Monday, November 1, 2004 - Greg

We made it safely back to Gibraltar. In the end we had a 0.9 knot favorable current as we made our way into the eastern end of the Strait and up into Gibraltar. Sunrise happened as we approached the Rock and was quite spectacular. I'll post some pictures later but doubt that they will capture the site.

A couple of items before we wrap up the Med voyage.In the morning that followed the small gale, Chris and I were again on watch when Chris motioned toward land. There near the waters edge were the Sierra Nevada mountains with a dusting of snow at the upper levels. time to head south. The other occurrence was early in the morning of our arrival here when I spotted something black and not moving except for the boats passage by it. A moment later I saw a second and recognized it in the early dawn as a large dorsal fin unmoving on the surface. A glance ahead revealed two more dorsal fins adjacent to one another. I called Chris up on deck to verify and it seems quite likely that we sailed through a small pod of sleeping whales. Delightful that we sailed through them and not over them as I have just finished Moby Dick and now know what an irritated whale can do!!!!

Alexander hung out for a couple of days, helping us clean up the boat. From last report he was ensconced in a "very nice room" in Grenada. Anne McPheeters came in last night on a flight from Manchester England. She was quite surprised to look up on landing and find the North end of the Rock bathed in floodlights. I think that she was even more surprised when she found that we were walking across the landing strip to get back to the marina. The landing strip was built on a former sand dune which tied Gibraltar to the Mainland. It was built in WWII for bombers heading to Africa. The Spanish border is about 50 feet beyond the terminal.

Gibraltar is a strange place. All of the old battlements are still present and define the central city. Land "reclamation" has extended the port out away from the old city walls and everywhere large towers of Condominiums are being built along the waters edge. Except for the quite new automobiles, the place looks like a 1970's London time warp. As a duty free port the main industry is the sale of all that crap you see in duty free stores. The main street is watch/perfume/whiskey/cigarette outlets from one end to the other. Chris, Justin and I took yesterday to walk up to the top and see the sights. The Barbary apes were everywhere doing what monkey's do best. The most interesting sight was the Great Siege tunnels built in the 1770's in a ten year battle against combined Spanish/French forces. These remarkable tunnels are carved out of the limestone rock and include openings through the rock face to allow large cannons to fire down on the enemy. There are reportedly 33 miles of tunnels. It must have been great fun to be in one when the cannons were being fired!!!

We are making our final preparations today. Food, water, and a few other supplies. Our plan is to leave tomorrow morning and try to catch the West going current long enough to get us around Taryfa and Northwest along the Spanish coast. then depending on wind and weather, we will head more westerly and then southwesterly to Madeira. Stay tuned.

All are well.

Tuesday, October 26, 2004 - Greg

The notorious wind in the Med deserves its reputation; all or none, from this direction or that. Yesterday afternoon we were sailing on the last leg to Gibraltar. We had turned the corner at Almira, Spain and were attempting to sail approximately South of West to our next port (Gib). The amount of diesel on board is a factor as we have some but not enough to power the whole distance. Naturally the wind was on the nose but worse it was shifting from about 210 degrees to 285 degrees---constantly. Not a lift or a header but constantly shifting winds like clockwork. Add to this a change in velocity from 6 to 18 knots and you have a scene of endless sail changes. Reef in reef out, jib in jib out, staysail up, staysail down, tack, wait 15 minutes, tack again.........you know, conditions that are just made for a crew already a little weary from lack of sleep and eagerness to arrive.

When we left Barcelona, we predicted 5 days to get to Gibraltar.....but our initial speed and direction was so good that one of the calculating machines predicted our arrival in four days......I know, I should know better but it is hard not to believe what the machine says....there it is in black and white pixels (blue and red at night). By Sunday though, it was clear that we'd be using the whole five days if not more.

As we were attempting to round the final Point in that shifting, changing wind, we began to encounter an adverse current of up to 1.9 knots (rarely under 1.6). My thought for hugging the Spanish coast was to avoid the Easterly current of the Strait and maybe catch the Northwesterly breezes which were predicted (as yet unseen). We are around that point now and the adverse current is down to less than 1 knot, but not much. I think now that they are probably more severe as one rounds a point. Someday, I'll find out. The current was splitting its effect on us by cutting down our speed by a knot and pushing us eastward by the rest. so we were effectively tacking through 160 degrees........180 degrees is going sideways or nowhere depending on your point of view. Some discouraging!!!!! Oh, and I forgot to mention that this was taking place in the middle of the shipping lanes for all ships headed to the Northern coast of Spain, France and Italy!

I checked the weather yesterday afternoon and found that winds up to 38 knots were predicted for our location (please add to the stack marked discouraging) so we battened down for the night and kept plodding along making 1-3 knots toward Gibraltar. Unlike most forecasts in the Med, this one proved correct. By evening we had wind in the 20's and by 9 pm we had a solid 28 with gusts to the 30's, one was seen at 35 knots. We were double reefed, no headsails and I decided to use the engine for no other reason than to give us enough power to get through the head seas.

I want to take a paragraph to mention the crews work last night. I stayed below (quite nearby) until 9 pm and let them sort it out themselves and they did a great job. Chris was at the (autopilot) helm entirely cool and focused on keeping the boat at a true wind angle of 30 degrees, Justin had handled all of the reefing and he has gotten very proficient at it. He was manning the main sheet and adjusting (endlessly) for gusts. Alex, who is essentially on his first yacht sailing voyage, was steadfastly watching for ships (yes still in the lanes!) both by eyeballing and on the radar screen. I've got to say that I was extremely proud of the job they did. It is scary when the wind blows up to 35 knots....especially if it is the first gust and you are wondering if this is the new wind speed baseline or just a gust. All of them were involved, upbeat, and committed to getting the ship through safely. A crew is tested in a time like this and they were not found wanting. It is a great feeling for a skipper to know, in real time, that the crew is up to the job. Well done, boys!

After I came on deck, Justin and Alex went below to get "some sleep". Chris and I stayed on deck, Chris at the helm and me on main sheet. the 35 knots didn't last and we were soon back to 25 knots, which then felt like an afternoon daysail. Occasionally we'd see "teens" on the wind machine but mostly 22-29 knots. Progress was slow but occasionally we'd get up to 3 knots toward Gibraltar. Alex and Justin returned at 12:30 and Chris and I went to bed. At 5 pm. the watched changed and around sunrise at 8 AM, the wind abated to 11-13, sails were set and the engine shut off. It is now 330 pm, we are still sailing making 4-5 knots toward our destination. We should be there tomorrow morning. Huh?....five days.....just like the prediction! We have enough diesel now if the wind goes light.....though our food supplies are limited...three brown bananas, Freedom meals, some of M. Boujon's cheese in the hold............and 37 kilo's of chocolate. When Chris and I came back on deck we found a jar of peanut butter (our last----don't forget to bring it ...Anne, girl!) and a knife...that was all......I only hope that there was a cracker box or bread wrapper that we didn't see!

All are well.

Sunday, October 24, 2004 - Alexander

Another beautiful day on the Med. The sun is playing in the ripples of the water and the water hit a warm 23.5 degrees Celsius (about 74 F). It's hard to complain, although the fussiness of the wind has had us raise the sails up (and down!) three times since lunch! Great practice. Of course, it always starts blowing exactly when you want it !!! Last night, a slightly dark horizon line turned into 15 to 20 knot winds just as Chris and I were preparing a mustard sauce to go with the pork. We certainly rocked THAT dish. Of course, as soon as dinner ended, the wind died.

We have a new passenger on board. This morning, it proceeded to land on my leg, and hasn't left Thunderhead yet. This bold little creature has been inspecting every inch of the boat in search of a place to rest, without acknowledging our presence for a second. The intruder ignored Greg's attempts to feed it and mocked Justin's hand swings to get him away from food. Instead, the bird used his only weapon and clearly marked the varnished railing of Thunderhead as his personal property.

The wind has just finally picked up, blowing 8 knots. Thunderhead is pushing a steady 5.5, all sails up... slippery! As we are coming across Cartagena, we've chosen to stay clear of the coast and the boat traffic. Greg says we'll see more dolphins on the way to Gibraltar. Great! To those of you who were wondering whether dangling from a halyard at the top of the mast and being able to smell a good tempest are a requirement to good seamanship, the answer is YES. Anyone interested? Apparently, I get to climb up the mast in Gibraltar. It's only 70 feet!

Un peu de francais pour faire plaisir aux quelques qui nous liront, et pour faire honneur aux quelques grands navigateurs et autres corsaires qui ont fait la fièreté de notre pays il y a bien longtemps. Selon mon oncle, les francais n'étaient pas les meilleurs marins, mais certainement les plus fous. Je le crois volontiers...

Cette balade en Méditerranée est des plus plaisantes. Faire le tour des Baléares en bateau est une experience unique. Il est très facile de mouiller l'ancre dans une petite crique et voir clairement par six mètres de fond. En cette saison, il fait encore assez chaud pour lézarder au soleil et la majorité des touristes sont partis. Vivement conseillé à tous les amateurs! Pour les amateurs de voile par contre, on conseillera plus volontier ... l'Atlantique!

Saturday, October 23, 2004 - Justin

There is a feeling of restlessness aboard as we sit in the middle of clear, beautiful calm day. The water around us still carries some motion with it, as a fading reminder of yesterdays wind. Glancing at the instruments a we see lines of zeros staring back at us from the boat speed and from the speed- over-ground indicators. We are all anticipating the call to start the motor that will inevitably come from the nav. station. Someone makes the comment that at least we are not moving backwards. We turn our attention to the water around us and at first see only the outline of Ibiza in the distance. Hasn't that grown smaller since the last time we looked? The next thing that comes to our attention are Alex's orange peels, which seeming to have taken on a life of their own, are drifting alongside the boat moving faster then us. Soon the peels have rounded our bow and as if a little intrigued by the new stretch of water before them turn a little to the left as they continue on their journey. A bird has joined the boat's crew and is seen on all parts of the boat familiarizing itself with it's new surroundings. This new crew member is quit bold and happily comes into the cockpit with us showing off it's black and white coloring. He is rebuked when it is noticed that he is eyeing the skippers sandwich. Taking flight he chirps angrily at us moving to the foredeck. Looking at the water around us again we are more observant ,noticing a small group of minnows shading themselves near the stern of our boat. A curious sight comes to our eyes. After some debate it is decided that we are looking at a clear sea cucumber which has a line of orange dots through the middle of it. We slowly grow tired of this drifting mass and disperse. Some of us, including the newest crew member, find ourselves back in the cockpit looking at the instruments. The only change is that the boat is now pointing north. I busy myself, tinkering with things in the cockpit. Finally I become aware of a change. Looking up I notice ripples on the water. There is movement in the air again, well the beginning of movement. If it were not for the ripples of the water I would have dismissed the hope when it first appeared. I say nothing and even breathe more carefully in fear of destroying this glimmer of, this hope and prediction of, wind. According to the ripples the boat is now on the opposite tack and I carefully switch the running backstays and trim the main. Greg, noticing my movement, asks what is going on? Being still fearful that anything can remove this enchantment and ruin this hint of a wind I do nothing more then to point at the ripples in the water. From his vantage point, low in the cockpit, Greg is unable to see this dance between the water and air. He asks again, is there wind? My fear slightly diminished, by Greg's questions that have not destroyed this whisper, I risk a brief yes. Continuing to attempt to harness these delicate puffs I continuously check the water around us, the instruments (which are stubbornly watching me through their lines of zeros), and the trim of the main. After a brief few moments of watching my work the call is made for the engine accompanied by the statement that we are sailing for Marseille instead of Gibraltar. A little disappointed I turn on the engine, return the boat to it's proper course and, as if being teased by the wind, notice that we are now reading up to five knots of wind. The consolation I will have to satisfy myself with is that this wind did not last for more then ten minute. We have returned to motoring through the calm, passing by sights like the schools of minnows and the little sea cucumber. There is no hope of our seeing such creatures at this speed and we will only know of them in memory of the time we drifted for a few hours in the Med.

Saturday, October 23, 2004 - Greg

Drifting off Ibiza.

After one of the best sails of the entire trip yesterday afternoon, we were reduced to motoring through the night. Not unpleasant as we were able to carry the mainsail and there was little sea. Through the night star gazing was somewhat hampered by a half moon and scattered clouds. By early morning though the moon was gone and the clouds dissipated. We had nearly the entire sky illuminated............viewing hampered somewhat by Venus, very bright in the East in the early morning............a little hard to complain about Venus ruining a sky! All four of us are sorting out the stellar array and with the help of a very good book from DK press are all making progress.

For my life list, I add:
Hydra
Sextans
Puppis
Columba
Eridanus

The Zodiac, which runs over head on the Equator is beginning to make sense as is the angle of the Elliptic (the sky's equator)around which it runs. All the signs of the Zodiac are contained in an approximate band at the area of the Elliptic. Other constellations are elsewhere in the sky. If one were standing on the Equator, as I said, the elliptic ( and thus the zodiac band)would run directly overhead, one sign following another as the sky revolves around its axis. If you were then to stand at the North Pole the elliptic would appear to be revolving around the horizon.

On our trip into the Med we saw dolphins early on near Gibraltar and them nothing after that. I told Alexander that he might see some on the way out.......Wrong......within hours of leaving La Ciotat, We had dolphins playing on the bow and shortly thereafter a large whale blew about 100 yards from the boat. Alex' first whale, and our first Med whale. We have also had constant land birds with us since we left Barcelona (sparrow/finch types- sorry Chris Carroll not on board). I think that they are trying to catch a ride to Africa or just rest. They are pretty fearless and sit on the rigging just a few feet away. One just flew down through the aft companionway, checked out what was available in the galley and flew out again.

After threatening a good breeze this morning, the wind failed and we decided to .............go swimming. The water is 22.5 deg C ( 71-73F). there isn't a shark in site so in we went. The water line got cleaned as did the crew. then came lunch..........soon will come the engine.

I have a feeling that these logs will be postponed until the best of seven has been attained. Hope you Boston Fans enjoy the game this afternoon. Yankee Fans?............See ya, wouldn't want to be ya! ..............But where does this leave the likes of the McPheeters and other St Louis transplants?

All are well.

Friday, October 22, 2004 - Greg

We opted to spend and extra day in Barcelona so after extending at the Marina Office, Chris, Justin, and I headed over to the Maritime Museum. It is housed in a structure originally constructed in the 1200s for building
Galleons and later ships for the Spanish Navy. The building is a web of many high arched barrel vaulted structures with glass end walls.. The collection includes many full size fishing vessels some in disrepair and others restored. The highlight of the museum is a reproduction of a 16th Century Galleon including its 59 oars, and heavily decorated stern crowned with three oversize lanterns. A see-thru screen overlays a movie of men (slaves) manning the oars at their exact location on the ship...pretty cool. There are also many models and dioramas of ship board life both in sailing vessels and later steamships. At the museum and also across from our berth at the marina were full size replicas of two wooden submarines designed and built in the arly 1850s by a local resident. They were built ostensibly to be used for harvesting coral but this didn't work out commercially. The first Sub was powered manually and the second was steam powered. The "headset" guide made reference to the extraction of oxygen from the steam to provide air to the persons aboard....but that left me with ALOT of questions.

After a late lunch in yet another outdoor cafe, we wandered over to the Gothic Cathedral nearby. Our tour of this magnificent structure happened to coincide with a performance of vocal music by a 20 person chorale.The repertoire was primarily Bach and prior (but not too prior!).It really brings a structure like that alive when voices resound off the vaulted ceilings many, many meters overhead.

We caught up with Alexander later in the afternoon. He had gone to Parc Guell, the Gaudi designed park and residences in Barcelona. It was a shame to miss it but will be a good reason to come back.

We cast off this morning for Gibraltar. All of the crew are up for a 5 +/- day sail directly there. So we have provisioned for that long and we got extra fuel this morning...to insure good wind. The extra fuel seems to be working because we have 7-9 knots......(slightly off the nose). after lunch, I made some small adjustments to the sails and then sat back and watched as Thunderhead sailed herself at 6.7-7.0 knots.......no helm, no auto pilot, just a well balanced boat holding the course, playing the lifts and headers effortlessly. Justin in now sailing and he hasn't touched the wheel since he took over either. Weather is fine, low 70's, sunny, sailing.........sailing...in the Med.....we know it won't last...at any moment the wind will go to 25 knots or nothing.....but for right now.....sweeet!

All are well.

Thursday, October 21, 2004 - Greg

Happy Birthday, Charlotte. (ccvial@yahoo.com)......... You know, I always forget just how much older you are then me.

Tuesday, October 19, 2004 - Greg

We arrived in Barcelona at around 3PM yesterday afternoon. What an amazing port and city. For berthing, we had two choices; one marina was the Olympic sailing village of 1992 and the other was in the Old Port. We chose the latter as it is closer to the city and the old town.

Barcelona is a huge city. It was like entering Boston harbor. The Port is protected by a miles long breakwater with shipping on one end and the yachting/renovated waterfront at the other. In the last couple of years a new cut was added about halfway along, so the entrance for yachts is at the urban waterfront area. there are ship yards with monstrous private yachts being stored or renovated, some small cruise and military ships and two marinas. One marina is only for members and is enclosed behind a pedestrian swing bridge. The other, where we are, is adjacent and is completely filled ......mostly with transient live-aboards. It is a bit like living in a suburban housing complex. All the "neighborhood kids" have been down to check out the new guys...probably in hopes that we had some playmates aboard for them. The people on the other side have their boom on the dock and are varnishing it. They also have a dog which barks whenever we come or go. there are a few American yachts here one in particular hailing from that famous port of Denver, Colorado. But despite being in New Jersey, the facilities are clean and well secured from the city.....on the other side of the gate.

Last night we went for a stroll on La Ramblas and had dinner there. Continuing on up, Alexander found a fine restaurant where we will likely dine tomorrow and also brought us further up to an apartment building designed by Gaudi. I'd seen it in pictures but in life, it is a knock out!

All along La Ramblas are mime actors in totally bizarre outfits and tableaux. If you check out the recent pictures, I uploaded one that I saw this morning who was clearly in a realm of his own. Others are Indians, witches, soldiers etc. ....but this guy gets the prize!

This afternoon, Justin and I headed over to the Maritime Museum. I went by this morning to make sure that they weren't closed for Siesta and found by reading the sign that they were open from 1000 to 1900.....thank goodness, all day long! So we went by at 2 PM to discover that the museum is closed for two days......and we will be gone in two days..........

So we grabbed a cab and went to Sagrada Familia, Gaudi's Cathedral. What an unbelievable structure. It really IS a cathedral, on the same scale as Notre Dames or Chartres.......and it is just being built. It was started (one of four facades) in 1892, damaged by Revolutionaries in the '30's and then restarted in the '50's. It is expected to be finished in 2025. If you aren't familiar with this building or Gaudi, go Google it and just marvel at the images. We climbed up the front two steeples ( a bazillion steps) and had a great view of this city. I took pictures but they capture nothing of the grandeur, and whimsy of this building. The second facade is now nearly finished, and the transept and apse are currently being constructed . It is funded entirely by donation and for 8 Euros you are free to walk thru the site and see the work in progress (literally). Amazing!

Chris and Alexander went to the Picasso Museum..............there is too much to do in this city ..and we have too little time. Our current plan is to leave on Thursday morning and go straight ( with a few tacks) to Gibraltar.
It is 515 miles. We are planning to take our time, sail when we can, and get there when we do.

All are well.

Monday October 18, 2004 - Greg

It is just after 8 AM, Alexander just relieved me on watch and the Sun is still not over the horizon.........I attribute it to the fact that we are back in Spain. Siestas, dinner at 10 PM, stores open an hour and a half in the morning and an hour in the afternoon...........of course the Sun doesn't rise until after 8 AM!

Speaking of celestial bodies, I bagged 4 new constellations last night and this morning.

Lepus
Cancer
Cetus
Pisces Australinus

and further refined Orion clearly seeing both the bow in his left arm and his upheld right arm.

...........and the entire Pisces including the tail.

The other challenge is to re-identify constellations in the morning sky where they are upside down. It is a great review! When are the boards?

One occurrence on the boat yesterday that needs saving for posterity: While we were in the cove at anchor, Chris got caught looking through the binoculars at a woman on the beach who was sun bathing au naturel. She acknowledged his spying by swinging..... to and fro..........certain anatomical features. The binoculars were then replaced in the carrying case.

There was little wind last night (Hey, this is the Med!) so we have been powering and are en route to Barcelona. The good news is that if our current speed continues we will be there by mid afternoon......however, we are in Spain and the Sun may set here be then....or at least be shut off for a few hours so everyone can sleep. You know, I have one longstanding (two months) question about Siestas. Do they get into their pajamas?

Justin is asleep, Chris is asleep, and I'm going to sleep......good thing Alexander caught on so quickly!

All are well.

Sunday October 17, 2004 - Greg

After a great nights sleep at anchor in Cala es Grau, Minorca, we weighed anchor at around 11 AM having been fully caffeinated and oated. We had anchored in the middle of a mooring field yesterday and dragged a couple of times during the night. My expectation was that we'd be fouled around one of many mooring chains and told Alexander to stay in his swimming suit until we were clear. Due to the clarity of the water here in the Med, we were actually able to follow the chain down from the bow around a mooring hawser and see our anchor resting clear on the sand. Justin slowly began to pull us forward and the momentum of the boat swept the chain free of the offending mooring line and a quick turn of the rudder brought us head to wind and in a direct line to our anchor. It was quickly off the bottom and Alexander was free to get changed!

On leaving the harbor, the boys wanted to turn left and head straight to Barcelona by sail.....but I had an other idea. I wanted to turn right, put up with a head wind for 12 miles then sail under the island, across the gap to the Northest point of Mallorca and then a right turn across the bay to Barcelona. They were agreeable to this especially ( I like to think...) because we would see all new "territory" and still get to sail.

The day was beautiful. We were back to summer and shorts and a tee shirt were all that was necessary. We motored down the east coast of Minorca and as we were approaching our turn and our sailing course, the wind began to clock in our direction. By the time we were at the turning mark the wind was right on the nose and with enough strength and enough sea that even with power we were unable to maintain 4 knot with 25 miles to go As our alternative was a tack to Libya, I decided to turn around in and retrace our by now 20 mile diversion. On tacking we were quickly doing 8 knots and soon found ourselves back at the island around which we had turned. Jibing a few minutes too early found us headed for the gap between the mainland and the island. we checked the chart and found "plenty" of water. The shallowest part was 6.5 meters and we only need 3 with the board down. Chris was at the helm, I manned the plotter and Alex and Justin went out on deck to check for rocks and other unpleasantries. Chris steered us well across the bar. The chart and our depth finder agreed on 6.5 meters. And the worst part was that turquoise clear water that just scares the hell out of people who grew up sailing in New England. As I said earlier, we were able to see our anchor in
18 feet but seeing rocks at any depth is just no fun.

..........continuing with the narrative.after we had crossed the bar, we set our jib and just watched as the wind first died and then came back....from the North.....on the nose. That is sailing in the Med. I was warned, I was told to expect it. The only steady wind here is a Mistral---blows at 35 knots for 3, 6, or 9 days! Anyway, Alexander is at the helm, happy to be sailing in ANY direction. He is playing the lifts and our course to Barcelona is improving. It is 4:30 PM and we are almost back to Cala es grau where we started this morning. So far I have been spared the smug "We told you so's .." that are lurking out there...........but the day isn't done. We'll get to Barcelona tomorrow after dark! Hey, wait, didn't I talk about that yesterday?

All are well.

Saturday October 16, 2004 - Greg

On the way into the Med, we stopped at two of the Balearic Islands, Ibiza and Mallorca. After we arrived in France, all we heard was "Oh, you should have gone to Minorca!" "Oh, you missed it, Minorca is the one", "Oh, but the best one is Minorca"..........you know, like....."Oh you should have been here LAST week.....the [weather, temperature, festival, crowd (choose one)] was much better last week."
So we came to Minorca. The weather was right for it as the wind was predicted to turn westerly and that is the direction of Barcelona. We were also on track to arrive at this very large foreign port in the late evening, not an arrival I cherish! So we let out our sails and were soon scudding along at 8.5 knots (wind 22-28 knots)toward Minorca. Light houses were identified by Justin at the end of his 2-4 AM watch and we turned into port about 0930........So............. the island we "missed" seems, at first glance, to be remarkably plain. Unlike the massive mountains and cliffs which edge the north coast of Mallorca, this island is quite flat with a few hills in the center and low outstretching lands ringing the island. It is true that we have not seen the entire island but we navigated to the most interesting coastline and a quick look at the charts shows more of the same.
It is perfectly nice here. We are in a small cove with a tiny resort village at one end and vast amounts of undeveloped shorefront on all sides. I think that this section is actually part of a national park. But we never would go out of our way to come here. It is a good thing it was downwind! Next time someone's tells me that "Minorca is the one", I'm going to ask if they have heard that or if they have actually been here. I'm sure part of the charm is that it is not as built up as Mallorca nor have as many night clubs as Ibiza, but for visual beauty.....go to Mallorca!

Alexander is fitting in well. He shamed us this morning by swimming from the boat (at anchor) to the beach and back. Well actually, he shamed Chris and Justin into swimming. I personally am shameless and am quite content to sit here on the boat, in a warm, non-salted state! Alex and Chris are now attempting to row ashore, which, in this 20 knot breeze, is proving to be quite a feat. Neither Justin nor I got much sleep last night and are just hanging out. Chris picked up some new DVD's in Marseille so tonight will be movie night.

We will likely head to Barcelona tomorrow morning. It is a 127 mile ride so should take about 24 hours. Arriving in that port in the morning would be just the thing. We got the water maker working this morning and I'm glad to report that we are getting great drinking water from it.

All are well.

Friday October 15, 2004 - Greg

Sailing again, really sailing....main, jib, staysail...no engine.For about the first time since we left northern Spain we are not under a deadline to get to some port to drop someone off or pick someone up. Well, really, we are but we have lots of time in front of us. We have to be in Gibraltar in about two weeks and it is only 570 miles away, a four day sail. So we are just sailing.......... and as an indication of our determination to do that...... our latest itinerary (10 minutes old):

We left La Ciotat yesterday afternoon about three o'clock and headed west towards Barcelona. We were soon sailing with a great 6-8 knot beam breeze and a 1.5 knot positive current. My goal was to make it across the Gulf of Lion before another Mistral hit.We didn't want to end up spending another week on the Ile de Friouls (despite the cordial reception). About 6 PM we began watches and Justin rallied in some fairly steep seas to pull together a great meal of tortellini with red sauce, freshly grated parmesan, and a bale of salad. Alexander was then duly broken-in on the electronics-----especially the collision avoidance components! It was a terrific night with many stars, comets. Orion is rising in the late evening now as the winter sky begins to appear. Speaking of winter, it has gotten cold out. We are now in long pants, sweaters, hats. Time to get south.
Justin and I sent our North Atlantic gear home in July. Time to get south.

The wind has been fluky today. A reef late last night, then slatting for breakfast then a veer to the West. We had been directly on target for Barcelona but the westerly wind forced us to tack south........as which point I thought about how sweet it would be to go to Minorca, the Balearic we didn't visit on the was in. So with the wind off our beam and predicted to go more astern, Justin rerouted us to that Island and Chris is deep into the cruising guides looking for snug harbors. The freedom of not having to get to Barcelona is wonderful. Depending on wind we can head North West after Minorca and see Barcelona, Valencia and other parts of the Spanish coast. But stay tuned..........right now your guess is as good as ours.....Gibraltar by the 30th!

All are well.

Thursday October 14, 2004 - Greg

It is great to be back aboard. Yesterday Justin and I straightened out enough of the boat to clear our bunks and didn't have to spend last night is a converted WW II bunker disguised as a beach front hotel. I like my bunk.
It is narrow, firm and often rocks gently. The reading light is just the right height and intensity. There is a hanging sack for my books and my glasses. Overhead is a gimbaled compass which hangs upside down and allows me to see our course...from bed! There is a clock on the wall which quietly ticks though the bells have been shut off because they compete (and rarely accurately) with the ship's clock in the main saloon. In the early morning hours there is just enough light in the room to let me see the hour hands....hoping that it is not yet time to stand watch. Truthfully, if I had to describe my bunk in a 25 knot head wind in a 6 foot sea....it would not be nearly as romantic...........if fact many of the phrases would be subject to censorship!

If you have moved recently, you know that feeling of dislocation where things are in boxes and usually at the wrong location. That is what the last couple of weeks have seemed like. What I needed was back on the boat or I had forgotten that I did, in fact, pack it...........But really it was a wonderful couple of weeks, visiting family in Evian, driving through the Alps and Provence in flawless weather, sailing in St. Tropez. If you have to be dislocated .....this is the place to be..........and if I were you I'd call my sister Charlotte....she is an easy touch for houseguests!

Last night Justin and I went to the Carrefour..........the Wal-Mart's of France....to do some provisioning. I feel about it the same as I do Wal-Mart's....avoid at all cost......But it did make life simpler and we were able to quickly get what we wanted and park right next door......... though I must say it is disconcerting to have the Blue Jeans located between the Yoghourt and the Crackers! right now Chris and Justin are there with instructions( from me) to buy up to 22 six packs of Perrier......can't get it in cans or bottles in Spain or Gibraltar.....22 six packs you ask? 4 guys X 2 per day X 20 days.......as they say....You do the math!

Alexander just called from the train station in LaCiotat so we are assembled and after we figure out what to do with all that Perrier, we will shove off in the direction of Barcelona.

Vive La France!

All are well.

Tuesday October 12, 2004

Thunderhead is back where she belongs----in the water. This afternoon we watched as a 250 ton crane picked up the 16 ton boat and moved it across the yard and into the water alongside. I have taken pictures and will upload soon. It is a delight to have the boat back in the water. Tomorrow the rigger will finish his work and Justin and I will begin putting the ship back in living order. Hopefully we will be back sleeping aboard tomorrow night. The boat looks great-new bottom paint, new boot top and a coat of white on the hull.
Zincs were changed, seacocks serviced, and the rudder stuffing box tightenened. The propane tanks went back to Antibes this morning as I discovered last week that they had been only partially filled. The water maker has been returned (and cleared French customs) and is ready to be reinstalled. the forward water tank which was leaking has been rewelded and will be reinstalled tomorrow. The boat is ready for another Transatlantic-a claim I was hardput to make a few weeks ago as I agonized over finding a boat yard and trying to get to the regattas at Cannes and St. Tropez............speaking of which.

There is a small part of me which regrets not entering Thunderhead in those regattas......but only small. I had been warned a year ago that they were insane events and very little fun for the owners. I've now seen for myself (from someone else's boat) how crazy the events are. It is total chaos at the start with very aggressive skippers working huge yachts toward the line. I never could figure out how many starts there were because all the boats crowd the short starting line and chaos ensues. Add to this a spectator fleet numbering in the hundreds and they too are crowding the starting line to get a good look. St Tropez encourages this because all of these spectators are eating, lodging, and otherwise spending money in the area. It is total insanity. Eleonora was clearly a magnet for the spectator boats but we often were surrounded by as many as 5-6 boats ranging from two person RIBS to 100 passenger ferries. Add to this photo boats who want close ups and helicopters overhead and you begin to have an idea of this event. I can't tell you how happy I was to sit back, pull a few lines and let others sweat the confusion. I'd love to go back to the Regatta again.....in another chartered, crewed yacht! The Eggemoggin Reach Regatta never looked SO good!

On Sunday, after a bit of croissant and caffeine, Justin, Chris and I headed out from Ste Maxime and drove (Chris-as usual) north to the Gorge de Verdun....aka the Grand Canyon of France. It was a spectacular ride along the ridge of this large crevasse on another beautiful French fall day. Soon after the ride began we came around a sharp corner and saw a beautiful arched bridge ahead on the route. The beauty though was somewhat diminished when we realized that people were bungee jumping off the rail. we stopped and took pictures which will hopefully get uploaded. It was terrifying.......just to watch. Walking across the bridge was excitement enough...........I just cannot imagine under what circumstances I would EVER jump off a bridge towards the dry riverbed 500-1000 foot down. In fact, the expression of the fellow on whom I got the close up didn't look too cheery about the prospect either! Sometimes people ask jokingly about the first man who dared to eat a lobster........I wonder who was the first person who jumped off a bridge with an rubber band around his ankles....Well, it was in fact a New Zealander.......so they get the distinction!

After making our way through the Gorge, we headed into what I think of as the true Provence, the Luberon. It is the area where "A year in Provence" takes place and area where I have twice bicycled. We took small roads up through Bonnieux, through La Coste (no shirts-Marquis de Sades ruined chateau). Small hillside towns, valleys of grapes, olive groves, peach trees and the remains of the recently harvested Lavender fields. We continued on from there through St Remy, Les Baux and down a small back road where I remembered the remains of a roman aqueduct, sitting adjacent to an olive grove. We pulled into Arles about 5 PM and checked into our reserved rooms at the Hotel Grand Nord-Pinus. Sorry, I don't name 'em, I just rent the rooms. This is a very old famous and funky hotel. the lobby is decorated with bull fight regalia and huge oversized wildlife Photos by Peter Beard. there are pictures of former famous guests hanging in the bar...Picasso was the only one I recognized but a glass case nearby had envelopes address to various people c/o the hotel. Maria Callas and Graham Greene were among the lettered people. Rooms were comfortable, funky, cool, and quite inexpensive.

Chris has gone off to Marseille for a couple of days of R&R. Justin and I are back in La Ciotat.staying in a hotel which, I swear, is a converted underground parking garage! ............and I'd also bet............though not swear....that Picasso NEVER stayed here!

All are well.

Tuesday October 12, 2004 - Greg

Thunderhead is scheduled to be relaunched this afternoon. We can hopefully move back aboard on Wednesday and leave for harbors west soon thereafter.
Life in hotels quickly gets old.

Looking forward to our routine-including this log.

All are well.

Saturday October 9, 2004 - Chris

St. Maxime

This morning after breaking our fast (a relative term), Justin and Greg packed up their sunscreen and headed off to St. Tropez for another arduous day of sailing aboard Eleonora. Justin barely escaped a day of ordered bed rest, the ship's doctor having some continued concern about the strange facial tick that has persisted since Tuesday (its main symptom is a Cheshire like grin). I remain behind in St. Maxime.

My charge while ashore was threefold: 1) Research our next destination, Arles, and be prepared to present an informative mini-lecture at dinner (how do you say "caveat emptor" in French?) 2) Canvas the town for tidbits to "dazzle and amaze" our stomachs during the crossing to Antigua, and 3) to have as many Cafe Crèmes as required to fortify myself for objectives 1 and 2. I am pleased to announce that I have met all three obligations with at least modest success.

I spent a lovely morning slurping one cafe after the next while consulting maps and reading about Arles in the Green Guide. I knew it was time to move on when I saw the waiter wince as I ordered yet another cafe au lait...funny that caffeine does not improve my French. Objectives 1 and 3 down, I moved on to elusive #2. St. Maxime is not huge and we've done a pretty fair job of ferreting out "goodies" over the last several days, believe you me, so I knew that playing the part of Ant and Grasshopper was going to be hard.
After much rummaging behind fruit stalls and under endless racks of pottery de Provence, I did manage to find a few new items including several locally made cassoulets and some gourmet risotto (Risotto Italiano Ai Fungi Aux Cepes. How bad could it be? Charlotte, have you figured out how to translate "cepes" into English? judging from the picture, it's not Pig's Ear or anything dreadful, but...). Truthfully, it was known to me that in setting objective 2, the captain was concerned less about the ship's larder than he was about teaching me a lesson. Over the last several weeks, it has evolved that I shall be allowed a principle role in provisioning Thunderhead for the 16 day crossing to Antigua. This has caused some uneasy shuffling of feet and wringing of hands amongst the crew, who seem to have developed some strange ideas about my qualifications. You see, the captain has spread rumors that I struggle with the idea of buying in bulk and buying spontaneously, and worst of all (certainly from the crew's point of view), that I've been known to take a perverse pleasure in trying to save a centime or two. When yesterday I was heard to gasp at the price of a tin of foie gras de canard entier, there was a near mutiny. Today's real mission was introspection...to find Jesus and feed him caviar from a Prada handbag!
Well, gentle readers, if feeling like a cat who has had his fur stroked backward is any indication, then mission accomplished. I have mentally opened Thunderhead charge accounts at every cheese shop artisinal and boucher traiteur between here and Gibraltar. And I have put one foot down the path of reeducation, begun the realignment of my Yankee roots, articulated the subversion of my Puritan heritage. Huzzah and welcome!

Tuesday, October 5, 2004 - Greg

We left Evian with the greatest intentions to eat nothing but salad for at least a week. Most of the cows of the Haute Savois also breathed a sigh of relief that demand for cheese was soon to plummet. We headed off to return to the Med and with Chris driving (as usual) following a route planned by Pierre which took us through the Alps including across the Col de Galibier, a famous pass to followers of the Tour de France. It was a spectacular Fall day with crisp Alpine air, trees turning red and up high, a scrubby ground covering which pulsated with shades of red and orange. After a dizzying ride up narrow mountain switchbacks, we came to the pass, parked the car and headed out on foot to gain another 100 or so feet. The view from there was breathtaking (as was the barely oxygenated air). To the North, many miles away, was Mont Blanc looking just like the postcards. To the South, spired rock peaks overlooking the range and balancing perilously posed glaciers on their shoulders. Pictures to follow.

We then continued on to La Ciotat where Thunderhead was being worked on but still not hauled. We got good news though that we have gotten our propane tanks filled which will allow our tempestuous baker to continue his creations during the transatlantic. Speaking of our tempestuous baker, my sister Charlotte taught Justin how to make Chocolate Mousse while we were in Evian so we are anxious to see how this works on a boat far at sea.......well we expect.

After visiting the boat we traveled on to Ste Maxime and checked into a nice small hotel within walking distance to the Ferry to St. Tropez. We took the 0845 boat his morning and joined our friend Elizabeth Meyer on board ELEANORA for a somewhat bittersweet day at the classic yacht regatta that we had to forego.

ELEANORA is a 130 foot schooner, a replica of the 1930's yacht WESTWARD. The boat is 4-5 years old and a flawless, traditional schooner. It has a crew of around twelve including steward and a chef. Guests like us were invited to haul lines and be as active (or not) as we wanted. Justin was active, very active. Aside from the 1st mate, he was the most active person on board. We were flying about 10 sails at one point and that is alot of ropes to pull. The wind was blowing around 8-10 knots and this extraordinary yacht simply charged through the water like a waterborne TGV. For those of you who follow our menu, coffee was served in Wedgwood cups and saucers and lunch included sandwiches of fresh crab as well as sliced duck. After the race, fresh strawberry and lemon sorbets were served....moments after being made down in the galley. We are going back tomorrow for another sail...........I'm afraid that if we don't Justin will jump ship.........and I'm not certain at this point that he won't jump ship in anycase. He is ONE happy sailor and the regular crew on ELEANORA are happy to have him around. Chris and I have contented ourselves to taking in the experience and the sun. Our only permanent job is to tie yarn stop knots in the fisherman and reaching sails.

My nephew Alexander is going to join us for the trip to Gibraltar and my Goddaughter Anne McPheeters is currently finagling a way to sail with us from Gib to the Canaries. She is the daughter of "The Vicar" so we have high expectations of her.

All are well.

Sunday, October 3, 2004 - Greg

High and Dry----in the best respect.

On Friday, after dropping off Thunderhead at the boat yard at La Ciotat on Thursday, we headed from Nice to Evian. We took secondary roads and had a great view of Cap Ferrat, Antibes, and Monaco. A few kilometers later we headed north and (Chris) drove for two hours across switchbacks and through many tunnels into Italy. There the landscape flattened and we continued on up through Torino, through the valley of Aosta and up to the Alps, through the Tunnel Grand San Bernard and into Switzerland. A couple of hours later we were at my sister Charlotte's house in Evian les Bains.

Since arriving it has been nonstop meals, tastes, and two days of touring Haute Savois. Yesterday morning to Montreux in Swizerland and a visit to an amazing Medieval Castle on the Lake (Chateaux de Chillon). Keeping to a rigid vacation schedule we then traveled over to Thonon where we visited M. Boujon at his fromagery. We purchased two Cardiac Size pieces of local cheese which we will try to save for the crossing. We purchased "young" cheeses which should keep well for a month or more. I know, I know..............the odds of this cheese lasting a month on board with the present crew are very, very slim.

For dinner last night we drove high into the mountains behind Evian and had dinner at a very informal mountain restaurant. La Fetiuere is the Noonan's Lobster Shack of Mountain restaurants ........and we were not disappointed. the six of us had Cheese Fondue which was easily the finest any of us had ever had. A chat with the "Patron" after the mean revealed that he uses a spoon of mustard as well as the other traditional ingredients. Neither Charlotte nor Pierre had ever heard of this.but the fondue was extraordinary..I frankly think that he told the next table that he uses catsup, the next table mayonnaise, and the third table nutella! But C&P are going to try the mustard and we will wait for reports.

Tomorrow morning we leave and head back south. Pierre has mapped a most stunning route through the Alps and down to La Ciotat. Chris still seems up for driving and we will be heading over the col. du Galibier on frightful roads until we get south enough to pick up a major route to Marseille. We will stop at the Boat Yard and then head to a hotel in Ste Maxime.

It has been a great weekend off the boat. Last night Justin got to go out with my nephew Alexander and a friend of his from Evian. Word has it that they left the club at closing 2AM and then arrived home (two blocks away) at 3 AM. There is still no credible explanation for the missing hour..........but I'm not asking!

I wish we could have stayed a week.

All are well.

Thursday, September 30, 2004 - Greg

At 0545 we slipped our mooring lines and headed West from Porquerolles. The still large moon was descending off the port bow and a rosy glow was appearing off the stern as we motored our way out of the harbor and through the channel to the bay beneath Toulon. The air is cool and humid. The wetness felt good after the days of dry arid air that blow across this region. Short pants are ok but a sweater is necessary this morning.

As I write, the sun is just climbing over the horizon and Venus is the last celestial body still glowing. Porquerolles is likely to be our most eastward longitude in the trip around the Atlantic. Chris mentioned that in some ways we have begun our homeward bound voyage. We still have about 2/3's of the trip at the bow end of the boat but we have certainly scribed an arc in our circle.

Moments ago we were passed by a large French naval ship of some kind. closest approach was about 3/4's of a mile. Sailors were on deck from bow to stern....maybe they really ARE homeward bound, to Toulon, their base?

In a few hours we will be in La Ciotat where the boatyard is waiting for us. We will review the work list and then take off for Nice in a rented car. I'll be very happy to be far away tomorrow morning at 0900 when Thunderhead is hauled. At Rumery's we hated it when the owner was present for hauls, launches, mast stepping and unstepping. I will pay "Classic Works" the courtesy of leaving town and returning on Monday when all is high and dry. They are used to handling boats which are two and three times the size of Thunderhead. She'll be in good hands.

Chris is making oatmeal, Justin has the con. A few land-based days look pretty good right now.

All are well.

Monday, September 27, 2004 - Greg

Les Porquerolles

We finally broke free from Friouls yesterday morning with the wind winding down to the teens but despite a weather forecast for more Mistral in the Marseille area. The strongest area for the Mistral is from the North-Northwest directly down the Gulf of Lion where Marseille sits on the eastern shore. We headed west and most of our forecasts showed that if we could get around the Cape at the bottom of the gulf, winds were more calm. Sure enough.

Our first objective was to stop at the ship yard at La Ciotat and we arrived shortly after noon. Our mission was to drop off the other Propane tank so that both could be filled during the coming week. They will be taken to Antibes where it is hoped, someone can fill them. We then headed out, under sail, (a nearly forgotten mode of transportation) and headed for Ile de Porquerolles. We sailed around Cap Sicie which we were told was the Cape Horn of France. Luckily it didn't live up to that moniker but there were some large waves and current as we traversed it. We arrived in Porquerolles about 6 PM and having had enough marina life at Friouls headed for a lovely protected anchorage. The water here is incredibly clear. It is easy to see bottom 20 feet down so it was a little disconcerting to enter this cove and see bottom everywhere. We dropped anchor and as we were getting set I asked Justin (bowman) where he thought the anchor was dropped. He just laughed and pointed. "It is right there, come and see it." Sure enough the anchor was on bottom shining in its chromed brilliance from Matt's polishing. A few more feet of chain and we were set for the night.

Porquerolles is very beautiful. Most of it is protected from development and there are few cars, a couple of buses, and a million mountain bikes. Palm trees, vineyards.......Provence.....out on an Island. Chris and Justin had a swim off the boat this morning while I did the IHT crossword and Matt tied his last bits o'rope. Tomorrow we are going to rent bikes. there is a great restaurant out on the end of the Island...........so we will ride there and back to have a totally guilt free repast.

We got word from Alex at the boat yard that we will be hauled on Friday around noon and should arrive at noon on Thursday. That will give us two days here to explore and then head 30 miles to the boat yard very early on
thursday morning. It is nice to have two days with no schedule, nothing to plan, no one to pick up or drop off. Ride bikes, eat cheese........Sweet!

The boat being hauled is a bit of a logistical nightmare as that is our home but I think that we may take advantage of my sisters hospitality in Evian les Bains over the weekend. We will have a few lovely drives though the Alps, (lovely especially because Chris will do most of the driving) visit my favorite cheese man in Thonon, enjoy some time in the Haute Savois.

Matt leaves tomorrow. I know, I know ............I said that last week too.......but this time he really is leaving. Taking a ferry to Port du Fondue (no kidding), then the TGV to Paris and on to Shannon for his connecting flight........will be sorely, sorely missed.

All are well.

Sunday, September 26, 2004 - Matt

Last night the Moon danced for me, for me alone. It must have been for me......... everyone else was asleep. On land the moon is beautiful with it's grand presence but it sits politely not demanding your attention. This night though, while sitting in a quiet harbour in the protective arms of an island with a watchful lighthouse atop, we ate good food, laughed good laughs and played a card game named.....well if someone cut you off while driving, you might call him this. Hint; seven letters, first two are 'A' and 'S'. One of those college drinking games a crew member taught us. It wasn't Jestin, I swear. (oops, typo)

My head overstimulated from the many new and wondrous sights and sounds of exploring this Island, ached to just melt onto the pillow in my bunk. I flopped down and with a broad smile I closed my eyes and let out a happy sigh. I felt so complete and so completely done. I lay there for a moment and slowly opened my eyes to take a last look at Thunderhead's gorgeous interior when, in the porthole, starring right back at me was the Moon. Not as I know it on land. This moon danced slowly up and down, left then right. Sometimes it would hide behind the bronze window edging but it would always come dancing back to see me, make sure I was still watching. What a treat I thought, what a way to end a perfect day. There is a chance that Thunderheads gentle rocking motion might have played a part of this phenomenon but I don't think so, I think the Moon knew I was the only one watching and wanted to dance for me, for me alone.

Saturday, September 25, 2004 - Greg

The wind died down last night and today was a more reasonable 15 knots. Justin and I headed into Marseille on the 930 ferry and bought the parts for a butane cooktop and two bottles of butane. We plan to leave the other propane tank at La Ciotat tomorrow morning on our way to Les Porqueroles. After they get filled we will leave them untouched until the other side of Gibraltar to insure plenty for the transatlantic. In the meantime we will cook everything on the stove top and be required to eat on shore ( a real sacrifice in France) and make frequent stops at Patisseries along the route.

Matt has been very busy in his last few days. Lots and lots of small items are getting fixed, repaired, made better or more secure. Life on a 43 year old wooden boat (especially) is an endless job of fixing, repairing, or refining current systems. He is truly a master at these tasks...........and his most productive times are when I'm ashore or preoccupied with some other task! ............Don't ask me why?

Tonight we are having a guest for dinner. Christian Dallacia was one of the greeters when we arrived here last week and he returned today for the weekend. He came over to the boat sporting a great looking Thunderhead Tee shirt and announced that he was alone this weekend. Chris is making Quiche----that is French right?, Justin is making corn muffins----that is American right? and we are having salad and a bottle of Rose de Bandol. We will be serving cheese with hors d'oeuvres which would horrify any Frenchman but we will refrain from serving the salad until a second course.

Justin got a huge bonus today. I woke him up early with the announcement that since we were not going to the regates at Cannes and St. Tropez, there was no further need to polish the dorade vents. Now this is a guy who is always in a good mood, who always handles adversity with aplomb.....but today he is like the death row inmate who has just received the governor's pardon! He is also sporting a new blue and white stripped jersey and looks like he just walked aboard from Brittany.

All are well.

Friday, September 24, 2004 - Greg

Le Mistral................continues...........it just blows and blows and blows. It is unbelievable how there is almost no let up in this wind. We continue to be safely moored in Ile de Friouls and ferrying back and forth to Marseille.

Today we took our rented car over to La Ciotat to meet Alex Laird at Classic Works in the ship yard in that city. We had a tour of his current projects and Thunderhead is clearly going to the right yard. He is rebuilding three wooden sailboats each of which is 60-70+ feet. His past projects are truly amazing restorations. We discussed Thunderhead's current needs and he was most reassuring about the ability to get them done. In fact tonight I came home to find an email from him in which he says that they are quite sure they can get the propane tanks refilled in Antibes. If this is the case we will use a butane stove top for boiling water over the next month and then switch back to our stove for the transatlantic.........I mean we cannot go transatlantic without Justin's baking. C'est impossible!

Also as a result of my discussions with Alex and a realistic look at our calendar, I decided against trying to do the Regattas in Cannes and St. Tropez. Those regattas are not finished until October 9th and then the boat must be hauled and work done on it. No haul ever ends up less than a week and I'm not going to try to get this boat 1600 miles to the Canaries with three guys in three weeks. Alex also said that he could not vouch for the time out of the water because if another Mistral occurred, the boat relaunching (with a crane) could be delayed 10 days. Waiting until the 9th of October could jeopardize this trip.............and I don't feel like changing the website to oncearoundintwoyears.org. We are disappointed by this development but I know that neither Justin nor Chris nor I want to end up having to leave the boat here and take a plane home in Late October. I'm very sorry also for the boys who were heading here next week; Brian, Peter, Jamie, Micah. It has been an agonizing decision but one which had to be made.

The wind machine just hit 48 knots as I typed. That is no longer a Strong Gale on the Beaufort Scale---48 knots is a Storm! (btw--hurricane is 64+) Where does all this air come from?

All are well.

Thursday, September 23, 2004 - Greg

Wind, wind, wind. It is unbelievable. If we had three hours of this on the East Coast half the moored boats would be up on the beach. This has been going on for three days with two more predicted. Constant 20's, frequent 30's and occasional 40's. Just a routine Mistral. It has put a crimp in our schedule but that is that! We remain at our berth at the Iles de Friouls with Thunderhead secure and safe. The constant howling is getting to the crew though!

My plan for today was to take the boat about 19 miles from here to the classic boat yard we have been in touch with. I was hoping for some wind in the teens like yesterday but when I was watching gusts to the mid 40's at around 10 AM I knew that that wasn't going to happen. Matt then suggested that we drive over to the boat yard tomorrow which was a great idea. We called Alex Laird and he will meet with us tomorrow to discuss a work plan for the week following the St. Tropez Regatta.

Matt opted for the day off from the rest of us and Chris, Justin and I headed into Marseille to arrange for a car and do some other shopping. The ferry ride in was rollicking but nothing like the ride out (see below). After being told by three rental companies that there were no cars available through the weekend, we prevailed on the "We try harder" bunch to call another branch. A small car was quickly found and we hired it for the trip tomorrow. Chris is a great driver so he got the appointment.

We returned to the Vieux Port, Justin found an internet cafe and Chris and I found a caffeine cafe. We then met up and went shopping; A fine cheese store, Justin's favorite patisserie, and a trip to Nicholas for a bottle of Rose de Bandol which Martin's parents had told us about. That is currently chilling and I will send a report in a later log.

We returned for the 6:30 Ferry and headed back to Friouls. The scene at the mouth of the harbor was unbelievable. A very confused sea, 10 foot waves, the wind howling and blowing the tops off the rollers, sea spume everywhere as the ferry headed out into it. The trip to the Island is usually a quick straight shot from the port to the harbor passing inside Iles de Chateau d'If (scene of the story of the Count of Monte Cristo). but tonight the pilot headed about 60 degrees off course to try to get through the seas. He then headed nearly back to Marseille to tack through another channel, then again on the far side of d'If. It was not as insane as the night in the private boat but what made it so intense was that this time you could actually see what you were up against.....mother nature ...acting up!

Tonight we are having fresh raviolis with crème fraiche and parmesan, baguettes from a small bakery (not the great baguette factory located someplace in France which cranks out Wonder Baguettes) salad, Rose de Bandol (and diet coke!). dessert will be whatever Justin has in that small square box.

All are well.

Wednesday, September 22, 2004 - Greg

Le Mistral - a cold north wind - they ain't kidding!

Yesterday morning we had an appointment to get the oil changed at the next door boatyard here in Friouls. It was blowing with gusts to the high teens and low twenties as we brought the boat over to the slip. Mostly it was directly into the wind where Thunderhead is most easily controlled, then a quick jog to starboard where Justin awaited us on shore. After a couple of hours, the work was done and the wind had piped up to high twenties. After an hour or so of waiting for a lull and trying to determine how best to back the boat out from the slip, we devised a system of moving the boat manually then gunning it in reverse and hoping for the best. The next thing I remember was Matt's grin from the bow looking back at me as it became clear that we were out in clear water. It is kinda funny. I have no recollection of the event from the time the lines were cast-off until Matt's grin! We then returned to our slip which was quite simple as it was directly into the wind. We had a quasi reservation for Thunderhead in a quasi slip in Marseilles.Not today, thanks. We'll take the ferry.

Since the last ferry back to Friouls from Marseille is at 7PM (I thought), we made arrangements for one of the workers of the boat yard to come pick us up later in the evening. We then took the ferry into the Vieux Port. The boat had barely left the harbor when it became clear that the wind had kicked up a quite steep, high and confused sea, worsening as we got out of the lee of the islands. We'd seen the boat which was to pick us up and quickly decided to alter our plans and get the last ferry home. In town, Justin and Chris headed for the internet cafe and market and Matt and I headed for the nautical outlets.

After purchasing stores we returned to the Ferry building at 6:45 to discover that the last ferry was at 6:30. The good news was that we still had a ride arranged back to Friouls, the bad news was that we had to use it! We then went back to shopping. I found a GREAT coffee store where we purchased fresh ground beans. Mysore (India)-a favorite blend. Justin laid waste to a Patisserie (Ok-- with my encouragement) and we found a great restaurant with a very funny rude waiter. A meal in Provence...........nothing like it!

My cell phone went off during dinner and it was "Georges" from the boat yard. Did we still want a ride in and at what time. We told him that we would be ready at 9:30 PM and arranged to meet him in the Vieux Port. We were somewhat relieved by a mild lessening of the wind but it was still blowing. We met Georges and Eric at the appointed spot and the 6 of us climbed aboard a 16 foot boat with a standing open shelter for 4-5 ( sorry Matt!). We headed out of the harbor and as we passed the narrow inlet, the water became choppy and a the sea ahead totally black. I then noticed that we had no running lights on the boat nor any (apparent) torch or other illuminating device! The wind was blowing and as we passed into the open water, I just thought somewhat mockingly, "we are all going to die!" The boat was Eric's and he was driving. It turned out that he also had made the boat. We joked with him that we hoped he had built it "tres fort", very strong. In the darkness Eric couldn't see oncoming seas but maneuvered well. In about 15 minutes (seemed like an hour) we were in the lee of our islands and the sea calmed down alot. In the marina with the wind blowing in the twenties, Eric insisted on backing his boat between two others to let us off right next to Thunderhead. We begged him not to and told him that we'd be happy to walk the short distance from the boat yard. Nothing doing, he was going in. It is no exaggeration to say that there was less than six inches (total) to spare between the two boats. His landing was flawless.

Back aboard, the wind quickly increased. It was howling across the harbor when we turned on the wind instruments to find sustained gusts at 42 knots. Matt put a bit o' rope in a bunch of places and we turned in to try and get some sleep. The wind was blowing directly at Thunderhead's bow, the marina is built of very substantial concrete fingers and docks and we were tied securely to them. The screeching wind and occasional sudden healing of the boat were the only deterrents to a sound nights sleep. And screech it did--all night long. There are a few hundred boats in the harbor all of them upwind from us. At times the masts would become harmonious and more than once during the night I awoke to what I thought was a musical band--in dire need of tuning.

We have had a lull (6-9 kts) during the time that I have been writing this but I can hear it picking up again. the wind meter is reading 15-18 kts again and the howl returning. We will be here for a few days!

Great news on the boat maintenance front. Last night I received an email from Jamie Houtz at the Landing School, writing that he had an alum who was working for the brother of a fellow who was the owner of a classic boat yard in France in La Ciotat. This morning I rather optimistically grabbed my France-Med guide rather than Brittany and what to my wondering eyes should appear but La Ciotat, 30 km east of Marseilles!!! The fellow there is Alex Laird, from the UK (I think) with a remarkable grasp of English!!!!! La Ciotat was once a major shipbuilding port but no longer. The infrastructure is still in place and it has now become a very active high-tech race boat production area. Alex reports that there are about 30 yachting related companies now located in the complex and he sounded quite confidant that he might help us with some of our maintenance issues. I'd like to get hauled for a couple of reasons and he said that they used a 250 ton crane........ that ought to be enough for T'heads 16 tons! Anyway, I'll report back with more on this terrific development and thanks, Jamie......... When you get here next week, no polishing, no cooking, no cleaning.......but could you look at just a couple of rigging items?

Chris and Justin are taking the day in Marseille. I told them that one, but only one, Cathedral was required viewing. Matt is here on the boat installing a filter for our hand pumped water and making our garden hose more Euro-friendly. And me......Nothin'...all day long....Nothin'!

All are well.

Monday, September 20, 2004 - Greg

We are still in the Isles de Friouls. Last night we went and presented the KYC flag which they immediately raised on their flag pole. After a round of drinks with us as host, I headed back to Thunderhead and Moby Dick, Chris tucked in with the latest Harry Potter and Matt and Justin stayed on at the club to join them for dinner. There are tales of late night "moonshine" served out of a Perrier bottle---but I know no more.

This morning we began to tackle some of the problems with the boat. If we were not facing another transatlantic in two months none of these would be critical but we are...... and they are. For lack of a better solution, we have shipped the watermaker back to the factory in Minnesota for repair and rebuild. It has never been quite right this year and is quickly deteriorating to a brackish brew. Last year, its first season, the water was fabulous. We need that again for the upcoming trip. Sending it back to the factory should assure that it is fixed properly this time. We have a bow light (the port-red one) which went out the other night and Surgeon Bauer spent the morning taking it apart and determining the problem........nothing serious, just a corroded connection and he and his assistant Matt will resolder it tomorrow.

Matt and I went into Marseille today a rummaged through chandleries looking for bits and pieces. We found lots of bits and pieces and bought many of them. There aren't many off- the-shelf items for a 43 year old boat but we steal a little from this and steal a little from that......avoiding plastic wherever possible and we seem to be able to crib most things together. Matt is a master rummager so one needs to be careful to check his purchases at the cash register.........No, Matt we aren't likely to need that bronze binnacle anytime soon!
Chris had the worst task of the day. It turned out that the laundry here was out of service so he brought about a hundred and fifty lbs. of four guys dirty clothes into Marseille on the ferry in search of a Laundromat. What made it the worst task of the day is his description of trying to figureout how to make the machines work, how to get the detergent and how to get the correct change for the machines. He relates buying many candy bars with large bills in search of 2 euro coins in the change. Damn fool shoulda gone to a wash and fold.....that is all Justin will use!

We found a slip in Marseille today (we hope). So we will go there tomorrow and get a couple of days of touring the city. It looks great............and you may remember that last time I got Justin into a Cathedral that big, he can back to the boat and began unbidden to polish brass. We'll try that again.

All are well.

Sunday September 19, 2004 - Greg

We arrived in Marseille at around 3 PM yesterday. Our former shipmate Martin had not been able to make a reservation in the Vieux Port of Marseille but was able to get us a slip on Isle de Friols in the outer harbor. This is actually two islands joined by a breakwater with a second jetty forming a harbor. It was until recently a military post but is now gradually being transformed into a marine resort community. It is a very funny place.

We arrived into the harbor and went directly to the boatyard where we refueled and I went in search of a berth location. I went to the Harbor Master's office where I was told to find a man in a Whaler and ask him. I went in search but no one by that description was around. I thought that I located a great space on a cement pier next to a lovely wooden spoon-bowed sloop. I went back to the boatyard, we fired up the engine and headed for our berth. Unfortunately, it was taken by the time we arrived ----and apparently by the owner of the slip himself---no argument there! We then motored around the marina looking in vain for either a slip or a man in a whaler. As we were making our third approach, a small group of men signaled us from the docks and pointed out a slip which we could take. They were boat owners and happily took our lines, advised on mooring, and welcomed us to the marina. One man lent us his hose as we don't have the correct adapters and it all turned out well. When returning the hose Justin gave the owner a Thunderhead T shirt and he invited us for a drink at their "club house".

We took showers and were heading into the town for dinner when we passed their club house and it became quite clear that we WERE going to have a drink with them all. The club house is constructed of two aluminum geodesic domes, with sprayed Styrofoam on the inner ceilings. The buildings are about 12 feet high and 12 feet in diameter. One room is a bar and kitchen, the other a community room with TV and books. Chris had a beer, I had the usual, Coke Light, but I insisted that Matt and Justin have Pastis...I mean we are in Provence! They were a wonderful group of people. A mixture of crucified English and tortured French sufficed for a warm and friendly gathering. One man whose wife was from Corsica brought out a Corsican sausage (pepperoni) that was truly amazing. They then presented us with a flag from their club (two actually) and seemed to be genuinely disappointed when we had to shove off for dinner and much awaited bed.

This marina is much more like a campsite than a marina. Monte Real Club de Yates it is not. Many of the boat owners live elsewhere in France and come here for the weekends to sail and live on their boats. The boats range from some fine old wooden yachts (OK-a little varnish wouldn't hurt) to modern fiberglass boats. There are some funky boats with major chunks missing and it is hoped never leave the slip. Also traditional Marseille fishing boats, small double enders some converted to pleasure craft and some not. It is a very, very interesting mix and a wonderful welcoming place. We are for the most part very happy to have been frozen out of Marseille. Tonight we are going back to their club and presenting them with a KYC Burgee from Blue Hill...........and yes we are hoping the man with the Corsican wife and his pepperoni are still around!

We slept long and hard last night, no engine, no motion, no oncoming freighters. the nights are cool and it is good sleeping weather. In the morning after we had been well caffeinated and the crew got to experience a French (European?, Indian?) toilet. (A hole located between two foot rests) we caught the 15 minute ferry into Marseille. The ferry landed in the Vieux port and it was easy to see why we couldn't get a slip. Already many boats were out sailing for the day and the cove still looked very crowded. We were attempting to go to Customs but as it was Sunday no luck. We did though, get to see L'Orange the big, very big French Catamaran built to break sailing speed records. Impressive ship! On the float directly next to it was our friend Martin who was heading out to race on a MUMS 30. A few more cafe crèmes at a few more outdoor cafes then back on the ferry to return to Friols.

Chris made a great Provencal lunch and just as we were finishing a boat approached from the stern and yelled "Mr. Greg?". It was Martin's parents out on a day sail from Marseille. We found them a nearby slip and they joined us on Thunderhead for a glass of wine. We served a bottle of our Spanish wine about which they were quite polite! I mean what the hell, they live in Provence, Cotes du Rhone.....what else would we serve them? A wonderful couple. We hope to see more of them while we are here. Martin's father is going to try to get our propane tanks filled. If this isn't possible we have a problem about which you'll hear more!

Matt has changed his ticket to extend his stay with us for another 10 days. There are a number of issues regarding the boat on which I really need his help; 4 or 5 things that really need a bit o' rope. Thanks to all the shore folk including Holly and Porter who allowed him to alter his schedule.

Justin has spent the day polishing dorades. His fingers are green as
grass---- they look good to me!

All are well.

Saturday September 18, 2004 - Greg

What started with rough, windy weather ended with calm seas, a favorable wind and an amazing night and sunrise.

For two nights now we have had perfectly clear skies, no moon, and little urban light pollution. The stars have been incredible. With two trusty guidebooks, we have been identifying constellations with remarkable rapidity. I've been "looking up" for as long as I've been sailing at night, looking for constellations I knew and trying to make some sense out of the rest of the sky. Some people have bird life-lists, here is my constellation life list:

Orion
Taurus
Gemini
Auriga
Canus Major
Canus Minor
Leo
The Pleiades
Ursa Major (big dipper)
Ursa Minor
Pegasus
Cassiopeia
Cygnus
Altair
Lyra
Delphinum
Scorpios
Corona Borealis
-----Added in this trip:
Hercules
Bootes
Serpens Caput
Canes Venatici
Coma Berenices
Draco
Cepheus
Perseus
Andromeda
Triangulum
Aries
Pisces
Aquarius
Capricornus
Sagittarius
Libra
Ophiuchus
Cetus
Camelopardalis
Lepus
Scutum

39-count 'em! Sorry if this is a bore but it seemed a good place to store the information.

We will be in Marseille later this afternoon. We are hoping for a berth but these uncertainties always loom large when making Landfall. Visions of anchoring two miles out and other dismal mental meanderings.

Matt will be leaving tomorrow and it will be a great loss to have him go. He is a remarkable shipmate. Always 100% focused on the boat. Navigating, repairing, polishing, sail trim, thinking up new ways to bungee cord something else. I swear some of his bungee cords have supporting bungee cords. But Matt's foremost rule is that "There isn't anything you can't do with a bit o' rope." And I've seen him do some amazing stunts with a bit o' rope in the last month. His making secure the broken boom in the middle of the night with 18 knots blowing is becoming a legend aboard Thunderhead. Thanks, Matt, for your contribution to this venture both ashore and aboard and most importantly for your friendship.

Chris is settling in and Justin hasn't lost a bit of enthusiasm.

All are well.

Saturday September 18, 2004 - Greg

Best Wishes and Congratulations to my niece Libby Carroll and Barry Hytenin who will later today be married!

All the best, sorry I'm not with you to celebrate.

Love,
Greg

Lat 41.35 N
Lon 3.08 E

Friday September 17, 2004 - Greg

The Med. The Strait of Gibraltar has a much more important in-flowing tide then west bound or out flowing. This is basically because the Med has so much evaporation that it is constantly being filled by the Atlantic ocean. West bound currents are primarily due East Winds rather than tides. The water is quite warm 25-26 deg C and very very salty. After only one night Thunderhead is encrusted. Everything you touch on deck leaves a hand full. Waves kick up very quickly here (Water temp?) and are steep, high and close together. We know this because last night we plowed through many of them!

There is been a very strong N wind for a few days continuing through tomorrow. It would have been nice to stay in Mallorca but we need to get Matt back to Marseille by early the 19th for his transit to Ireland and home. The wind charts showed some areas of 25-30 knots but not in our immediate vicinity. We left Mallorca around 10 AM yesterday and had a great sail up along the short west coast and through the passage between Islas Dragonera and the main island. It was very choppy with high waves as we traversed it against the wind. As we came out the other side we saw what we were up against. The aforementioned waves. The wind was not all that strong 14-18 (T) but was coming in exactly our direction and neither tack was favorable. We added some engine, took our reefs, and headed on the course which would bring us closer to the Spanish coast where lighter winds were forecast. It was miserable, constant pounding, water spraying all over the house top. All ports were closed which in this heat (and having the engine running)made the cabin a less than sublime atmosphere. Sleep was impossible, desire for sleep great! Things slowed down in the afternoon and the wind went to the East making our course more or less toward Marseille. The problem though was that later in the night the wind returned and we were not sheltered by the coast. More wind, more waves, less sleep. Around 8 AM, things improved and after a couple of hours we were in the lee of Barcelona and since then have been tracking nearly for Marseille. There has been lots of fishing boat "targets" but not much other traffic. We expect more tonight as we fall into the westbound lane from Marseille.

All are well.

Wednesday, September 15, 2004 - Greg

Much has happened since the last log two days ago. For one thing the heat has abated somewhat........and besides, I've been politely informed by two members of my gene pool, that complaints about the heat while sailing in the Med weren't likely to garner much sympathy.........so you won't soon again be hearing about heat from me!

Port arrivals and departures are always a tricky thing. It seems nice to leave a port in the morning and arrive in the next port some afternoon later. Unfortunately, because of the relationship between time and space, this isn't always easy. Over the last couple of years I've become predictable with my crew as wanting to leave port after dinner, sailing thought the night and arriving a day or days later well before dark. But two days ago we left Gibraltar and predicted a landfall at Mallorca of 10 PM; way too late to arrive in an unknown port with no arrangement for a berth. We then decided to go to Ibiza instead and arrived early morning yesterday. We spent the day cleaning and napping after a terrible night of rolling on board. I checked the weather which was calling for near gales winds from the Northeast, our intended track to Marseille. I decided that I didn't want to spend another night in Ibiza, land of nightclubs and semi-sleaze so after a really terrific meal at a waterfront restaurant we returned to the boat with the plan to head to Mallorca while the wind was still favorable and at least tuck that 75 miles under our belt. It was a glorious sail. Winds astern at 8-12 knots, main and jib, 6 knots, endless visibility, little traffic, surrounded by distant heat lightning with a brilliant nightsky overhead. At around 5 AM the wind decreased and we began motoring on our track. About 9 AM Justin woke me and informed me that as predicted the wind had veered to the Northeast and was blowing 25 knots. Our speed was reduced to 2 knots but frankly I didn't care. I'd procured a good sea berth and was sleeping well for the first time in two days. A delay of a couple hours to our destination fit my watch and sleep schedule perfectly.

We arrived at Puerto Portals at about 10 AM and went straight to the fuel dock. We were at this port because it had been recommended by our friend Alfredo Lagos with an introduction to his friend Jose Eraso, Capitan del Puerto. I went by foot to the adjacent Marina office to arrange for a slip. I asked for Mr. Eraso but was told that he was in a meeting. We were giving our slip, Mediterranean style (bow or stern to) and I headed back to the boat. Emerging from the office I noticed that the world had suddenly gone dark with a most ominous bank of black, black clouds driving down on the marina from the nearby hills. As I got to the boat, winds whipped with a fury across the Marina, two large sailboats in the outer Harbor dragged their anchors; one fine old spoon bow Schooner to certain destruction on the entrance breakwater. The crew was in the process of moving Thunderhead aft on the gas dock and was holding on dearly to keep the boat from being swept away from ( not onto, thankfully) the cement pier. Some RIBs ( small
inflatables) were dispatched from the marina to the successful rescue of the two dragging sailboats.

A few minutes later, the ferocity of the wind decreased to a 10-15 knot blow with gusts to 20. Knowing the difficulty of mooring fore and aft with Thunderhead, I went over to the pier to observe where we would be 'trying' to get the boat. It didn't look good. The slip way was about 60 feet wide and would be fine to enter as the wind would be straight on the bow. Getting into the slip was a different matter as I would have to turn the boat sideways to the wind and slide between two other boats with no shore help. In addition to this there was somebody else in our slot so I was very thankful that I went first on foot to appraise the situation. I then returned to the Marina office to inform them that the slip was taken and hopefully to be reassigned to a more accessible berth. I wasn't that hopeful though because the Marine looked very full already with few alternatives. I entered the Marina office and Sr. Eraso was out of his meeting.

I told him about our boom mishap and he related that the Lagos' had built a number of boats for him over the years. We talked of boats and races and it turned out that Jose had once Captained a Maxi Sloop in the early Eighties and had been lodged in Camden for four months while waiting for work at Wayfarer Marine. Before long we had struck up a good conversation about boats, boatyards and the era of Ondine, Kialoa, Dora, Jubilee III, Anitra (PA Nixon-crewmember) He then presented me with a plaque and burgee from Porto Portals and suggested that because of the wind, we should stay on the fuel dock for the night!!!

I couldn't have agreed more! He told me that he would meet me at the boat and about 5 minutes later he arrived with a case of Spanish wine. "Enough" he said, "to get you to France!". I gave him a tour of Thunderhead which the crew was diligently sweeping after ALL the dirt from the 2 acre parking lot ended up on the decks during the blow. I presented him with a Thunderhead Polo shirt and as he left he informed me that we were the guests of the Marina for the night and that there would be no charge. It is incredible how things can change in 10 minutes from the dismal apprehension of blind docking Thunderhead in squally winds to getting the choicest slot in the Harbor, memorable plaques, burgees and a case of Spanish wine. And as we were sitting in the cockpit having coffee and congratulating ourselves on our good fortune, Jose drove up in his car and shared with us a large bag of fresh Mallorcan tomatoes he'd just been given. I called Alfredo in Vigo to thank him for this amazing introduction.

The wind is forecast to lessen by tomorrow noon and be light for a couple of days. It means tacking and powering but we will probably be able to head for Marseille tomorrow. Our ship mate Martin is today looking for a slip for us in the Vieux Port, Marseille.

All are well

Monday, September 13, 2004 - Greg

Mediterranean Sea, hot , no wind, azure warm water......just like in the brochure. Great, except it is too hot and there is no wind. Powering across the water, calculating and recalculating fuel consumption, running slow to conserve diesel versus going apace to get there. Unfavorable tidal currents are like going uphill on a bicycle. Cockpit, hot, covered with canopy, minimal help. Engine room blower into cockpit.....hot ankles...nice at night in New England...not in the Med. Cabin, bunks, all ventilation open, no air movement. Soon someone will use the word swelter. A 5 knot true breeze from dead astern (useless) makes the apparent wind and ventilation about zero. No breeze to cool the crew powering towards Mallorca with hot ankles.
All are well.

Sunday, September 12, 2004 - Greg

Around 4 PM, after Matt, Justin and Chris returned from the "Safeway" (no kidding) with fresh provisions, we worked our way out of the Queensway Marina and beyond the substantial breakwaters which make up Gibraltar harbor. There was a fine favorable breeze blowing as we headed down to turn east beyond Europa Point. Unfortunately at about that point, the breeze failed and turned easterly at about 3 knots. Powering again! Also, as we made our way back into the Strait we soon encountered the west-going current which had just begun and would do so for 6 hours..........But if you read the log from the day of Gibraltar arrival, you'll remember that it was this current (though east going) which saved our "stern" against a 35knot head wind. "The good lord giveth......and the good lord taketh away" ...which concludes our Sunday Service......well, that and the fact that Justin has finished winding the ship's clocks.
Dodg'ems! There are many ships heading from the Med to the Atlantic Ocean. We know this because dodging ships (well..... plotting really..... with only the occasional course change) was how we spent last night. We were missing our shipmate Martin but we all did a great job in a constantly challenging situation........Oh, I forgot to mention that for the better part of the night it wasn't possible to see the bow...due to fog..... So we buried our noses in the radar and followed green blips sliding down the screen and safely off to stern. The navigation system is completely new to Chris so it was a bit of baptism by fire. He has picked it up very rapidly though and is plotting, thoughtfully, and quickly.
Reading; Finished "White Jacket" now determining to read--to the end--Moby Dick. Justin just finished "Seabiscuit" (about a seahorse?) and has just started "Ocean Warriors" the story of the 2001 -2002 Volvo Ocean Race. Matt is reading "Sea Change"- alone across the Atlantic in a wooden boat. In addition Matt is devouring REED'S Nautical Almanac and "The Ocean Almanac" and entertaining us with obscure and amusing oceanic tid-bits. Chris is into a Harry Potter and the Fanny Farmer Cookbook (now there is a useful read!)'
Uploaded a couple of photos-with more to follow.
All are well.

Saturday, September 11, 2004 - Greg

Happy Birthday to Brian Harris who, three years ago on his birthday, was on a boat in the Hudson River, Manhattan.............heard it all, saw it all!
We are still in Gibraltar. Martin has left for home and Chris arrived very very late last night after being to diverted to Tangiers and then Malaga due to fog at Gibraltar. Martin and I went to the airport to meet his bus and it was fortunate we did. There is only one taxi on service at night here, regardless of when the planes/buses arrive. Between the three of us we lugged his sea bags a couple of miles back to the Marina. The weight of the bags was lessened by the knowledge that in addition to other items, they contained fresh Starbucks and more importantly, 5 tubes of Weenol!
Gibraltar is a funny place. Yesterday was National Day and though the big 300th celebration was in June, this is their traditional "Fourth of July". The flag of the colony is a red and white banner with a castle and key in the center. The ENTIRE population was out on the streets sporting red and white clothing. Red shirts and white pants, skirts were everywhere. No one but the tourists were in any other attire. It was a great site of national unity by the citizens here. Young and old, babies, cars, wheelchairs, motorcycles decorated in red and white; banners, hats, pom-poms, British Union Jacks hanging from every balcony. A fun day to be in Gibraltar. The highlight of the day was an Elton John concert in the Football "stadium".
Now, the scuttle-butt is this: The present UK government would be delighted to give Gibraltar back to the Spanish but the inhabitants are very opposed to this reunification. The most recent plebiscite yielded a vote of 10500 to 40 in favor of staying British! During the 300th Anniversary of British rule in June, the British government had initially declined to send representatives for fear of aggravating the Spanish. However, after the change of government in Spain around March and the decision to withdraw troops from Iraq, a rather piqued Tony Blair ended up sending the Secretary of Defense, Princess Anne and other assorted dignitaries..........the Spanish were pissed!
We are pressed for time. We want to stop in Majorca and we need to get Matt to Marseilles by the 19th, get to a boatyard for some maintenance and get ourselves to Cannes but the 25th. We are planning to leave today if possible. Wind sounds fair, push, push, push! a tour of "the Rock" will have to wait until our return trip in October.
All are well.