See logs from Irish cruise

Thursday, July 8th, 2004 - Greg

Time: 0600AM----Irish Daylight Time
Bull Rock Light sighted 0245.
Land sighted 0415 (1115 PM EDT) ---Mizen Head
(...a bit overwhelming)
Fastnet Rock visible at 6.8 miles--due east
See uploaded Photo.
More to follow later today.

Wednesday, July 7th, 2004 - Greg

It is rockin' and rollin' out here. 57.7 mile to Fastnet Rock. wind 23 knots True. Main with 2 reefs , tiny jib, no staysail--6.4 knots over the ground.
I wish it were quiet and easier to type so that I could tell you all of what it is like on Thunderhead tonight. We are getting this pasting but there are no (few) complaints. Mother nature has been extraordinarily good to us for the last three weeks. Only one serious gale and usually good tail winds to press us forward. Last night the "free" diesel (the rest is on hold for landfall) ran out at midnight, just as I was finishing my watch. Within half
an hour we had 7-8 knots from a reasonable direction and were once again headed for the barn. At 0600 today, the wind kicked up but veered back to the north giving us a good tight reach to the finish. The "tea leaves " call for this to last all night and then go lighter from the same direction by daybreak as we arrive at Fastnet. It is 50 miles east along the southern coast to Kinsale, where I'm informed semi-daily, there are 17 world class
restaurants.
Spirits are running high. As we get closer, more and more signs of land appear. We had one seagull with us for most of the day, drafting behind like a US Postal cyclist. Last night---and you can choose not to believe this--I was coming on watch and admiring the sunset off the stern. Peter just grinned at me and pointed to the bow where there was a horizon to horizon rainbow---Over Ireland forgawdssake! What is next......... a pot o' gold and a Leprechaun? I swear the Irish Tourist Board set that up!
As anxious as I am to make landfall part of me is already a little sad that this will be over; that the crew who have worked like a well oiled machine and laughed our way across the Atlantic will be splitting up and going our own ways. There are times when the five of us are all awake at the same time, hanging out in the cockpit or around the dining table..........telling stories, spinning tales, remembering all of you. Sublime and not possible less than 100 miles from shore!
I'm headed for my bunk now. I don't expect too sleep. We will pass an offshore "Super Buoy" at midnight and by 3 AM may see the light at Fastnet. Then I'm on watch at 0400. Can't sleep---to excited!
All are well.........and soon to be ashore!

Tuesday, July 6th,2004 - Greg

219 miles, no wind, a little diesel.......tonight wind goes easterly and then Northeasterly with a brief bout at 25 knots predicted for tomorrow.
Lamb is gone..........the last casserole being prepared for tonight.....lasagna.
The Irish Cruise Net. Everyday at 1600 GMT, our small flotilla has met by radio to swap positions, weather and general banter. As the days have gone on this communication becomes more vital to the routine. For a day or two one of us might be incommunicado due to radio interference and then suddenly show back up on the net. Other boats which left from Bermuda after the race are now in the loop and there is excitement as we get closer to Ireland. Admiral Harris, our ship's communications officer has handled the radio chat for us. He does a great job. He has the lingo down. Overs, rogers, switch and standby.........I swear that he must be a closet Ham! I'm going to check his roof for antenna next time I'm in Portland. Brian is also good with weather and has become the unofficial weather chart interpreter. It is amazing how many times we have been right and the weather guru's wrong. Brian's first prognoses a couple of weeks ago were greeted with polite silence, now, "What does Thunderhead see for weather" is a daily query on the net. We actually canned our weather guru after three days because Brian was much closer to correct then they were! Probably when I get home he will have opened Harris Weather Routing and I'll have a past due bill for daily consultations!
(.....excuse me for a moment while I eat the FRESH popcorn Jamie just handed me..........Oh, the suffering we have had on board.......you just can't imagine!)
Two of us did not head to the Azores and are quite far ahead of the others. We will likely be in Kinsale on Thursday or Friday. Often before we left, people asked me how long it would take to get to Ireland. My response was, "I'd be thrilled with 21 days........28 days would be very depressing. Thursday noon will be 20 days. So even if we run out of fuel AND wind and have to slog out here for a few more days, this will have been a quick trip for a 43 year old wooden craft!
This morning I was awakened by Jamie who was holding a baby "Portuguese Man-o-War by my bunk...........These are extremely poisonous jellyfish. "Look what I caught in my trawl," he said "They are only poisonous on the bottom side!"
"Great" replied the ship's doctor. "Kind of like, "Look at the pretty Cobra I've brought in from the garden.' Now get that out of here!" Anyway, I understand pictures were taken and I'll upload one tonight.
I hope you are enjoying the pictures, we upload one or two each night. Getting the porpoises seemed like a coup because I'd been trying for a week. All I had to do was grab the camera and .........Shazaam...gone! Yesterday's Mom and offspring seemed quite content to pose.
Well I hate to report this but the moth has not been spotted for over two weeks. Maybe he found the one woolen sweater I bought (I'll know soon), or maybe he jumped ship onto a freighter headed for NYC from some clothing factory in China.
I'm personally hoping for the latter.

All are well!

Monday, July 5th, 2004 - Brian

I'm sure by now Greg has been telling you many stories about what a great crew we are. How we have melted into a cohesive team and are able to solve any problem that arises with military precision. All this is true. However, I don't think you have been told about our sixth and perhaps most important crewmember, Elijah (as in the Prophet)
Like the five who come before him, Elijah has an insatiable appetite. Like the five who come before him, Elijah can at times be overwhelmed and in need of a break. Like everything else onboard this fine yacht, Elijah at times needs a little TLC. A few caresses to the left or the right.
By now you may be wondering if we have gone stark-raving mad and have duct-taped one of the Vickers cabbages to the stern rail, painted a smiley face on it and are calling it Elijah..........
But no - Elijah is our trusted Autopilot. Our sixth crew member and best mate !!!
In the darkest hours of the morning when you return to the security of the dodger after having tucked in a reef - cold, wet, eyes stinging with salt spray and you look aft at the binnacle - you can almost make him out, Elijah, steering our little ship on course - steadfast and true.

Sunday, July 4th, 2004 - Jamie

Well we all know that the wheels on the bus go "Round & Round" & the train on the track goes "Click-it-ty Clack". But what was never written was the sounds of the boat. Forty-three years young and fleeting across an ocean.
For example:
We've got a water maker that thwirls and snaps.
A mast that creaks and groans.
The head likes to gurrgle-squish & Hee Haw.
Our engine has a rumble-whine & clatter.
The oven likes to meow.
The crew has been known to zzzzzzzz & moan.
We have sheets that crack like a gun and pound like a hammer.
And winches that klatter.
The auto pilot whirrs, purrs & grrrss.
And of course we have the ocean. Whose water passes along the hull and deck to a sound that we dare not name. For the melody of the ocean is only for the listener, and cannot be repeated by man.

Sunday, July 4th, 2004 - Greg

Happy Fourth of July!
We celebrated by flying the Stars and Stripes (photo pending!). We then contemplated celebrating with firework contraband smuggled aboard by the Provisioner disguised as a box of mint milanos. Moments before the ignition of said contraband, and much to the pleasure of our onboard fireman, Houtz, I decided that a 10 gauge cannon is one thing, firecrackers are another----no firecrackers! (Not in MY cockpit!)
................and to Peter Lindsay...........We appreciate your suggestion for having Salmon and Peas today......The Provisioner was prepared to make canned salmon and dehydrated pea casserole.........until the possibility of
a second butterfly lamb was raised. A single ballot (mine) was cast for the latter and the canned salmon and dehydrated pea casserole will have to wait....a long, long time. Also, Peter, thank you for that particularly off-color joke.........it was well appreciated by the crew.
Spirits are quite high here today. We have enough wind and enough diesel for the windless hours predicted. We should be in KINSALE ( our actual landing port, just west of Cork) in about three days maybe four.......My prediction has been the 8th of July for about 10 days and I think that will prove correct. Tied up and heading for the showers by 5 PM on the Eighth. About noon EDT............or maybe the 9th or tenth.whenever we run out of
butterfly lamb!
I missed the Fourth of July parade in Brooklin. Fire trucks, bands, "Homemade" floats, Jim and Pam in their "funny" cars. Many of the entries toss candy to the crowd but last year one group was handing out individual
root beer and ice cream floats ...from their float! It is a GREAT parade. I understand that my friend Kitty went down from Blue Hill. Next year I'm going with her.
Justin just came down from on deck to point out that we've just gone under the 500 mile point......2326 covered..........496 to go..........
All are well!

Saturday, July 3rd, 2004 - Greg

Expect to hear more from Justin..............what a great bit on Rain.
The last few days have been trying on Thunderhead. Unfortunately, some can already see the barn .......but we have more days to go. The other night at midnight I ended my watch by calculating diesel fuel and deciding that with the batteries fully charged, the reefer at temperature we needed to stop powering and accept what little wind there was...........little was soon the operative word. I was quickly sailing at zero knots with no steerage. Luckily we were in flat seas so the yawing and slatting was minimized. Also, we have had a one knot favorable current behind us so our movement towards Ireland was at least positive.....at one knot! During a particularly calm period I lost steerage altogether and just slowly waited while the boat did a 360 degree spin. There was a gratifying moment to this though, when I looked up at the instruments and saw that our bow was headed for Newfoundland yet our stern was headed and moving toward Ireland....at a favorable one knot!!!
The wind increased during the day but was largely from the Northeast...which is also our direction. After dinner we put in a second reef, doused the staysail and rolled up part of the jib. What a horrendous night. Pitching and Yawing, and rolling and healing and falling off waves and climbing up others. The wind was around 22-25 knots, we were not in a gale but the motion of the boat made life aboard very unpleasant. When it is your turn
for watch, getting dressed requires an unbelievable acrobatic act as one hand, or one foot, or one hip or knees stabilizes you while the other appendages try to put on boots, foul weather gear....very, very unpleasant.
But this remains a remarkable group of guys.....everyone attempting to put the best possible face on the situation and just get through......We have now completed 2164 miles.......with 654 to go. but when you are ready to be there those remaining miles look more like 6540!
Very early this morning the wind backed to the North West...a most favorable angle for us...........It is now blowing about 15 knots. We are on a beam reach and headed for Fastnet. This angle of sail decreases the heel of the boat and makes life aboard far more civilized.
Many of you contributed to our search for the length of a cable. Unfortunately, the most common dimension given by you, humble readers, was "720 feet or about 100 fathoms or 600' or about 1/10 of a nautical mile."
GREAT!.......great as in " there is great peril in not knowing if the submerged obstruction is 600 or 720 feet away. Well we'll use 720 and let you know just what the writers of this cruising guide were using! One particularly detailed answer from my friend Cheryl Blank translated a cable into light years.........(gawd, these medical types). Anyway, we thank all of you for your responses..and no there was no Thunderhead Hat attached to that quiz..........sorry, but were you only in this for the hat?
Lunch today was chili and fresh corn muffins...........you can only imagine how thrilled the baker was when our first bottle of propane ran out half way thru....."I cannot work under zeese conditions" So for future reference,
one 11 pound bottle of propane lasts 5 guys (including a prolific baker).....16 days and half the cooking time of a batch of jalapeno corn muffins.
This 43 year old boat is holding together VERY well. Those Germans certainly knew how to build them.
All are well.

Ship's Log Addenda - 7/3/04

Here is the email of the day on the subject of the length of a cable.
From Paul Lavin----(gawd, those legal types!)
______________________________
I am not billing this research at my usual and customary rate and I am holding out for just the hat.
This from the Hemyock Castle website!! I couldn't make that up.
The "Cable" causes much confusion, partly due to the method of cable construction and by its use as a measure of distance.
In 1830, the UK Admiralty defined the following:
Cable's Length (distance): Tenth of a nautical mile (approx 101 fathoms).
Cable-laid cable: 100 to 115 fathoms.
Cablet: 120 fathoms.
Hawser-laid cable: 130 fathoms.
and more...
Cable (UK RN and Germany):
0.1 nautical mile. Approx 101 fathoms. {I suspect the Irish, too.)
Metric Cable (France and Spain):
200 metres. Approx. 109 fathoms
Cable (USA):
120 fathoms
Other Cables:
Russia: 100 fathoms.
Holland: 123 fathoms.
Portugal: 141 fathoms.
And since I thoroughly researched the issue, you'll be glad to know that I confirmed the cable=.1 NM theory on several authoritative websites. Through you never really know if they're just pulling your sealegs.
_______________________________
Very, very reassuring!

Friday, July 2nd, 2004 - Justin

While sitting in a calm you are able to notice that the rain, like most things out here, is slightly different at sea. It has the same feel and the same taste (probably) as on land. It has the same relaxing lullaby on the top of the hard dodger as it would on the roof of a porch. This sound with the accompanying snoring from below can set even the most diligent man on watch to dreaming of their berth. The rain has the same intense, pounding sound when slamming into the hood of your foul weather gear as that of your rain coat hood when racing between building and car.
What is different about the rain at sea is how you can see the small showers coming and going like those rare drops of relief which can be seen moving along the desert for miles. You can, also, watch these showers coming and going on the radar. Tracking them to see how long you have before it will begin to rain on you. The last difference you notice about the rain at sea is it's most elusive characteristic. To hear this you must remove all barriers between you and the sound, like someone removing their hat to listen to the sound of the snow falling on a cold, crisp night. You too must venture out from under the dodger, you must remove your hood accepting and welcoming the now brackish water that begins to drip down your face. Only after you have given into the rain in these ways does it reveal it's voice to you. When listening for it you can now hear the symphony of the rain crashing into the sea. Like the sound of far off bells ringing or of old friends unexpectedly finding each other on the street the sound revels itself to you. It is then that you remember why you came to sea.

Thursday, July 1st, 2004 - Greg

There are two situations on a sailboat which can demoralize a crew; no wind and a broken head. We have had both. Thankfully, the latter was brief and now repaired but the former is with us.
We were not able to outrun the High pressure system and it caught up with us last night just after dinner. We powered through the night but on the end of my watch at 0400 a 7-9 knot breeze came up which allowed us to shut the motor off and sail at 5-7 kts. Throughout today the breeze has been constant at 5-8 knots and we have managed to eke out 3-5 kts all day. It isn't bad, the sailing is actually wonderful. the sea is flat and the sun shining. The most important part is that we are still on our course and we are still moving forward. Unfortunately, it is easy to look at one of our many wind, speed, log charts and estimate a date of arrival in September .....but there will be wind in the next few days and our land fall will be much sooner than September!
Tonight the Vicar (Peter) is making a curried chicken to be served with rice and flat bread. One clarification from yesterday's log. Our moody temperamental French baker is entirely a fictitious character. Thunderhead's
baker is in reality cheerful and always ready to turn out another sugar, flour, butter creation.
The cruising guides to Ireland have been taken out of the book case and we are starting to think about stuff related to sailing, landing in a foreign country. Our only panic on this front is that none of us know how long a
cable is..and many measurements are done in cables........i.e. the perilous reef is 2 cables from the channel.
...or.... be sure to avoid overhead electric wires three cables to the north of the marina.......Seems important to know.............It is probably in Chapman's.........or maybe one of you will let us know.
All are well.

Wednesday, June 30th - 2004 - Greg

Though it is about time for a "guest" log writer, it appears that the other crew members have writers block and promise to do it tomorrow...........Jeez, you'd think they were Ernest Hemingway.....
A glorious morning today. We decided to power through the night as a good wager for wind verses our limited supply of diesel. At 0830, we had 10-12 knots astern and finally broke out the new Spinnaker. It is large and purple and beautifully cut. Brian was soon recording boat speeds of 8 plus knots with Justin holding the record at 8.9. Thunderhead is a very fast boat in light air and heavy air. It is really fun to have a fast boat. My memory of Moonfleet's top speeds were in the neighborhood of 6.5 knots in a very limited range of favorable air.
So we have worked our way out of the High which produced paltry breezes and our wind charts show that if we can maintain 6-7 knots we should stay ahead of this dead zone for at least 4 days. But it is kind of like having the wolf (or shark) a few hundred yards off the transom. We have enough diesel for one more push if necessary with a good reserve for landfall.
Niece Abigail Carroll won the Ship's Log cruise. (Though she is holding out for more than a hat!) Her answers are here:
HN's Flagship= HMS Victory
BHR's Captain= John Paul Jones
Darwin's vessel= HMS Beagle
COOK's Vessels= Endeavor and Discovery
BONUS QUESTION: the Nina, Pinta and Santa Maria of course because CC was looking for India, but headed in the wrong direction (a lesson to live by!)
______________________________
And here are the answers provided by a certain well known miscreant:
Ship's Log Quiz:
The name of Horatio Nelson's Flagship?
Harriett Nelson?
Who was the Captain of the BON HOMME RICHARD?
Bon Jovi?
What was Darwin's ship called?
Survival off the fittest.
What was the name (or names) of Capt. Cook's vessels?
Pots and Pans
Bonus question for Indians only---What were the names of the three vessels
Columbus used to discover INDIA?????Visa, Master Card and American Express

OK, I give up. I guess I'll go and polish off the Ben and Jerry's in the fridge.
___________________________________________________
Which reminds me that Mike and Sue Swanton just celebrated their 25th wedding anniversary. (Figured out who the miscreant is yet?). Peter and I were remembering their wedding.......barely! Congratulations guys. Sue---you are a saint.
Another bit of crew family news is the birth of Connor James Rankin on 6/23/04. Jamie and Nancy's new nephew. Congratulations to the parents...though I'm a bit miffed that we couldn't have had the delivery
aboard!
Tonight's dinner: roast turkey, garlic mashed potatoes, carrots........and maybe (?) some dessert followed by a round of noire chocolat from a bottomless supply shipped from Evian............Wait, In the space of this paragraph, our temperamental baker has decided that he is in fact inspired to "create" a batch of chocolate chip cookies.
Fastnet Rock 1004 miles at 057 degrees.
All is well!
Thanks for the emails...........they provide us lots of fun.

Tuesday, June 29th 2004 - Greg

Day 12----10 days more are likely. We have begun to talk of Ireland......where we'll make landfall, seeing the mythical (in the sailing world) Fastnet Rock. We have begun to speak of meals we are missing........pubs we will visit...and for some when our plane reservations are. For all but Brian, the rest have now set new records for miles and days at sea. Mine was two days ago when I passed the 10 day mark. We are seeing the mileage to Ireland slowly tick downward. It is now 1160 miles...as the crow flies....... unfortunately sailboats rarely track as a crow flies.
The crew becomes more cohesive by the day. Everyone settling into the role which suits him best. Some members doing more of one thing and less of another. Each person quietly looking out for the other. We all seem to be silently aware of who needs sleep, who needs time to be alone. It is amazing to see it evolve.
Humor levels remain very high. There are five great "senses of humor" on this boat and most of the time there are great peels of laughter ringing from one spot on the boat or another. For most of the jokes you'd 'have to be here', but I anticipate a future of reminiscences filled with howls and laughter.
Wind---too much.....not enough.... too far forward, too far aft...... not enough here but plenty 60 miles north. Power to get 60 miles north so we don't need to power? Weather router says if we can get 120 miles north by tomorrow at noon, we'll have plenty of wind to get most of the way to Ireland. If we don't, we will have little wind for days ahead. It is easy in front of a computer terminal in New Hampshire.
.............but we have lots of fuel, diesel and propane...lots of water from the watermaker, food for months and email.........really who needs wind.
So now go to the email page......yes right now! Send us news from home....this means YOU! You like starting your day with news from us AND we like starting the day with news from you.
Right now! Don't even THINK of logging off without a word!

Monday, June 28th 2004 - Greg

This Log is being brought to you by Commander's Weather. Some folks have personal trainers, some have personal motivation coaches. We have our own weather router. We tell them our position and course and speed, they tell us their weather prognostications over a 5 day period for that track. Yesterday
afternoon, a phone conversation with them resulted in their suggestion that we immediately head south of east to avoid an area of high winds we had been watching. We thought we were in for 35 kt wind---they thought 50---Five O! with higher gusts.............you wouldn't believe how quickly we can change our course. An hour later we were talking on our "Irish Cruise" radio net and mentioned our plans and what our router had said. Another boat close by "Witch of Pungo" said they would take it under advisement but were sticking with their Northerly course until they talked with "their" router later in the day. Well the night passed quietly, 20-25 kts occasional gust to 30. We were in third reef with only staysail up. 7+ kts boat speed, good sleeping, a pleasant night. Not what we had expected.
Today at 1600 GMT, Witch of Pungo reported that they held their course....and saw 50 kt wind for most of a terrible night. Thank you, Commander's Weather! The cold front has passed now and we have Westerly going North Westerly winds 15-20 kts, we are back on track for our landfall, Fastnet Rock off the Southwestern tip of Ireland. Our machines say that it is 1298 miles from here. We have traveled 1538.
Tonight's dinner: B&M baked beans, coleslaw, some manner of "links" (the only word McPheeters will use to describe them), fresh biscuits and Bert Emmons Blueberry Cake...thawed for the occasion.

Ship's Log Quiz:
The name of Horatio Nelson's Flagship?
Who was the Captain of the BON HOMME RICHARD?
What was Darwin's ship called?
What was the name (or names) of Capt. Cook's vessels?
Bonus question for Indians only---What were the names of the three vessels
Columbus used to discover INDIA?????

All correct submissions will be entered into a drawing---winner to receive THUNDERHEAD hat! Please note however, that we have no intention of being fair in this contest. It is already rigged.

Email of the day:
cc:hellsangels.com<aclu.org<naacp.org<kkk.com<louisfarricon.net
guardianangels.org<necom.edu
Come one come all to the biggest Fourth of July kegger beer bash Blue Hill has ever seen! Plenty of beer, plenty of weed. Wear your colors and get in free!Activities include lawn darts, archery, arm wresling, jousting and skeet shooting. Please, no dynamite. Directions: take Parker Point Road south out of Blue Hill to #329 or just listen for the music!
Onboard all are well!

Sunday, June 27th 2004 - Greg

Preparing for another blow tonight...quite like the last one.
We are using weather routers by phone and email and they have us heading slightly south to avoid most of it. Should be an uncomfortable night but nothing we haven't seen.
To much rockin' and rollin' to type
Next log sometime Tuesday/Wed.
All are well.

Saturday, June 26th 2004 - Greg

Although it looks like we are headed to the Azores we probably are not. The rest of our group is headed there but we will probably decide by tomorrow to head to Ireland directly--as we had planned for over a year. I'd love to get to the Azores but winds are lousy there during an Azores High which is apparently just moving in. It would mean powering a day to get there, powering a day to get away and then probably facing the prevailing NE winds on a tight reach or beat to Cork. The sooner we decide to head North, the more favorable will be our wind as we come on a Great Circle route from the west.....but it is awful nice (warm, good favorable currents) down here..............
Jamie has just cast his first fishing line off the stern. He is using a 100 lb test line and a lure big enough to entice a 1500 pound tuna. You can all bet that I'm just thrilled with the anticipation of having a 100 pound fish, scales, blood, and guts in the (MY!) cockpit.....now if the prey were a nice spring lamb.........speaking of which...........there is still half a butterfly lamb in the freezer.....and a few casseroles... Carrots went bad (mostly) in cello bags.....bananas are gone....all eaten....oranges are holding up......eggs are still fresher than store
bought. Bread is still good, cold cuts gone. Cookies and chocolate you ask? Enough for three global circumnavigations! Last night baked chicken with roasted potatoes, carrots and onions........another McPheeters extravaganza.......and did you see the new pictures on the transat to Ireland Page? (patience---they'll be up soon) Justin held the first Thunderhead bake off. Blueberry muffins (yes, that is crumble topping
on 'em) brownies, AND corn muffins to go with the dinner. Unbelievable!
So we uploaded a few pics late night. It is a long and tedious proce$$ !!! But we will try to do a few more from sea and more later from shore. As you can see from the photos, no one is happy and the fare is meager. Just now Justin is frying up those blueberry muffins for our breakfast. As the ship's doctor I assure you that they will be served with a side order of cholesterol-lowering medicine!
We had some good news yesterday in that Brian's mother who had been very seriously ill, has made a most miraculous recovery, defying all medical prognostications, and is now doing well...more than well! This remarkable woman has a constitution of steel and has defied "the finest medical minds" more than once! You go. girl!

Friday, June 25th 2004 - Greg

Noon today is one week at sea. At 0800 We recorded 1008 miles. Those are boat miles but with the Gulf Stream current we have actually logged more. Yesterday at noon we had logged 936 miles over the ground vs. 903 thru the water. Since we zig and zag through the water (and that is included in the 903) our free ride is actually greater than 33 miles. It has been rare that the GS contribution is less than one knot ( and yesterday 2.9!) per hour for the last four or so days.
Yesterday for the first time, one of us ventured to check out mileage remaining. At around noon, Cork was 1922 miles from our position, 1900 by great circle route. As we are catching a minimum of 20 miles per day staying on this easterly course, there is no point yet in heading north.
A few days out we discovered a moth living in the cockpit. Often under one of the seats but venturing out mid-day to soak up some sun. He looks hungry but the poor bastard picked the wrong vessel on which to stow away. We wear capilene underwear, polyester sweaters, nylon and gortex foul weather gear and rubber (mostly) boots. The sails are Dacron and the lines polyester and spectra. There is nothing to eat on this boat (for him!). However, we have grown close to the creature and treat him like one of us. He has been told
that if he survives to Cork, we'll take him to a wool shop and let him eat like a king!
Here is what is getting old---lurching on waves, trying to quickly get a hand hold or a foot hold before falling. The fast twitch (sprinter's) muscle fibers are depleted of energy. The slow twitch (marathoner's) fibers are
just fine. Grinding a winch feels good, grabbing rapidly for an overhead handhold is tiresome.....and since you asked.......the stand up functions in the Head are positively Cirque de Soleil.
So all continues well. Crew still in great shape and working smoothly. Some are better in the galley than others. (I'm in "others") Harris and McPheeters look like professional ocean going chefs. Brian just made ham, egg, and English muffin sandwiches for breakfast. I suggested adding a layer of Noire Chocolat (courtesy Evian les Bains) but was quickly overruled.
In a crew discussion the other night, it was decided that if we needed an adult at some point, the job would go to Peter, in his absence, Justin is on for the job.

Thursday June 24th, 2004 - Greg

Yesterday was Peter's birthday and Thunderhead's first gale of the trip. All survived well.
First, upon wakening, Peter was serenaded to a rousing rendition of H. B'day by the ThunderMen's Chorus or alternately by the 4 Guys in-need-of-a-barbershop Quartet. As a result of this vocal extravaganza, it is unlikely that we will be visited by marine fauna for days. The cockpit was festooned with a birthday banner and lunch served on Birthday plates and napkins. Because we are reusing our paper wear...Peter's celebration will continue for a few more days. Because he said he liked them (he said it, I swear), he was given the heel of the loaf on his sandwich. Sorry, this is a tough crowd.
Relating to the days sandwich fare, Houtz (who;d been on duty the day prior) was questioned as to why the current loaf had three heels in it....he provided no satisfactory answers.
Much of the day yesterday was spent preparing for our first predicted blow, sails were reefed early, vents removed and rigging inspected for any weaknesses. Shortly after lunch, the velocity increased to 25 knots and shortly thereafter 30kts with gust to 35. Sail was reduced to the third reef in the main and jib rolled up.The boat handled beautifully and the crew handled the watches very well. Justin ( the dingy sailor) did a great job at the helm. He was on during a period of 35 kts with gusts to as high as 41. No problem. He seems to be a natural behind the wheel.
The wind petered out about 0200 AM and we were soon replacing sail area and picking up some of the mess that happens when 5 guys are trying to eat, sleep, and dress in and out of foul weather gear in a boat rolling in 40 kts of wind and 12+ foot waves.
The greatest joy for me yesterday was to see how well this boat handles alot of wind. With reduced sail, the helm is very balanced, there doesn't seem to be any strain on the boat and the hull is as sturdy as any I've been on. One draw back is her tendency to heal easily and yaw back and forth in any conditions. Though this is uncomfortable, in a large sea, I never felt that the boat couldn't handle the conditions.
So those of you joining later, I can promise we will see 35 kts of wind but from what I saw yesterday, this is a boat to easily and safely handle it.
We were all hoping for and easy day today. There was talk of swimming and much needed showers and laundry. Even talk of popcorn and dvd's. But this morning we were greeted by 20 kts out of the northeast.....so we are in a tight reach against (small) oncoming sea. There was initial disappointment (including or especially yours truly) but this is what we've got for today and this is what we have to deal with.
The worst part of a gale like last night is the exhaustion each crew member feels from steering during watches .....no autohelm at 30 knots. I was thinking during my turn at the wheel that it is like driving in a blizzard...total concentration is necessary...(we spell each other every half hour or less.)...and there isn't a motel 6 anywhere out here to pull over into.
Friday noon will be one week. we are all still talking....and having lots of laughs. ....but man do we need showers!

Wednesday June 23rd, 2004 - Greg

Mutiny suppressed, Thunderhead again under original management.
It is so amazing to have been sailing downwind for three days, mostly in the Gulf Stream with the current giving us an extra 1-2.5 knots of speed. This is a "free" 40 something miles a day. We were given this route by a GulfStream expert who located the positions of favorable current for us ....and we just sailed along the path she suggested. It is shorts (India-half pants) and tee shirt sailing weather, random spray is nearly 80 degrees F.Very hard to complain.
Things we've seen: we were passed last night by a large freighter but no other ships seen, a shearwater variety of bird and flying fish. The best sighting today was by Jamie who reported seeing a lawn chair floating in the upright position a few yards from the boat. Yes, he did report that it was unoccupied.
We are headed into some weather later today, wind and waves. The forecast though is for it to pass over us in 12 hours time so by noon on Thursday we should be back to normal. The ship has been prepared for wind, our stormsails bent on, cowls and vents removed and we are looking forward to seeing how thunderhead behaves in those conditions.
Bart Dunbar on Silver Apple the flag ship of our 5 yacht armada, reported catching a 20 lb baby tuna this morning.Sushi for lunch and steaks for dinner. After tomorrows blow we will get out our fishing gear. I noticed a tube of wasabi in the galley this morning. Mcpheeters overlooked nothing!
We keep your emails coming, we really appreciate hearing from you.
For you early risers--that bright star low on the horizon is Venus!

Tuesday June 22nd, 2004 - Peter

We've finally managed to subdue the skipper, and he is currently in chained in the forepeak, in conditions meant to emulate those of Moonfleet lo these many years ago. Ah sweet revenge! So now we are free to tell you the true story behind the story of the Atlantic Once Around:
The crew has decided to take Thunderhead to Sable Island and take up horse breeding. We shall make our triumphant return to US shores under the colors of Los Yanquis Diablos Stables to win the triple crown within two years. In the meantime, we will humanely set the skipper free from there in his Abeking dinghy with nothing but a CCA burgee, a case of diet coke, a 10 gauge cannon, and a laptop computer from which he can continue his "logs" to the rest of the world.
We will have more than enough stores to last on the island for at least that time. Jamie and Brian will most certainly be able to engineer proper housing on the island, with hot and cold running everything, leak free
hatches, and systems to run all the systems. All they need is bungee and wire ties. And Justin...what a jockey he will make. The skipper thinks he's on deck resewing the preventer, but actually it's his custom saddle, make entirely of vectran and sail tape.
I fear I must go now. The skipper has talked his jailers into freeing him on promises of warm nights in St. Tropez and a pledge to bring the espresso machine next time. So all must return to routine here. 15 knots of
southwest breeze pushing us back into a gulf stream eddy, and perhaps a blow tomorrow. So if you don't hear from us tomorrow it could be that either the internet connection gizzies aren't working, or it's too nasty to sit here and type, or the mutineers may have retaken control of the ship....
Sincerely, Jack Sparrow

REMINDER

You must put your EXACT email address in the proper box on the website email page....
.........................otherwise...no reply....You've been warned!
Postmaster- SV Thunderhead
Postal Union 223 div AFL CIO
(we don't work Saturdays!)

Monday June 21st, 2004 - Part II - Greg

A culinary low. We have a prepackaged selection of foods precooked and sealed in Mylar bags, boil for 5 minutes and serve over parboiled rice,also precooked and portioned. Since yesterday was a tough day we decided to have "Freedom Meals" for dinner last night and it fell to Justin to prepare the dinner.I watched him busily preparing chicken stew and rice in 5 bags. Then with an ear-splitting grin, he presented me with my plate on which was the bed of rice, the stew snipped open and the bag artfully laid on top of the rice!!! A committee of four was hastily arranged and Justin was then instructed on the fine art of presentation......to which committee he scornfully asked how it tasted!
I want you all to know how delicate this communication system is. Last night one of our 5 boats in this armada took an unexpected wave over the transom and the water wiped out all of his communication equipment except for his radio.This could easily happen to us as well. There is no problem with safety ifthis happens but the emails would be a thing of the past instantly. Our position on the location page might continue to work so check that if the log's cease. In any case when ever you read a log you should be thinking that it is a small miracle (and perhaps fleeting as well) that we can do this at all.
It is a perfect sailing day today I in the Gulf Stream, water 80+ deg F, a few puffy clouds, 14-18 kts breeze from behind, 80 ish temp outside...just perfect. Perfect until we head North to Ireland in 600-800 miles! Justin saw two ships last night passing us to the north and to the south but other than those it is just us, wind, water, blue sky and a mess of flying fish.
Tonight for dinner McPheeters is preparing butterflied Lamb, roast potatoes and French beans......unbelievable! and I think that I saw a small bottle of mint sauce. I'd throw out the beans and call the mint sauce a vegetable.....but I'm not in charge.
We continue to settle into an offshore routine. The crew is working like a clock as we develop systems of covering for each other and making sure weare all getting sleep. The watch schedule is 2 hours on and 6 off. But when the wind is blowing a second man is standing by.
Remember, this isn't just today's log, it is a miracle of black magic and could be the last until Ireland.
Thank you for your emails--35 today! Keep em coming, just to let us know you are watching.

Monday June 21st, 2004 - Greg

It is 4 AM. I have just gotten off my watch. Lots of wind and mileage yesterday with Brian hold the best two hour record of 19 miles. We entered the Gulf Stream Sunday morning. A deep azure blue sea color and flying fish alerted us to this and a water temp of 79 deg F confirmed. We are getting a good easterly current boost from the stream. Around the time of Brian's record we saw boosts of up to 2 extra knots with Thunderhead showing speeds over the ground of better than eleven knots.
Sunday morning began with a bang....or blow. I was called on watch at 0600 and the wind had recently increased to 25 kts from 18 with gusts over 30. Jamie put a double reef into the main and we roller reefed our jib to handkerchief size. It was perfect. The boat was very well balanced and handled the wind easily. Along with the wind came waves of 6 ish feet. It was a confused sea with tops blowing off the waves in the gusts. We were then entering the Gulf Stream which added to the confusion of the water and we did some serious rocking and rolling for a few hours.
This is a GREAT, sound boat. Last time I was in these waters I was on MOONFLEET with its single layer of planking and pumping every hour. Not so in this vessel. This hull is double planked and remarkably solid. I'm feeling very comfortable about her seaworthiness. We have a few leaky hatches and ports and we haven't quite figured out how to deal with all our wet foul weather gear but we are getting there.
All are well, crew is working well as a team.........but we are never going to finish those bananas before they are brown!

Saturday June 19th, 2004 - Part II - Greg

It is 10 PM. I've just gotten off my 8-10 PM watch. Peter and I were talking about the fact that people often ask us what we do at night? Well, night time on board is what it is all about. I've been filled with the beauty of night at sea this evening and thought I'd append my Log---just this once.
After finishing serving dinner (more on that below) and doing the dishes I headed on deck to stand my watch. It was a most beautiful twilight as we sailed fast is pretty smooth seas toward Ireland. The sun was just setting
as I came into the cockpit; a bright orange globe descending into a bank of haze over the land 150 miles behind. Right above it emerged a thin tea cup of a moon rapidly setting down the same path. Just to the right and halfway up the sky came mighty Jupiter so bright that it was at least a half hour before it was joined by other stars.
I then heard a commotion a couple of feet from the boat and spotted a porpoise heading for the bow. I joined it there as did two of it's pal and I just watched them play in the wave coming off the front of the boat, swimming quickly and alternating from one side of the boat to the other, shooting spray from their blow holes as they cleared the water with each jump. Splashing water 100 yards away revealed more of their friends coming
to join them and we soon had 6 dolphin obviously amusing themselves and us as well. Sometimes as they jumped out of the water, they would turn on their sides and look up at you with that permanent porpoise grin. It is hard to believe that they don't know exactly what they are doing and how much fun they provide for their human audience.What amazing creatures. In India I've seen white porpoise living far up the Ganges river, a long way from salt water.
It is magnificent on a boat at sea, at night. It is why many of us come out here.
To finish the dinner story.........Two days before we left, Justin's mother brought us (him?) a fabulous chocolate cake. Tonight Jamie asked him if it had a name. Yes, he replied, it was a chocolate zucchini cake. Say no more! At dinner I declared it a vegetable and serviced it with the Chinese chicken salad in lieu of a salad course...... Five guys...no spouses...no parents.....!!!

Saturday June 19th, 2004 - Greg

Day two. Little breeze throughout the day. we did some motoring to "charge the batteries" but also spent a few hours slatting and rolling around. We are south of Nantucket and the Nantucket Shoals just passing Great South Channel now.
We are safely past the Shoals and now are headed for the Gulf Stream about 180 miles away. An hour ago, the wind piped up some and we are broad reaching under main, stays'il and asymmetrical spinnaker (which makes Justin happy!).....doing about 8.5 knots (which makes us ALL happy. The forecast is for more wind tonight 15 knots from a favorable direction.
The crew is doing well. Repairs and stowing continue and we are gradually getting into our daily routine. Dinner is my chore tonight and our provisioner par excellance has informed me that it is an easy serve. Chinese chicken salad, and baguettes..........he has suggested that it be served on a bed of lettuce with tomato slices on the side.....Has wife Eve been coaching him or what?
We just made contact with a weather router in Toronto so our radio saga seems to be coming to an end--after yet another afternoon's work by Brian and Jamie.
If you remember I kinda made fun of all the tools Jamie bought for the boat.....I'm now quite silent about that topic. I swear he plans to use each and every one of them before Cork.
Well I have to go slave over the stove before there is a rebellion.
We are thinking of you all. Thanks for your ongoing emails. They really help alot. Each of us has a mailbox so I sort the mail in the morning after the download......I feel like Peg Parsons.........
Keep 'em coming!

Friday June 18th, 2004 - Greg

At Sea!We cast off at 1100. A half hour later than planned but it probably won't matter in 20 something days and 3000 miles. We had the ThunderWives on the dock for goodbyes at 0830 and our friends Ann and Elizabeth stopped by with hugs and parting gifts at 1030. Justin's parents and sister Stephanie stayed to the final moment and waved us off from the marina. Some of the Bermuda boats were heading for the line and we
saw the Coast Guard Cutter where Toby Rodes may or may not have gotten a picture us for the website. Since we can no longer access the internet, you'll know long before us if he got a shot.
It is terrific to be away. we have 12 knots of breeze from the East and were are headed just south of east, a good tight reach. Our first waypoint is a mark to clear us south of the Nantucket Shoals, then we head more easterly to catch the Gulf stream and its favorable current to the east.
We are getting settled in, using a watch system provided by Peter Lindsay, a rotating system of two hours on and eight off. We will double up to 2 man 4 hour watches when weather kicks up. It is a good simple system and when the crew complains about it as they invariably will, Lindsay can take the heat.
We are rolling somewhat now in two foot seas and I can tell at this junction that there will be days when the log will be very brief!!!

Thursday June 17th, 2004 - Greg

This boat is ready to go! All systems are working. Food is stored--in the most unbelievable places. Our provisioner. Peter has done a great job but the general consensus is that we have enough food to last thirty weeks rather than thirty days. It was suggested at the crew dinner tonight, that the voyage be renamed to "eataround.org". We shall see and I shall report on how we make out in that department. When looking for space today, Peter asked if he could hang a net in the stern to carry the cabbage. I replied that he could not do that until we were well outside the sight of land. He then remarked that he thought it was ironic that we were taking cabbages to Ireland. We've decided to tow a side of beef during the voyage............try to corn it!
It is time to leave. The "ThunderWives" will make their goodbyes at 0830 and our aim is to shove off by 1030. It may be painful to say goodbye but giving up this high speed internet access is what is going to really hurt.
Thanks to all of you for reading these entries and for your responses. I expect that the log will be less regular at sea. Between unfavorable typing conditions and somewhat spotty sat phone access, entries maybe somewhat irregular.
We'll be in touch.

Wednesday June 16th, 2004 - Greg

I'm pleased to report that I'm now getting harsh emails from friends and family when the log is not up on the site often or soon enough! We are working on the logistics and it should be ironed out soon. I hope that I'll
be able to write on a daily basis but there may be days when I'm not going to want to hangout rocking and rolling here at the lap top. We will see.
Today Brian and Jamie continued their amazing preparations. Thunderhead is getting sounder and sounder by the hour. Every hatch, locker, drawer, and floor board is being removed for inspection, and stowage of supplies.Every detail of equipment is being inspected, repaired or rerigged for the crossing. Never, since I have owned the boat, has so much of this very complicated vessel been in such good working order.
Peter, who has had the thankless task of provisioning, is also doing a great job. I mean how many onions DO you bring? Aided by Justin, they wiped out the local Stop and Shop for Perrier and tomorrow will have to travel to the next town up to raid their supplies. It seems to me that we have enough food on board to feed one of the smaller counties of Ireland and perhaps will open a soup kitchen on arrival.
Today we fueled the boat, filled the Jerry Cans, bought K-1 for the cabin heater, and rechecked our propane supplies. Everything is topped off.
The water maker is working and the refrigeration is being powered by shore power to get the freezer down to temperature for the frozen food which will be brought on board tomorrow afternoon.
Tomorrow morning the fresh supplies will be purchased and stowed, final rigging changes made and ALOT of stuff sent back to Blue Hill via Justin's parents (who asked once too often how they could help!)
Alison, Eve and Nancy (wives of Brian, Peter, and Jamie) show up tomorrow afternoon for the crew dinner tomorrow night. We will be at the Rhumb Line Restaurant along with the Millett crew from TANGO who are heading for Bermuda the next morning. Joining the THUNDERHEAD crew at dinner are Ann Souder (without whose car none of this would be possible) and Elizabeth Meyer who has been forbidden to pick up the tab!
I'm alone on the boat right now. Justin is out with his parents and the rest of the crew is out doing godknowswhat and for how long. It is very peaceful here and I'm relishing the time.
The harbor is quiet now except for the last few ferries and tour boats. The marinas are packed with sleek (and not so sleek) sailboats, crews doing final checks...or more likely doing godknowswhat before heading for the
Newport to Bermuda starting line on Friday morning. Across the marina is the Portuguese national tall ship, lying at berth with great strings of white lights outlining her masts and rigging.....it is very peaceful......very
peaceful........would be nice if the crew stayed out just a little bit longer...

Tuesday June 15th, 2004 - Greg

Today was a day of enormous progress. Jamie and Brian arrived last night and after a dose of Starbucks at 0700 began in earnest to prepare the boat for sea. Jamie's task had been to outfit the boat with tools, spare
parts, caulks, spooges, and screws. After he unpacked, the cockpit looked like the local Ace Hardware. I guess that when a boat builder is asked to outfit a boat for a years ocean passage, nothing less should be expected. And now that it is packed away, it is a great relief to have all this aboard.We are prepared for major repairs both mechanical and structural and there is nothing I want more than to say, a year from now, that it was all a huge waste!
This morning Brian and I went to Portsmouth, RI, bought flares and other safety gear. The required number and type of Offshore flares now reside in one water proof container and a "ditch bag" was outfit with small
packets of drinking water, waterproof flashlights and handheld VHF radio and a medical kit. We bought more Jerry cans to carry extra diesel and Jamie and Justin installed fender boards along the port rail to secure them to.
Late this afternoon, a further problem was uncovered with the Single Side Band radio antenna. This was fixed and tonight we were able to transmit to Alabama "loud and clear". We will be relying on this radio to contact the
other four boats in our contingent as well as to download weather faxes. It was a great relief to be told that our signal was clear especially as we are in a crowded harbor where radio reception is often poor. With this result we should have great coverage out at sea.
Peter arrived this afternoon accompanied by his daughter (my god daughter) Anne and her friend Meredith. The 8 of us took a launch across the harbor for a barbeque at the New York Yacht Club. We will not be dining like that for many days.
So the whole crew is aboard. We have many things to accomplish in the next two days but nothing of an urgent or panicked nature..........nice.
We have stereo speaker for the DVD player and except for that fleece,
I'm ready to go sailing.
Initial weather report indicates light winds for the four days starting Friday.

Monday June 14, 2004 - Greg

It has been a quiet three days with only Justin and myself aboard. All that is about to end in an hour when Brian and Jamie arrive from Maine.
The last couple of days has been visitors, a little shopping, and learning to run the software for the camera (see new pix), email system, and other nav system programs. A friend of Brian's came this morning and installed a needed update in our plotter/radar screens so that is now functional. The new phone arrived this afternoon and will be installed tomorrow. We have managed to sample some of Newport's restaurants and Justin has become quite proficient with the Thunderhead credit card. I am at the point where I can't think of another thing we need......well except for some speakers for the lap top/DVD player and yes ....one more fleece.

Sunday June 13, 2004 - Greg

It is Sunday night. Four working days left. We depart at 10:30 AM Friday Morning following a final weather briefing and
review of the current Gulf Stream by Jenifer Clark meteorologist and Gulf Stream guru. There will be 4 boats leaving Newport on Friday. One has already left from Florida and will probably be in the Azores long before us. Another boat leaves from Camden on Saturday and will be joining up a couple of days out.
It is getting exciting in Newport as yachts arrive for the Newport-Bermuda race which also begins on Friday morning.
There will be about 180 boats on the starting line
including TANGO from Biddeford Pool and FIREFLY from Blue Hill. After the race four or five boats will be leaving Bermuda and heading North to Ireland to take part in the cruise.
Many of our system problems have been dealt with and the work list for the next four days is manageable.
.............and at some point you just have to stop buying extra fleece and long underwear and just go.............and I swear I just need one more fleece!

Thursday June 10th 2004 - Greg

Newport Harbor Hotel and Marina, hot showers, swimming pool, high speed internet access at the dock. Why would we leave, really?
The trip from Biddeford Pool was eventful with more broken and dysfunctional equipment. This was intended to be a shakedown cruise and as such it was a success. Leaky water systems, faulty electrical wiring, a major piece of the radar/charting system non functional, and the satellite communicator not communicating. In addition, had we tried to use the Single Side Band radio, we'd have found that antenna disconnected as well.
But all is well. There is a new phone coming. The water leak was repaired. The radio antenna reconnected and a radar software upgrade being delivered and installed tomorrow and covered under warranty.
My frustration is not that these things are happening but that they should have been discovered weeks ago. We still have a week to pull this altogether and though it will be a hectic week, I'm sure it will all get accommplished.

Wednesday June 9th 2004 - Greg

We had a great send off party last night! Eve McPheeters threw a Bon Voyage cookout at
the Biddeford Pool Yacht Club which included
wonderful friends, delicious food, speechifying, party favors and dueling black powder
cannons. Thank you Eve!
Around 10 PM, after all had left, we slipped away from the T Wharf and headed out. On
board are with me are Justin and Brian. As we passed Lobster rocks in the outer harbor
we heard a loud horn signaling us from the Anderson house
Billy carrying on a very old tradition
It is now 0700. We are off Cape Ann. Wind 20 kts, a tight reach, one reef motor
sailing trying to catch the current at the Cape Cod Canal.
Justin got photos of the voyage's first sunrise. And it feels like we have really
begun.

Monday June 7th 2004 - Greg

We arrived at Biddeford Pool at 0630 this morning. Sixteen and one half hours from Center Harbor, Brooklin Maine.
Mostly broad reaching and some dead down wind work as we had varying winds from South East to North, 10-12 knots throughout the might. Despite being a little chilly (and yes it did rain some) It was a wonderful sail and hope that it is the precursor to a year of down hill sailing.
There were a few glitches with the new electronics and many lapses in operator proficiencies but nothing to worry about. We have a year to read the manuals. All night long the auto pilot steered and the Espar heater warmed the cabin. In the morning when there was bowl of warm water for washing up, I was reminded of why these aggravating comfort systems are worth it. I didn't have one envious thought of Joshua Slocum all night.
Justin arrived today and Peter and Jamie began loading the stores. I have reserved certain areas for myself and the ships communication systems and documents. I have scant hope of actually ending up with these spaces, but I know these guys and if I don't look out It will be decided that my pillow is the best place to store the Fritos.

Saturday June 5th 2004 - Greg

It is 11 PM. Tomorrow we sail from Brooklin. we are not ready to sail to Ireland but we are ready to sail to Biddeford Pool. Matt Rooney has been here for two weekends packing, making lists, organizing stores, documents, and acres of sails. Most systems are checked out and working. Running lights were checked and with the exception of a stern light, all are functional. We just won't go in reverse until it is fixed.
Jesse Deupree arrived this evening and will be making the passage with me to BP tomorrow. His interest in the electronic plotters and computer navigation is exceeded only by his interest in a full set of paper charts from Blue Hill to Saco Bay.
NOAA calls for SE wind 10-15 knots, 30 % chance of rain. We are headed SW so we might get a tight reach out of it.
As for the rain.....count on it!

Friday June 4th 2004 - Greg

Ready or not...........
It is Friday morning, the sun is shining for the first time in about a month. Moss now grows everywhere around here especially on people's temperaments. We are nowhere near where I'd hope to be at this point in preparation for the voyage.
The accident, broken equipment, rain has totally hampered preparations. Thunderhead has been away from the dock twice since launching, for a half an hour each time. The shake down that I'd hope to do May 15th now just looks like a joke. The shakedown will be on Sunday from Brooklin to Biddeford Pool and then from there to Newport.
On a positive note, the boat is sound. The rigging is sound. The safety gear is aboard and accounted for. All of the systems are working (tied to the dock!). The navigation backup systems have backup systems and it is just time to go sailing. Between Harris and Houtz everything is going to get unscrewed, rescrewed, titravated, and calibrated anyway...so it is time to just go sailing. Recently added to the ship's library was Sailing Alone Around the World by Joshua Slocum written in 1899. A boat, some sails, a little "hardtack" and some water....looking pretty good this morning!

Sunday May 23rd 2004 - Greg

Two weeks to go before leaving Brooklin Boat Yard.

Many ends are getting tied up as more ends seem to unravel. But, I am constantly reminded that the best place to have stuff unravel is when you are tied to the dock of your friendly boatyard.
Happily, the watermaker is working again, the radar is close, the sails should be back tomorrow and maybe, just maybe we'll have a SSB radio operating in the morning. Nothing with boats is EVER simple or easy. The wire is inevitably two feet short for the job or the hole too big for the screw; or three bolts come out and the last one strips. ........Plus it supposed to keep water out from above and below at the same time!
Last week I was picking up the most recent batch of 'Thunderwear' from my friend Chris Feldkamp at Woodland Studios in Surrey. He was preparing the screens for the tee shirts and noticed the web address ending in .org. HE asked if THE ATLANTIC...ONCEAROUND was a non-profit. I assured him that it was.

Sunday May 16th 2004 - Greg

Hey

Thanks for checking out our site. It is an evolving work so please keep checking back. We leave Brooklin (Maine) three weeks from today. This thought gives me a new sense of urgency. Basically everything is accounted for and most of the work is progressing in an orderly way. A couple of set backs this week include an accident requiring reconstructive/cosmetic surgery on Thunderhead's prow and a Radar which is reluctant to revolve! New sails were bent on on Friday and despite reading 78 instead of 75, ...look quite nice.
Often times when I'm wandering around Brooklin Boat Yard, I get nostalic and reminiscent about Rumery's. I miss the daily activity of owning a boat yard, watching projects take shape. But after a week like this with unplanned repairs and radars that need to be sent out and misnumbered sails, I become quite content to be just a boat owner and customer.
I don't know what will evolve on this page of the website. I think that it will be part log and part blog. My initial hope is to send something daily with guest contibutors invited to write..........or polish brass, no pressure!