortable reading for any adult involved in promoting and facilitating the voyage:

Article 32

1. States Parties recognize the right of the child to be protected from economic exploitation and from performing any work that is likely to be hazardous or to interfere with the child’s education, or to be harmful to the child’s health or physical, mental, spiritual, moral or social development.

Gloria Squires who, with her husband Barry, knows a thing or two about ocean sailing, posted a comment on that original Post:

Any short-handed blue water sailing is challenging and I can speak from a wealth of experience for although never single handed I have circumnavigated the world in a 35 foot ketch with my husband Barry. Sailing across oceans is a demanding business even when there are two people on-board there is a constant round of jobs to be done firstly in maintaining your boat and secondly in maintaining yourself both of which are crucial to the success and safety of your voyage.

Blue water sailors need a myriad of skills which include electrical, engineering, navigation, sewing, and imaginative cooking. Meanwhile sleep deprivation is always a serious concern and even more so when there is no one to share the watches.

However it is not just the physical demands of Jessica’s voyage that concern me but also the emotional ones. It is not easy to be at sea for weeks on end even when not alone, the constant movement of the boat, noise of the sails, the need for vigilance, the tiredness and anxiety all these take a toll on the emotions and that is when the weather is good.

When it is bad you can add hunger, seasickness (even in the best of us) lethargy and fear. Nothing instils fear quite like the sight of those greybeards rushing down on you. My question is how will a 16 year old cope with all this emotionally and alone? I know older mature skilled sailor couples who have left the sea after a lot less.

Despite not having done as many sea miles as Gloria and Barry, I have done sufficient to know the truth of what she says.

By Paul Handover

At long last, and finally, I took my first abbreviated voyage on September Blue. For the uninitiated, I have bought a sailboat. I visited Richmond Virginia last weekend to pick her up and bring her home. (UPDATE: the pickup date for September Blue was Saturday, November 14.  I wasted an entire week sitting at a desk doing “work” and my “job.”  The first voyage was the night of November 20.) Despite getting up at the crack of dawn, and blasting down the highway as fast as remotely safely possible with a 23 foot long trailer, I was unable to take her out last Sunday. By the time I got her rigged and off the trailer, the sun had set, and her dead batteries wouldn’t support the night running lights. So we had to pack her in the dark, and despite my best hopes, I was unable to get her into the water tonight.

This afternoon I took two hours off, and left work at 3:00. My friend F also got loose, and we met as his place, where September Blue is enjoying a temporary trailer berth. That was at 4:00 PM. We were at the boat ramp at 5:00, and had the boat rigged by 6:15. Unfortunately, sunset was at 5:30. This time, however, the batteries were charged. Turn a dial, flip three switches, and the running lights, mast light, and depth finder are good to go, and we shoved off from the dock.

The lake was like glass. Only the lightest puffs of air were moving. The thermometer read 58 degrees. Our breath rose in small clouds. We killed the outboard, lifted it clear of the water, and raised sail. We spent the first 15 minutes just under the main, as I tried to get a feel for the boat. She was very responsive, given that there was no wind to speak of. The speedometer didn’t register our motion, but the GPS I brought from the car did.

The GPS was a Garmin, designed and programmed for terrestrial navigation, not nautical. As far as the Garmin was concerned, the lake was a featureless blue blob. But since I was trying to navigate at night, on a lake I didn’t know, on a boat I was unfamiliar with, I brought the Garmin, with the idea that if I kept the little car icon in the middle of the lake, I wouldn’t run into anything important. Between the depth gauge (Lake Loudon is 45′ deep in the middle) and the Garmin (the car Icon looked really silly in the middle of the lake) I managed to sail for about two hours. I eventually flew the foresail as well as the main, and we experimented a little bit with the full rig, but frankly, there just wasn’t enough wind to fill it. We ghosted out into the middle of the lake, up to where the Tennessee River enters the lake. The buoy there is not lit; it’s just a dark mass the rears up out of the water with no warning. Fortunately, we carried a big flashlight with us. The channel markers flash a green reflector. It was still startling.

I wonder if I’m even allowed to sail at night. I should probably look that up. We were missing some critical gear. Oh, the lights worked, and we had adequate life jackets. We did not have a heaving line, though. Should we have had a man overboard, his life jacket and a recovery operation would have had to do. Small chance of getting lost in the “surf,” at least. Also, the water temperature was about 56 degrees. Getting wet would have been no joke. I need a console mount for my Garmin. And, frankly, a flask of single malt was in order, given the weather. I don’t hold to getting loaded and piloting a boat, mind you, but a wee nip to warm the blood would have done a lot to enhance the experience.

After the first fifteen minutes, we ran out the foresail. The guy who invented roller furling was a genius, and I hope he’s rich. It was truly amazing.  Yank on a rope, foresail is deployed.  Yank on another rope, foresail is not only out of service, but packed in a UV-proof cover.  If only it could work that way for the main.  Anyway, it was amazing to be out under the stars, ghosting along on that mirror-smooth lake. I could never have gotten Dad’s Boat to move in that air.  Just not enough sail area.

I really like my new boat.  There’s just one problem:  I paid through the nose so that I wouldn’t end up buying a “project boat.” I wanted a boat I could sail, not a boat I could work on.  I have enough projects. There’s a thought for a blog post: compose a project list. But I digress.  September Blue is exactly as she was advertised, and, allowing for the need to replace the batteries (which I was warned about), rig the galley, which the previous owner had never used, rig the head, which has also never been used, she needs no work.  But there are so many cool things I could do.

The galley storage sucks. I don’t know what her designers were thinking.  There’s  a HUGE area, mostly below the waterline, that’s got no shelves, no drawers, and, near as I can tell, is supposed to be accessed via a TINY door.  Same for the sink area on the other side, although that’s complicated by the presence of the water bladder.  I want to add a dedicated boat GPS so that I can know a little bit about the bottom of the lake I’m sailing across, instead of trying to keep a little car in the middle of the river.  Here in East Tennessee, I want specialized sails for light air sailing . . .

Help me!

Glorious Weather

The past ten days have seen Greece at its winter best with daytime temperatures in the 20s and warm, balmy weather.

Here’s a photograph sent to me by Simon Grace, who lives in Athens. Simon obtained his RYA Day Skipper certificate with us earlier this year and now sails his own small boat with his family.

The photograph shows Simon with an octopus he caught yesterday using a rod and line. Luckily for the octopus, he was rather small and so was returned to the sea. Just look at the weather – wonderful for mid November.

Diabolical Weather

Unfortunately, Greece is suffering the effects of climate change like most places in the world. The crew who booked onto our autumn milebuilder during the last week of October were unlucky with weather. Torrential rain and strong winds plagued them during their trip, leading to a change of route and some wet, if exciting sailing.

Compare Simon’s picture above with this which was sent to me by Rainer Alles, one of the crew on the milebuilder. It shows instructor, Mark Cooper, on the helm while they tackled the waves on the Eastern Peloponnese. Not a swimsuit in sight!

I hate it when we get bad weather as I know that most people come to Greece to escape the rain and cold. Although I cannot do anything about it I can’t help but feel responsible somehow.

Due to the adverse conditions they did not sail to the Cyclades as planned. This proved to be a good decision as the Cyclades were hammered by Force 9 – 10 winds most of the week and the yacht could have been stormbound and unable to sail on.

Instead the cruise took place in the Argolic Gulf and included the picturesque ancient town of Monemvasia on the south of the Peloponnese, and the attractive city of Navplion in the north.

The yacht was hit by a particularly bad gust just off Monemvasia as the crew were putting away the sails in preparation for entering the marina. Mark reported that the wind came up to over 40 knots while at the same time visibility was reduced to a few metres.

He turned the yacht back out to sea and ran before the wind until visibility improved enough for them to make another approach.

The crew had an uncomfortable night in Monemvasia as the storm continued to rage, and had to get up during the night as a shoreline parted, but they were quite safe. The gale caused chaos in the harbour, sinking two boats. Here is another photograph from Rainer showing the salvage operation the next day.

Although there was some improvement to the weather later in the week, overall it was a tiring, taxing experience. However we’re sure that it taught valuable lessons to all those involved and they went home with some amazing memories and stories.

We run the mile building trips in the spring and autumn as the weather conditions are often more challenging, which is good for experience building. We’ve never had anything quite like this milebuilder before

If any of the crew wants to add a comment or send me a photograph I can include it here.

So the scene in Nice for the last few days has been all about Louis Vuitton, and the trophy cup. It was won by the team Azzurra the Italian team that did battle with the New Zealand Emirates Team for the title, with the Russians bringing up the rear to come third. A Maximus Effort……..

Harlett’s Limited edition Tie Me UP Tie Me Down set was featured in Guilty Pleasures this week, which was a total suprise.  Thanks to their article we only have a few of the sets left.

These handmade TIE ME UP TIE ME DOWN sets with Italian beaded tulle, silk, lace and featuring marabou feathers. Just heaven. You will be prancing about with your partner in the little number..

Only 20 of these are being released to so be quick…The Tie ME Up Tie Me Down Set is only available via the VIP list for Harlette email harlette@harlette.com for one of the limited edition Northen Lights Tie Me Up Tie Me Down sets.

Also subscirbers to the Harlette inner circle will have received an official announcement by Harlette Luxury Lingerie  We have also now made available to everyone, via twitter and facebook http://www.aweber.com/b/1uwBs.

The show that was expected to be held in London by Fashion Mode  UK that was to feature Harlette Luxury Lingerie’s has been postponed indefinately by the show’s organsiers Fashion Mode Limited no future dates are available at this stage.

Harlette Luxury Lingerie are happy to confirm that we will be now showing at

23rd to 25th January 2010

If you want to get on the Harlette Luxury Lingerie inner circle mailing list just visit the Harlette website and enter your details on this page  http://www.harlette.com/page/couture_limited_edition_ranges.html

A while ago I posted on Dutch teen Laura Dekker who had wanted to sail solo around the world at the tender age of 13. In her case a Dutch judge stepped in (you can read the post here Judge torpedoes teen dreams) and made her a ward of the state in order to prevent her making the voyage. 16 year old Australian Jessica Watson however has been at sea since October 18th and has recently crossed the Equator near Kiritimati Island.

Sailing into history or infamy?

I’ve always been fascinated by the experiences of those who sail the globe on their own. Joshua Slocum’s classic tale Sailing alone around the World, was one of my favourite books when I was Jessica’s age. And it is the question of her age, and perhaps her gender, that continually lurks behind media coverage of her voyage. Before she set sail the word “controversial” was continually used to describe her parents decision to let her leave, particularly after Jessica collided with a freighter on the first night of her shake down voyage to test her boat and systems.

Currently the press coverage is somewhat muted but I suspect that is because the greatest tests to Jessica and her boat lie ahead as she turns her bows back southward towards the huge seas and unpredictable winds of Cape Horn. This media fence sitting is becoming as fascinating to me as the voyage itself. It has already been decided, it seems, that her voyage can end in only either triumph, and book deals and endorsements, or tragedy, and the public stoning of her parents.

That narrative has yet to be written but Jessica’s blog which she updates from onboard has become required reading for me and thousands of others (it is currently Australia’s most followed blog).

Tomorrow (Monday) Cypher is going home to Pier 39.  We expect sunny with winds 6-8 knots.  Then again, it could be patchy fog and 10 knots.  Either way, it is SAILING WEATHER.  High tide at 2pm, but slack tide is not until 4:20.  I have got to get the hang of the tide charts.

An exercise in logistics:  one car left in Foster City, one car in Alameda.  Boat in SF.  Ferry from Pier 41 to Alameda, local bus to car.  Must make sure bus/ferry schedule does not strand us if we have dinner in the City.  However, there is BART backup.  An adventure on public transit!

After getting an hour or so of sleep, I went up on deck to take in the surroundings.  I wasn’t able to sleep long due to the excitement of being in a new place.  I grabbed a bowl of cereal and sat out on the deck.  While taking in the view,  I noticed Fort Jefferson was a handsome place.  It was large, and intimidating to look at.  The feeling of history filled the air. I couldn’t help but wonder what kind of severe weather this place had experienced over the last hundred or so years.  Fort Jefferson sits on an 16 acre island with a partial mote surrounding the exterior of the Fort. Construction began in 1845 but apparently it was never completed.  The United States took the Fort over in order to control navigation in the Gulf of Mexico, and to protect Atlantic bound Mississippi River trade, by building up the Tortugas.   I couldn’t wait to  dingy over to the island and walk around in the Fort.

While standing on the swim platform, I leaned over into the water to rinse my bowl and spoon.  The spoon slipped thru my fingers and plunged into the water and down to the bottom.  I could see it clearly.  I would have let it go, but it wasn’t my spoon, it was Michael’s flatware.  He had mentioned before how much he liked it.  It looked like an antique.  The handles were white, bone in texture with crazing along the surface. The sun bounced off of the curvature of the spoon while it sat on the bottom. I grabbed the net with the long handle and attempted to scoop it out, but the handle of the net wasn’t long enough.  After Doug showing me the depth of the water the previous night,  I wasn’t real eager to dive in and attempt to retrieve the spoon.   Out of nowhere a large  red  raft with twin outboards, pulled up behind the  boat and cut it’s motor.  At the wheel was a young Coast Guard Captain in uniform.  I remember taking in a breath and thinking “Whew!”     He said ” I wouldn’t be swimming around these waters here, if I were you.  It isn’t safe. There are barracudas in these waters. They take off after anything that sparkles.”  I mentioned that I had dropped a spoon and he insisted I “let it go”.  Since he put it to me that way, …I let it go.

The chatter outside of the boat woke the rest of the crew. After breakfast, we took the dingy over to the island.  The sand was so white, it hurt my eyes. The Fort was much more intimidating up close.

The brick construction seemed to go on and on.  One could easily get lost. The first level had long dark hallways with large arched openings on the sides. It was spooky in some places.  The next level was more appealing due to the large views, 360 degrees.  In one direction you could see the anchorage, with the commercial fishing boats, pleasure boats and seaplanes.  In the other direction you could see all the various islands with stunning white sand and clear blue/green water.

While looking over the side of the walls of the fort, you could see the partial mote that was open to the sea. If you looked close enough you could see fish swimming around.  

 We spent the day touring the Fort, by late afternoon everyone was ready for a nap.  The next morning was Christmas. As we all sat on the deck with our morning brew, we watched a fellow sailor, dressed as Santa Clause,  get off of his boat with a large sack over his shoulder, throw it in his little boat, and row over to the Fort.  He was delivering some Christmas Cheer to the Park Rangers.  It was well known that they were very appreciative of people bringing books,  and movies.  Their assignments were for six weeks at a time and there wasn’t very much  to do out there.  

 Later in the day, Michael and Doug grabbed the cheap beer, threw it in a large sea bag and told us they would return. Only when they did return they asked for the Captain Morgans and asked us to come with them.  They had gone over to one of the commercial fishing boats.   Some of the transoms on the boats read Cuba, Key West, South America and  Louisiana.  We had been invited to come aboard one of these boats and share our Captain Morgans Rum,  which was a crucial ingredient for making hot buttered rum drinks.  The lady on board passed around  mugs of hot buttered rum while we toasted each other a Merry Christmas.  Then the fisherman on deck  filled our sea bags with ice, lobsters and shrimp.  As I looked over in the corner next to me, I saw a large red laundry basket with a large octopus in it.  I must have jumped, because my drink spilled over the mug and down my arm.  Luckily, the octopus didn’t move. … Our visit was short, and so was the life of that bottle of Captain Morgan’s Rum.

Now it all made since to me as to why we brought so much cheap beer.  It was to be used as leverage for trade.  Not only did the Park Rangers experience the seclusion of the Dry Tortugas, but so did the Fisherman.  I had come to appreciate the fishing boats early on because they always had ice.  In the Dry Tortugas, they had seafood.  As for the bread and butter we brought along, Michael had a plan  for Lobster Sandwiches.  We  cooked lobster and shrimp every way imaginable.  We steamed it, marinaded in Italian Dressing, applied butter and garlic, cooked it on the grill, and broiled it. No matter how it was cooked, it was fresh and delicious.  I have never had more than I could eat in the way of lobster before.  It was a treat and not a bad way to spend Christmas.