Monday, December 13, 2004 - Greg

We arrived in Antigua at 5 PM on December 9th. Early in the morning that day, the wind veered sharply to the North giving us a grand ride in at 7.5+ knots. My fears of a nighttime landfall were avoided and we had plenty of time to land at the Marina at Nelson's Dockyard in English Harbor and also time for liquid and solid refreshment before settling into a long nights sleep (interrupted only by occasional showers which required a scramble to close hatches).
The next couple of days were spent cleaning and hanging out with our shoreside host/tour guide/entertainment director Margot Anderson at her amazing pad at the Mill Reef Club.
The crossing was long, tedious, and without much visual stimulus. The high point was the sighting of the Sperm Whale but birds could be counted on one hand, and other ships/sail boats on the other. But a crossing it was and we are now back in the home hemisphere and glad to be.
The crew were amazing from start to finish. Bill, a true sailor, with his 21 days of optimism and good humor; Hal, promoted to foredeck ape, always with an eye on the finish line and an eye on the course to make sure Bill and I didn't add Ascension Island as a nice diversion. Justin, did yeoman's work both on deck and in the galley.
Thunderhead, a few things broken, lots of brightwork in need of 3-4 coats, planking still looking like a one piece fiberglass hull with a few barnacles growing on the stern counter where the white paint sat 21 days washed by following seas.
The skipper.......ready for a break. I've promised to not complain about the weather up north but with no one........including myself ...........actually believing that.
Our readers...........thanks for following, thanks for the emails. It has added a great dimension to the trip.
The ship's log..............this is the final entry until a possible revival for the trip home in May.
Again, thank you.
Merry Xmas! Happy New Year!
All are well.

Friday, December 10, 2004 - Greg (via cell phone)

Arrived at 5 PM Atlantic Standard Time. Tied up in English Harbor awaiting customs. Hal is reportedly parched and seeking something to quench his thirst.

All are reportedly well.

Thursday, December 9, 2004 - Greg

It is now just after 11 AM, Antigua time (AST). We are 51 miles off, sailing with an actual NE trade. 17-20 Kts at 040 degrees T. This blew in during the night and at first light Justin and I rolled out the jib and handed the con
to the other watch of Bill and Hal. For the previous 24 hours we'd been sailing under a single reefed main alone. It was the only alternative to making Landfall without Boca Raton being the first port o' call !!! It provided a ridiculously roll-y day but we made good progress toward our waypoint in a day of too much wind and too fluky for the spinnaker.
We are now on track for a daylight landfall, dusky daylight, but daylight none the less. We've been averaging more than 7.5 kts this morning with many sustained runs over 8 knots. This is the sailing which I once, in a deluded state, thought would be the conditions from Cape Verde to Antigua. Oh, the lessons we learn.
Justin in gearing up for a late brunch of pancakes and I think he may be planning to add deck-dried flying fish to Hal's. I understand that they taste just like chicken. And with 50 miles to go, we have plenty of maple syrup.
There has been alot of joy, laughter, and friendly (?) competition between the two watches in the last 24 hours. As I said a few days ago there is nothing like some wind to liven the hearts of the crew........and a log reading 50 miles to go doesn't hurt either.
All are well.

Wednesday, December 8, 2004 - Greg

Our frustrating winds continue. Between the confused sea state and the oscillating tail winds, this has been a very roll-y and uncomfortable passage. At about 650 miles to go...."one Bermuda Race" Elijah, our ,up 'til then, faithful autopilot ceased to work. We have been hand steering since then. On the positive side, it is nice to actually sail Thunderhead for a change. the downside though is 2 man watches 4 hours on 4 hours off. Steering in these winds is particularly trying and requires total concentration and lots of arm muscle. Sleep has been erratic since Cape Verde and this has only exacerbated the problem. Six hours of sleep in a 24 hour day would seem a luxury.
The other frustration with the wind is our arrival time. For about a week we have had 4 pm Dec 9th as our goal. Oftentimes this looked pretty reachable, then the winds would head for the transom and off we'd steer for Florida. Then a patch of reasonable wind for a few hours and the goal was back in view. We were always hopeful that the "trades" would eventually settle in and that we could make up any deficit. Well, they didn't and we won't. However, to add insult to injury, we are now likely to arrive late evening, after dark and have to heave to or cruise off Antigua until dawn. I was complaining this morning that we'd only needed one or two small breaks from the wind to arrive in daylight. Bill reminded me that we got our break when the 2nd halyard came untangled of its own.
Frustrating,, frustrating.
On a more positive note, the crew is doing well. We are all still talking, hanging out, and there is usually someone who is able to put a positive spin on this. There is plenty of sparkling water, food, some diesel, and enough fresh water to blow on another shower or two.
We approached Fastnet with a sense of triumph, we approach Antigua with a sense of relief.
But,
All are well.

Tuesday, December 7, 2004 - Bill

As we approach Antigua, I thought I would reminisce about the trip from the Canary Islands. The sights we saw in Lanzarote the starkness of the volcanoes and the beauty of the different colors of the land, having coffee on a active volcano, and getting provisions for the passage. Then it was off to Antigua and chasing the elusive trade winds. We headed south in our search, but in vain. The Captain decided since we were going this far South we should pass by the Cape Verde Islands, much to Hal's dismay. The beauty of those Islands as they appeared at sunrise was well worth the extra 200 miles. For Justin it was a 21st birthday he will never forget, along with a climb up the mast to retrieve an errant Spinnaker halyard (Cheap fittings, not my fault). Then our course headed West with a bearing of 270 degrees, with the wind directly behind us which made for much fussing and aggravation.
Boy would Columbus be envious. What a classic wooden yacht Thunderhead, and how sweet she is. The sound of water rushing by her hull and the creaks and groans of the wood hull I will cherish in my memory. Her speed through the water and how well she handles in a following sea.
Then there is the crew. No one knew how the two brothers would do. There was much speculation ashore. I must report that they did very well. Sharing crossword puzzles, stories and never a bad word between them. Justin provided us with wonderful food, inspiration, many sail changes, and always a willing helping hand.
Hal quickly took my place on the foredeck after the spinnaker incident. Good planning on my part.
Most of all I want to thank Greg for this wonderful opportunity from the bottom of my heart.
Thank You Greg and congratulations on 10,000+ miles since June 2004
Bill

Monday, December 6, 2004 - Hal

I write this log on a Sunday morning, having apparently slept through the Captain's Service because of my midnight watch. Morale is decidedly better now that the wind has finally freshened from generally the right direction after 24 hours of light air and diesel. 677 miles to Antigua, water temperature 83, sunny, about 85 degrees, calm seas, spinnaker full - 7 knots or so. Do you hate us yet?
A primary reason that people take these trips is to have extraordinary or even astounding experiences. One already reported was our being checked out from 30 feet away by a decidedly unimpressed sperm whale - in fact his parting snort seemed downright dismissive, if not derisive. Watching Justin like a juggler in slow motion create complex, tasty, and varied meals - boiling, frying, and baking - in sometimes violently rolling and pitching seas, and serving them without a drop spilled, and then watching the grateful crew fully braced against the seas, eat without a drop spilled, is truly extraordinary, but what was most astounding was to see that the crew in those conditions then fully digest the meals! Equally extraordinary, of course, is being told by your younger brother to clean up your room - and then actually doing it! I will never look at "The Nightwatch" painting again without thinking of the hours spent after midnight staring at the Northern sky from these Southern latitudes with Polaris, the North Star, low on the horizon, but still dependable. It may remind us of how much we often miss family, friends, and community up there. And we have finally settled the Flying Fish debate between those who have only read about them ("They don't fly") and those who have actually seen them ("Of course they fly!") The answer, as with so many debates, depends on definitions: If you think the Space Shuttle flys, they fly; if you don't, they don't. Another extraordinary event to me is how Billy maintains his constant good cheer in face of constant ribbing by his old sailing pal and fellow youthful roustabout - methinks, however, that Mr. A. is simply smiling in anticipation of his soon-to-be home court advantage in Antigua.
Of course our basic mission here is quite simple: to bring four lives and one noble vessel safely and in good time across the Atlantic Ocean - all else is ancillary frosting. Atlantic crossings are part Marathoning and part Streaking. Long term strategic preparation is a must, but tactical judgments are required as well. (For example, it is a wholly different thing to Streak Fraternity Row on Sunday morning than the Friday Matinee at Symphony Hall.) The Skipper of voyages like this has enormous responsibilities entrusted by crews and their families, requiring months and years of decision-making: selection, equipping, and testing of the boat, plotting a course (that Streaking decision), provisioning the boat with appropriate food and fuel, and finally using good seamanship and leadership underway. Our Skipper has just logged 10,000 miles on this journey - masterfully meeting some significant crises as they have arisen, and has provided a gracious lifestyle on board to boot! With a little luck and a little more wind from the right direction, we'll make Antigua right on schedule. I for one am anxious to be home, but I most look forward to the answer to the inevitable questioin at Christmas dinner to our always creative brother: " OK Greg, so what's your next trick?"
All are well. (This is actually true.)
(The views represented here do not necessarily represent the views of management, but as we are nearing the end of the voyage, I don't care.)

Sunday, December 5, 2004 - Addendum

Yesterday at 5 PM (1700 UTC -2), We passed 10,000 miles since this all began in early June. To put that in perspective, that is 5000 trips out to the Wood Island whistle buoy and back or 769 trips from Blue Hill to Center Harbor.
All are well.

Sunday, December 5, 2004 - Greg

Yesterday saw very little in the way of wind so we used our "free" fuel and powered on to never-never land. The trade winds are still elusive and just one more day in front of us. In fact though, this morning we have 10-12 knots coming from slightly north of East. The wind files show good breeze from here to Antigua ........... and lasting a few days. This is good because we now have fuel for charging the batteries and our reserve for making land fall but none to use just to get out of a dead spot. This morning we abandoned our normal 2 hour coffee klatch and got the 'chute up at 0800. Tight ship here, tight ship!
We are now under 700 miles to go........ or as the Vicar once said at the same spot off Ireland, "Think, Greg, all we have left is one Bermuda Race" thereby assuring that the glass was viewed as half empty! But our knot log
is reading over 7 knots across the bottom............"Margot (our Antiguan reception and hospitality Chairperson), don't take down those stockings, we may be there for Christmas after all........"
I loved Justin's log yesterday but hope that some of his time was spent looking for on coming ships! Though in reality, we haven't see a ship for days. We've seen a few sailboats crossing our bow or stern as the ARC boats
head for St. Lucia but little else. No birds, no porpoise, no whales. Only flying fish, lots of them with a few on deck each morning.
Extra Perrier was located and the restrictions lifted! Freezer is still working and yesterday afternoon, a hot sultry afternoon, we ate our last pint of ice cream (2nd of 2). Cookies and Cream---------never tasted anything better in my life. Hal and Billy pined for a 7-11 to go buy another pint or more (!) but pine was all they could do. Dinner was pesto chicken and a fresh batch of Hal's Waldorf Cole slaw finish off with individual cherry vanilla cakes produced by the famous M. Justin.
All are well.

Saturday, December 4, 2004 - Justin

The sky is clear and there are more stars out tonight then there have been in several night. It dawns on me that I can only pick out constellations in the northern half of the sky. With this thought in mind the star book comes out and the quest for southern constellations begins. Unfortunately, this quest is a rushed one as the sky is starting to grow brighter and the stars are disappearing. Looking east to see how things are rogressing there a line of clouds is becoming more visible by the minute. Soon the clouds are showing their edges with the light shining up from behind them. There is a dog merrily running around a cluster of sandcastles on a beach. When the dog accidentally runs into one of these sandcastles it is turned into an elephant frightened by the sun as if frightened by a mouse. More of the castles are turning into circus animals and they soon have trampled the ruins of the castles from which they came. The light has continued to increase and the spots that are raining in this line of clouds is now showing itself. Will any of these showers hit us? It would be nice to have some of the salt washed off the boat. The ocean swells have changed direction and are now coming from the line of clouds. Hope rises that there will be wind under the playing circus animals helping us slip towards Antigua.

Friday, December 3, 2004 - Greg

The wind and life are a little sweeter today on Thunderhead. We've gotten some southerly winds which are as useful as northeast winds to our angle of sail, our speed and comfort. We have been motoring much less than anticipated and still doing 7+ knots toward Antigua. A little wind from the right direction does wonders to improve morale on an ocean going vessel. Our days are quite relaxed. Coffee on the patio until about 10 AM.......spinnaker work from then until 5-6pm , dinner, bed and the evening watches.
Otto to the north is diminishing to not much more than a strong blow. It is headed south but will be expired by 48 hours. We have it plotted on the chart and follow it's movement daily. Our diesel supplies are holding up well with the accommodating breezes and we will have plenty for the calms, enough to charge the batteries, and six gallons "hidden" for our arrival in Antigua.
We crossed the 1000 mile to go mark last night at about 0435. We are now counting down in triple digits. Currently 933 to Antigua, and tomorrow about this time Oncearound will hit 10,000 nautical miles since Blue Hill.
We've been running through the Perrier and other soft drinks in this heat. Luckily the watermaker is operating well and the product is really quite good.
There is a hose on deck for both fresh and salt water and this allows us to bathe or just cool off during the afternoon. We can't swim unless there is no wind (my rule) and we haven't had a calm since we left Lanzerote. The wind has been fluky in both direction and intensity but never calm.
We are closer to Antigua than Cape Verde. We are on the downhill side.
All are well.

Thursday, December 2, 2004 - Greg

We are managing. Powered into the night when the wind veered south and we got three blissful hours of broadreaching, the fastest, most comfortable angle of sail. This was not to last but when the wind returned to its aggravating, oscillating aft end direction, there was enough strength in it to let us fly the spinnaker which we've been doing all day....sailing at 6-7 knots.
Weather-wise Tropical Storm Otto is languishing a safe distance away and already decreasing in strength. The wind files, our tea leaves, show trade winds off to the west as they have done since Cape Verde. Bill figured this afternoon that we are now closer to Antigua than Cape Verde.....we live for these marks of accomplishment.
Tuna melts for lunch...the skipper insisting that it IS possible to cut a round pita on the diagonal. Our watermaker and freshwater supply are topped off enough that we had fresh hot water rinses during the afternoon salt water showers. What a sweet luxury. We are using the water we filled up on in lanzerote saving the home-made fresh water for drinking. The water from our water maker is remarkable sweet and plentiful. The instructions say that it makes more fresh water from higher temp salt water and we see this in the rapid filling of our tanks. Current sea water 80.8 degrees F (27 C)
Our friend Matt was looking in a survival manual and reading the international signs one would use written in sand or with logs to alert airplanes. He found "All are Well"......written LL.
LL

Wednesday, December 1, 2004 - Greg

Rabbit, rabbit, rabbit.
The accursed low that we've been following is now called "Otto". But it is 1100 miles from here and of little danger to us. We will continue to get weather updates and make sure that we stay a safe distance from it. At its present level it is only slightly stronger than what we saw this summer on the first transit and exactly like the storm we dodged! It is moving east, we are moving west.
" By the lee, by the lee, by the .....beautiful???? lee...........NOT! Tail winds continue to follow us and will do so for another 3-4 days. Trade winds are forecast for around the 4th...about 550 miles from Antigua. In the meantime we tack downwind....last night in good air of 17-20 knots making 6-7 miles per hour. But the rolling is insane! First the seas will set up a pattern of sideways rolling, then the wind will veer to the stern and set up its own rolling pattern as it uses the mainsail as a lever to ratchet the boat from beam end to beam end. Sleep is impossible. At about 2AM this morning all 4 of us were awake and hanging out in the cockpit because that is the most comfortable location in these conditions. We all had a good laugh at our sudden interest in standing watch in the middle of the night. I told Bill I'd pay him a hundred dollars if he would let me stand his duty.........no dice. Back to the anti-gravity chamber of horrors to try to get a little shut eye...no dice.
Today, the wind abated some and was steadier from north of east (damn.............. almost like trade winds!) and we were able to be a little more comfortable squeezing in a few nap-minutes. The wind has now gone light and after dinner we are likely to power though the night. Fois Gras, entier, with Fleur de Sel (naturellement) was served prior to dinner and Justin prepared a fine meal of sautéed chicken with pesto pasta.
It is a trying time on board. Everyone actively trying to be upbeat and optimistic. But it is very tiring. Antigua looks to be a kazillion miles from here and we are tired, very tired of dealing with the tail winds....and yes, a little disappointed that the Trade winds, every sailor's dream, always seem to be three or four days away.
All are well.

Tuesday, November 30, 2004 - Greg

Wind held out for most of last night allowing us to sail until early this morning though the motion from the choppy surf and very hot airless cabin did little for sleeping. Up in the "anti gravity chamber", my bunk, I was forced to put the mattress on the floor and dream of my newly designed single berthed, two level sea going bunks (as originally designed - see photos) that Brooklin Boat Yard will be building next winter.
Around 0200, we turned the power on at a very economical 1000 rpm, it did little for the motion but gave us a little forward progress, chilled the freezer, and allowed us to run the small (power guzzler) fans in the bunks. Around 9 AM, the wind had returned to about 14 knots and we reset the Mainsail. We then tried the asymmetrical spinnaker in a foolish hope (mine!) that it would work down wind and provide a much less stressful day than minding a traditional spinnaker with a following and frequently veering breeze. Following that waste of time we set the regular spinnaker, the wind instantly veered in the wrong direction and we were forced to gybe. In the middle of the operation, I noticed that we were doing 6+ knots with the mainsail alone and that the wind had increased to 16+. We abandoned the idea of the spinnaker, set the jib and found ourselves doing 6-7 knots not far off our rhumb line. Life with a main and jib is alot nicer than tending a yawing spinnaker in a fluky breeze for 10 hours so the sleep deprived crew were all quite happy with the result. It is now 5 PM, we've made good time, in a good direction with some relaxing, napping, salt water showers. A happy day as we deal with these Non-Trade winds. Best guestimate---and I have Brian Harris as weather router---is three more days of easterlies until a neighboring low moves out and allows the normal (NE) pattern to reestablish. It is more frustrating because I dared imagine 3000 miles of broad reaching! We'll be lucky to get 500 miles!
Last night, potato pancakes, hash and eggs with Hal's cole slaw. Tonight, steak, fries, corn and Justin is making a Tarta de Santiago, an almond cake that we ate quite alot of as we sat in Bayona waiting for our boom to be repaired.
Supplies are holding well except we are now rationed to two Perrier's each per day. In the parching heat, we polished off ..........alot......... of seltzer water.
Our email is acting up these days, though we are still able to retrieve it.......just not so often....so responses might be delayed.as might logs and positions. Do not fret if a position or log is missing for a day or two.
All are well.

Monday, November 29, 2004 - Greg

Too hot to be down below typing----too hot to be in the cockpit,
Too Hot.
At 1020 Hal emerged from the main companionway and announced "Land HO". He was speaking, however, about the coast of Brazil due south. In conversation it turns out that Hal's interest in the 35th line of Longitude has more to do with the control of the Atlantic ocean. West of the 35th, the US Navy is in control and he figures that if we get in trouble he will call them and tell that we've captured a terrorist and need assistance.
Today's sea highlight (so far) has been spotting a Sperm whale off the port beam at about 50 yards. Hal and I have just finished Moby Dick (Justin read it in High School when he was supposed to) and Billy just finished the history of the ESSEX, the true whaling story which was the basis for Moby Dick. It was undoubtedly a sperm whale. The long slitted blow hole on the left side very forward on the head, the wrinkles, the color......what a charge to see one....I never thought that I would. It appeared to be alone which Bill says is indicative of the males.
Our spinnaker is flying, we are making 6.5-7.5 knots on our rhumb line. weather patterns are unchanged and not likely to until Dec 3rd. So we are disappointed to not have trade winds out of the NE, but this beats ALOT of other conditions!!!!!
All are well

Sunday, November 28, 2004 - Greg

As I mentioned yesterday we had quite a take-down of the spinnaker the other night and lost another halyard up the mast. the worst part about it was that it was caught near the top and couldn't be pulled down. the result was about 10 feet of halyard swinging around the top of the mast intermittently wrapping around one piece of rigging and then the other. Though we have a spare spinnaker halyard we were concerned that after we used it to raise the spinnaker, the tail of the old halyard might get caught in the new and prevent us from hauling down the spinnaker when necessary. If we couldn't get the spinnaker down we'd be REALLY...........in a jam!
So it was decided that Justin must go aloft gain and this morning about 10 AM. The sea looked about as calm as it was going to get. He harnessed himself up we headed into the wind and the boat was pitching just too much. I wasn't going to send him up there to get battered around. We abandoned that plan and resigned ourselves to miserable tacking downwind with jib and main. We'd tried other ways of freeing up the halyard but nothing worked. As we were on deck preparing to hoist Justin, I'd looked up at the halyard and thought that it might be the jib that it was wrapped around. Finally, I told Justin to come help me with one final desperate effort and I lowered the jib as he tugged on the lower end of the offending halyard. All of a sudden he said in a most disbelieving way----'It is moving'......a little more on the jib ease and more tugging by Justin and the line was free, cascading down on to the deck to everyone's complete satisfaction. With that out of the way, we soon had the Purple People Eater flying and were back on our rhumb line to Antigua at 6-7 knots. an hour or two later in the hourly log, Justin wrote "1130 spin up...putting the carnival in Carnival Cruises".
Porpoises, sun, salt water showers on deck. Good food, occasional good periods of sleep, filling the diesel tanks, restocking the Perrier, writing logs. That is how we spend our days..................and watching the log tick off miles to go.
1630 to Antigua
120 to the Longitude of Brazil
1395 sailed since lanzerote
9130 sailed from Blue Hill.
Enough fuel for running the engine at night in light air, keeping the food frozen, the water supply full..........and the fans running in the bunks.
All are well.

Saturday, November 27, 2004 - Greg

A belated (hey, only by one day) Happy Birthday to our faithful ship's scrivener, Justin's father, Charles. bau820@aol.com.
We had an interesting take down of our Spinnaker last night after I decided that it was just too windy for a night ride (even a full moon one) with one man watches. Justin and Bill spent today straightening out the mess and repacking the 'chute in its sock. The only casualty is another halyard up the mast.......much, I can tell you, to Justin's despair! We'll wait for a very calm day to send him aloft again.
We are not experiencing Northeast Trade winds. We have variable wind from due east requiring us to tack downwind (at least until the halyard is fetched). I am grateful for one thing though. Had we not gone so far south to Cape Verde, our original track is going straight through a Low with associated head winds of 20-30 knots dead ahead......it is a large patch and will last for a few days. We are riding below it and affected by the neighboring High which is bringing us winds from the East. I will not complain, I will not complain.
I also will not complain about the weather here, at least not to our readers from the Northeast US.........in fact, as a little holiday gift.....I won't even mention it. In fact, if I say that both the water and air are 26 deg. C., they won't even know what I'm talking about.................they may, though, recognize the term 30 SPF. (despite which, Hal is reddening quickly)
Thanksgiving was terrific, the menu was as I described yesterday plus fresh hot biscuits prepared by the temperamental French baker. The only thing amiss was the Irish Cranberry Sauce....they could take a lesson from Ocean Spray.........I mean can you imagine spicing cranberry sauce with anything but sugar?
The miles are passing. Our next goal mark is 35 West, the Eastern tip of South America. Who knew it stuck out so far. No wonder the Portuguese landed there, it is right next door and much closer from Europe than North America. We are currently at 30 deg 59 min W. At this latitude (17 N), a minute of longitude is equal to .95 nautical miles.
Well, enjoy your holiday weekend. Anyone finished their shopping yet? If so, we don't really want to hear about it.
All are well.

Friday, November 26, 2004 - Greg

We are sailing on our course to Antigua under spinnaker alone. The wind at 9 knots is not enough to keep the mainsail filled against the slatting of the boom from the mild but choppy sea. We are doing 6 knots in 10 knots of wind.We had a difficult couple of difficult hours as the wind both dropped in strength and began to veer from North East to East. Finally, I turned on the engine for an hour to sort things out. As we sat talking in the cockpit, it occurred to me that we needed the help of a higher authority so I went down below and fetched my Lord Hanuman prayer flag, a gift from friends in Kolkata. I hung the flag from the backstay and will upload a picture soon. Now Hanuman is the "monkey-god" and his father was Vayu the God of Wind. What better place to go? We then doused the slatting mainsail, set the spinnaker and watched as the seas calmed, the wind steadied. It is up to 12 knots and steady as I type. I think this will require a temple visit in February.
The postponed Thanksgiving ( I understand that the "log" was postponed as well, sorry about that) is set for today. The overwhelming report from you all was that you ate too much yesterday so we are cooking a minimalist meal and will spread "the fixings" over the rest of the trip. Tonight we are having breast of turkey roasted, candied carrots, mashed potatoes and gravy, and boiled onions in milk and butter and cranberry sauce from Ireland. We have been eyeing the remainder of Justin's cake for dessert and Bill and I have been especially nice to him throughout the day. Hal remains above the fray knowing full well that Justin will share it with us.
The log reads 1903 miles to Antigua (of 3086 which included Cape Verde). The Oncearound log reads 8850 nautical miles since June. Sometimes I sit and try to figure how many summers sailing in Maine it takes to reach 8850 nautical miles. That is around the buoys a lot of times!
Someone recently wrote and asked where we get our weather. We have two sources. We have a satellite receiver (Inmarsat C) which automatically downloads weather predictions. Currently they are provided by MeteoFrance and cover to west of Cape Verde. We should soon begin to receive weather from US sources to cover the Caribbean and east. We also download weather charts and wind files from the Internet. This is through our satellite telephone which is fast enough to download files but not fast enough to browse. Lots of what we use can be found at The Ocean Prediction Center at NOAA.gov.
All are well.

Thursday, November 25, 2004 - Greg

Today is Justin's 21st Birthday.
He began the day at midnight having to go on watch. Moments into his watch he discovered that the masthead light was not working and shortly thereafter the topping lift parted. Both of these events requiring masthead work-his responsibility. Happy birthday!
We arrived at Cape Verde at 0600 and the first island appeared as the eastern sky brightened around 7 AM. Even having been only a few days away from land, it is kind of spooky to see mountainous forms appear in the near distance.
As the sun rose, you could watch its light first brighten the top of the mountain and then watch as the night's shadow slipped down the side of the slope to reveal a stark volcanic landscape most uninviting. We navigated our way through the channel between the two western most islands and were rewarded by an unearthly like barrenness, a small port and some outcroppings of houses. Steep, jagged, brown in many, many shades. As the sun rose though you could see the faintest of a thin and spotty blanket of green covering some of the landscape. One wonders if they earned their name (Cape Green!) during a rainy season when this carpet could easily cover most of the territory.
At the end of the channel we headed into the wind along a more sheltered coast and Justin got the chance to always remember his birthday for having been in Cape Verde and sent to the top of the mast for repairs. A new topping lift was fit but the running light was not able to be repaired this trip. Also a few days ago, a spinnaker halyard was allowed to aloft and was needed to be retrieved. He also accomplished this and was rewarded by seeing three porpoise in the water from 70 feet up!
Now this "lost" halyard is a not uncommon calamity on a boat...but is damned inconvenient...just ask Justin. Now faithful readers will know that I never use the log for recrimination or blame of an individual for mishaps. So let me just say that with regard to the lost halyard, IT WAS just a BILL Yet to be paid!
By Captain's order Thanksgiving has been postponed until tomorrow. We had enough going on today.and we are still working on the menu.
But soon after lunch, Justin was sent below (to call his parents) while we decorated the cockpit. We had all kinds of stuff secreted on board by his mother Sia in Newport in June. We had banners, and metallic starred streamers, balloons, and ribbons. Pix to follow. Presents and cards were opened followed by a Thundercake frosted and labeled with a short number of candles. He received greetings from the crew which were much more poignant after his trip to the masthead.
After we got Justin down (in one piece, though speaking an octave higher), we brought the boat about and set the course to Antigua 270 degrees true, due West at exactly 2100 miles. Getting to Cape Verde has been more of a nuisance for the past couple of days. It would have been more profitable ( and comfortable) to just head to Antigua......but we were too close to pass it up. And we don't have to come here again...if we choose.
So those of you waiting for our menu, patience! Just about the time you set down to a turkey sandwich tomorrow, you can log on and find out what we are having for our harvest feast.
All are well.

Wednesday, November 24, 2004 - Greg

We were reflecting today on how this is the most traveled day of the year. We too are traveling but luckily there are no traffic jams, airport security, or the threat of late or cancelled flights. There is not only no traffic jam, there is no traffic. We haven't seen a ship or other floating craft for a couple of days. The most human activity we see are an occasional airplane at a ridiculously high altitude or a satellite looking like a moving star. We did have a flying fish on the deck this morning, a tad stiff by the time Justin found him. The sea continues to blue up, the sky remains dotted with small white clouds and the sea temperature is now almost 25 degrees C ...........around 80 deg.
Today's baths were conducted on deck with a canvas bag for seawater, salt water soap and a rinse of nearly hot fresh water from the solar water bag. Water maker is more than keeping up with our use, diesel consumption is less than half allocated. Mostly we run the engine to charge the batteries as old Elijah, our auto helm can be quite consumptive.
We are now about 80 miles Northeast of CapeVerde. We will get there quite early in the morning so may need to slow down a bit before dawn. I think everyone will be happy to turn the corner there and aim the bow towards
Antigua. Our ship's scrivener sent info on Cape Verde early this morning. Justin read the email to the crew and it sounds like Lanzerote is a paradise compared to these barren, arid, volcanic outcroppings. Well, I think of it
as I do our trip to Lisbon in August....we never have to go there again! Anyway, we should be transiting a channel between the westernmost islands just about the time the turkey goes in the oven.
All are well.

Tuesday, November 23, 2004 - Greg

We are now below the 20th parallel about 170 miles north of the Cape Verde Islands. Things changed today with the water turning more translucent and blue and the return of flying fish. We are apparently in a trade wind pattern as witnessed by NE winds and clear blue skies dotted with small white clouds - handbills Lester called them.
This morning as my watch was ending and the sun just rising, a pack of 20-30 porpoise (Atlantic Spotted- I think) appeared at the bow. I went out and hung over the pulpit to watch the interaction of the mammals and the boat. Wave after wave they came. Five to seven in a pack weaving back and forth just under the bow. There was a timing and precision to their motion that would have brought tears to the eyes of a Shriner in a go-kart. It is no wonder that for Centuries they have been the Sailor's Friend.
We launched the spinnaker first thing this morning and have had a great day of 7+knots, the sail rarely collapsing, lifting Thunderhead's clipper bow as she furrows though this field of liquid sapphire. It is wonderful to be sailing again. Faithful readers know of how much powering we were forced to do between Ireland and the Med. Not now, now the wind is doing the powering and the engine is for charging the batteries.
Bill has a torrent of mail each time we download. Hal has agents sending him stock quotes. Justin and I have faithful emailers who send us news of home or essays on our current location (Justin's Dad is the ship's scrivener sending background information on pending landfalls) By the way if he has a few minutes tonight for Cape Verde, we'd appreciate it.
We are discussing the menu for Thursday. I say chicken cacciatore from a boiling bag but I'm likely to be overruled.
All are well.

Monday, November 22, 2004 - Greg

I finally figured out why email traffic lightens on the weekends.......because you guys are sending them during working hours. Good for you, I say...keep it up.
I'll complain no more from Friday afternoon until Monday 8AM.
We continue to sail down "along the coast of Africa". Our wind files show that what trade winds there are seem to be are down around 15 degrees N lat. We
hope not to go that far but we are headed to the Cape Verde Islands and have determined at this point to lay our eyes on them. It might be considered a couple of hundred miles out of our way but a case for going that far south can easily be made with the wind data we currently have and the fact that they are just about the same latitude as Antigua. As a result, we can sail due West rather than West by South a better angle on the expected NE wind. Thunderhead does 6 knots down wind with a spinnaker (@ 12 knots) and about 8 knots on a broad reach at the same wind speed. Doesn't take too many days to make up two hundred miles at an extra 50 miles a day.
We put out the spinnaker this morning and are getting the most from our following breeze. Justin and his new foredeck assistant (ape) Bill had a perfect set............always happens when you are not racing! But we've had a great day. 6-7 knots, the Purple People Eater poled back to windward balanced by the fin of the great white mainsail to leeward. Easy motion, boat even with little downwind rolling....... cloudless sky...........Sun shielded by the sails........sweet.
Last night we had the "vicar" special of roast lamb and vegetables with mint jelly accompanied by Justin's hot rolls and pear crumble with whipped cream for dessert. We added the whipped cream for those who are counting carbohydrates. Fruits on board are seeing their last days, vegetables still look good......and Mr. Boujon's cheese under my bunk gives olfactory evidence of ripening. We have occasionally been into the Gruyere...... fantastique!
Not much sealife in this part of the ocean, though we have seen porpoise and Hal identified a handful of storm petrels. I also need to mention that on the trip from Madeira to Lanzarote, Justin spotted a sea turtle sunning his shell off the beam. The only one seen yet. One interesting note is that at the last arrival of porpoise, I was at the computer when Bill called down to announce it. At the same moment I heard squeaking in the forepeak and went forward into that space to enjoy the dolphin-speak resounded through the planking in the bow. What creatures they are!
All are well.

Sunday, November 21, 2004 - Greg

My watch begins at 0600. Bill wakes me up with ten minutes to spare. Just enough time to groan, brush my teeth, grab some unhealthy snack and my harness and get on deck. The moon is gone and every star in the sky is lit. The sky is rapidly changing. As we head south. Polaris is getting lower and lower in the sky. To the south, new stars and constellations are emerging which are foreign to me and which are poorly covered by our Northern Hemisphere centric guides. I'm thinking that I'll actually have to sail to the Southern Hemisphere some day with a good Australian guide to the stars. In the meantime, I content myself with relocating previously ID'd constellations and try to identify them upside down. In the morning sky (over where the sun is about to rise) are Venus and above that Jupiter, higher up on the same arc is Saturn just below Gemini.
Thunderhead was restored in the late Seventies and early Eighties by John Riddell in southern California. Giffy Full sailed her through the Panama canal to deliver the boat to Mr. Riddell prior to the restoration. I had never spoken with Riddell since I bought Thunderhead but in October I got an email from him. He'd been surfing on the 'net and googled Thunderhead. He found our website and contacted us. He then sent a batch of early photos of the boat during construction at Abeking and Rasmussen and shipment to the US. I have forwarded them to Dan, the computer/website guy and they will soon be on the site under Vessel Info (I think). Check them out.....there is even one which shows the electric organ at the nav station.
Also, we are very sorry to note that none of you can send outgoing emails....we hope that you get this fixed soon!
All are well.

Saturday, November 20, 2004 - Greg

Sailing along the African Coast. That is almost as much fun to type as to say.....and contemplate.........sailing along the African Coast. But that we are as we continue our trip south in search of the trade winds. We are currently at 25 degrees North and are aiming for 18 to 20 deg. North. At that latitude the NE trades should be set for a broad reach across to Antigua. turning West early is tempting because it is the shortest distance but we want both good winds and a good sailing angle for the 2400 miles to the finish.
We have gotten great winds since last night. 17-21 knots from the east which are allowing us to skid down at 7-8 knots. Seas are fairly calm with some 3-4 foot chop and little swell. Sailing with full main, staysail and jib though last night when the wind was frequently gusting to 23-24 Justin rolled in part of the jib.Because of all this good wind and sailing, charging the batteries now consists of running the engine in neutral for an hour or so. Drives me crazy to run the engine when there could be some calms ahead which would be good to power through. But we are doing fine with fuel and there will be some to spare incase of windless hours.....some of which could be tonight for the next 18 hours though our wind charts never called for this 17-22 knots so the predicted light spells could be erroneous too....we shall see.
The crew is doing well......Bill will volunteer for anything if it means he doesn't have to cook....and he tells us that this is for our own good. Justin is picking up the slack in the galley so he has now been permanently exempted from his 1600-1800 watch. Hal is on a slow withdrawal from news and stock market reports and seems to be adjusting...except for the twitch when he walks past the lap top.
All are well.

Friday, November 19, 2004 - Greg

Our first full day at sea. Last night was light with wind all over the compass. We took advantage of charging the batteries with the engine in gear. We won't always be able to get through all of the windless spots this way but it made a much more comfortable ride to sleep in.
We are facing a couple of very light days on the 20-22nd so we have altered our course to the south. The wind looks like it will return to the east sooner than to our original track so we should have less "battery charging" to do by heading this way. Our way point is 20N X 20W. To get there we will be paralleling the African coast for a few days and hoping that the pirates find bigger fish. Also by heading more south we will have a better wind
angle in the NE trade winds for the trip west to Antigua which is on about the 17th Parallel.
Nearly cloudless skies..... short pants, sweaters at night. Orion is rising earlier daily and getting higher in the sky.
All are well.

Thursday, November 18, 2004 - Greg

At 1200 GMT, we cast off from the Marina Rubicon fuel dock and headed out.....destination.Antigua. We topped off our fuel and water tanks tied lines and fenders into the dinghy and stored it upside down on deck. We started with a favorable breeze with a plan to weave thru some of the islands before heading South to find the trade winds. We were not long gone when the wind went nearly astern and we were forced to power our way over the top of the nearby island before heading up on a different plan through the islands. We now are heading between Fuerteneventura and Grand Canary and will probably miss seeing Tenerife............next time....an expression I've frequently needed to use over the last 5 months
Five months it is today since we left Newport. The log reads 7672 miles since Blue Hill earlier in June. It all seems like years ago.On the other hand it seems hard to believe that we are now heading home (at least closer to home). We have done so much and visited so many places that it is hard to remember them all.
We took a trip yesterday to the Mountain of Fire on Lanzerote. First was a trip to the top of a hill where steam and heat vents are still active. The restaurant at the top was cooking their potatoes over one of the vents. We then drove to a visitor's center in the middle of a large lava flow which is quite new and very, very well done. Largely a museum about volcanoes and other geologic topics as well as a history of the formation and eruptions of Lanzerote. Surprisingly worth the visit.
Bill and Hal are settling in. The nav systems are overwhelming to start out with so we just begin with collision avoidance....seems like a good place to start! Justin has become an old hand at all this and becomes more valuable by the day. When I think of the Irish transit with Jamie, Brian, and Peter...and then realize that Justin has picked up all the slack.....I see that I'm lucky indeed to have him aboard.
Watch systems are set... 2 on and 6 off...Taco salad for dinner. By morning we will be in open water.
All are well.

Wednesday, November 17, 2004 - Greg

We are planning to leave tomorrow. All of the food has been purchased...though storage is not altogether completed. We were able to get the Hypermarket to freeze meat for us as well as a couple of lasagnas. I'm sure that we have too much of some stuff and not enough of other. For instance I think that we will be supplying bread to starving Antiguans thru Christmas and Justin thinks we have just enough to get out of sight of land. We have enough calories to last for two circumnavigations......including the cookies and chocolate. We have enough seltzer water to turn the Sahara green and Pringles to built a raft.
All systems are in working order and the winds look quite favorable as of today. We will wind our way thru a couple of the Canary Islands just to see them then head Southwest toward the 20th Parallel to catch the trade winds.
All are well.

Monday, November 15, 2004 - Greg

Hal arrived yesterday and we picked him up at the airport at the same time that we were dropping off Anne. It was sad to see her depart. I'd have been very happy to have her continue on to Antigua---next time! Bill arrived today----and has been complaining about the weather since he got here. I must admit that it is a bit chilly......probably in the 60's (16-18 deg C) and a little breeze does nothing to warm the place. I sent all my warm clothes home from Gibraltar so it is not as if I'm sitting around fleeced as Hal and Bill shiver in their Seersucker!
Our plan is to depart on the 18th in three days. Tomorrow we will go to the Hyper Market, order meat which they will freeze for pick up on Wednesday. We weren't successful at finding a caterer for casserole type meals so we will be preparing more than we planned.....or eating cookies 3x day.
Lanzerote is amazingly bleak. It is a desert with huge lava flows, an occasional touch of green, and nary a tree anywhere. The best part is this marina which is still a work in progress..........but clean, efficient and friendly. Lots and lots of people fly in here for vacation and I keep asking myself ....why? There is a recently active volcano which we are going to visit tomorrow........but not alot of other reasons to hang out here. today we had lunch at Playa Blanca a major beach resort near the marina. The town is made up of souvenir and beach towel shops, and many beach front restaurants stretched out along the Playa which is no longer than 150 feet ..........I swear......though there may be another 150 foot stretch around a small bluff. Except for the wi-fi network, clean showers, and a great laundry service, it won't be too difficult to cast off.
Justin was up the mast today repairing our flag holder and eyeballing the rest of the rigging which he reports is solid. Engine maintenance is complete. We need a little more diesel and some water and we are -------------> gone!
All are well.

Sunday, November 14, 2004 - Greg

At the end of my log on Friday, I was optimistic that the wind had abated and that we would finish the last 50 or so miles in wind speeds of 20 knots.....but that was not to be......during the evening more clouds rolled in from Morocco and we were soon again seeing gusts to 30 and sustained winds between 25-29 knots. At night the seas built again and we were back on the blindfolded rollercoaster. The wind had backed into the North during the afternoon so we were obliged to tack downwind keeping the wind angle at about 130 degrees off the bow. This added 20-25 miles to the trip but we were still traveling around 7-8 knots. As we made our final approach to Lanzerote, another gust and this time some rain with it. It was now 1 AM, we were headed into shallow waters and the seas were back to 15 feet and breaking. Again, safe but uncomfortable. We rounded the point and got into shelter under the island. Wind and seas quickly calmed and we took in sails and powered the last 2.5 miles to the marina. The entrance to the Marina (as Anne reported in her log yesterday) was really strange. It was hard to see the breakwater and it occurred to me that we might need to anchor outside for the night. As we got closer (100 feet!!!!) Justin and Anne in the bow were able to distinguish an opening in the cement and stone wall and we slipped through to find an empty fuel dock as I had hoped. We were soon followed by another yacht and both tied to the dock heading for bed at 4 AM with a promise that the fuel dock did not open until 9 AM. 5 hours of un-interrupted sleep was a great prospect.
Though Madeira is less than 300 miles away, the contrast between that island and the Canaries is dramatic. In Madeira we saw a lush foliated, flower-blooming island with water coursing though every gully and springing through every nook. Lanzerote is a dry, barren, rock strewn, lava engulfed piece of land. The are many tall cone-shaped mountains devoid of any flora except cactus planted near residential areas. Justin remarked that it is not unlike a lunar landscape. There is a dramatic beauty to it, kind of spooky but beautiful.
We are at the Marina Rubicon in Playa Blanca. This is a planned marina/condo complex like others we've seen in Spain and Portugal. But this one is VERY nice. There are finger piers so we don't have to climb over the bow or stern to get aboard. The people are friendly and the WC's clean...though a bit more hot water would be welcomed.
I rented a car yesterday as it is the only convenient way to get around. This afternoon we will pick Hal up at 4:30 and drop Anne off for a 6:30 flight. Bill arrives tomorrow noon but I have promised him that we won't start polishing brass until he gets here.
All are well.

Saturday, November 13, 2004 - Anne

At 3 this morning we celebrated with high-fives, Madeira fruit cake and calls home after we finally rolled our way in to Lanzarote. The wind and waves kicked our stern right into the harbor, not letting up until the last possible moment. There, another challenge arose: finding our way through a confusing harbor that we'd never seen in daylight. With this crew, however, a new challenge at 2am is easily overcome. Our fearless captain steered us through the maze (I'm glad he knew about the European switch to "green right returning," which was just confirmed to me after having spent the night thinking that I was a) delirious or b) now void of any navigational knowledge I once thought I had).
We tied up to the fuel dock, happy to find ourselves alone there and decided it would be wise to call my parents. It turns out that my mom had read yesterdays log only 15 minutes before and had resigned herself (and probably her husband too) to a sleepless night of worrying. Justin talked to his parents too, but after 5+ months were fairly unconcerned about a 2-day trip, but were happy to hear from him. I think I'll have his parents make the announcement to mine that Greg has invited me to join them for the Transatlantic. But alas, I don't think the elders of Southeastern Vermont can do without me for any longer. We're all up this morning, with 4-5 hours of solid, unmoving sleep feeling like an eternity. Chore lists are being made and I need to make one of my own before I get roped into polishing again.
For breakfast? Perhaps more fruit cake. If only we had the sweet nectar that is Madeira wine to pour over it...

To do:
1. Write Ship's Log
2. Beat Justin in the tiebreaking game of Rummy-500
3. Have Greg make me a Turks head - a merit badge of true ocean sailing
4. Sample Justin's Chocolate Mousse to make sure the rumors are true

Friday, November 12, 2004 - Greg

It was a daaaark and stormy night.............It was also a dark and story morning, afternoon and Sunrise! But we left Madeira yesterday for a 280 mile sail to Lanzerote. Our plan was to arrive on the 13th which would give us a day of grace before Anne's plane home..............Ok, and also a day to clean the boat before she left!
In the Marina while we waited to clear customs for departure we saw a gust to 45 knots. Justin was on deck and said that he had to pick the swept gravel out of his teeth. The wind grib files though called for 19-22 knots in a favorable direction and had been reading such for a few days. It was more wind than I like to start out in but the weather didn't seem to be changing for 4-5 more days. We eventually got our passports stamped and left about 10 AM. We quickly put up the mainsail with two reefs and hung the small staysail rather than the jib. A few miles out from Madeira we had a gust to 30 knots and it just kinda gave me that sinking feeling. We were in for an uncomfortable two days. I don't worry about Thunderhead, she is up to the task....with a fine new boom and we were undercanvassed reducing any extra strain on the rig. Just plain uncomfortable.
We settled into one hour watches with two persons on deck and one trying fitfully to sleep in this rockin' yacht. The speedo was reading 8+ knots so at least we were on course and it would be a relatively quick ride. Relatively because when you are looking at 36 hours of discomfort....it appears to be a lifetime. The day wore on and the blackest night ever descended on Thunderhead. The wind was blowing 20-25 for an hour or so and then 25-30 for a couple of hours. We didn't see a "teen" figure since leaving the harbor at Funchal. Watches come frequently at "on two-off one" and sometime around midnight as I was looking at the blackness all around, the stars started to pop up. It was like seeing old friends as they imparted at least a little definition to the steep and confusing seas all around us. A clear sky also meant a more steady wind with less gusts to suddenly overtake you. the wind continued in the 25 knot + range and our speed over the ground held at around 7.7 knots.....fast for old Thunderhead.
Morning came and I was no longer sure if it wasn't better to see no ocean than to see 15 foot rollers and cresting waves in many directions. One final group of clouds rolled by during a dawn watch and I saw 32 knots on the wind speed machine. Around 10 AM this morning, the sky became cloudless and the wind settled in the 19-25 knot range where it has remained.
Thunderhead is a marvelous ship. Watching how this hull handles waves and surf is a most reassuring thing. An occasional splash into the cockpit or a roll sideways through a trough but always on the quick recovery and ready for the next motion.
It is now 7PM. We have only 36 miles to go to Lanzerote. Wind is in the high teens and we are still averaging over 7.5 knots. We will arrive at night (which faithful readers know I hate) but the marina is a typical layout starting with a fuel dock at the entrance. I t will likely be empty and we will tie up there ......and sleep until someone comes by and wakes us up to buy diesel.
Anne has definitely had an "Ocean" sailing adventure. her father Peter should be green with envy. Her mother Eve..............woulda hated it......wouldn't you, Eve?
Anne has promised a log for tomorrow.
All are well.

Thursday, November 11, 2004 - Greg

Yesterday morning Anne arranged a half day "jeep" tour to Nun Valley. We had a great tour guide who spoke English well and we set off around 11 AM. He took us to some of the nearby coastal spots including Camara Lobo a picturesque little fishing village best known because Winston Churchill did an oil sketch of it. We then proceeded to the highest sea cliff in Europe and other ridiculously high and precipitous venues. We then headed inland and up to the mountains. The pass to the valley was along the inside of a ridge which can only be described as a Eucalyptus forest. The aroma was sweet in the warm, moist air. As we climbed higher, sweaters were needed and when we came to the top of the ridge Nun Valley could be seen hundreds of meters below nestled between high peaks at the end of the gorge. A quick walk brought us around a corner to a viewing spot at another high precipitous overhang. Fantastic!
The driver then headed down to the town passing though a large grove of chestnut trees to the floor of the valley. We stopped at a small cafe for pictures (see pictures) samples of local liqueurs for J&A and a quick meal of roasted chestnuts, cakes and coffee.
On the way out of town in the morning we passed Reid's Palace Hotel which we had heard was the "old" fancy hotel in Funchal frequented by Winston C. Before dropping us off back in the marina, the driver swung by Reid's and I made a reservation for dinner, Jackets required. So at 7:30 with Anne in a dress and Justin and I in blazers from deep storage grabbed a taxi back to the hotel.
Reid's is, in fact, a very fancy old hotel. The decor dates from the early 20th century (British) and is in impeccable condition. The clientele date from the same period but unfortunately their condition was not quite so good. All the guests appeared to be quite elderly British. We started with drinks at an enclosed balcony overlooking Funchal and the Marina then proceeded to the dining room; a formal, marbled, vaulted room with many crystal chandeliers and sconces. Each of the lighting fixture was a combination of typical crystal decorated with pink glass roses....( British or what?). Much of the rest of the decor was also pink. The service was entirely formal and impeccable.
Menus arrived, (mine was in German?) and I just hate the part where you look at the prices and you think.....well these entrées are quite steep.....then you realize that you are looking at the appetizers. Justin and Anne were delighted and we knew that some place in Maine, the Vicar was smiling with delight at the pending bill! The food was quite wonderful. It wasn't France but it wasn't Portugal either! Justin started with breast of Guinea Hen and had Sea Breem for a main course. My dessert was a spice cake with Asparagus Ice Cream.
Dinner was concluded with coffee for me and a glass of sweet Madeira for Justin. As we could no longer afford a taxi, we walked home to Thunderhead and had a reasonable nights sleep.
Justin has prepared the boat and we are leaving in a few minutes. The wind is blowing from a favorable direction and it is time to leave.
Madeira is a great location. All three of us look forward to returning......but the marina is lousy and our next trip is likely to be by plane.
All are well.

Wednesday, November 10, 2004 - Greg

We are still in Madeira and plan to leave tomorrow rather than today as planned. No matter what day we leave, the forecast calls for a quick 300 miles to Lanzerote. Yesterday Justin spent a good part of the day retapeing all the cotter pins, wire splices, and other sharp ends that need tape. He reported with great authority that Thunderhead requires 2.5 rolls of electrical tape to do the job. I think that he wanted me to know how much friggin' around with tape he had to do all day.
Chris left yesterday for home. We thank him for 55 bowls of oatmeal, 200 Ham and Cheese sandwiches (cut on the diagonal). 400 lbs of laundry, dozens of fine meals and his wry sense of humor.
Today our plan is to visit Nun Valley. I can only imagine the souvenir shop! I will surely report more if we get there.
All are well.

Monday, November 8, 2004 - Greg

Current reading on board: Greg, REDBURN, Melville...at the end of which I will have read 1407 pages of Herman Melville (WHITE JACKET, MOBY DICK) and will look forward to something else. Chris, just finished A YEAR IN PROVENCE and started SAILING ALONE AROUND THE WORLD, Slocum. Justin is reading VICTORY, AN ISLAND TALE by Joseph Conrad sandwiched between A SHORT HISTORY OF NEARLY EVERYTHING, Bryson. Anne, god love 'er, is reading SUCCESSFUL AGING, a required text for her new job. So far she has wisely refrained from offering me advice!
Recent movie fare-1935 Mutiny on the Bounty. Charles Loughton, Clark Gable.We expected to make great fun of this old flick........and Justin, Chris, and Anne were just aching to give great grief to the purchaser (me). But it turned out to be a really good film. Most of the sailing scenes were authentic and you just know that the pristine tropical beaches used for Tahiti are now littered with resorts. Another purchase for the film library---The complete set of Mr. Bean!
Last night in the Marina was horrendous, the pendulum swinging continued and the multiple sets of lines, spring, bow and stern screeched against the cleats all night long. the deck working flawlessly as a sounding board and the cabin of Thunderhead was like being inside a drum....no. like being inside a novice's trumpet. This morning we are waiting for the boat inside us to leave. We were supposed to move to the inside slot but the German boat for some reason has decided that they will take the place. I'm not sure if their claim is legitimate or not but we are happy to let them have it. then we can walk over their decks to get ashore rather than them on ours.
(two hours later) It turns out that the Germans (flying a French flag) took the inside slot just because they wanted to....and they are leaving tomorrow at 8 PM...and will inconvenience everyone again. It isn't always easy to contain one's cultural bias! We have a really nice couple from Montreal on the other side!!!
All are well.

Sunday, November 7, 2004 - Greg

We have been to alot of places since June but Madeira is quickly becoming one of my favorites. There is an amazing history here starting with Columbus, 200 years of sugar trade, territorial battles with European countries, the 19th century arrival of "bourgeois" British and American tourists many of whom built mansions for summer retreats. Funchal was essentially a medieval city until the early 20th Century when automobiles arrived and it became necessary to build streets that would accommodate them.
We walked today up into a residential area above the city and found wonderful small mansions surrounded by incredible tropical flora of every description. Much of this vegetation was imported here over the last two centuries and flourished. Walking ashore after 5 days at sea was a thrill as we wandered through the lushness of the landscape. Mango as well as Avocado trees are in full fruit right now and banana plants are everywhere sprouting green bananas...which might be just right by the time we need them between the Canaries and Antigua.
Tomorrow the plan is to take a cable car up to Monte where many of the English and Americans lived....the ride down is in a wicker sled......pictures are surely promised of this event!
The Marina where we are is crazy tonight. There is a surge coming in the entrance to the harbor and the three boats which make up our "raft" are swinging back and forth like a pendulum. There is a German boat a few feet from our bow who seems to be in no mood to adjust his position. I told Justin to find our biggest, rustiest anchor and hang it off the pulpit.
Anyway the boat is in good shape, many of our preparations for the transatlantic trip are completed so we will just use the next few days to keep exploring this amazing place, catch up on sleep, and relax.
All are well.

Saturday, November 6, 2004 - Greg

We arrived in Madeira at around 1 PM. An amazing passage. 623 miles as the Albatross flies....4 days 4 hours. We had favorable winds and current for the last three days and sailed most of the time averaging 7.5 knots. Last night...oh what a black, dark night it was.............we were often in the 8 to 9 knot range. Seas were on the quarter which caused a good deal of rolling but they were rarely much over 4-5 feet. Rolling doesn't help sleeping much on Thunderhead so we are all pretty tired and ready for bed.
We got to Funchal and were given a slip along side another boat (and now there is a third outside us). This isn't our favorite docking situation but we are grateful to have a slot. This is a major stopping place for people heading to the Canaries and over to the Caribbean (like us) so finding anything here and not having to anchor outside the harbor was most welcome.
We have only started to glimpse this city but it seems very cool. Lovely parks and plazas and grand (ish) boulevards combined with small crooked streets. Around every corner are views of the hills (mountains ) that are in the center of the Island. The streets are extensively paved in small black and white basalt stones similar to what we saw in Cascais (also Portugal). The designs are geometric and vary from plain to intricate. It is really beautiful work.We plan to be here for 4 days and Anne and Justin are in charge of the tourist schedule. We are hoping to get around the island, see some of the hills and small villages. More to follow.
All are well.

Friday, Novemeber 5, 2004 - Greg

The other day I wrote that "Night at sea is a most magical time" but you know we are thinking that there is just a bit too much Magic Time around here. The sun is now setting around 630 PM and rising around 0730.In addition, the moon isn't rising until after midnight That is alot of darkness.....alot more darkness than the same period on land. We have waves and surf now rolling down from the North and it is not possible to see them coming......"Just hold on Neut...we're headed for the rhubarb". Nights might get a little shorter as we head south but we head into December even quicker....so dark nights for awhile it shall be.
We continue to roll on toward Madeira. 7-8 knots over the ground, sliding down some waves bearing the spray of others. Arrival sometime tomorrow. It continues a bit chilly, full weather gear at night.
Last night for dinner pancakes and egg scrambles were prepared by Justin who went into the deep bilge to retrieve one of Mr. Boujon's cheeses. Thank god he got the mold off it before the board of health inspected...I swear that there were colors on that cheese not found in nature.....but underneath.......a supremely aged......Thunderbilge aged.....to perfection Gruyere! There is more where that came from and a full round of Tomme growing its own flora in the next level down. The pancakes were delicately prepared using an old recipe from a Bauckza Bisque Wick then topped with our last pint of Happy Town Farm (Orland, Maine) maple syrup boiled down to perfection by our friends Paul and Karen Volkhausen.
Despite the rocking and rolling, Chris is persevering in the preparation of tonight's dinner; pork marinated in Ginger and soy and served with Cous Cous. Anne and Justin are tied 1 to 1 in 500 Rummy though truth be told, she is kicking his butt and he was WAY lucky to pull off today's match. I'll report on the tied breaker...........He can't say I didn't warn him not to play cards with a McPheeters.
A couple of left over factoids.
Chris' bird didn't make it through the night. It was given a proper sea burial with all the honors. Chris, as next of kin, was presented with the Spanish courtesy flag after the service.
Gibraltar makes it's own fresh water in a couple of desalination plants. In addition to this fresh, salt water is plumbed to all the houses and used for toilets, air conditioning etc.
All are well.

Thursday, November 4, 2004 - Greg

Fifteen knots of breeze off the Starboard quarter, Sunshine, deep azure water with scattered white caps......rarely under 7 knots of speed over the ground often over 8 knots...........Mainsail, Jib, Staysail flying .......Thunderheaded to Madeira.........2 days out. GRIB files downloaded this morning call for 3 mores days of this..........we haven't seen such weather since Days 3-8 of the transatlantic to Ireland............ Fabulous......after the Med..........Glorious!
Ship and crew holding up well.........kinda hard not to in these conditions.Anne and Justin are playing 500 Rummy, I'm writing the log....and we are all hoping that Chris is watching the horizon.
Two mornings ago we had a wonderful sight at around 10 PM. I had just relieved Chris and he pointed out "targets" that he had been following during his watch. There was a brightly lit ship off the Starboard quarter and a few other boats posing no problem for us. I sat down at the screen and was monitoring the radar when I saw that the starboard target had moved ahead and was crossing our bow about a mile out. I stood up to look over the cabin roof and saw a truly beautiful sight. I called Chris (out of his bunk) to come see it. The target turned out to be a large passenger liner dazzlingly lit from one end to the other. It was a crystal clear night and the water was like a mirror as this ship crossed in front. Every window on the superstructure and porthole along the sides was aglow. Every running light and utility light was blazing and the reflection on the still ocean surface was like a city at night rippling back to Thunderhead. Chris did not complain that I had roused him to see this. A few minutes later after he was secured back behind his lee cloth, the half moon rose a most brilliant red but I decided not to push it with the wake up calls and just appreciated it alone in the cockpit.
Night at sea is a most magical time.
For lunch...leftovers......lamb sandwiches, cut on the diagonal. We are down to our last 33 boxes of cookies, but thank God, Anne brought some chocolate....I'm always uneasy if we have less than 35 pounds on hand.........and it is just about time to find out if Justin can remember the Choc. mousse recipe from Evian.
All are well.

Wednesday, November 3, 2004 - Chris

Africa and Spain have slipped behind us and the grey, leaden North Atlantic welcomes us this morning, our first full 24 hours out of the Med. I'm happy to report that despite the swells (having a bit of a run on saltines aboard) and the intermittent rain, this patch of sea feels much more like home than anything we encountered in that great bowl of evaporating water behind us. The color is right, the pitch and roll are right, the wind is doing what is supposed and was predicted to do, there is talk of tides, etc. Home.
Our current course has us hugging 36 degrees North Latitude, some 3000++ miles east of New York, where we plan to continue until the winds favor a run down to Madeira. Our newest crew member, Anne (oh sure, it's spelled A-N-N-E, but it's pronounced "throat-warbler mangrove") is heeling in nicely. She loves coffee but will not drink water mit gas, so she is equally beloved by both factions aboard (best not ask any questions about olives or pig's ear).

....days to go before we reach Funchal, but we have five cases of Agua Del Rosal, butter ferreted about in quantity, Mr. Boujon's cheese, and cookies to spare. All are well, as someone might be wont to say.

Wednesday, November 3, 2004 - Greg

Wind came up early this morning from the south. Now blowing about 10 knots and we are on a course of 270 deg True running along the 36th parallel. we expect the wind to go Northerly tonight or tomorrow morning at which time we will head south to Madeira. Sailing at 7 knots, no engine, Sky overcast but no rain. Sea water temp around 70 degrees.
All are well.

Tuesday, November 2, 2004 - Greg

We left Gibraltar at 0855. Sunny Skies, a continued "nip" in the air...... ...........it is definitely Fall and we are headed in the right direction. Justin had done the calculations for currents through the Strait and we were headed for a favorable current beginning at 0845, West going. No sooner had we left the bay but we encountered a 5 knot adverse current. I went and checked the Current charts again and Justin had calculated correctly. We altered our course to the North to get out of the middle of the strait where the current changes later than the inshore lanes. Once inshore the unfavorable....no excuse me, the favorable current was only 3 knots against us. As I may have said before, there is little west going current in the Strait. The Med is continually being fed by the Atlantic Ocean due to evaporation and in reading the finer print find that a westerly breeze (from the West) can easily overcome the westerly current (to the West). It has been blowing from the West for a few days now and that must be the reason. The Wind is just off the port bow but does allow us to have the mainsail up and with the engine at 1850 rpm (our upper reaches), we are able to eke out 4.2 knots over the ground. After we have passed Tarifa, we will head more Northerly, fly the jib and get out of whatever currents the Straits have to throw at us.
We passed the lighthouse at Tarifa at 1230 PM.thus returning to the Atlantic Ocean. We haven't seen swells and rollers for 6-7 weeks. The wind is steady both in direction and strength and it is nice to be back! We are keeping a northerly course for a day or two to keep us out of the shipping lanes and to get us to fair winds sooner
New photos, bios uploaded.
Go Vote! Most of us have!
All are well.