Piczo

Log in!
Stay Signed In
Do you want to access your site more quickly on this computer? Check this box, and your username and password will be remembered for two weeks. Click logout to turn this off.

Stay Safe
Do not check this box if you are using a public computer. You don't want anyone seeing your personal info or messing with your site.
Ok, I got it
Back To Home Page
LATEST LOG AT THE BOTTOM OF THE PAGE
ROB'S LOG SPRING 2009
BERMUDA 09/06/09                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                           WE HAD BEEN ANCHORED AT WRIGHTSVILLE BEACH AN EMBARRASSINGLY LONG TIME, BUT, ADVERSE WEATHER FOR THE PASSAGE TO BERMUDA HAD US DROWNING OUR SORROW,S MOST EVENINGS WITH PRITCHERS OF BEER AND BUFFALO WINGS IN THE GOOD COMPANY OF FELLOW CRUISER MOONGLOW JIM AT THE LOCAL BAR.   EVENTUALLY AFTER RUNNING OUT OF JOB’S ON THE BOAT AND OUT OF SHEER FRUSTRATION WE WEIGHED ANCHOR AND SET SAIL ON SATURDAY THE 23/05/09 WITH A FORCAST THAT I WAS NOT ENTIRELY HAPPY WITH OF SOUTH EAST WINDS,   BOTH OF US   VERY APPREHENSIVE AS THIS WAS OUR FIRST OCEAN STUFF FOR 2 YEARS.                                                 WHAT FOLLOWED, WAS A MISERABLE NIGHT CLOSE HAULED IN 20KNTS OF WIND NOT REALLY MAKING OUR COURSE TO BERMUDA SOME 680 MILES TO THE EAST.   DAWN, ON THE 24TH WAS AN UGLY AFFAIR WITH SQUALLS, THE SEA BUILDING AND BARBAROSSA MAKING BARELY 3.5KNTS, I DECIDED THAT ENOUGH WAS ENOUGH AND WE TURNED ROUND AND RAN DOWN WIND 30 MILES TO BEAUFORT N.C. TO ANCHOR THERE AT 12.30 GLAD TO BE IN.   THE GODS, WERE CERTAINLY WITH US AS THE NEXT DAY A TROPICAL STORM STARTED TO DEVELOPE OF OFF THE COAST PASSING OVER BEAUFORT A DAY LATER WITH TORRENTIAL RAIN AND SHIFTING WINDS, PERVERSELY HOWEVER,   THE FORCAST FOR THE NEXT WEEK WAS TO GOOD TO MISS, SO ON THURSDAY TH 28TH WE CLEARED CUSTOMS AT THE VERY YACHT FRIENDLY MOORHEAD CITY OFFICE, CAUGHT A TAXI BACK TO THE BOAT WEIGHED ANCHOR AND GOT UNDER WAY.   WITH A SPLENDED SOUTH WEST WIND AND FULL SAIL WE WERE BACK OFF CAPE LOOKOUT IN NO TIME AT ALL AND SETELLING IN FOR A GOOD NIGHT AT SEA.                                                                                                                                                                                               DAWN AT SEA, IS ALWAYS A BATTLE BETWEEN THE SUN AND THE CLOUDS AND ON THIS FRIDAY MORNING THE BLACKENING CLOUDS WERE VICTORIOUS AND STAYED FOR 2 DAYS GIVING US THUNDERSTORMS , TORRENTIAL RAIN AND SQUALLS WITH SUDDEN WIND SHIFTS THIS LOT DROVE US ALONG WAY OF OUR TRACK TO BERMUDA AND I BEGAN TO THINK PERHAPS SUSAN WAS RIGHT AND WE SHOULD HEAD STRAIGHT FOR THE AZORES ESPECIALLY DURING ONE BAD GYBE WHEN THE RUNNING BACKSTAY BROKE AND DID THREE CIRCUITS OF THE MAST HEAD. ON SATURDAY EVENING HOWEVER A DISTINCT THICKENING LINE OF BLUE SKY APPEARED TO THE WEST AND BY MIDNIGHT WE HAD A CLEAR SKY AND A LIGHT SOUTH WEST BREEZE THAT ENABLED US TO GET BACK ON OUR TRACK TO BERMUDA.             THE NEXT DAWN THE SUN WON OUTRIGHT, THE WIND DIED   AND THE SEA WENT LIKE GLASS AND WE MOTORED THE REMANING 280 MILES TO BERMUDA AND AFTER ANSWERING 50 THOUSAND QUESTIONS FROM THE PORT AUTHORITY OVER THE V.H.F WE ENTERED THE HARBOUR OF ST GEORGES TO CLEAR CUSTOMS AT THE DOCK AND FINALLY TO ANCHOR AT 17OOHR TUESDAY 3RD JUNE.                                                                                                 IT’S GREAT TO BE BACK ON THE OCEAN CRUISING CIRCUIT AGAIN AND WE HAVE MET UP WITH MANY YACHTS THAT WE HAVE VOYAGED WITH IN THE PAST. SU HAS RESUMED HER PASS TIME OF GIVING ME THE LOW DOWN OF THE MOVEMENTS AND THE GOINGS ON IN THE ANCHORAGE, OVER OUR MORNING TEA AND BISCUITS, WITH THE ADDED BONUS OF THE ARRIVING TALL SHIPS SHE IS QUITE AT HOME. ST GEORGES, IS A NICE TOWN WITH A GOOD DINGHY DOCK AND A NEARBY SUPERMARKET WHICH DESPITE RUMOURS IS NOW MORE EXPENSIVE THAN SAY, THE B.V.I OR ANTIGUA. SO, WE ARE HERE IN BERMUDA SWINING AROUND ON OUR ANCHOR SIPPING COLD BEERS UNDER THE AWNINGS, WITH A TURQUOISE SEA   THE SAME TEMPERATURE AS THE AIR (80 DEGREES) I THINK I MIGHT JUST GO FOR A SWIM!
                                                      HORTA AZORES 27TH JULY 2009                                                                                                 I CAN HONESTLY ADMIT THAT I WAS SEDUCED BY BERMUDA. GONE WAS THE BAD WEATHER OF THE U.S EASTERN SEABOARD. FROM THE MOMENT WE ARRIVED THE WEATHER HAD BEEN BEAUTIFUL RATHER LIKE THE CARRIBEAN. HOW WRONG I WAS NO SOONER HAD WE DECIDED TO LEAVE FOR THE AZORES THE WEATHER TURNED BAD AND FRONT AFTER FRONT PASSED OVER BERMUDA. THIS DELAY WAS WORRYING AS THE HURRICANE   SEASON WAS ENTERING ITS SECOND MONTH.                                                           THERE AROSE AN UNEASY ATMOSPHERE OF INFECTIOUS APPRENCHION AS WE HESITANT YACHTIES WOULD GATHER IN THE YACHT CLUB BAR WITH OUR LAPTOPS,TO STUDY AND DISCUSS THE WEATHER WEBS (YES EVEN ME) AND WATCH THE ROUGHY TOUGHIES TRIPLE REEFED LEAVING FOR THE AZORES IN WEATHER YOU WOULD NOT PUT YOUR GARBAGE OUT IN. THS ONLY COMPOUNDED THE FEELING THAT WE WERE ALL WHIMPS, UNTILL DURING ONE BAD WEATHER FRONT WHEN A PROLONGED VHF CONVERSATION WITH A 42FT KETCH EVENTUALLY LED HER TO BE ABANDONED ONLY 30 MILES FROM THE HARBOUR AND WE WERE ALL QUITE REASSURED THAT WE HAD MADE THE RIGHT DECISION NOT TO SAIL. BUT AS ALL THINGS PASS A 3 DAY WEATHER WINDOW EVENTUALLY EMERGED BUT WITH A BAD BUT LOCALISED STORM PREDICTED IN OUR LIKELY POSITION ON THE 4TH DAY.                                                                                 IT, BEING FRIDAY   WE DECIDED SUPERSTICION WAS A LUXURY WE COULD NOT AFFORD AND WE GOT UNDERWAY FOR THE AORES IN COMPANY WITH 5 OTHER YACHTS 3 OF US SAILING THE GREAT CIRCLE ROUTE OF 1,850 MILES.         THE FORCAST WAS RIGHT, AFTER THREE DAYS OF GOOD SAILING THE GLASS BEGAN TO FALL TO THE PREDICTED 998MB AND WITH CONFIRMTION FROM ANOTHER YACHT WHO WAS IN CONTACT WITH THE MUCH RESPECTED “HERB” THAT A STORM CELL WAS DUE TO PASS 25 MILES TO OUR NORTH.   I DECIDED TO SAIL BARBAROSSA DUE EAST UNTILL DUSK BUT THINGS HAD GOT QUITE ROUGH BY 1600HR WITH 20FT SEAS AND GUSTS OF 50KNTS SO SU AND I   DECIDED TO HEAVE TO UNDER REEFED MIZZEN AND BACKED STORM JIB FOR THE NIGHT, LEAVING OUR DECK LIGHTS ON FOR THE YACHT EXILES WHO HAD DECIDED TO HEAVE TO A MILE TO THE PORT OF US, AT DAY BREAK AFTER QUITE A REASONABLE NIGHT IN WHICH BOTH OF US MANAGED TO GET SOME SLEEP, A CALL FROM EXILES ON THE VHF AT DAYLIGHT SAID THEY WERE GETTING UNDERWAY. A FEW OURS LATER I COULD TELL THAT SU WAS GETTING ITCHY FEET TO BE UNDERWAY, I WANTED TO LEAVE IT UNTILL MIDDAY, BUT SU WON AND WE HOISTED THE REEF MAIN AND STOWED THE MIZZEN AND WHIZZED OF ON OUR COURSE AT NEARLY 7KNTS AND AT MIDDAY SU WAS GLOTING   THAT WE HAD MADE 45 MILES.                                 THE WEATHER MODERATED AND DURING THE NEXT FEW DAYS WE MANAGED TO MAKE ABOUT 80 MILES EACH DAY UNTILL WE MET A COUNTER CURRENT AND COULD ONLY MAKE 2.5KNTS UNDER SAIL. SO, WE DECIDED TO HEAD NORTH TO 38 DEGREES. AT 37 DEGREES   WE FOUND A GOOD STEADY WIND AND A FAIR CURRENT AND FOR 5 DAYS WE BOWLED ALONG MAKING OVER 120 MILES A DAY BUT CHANCING OUR ARM LEAVING THE TOPSAIL UP DURING THE NIGHT UNTILL 3 DAYS FROM THE AZORES WHEN THEWIND WENT DEAD ON THE NOSE BUT THERE WAS NO STOPPING THE OLD BOAT AND SHE MADE A GOOD 5KNTS UNDER THE ENGINE AGAINST IT.               WE ARRIVED OFF HORTA AT 2300HR ON THE 16TH DAY AND I   DECIDED TO HEAVE TO UNTILL DAYLIGHT. THIS TURNED OUT TO BE MISTAKE AND TAUGHT ME A HARD LESSON AS A GALE OF WIND GREETED US AT DAYBREAK AND AS I HAD ALREADY PERCIEVED THAT THE HARBOUR WAS EASY TO ENTER IN THE DARK ANYWAY. STILL, AFTER A BIT OF A BASH FOR 3 HOURS IN TORRENTIAL RAIN WE EVENTUALLY TIED UP TO THE MARINA RECEPTION BERTH IN HORTA. NOT A BAD PASSAGE CONSIDERING SOME OF THE YACHTS WE LEFT BERMUDA WITH TOOK A FURTHER 5 DAYS TO ARRIVE!