Friday, May 27, 2005 - Greg

I finally got the pictures up from the homeward voyage.

The weather since our arrival has been horrific....one gale after another screaming along the track from Chesapeake to Nova Scotia. I think that if we'd waited for a better weather window that we'd still be in Bermuda....I'da had to have taken up golf.

Just me left...and I'm well!

Thursday, May 19, 2005 - Greg

We passed the red nun off Center harbor at 1003----(three minutes late) and motored up to the waiting dock at Brooklin Boat Yard. On hand for our arrival were Justin's parents, Charles and Sia, as well as my sister (and Alexandre's mother) Charlotte and Margot Anderson, Billy's sister. After hugs and pictures all around I headed for the boatyard office to call Customs and Immigration.

As I wrote in the log weeks ago, in Antigua I had a conversation with the Bangor office about clearing customs and was told that I could clear by telephone barring any recent heightened security. This time the man I spoke with from Antigua was not there and a different customs officer curtly instructed us to proceed to Camden and to be there in an hour and a half. I told her that it was 30 miles away and that would be impossible. I told her of my previous conversations and was put me on hold. I then spoke with a supervisor who plainly had no interest in waiving this requirement. He said that he had an inspector currently in Bar Harbor who was headed for Camden and I had no choice. I asked if the inspector could drive to Brooklin as it was on the way and was given a most definite "no!" Finally he told me that I should have called first and inquired. With as controlled a voice as I could muster, I told him, again, that that was exactly what I had done. I felt the tide starting to turn and a different officer came on line and took the information while making it clear to me that this was NOT to be considered Immigration clearance but that she would call me back. Ten minutes later she called with the news that the officer would stop on his way to Camden. You have no idea of the relief I felt at not having to take the crew back out to sea on this cold and overcast day while our families sat in Blue Hill. The officer arrived about two hours later with two trainees in tow and took all of our information and inspected the boat. He and his minions were very polite, funny, and accommodating. Clearing customs turned out to be a very pleasant and since the oranges we'd bought in Bermuda were from Florida.....even that part was easy!

Our Welcome Home dinner was a most pleasant end for this trip. The above mentioned folks in addition to Justin's aunt Caroline pitched in to create a fabulous meal with grilled steaks, potatoes gratinee, fresh green beans (al dente) with whole bulbs of garlic, sautéed mushrooms.......and for desert....local blueberry pie. It was a wonderful event, sitting around the table at the house, telling stories, recalling favorite and least favorite memories.generally telling a few lies and just reconnecting..........with the knowledge that we were, indeed, home.

In the morning, everyone reconnoitered in the Kitchen, Sia stewed up some rhubarb and we all just hung out.....with the knowledge that we were, indeed, home.

Eventually, it was time for people to get going. But it seemed difficult to break this up.........to end this most blissful moment. It is always hard for crew to break up after a passage and this was especially hard as it was more than just the end of a passage it was the end of a wonderful adventure. The Vials and Andersons packed into Charlotte's car and headed south. Charles and Sia offered to help with the boat so they and the skipper and mate headed back to Brooklin to unload three station wagons worth of clothes, cushions, sails and junk. We will keep the Dry Cleaner's of Hancock County busy for weeks.

Today Justin and I headed back to Brooklin and got the final stuff off the boat, took repairs to the sail maker and prepared old Thunderhead for a brief respite. It is kind of sad to see her sitting at the dock, not headed anywhere, empty of life. It was home for three weeks short of 12 months. Maybe she needs a rest as well.

Over the next month the plan is to haul the boat. Paint the topsides and bottom, do a few repairs, Justin is heading off tomorrow for a months vacation and after a trip to San Francisco will be back to get Thunderhead ready for a two week cruise to Narragansett and Buzzards Bay.......Our other plan after his return is to rig and make ready a dilapidated 6 Meter sloop...........but that is a whole other story......a whole other website.

All are well.

Tuesday, May 17, 2005 - Greg

Well, you could say that we are home. At 0400 this morning we tied to a mooring and slept until 0800 off Hog Island, Maine.

Yesterday was an uneventful trip across the Gulf of Maine. For most of the day the wind was less than 5 knots and the seas FAC (Flat Assed Calm). The engine purred and both propelled us and kept the cabin a little less chilly. Sunset a few miles of Matinicus Rock and around 8:30 PM Bill saw its light flashing once very ten seconds our first tangible evidence of home. Justin took the con about midnight as were entered waters needing attention and he did a most creditable job threading the rocks, islands, buoys, and one lone vessel around Wooden Ball Island, between Isle au Haut and Brimstone then on up along the east coast of Vinylhaven. At 0200 I came on deck for my final watch and was greeted but a dark, dark night with small lumes of light glowing from scattered houses on either side. Then, the most remarkable smell of burning embers wafted from a lone house off to port. If I needed evidence of geographic location, that was it. You take a chilly fog, salt air, wood smoke mix 'em together ........and I sweah, we couldda shut off the Radah, right theah and gotten home just fine.............but being prudent, we left it on and continued up Penobscot Bay seeing little but an occasion navigation light, an eerie glow off Stonington, that Deer Isle Metropolis, and the warm reassuring reflection of a well found radar screen. I was alone from 0200-0330 when I woke everyone up to take down the main sail and prepare to tie up for what remained of the night.

Now, Hog Island, one of a dozen or two so named along the coast, is one of the most pristine jewels in Maine. A small triangular piece of land with beach on one side rocks on the others. A house nestles near the center at the top of a long meadow and the eastern end, called the Fiddle Head, itself becomes an Island at high tide. Luckily for us, the proprietor is our friend Elizabeth who is mentioned in previous logs (St Tropez- for one). A few days ago I emailed her and asked if the moorings were in. She replied that they were and that we were welcome to pick one up.

Eight o'clock this morning, Bill on Coffee, Justin on mooring line and Alex on pillow, we fired up the engine and now make our last run down Eggemoggin Reach. This whole trip started June 6th last year as Jesse and I sailed down the Reach in the other direction heading for an amazing voyage.

Thank you, dear readers, for following along, writing letters of support (and harassment), making the log and website a living, vital component of this trip.
I will add some final pictures in the coming days.........and it is unlikely that I can shut up for long......

All are well.........and home.

Monday, May 16, 2005 - Greg

39 miles south of Matinicus Rock. Seas calm, air light, Perkins humming, lots of diesel to spare.

I have come to love the aura of a yacht making port after a passage. There is such great camaraderie, silly jokes, painless barbs as we begin to recollect each others foibles over the past days. Each crew member yearns for port; each for different reasons, each with different expectations. For Alex, this is his longest sea passage. His mother (my sister) will be waiting for him dockside. Bill is running a few days late on getting home. His sister Margot (our Antiguan Hostess Extraordinaire) will be alongside waiting to drive him south. Justin hasn't been home since the end of January. His thoughts are clearly on seeing his parents in Brooklin and soon reconnecting with his friends. Again a group of 4 molded into a cohesive team. Each playing off the strengths and covering the weaknesses of others. Talking late at night in the dark cockpit forms friendships in two weeks that would take months to make onshore. It is another world out here. One that many of us cherish.

Me?.......I could be in for a RUDE awakening. But Thunderhead needs lots of attention over the next month, We are taking a cruise to Buzzards and Narragansett Bays in July. Then the Eggemoggin Reach Regatta. After that a new engine installed and new carbon fiber mast arrives September 1st. My bicycle has lain dormant for two seasons, I have a 6mR sloop to rig and race and in the late fall I'll head to India and hang with the lepers. And I have lots of reading to do for .....Nexttimearound!

I wish that there were someway I could sum up in a paragraph what the last year has been like. I will say this that without question my medical Internship year was the worst year of my life.........and this year has been the best. As I said last night I feel like I've just finished reading "Charlotte's Web". I'm filled with great sadness, great joy, great pride all at the same time......maybe a ship's log sometime around July is called for.

Damn it is cold; Air low 40's water low 40's...Brrrrrrrrr. Alexander baked muffins for breakfast, Justin baked Peanut Butter cookies with white chocolate chips (for some reason the chocolate chips were missing???) at lunch and I'm hoping for more oven-oriented activities presently.
The showers are hot and long......the hours are short and

All are well.

Late Sunday, May 15, 2005 - Greg

As I sit here typing, Justin and Bill are sleeping, Alex is on watch..most of you will be pleased to know that we are freezing our butts off. Justin baked today which helped warm up the cockpit and we have a full schedule of cooking for him tomorrow. We have plenty of propane, plenty of baking goods and this weather is plenty of incentive to hang around the Galley with its warm stove. We may look like a bake sale when we arrive in Center Harbor .......but we will put the proceeds into the Varnish Fund.

As I said earlier today, we are crossing George's Bank tonight and expect fishing traffic out here. It is very thick fog but we have the Radar on, as well as our Navigation lights and our horn is set to sound automatically every minute for 5 seconds. We have tracked two fishing vessels so far since entering the region and expect more. We'd hope to be beyond the region by midnight but we've been fighting a 1.2 knot current against us. We suppose that it is tidal and that in a few hours it will turn in our favor. Our location right now is exactly due east of Nantucket and due south of Petit Manan. Lester always claimed that there was a machine on 'tit Manan which produced fog. I believe tonight it is working at full capacity.

This last leg has been a very emotional time for me. In many ways it was the most challenging in terms of navigation- the Gulf Stream; weather-May off New England The variable forces on this segment are worrisome and very unpleasant sailing could result from some bad luck as we saw for some unlucky yachts out in these same waters during the days we were holed up in Bermuda. We now have 177 miles to go. Weather charts look fine for the hours remaining. Our primary challenge will be light air and fog...and of course the deleterious results from thin blood!

The Ship's Scrivener has promised hot toddies on arrival---but what the hell is a virgin toddy anyway? A warm empty mug?

I am going to miss lots of things. I'm going to miss weather maps and wind charts. I'm going to miss provisioning with Justin........I'm going to miss Justin. I'm going to miss updating the web site and I'm REALLY going to miss writing this log and getting emails from strangers who have one way or another found their way onto the site. In 54 years I've started many diaries..........I'm quite amazed that this time I finished one.
I still have a few pictures to add when we get home...for completion sake and then the website will sit for a couple of years collecting digital dust until incorporated into a new sailing adventure or just deleted. Tonight I'm feeling like I just finished reading "Charlotte's Web".

A quick check of the instruments show the adverse current lessening and turning favorable so it probably is tidal. So I guess that we can expect 6 hours of bliss followed by 6 hours of agony endlessly repeating for the next day and a half. I think that I saw a mix for peanut butter cookies in the larder this afternoon.....yes, just the thing for a cold, wet, 6 hours of adverse current........."JUS---TIN!"

All are well.

Sunday, May 15, 2005 - Greg

We cleared the Gulf Stream at about 0600 this morning. Yesterday I reported on the incredible dome of blue sky we had on entering the stream. I commented to the crew that the other times I'd crossed there were always line squalls one after another. Well, what I forgot was that this happened closer to the northern wall, closer to where the cold and hot water come together. And this crossing proved to be no different from the others. About 0200 during my watch, the BPH (Black clouds) began appearing and we soon had gusts into the 20's with Bill reporting at least one into the 30's. Add to the confused sea, wave tops blown off (and often into the cockpit). Ah, yes, it was familiar. The highest temp we saw in the GS was 23.5 deg C and the greatest current 4 knots. We used Jenifer Clark, a famous Gulf Stream analyst, to send us charts and a route through. All worked well and as long as we could stay near her track (sometimes difficult due to tacking) we fared well.

Having the GS behind us seems like a big hurdle overcome. We are just now crossing the Continental Shelf headed for Georges Bank. The water temperature just went down to 7.3 deg C.....45.1 deg F. It is thick o' fog
out there, our radar is on standby and we are once again in familiar waters. As I started my 1000 watch this morning Justin and I saw a small pilot whale, there are sea birds again and porpoises on the bow wave....familiar waters...and much loved.

Our repairs of yesterday have held. We are powering, making lots of amps, and making lots of water for long afternoon hot showers...what a treat.

Weather ahead looks good for the next 48 hours, variable winds, no gales. Barring any difficulties we should be casting our docklines ashore by 10 AM on the 17th. And to those of you (Tom) who have insisted on Oncearound "closing the circle", it happened sometime early this morning when we crossed the 40th Parallel--our outbound course from Newport to Ireland.........so many months...or is it years?.....ago.

Justin has contributed another thoughtful log...below on this web page.

Alexander had finally exploded the myth of his "always getting seasick" and has been as sound as the rest of the crew since Antigua. Ah, the miracles of modern chemistry...for us all!

Bill remains the stalwart of the ship. Always smiling, just totally content in a cockpit way out at sea. What a joy to have had him along for nearly 5000 miles.

It is cold, foggy, familiar........I happily grab one more layer of fleece......in home waters....heading home.......

As I type, our depth meter makes its first reading since Bermuda, 154 meters. we are on to the Shelf.

All are well.

Sunday, May 15, 2005 - Justin

It is with a tired body and a drooping pair of eye lids that I find myself at the wheel of the great ship Thunderhead as we start to leave the gulf stream and our speed drops below 9 knots for the first time in several hours.

To help keep my mind occupied and active I find myself reflecting on some of the amazing things which we have seen and done throughout this year. The two very different, but both amazing, Atlantic crossings, dodging ships as they pour in and out of the English Channel, and watching for Leatherback Turtles to name a few. These are wonderful memories which will last the rest of my life.

As well as thinking of the many things which we did I find myself reflecting on the wonderful people I shared these memories with. I will always remember the two crossings more for who I sailed with instead of how long we were out of sight of land. I will remember playing rhyme 500 with Anne while wearing our Madieran hats. Alexander will be thought of every time I have Saltines and peanut butter while trying to beat to Gibraltar. Martin I will always picture waving at Greg and I in Le Ciotat while driving by in a tiny European car. The English Channel and having 10 cargo ships within 3 miles of us will always remind me of Matt. Boat repairs of all kinds make me think of Jamie and Brian. I will always remember that you can 1) always eat well on a boat and 2) you can always store more food aboard thanks to Peter. Thanks to Billy I will remember not to sell myself short on goals like 400 miles to Bermuda when 393 is within reach. Margo will always be remembered for the event that made her my Antiguan mother. I will always remember Harmony Hall when thinking of that wonderful Welshman John. The list goes on and on, but the most important person on that list is the man who made it all happen and who I will never sail on a big boat without thinking of as the captain, Greg.

It is only now that we have passed the gulf stream that I begin to realize just how close we are to having completed this amazing year long odyssey. We are out of the Gulf Stream our last major hurdle before returning to Maine, now there is nothing keeping us from home.

As I recognize how close we are to being down east again I feel like I have just woken up to the smell of a foggy Maine morning. Looking around I feel like I really have just done that. The waves have settled to their normal state after leaving the gulf stream. There is a nip in the air and a thin fog around us as well as the normal sea life. We are back in New England again and it feels wonderful. I am sad that the end is near but I can not wait to be home to catch up with all the friends we left behind as well as all the ones made this year. That is one of the best parts of an adventure sharing it with friends and hearing of what they have done.

Saturday, May 14, 2005 - Greg

Last night at around 9 PM, "The Atlantic....Oncearound" hit 13,000 miles.

We entered the Gulf stream at around 0315 this morning when the water temp quickly jumped from 19.0 to 22.1 degrees C. (less than 70 to more than 70 F) No immediate benefit but I was happy to go to bed and let the stream do her thing. Shifty, shifty winds all night long. 260 deg to 350 degrees at a moments notice. Requires the man on watch to pay 100% attention to the instruments and auto pilot.

When I got up this morning, the wind had steadied somewhat and the Stream was giving us 2 knots to the good. We are sailing close winded so instead of five knots we are making 7. We'll take it. As planned we did not get to the GS too early and missed the 25 knot blow here 24 hours ago. We are no occasionally getting gusts to 18 knots and when sustained we see the surface immediately get roiled into short steep chop from 2-3 directions. We are very happy to, so far, miss seeing it at 25 knots against the current.

Last night after dinner we turned on the engine and smelled burning rubber. we checked around ( with the engine going) and saw no evidence of anything smoldering and chalked it up to the new rubber gasket that Justin had wrapped around the exhaust, touching on one edge, the hot metal exhaust. The other problem we have had is the quite regular alarm when ever healed to Starboard of low Raw Water intake used to cool the exhaust. This had happened in year one of the boat and we just struggled to keep the boat flat.

Well just after lunch today in addition to the Raw Water alarm, the one for low DC voltage also went off. Low DC Voltage alarm tells you when your batteries are getting too low and need a charge.this seemed odd to me because we had been motoring all night and this just shouldn't be. I immediately had Bill turn on the engine and I watched the gauges for some indication of the problem. It was immediate. The alternator was charging at about half what it should on an empty battery. I swapped over to a system that bridges two alternators and could see that the second was operating properly. We shut off the engine, I opened the compartment and there was the main alternator with belts so loose it was barely turning..........and the familiar smell of burning rubber. Two years ago Brooklin Boat Yard installed these quite intricate systems for tensioning the belts. Most mechanics would grab a crow bar and pull, but this system adjusts the tension through a screw mechanism which swings the alternator into proper position. I laughed when I first saw their creation. I thought that it was clearly " a gentleman's" system for tensioning loose belts. Well, today it worked sweetly, belts are tight, alternator putting out proper voltage, burning rubber smell no more. Effortless. So, this "gentleman" thanks the crew for adding these devices.......and I'll bet if I looked hard enough I'd find they also left gloves to be worn when performing said operation.

Having succeeded ( I hope) with the alternator, I began ruminating about the Raw Water alarm. I was sure that we'd been sailing for many, many miles on a heel at least as steep without this problem. So I decided to investigate. The most simple solution would be a clogged filter which operated fine when there was plenty of water but interfered if flow from outside the boat was curtailed by heeling. I shut off the valve, opened the filter and found multiple long reed like leaves in the strainer. the rest of the strainer was clean though and I reassembled. On first glance it looked like I'd found the answer but as I sit here typing, the alarm continues to go off, though not so frequently. Two solutions in half an hour is asking WAY too much. It could be the raw water pump which I don't really want to change but can, and have a spare if necessary.

I just need to say to Jamie Houtz (Professor Abeking); I am so glad that you disregarded my every command and outfitted the tools which you, not I, thought we'd need!

It is truly a glorious day here on the Gulf Stream. The sky this morning was a dome of sky blue-blue sky; on the edges far away and down low, like fringe, fair weather clouds. The weather is cool and we have taken to wearing our foul weather gear in the cockpit. Sleeping bags have been unpacked, air vents removed and we prepare for the frigid assault which awaits us in 24 hours.

Weather looks great for the next 36 hours, wind 10-15 from the SW with nothing threatening us until after we should be well ashore. An expected arrival? Barring the Hundred and Ten things that can go wrong----Early Morning Tuesday May 17th Brooklin Boat Yard, Center Harbor, Maine.......with a long, long work list!

All are well.

Friday, May 13 (oh-oh), 2005 - Greg

Lumpy, bumpy clawing our way to the GS. 66 miles.

2nd reef main, staysail, half jib rolled out. 2 knot current behind us helping with the battering our forward motion is taking against 8 foot seas.

PB&J for lunch.

Stories to follow. Too hard to type.

All are well.

Thursday, May 12, 2005 - Greg

We are about 100 miles NE of Bermuda, tacking against NW-erly winds of 8-12 knots. We are not in a rush as we do not want to get to the Gulf Stream until early Saturday morning when the winds are predicted to shift back again to the W-NW and lighten. We will likely have to power thru much of the stream but that is certainly better than beating against 25 knots on the nose with 15 foot "Square Gulf Stream Waves". FYI, the Gulf Stream is the largest "river" on earth. Its average cubic volume of warm water being directed to the North Atlantic is greater than the total volume of all the other rivers on earth! The average current is 3 knots and can be as high as 6-7 knots. Benjamin Franklin was one of the early Gulf Stream scientists and regularly conducted experiments on his voyages to and from Europe.

Because of some confusion on today's forecasting weather charts, I called Commander's Weather for a "consult". You may remember them as the weather routing outfit who saved our butts in the passage to Ireland last summer. They told us to go east "immediately" to avoid some adverse winds. Our friends on another boat were using a different weather forecaster and sailed into 50 knots of breeze! A half an hour ago I received an email from them with routing information. It confirmed what our other "tea leaves" had told us and that was reassuring. We will likely be greeted off Cape Cod with a nice May Easterly. That ought to be just toasty warm!

As I reported a couple of days ago, the sharp-eyed mate found a leak in the salt water jacket of the exhaust system. He set about repairing it and yesterday before leaving we added a wrap of rubber sheathing, 4 hose clamps and some more
sili-spooge. We checked the repair after leaving Bermuda and discovered that it was dripping, not alot and not affecting the cooling of the exhaust (which is its job). We decided that we were going to Maine and would follow it to make sure it wasn't getting worse. At about 2 AM this morning, Justin stuck his head and a flashlight into the engine compartment and said in a voice that sounded quite surprised, "It's stopped" Sure enough, dry as a bone. I think that it probably had some pin hole leaks in the repair which drying salt crystals plugged. In any case, we are happy about it but will keep checking from time to time.

Alex is settling into blue water sailing. His skills and knowledge are improving at each watch. I suspect that he will have seen a great number of varied conditions by the time we get home. Bill remains his unshakable self. Just shows up for watch, sails the boat, makes good decisions and is a joy for everyone on board. This afternoon he turned the tea kettle into a talking puppet ......maybe he just needs a little sleep.

So on we slog --trying not to go too fast-- which runs counter to every sailing intuition ever conceived. We trim sails and adjust courses and hand steer for speed and then complain that we are going too fast. After we hit the Gulf Stream though, we'll spur this mare all the way back to Jericho Bay!

All are well.

Wednesday, May 11, 2005 - Greg

Well, we have a good weather window starting today and it should be open for 5-7 days....enough to get HOME.......damn it is even fun just typing that word!

We are well stocked with the usual provisions. I discovered that I had less long underwear than I thought.......Bill had extra and despite threats of gouging and exorbitant prices seems to be willing to part with a set.

We will leave Bermuda sometime after lunch today, arrive at the Gulf Stream sometime around midnight on the 13th/14th. After that the "Tea Leaves" show two days of great 15-ish knots wind from a favorable western angle.

Time to get home.....home, there is that word again!

All are well.

Tuesday, May 10, 2005 - Greg

Hangin' out in Bermuda.

As many of you know there has been some nasty weather in the last week. It extends along the US East Coast out to Bermuda. Locally we have only had 20-25 knots of wind in a well protected harbor. But north and west of here 40 knots 20+ foot seas. We have heard of some rescues between us and the Mainland and none of it sounds like much fun.

Our job here is to be patient and wait for a relatively calm (this is May) period of 5-6 days to cross the Gulf Stream and zip on into the Gulf of Maine. Tomorrow may be that opportunity. Though this is subject to change---and change it might-- we are looking at leaving sometime mid day tomorrow the 11th. We have about 300 miles to travel upwind to get to the most advantageous point for crossing the Stream but at that time 20 knot winds are predicted to be blowing against the current which would produce a nasty chop. After that there seems to be a good shot at 15-20 knot winds from the SW which would carry us home. So it seems to be a usable window, some uncomfortable sailing but nothing the boat or crew can't handle.

In some of Melville's sea stories, he write of the endless tedium for the crew waiting to leave port; often confined to the ship, within sight of the harbor for months at a time. I can only imagine.

Yesterday Justin and Alexandre rented scooters for the day and toured most of the island. Bill and I confined ourselves to water and hardtack at the Hamilton Princess.
today is a work day and we are preparing the boat to leave tomorrow if possible. While doing some engine fluid checking two days ago, the sharp eyed Mate noticed a leak in the salt water exhaust from the engine. He found a small hole in the fiberglass elbow and patched it with high temperature silicon. We then added a couple of layers of Duct Tape.......just because using duct tape is SO reassuring. It seems to be working. This morning I bought a sheet of thick rubber and some hose clamps which will certainly be a fix if need be.

Justin is currently up the mast. Bill cranked him up and wants credit on his bill for the work. Alexander was last seen headed for the Laundromat looking like he'd just taken the laundry from the QE2 not the T'HEAD 1. He WILL get a credit on his bill for this chore!

This afternoon we will shop for food. The store has been cased out. Bermuda ain't the French West Indies and Boursin cheese will be the delicacy of the Hors d'oeuvre hour. (I don't know how to break this to Alexander but I suspect I'll wait until we are well off shore to tell him) I just hope that M. Boujon in his cheese shop in Thonon les Bains doesn't check the Ship's Log too often.

A bit of local buzz.....this morning two cruise ships came into St George. The first one got out of control and drifted into the anchorage.......where we had just up anchored one hour before. Apparently, chaos ensued with the tug unable to push the ship, yachts cutting their anchor rodes and much ado as they got out of the way. The other buzz is about the rescues that have been going on to the North East of here. I'm sure that the stories are getting exaggerated as they are told around the "White Horse Tavern" bar but we are paying attention and have no interest in adding to the statistics.

All are well.

Friday, May 6, 2005 - Greg

Arrived St George, Bermuda 3:00 PM35 knots from the South East due tomorrow.No slips for the weekend. We are on our big anchor and the lads likely have tonight aboard.Glad to be here in this most protected harbor. All are well.

Thursday, May 5, 2005 - Justin's Dad (Ship's Scrivener. ed.)

Good Evening!
If I were you I'd start sewing your shorts together and add some sail cloth legs. There is snow on the ground in Blue Hill! Freezing tonight in Conn. HA HA! Revenge at last. All those smug reports of azure water, flamboyant fish, warmth!!!! Come hither you thin blooded fab four! Teeth will chatter, tears will harden on your cheeks. Blankets and hot toddies will be waiting! But no sympathy.
Safe sailing - we look forward to your return
Charles

Well, there you have it! And I'll bet there is a great deal of cheering for this sentiment out there!

On the gastronomic front, Bill made dinner last night and insisted on also making an hors d'oeuvre.........something from thirty years back he exclaimed. After locating the ingredients with an assist from the grinning Mate, he presented an entirely new first course in the history of Oncearound. Crackers topped with peanut butter, red onion, and Catsup defiantly served on a paper plate. It soon became clear that this was nothing but a ruse to be -once and for all- banished from the Galley. The crews response? A delightful morsel--in fact more than one of us are looking forward to peanut butter and onion sandwiches for lunch......but nice try Bill.

If anyone is following the weather, you'll see a large low moving toward Bermuda. Our current plan is to be safely tied to a dock or on a mooring in St. George as this goes through. We should be there by the 6th, tomorrow and the blow should arrive on the 7th. Nothing dangerous, just uncomfortable...I hate uncomfortable.

Alexandre and Justin have plans for a night in St. George/Hamilton which
1. Do not include polishing Brass
2. Do not include Greg or Bill

The name of one of the more infamous pubs on the Island is called the Swizzle Inn.
......frequently referred to by the patrons as Swizzle Inn--Stagger Out.
Bill and I will stay aboard and watch "Upstairs-Downstairs" reruns!

All are well.

Wednesday, May 4, 2005 - Greg

Wind has moved aft and increased to 10-14 knots. Engine finally off doing 7-8 knots toward Bermuda. 341 miles to go. Two days.

Another wonderful star gazer of a night last night. Few clouds and no moon until around 4 AM. Alexandre and Justin sorted out much of the northern celestial hemisphere so by the time I got on watch at 2 AM, Justin was able to point out all the major constellations and I finally felt re-oriented. Toward the end of my watch Mars rose to the East as Jupiter sank into the western horizon.

All systems are working allowing daily downloads of weather both text and charts and of course....your emails. The watermaker is working so well that this morning we turned the pressure water back on......and the crew is allowed......nay, encouraged..... to use lots of water for showers.

Justin' sailing team at Hobart William Smith had great results the past two weekends.
They won the America Trophy for fleet racing. The Prosser Trophy for team racing and their women's team qualified for the national regatta in June. All three teams will attend the nationals in Texas in June. Being here and not there is a little bittersweet for the Mate but he is taking it with his usual good nature and grace. Congratulations to the team. Here is to a repeat next year!

All are well.

Tuesday, May 3, 2005 - Greg

It has finally begun to cool off. Last night on watch (0200-0400) I was wearing a sweatshirt and regretted that I didn't have on long pants. Today is a perfect day at sea----like an August afternoon in the Gulf of Maine. 70's, wind off the beam, 7-9 knots. Sea calm and deep, deep blue. But no ocean life and I really look forward to getting back to waters where there are birds, fish, mammals. Gulf Stream should do it I think.

Everyone has gotten adjusted to life on board. It is Alexandre's longest passage and his longest time out of sight of land. We are now opposite the southern tip of Florida. It has been a moonless night with few clouds so the astronomy books are back out and we are trying to make sense of the sky as we head north into more recognizable skies. Everything is upside down from last Fall, but some familiar landmarks (skymarks?) are appearing. We have been watching the Southern Cross since our arrival in the lower latitudes but it is quickly descending toward the horizon and tonight may be our last view of it.....for this trip!

We seem to have plenty of fuel and water and the water maker is more than keeping up so showers are allowed. As it cools off (and we are heading closer to the wind) salt bathing on the foredeck is not quite as pleasurable as the crossing from the Canaries. We are about half way to Bermuda where we will stop long enough to get fuel and if the weather looks good head out immediately .....well immediately after finding those long pants.

Tonight lasagna from the caterer and biscuits from the Temperamental Baker. Alexander on preparation. Today's lunch dessert was Double Stuff Oreos which Justin immediately turned into Quadruple Stuff!

All are well.

Monday, May 2, 2005 - Greg

Our second day at sea. Weather fine. Cooler than on shore Antigua. Breeze 8-10 kts from the favorable ENE. Water cooling down to 78 deg from 82 deg. Porpoises yesterday morning for the entertainment of the crew. Occasional small freighters, flying fish and stray bird.

Dinner last night, chicken in a bag, or as the official Victualler calls it "Poulet du Sac" was a good beginning in need of refinement but the cake for dessert was still warm, cooked to perfection in a very temperamental propane oven. Tonight is fried chicken and pesto Tortellini. We are saving our premade casseroles for periods of rougher seas or more slanted sailing.

All else is in good shape, equipment is all working, weather charts show good breezes all the way to Bermuda with the chance of a good weather window for the Maine leg just about the time we'll need it.

Now back to the more serious pursuits of the day.....Cribbage with the Mate, Crosswords with a pencil.

All are well.

Sunday, May 1, 2005 - Greg

Rabbit, rabbit, rabbit.

At sea again.

Yesterday, Alex showed up from the airport at about 2:30 PM. There was a torrential downpour happening in English Harbor as the crew made ready to sail.
Many yachts are now leaving Antigua for the US and Europe so the customs office was crowded with sailors getting forms filled out and being scolded by the School Marm-ish men who are the officials. My official scolding was for getting a few drops of water (from my watch band) on the exit form. Having learned most of the other Customs "rules" over the winter, I escaped some of the other harsher reproaches.

Our friend John Pearce cast off our sternlines, the dinghy was loaded with fenders and dock lines and tied to the cabin top prior to heading out through the passage into the open water. Our first log entry is off English Harbor at 16:30.

Bill was first up for cooking and he served a fine Shepard's Pie with salad for dinner. We got some "bake and serve" casseroles from a local caterer and this was the first. Very Tasty. Tonight Justin is baking chicken-in-a-bag and there is talk of a cake while the oven is hot. The cooking in a bag technique is courtesy of the Windalier Gastronomes and I will report tomorrow on its success.

We are settled into one man watches of two hours each. This gives two hours on and six off which should allow for plenty of sleep It is quite hot down below but we've been motor sailing and this allows fans to be used. Justin sleeps under the main hatch but with the pitching of the boat it closes itself minutes after being open. When I was coming off watch at 0400 this morning I went to reopen the hatch for him and discovered that he had rigged up a line running from the hatch handle to his bunk allowing him to slide the cover open from a prone position. Matt may not be with us physically but he is certainly here in spirit.

We have an improving breeze from the east. A little nudge from the iron genoa and we are doing 7.5 knots. Weather to Bermuda looks good, though light air, until our arrival there around May 6th or 7th.

Don't forget to write to your loved ones. Mail at sea is a high point.

All are well.