tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-82900595714273317652024-03-05T22:37:57.265-08:00Sail RockHopperMindy and Reinharthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08981248440494359738noreply@blogger.comBlogger29125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8290059571427331765.post-64033501145089502892019-05-11T11:25:00.001-07:002019-05-11T11:26:01.200-07:00Sail Rockhopper to Europe<div class="" style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 18px;">
We've enjoyed our winter in the Virgins and St. Martin, but we are ready to head north once again. This time, we'll take a turn eastward and head to Europe instead of back to North America. It will be sad to say goodbye to the warm water and swimming holes, but we've dreamed of sailing to Europe for many years, and it is nice to finally be taking that leap.</div>
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<span class="">We’ll be leaving St. Martin on May 12 headed for Bermuda. </span>We’ll stay there a few days and then head off to the Azores. The trip to Bermuda is about a week, and the trip from there to the Azores is 2 to 3 weeks. </div>
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This time you might be able to track us at <a class="" href="https://farkwar.com/boats/rockhoppers">https://farkwar.com/boats/rockhoppers</a>. I plan to send an update email to them at least once a day, but I'm not sure it will work the entire trip. </div>
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We’ll try to keep the stopover in Bermuda on the short side, 7-10 days, weather permitting. We’d like to be in the Azores by June 20, which would give us about a month to enjoy those islands. We believe we’ll head to the UK from there. enjoy our Autumn along the English Channel, and then look for a good spot to keep Rockhopper for the winter. It will be interesting to see how much time we choose to spend on Rockhopper over the winter, and how much we spend taking advantage of everyone's hospitality. </div>
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Once we get over there, Rockhopper will most likely stay a few years. Reinhart and I would make long trips back to the US every winter to visit. We’ll stick around northern Europe for a few seasons, and then most likely head down to the Mediterranean for a few more years. As always, plans are written in the sand. We may abandon the trip to Europe and go back to gorgeous Nova Scotia instead. Or we could get to Europe and decide not to stay, but to come back to the Caribbean via the Canaries. Whatever we do, I'll probably post about it here a few months after we've left. </div>
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Mindy and Reinharthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08981248440494359738noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8290059571427331765.post-58424506760865689332018-11-14T12:59:00.001-08:002018-11-14T12:59:16.535-08:00A Year in The Life<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjF1jKxADxCF_YWGNpdZ79OOclvroTyK2TsuvrM8paSAxdeMJ6IqwZfCHiwQyNnBIty8KSWCDOrlWtaV0SFd2tlnlk_ghgky-rJdYYnf5kAbjaEj6tXK0ScEsh9RZeEPAWjAQ4EAnnmyLKi/s1600/DSC08156.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1068" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjF1jKxADxCF_YWGNpdZ79OOclvroTyK2TsuvrM8paSAxdeMJ6IqwZfCHiwQyNnBIty8KSWCDOrlWtaV0SFd2tlnlk_ghgky-rJdYYnf5kAbjaEj6tXK0ScEsh9RZeEPAWjAQ4EAnnmyLKi/s320/DSC08156.jpg" width="212" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Nova Scotia's famous Bluenose schooner</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">It has been well over a year since I updated the blog, and it is hard to figure out how to resolve this. So here’s a quick update of the past year and our plans for the future. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">We traveled to Canada from Bermuda in 2017 and spent the summer falling in love with Nova Scotia, particularly Halifax and the Bras D’Or Lakes. We swung by Acadia National Park in Maine on our way down to Annapolis for the fall boat show. We decided we wanted a winter season in the US in order to visit friends and family, so Rockhopper stayed in Annapolis while we traveled by Yaris. </span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Dolphins alongside Rockhopper outside Long Island, NY</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; text-align: center;">In November, the dermatologist found a melanoma on Mindy’s face, and several weeks of appointments, evaluations, and surgeries followed. </span><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; text-align: center;">Over the course of 6 months we made 3 road trips to Colorado, staying with Anthony for weeks at a time (thanks Anthony!). </span><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; text-align: center;">We also spent 2 wonderful months in Austria visiting family for the holidays. </span><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; text-align: center;">All of this time in Colorado and Austria, and we didn’t do a day of skiing!</span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Newfoundland's remote southern coast</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">We pulled ourselves away from Annapolis in spring ’18 and headed down to coastal NC to do more visiting. We sailed offshore to Bermuda in May and spent weeks there before sailing back up to Nova Scotia in July. This year we joined the Royal Nova Scotia Yacht Squadron on their summer cruise and made friends while cruising the Cape Breton area. We spent a couple of remarkable weeks in Newfoundland, but had to start heading south before we visited all of the spots we planned. We sailed back down to Annapolis, made another road trip to NC and CO, and worked the Annapolis Boat Show one last time.</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHBXCzI0w37xwTOkzaX-hOu4loeDYk33p136a2OWP3crxEe2x790eW0idO32ldgKx7su20TWaAjRVZ5e9D1Zp0TfwUWT8hriVIRLKMNoRcvJr5uWArt1MUbAQQHFdjWXxPbDjmktmQapE6/s1600/_RPM3913.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1068" data-original-width="1600" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHBXCzI0w37xwTOkzaX-hOu4loeDYk33p136a2OWP3crxEe2x790eW0idO32ldgKx7su20TWaAjRVZ5e9D1Zp0TfwUWT8hriVIRLKMNoRcvJr5uWArt1MUbAQQHFdjWXxPbDjmktmQapE6/s320/_RPM3913.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Bras D'Or Lakes, Nova Scotia</td></tr>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzpMu_xYtZJueNvDG7PO5kcjqAYQgeflYsulPGbiFOKwBQNBnUhh6Avb-vO-_CQaa214SBjc6BypOHKCCHhdhg-O99rLVd7KK3fUURnMtmY1yiR-TF9FL-v5I10lPoaWLuOj1BBITbHnFB/s1600/_RPM2898.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span></a><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">That brings us back up to the present! Spending a cold winter on the boat was a lousy idea, so Rockhopper will be headed south to the Caribbean this month. We’ll be at the tail end of the Salty Dawg Rally. Our original departure date was set for November 3 from Hampton VA, but we are taking our time waiting for a nice weather window even though most of the boats have already left. (You can track us during this trip at <a href="http://www.snap.ocens.com/" style="color: purple;">www.snap.ocens.com</a>, and just enter “Rockhopper” for the name.) </span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"> A puffin in flight!</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">As for the future, we’ll hang out in the Caribbean for the winter. We are planning to finally sail to Europe this coming spring, but if that starts falling apart, we’ll be thrilled to make it back to Canada. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">So there is our past, present, and future. Obviously I haven’t been very inspired to keep up the blog, but I am rethinking its format, and will try to buckle down and do something, <i>anything</i>, with it.</span></div>
Mindy and Reinharthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08981248440494359738noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8290059571427331765.post-31824349405145132202017-08-13T08:31:00.000-07:002017-08-13T08:32:54.059-07:00Reflecting on Bermuda<style>
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It has been 3 months since we updated you and I’m going to
blame our increasingly social lifestyle.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>It all started last November when we met up with a bunch of Salty Dawgs
in Virginia and joined the Ocean Cruising Club. Ever since then we come across boats we know in every harbor
we visit.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Our friend's ancestral home on Trunk Island</td></tr>
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It was no different when we got to Bermuda.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We arrived with several other boats and
met lots of new friends in the 6 weeks we were there.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We thought St. George might be packed due to the America’s
Cup, and there were a few more boats than usual, but not overly crowded.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There were lots of extra events going
on throughout the island though, and we were thrilled to see Bermuda
experiencing a surge in tourism.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Oh, and our picture from 10 years ago is still in the Visitors brochure,
so we are still famous in the information office.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">New Zealand Team Emirates, the 35th America's Cup winner </td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Oracle Team USA, the defender</td></tr>
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Once we arrived, we figured out we could get an America’s
Cup spectator flag for $35, which allowed us to view any of the races from our
own boat!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We took Rockhopper and
friends to the races several times,<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>squeezed in amongst the other boats at the edge of the course, and had a blast.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It was also fun to watch with the enthusiastic
groups in the restaurants and bars, which we did often, but the ludicrous speed
of the boats was so much more remarkable in person.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJ2flAORpODRyXRlWI-paMXNNgPrc4ArYe-j2-8rpA-AX8Swen1zOZbwtbEY5vdFRorvMYbVqnXjKUtXj1PIKWPT_slPz_zi-dOyCLgC3H6xmgtGiS28LttT4BPVcd8x2mM80ebcGN83h9/s1600/_RPM2584.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1152" data-original-width="1600" height="143" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJ2flAORpODRyXRlWI-paMXNNgPrc4ArYe-j2-8rpA-AX8Swen1zOZbwtbEY5vdFRorvMYbVqnXjKUtXj1PIKWPT_slPz_zi-dOyCLgC3H6xmgtGiS28LttT4BPVcd8x2mM80ebcGN83h9/s200/_RPM2584.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The elegant J boats. Boats like these competed in year's past.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "cambria"; font-size: 12.0pt;"> </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "cambria"; font-size: 12.0pt;">We had a lot of time to hike
the scenic trails and caves, we experienced Bermuda’s unique glow worm mating
ritual, we revisited the Bermuda Institute of Ocean Sciences, and we met some
local sailors and spent some time on their private island!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As usual we never tired of Bermuda and we
look forward to spending a couple of months there next year.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We left Bermuda at the end of June and
those beautiful turquoise waters are still clear in our minds.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We’ve been in Canada ever since and
we’ll update you on our Canadian experiences soon (really).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span><br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgX-E9QImJnL4WwovTmVDNW5QcXFl-O9JggnaYPHi8x2EZODfLCv6fFsIQ1FlnYEbonkSE5AkLON4GZcQDT_iMgXk1fJVd8Fp64uSkX78etszO1zdS-R_LruOn8owkYxXn7V0WpfQKtO-m-/s1600/DSC07950.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1028" data-original-width="1600" height="205" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgX-E9QImJnL4WwovTmVDNW5QcXFl-O9JggnaYPHi8x2EZODfLCv6fFsIQ1FlnYEbonkSE5AkLON4GZcQDT_iMgXk1fJVd8Fp64uSkX78etszO1zdS-R_LruOn8owkYxXn7V0WpfQKtO-m-/s320/DSC07950.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mindy at a picnic spot on the south side of the island </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsasAZjNGLxzO7Xc_zHl3z_ZBUrhZs62VJJXPZAD9jWkk0lL9AFjMAsIDcgPYXRnj8-Jpd4VFvDehNaHLzyuTwHrpDhivkJhpJzK1G02k-Zf_nI1kXzh34oNUMlIQCdVUlb_GOSiqpeiaV/s1600/DSC08034.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1086" data-original-width="1600" height="217" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsasAZjNGLxzO7Xc_zHl3z_ZBUrhZs62VJJXPZAD9jWkk0lL9AFjMAsIDcgPYXRnj8-Jpd4VFvDehNaHLzyuTwHrpDhivkJhpJzK1G02k-Zf_nI1kXzh34oNUMlIQCdVUlb_GOSiqpeiaV/s320/DSC08034.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Reinhart in a park on the north side of island</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjR67g0dqotWxxtVqwX7UnX-MxwJ1ZvB3q_4lcm4f5km2BOXLk-u1G7vq8XKdYmhyphenhyphenmpRtS8MUhdzl8IfEwumm4mTcLms5L8PKI9dIk09wc3CJAQ4DViGeaP7C-ADhSMKD7LER0eghX6XlvE/s1600/_RPM2339.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1068" data-original-width="1600" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjR67g0dqotWxxtVqwX7UnX-MxwJ1ZvB3q_4lcm4f5km2BOXLk-u1G7vq8XKdYmhyphenhyphenmpRtS8MUhdzl8IfEwumm4mTcLms5L8PKI9dIk09wc3CJAQ4DViGeaP7C-ADhSMKD7LER0eghX6XlvE/s320/_RPM2339.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Tall Ship regatta was in Bermuda as well</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<span style="font-family: "cambria"; font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span>
Mindy and Reinharthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08981248440494359738noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8290059571427331765.post-83347696252082297342017-05-14T12:05:00.000-07:002017-05-14T12:09:11.078-07:00Back to Bermuda<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGeoS0IDKRe2jXxsrFGgWC2D8Es3TbW46p4v9sAEeUQDhsCRBCBaLMtTL8h9w7RcWsxfQjVdkS1nB1bh96kPysIKYQZiwR8FqPmepwP5l36zwsIizIQn-SsMpNyH0zGLgGm_PCXTZA3Ezh/s1600/DSC07794.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="65" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGeoS0IDKRe2jXxsrFGgWC2D8Es3TbW46p4v9sAEeUQDhsCRBCBaLMtTL8h9w7RcWsxfQjVdkS1nB1bh96kPysIKYQZiwR8FqPmepwP5l36zwsIizIQn-SsMpNyH0zGLgGm_PCXTZA3Ezh/s400/DSC07794.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>North Sound, Virgin Gorda, BVI</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The weeks flew by and it is already time to leave the
Caribbean. We spent lots of time
in the Virgins, a month in St. Martin, and a few days in St. Barth. As usual, everything was beautiful and serene. We are looking forward to getting
up to Bermuda, one of our favorite places. Bermuda is the host of the America’s Cup this year, so we
expect that things will be even more colorful than usual. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
We are leaving this week and sailing 900 miles which should
take 7 to 9 days.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If you are interested
in tracking us, there are a couple of options:</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
</div>
<ul>
<li>As usual we have <a href="http://share.findmespot.com/shared/faces/viewspots.jsp?glId=0zkfK4iHexrN4hjGkdTxZUeYo8oZhnKF8" target="_blank">Chuck’s spot tracking us at this link</a> (7day track).</li>
</ul>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
</div>
<ul>
<li>The <a href="http://www.snap.ocens.com/" target="_blank">Salty Dawgs have a tracking page</a>. Either enter “Rockhopper" under Name to track us, or
enter “SDR” under Group to see the whole Salty Dawg Rally. Update the dates, using a start date of
May 15, and hit View Map. </li>
</ul>
<br />
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<!--StartFragment-->
<span style="font-family: "cambria"; font-size: 12.0pt;">We expect to stay in
Bermuda about a month and then head to Canada at the end of June or early
July. We’ll make our way into the
northeast US and spend August and September in Maine-Rhode Island. I expect we’ll be in Annapolis for the
boat show in October. We are still
trying to make up our minds if we are staying in the US for the winter, or
bringing Rockhopper back to the Caribbean.
Whether we stay in the US or head back to the Caribbean, I feel a US road
trip coming up this year. </span><!--EndFragment--><br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhue47rGAZAO02vjjTqEur5Xy4g_UETg3dC3LX0kWWIFP2kI0xdKmjeadvNZ6n6X1GWAjD0eO8GAKBENANH1uOxgHZ58b5DTTohbzmGuhxs9vm42yvXlkvvX2nD4Mv_Ns9bJQXNm8H2-ZYb/s1600/DSC07609.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhue47rGAZAO02vjjTqEur5Xy4g_UETg3dC3LX0kWWIFP2kI0xdKmjeadvNZ6n6X1GWAjD0eO8GAKBENANH1uOxgHZ58b5DTTohbzmGuhxs9vm42yvXlkvvX2nD4Mv_Ns9bJQXNm8H2-ZYb/s320/DSC07609.jpg" width="213" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Nicol in the Virgins</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbhfecjhFOZOVo33N-xU5aaIxhaivYy391ChqgSXOJ8df4Qa2cV-aJ5UKMUEuiVN8ElG0HZNmrAHVWsLIz4wj2rh8wo-NQdHwF4uj9d9QxIt4PrzUOQWxdSsuSku2fW9hv_kCTI_XGbOfX/s1600/Rockhopper2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbhfecjhFOZOVo33N-xU5aaIxhaivYy391ChqgSXOJ8df4Qa2cV-aJ5UKMUEuiVN8ElG0HZNmrAHVWsLIz4wj2rh8wo-NQdHwF4uj9d9QxIt4PrzUOQWxdSsuSku2fW9hv_kCTI_XGbOfX/s320/Rockhopper2.jpg" width="213" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Rockhopper on passage to Caribbean</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiixoSc3lOb-TyoBUgJq104EhKtkqGSivTrzs2Ri8GGs26-fFFTcywarPFMftBEvOjbTvsPguCMZJZyt7pV58lKYdyhqiM-dRfZCRL6y2AuiQcUeWDCk2bJikSCsQDevoHjFEpFLsXiGXkI/s1600/DSC07802.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiixoSc3lOb-TyoBUgJq104EhKtkqGSivTrzs2Ri8GGs26-fFFTcywarPFMftBEvOjbTvsPguCMZJZyt7pV58lKYdyhqiM-dRfZCRL6y2AuiQcUeWDCk2bJikSCsQDevoHjFEpFLsXiGXkI/s320/DSC07802.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Mindy and her ice cream</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzgkKkw1rUN2x3RzqOy6VNjCwlj-RiyM4kHinNdw1GPzJABhF3g9976DRKf9kwGrg6U1lt_VKJ-6AlKDcVMFCT3yRL9mL2JZRGSANE5RhH4_y9_H3ejjaWJsMBvndryUzt3-VeTJfx4R04/s1600/Q+Med.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzgkKkw1rUN2x3RzqOy6VNjCwlj-RiyM4kHinNdw1GPzJABhF3g9976DRKf9kwGrg6U1lt_VKJ-6AlKDcVMFCT3yRL9mL2JZRGSANE5RhH4_y9_H3ejjaWJsMBvndryUzt3-VeTJfx4R04/s320/Q+Med.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Saba Rock and Gorda Sound</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<span style="font-family: "cambria"; font-size: 12.0pt;"><br /></span>Mindy and Reinharthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08981248440494359738noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8290059571427331765.post-40498130516810982702017-01-19T14:05:00.001-08:002017-01-19T14:05:51.164-08:00A vacation from our vacation<div class="MsoNormal">
Back in November, we sailed down to the BVIs with the Salty
Dawg Rally.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Lots of boats left on
time heading out in front of a strong weather system off the US, but we were
part of a pack that stayed behind a few days and followed the storm out.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It was great going south with a rally -
we spoke with folks every morning on the SSB radio, and having a weather router
knocked 2 days off of our expected time.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>We arrived in Virgin Gorda 9 days after we left Hampton, VA. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
We spent a couple of weeks in the BVIs, mostly hanging out
with the Salty Dawgs, and then we headed over to St. Thomas in the USVI to
leave the boat in Red Hook while we went to Austria for the holidays.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Our friends Kristi and Will got us to
the airport for our vacation away from our vacation.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
We were with family and friends in Austria and Switzerland
for 6 weeks this year. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It is a
long time to be away from Rockhopper, but it is always so wonderful spending
all of that time with Reinhart’s Mom.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>It doesn’t matter how long you stay, though, because there are always
folks you don’t manage to see.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>I expect we’ll be back next year.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Now we are back in the Virgins.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We left Red Hook and came around the corner to spend a few
days in Secret Harbor which we enjoyed so much back in March.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And once again, Kristi and Will have
been so generous with their time and home.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We are heading over to St. John tomorrow to stay for a few
days, and then we’ll be back to St. Thomas next week to pick up Lori!</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
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<div class="MsoNormal">
We’ve got a few folks coming to visit over the next few
weeks in the Virgins, and then we’ll be heading over to St. Martin towards
mid-March and trying to decide whether we are going much further south.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We’ll be going back to Bermuda sometime
in May and heading up to Canada in June.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span></div>
Mindy and Reinharthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08981248440494359738noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8290059571427331765.post-55865881766825928282016-11-04T17:53:00.000-07:002016-11-04T17:53:52.568-07:00Virgin Bound<div class="MsoNormal">
It has been ages since I updated the blog.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Honestly, we are so busy having fun, I
can’t figure out when we ever had the time to work.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>When we last wrote, we were debating about whether to leave
Southwest Harbor in Maine.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We
ended up staying another couple of weeks, doing more hiking, biking,
museum-ing, and even getting to visit with friends Jeri and Marty who were up
in Maine for training.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We stayed
so long that we had to make one big 24-hour hop down to meet friends in
the Portsmouth/Kittery area.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We
got to spend more time with Christy (and Steve, and Sierra) which was lovely,
and Karen came down from New Hampshire for a couple of days.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We took Karen on a miserable pounding
motorsail over to Isle of Shoals, but had such a delightful anchorage, that all
was forgotten.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We had a nice sail
back to Kittery, which was over too fast, and we were ferrying Karen back to
her car and saying tearful goodbyes.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
We always have to make a little time for Gloucester, so we
stopped by for a couple of days before heading on down to Annapolis, MD.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We arrived in Woodsback Marina on September 27
after a 72-hour sail from Massachusetts.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>We were excited to have friends visit from DC (Clair, Neal, and Cara)
and to catch up with our cruising friends before the boat show took over.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The boat show still manages to kick our
butts for 3 weeks, but we get a little more time off than we used to, so we
don’t live in a state of complete exhaustion.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We certainly had time to spend lots of money, so we left
Annapolis after having done our part for the US economy.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
We managed to get in a quick roadtrip to NC to see friends
and family, but of course, we didn’t see everyone we hoped to.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Sooner or later, there will be enough
time to see everyone!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We rushed
back up to Annapolis to finish off a serious bit of maintenance, say goodbye to
John and Woodsback, and set sail for Hampton, VA.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Now we are in Hampton, VA with a group called the Salty
Dawgs.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We are going to the
Caribbean together, headed for the British Virgin Islands.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Our original speculative departure date
was set for Wednesday, Nov 2.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Due
to the weather, lots of boats left a day early, and about 25 boats decided to
wait a few more days.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As of this
writing, it looks like we’ll be leaving in a few hours, at 3am on Saturday, Nov
5.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It should take us 10-14 days to
get to Virgin Gorda in the British Virgin Islands. The next time we write, Rockhopper will be in the Caribbean, and as usual, you are all invited (seriously)! </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<a href="http://share.findmespot.com/shared/faces/viewspots.jsp?glId=0zkfK4iHexrN4hjGkdTxZUeYo8oZhnKF8" target="_blank">As usual we have Chuck’s spot tracking us (7daytrack)</a>.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
For this trip, t<a href="https://wx.ocens.com/everon/tracking3.php" target="_blank">he Salty Dawgs have a tracking page</a>.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<u style="text-underline: words;">Either</u> enter
“Rockhopper" under <i>Name</i> to track us, <u style="text-underline: words;">or</u>
enter “SDR” under <i>Group</i> to see the whole Salty Dawg Rally.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Update the dates (using a start date of
Nov 1 should be fine), and hit <i>View Map</i>.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<u>Rockhopper Anchorages: <o:p></o:p></u></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
44°16.770N 068°18.549W; Southwest Harbor, ME; 18Aug-15Sep16</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
43°04.758N 070°42.356W; Pepperell Cove mooring; Kittery, ME;
16Sep16</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
42°58.730N 070°36.706W; Isle of Shoals mooring (NH/ME
border); 17Sep16</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
43°04.764N 070°42.363W; Pepperell Cove mooring; Kittery, ME;
18-20Sep16</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
42°36.652N 070°39.362W; Gloucester (mooring), MA; 21-22Sep16</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
42°36.748N 070°39.048W; Brown’s Fuel Dock, Gloucester, MA; 23Sep16</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
37°57.989N 076°29.014W; Woodsback; Eastport, MD; 27Sep15-28Oct16</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
37°00.982N 076°20.477W; Bluewater Marina; Hampton, VA; 29Oct-05Nov16</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
Mindy and Reinharthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08981248440494359738noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8290059571427331765.post-64855578858890409932016-09-01T14:24:00.001-07:002016-09-01T14:24:28.200-07:00MDI<div class="MsoNormal">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYvzJbdQS87ygjfSyfAIgX9Pc6lTfgecIrAR7OpjSsp2aB8Z5LChWXZXf03C2zup1NIRZILgEh68DtGFJp7CWqelIVuGLHmM5dPDXsbgvwVLH5zNCEBmhPWwO0oem17capd6UPInT7mFAF/s1600/DSC06789-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYvzJbdQS87ygjfSyfAIgX9Pc6lTfgecIrAR7OpjSsp2aB8Z5LChWXZXf03C2zup1NIRZILgEh68DtGFJp7CWqelIVuGLHmM5dPDXsbgvwVLH5zNCEBmhPWwO0oem17capd6UPInT7mFAF/s200/DSC06789-1.jpg" width="133" /></a>We’ve loved Mt. Desert Island since the first time we were
here 10 years ago, and, like a decade ago, we are spending weeks rather than days
here.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We’ve been in the same
anchorage for 2 weeks and we aren’t showing any signs of getting ready to head
out. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Once we arrived we
didn’t see any more of those pesky flies, we had remarkably nice
weather, and our friends Jage and Bob aboard Beach House were here for company - all making it easier to stay!</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1ndvQ4lmCpLSr4GKZGcB8FDv4uu1xMfBbpYYsDr5Wja9eBBpEw9uqRqSM6B_ELXfE1NI-CDrs6tEq0CtC9Hx1N2P4fKGtJ-TayKEDzGoCEUsLEXPDUh9EyA6lCZ2YPtbTyOsb-KH9NsOp/s1600/DSC06739-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="133" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1ndvQ4lmCpLSr4GKZGcB8FDv4uu1xMfBbpYYsDr5Wja9eBBpEw9uqRqSM6B_ELXfE1NI-CDrs6tEq0CtC9Hx1N2P4fKGtJ-TayKEDzGoCEUsLEXPDUh9EyA6lCZ2YPtbTyOsb-KH9NsOp/s200/DSC06739-1.jpg" width="200" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1ndvQ4lmCpLSr4GKZGcB8FDv4uu1xMfBbpYYsDr5Wja9eBBpEw9uqRqSM6B_ELXfE1NI-CDrs6tEq0CtC9Hx1N2P4fKGtJ-TayKEDzGoCEUsLEXPDUh9EyA6lCZ2YPtbTyOsb-KH9NsOp/s1600/DSC06739-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><br /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1ndvQ4lmCpLSr4GKZGcB8FDv4uu1xMfBbpYYsDr5Wja9eBBpEw9uqRqSM6B_ELXfE1NI-CDrs6tEq0CtC9Hx1N2P4fKGtJ-TayKEDzGoCEUsLEXPDUh9EyA6lCZ2YPtbTyOsb-KH9NsOp/s1600/DSC06739-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><br /></a>We have been anchored in a calm and wildlife rich spot near the Claremont
Hotel in Southwest Harbor.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>A
majority of the Acadia National Park is on Mt. Desert Island and there is so
much to do here.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We can hike breathtaking
coastland or magnificent woodlands, bike miles of pleasant carriage roads, and browse
the museums and shops of the park and the quaint coastal towns.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We aren’t quite as connected up here as
we were just a few miles south - we don’t have wifi or TV at anchor, and we don’t
have predictable cell service at the boat or even in town. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So, at the moment we are sitting in
Southwest Harbor’s charming library, where the wifi is free and plentiful.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-2b55F2MpUAmAY-dzrWQIHptcTk9DktX_ZEBLpWbUjr29Jf9cRvlIkAWyvbwfr6gMcUex-bs_RtP9eIvcvaBGhfJJlrQ5A8qKEzaxACUvLJl451Hb2-TBhZZCX7GObyzVMYeeduA6CI6j/s1600/DSC06800-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="133" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-2b55F2MpUAmAY-dzrWQIHptcTk9DktX_ZEBLpWbUjr29Jf9cRvlIkAWyvbwfr6gMcUex-bs_RtP9eIvcvaBGhfJJlrQ5A8qKEzaxACUvLJl451Hb2-TBhZZCX7GObyzVMYeeduA6CI6j/s200/DSC06800-1.jpg" width="200" /></a>We aren’t quite sure what we’ll be doing with our next
couple of weeks.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There are
really only two choices, stay-put or move-on, and we haven’t quite
decided.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We thought that if we
came here we might be ending our chances of getting to Canada this year, and
this is the case.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Our Canadian
courtesy flag will just have to stand by for another year.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
What we are sure of is that we are planning on meeting
friends further south in mid September and then moving on down to Annapolis
around September 23.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We’ll stay at
Woodsback Marina again this year while we work the boat shows.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We are planning to drive down to NC at
the end of October for a quick visit before sailing down to the Caribbean in
November.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We’ll be leaving the boat
for several weeks in December while we go to Austria for the holidays.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Rockhopper will be ready for Caribbean
guests by mid-January.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<u>Rockhopper Anchorages: <o:p></o:p></u></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
44°16.770N 068°18.549W; Southwest Harbor, ME; 18Aug16…</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
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<!--StartFragment-->
<!--EndFragment--><br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
It has been a long time since we’ve posted any photos, so
here are a few:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPdozALrIohBqt7YUgyFSxmcEafmORKmeQKLUCWzmoIXgsSq4WnyQcZDXP3MHF1koteDFrpPehk0Mb2AC9QRvY5aTszsYsaN-3fYXXfv1mVI65uWgodIL7XMLuw6ToF63MbOMk2EbJhMTi/s1600/_RPM0800-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="282" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPdozALrIohBqt7YUgyFSxmcEafmORKmeQKLUCWzmoIXgsSq4WnyQcZDXP3MHF1koteDFrpPehk0Mb2AC9QRvY5aTszsYsaN-3fYXXfv1mVI65uWgodIL7XMLuw6ToF63MbOMk2EbJhMTi/s320/_RPM0800-1.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Our neighborhood seal</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</span></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirY4HP8-ohmjHwQtRNbLsLL6zDBQXRBxFh3pcZKvZcbdiAb9K77s6ELSTxWbTBcBtMjrAd7armVjY7_4CObZzHx7bdrTBm40_bJqN4piT61_qYHJ2PoAhzUNxqok_2J_nlpgPknbylR_CR/s1600/_RPM0844-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirY4HP8-ohmjHwQtRNbLsLL6zDBQXRBxFh3pcZKvZcbdiAb9K77s6ELSTxWbTBcBtMjrAd7armVjY7_4CObZzHx7bdrTBm40_bJqN4piT61_qYHJ2PoAhzUNxqok_2J_nlpgPknbylR_CR/s320/_RPM0844-1.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A foggy morning race</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhN5RH9BmjuUgvzFayLvXPYaK1jUz9gL-xeR0Cu-ay-uRvPRCaGQHaf0yOsBCn4dpj4ma02W-Xp_ZiKRwcetbojXEFcA1yeFFQPKX9orugyMNRBVbbJ4IcQhmmVWVPOk5QTyiUIAvp1YCbg/s1600/_RPM0832-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhN5RH9BmjuUgvzFayLvXPYaK1jUz9gL-xeR0Cu-ay-uRvPRCaGQHaf0yOsBCn4dpj4ma02W-Xp_ZiKRwcetbojXEFcA1yeFFQPKX9orugyMNRBVbbJ4IcQhmmVWVPOk5QTyiUIAvp1YCbg/s320/_RPM0832-1.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">You are right Denise, once you start looking, owls ARE everywhere!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglIOAwOT5_GnGO6WITUnXATMIOtSD7T3gsMlZsMIkKC5jHFPLpa4tYipB_0L-1n2T5R_LAckb0_ouusew-b28q66C3Gw6icJ3mPVUoIkX5VDrHLAXyazUphN6-YLT8XFKjjB6SHJZN6gEE/s1600/DSC06745-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglIOAwOT5_GnGO6WITUnXATMIOtSD7T3gsMlZsMIkKC5jHFPLpa4tYipB_0L-1n2T5R_LAckb0_ouusew-b28q66C3Gw6icJ3mPVUoIkX5VDrHLAXyazUphN6-YLT8XFKjjB6SHJZN6gEE/s320/DSC06745-1.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Echo Lake and Somes Sound behind it were formed by glaciers</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhw4JVwZS1-_i9hHu_QPOWU4pH9dW7XPkGY16MOq1bJHPWj9uvZ0nJdu42x5bOJ0YLHBDEBv9UmpjIcTDSvYQ4rQ_qs35cYJ6mOVjkie2c9xqRQoorxOIyX7HkKYESPiJV_L9jGJsP4JYRK/s1600/DSC06759-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhw4JVwZS1-_i9hHu_QPOWU4pH9dW7XPkGY16MOq1bJHPWj9uvZ0nJdu42x5bOJ0YLHBDEBv9UmpjIcTDSvYQ4rQ_qs35cYJ6mOVjkie2c9xqRQoorxOIyX7HkKYESPiJV_L9jGJsP4JYRK/s320/DSC06759-1.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A carriage road bridge </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjM0eHBM7LJ-TP32dJVezqHS8yeZq8w8j6j3GnFWA_PSmytcPOh14Km9yh_JIc8t2bk3dg69qB8tA_e3czXxZgwCT_Xp54_DXYUxmkZWmS_pFnuRjO12Nd6ng39KlnoeONePO43wZALDbRA/s1600/DSC06817-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjM0eHBM7LJ-TP32dJVezqHS8yeZq8w8j6j3GnFWA_PSmytcPOh14Km9yh_JIc8t2bk3dg69qB8tA_e3czXxZgwCT_Xp54_DXYUxmkZWmS_pFnuRjO12Nd6ng39KlnoeONePO43wZALDbRA/s320/DSC06817-1.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">We really appreciate the beautiful gardens.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxrHNoqUcL1v5R4DB3GyMRDdb0i5Lcc7r-2geaej8TExu8rKvrGy1FF9RsulQtrXcq6VwGwVsCw6Jcag3BgvpKChjIKKHxmxQaCIqjwQx4232eRuOKJ7iHEbPHLU-_zY8_hHR3XPkFCTkc/s1600/DSC06820-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxrHNoqUcL1v5R4DB3GyMRDdb0i5Lcc7r-2geaej8TExu8rKvrGy1FF9RsulQtrXcq6VwGwVsCw6Jcag3BgvpKChjIKKHxmxQaCIqjwQx4232eRuOKJ7iHEbPHLU-_zY8_hHR3XPkFCTkc/s320/DSC06820-1.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">pre-monarchs</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Mindy and Reinharthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08981248440494359738noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8290059571427331765.post-66316197602144078412016-08-17T13:36:00.001-07:002016-08-17T13:36:08.006-07:00Island Hopping in the NortheastOnce again, I am posting this via email in a place with marginal
<br>Internet connection, and I am not able to upload any photos.
<br>
<br>We are still recovering from our whirlwind July. We spent just a few
<br>days surrounded by the luxury of Newport. We left reluctantly, but
<br>promised ourselves we'd drop back by on our way south; however, we've
<br>been saying that about almost everywhere we go, so it is becoming
<br>clear that we'll run out of summer too early this season. On our way
<br>up to Gloucester we picked up a mooring at Bassetts Island, MA. We
<br>stopped here back in 2006 on our way north and we were happy to find
<br>out there are still free yacht club moorings available to folks who
<br>are waiting for a favorable current through the Cape Cod Canal. We
<br>were off the mooring at 3am for that favorable current and arrived in
<br>Gloucester later that day to hurriedly prepare Rockhopper for hauling
<br>out and ourselves for a road trip to NC and CO.
<br>
<br>The 3-week road trip gave us a lot of much needed quality time with
<br>family and friends. I was thrilled that we managed to see so many
<br>folks, but as usual there is never quite enough time for everyone.
<br>Hopefully, some folks will get a chance to visit us on the water in
<br>the next year. We certainly need to pay back the generosity and
<br>hospitality so many have shown us! We had so much fun that we didn't
<br>get a bit homesick for Rockhopper, but we were both happy to see her
<br>when we pulled back in the parking lot at Brown's.
<br>
<br>We spent another week back at Brown's, feeling like we were also
<br>spending time with old friends. We did our part for the US economy
<br>with all the work we had done while at Brown's, and it was becoming
<br>clear that we needed to head out of there before doing any more damage
<br>to the sailing kitty. We left Gloucester for a short sail up to
<br>Rockport MA, and then made our way to the Isle of Shoals on the New
<br>Hampshire/Maine border on Christy and Steve's advice. Upon entering
<br>the harbor a nearby sailor told us to feel free to pick up a yacht
<br>club mooring. There are nice hikes, awkwardly cute baby gulls, and
<br>lots of activity going on with the summer-camp style conference
<br>center. I can't believe we had never managed to visit before, and now
<br>we have a new convenient stop for north or southbound travel.
<br>
<br>I haven't been in the mood for a big multi-day passage, so we have
<br>been hopping our way north and east up the coast. We stopped in
<br>peaceful Seal Cove off Richmond Island for a couple of quiet days on
<br>the boat. We were ready for a little city life, so we picked up a
<br>mooring in Portland, ME for a couple of nights. It was a welcome
<br>change to be back in a town after a few remote anchorages. We bought
<br>fish from the waterfront market and found an excellent bakery (the
<br>kind of bakery with actual bread instead of cakes and pastries). We
<br>browsed the isles of a giant marine chandlery and purchased our
<br>Canadian courtesy flag. We were excited to go to the Portland Science
<br>Center, even though it turned out to be a highly priced Vegas-style
<br>Titanic exhibition.
<br>
<br>We sailed over to Jewell Island in the Casco Bay. We loved Jewell
<br>Island back in 2006 and it is just as wonderful as we remembered. We
<br>stayed for days and there were always a few boats in Cocktail Cove,
<br>and a high turnover, as they came in for lunch stops or for an
<br>overnight gathering. There were also lots of paddlers and campers.
<br>The island is part of the Maine Island Trail, and it is a former WWII
<br>fortification, which makes for a lot of unique hiking opportunities on
<br>this tiny island. We met the park caretaker one day and he invited us
<br>over to his cabin, which was a former homestead of the family who
<br>owned and farmed Jewell before it was a park. He is only there
<br>Thursday through Monday during the summer, and he has been restoring
<br>the cabin and it's garden as well as taking care of all of the
<br>campsites, trails, and former military installments on the islands.
<br>It is such a calm anchorage and I'm sure we'll be back.
<br>
<br>We sailed up to Tenants Harbor and anchored in nearby Long Cove. I
<br>was hoping for a charming little town to wander around. It ended up
<br>being a little more residential than we had anticipated, but there was
<br>still an ice cream shop and a general store for some freshies. Long
<br>Cove itself is a lovely anchorage, but the first night was interrupted
<br>at 4:30am with a raucous lobsterman making sure the anchored pleasure
<br>boats were up as early as he was. It was interesting though, watching
<br>the dozens of lobster boats heading out before dawn. We left Tenants
<br>Harbor and sailed through the islands of Penobscot Bay (and thousands
<br>of lobster traps) to an archipelago south of Stonington, Me.
<br>
<br>One thing I haven't mentioned is the weather and the flies. The
<br>weather has been all over the place, sunny, rainy, hot, cool, clear,
<br>and foggy. When we are closer to the mainland, it can be quite warm as
<br>the highs have gotten up into the 90s in the Portland area. Even on
<br>those days, if we are sailing to an outer island, it can be
<br>dramatically cooler, especially in wind or fog. The 65-degree sea
<br>temperatures really affect the air temperature when we are sailing.
<br>We still haven't had much of a mosquito problem, but we did start
<br>getting flies as soon as we hit Maine. We heard about the flies up
<br>here when we were sailing 10 years ago, but we never really
<br>experienced them. This year is different and we find ourselves
<br>battling flies about every other day. Thank goodness for our window
<br>screens and screen doors which keep us sane when the flies descend.
<br>
<br>The flies and the temperatures aren't a problem today though. I am
<br>typing away in a 72-degree boat, and we have a fly-free cockpit since
<br>the wind is raging outside of our anchorage off Hell's Half Acre
<br>(seriously, that's the name). Tomorrow we are headed for Mt. Desert
<br>Island, and the perfect balance of quiet anchorages, long trails,
<br>charming towns, stocked grocery stores, libraries with wifi, and a
<br>great transportation system!
<br>
<br>Rockhopper Anchorages:
<br>41°28.775N 071°19.673W; Newport, RI Anchorage; 25-28Jun16
<br>41°40.985N 070°38.244W; Bassett's Island mooring (Cape Cod Canal, MA); 29Jun16
<br>42°36.747N 070°39.013W; Brown's Yacht Yard, Gloucester, MA; 30Jun-02Aug16
<br>42°39.655N 070°37.152W; Rockport, MA; 03Aug16
<br>42°58.716N 070°36.637W; Isle of Shoals mooring (NH/ME border); 04-05Aug16
<br>43°32.981N 070°14.135W; Richmond Island (Seal Cove), ME; 06-07Aug16
<br>43°39.706N 070°14.443W; Portland Yacht Services mooring, ME; 08-09Aug16
<br>43°41.274N 070°05.459W; Jewell Island, ME; 10-13Aug16
<br>43°58.264N 069°11.383W; Tenants Harbor (Long Cove), ME; 14-15Aug16
<br>44°09.032N 068°37.473W; Camp Island and Hell's Half Acre, ME; 16-17Aug16Mindy and Reinharthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08981248440494359738noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8290059571427331765.post-72785781765342904652016-06-27T13:50:00.000-07:002016-06-27T14:09:35.195-07:00Thrash from the onion patch<div class="MsoNormal">
My attempt to update the blog during the passage via single
sideband radio failed, so I am updating you from beautiful Newport, RI instead.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We arrived at 1am Saturday
morning and have been desalting the boat, catching up on our sleep, and
enjoying this scenic yachty town.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Sorry
about the lack of photos, but in the meantime, here is a photo we were
surprised to find on marinetraffic.com, which must have been taken as we left
St. Martin in May.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiA5Y7hNlJDYL37UelKjcNQUIY7IPITuIj2R-r1EnrJBCMohNvhSup27O-NtBPI80nRym7hLrCDm5yOITbhKmgSTMpCoKWVpgGwJKKvrD2wSeDHU4PqBIZaIIRmlZ9PqIzYfNlQRL2HoJSo/s1600/ROCKHOPPER-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiA5Y7hNlJDYL37UelKjcNQUIY7IPITuIj2R-r1EnrJBCMohNvhSup27O-NtBPI80nRym7hLrCDm5yOITbhKmgSTMpCoKWVpgGwJKKvrD2wSeDHU4PqBIZaIIRmlZ9PqIzYfNlQRL2HoJSo/s320/ROCKHOPPER-1.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Rockhopper in passage mode</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Our passage from Bermuda was not exactly as expected.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We had a little bit of everything as
far as wind conditions on the trip.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>We had a couple of periods of great sailing, a couple of periods of such
light conditions we needed to motor, and a big chunk in the middle where we had
too much wind and sea for comfort.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>It was a fast trip, which is good because this is not a good time to be
lollygagging in the North Atlantic. The weather this spring has been
unpredictable.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I mean that in the
truest sense, two of our weather sources have commented on their struggles to
predict what these weather systems will do.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Luckily, we were able to rely on getting daily weather
updates via SSB, and the forecasts are fairly accurate within 24 hours. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
We started off the trip motor-sailing in light winds for the
first half day, and then had a lovely reach for the next day.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The winds were getting stronger and we
started reefing the main and jib.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>By the time we entered one of the weather systems we were expecting to
encounter, we were sailing with a double-reefed main and our tiny
staysail.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This system was
correctly predicted with 25-30 knot sustained winds 12-15’ seas, but still more
uncomfortable than I had expected.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>We have certainly sailed in higher winds before, and I expect we’ve been
in similar seas, but this felt like a true gale to me, and neither of us
enjoyed it in the least.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">[Now that we’ve spoken to some other boats that
were in the same conditions, we probably had a few hours with gusts in the
40-45 knot range that our instruments were not picking up.]</i> <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We were taking so many waves, that we closed
up our main hatch completely to keep the interior dry, and performed our
watches electronically, barely bothering to stick our heads in the
cockpit.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The rain, large waves,
and erratic movement kept us from being able to see anything. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Don’t worry, we can monitor our radar,
AIS, and all instruments at our interior navigation station.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Of course, we had our typical rough
weather reactions:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Reinhart was
seasick, and I had insomnia.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We experienced
uncomfortable conditions for a little over 24 hours with 6 especially bad
hours, but it felt like days.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We
were lucky that the wind conditions were not on our nose, and that they stayed
consistent during this time so we did not need to adjust the sails.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We were also lucky that we never had an
opposing current, so the sea itself was speeding us along through the trough,
and we made fantastic time. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Once we were through the trough, lots of sail adjustment was necessary as we
encountered fairer conditions and passed through the Gulf Stream.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We were pleased that the stream was not
a monster this time around, though at 5 knots it still pushed us farther east
than we had hoped.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Things were
settling down:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Rockhopper had
three full sails up, Reinhart could eat a cracker, and Mindy could take a
15-minute nap.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> W</span>inds slowly diminished north of the Gulf Stream and soon we were motor-sailing in light winds and glassy seas.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>As we neared the coast, winds started picking up and we had a whispery broad reach for the last 12 hours of the trip. I absolutely love it when it feels like we are sailing 3
knots, and I look up to see that we are flying along at 7 knots!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It made us forget our previous
atrocious weather and had the trip ending on a high note. </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
The last 24 hours also brought a few welcome rain showers rinsing
off the salt encrusted decks and sails.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>We also noticed a temperature drop, and we are giddy about experiencing
the sunny and cool northeast summer. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Once we got within 100 miles, I started noticing the floating
mylar balloons, something I haven’t seen since we were sailing off the US east
coast last summer.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Honestly,
folks, we have to stop buying these things, or at least stop releasing them
into the sky, because they end up in the ocean.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In the end, the 656 nm passage was 108 hours (45 of those
motoring, 41%), with a 6.1 knot average.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
We’ll only have a few days to enjoy Newport’s glorious
weather before we need to hurry ourselves up to Gloucester, MA.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I look at the chart and see we’ll be
passing up places we love like Martha’s Vineyard and Nantucket, and see that we
are still not getting to places in NY and CT that we always wanted to
visit.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We only have 3 months to
visit the northeast, and we have way too much to see and do.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We are almost regretting our decision
to take a road trip to NC and CO and lose a few weeks of our northeast cruising
time; however, that is far overpowered by our excitement to see friends and
family and several new additions.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It
is unfortunate that we’ll have to choose between places rather than visiting
them all - the plight of the cruiser. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
We’ll be in NC July 2-5, and in DEN July 10-16. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<u>Rockhopper Anchorages: <o:p></o:p></u></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
32°22.818N 064°40.369W; Convict Bay, St. George’s, Bermuda 15May
– 11Jun</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
32°22.831N 064°40.575W; St. George’s Wharf, Bermuda, 12-19Jun16</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
41°28.775N 071°19.673W; Newport, RI Anchorage; 25Jun16…</div>
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Mindy and Reinharthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08981248440494359738noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8290059571427331765.post-4192242513273541472016-06-20T07:33:00.001-07:002016-06-20T07:33:28.940-07:00On our way to the USA<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <o:OfficeDocumentSettings> <o:AllowPNG/> </o:OfficeDocumentSettings> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:WordDocument> <w:Zoom>0</w:Zoom> <w:TrackMoves>false</w:TrackMoves> <w:TrackFormatting/> <w:PunctuationKerning/> <w:DrawingGridHorizontalSpacing>18 pt</w:DrawingGridHorizontalSpacing> <w:DrawingGridVerticalSpacing>18 pt</w:DrawingGridVerticalSpacing> <w:DisplayHorizontalDrawingGridEvery>0</w:DisplayHorizontalDrawingGridEvery> <w:DisplayVerticalDrawingGridEvery>0</w:DisplayVerticalDrawingGridEvery> <w:ValidateAgainstSchemas/> <w:SaveIfXMLInvalid>false</w:SaveIfXMLInvalid> <w:IgnoreMixedContent>false</w:IgnoreMixedContent> <w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText>false</w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText> <w:Compatibility> <w:BreakWrappedTables/> <w:DontGrowAutofit/> <w:DontAutofitConstrainedTables/> <w:DontVertAlignInTxbx/> </w:Compatibility> </w:WordDocument> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:LatentStyles DefLockedState="false" LatentStyleCount="276"> </w:LatentStyles> </xml><![endif]--> <!--[if gte mso 10]> <style> /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:"Table Normal"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; mso-para-margin:0in; mso-para-margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:12.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-ascii-font-family:Cambria; mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-fareast; mso-hansi-font-family:Cambria; mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin;} </style> <![endif]--> <!--StartFragment--> <p class="MsoNormal">How quickly can I type? Please forgive any errors. Our engine is already running and we are getting ready to leave St. George's soon headed for Newport, RI. I just figured out that our wifi isn't strong enough to update the blog from the website, so I will be updating via email without any photos for links. </p> <p class="MsoNormal">We have been watching the weather closely since early June to make our trip to the northeast US, but it has been really hard to predict. This past year has been much harder for us to get a weather window going anywhere than it was back in 2007, or maybe we were just lucky then. It has given us time to do a lot of other things we hadn't had a chance for, like a very interesting visit to the folks up at Bermuda Radio, who are the Bermuda Coast Guard and port control for the island. </p> <p class="MsoNormal">We weren't quite ready to leave when a window popped up one morning about a week ago. Lots of folks headed out that morning, and we decided to pull up into one of their spots at the dock, so we could more easily get the boat ready for passage and be ready to leave on a moment's notice. We stayed in SSB radio contact with two of the vessels and were very glad we didn't leave with them. The weather turned out to be horrible and they both had miserable trips. We were glad we were waiting a couple of days, that turned into waiting 3 then 4 then 8 days. Now there is a big group of us heading to the US, about half the group is going to the Chesapeake, and many of us are heading to Newport. </p> <p class="MsoNormal">We were only planning on spending 2 nights on the wharf, and now we've spent 8 nights. That is a pretty luxurious splurge for us. We didn't have power or water here, but being able to hop off the boat whenever you want is pretty nice. We were also able to get wifi often and check all of the offshore weather support services available to us. Not surprisingly, the weather directly in Bermuda has also been a little squally this past week, and if we had stayed on anchor we might have been stuck on the boat several of those days to avoid a wet bumpy dinghy ride. </p> <p class="MsoNormal">The other positive thing about being on the wharf was being able to greet and meet the sailors coming from the Chespeake in the Annapolis-Bermuda race. It has been wonderful for us to socialize with other boats and we are meeting folks that we'll probably get to see again during the boat show. We were all huddled around computers every morning in the dock master's office checking out the weather. We might also be keeping in radio contact with them during the passage. </p> <p class="MsoNormal">Now the boats from the Newport-Bermuda race are just arriving, and we'll be passing some of them while we leave. One of the boats, Comanche, broke the Newport-Bermuda speed record by completing their trip in under 35 hours. The other boats will be taking at least 70 hours, and we will take ~120 hours. </p> <p class="MsoNormal">We'll have the spot tracker on as usual if you want to see where we are click the link in the sidebar. If you want to check out the whole fleet of boats arriving and departing Bermuda today check out an AIS tracking website like Marine Traffic. We should be showing up in Newport by Saturday evening. Our weather window is good, but spirited, so we might even arrive a day early. </p><div class="">I may run a test while we are at sea to see if I can update the blog from our super secret emergency email, which can send and recieve tiny email messages over our SSB radio. </div> <br class="">Mindy and Reinharthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08981248440494359738noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8290059571427331765.post-9013016521762799562016-06-07T13:45:00.001-07:002016-06-07T13:45:52.298-07:00I’d rather stay in Bermuda<div class="MsoNormal">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRHIQzuRpy1J-Efj7UuhOEPYfZ70lvsG7kInJRu7ytW4JIveLqj_EVXnY7JVqifx0uxgkZsunrbk3TsqXLfyFMcksB4_36YhrnJPqpc4xiWxsgbBtNVnYq8JutxxEp1XSqMhngM9hOWtqO/s1600/DSC06172-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="110" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRHIQzuRpy1J-Efj7UuhOEPYfZ70lvsG7kInJRu7ytW4JIveLqj_EVXnY7JVqifx0uxgkZsunrbk3TsqXLfyFMcksB4_36YhrnJPqpc4xiWxsgbBtNVnYq8JutxxEp1XSqMhngM9hOWtqO/s200/DSC06172-1.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
More than 3 weeks have passed since we arrived in Bermuda,
and I haven’t taken any time to write about it. I’ll try to remember everything that has happened in the
past month! </div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Our sail north to Bermuda was a different experience every
day.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We had fast days that were
either uncomfortable or idyllic, we had downwind sails that were miserable or
magical, and we had light winds that had us motoring.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We crossed a trough, which promised big winds, big seas, and
big rain, but ended up causing us no problems at all.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We had a few problems with our autopilot and wind steering
that we’ve had on passages before, and these are things that we’ll continue to
troubleshoot.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHMczZd07jQbDsDkPGGH27U974FN575WZP4NykEMbCr0PXYpu03m3BIgzoErXgjMuBMiq8vuSUOWuCzbz26NZApEy3zI5q1cC4cTW0PHYhFEE3YDeGb_oWcQ3Gre7oNW_cELXUl4cDkk6D/s1600/DSC06090-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="133" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHMczZd07jQbDsDkPGGH27U974FN575WZP4NykEMbCr0PXYpu03m3BIgzoErXgjMuBMiq8vuSUOWuCzbz26NZApEy3zI5q1cC4cTW0PHYhFEE3YDeGb_oWcQ3Gre7oNW_cELXUl4cDkk6D/s200/DSC06090-1.jpg" width="200" /></a>We did experience one new predicament – a fouled prop!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>One night, the engine rpm
suddenly dropped during Reinhart’s watch.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>We were both up and about with headlamps trying to figure out what
happened.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The engine was
thoroughly investigated and then we decided it must be something caught around
the propeller.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In the dark, however,
there was no way to be sure.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Luckily, the wind was just picking up to something sailable and we set
the spinnaker at midnight.</div>
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In the morning, we dropped sail so Reinhart could hop into
the 16,000’ deep water and look at the prop.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He took all kinds of safety precautions, but I was still
terrified.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There was a large green
poly net caught around the prop.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Our line cutter on the shaft had done its job cutting all of the lines,
so nothing would become hopelessly wrapped around the shaft, but the net managed
to stay hooked onto the propeller.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Reinhart could easily pull it off and didn’t have to spend an hour
trying to dive down and cut off a tangled mess.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Overall, it was a great first dive on the prop, and much
better in the middle of the ocean than in the middle of the Chesapeake.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3jLZoqBrWTO-eQdaj0ofSE9IT18gf1DlVI3RGqAHVVTtWHNkFWsWHQxboopiNV2brUHBELIM9bZ1a7zgwBkE7r-K54NB5XjZym-O_4zmN_QuFRp7XQdrG-ptSctOZ1eeL3y_pOsYERCbg/s1600/DSC06181-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="133" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3jLZoqBrWTO-eQdaj0ofSE9IT18gf1DlVI3RGqAHVVTtWHNkFWsWHQxboopiNV2brUHBELIM9bZ1a7zgwBkE7r-K54NB5XjZym-O_4zmN_QuFRp7XQdrG-ptSctOZ1eeL3y_pOsYERCbg/s200/DSC06181-1.jpg" width="200" /></a>We arrived in Bermuda at sunset on Sunday May 15, checking
in with the friendly and helpful customs and immigration folks in the town of
St. George’s, before anchoring for the evening.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Overall, the trip was 878 nm in 151 hours (5.8 kt avg).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It was feast or famine with the winds,
and we sailed pretty fast most of the time, but ended up having to motor for 40
hours when the winds died in the middle of the trip.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1h792iXdAj41Txgpl8JaFYb_L4xb60Opio78xQ-Ux_M4yZse9QCb3vTa3PyX_fK3IJo4YzNlSyELkxLa9sKgPo3T8mCIJs1hjO6lMBVpAVgXfpJ8SAjRHGmu3mkLjmP25SkpjCApP6Wz2/s1600/DSC06257-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="133" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1h792iXdAj41Txgpl8JaFYb_L4xb60Opio78xQ-Ux_M4yZse9QCb3vTa3PyX_fK3IJo4YzNlSyELkxLa9sKgPo3T8mCIJs1hjO6lMBVpAVgXfpJ8SAjRHGmu3mkLjmP25SkpjCApP6Wz2/s200/DSC06257-1.jpg" width="200" /></a>We spent one full day on board, cleaning the boat and
getting it back into port mode, but since then we’ve been heading into land
every day, enjoying Beautiful Bermuda.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>When we visited the tourist office we found out that we are famous!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>During our trip in 2007, a photographer
from Bermuda Tourism took some photos of us in a park with a model, and they
are still using one of the pictures in the guidebook.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We were thrilled.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrOGh5NyB0T0Qcvn34cYH4PUYYxxtGnkj5HYg2mMmbQ7BqZ53YEsMoRBObHFGmY9s6aUVKYDIzAWwMKodUdIv4nqXukF2jmvcV4Y5nfzMs0HINwr3yNSpbCNCqla6YFmGJGbXB_8p5Sk12/s1600/DSC06189-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="141" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrOGh5NyB0T0Qcvn34cYH4PUYYxxtGnkj5HYg2mMmbQ7BqZ53YEsMoRBObHFGmY9s6aUVKYDIzAWwMKodUdIv4nqXukF2jmvcV4Y5nfzMs0HINwr3yNSpbCNCqla6YFmGJGbXB_8p5Sk12/s200/DSC06189-1.jpg" width="200" /></a>We started visiting all of those sites that Bermuda is
famous for – beaches, forts, churches, and cemeteries.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>A few days later we met up with Gary
and Chris, our Bermuda experts, and saw some unique beaches and cemeteries that
we’d never heard of.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>While they
were here, Bermuda celebrated its big holiday, Bermuda Day, which acts as the
summer kick-off.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The parade in
Hamilton was so much fun and had us all feeling like a part of the
community.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgP1zPvtwOM3-O646NO1Y19FDgTaVrPOHGgVfz8z30XHk0yNoutBG584rKmzR0lO59UlPcUxDJhAvl_rceqUuWPO0PO0L2mfIbCw93krTDY6JDJX37iPzYwpgVXXcIjabQnFXZ-5dJdCsik/s1600/_RPM0438-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="133" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgP1zPvtwOM3-O646NO1Y19FDgTaVrPOHGgVfz8z30XHk0yNoutBG584rKmzR0lO59UlPcUxDJhAvl_rceqUuWPO0PO0L2mfIbCw93krTDY6JDJX37iPzYwpgVXXcIjabQnFXZ-5dJdCsik/s200/_RPM0438-1.jpg" width="200" /></a>A few days later Kevin
arrived, and we spent more time visiting beaches, forts, churches, and
cemeteries.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We had a great time
with Kevin aboard.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The 3 of us
visited the Blue Hole Park and Tom Moore’s Jungle.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This was a nice hiking wilderness we visited in 2007 and we
thought it would be fun to go back with flashlights.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>That decision paid off and we found our way into a large
cave.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It was a treat, fumbling
around in the slippery salt water cave, blinding each other with our headlamps,
steadying ourselves on stalagmites and trying not to bump our heads
on pointy stalactites.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span></div>
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<div class="MsoNormal">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0i6ipAIl7mZmPkVYtbvunqJriYEOOtXwI5RJFfnIMAhiD2-vz5KG0Q3IwD0h9OyvwgbbeCSg-JS_mDqhptJqQFcMGvBml42L9L_Sb3ionO9jXdpMxZ4U9G5w-iVuP8xBhNxt7A7kk5X5I/s1600/DSC06231-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="133" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0i6ipAIl7mZmPkVYtbvunqJriYEOOtXwI5RJFfnIMAhiD2-vz5KG0Q3IwD0h9OyvwgbbeCSg-JS_mDqhptJqQFcMGvBml42L9L_Sb3ionO9jXdpMxZ4U9G5w-iVuP8xBhNxt7A7kk5X5I/s200/DSC06231-1.jpg" width="200" /></a>Once Kevin left, we decided to investigate a research
vessel, the Atlantic Explorer, which was docked near the airport.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We found out that it is part of the
Bermuda Institute of Ocean Sciences (BIOS), and once we called, we found out
that they give a tour once a month, and that it was happening the next
day.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The tour was so much more
than we imagined, and we went to 5 different labs where a scientist gave us
their background and a presentation on their current research.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It was all so familiar, with scientific
posters of krill, tarapods, and urchins.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>We ended with a tour of the Atlantic Explorer, which reminded me so much
of the LMG and NBP (it even had an isotope van).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It reminded us so much of our time in the Antarctic program
that I became downright homesick for Crary or Biolab.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
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<div class="MsoNormal">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIcfG3idWtI5Y2M7HTbYyDOnuDiXrGKXPjBw0ENxEFSRRxUtyID1_cWEdFqN4P1mxwyFTEbnbYVmdCOZybwxz8t_e0agbVw3zelQq8BzO627NnpbDSjBvvaVYqISbbOuxWQDuAiBit9-Vi/s1600/_RPM0520-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="123" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIcfG3idWtI5Y2M7HTbYyDOnuDiXrGKXPjBw0ENxEFSRRxUtyID1_cWEdFqN4P1mxwyFTEbnbYVmdCOZybwxz8t_e0agbVw3zelQq8BzO627NnpbDSjBvvaVYqISbbOuxWQDuAiBit9-Vi/s200/_RPM0520-1.jpg" width="200" /></a>Since that highlight we’ve been running around seeing more
sights, such as the aquarium and Natural History Museum.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We also attended the St. George’s annual
Rubber Ducky Race.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It was a big
family fair with lots of fun for kids, local crafts, and dance
performances.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The Bermudians host such
fun celebrations that make everyone feel like a local.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
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<div class="MsoNormal">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWJHFikS7iv5PdvBTtJbNcCsN9J30sSEZiGm4yIH1hMch3fZgfS-nrYYcVY-EpDtFrak0gwi1HB0gLV1_UUTrcRZUssmTilK9g3cWY23B1CQjV65LGgckHfw8oC-iLqxiMP7V3KTWN7pcs/s1600/DSC06249-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="133" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWJHFikS7iv5PdvBTtJbNcCsN9J30sSEZiGm4yIH1hMch3fZgfS-nrYYcVY-EpDtFrak0gwi1HB0gLV1_UUTrcRZUssmTilK9g3cWY23B1CQjV65LGgckHfw8oC-iLqxiMP7V3KTWN7pcs/s200/DSC06249-1.jpg" width="200" /></a>Our original plan was to stay about 3 weeks, leaving soon after
Kevin departed. However, Tropical
Storm Bonnie was making her way across the Atlantic and it wasn’t the right
time to head west. Now we’ve got
TS Colin causing all sorts of commotion in the harbor, with gale force winds
forecasted over the next 48 hours.
Once Colin has raced by, there are a couple of low-pressure systems
coming off North America that are real humdingers. It looks like we’ll be in Bermuda for another week or two
while we wait for the weather to settle down. We are in a lovely spot to be weathered-in, and will not be
bored with Bermuda anytime soon.</div>
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"You can go to heaven if you want. I’d rather stay in Bermuda." - Mark Twain</div>
Mindy and Reinharthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08981248440494359738noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8290059571427331765.post-17389420864359913422016-05-07T14:57:00.000-07:002016-05-07T14:57:01.580-07:00Northbound<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbapaYU_btA3xbB0TZlGYVPiX-j0EYDdxo3hK2albgx00ZEjxSemfd88QpNMsgmJ77zlWinhpoow_DQ5vhxMXHbsyuUNdlWoSxffQaELkfV5fMIO5P-lNtPkX3VEQIMJUIXRsZOBnnvHLY/s1600/DSC06042-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="58" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbapaYU_btA3xbB0TZlGYVPiX-j0EYDdxo3hK2albgx00ZEjxSemfd88QpNMsgmJ77zlWinhpoow_DQ5vhxMXHbsyuUNdlWoSxffQaELkfV5fMIO5P-lNtPkX3VEQIMJUIXRsZOBnnvHLY/s400/DSC06042-1.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The view from Colombier</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 11.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">It
seems like all of the boats are eager to be on the move right now. Many of the boats are heading south, to
get just below the hurricane belt for the summer. That doesn’t sound very pleasant to us, and we’ll be going
to Bermuda and then on to the US and Canada instead. Have we mentioned it is
hot? It doesn’t sound so bad – it gets into the high 80s during the day and
drops into the low 80s at night. However, with both the heat and humidity on the rise, it is on the
sweltering side of comfortable right now, and it is time to go north. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNEwBGLZczmz5LaRQVXEklkRJdWyvaB44Sd6xHiuXPOwJ-P3QpJwVlMxwkVfqbTsDBKO_-0w9OtYAych7FXMwgmFrwdQrd7TN5OFmf7KLR4py8f0xKof1feNa56DcMv-kI5CiIvRgR7DJq/s1600/DSC06010-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNEwBGLZczmz5LaRQVXEklkRJdWyvaB44Sd6xHiuXPOwJ-P3QpJwVlMxwkVfqbTsDBKO_-0w9OtYAych7FXMwgmFrwdQrd7TN5OFmf7KLR4py8f0xKof1feNa56DcMv-kI5CiIvRgR7DJq/s320/DSC06010-1.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Rockhopper on a mooring in Anse du Colombier</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 11pt;">We
spent the last week of April preparing the boat for passage in lovely St.
Barth. We spent a couple of nights
in the outer anchorage at Gustavia, which started getting a little rough when
the winds turned and left the open anchorage exposed. We then headed over to quiet Anse du Colombier for 3
nights. </span><span style="font-size: 15px;">Colombia</span><span style="font-size: 11pt;"> is a protected bay
in the marine park; it has great swimming and a couple of nice hikes.</span><span style="font-size: 11pt;"> <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSkl4dtdy7bs_N1wfBFLlpnwa_RMz5qKrvZz1uFMGTIEazZXjXBvqezxfQgxaaoKmCQLG1Ri8FTnOslL6ZZh68S4m412FWYIYwiiMXtaH8dq_AvF6vK5AR_JBGxhaiSM52XN7q6Av373lq/s1600/DSC05993-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="118" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSkl4dtdy7bs_N1wfBFLlpnwa_RMz5qKrvZz1uFMGTIEazZXjXBvqezxfQgxaaoKmCQLG1Ri8FTnOslL6ZZh68S4m412FWYIYwiiMXtaH8dq_AvF6vK5AR_JBGxhaiSM52XN7q6Av373lq/s200/DSC05993-1.jpg" width="200" /></a><span style="font-size: 11.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">One
day we walked to one of the beaches on the north side of the island, and saw
several tortoises, iguanas, and few other large lizards. We also hiked up to the village of
Colombier which sits on a cliff 500’ over the bay. We spent a lot of time
checking systems and rigging, and moving our “fun” gear into deeper storage
while making our safety and rescue gear easily assessable.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Lots of stuff has to wait for last
minute though, like deflating and stowing the dinghy on deck, and setting up
the windvane.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwnm3g0k4V5cIxo_XxH-5SEIWQLFrN_mZrCuOd2XJ130thsdEuqdBMGzVUHQpyNuAoQuCwELoTO8hiFG0F4H50QLqhgLGWzkcviEIuk6IDNm_VOFzWqDHV6N8XT4Xdj1kSseQxYlW131Co/s1600/DSC05997-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="133" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwnm3g0k4V5cIxo_XxH-5SEIWQLFrN_mZrCuOd2XJ130thsdEuqdBMGzVUHQpyNuAoQuCwELoTO8hiFG0F4H50QLqhgLGWzkcviEIuk6IDNm_VOFzWqDHV6N8XT4Xdj1kSseQxYlW131Co/s200/DSC05997-1.jpg" width="200" /></a><span style="font-size: 11.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">We
are back in St. Martin now.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We
entered the lagoon to fill up our diesel tanks before we leave on passage, just
over 100 gallons this time around.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We were thrilled to drop our anchor and discover that we have access to
wifi at the boat for the first time in the lagoon – unlocked wifi has been a
pretty rare occurrence anywhere this time around. There was lots of shopping to
get accomplished as well.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The
variety of items at the grocery stores is excellent, the prices are comparable
to the US, and vices (alcohol and cigars) are duty free, so we are happy to
take advantage of that as well.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We
had oodles of last minute things to do, but now that we are “stuck” here in
paradise, we have to undo and redo some of our preparations while we wait.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 11.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-Cl1OPupCUZ-qkeNWW8oy3r-JraZXwQK-nc0zmRcQnMXWwxbGP2hmX2EiveEGcYEKQkt0CU42lfCPLN6EEFr0vqdXyGZTkXk62g1odX54fx-1Pp2MyiSfzGxBMz22aN1xEZVoe9KcyoiW/s1600/Grib+capture+for+blog.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="272" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-Cl1OPupCUZ-qkeNWW8oy3r-JraZXwQK-nc0zmRcQnMXWwxbGP2hmX2EiveEGcYEKQkt0CU42lfCPLN6EEFr0vqdXyGZTkXk62g1odX54fx-1Pp2MyiSfzGxBMz22aN1xEZVoe9KcyoiW/s320/Grib+capture+for+blog.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This is the ominous weather system we are avoiding.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 11.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">We
were hoping to be on our way north at this point already.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>However, a large low-pressure system in
the US is affecting the weather from Bermuda all the way down to the Caribbean,
and we are waiting it out. We’ve
been listening daily to our favorite weather man, Chris Parker, discuss the
weather with his subscribers at 6am (ugh).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Some of them are caught up in violent squalls and we are
glad we waited.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We think we’ll end
up leaving this Monday after the trough has dissipated.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> It</span> is just a week later than what we
planned, but it feels like we’ve been waiting for weeks. The trip from St. Martin to Bermuda is 900
miles, which will take 7-9 days of 24 hour sailing. Reinhart and I alternate
3-hour on-watch shifts.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Back in
2007, it took us just 6 days to make it, but we were sailing extremely fast and
can’t count on that every time. <o:p></o:p></span><span style="font-size: 11pt;">No
matter what, we are hoping to arrive by May 18.</span><span style="font-size: 11pt;"> </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 11.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">Once
we head out, we’ll start sending daily-preprogrammed location emails to a small
list of folks using the spot tracker. If you are interested in tracking us,
<a href="http://share.findmespot.com/shared/faces/viewspots.jsp?glId=0zkfK4iHexrN4hjGkdTxZUeYo8oZhnKF8" target="_blank">here is the link to Rockhopper’s spot page</a>, which shows the last 7 days of
locations</span><span style="font-size: 11.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">. Another way to check us out is by using a marine traffic
tracking program to see our AIS signal, like marinetraffic.com.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<u><span style="font-size: 11.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">Rockhopper
Anchorages: <o:p></o:p></span></u></div>
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<span style="font-size: 11.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">17°54.011N
062°51.469W; Gustavia Outer Harbor, St. Barth 25-26Apr16<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 11.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">17°55.503N
062°52.146W; Anse du Colombier mooring, St. Barth 27-29Apr16<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 11.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">18°02.374N
063°05.648W; Simpson Bay Lagoon, Sint Maarten; 30Apr16…<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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Mindy and Reinharthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08981248440494359738noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8290059571427331765.post-81779436604695340622016-04-26T12:41:00.001-07:002016-04-26T12:41:23.151-07:00Lollygagging in the Leewards<div class="MsoNormal">
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioU4AGM3Cx948OCQtHoqJbWwv0gXx2q-QkX0VFZhRKZKfe8InOupHkkUBCRh3LXAx2nWUSV9_eR4qXI6pYEpv-He7ibYdQzWhSYC5Co7f5mia97J38h1xBa6vh-zXdr1kqiob7S1vxdpKa/s1600/DSC05749-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="149" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioU4AGM3Cx948OCQtHoqJbWwv0gXx2q-QkX0VFZhRKZKfe8InOupHkkUBCRh3LXAx2nWUSV9_eR4qXI6pYEpv-He7ibYdQzWhSYC5Co7f5mia97J38h1xBa6vh-zXdr1kqiob7S1vxdpKa/s200/DSC05749-1.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A spotted eagle ray under the boat.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2ou6hh06QGtvlyJ6rF4WFpDJAtGPORksNP-XL_wFSMmvHd5QDkPSfznh98mYhddTpngPsYPZnvzpobYjsRD_FPtMY0ZcxveQ6u8ApK4rr0p6pNsLia-r4_Ed1NnbgaN-PLUzqK5KuVM-E/s1600/_RPM0421-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="133" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2ou6hh06QGtvlyJ6rF4WFpDJAtGPORksNP-XL_wFSMmvHd5QDkPSfznh98mYhddTpngPsYPZnvzpobYjsRD_FPtMY0ZcxveQ6u8ApK4rr0p6pNsLia-r4_Ed1NnbgaN-PLUzqK5KuVM-E/s200/_RPM0421-1.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">and a booby on the bow</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</div>
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We circumnavigated St. Martin. We spent some time in chic
Marigot, had a couple of lovely nights and a fabulous meal in gastronomic Grand
Case, spent an evening on a mooring off the deserted island of Tintamarre, and
ended up in famous Orient Beach for a night. Reinhart took the photos below in
one of the anchorages. We’ve both often said “what green flash…you guys are
just imagining it”, but now that we caught it on camera, we have to apologize
to you (for instance, Cara). </div>
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgP5UnX0NTyMKkSQfk-bwsd32PFiyG0ilkDydfr46cN4Calw7Ls2Z8nU00MBgocMxC3Lst_8fn0rR4LBLLKKBZckMnL7svfpuiaBaUlypDhV1lGEtfuzFXC9Fb1b6pJtWEVnispqabjUCoC/s1600/_RPM0302-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="100" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgP5UnX0NTyMKkSQfk-bwsd32PFiyG0ilkDydfr46cN4Calw7Ls2Z8nU00MBgocMxC3Lst_8fn0rR4LBLLKKBZckMnL7svfpuiaBaUlypDhV1lGEtfuzFXC9Fb1b6pJtWEVnispqabjUCoC/s200/_RPM0302-1.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Green Flash!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFpwcUSO3FkkLA7YlSY5IjQCp5m2yoCviHmSCvp4NMxCLCmF57gOt3QCx8LYTQuxbl2PuXvfP4yyf_1twKGqxDypFWZocNdsIRmUqzzhqVOmJIkReGQrhRuGTBtzi15VEbuGcJnKHIdVZR/s1600/_RPM0301-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="110" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFpwcUSO3FkkLA7YlSY5IjQCp5m2yoCviHmSCvp4NMxCLCmF57gOt3QCx8LYTQuxbl2PuXvfP4yyf_1twKGqxDypFWZocNdsIRmUqzzhqVOmJIkReGQrhRuGTBtzi15VEbuGcJnKHIdVZR/s200/_RPM0301-1.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Almost there...</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXVwkcH-i1mjdro4ANxyhMFTb6NI1OVCzzY7Tf_LBpeGyss5-OBGL-OBKFiSFX9wCvGtVJNRthS6_mXr3Nb727sewWxydrAve_bM8MU81jplkdaG3I1NliMeBDY_iF16yeKqK5sISD6G2f/s1600/_RPM0354-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="202" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXVwkcH-i1mjdro4ANxyhMFTb6NI1OVCzzY7Tf_LBpeGyss5-OBGL-OBKFiSFX9wCvGtVJNRthS6_mXr3Nb727sewWxydrAve_bM8MU81jplkdaG3I1NliMeBDY_iF16yeKqK5sISD6G2f/s320/_RPM0354-1.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Les Voiles de Saint-Barth, Day 2 start</td></tr>
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We heard there was a race in St. Barth, so we sailed over a day early hoping to catch it. We were so glad we got in early enough to
get a good spot in the outer anchorage, because it filled up over the next
several days. The race is called the <i>Les Voiles de Saint-Barth</i>, and there were
many classes of race boat represented. The boats ranged from 22’ with 6-8 crew members
all the way up to over 100’ with 20-25 crewmembers (mostly rail meat). It was a
lot of fun climbing up to Fort Carl and watching the boats waiting together in
the start area with their main sails up. We’d listen to the VHF radio
announcement of each race start and try to figure out which class would be
hoisting their headsails and taking off. The wind was very light for the whole
week, so they weren’t particularly fast races. The time passed quickly in St.
Barth though, and before we knew it a week had passed.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvTGYzu3c-hQp9FFNd8uHIkobLSBaiZLxp9z5yBCChDk0b_ElYZNOQvjU6F6KEwaf9PCUZQolQlhUBF3rDdsr_MLRIEtZEE9y9avkb8k3inB1q1KfZIEPo6veWrzDBev7DLITpEzu2D27S/s1600/_RPM0394-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvTGYzu3c-hQp9FFNd8uHIkobLSBaiZLxp9z5yBCChDk0b_ElYZNOQvjU6F6KEwaf9PCUZQolQlhUBF3rDdsr_MLRIEtZEE9y9avkb8k3inB1q1KfZIEPo6veWrzDBev7DLITpEzu2D27S/s320/_RPM0394-1.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">During the race, a few different classes represented</td></tr>
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We were eager to get back to St. Martin for a gathering of
northbound sailors on Saturday afternoon. We checked-out of St. Barth
customs/immigration/port control on Saturday morning, weighed anchor, had a
lovely 3 hour sail back to Simpson Bay, anchored outside of the bridge,
checked-in with Dutch St. Maarten customs/immigration/port control, and were at
Lagoonies in time for a good seat for the presentation! We stayed in town a few
more days to do a couple thousand dollars of upgrades to the boat (St. Martin
is good and bad that way). We checked-out and weighed anchor before we could do
any more improvements to the boat (or damage to the bank account) and headed
for Saba.</div>
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Click <a href="http://sailmaia.blogspot.com/2007_05_01_archive.html" target="_blank">here</a> to look at our sailmaia blog from May of 2007 where
we talk about our similar experiences in the Leeward Islands.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4cD2KaadDAWoA0Ne6Vg9r4bNAcawI0EGi5AjZ7UhYryahq3V0QXusXfNf83ATytUiC7hxC9EcpFq5gTsH6fYxQIB9eEKETX2IVLZkunDG3ZOpKLJ3sSTCQ5SuyvLYHsNBK8TjHrUxfky2/s1600/DSC05821-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4cD2KaadDAWoA0Ne6Vg9r4bNAcawI0EGi5AjZ7UhYryahq3V0QXusXfNf83ATytUiC7hxC9EcpFq5gTsH6fYxQIB9eEKETX2IVLZkunDG3ZOpKLJ3sSTCQ5SuyvLYHsNBK8TjHrUxfky2/s320/DSC05821-1.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Bottom, Saba</td></tr>
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Saba was one of our favorite islands in 2007.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>That year, we had anchored in Ladder
Bay, beached the dinghy every day and walked up hundreds of steps to visit the
island. We had a magical broad reach down to Saba, and due to a late start came
into Fort Bay on the south side of the island a little later than expected. The
park moorings were all taken and we anchored in the extremely rough port to check-in
and speak with the marine park representative. He discouraged us from going to
Ladder Bay to pick up any of those empty moorings because of the large swell,
and he said we shouldn’t ever try to land a dinghy there, and seemed a bit shocked
that we had in the past. </div>
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjibqCqXer5e8HXnl2GaUJRKXNsXJ-moQBSUnTHcWHmluob_hzz2xpoV9ZNM7SF6TRl0b_aOxlfEcS8_r878RMxeniYW69NlJewR9ShNGtW2mEjxTdhQgs-t808rLS5JtUDIO1MphI1yohD/s1600/DSC05818-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjibqCqXer5e8HXnl2GaUJRKXNsXJ-moQBSUnTHcWHmluob_hzz2xpoV9ZNM7SF6TRl0b_aOxlfEcS8_r878RMxeniYW69NlJewR9ShNGtW2mEjxTdhQgs-t808rLS5JtUDIO1MphI1yohD/s320/DSC05818-1.jpg" width="211" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Windwardside cottage</td></tr>
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The next morning we switched over to a vacated mooring
and headed in to walk the steep volcanic island. First, we walked up the steep
road from the port to the village of The Bottom. The town was just as clean,
quiet, and pretty as we remembered. We went over to the west side and walked
down The Ladder. The beach at the bottom of The Ladder is no longer there; all
of the sand has washed away and left a thin strip of rocky land. We understand
why no one lands dinghies anymore! We had lunch in town and felt shabby
compared to all of the business folks dressed up for work in suits and dresses.
One of the things we loved about Saba that hasn’t changed is their wonderful
trail system. Until the 1950s, these tracks were the only way to get around the
island, so they are mature and well maintained. This time, rather than hiking
to the top of Mt Scenic (at 3000’ is the highest point in the Netherlands!), we
hiked up and across the island to the town of Windwardside. Windwardside is
similar to The Bottom, almost as charming but with a better view of the ocean,
and a bit more of a touristy feel…no suits and dresses on this side! We headed
back over the trail and realized we might have been overambitious with our
walking. I had no problem with the uphill portion, but the 2000’ back down to
the boat was very hard for me and I had to take it pretty slow, getting us back
to the dinghy just after sunset. The winds and waves had not calmed at all and
we spent one of our roughest nights ever in a harbor – it felt like we were on
passage. In calmer conditions we probably would have spent another night or two
in Saba, but it was just too much, so we decided to sail over to St. Eustatius
(Statia) and hope Oranjestad was a bit calmer. </div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSHo9a2uelV5DqUo30w0t0fYCPHS2gVuOtUuOST8zRY01KSwQXbk4DCGc_LmJCXMjWCz2Uux0FN2E9Q9AHp2_B-ZJo7BvmQFdVKi6ITltRkuEoEQIOpDnUN9E_DxGRRBvdif4tEpYMKZLi/s1600/DSC05839-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSHo9a2uelV5DqUo30w0t0fYCPHS2gVuOtUuOST8zRY01KSwQXbk4DCGc_LmJCXMjWCz2Uux0FN2E9Q9AHp2_B-ZJo7BvmQFdVKi6ITltRkuEoEQIOpDnUN9E_DxGRRBvdif4tEpYMKZLi/s320/DSC05839-1.jpg" width="270" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Rockhopper in the line of fire at Oranje Baai</td></tr>
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The sail over to Orangestad was not nearly as nice as our
broad reach to Saba a couple days before.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>We were close hauled in choppy conditions and those few hours seemed longer
than they actually were. We were thrilled to pull into Oranjestad and find the
anchorage was unusually calm…for one night. The harbor got progressively rolly
over the next couple of nights and we ended up setting a stern anchor, which
successfully kept us pointed into the swell. We walked up the cobbled path to the
upper town. When we were here in 2007 they were doing a lot of restoration, and
those efforts have come a long way. </div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgILjmo9PFe4ntVbDAP3sIgCxdoproEoZBPZAAf_ZwkQ5GVIVT9D0vTU5aiaJyL3Yu0pjl0fT3Axre3ADYR5EQjgQ6Im_D7lztVE7EEvYTVlh-PJvHBYxTh1dkWe_25rqrhc1RA4z4QwPd/s1600/DSC05873-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgILjmo9PFe4ntVbDAP3sIgCxdoproEoZBPZAAf_ZwkQ5GVIVT9D0vTU5aiaJyL3Yu0pjl0fT3Axre3ADYR5EQjgQ6Im_D7lztVE7EEvYTVlh-PJvHBYxTh1dkWe_25rqrhc1RA4z4QwPd/s320/DSC05873-1.jpg" width="213" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Reinhart in The Quill, Statia</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Another day we hiked up and into the
dormant Volcano known as The Quill, and another day we snorkeled the old port ruins in the harbor.
Statia has a very interesting past to consider as you walk the historic streets.
There is a population of ~3500 people, but it has come down considerably since
the 1700s, when it was a major Caribbean port. Like Saba, it is very clean and
friendly, and unemployment is low, giving the island an authentic feeling
rather than seeming like it is only a tourist destination. Both islands are
known for their extensive diving opportunities and good hiking, but they don’t
have great beaches or ports suitable for cruise ships, so they are somewhat
overlooked by the tourism industry. I could spend weeks in these quiet Dutch
islands, but after three nights, it was time to start making our way back
north.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mindy at the top of The Ladder, Saba</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
We are now back in St. Barth. We decided it would more fun
to do some preparations and provisioning for our passage here in addition to
St. Martin.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We arrived yesterday
afternoon and found out there is yet another race (the finish line of the
Transatlantic race, Transat Ag2r) and the St. Barth Film Festival, so we’ll see
how much work we managed to get done. We’ll still spend a few more days in St.
Martin to fuel up and wait for a good weather window to Bermuda. I’ll update
the blog one more time next week before we leave with details of the passage.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<u>Rockhopper Anchorages: <o:p></o:p></u></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
18°04.059N 063°05.565W; Marigot, St. Martin; 05Apr16</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
18°06.253N 063°03.420W; Grand Case, St. Martin; 06-07Apr16</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
18°07.056N 062°59.313W; Tintamarre Island mooring, St.
Martin; 08Apr16</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
18°05.138N 063°00.885W; Orient Bay, St. Martin; 09Apr16</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
17°53.923N 062°51.444W; Gustavia Outer Harbor, St. Barth
10-15Apr16</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
18°01.964N 063°05.829W; Simpson Bay, Sint Maarten;
16-19Apr16</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
17°36.816N 063°14.769W; Fort Bay mooring, Saba 20-21Apr16</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
17°28.838N 062°59.346W; Oranje Baai, St. Eustatius
22-24Apr16</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
17°54.011N 062°51.469W; Gustavia Outer Harbor, St. Barth 25Apr16…</div>
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Mindy and Reinharthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08981248440494359738noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8290059571427331765.post-30707048870506794662016-04-05T12:10:00.001-07:002016-04-05T12:10:32.335-07:00Lagooning in Sint Maarten<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimb37G40bqa_KlSDO-qm4dgRgUvo9XSKVevQtAb_8oFl4nPCt1mSbIutpgloXTNuDqWLeBg1VUgjSAfYVMk26GYp-p-fqg-4a1v9AzYTCms_k1XxrV3X-RIrYwF-68IxhAMivPDmGhI2UE/s1600/DSC05621-1.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="57" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimb37G40bqa_KlSDO-qm4dgRgUvo9XSKVevQtAb_8oFl4nPCt1mSbIutpgloXTNuDqWLeBg1VUgjSAfYVMk26GYp-p-fqg-4a1v9AzYTCms_k1XxrV3X-RIrYwF-68IxhAMivPDmGhI2UE/s400/DSC05621-1.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
We arrived in St. Martin after a long overnight motor into
the wind and waves. We anchored in Simpson Bay, outside of the lagoon and decided
to hang out there until Seana arrived. We had some pretty posh neighbors with
Eclipse, a 163-meter giga-yacht, which is too large to make it through the
bridge into the lagoon. However, the conditions were getting windier and
windier and the anchorage, although protected, started getting pretty rolly. The
day of Seana’s arrival came with the crushing news that her trip would have to
be postponed. It was a sad day for us, but we decided to move into the lagoon
for a gentler anchorage.<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtigA6XyTwd0lsIDXxMhNBt_tc2_d1_758rgIto7Gc2jA_3jGtALIvJUQX7zIj-q_EMyHUpJyhgRhUfvJTw7xdrDOypU666CjVdeGFALLZeNc69Xk1UeS93XwYHGfAfEX14F7_3gZGPVDi/s1600/_RPM0267-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="199" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtigA6XyTwd0lsIDXxMhNBt_tc2_d1_758rgIto7Gc2jA_3jGtALIvJUQX7zIj-q_EMyHUpJyhgRhUfvJTw7xdrDOypU666CjVdeGFALLZeNc69Xk1UeS93XwYHGfAfEX14F7_3gZGPVDi/s320/_RPM0267-1.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Eclipse (super-yacht or mega-yacht or giga-yacht?)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
It is always fun going though the Simpson Bay bridge: circling
with vessels large and small and waving to the audience at the Yacht Club. Now
we’d have a few more days to enjoy the things that make Simpson Bay Lagoon a
great anchorage: the large cruiser community, $1 beers, super marine stores,
boat parts galore, wonderful grocery stores, 747s buzzing the anchorage, and watching
the world’s largest superyachts maneuver in and out of the lagoon.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We enjoy listening every Mon-Sat
morning to the 7:30am cruiser net hosted by Shimpy. I joked that I could barely
make it to our 7:30 work meeting at McMurdo Station, but somehow I wake up voluntarily
for the net every day. One of the things we don’t like in the lagoon is that
folks go full throttle in their dinghies, planing straight through the
anchorage. We don’t like it because it is loud, and rocks the boat, and makes
us very jealous.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Reinhart has
already gone by the Yamaha dealer to see if we could buy a new engine. The
prices are excellent here, but the wait time is long, and we’d probably be
better off waiting for the boat show next year.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAQ8TSigl_JEdXmwCzO3Ps6J2s7OwfX_yx6YgFga23y_VEZRH6YRJMv0a3syrIO1m1B634YABmF_u3Gb41dCksSaO0VwzjiUm-XlRbxJISfCbQmFkXu2JQosdGJMcOzXcfCM84VNOzD5OF/s1600/DSC05613-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="186" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAQ8TSigl_JEdXmwCzO3Ps6J2s7OwfX_yx6YgFga23y_VEZRH6YRJMv0a3syrIO1m1B634YABmF_u3Gb41dCksSaO0VwzjiUm-XlRbxJISfCbQmFkXu2JQosdGJMcOzXcfCM84VNOzD5OF/s320/DSC05613-1.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sailing Yachts inside the Lagoon</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
A few windy days passed and it was time for Cara to visit. We
were so thrilled when she arrived, we could barely contain our excitement! (If
we haven’t mentioned it, we love having friends and family visit).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We had thought up all kinds of plans,
which had whittled down a bit due to the strong winds that prohibited us from
visiting several anchorages and nearby islands. We ended up spending a couple
more nights in the lagoon. We visited the beachy Dutch city of Cole Bay where
all of our happy hour haunts and marine stores are located. The following day
we visited Marigot, a chic town on the French side.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We arrived soaking wet, from the windward dinghy ride, but
enjoyed our day walking around the little shops and cafes.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaClm2DhKfVv66-d4w9hXIxDZDGTl-Ka0ySwKdGR0zBU_Dhr9qtY8jAXdpoAnxOvYlnu4vUe3TdXN_mB4wf5y4AFob8EDIwRX1GG_s1Ghk2cvnPFnCB_9ioUD6RdbvlNCXzP-6c7TvJK8F/s1600/DSC05630-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaClm2DhKfVv66-d4w9hXIxDZDGTl-Ka0ySwKdGR0zBU_Dhr9qtY8jAXdpoAnxOvYlnu4vUe3TdXN_mB4wf5y4AFob8EDIwRX1GG_s1Ghk2cvnPFnCB_9ioUD6RdbvlNCXzP-6c7TvJK8F/s320/DSC05630-1.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Gustavia's inner harbor</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Weather be damned, we decided to make the 15 nm trip to St.
Barthelemy. We can take anything for 3 hours, right? Well, the winds were even
stronger and waves more confused than forecasted and the trip ended up being 5
hours of misery. We anchored outside of the full Gustavia harbor, once again
with the mega yacht neighbors that couldn’t make it into the Harbor, boats like
“Eclipse”, “A”, and the “Rising Sun”, amongst others. The trip was absolutely worth
it for all three of us as we strolled the cobblestone streets. Gustavia is
spotlessly clean, casually elegant, and breathtakingly beautiful. We noticed
that outside of the island, everyone refers to it as St. Barts, but on the
island, they say St. Barth; remember that when you want to sound like the sort
of moneyed individual that spends their winters there.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We took another magical stroll after
sunset and Cara treated us to a wonderful dinner. The next day we came back
into the city to check out more of the shops and visit the weather station and
lighthouse on the hill with beautiful views. From there we also had an
interesting angle for viewing the planes landing at Barth’s infamous airfield
–it looked like they were flying directly into the hill over the airport.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Those unrelenting winds made Gustavia’s outer anchorage a
bit rolly, so we had a lovely sail that afternoon to Anse du Colombier, where
we picked up a park mooring. Colombier is a beautiful anchorage with a long
curve of hill-backed beach and clear turquoise water.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We finally got in some swimming, beach combing, and grilled
out that night.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The next day we
headed back to St. Martin with a much more favorable point of sail.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We entered the lagoon with the 5
o’clock bridge, waved to the happy hour patrons at the Yacht Club, and joined
them by 6pm, for our own drinks and free wifi.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The next day was a bit sad for all of us, as it was Cara’s
departure date. We made the best of it by dinghying to the airport for check-in
and then heading to Maho Beach (aka Jet Blast Beach) to watch the jets land low
over the sand and take-off blasting the beach goers.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We noticed the pilots of American companies are careful not to
blast folks too generously, but the pilots of the larger island airlines really
blast the beach, knocking people off their feet and sending all kinds of hats,
shirts, and toys into the water.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>We got Cara back to the airport on time, and headed back to the boat,
unsure of what to do with ourselves. The winds were still a bit strong for some
of our favorite nearby anchorages, so we decided to stay in the lagoon through
the weekend.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We finally got our
tax information uploaded to our accountant, and purchased a few more supplies
for boat maintenance/improvements/upgrades.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Reinhart’s birthday was Sunday, and we celebrated with a Rum
cake for breakfast, a long walk on one of St. Martin’s extensive beaches, and
ice cream in the afternoon, of course!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGOLahhBg75RtjdVFFj-uw1P0jVxAdXPIfNYIRSbQXemzUKrPmka_D4vKKKPosLSMnEXsCEK8ZBTLB1P5d1cc0TEmQMq4jD8HNNjd5clgAfCZZPwUCFnhG1tfM34BZOlTxNPSScOzL2Eko/s1600/DSC05651-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="247" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGOLahhBg75RtjdVFFj-uw1P0jVxAdXPIfNYIRSbQXemzUKrPmka_D4vKKKPosLSMnEXsCEK8ZBTLB1P5d1cc0TEmQMq4jD8HNNjd5clgAfCZZPwUCFnhG1tfM34BZOlTxNPSScOzL2Eko/s320/DSC05651-1.jpg" width="320" /></a>It is really handy to do boat maintenance and improvements
while anchored in the lagoon since we can run to the store for supplies or to a
bar for research-wifi at any time. However, the lagoon is city life, and we are
longing for the peaceful anchorages we had in the Virgins. We checked-out of
the Dutch side this morning, headed out the bridge, and sailed around the west
side of the island.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We’ve anchored
in the lovely town of Marigot on the French side (just above the lagoon).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The water is bright and clear here, so
we can clean off the lagoon growth from the hull.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In the next week or two we’ll visit some of the French side anchorages
and then on to St. Barth and maybe further (Statia, Saba, Kitts, Nevis) in
search of clear water in which to swim and snorkel and lovely trails to
hike.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<u>Rockhopper Anchorages: </u></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
18°01.915N 063°05.839W; Simpson Bay, Sint Maarten;
16-20Mar16</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
18°02.421N 063°05.656W; Simpson Bay Lagoon, Sint Maarten;
21-26Mar16</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
17°53.997N 062°51.407W; Gustavia Outer Harbor, St. Barth
27Mar16</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
17°55.492N 062°52.174W; Anse du Colombier mooring, St. Barth
28Mar16</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
18°02.403N 063°05.694W; Simpson Bay Lagoon, Sint Maarten;
29Mar-04Apr</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
18°04.059N 063°05.565W; Marigot, St. Martin; 05Apr16</div>
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Mindy and Reinharthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08981248440494359738noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8290059571427331765.post-67505097350132016012016-03-14T14:24:00.000-07:002016-03-14T14:24:02.340-07:00Meeting friends in the US Virgin Islands<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiegeSYbroaKd7BUKhgLzHWkotXB4JNOwEZpMnPbB4BDw1kGQrdIZlR3ltYBwOq69_U1zcgYE1dKn6rpBW5UnV2rjlCF8uTBB0uzp2M5Qp4oTjK1k3Gcr0rmybqSWFA2BrYLcVIVPa31Bj/s1600/DSC05530-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiegeSYbroaKd7BUKhgLzHWkotXB4JNOwEZpMnPbB4BDw1kGQrdIZlR3ltYBwOq69_U1zcgYE1dKn6rpBW5UnV2rjlCF8uTBB0uzp2M5Qp4oTjK1k3Gcr0rmybqSWFA2BrYLcVIVPa31Bj/s320/DSC05530-1.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Virgin Gorda Baths</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
We spent a few days at the beginning of March at Virgin
Gorda, anchored in one of our favorite spots near “The Baths”. Each night we
had several neighboring French-flagged boats. This anchorage isn’t mentioned in
any of the English guidebooks, but I wonder if there is a French guidebook that
extols its beauty. We had a nice couple of days visiting Spanish Town, swimming,
snorkeling, and exploring the unique boulder formations of The Baths.<br />
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<br /></div>
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Our month in the BVI was almost up, and we had some business
to do in the USVI, so we decided to get over to Jost Van Dyke to check-out of
the BVI. Most of our sails so far have been close-hauled motorsails as we made
our way eastward in the BVI, but this was a fast and luxurious broad reach
westward back to Jost Van Dyke, which was over too soon. We arrived in Great
Harbor and decided to pick up a $30 mooring on a whim, because one was
available. What a great decision!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>It turned out to be a huge night at Jost Van Dyke, and the anchorage was
packed a few hours later. Even our new friends on “40 Below” were there. We
were entertained that evening by the raucous activities in the harbor, and the
next day we dinghied in to check-out of the BVI and sailed over to Cruz Bay,
St. John to check into the USVI. We headed straight over to anchor in Red Hook
where we’d be meeting up with old friends, Kristi and Will, and their newly
arrived guests. </div>
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<br /></div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQeiTS21HkaUmtTmiUPJXvGfgkBb-GFQcwJe2L19o0Jytsc83DIXz_RjxYdW0r6i9zFQEPjmRCdD4wzP2NbKYh2AMH1A8XaFtpmjZNZxP9G4GpN6jL_buc3vQygK3sa0O63eqTumownh2d/s1600/DSC05490-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQeiTS21HkaUmtTmiUPJXvGfgkBb-GFQcwJe2L19o0Jytsc83DIXz_RjxYdW0r6i9zFQEPjmRCdD4wzP2NbKYh2AMH1A8XaFtpmjZNZxP9G4GpN6jL_buc3vQygK3sa0O63eqTumownh2d/s320/DSC05490-1.jpg" width="264" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Rockhopper at Anchor</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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When we left the British Virgin Islands, we had all sort of “ideas”
of what we wanted to do in the USVI; we avoid the use of the word “plans”. We
were between spending a day or two in St. Thomas then a couple days in St.
John, or maybe we should go ahead and spend several days in St. John. Well, I
guess that is the reason we avoid the word “plan” because we have been thrilled
with events over the past week that never could have happened if we let “plans”
get in the way.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
We met up with Kristi and Will and their friends, Denise and
Gary at the American Yacht Harbor and had a delightful dinner. Red Hook was a
miserable anchorage with high winds and swells coming into the Harbor. Boats
were dragging around and we had to keep an anchor-watch up over night. We hated
to leave since we wanted to spend more time with the gang, and Kristi and Will
suggested we anchor near their home in Secret Harbor. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijJZ2f60OgFYBYpbDd3JjZPWmxg4JhKnEWaksmQSPCwhMq66-D4GNolX1w46FXhmp68S6buxbUVdCY7FRbHomGFBU839KSz23eGNwwRIqOwUp2gDLPOpv2Sdy8ExspxpIr1SjGLOQoaRfe/s1600/DSC05572-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijJZ2f60OgFYBYpbDd3JjZPWmxg4JhKnEWaksmQSPCwhMq66-D4GNolX1w46FXhmp68S6buxbUVdCY7FRbHomGFBU839KSz23eGNwwRIqOwUp2gDLPOpv2Sdy8ExspxpIr1SjGLOQoaRfe/s320/DSC05572-1.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Secret Harbor...maybe it really is a secret!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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Secret Harbor is a resort
on the southeast coast of St. Thomas and the guidebooks barely mention it;
however, it is a wonderful spot to spend a few days. At this point, I’ll start
to use “generous” a lot, because Kristi and Will generously let us use their
laundry and their lovely home as a base camp; they generously bought us wine,
fed us, and took us to the grocery store; they generously gave us care packages
every time we showed up at the door; and they generously shared their friends
with us. We all had such a great time, dining at the unique places in Red Hook,
listening to fun music, and hanging out at the Secret Harbor beach. We were
thrilled to have everyone over for sundowners (and midnighters) one night and
then went for a day sail over to Little Lameshur Bay on St. John one day. We
joined Denise and Gary on a ferry trip over to St. John for the early St. Patrick’s
Day parade and had an amusing time perusing the lovely shops of Cruz Bay. Before
we knew it, a week had passed! Now Denise and Gary are back on a plane to
Connecticut, Kristi and Will are both at work recovering from entertaining us all
week. We feel like we have a new set of lifelong friends, and I’m sure we’ll
meet up with Denise and Gary when we find our way up north year later this
year. All of this fun has also made us start to reconsider some plans for next
season, and we might try to find a way to spend a few months in the US Virgin
Islands next year. </div>
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<br /></div>
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Now it is time to straighten up this boat and get her ready
for the 20 hour passage over to St. Martin and ready for our own guests!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Seana is coming in for a few days, and
then Cara will be right behind her, so our aft cabin will finally be housing
guests March 20-30, rather than acting as a utility closet.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The next update will be coming from St. Martin…same
latitude, new longitude.</div>
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<u>Rockhopper Anchorages: <o:p></o:p></u></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
18°25.267N 064°33.752W; Buck Island, Tortola, BVI;
01-02Mar16</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
18°26.330N 064°26.659W Valley Trunk Bay, Virgin Gorda, BVI;
03-05Mar16</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
18°26.492N 064°45.087W Great Harbor Mooring, Jost Van Dyke; 06Mar16</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
18°19.561N 064°50.681W Red Hook, St. Thomas, USVI; 07Mar16</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
18°19.036N 064°51.199W Secret Harbor, St. Thomas, USVI;
08-14Mar16</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
18°19.088N 064°43.566W Little Lameshur Bay Mooring, St. John; 10Mar16</div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
Mindy and Reinharthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08981248440494359738noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8290059571427331765.post-428447326081421582016-03-02T12:46:00.000-08:002016-03-02T12:46:10.508-08:00Three weeks in Paradise<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0a-oD2PhOT2sL5b1anXQZNRIl4Xhv6jAym3I9YwVmwOm_kEwrlOVOsmbCch8s2E6Fmn7uhbfW8tVFgtrVVQ8H3dH2e_MIlzloa5FwgTzJu167up387g_ma9eavyPq0CicUsCptg_CS4lN/s1600/DSC05390-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="56" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0a-oD2PhOT2sL5b1anXQZNRIl4Xhv6jAym3I9YwVmwOm_kEwrlOVOsmbCch8s2E6Fmn7uhbfW8tVFgtrVVQ8H3dH2e_MIlzloa5FwgTzJu167up387g_ma9eavyPq0CicUsCptg_CS4lN/s400/DSC05390-1.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
We’ve been here several weeks now and we are doing things
differently from when we were here a few years ago. Looking back at our entries in our 2007 blog, we realize we
were experiencing the Virgins similarly to the charter folks – a different
harbor every night. We rarely
stayed two nights in one spot.
This time around we are staying several nights at each stop.<br />
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When we last updated you, we were still anchored in Jost Van
Dyke.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It was so much fun to hang
out in Jost and watch the daily changeover of boats.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It is a big stop in the charter circuit, and folks make a
point in getting there early to fight over the moorings.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>By the end of each evening, the
moorings and anchorage were packed, there was a large yacht or two anchored
outside of the harbor, and often there was a Windjammer or another cruise
ship.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The last couple of days in
Great Harbour started getting a little “sloppy” with swells making their way in
and opposing winds picking up.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It
was time to leave and we decided to make a short trip over to the north side of
Tortola. </div>
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<br /></div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwE2aquATlkH5mHsm6PgrX1qmZF9RanD5TOuTj-2AYZzSUsEBCSNodvRnpCGKJBkrv5xP7QyoPRbcFGXdgxhANg_1R7f0Mv2msxJM97f1fN1KQVvG3LQq7msczuOlsUrWSrjZozouLhEy4/s1600/_RPM0150-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwE2aquATlkH5mHsm6PgrX1qmZF9RanD5TOuTj-2AYZzSUsEBCSNodvRnpCGKJBkrv5xP7QyoPRbcFGXdgxhANg_1R7f0Mv2msxJM97f1fN1KQVvG3LQq7msczuOlsUrWSrjZozouLhEy4/s320/_RPM0150-1.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Surfer in Cane Garden Bay</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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We arrived in Cane Garden Bay on Tortola and anchored just
outside of the mooring field.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This
location ended up being the spot to pick up floating items blown off other
boats.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We returned a sneaker to
the beach, a fin to a tall ship, and a fender to a charter boat.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This was the second place we anchored in
the BVI, and once again we didn’t seem to be able to pick up a wifi signal at
the boat; it turns out this will be the norm for the trip.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Cane Garden Bay has a cute town with a
pretty beach and an old Rum distillery where they let you try all of their
products for a grand total of $1.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>There were large groups of tourists brought in daily from the cruise ships
in Road Town, and a lot of activities were set up to entertain them. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Our biggest entertainment; however, were
the large breaking waves on the rocks nearby making a perfect surfing spot for
the locals.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Almost all of
the boats we see are charter boats, but there are some cruisers (like us) as
well.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>A cruising couple from New
Bern on their Island Packet, “Charbonnneau”, anchored nearby.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We dinghied over and it was great
catching up with some folks from NC.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>A bigger blow was in the forecast and we decided to head to the west
side of the island for better protection. </div>
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<br /></div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgl6g-LOz4DUOnlOiFLnR-Ixi3cQgwHWP8GN-ZhxFJGckz0zLg9YKaZhecaCezeCCcnwmfs8lxpQN-TtJpdt9EQ1Jt2GTzMGyLcrOm9k8fruVa-a3nj5ncrTP3TT4YamQ4WbheGrrqqthV9/s1600/DSC05405-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgl6g-LOz4DUOnlOiFLnR-Ixi3cQgwHWP8GN-ZhxFJGckz0zLg9YKaZhecaCezeCCcnwmfs8lxpQN-TtJpdt9EQ1Jt2GTzMGyLcrOm9k8fruVa-a3nj5ncrTP3TT4YamQ4WbheGrrqqthV9/s320/DSC05405-1.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Norman Island Bight (Willy T & Rockhopper in foreground)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Everything is so close in the BVI, so it was wonderful to
have a 2-3 knot sail over to Soper’s Hole on the West End of Tortola and not be
worried about coming in late.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We
know from experience that Soper’s Hole is deep, so we knew we’d be picking up a
mooring.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>What we didn’t expect was
to get a mooring on the front row so late in the afternoon.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Alas, no wifi at the boat.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We could barely pick up Pusser’s wifi signal
when we were sitting in their restaurant. Soper’s Hole is always a fun stop
with the range of boats and lots of land activities.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This was the first stop where we didn’t want to swim near
the boat, so we walked up the street into the neighborhood nearby and eyed some
of the beautiful properties.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We
decided to spend a second windy night on the mooring and late in the evening, we
were thrilled to see “Charmed Life” sailing in.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It was great to catch up with Mike and Sharon while we were
there and hopefully we’ll be able to meet up with them again when we all have
time.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The winds were back down the
next day and we were ready to be on our own hook again. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizVgkUWfRPzIA1lBzp-T3aonnF1UrkVaFt-kUKuceEnZyAfqjp2H4pgrujKIzzVeHFYxKt0M8YZYRvh2Gf3hK-pe1bZQ9rtIhuiYmAg6FpuxwCaKPfDOAdphTE0qRLV0kqIgcAO6xXSYuE/s1600/DSC05402-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizVgkUWfRPzIA1lBzp-T3aonnF1UrkVaFt-kUKuceEnZyAfqjp2H4pgrujKIzzVeHFYxKt0M8YZYRvh2Gf3hK-pe1bZQ9rtIhuiYmAg6FpuxwCaKPfDOAdphTE0qRLV0kqIgcAO6xXSYuE/s320/DSC05402-1.jpg" width="320" /></a>We decided to head over to The Bight on nearby Norman
Island.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We weren’t planning on
picking up a mooring, good for us since there were barely any available at 3pm
on a Sunday.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We anchored along
with the big yachts just outside of the mooring field.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It turns out that Sunday is the big
night at the local bar,<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>“Willy T” with
lots of new charters and the locals coming over from Tortola.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We had a great time watching the local
speedboats come in and listening to the crowd at Willy T.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The next day we re-anchored right
next to the bar – it is a very protected spot although the bar is a little
rowdy to call it a quiet anchorage.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>It is another “must stop” in the charter circuit and the anchorage
emptied out every morning and filled up in the afternoons.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It was fun to watch the customers
leaping from the bar roof into the water at all hours.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There is a gorgeous snorkeling spot
right around the corner from The Bight, so we snorkeled and swam every
afternoon. Norman Island also has several trails that afford wonderful views of
the BVIs.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The Bight is a great
anchorage, but every night the wind funneled over the hills and was bothersome.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We checked the old blog, and we
complained of gusty winds at that time as well. We decided to head somewhere
even quieter. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-IDzhYUOx0AzLXQ0EbBa1Lph8z9dTJi8TZ1SYi_4UUDIWUdeBapfN6b4xbDHih5QHeyHfjKqu-EljqN5zJ-szHDaN0tQusZVhQK5X5FIRX0ttORqcUVfqeEpSkK8PVZAmMl88eglZe3SK/s1600/_RPM0240-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-IDzhYUOx0AzLXQ0EbBa1Lph8z9dTJi8TZ1SYi_4UUDIWUdeBapfN6b4xbDHih5QHeyHfjKqu-EljqN5zJ-szHDaN0tQusZVhQK5X5FIRX0ttORqcUVfqeEpSkK8PVZAmMl88eglZe3SK/s320/_RPM0240-1.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Med moor in Little Harbour, Peter Island</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
We pulled into Little Harbour on Peter Island and anchored
in the middle of the peaceful bay.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>It was more beautiful than I remembered.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There were three of us anchored in deep water in the middle
of the bay, but several boats had their sterns tied to shore in the shallow
water (med moor).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>That night we
experienced a “first”.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We were
awoken by a disturbing crash that sent us scrambling onto deck.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Some kind of large sea creature flew
headlong into one of our dorades and tore it off of the boat.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There was a lot of blood on deck, but we
never saw what actually happened.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The
next day we decided to med moor as well.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>We left the anchor where it was and used two long lines to tie to rocks
on the shore before shortening up our anchor rode to keep us perfectly balanced
over the bright shallow area. The snorkeling right off the boat was wonderful
and we still enjoyed the turnover of charter boats and yachts on a daily basis,
although several boats were staying in this idyllic anchorage for a longer
time.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We were moored beside a
catamaran named “40 Below”, and we ended up spending 3 nights enjoying Ron and
Barbara’s charming company with sundowners or dinner.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Little Harbour is the prettiest anchorage we’ve ever been in
and is the type of place we could stay for weeks; however, it had been 10 days
since we had wifi access and I was about ready to find a good grocery store
with some freshies.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuHJMe4C6RMpaiPsZ49wupOQx4H7UHhSuPLwvHs2ZGgn_hvZRh5ywcNVhEr489q1W7BM3aJdIEV4PP2XFfBSRDDioHZFF09tE3UdzGK1bT2pLvvOLhxcAlmc6bYTOi9hFM83HXXeIbUUxi/s1600/DSC05429-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuHJMe4C6RMpaiPsZ49wupOQx4H7UHhSuPLwvHs2ZGgn_hvZRh5ywcNVhEr489q1W7BM3aJdIEV4PP2XFfBSRDDioHZFF09tE3UdzGK1bT2pLvvOLhxcAlmc6bYTOi9hFM83HXXeIbUUxi/s320/DSC05429-1.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">South side of Norman Island</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
We finally headed out and made our way to the east end of
Tortola.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Ron and Barbara had
suggested an anchorage near a town with a great grocery store and an American
style coin laundry.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We are
currently anchored with one other sailboat in the lee of Buck Island.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It is a big dinghy ride for us to get
into town, but they weren’t kidding about the grocery store – it has its own
dinghy dock!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The laundry is a
really nice place, and we’ll keep it in mind, but we’ve been doing all of our
laundry in our “wonderwash” on board and will probably wait until St. Martin to
bother with the larger stuff.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We
still don’t have wifi on the boat, but there was a good signal at a great
restaurant in town and we are going to head over there tonight with all of our
electronics and get all caught up and finally publish this blog!</div>
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<div class="MsoNormal">
<u>Rockhopper Anchorages: <o:p></o:p></u></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
18°26.462N 064°45.060W; Great Harbour, Jost Van Dyke; BVI;
09-14Feb16</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
18°25.693N 064°39.670W; Cane Garden Bay, Tortola; BVI;
15-18Feb16</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
18°23.143N 064°42.113W; Soper’s Hole (mooring), Tortola;
BVI; 19-20Feb16</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
18°18.849N 064°37.158W; The Bight, Norman Island; BVI;
21-24Feb16</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
18°21.329N 064°36.030W; Little Harbour, Peter Island; BVI;
25-29Feb16</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
18°21.329N 064°36.030W; Buck Island, Tortola; BVI; 01Mar16</div>
Mindy and Reinharthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08981248440494359738noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8290059571427331765.post-81953639753344096052016-02-12T06:22:00.000-08:002016-02-12T06:21:17.310-08:00Rockhoppers of the CaribbeanThis blog post is being published via satellite phone with our super secret weather email account. More to come on that subject some day.
<br>
<br>We are currently anchored in warm and sunny Jost Van Dyke in the British Virgin Islands. We arrived late Tuesday night and headed straight to bed, and spent a couple of busy days checking in with customs & immigration and cleaning up Rockhopper. It always surprises us how long it takes to desalt the entire boat and bring it back from passage mode into cruising mode.
<br>
<br>The winds for our passage were much stronger than expected most of the time, so we sailed faster than expected once we got through that pesky Gulf Stream. The winds were almost always coming from ahead of us, so we also spent a lot of that time heeled over. The waves were naturally higher with the increased winds speeds, and they sometimes slowed us down; they were well spaced, but 10-12' at some point in the trip, and kept Rockhopper rolling at interesting angles. Of course there would also be those times when the winds went from 20 knots to 5 knots for a little break, and we were happy to motor at that point and replenish the battery bank (and take showers!).
<br>
<br>We planned on 10-14 days and it was looking like we'd make it in 8 days, but then the winds and waves stopped cooperating. We tried to sail close to the wind then we tried to motor into the wind and waves, and nothing quite worked. The only course that worked was sailing east, which we needed to do considering the predicted winds later in the trip. It is disheartening though, sailing off in the wrong direction and getting further from your mark. We lollygagged 95 nautical miles one of those days, but only 12 nm of those were towards our goal. Our wind vane was a great asset at this time; we set her to keep us as close to the wind as possible, and she turned us with the winds as they became more favorable.
<br>
<br>Once we got far enough east we could close haul our course down to the islands, with a little help from the motor when the winds dropped every once in a while. Overall it was a comfortable (bearable?) trip of 1312nm. Out of about 251 hours total we only motored 74. Reinhart became seasick the first night, and remained that way for 12 hours, Mindy was grumpy for about 20 hours and only cried about an hour total…all in all a good show for us.
<br>
<br>You can check out our track at the link in the post below. Those nice straight courses are sailed by our Al, our power hungry autopilot. The meandering eastern course in the bottom third is steered by Windy, the earth friendly wind vane.
<br>
<br>Now we are enjoying watching the charter boats come in and out of the popular anchorage every morning, and playing in the water in the afternoon. It is fun to spy on everyone getting gussied up for a big night at Foxy's. We've walked around "town" a bit, but it is time for a big hike over the hill to stretch these inactive legs; we need a little more activity than swimming laps around the boat. We don't have wifi out in the anchorage currently, so if you are waiting on an email reply from us, we'll try to get to you as soon as we are back on land.
<br>
<br>Rockhopper Anchorages:
<br>34°37.483N 076°32.880W; Cape Lookout, NC; 29Jan16
<br>18°26.462N 064°45.060W; Great Harbour, Jost Van Dyke; BVI; 09Feb16
<br>
<br>----------
<br>radio email processed by SailMail
<br>for information see: <a href="http://www.sailmail.com">http://www.sailmail.com</a>Mindy and Reinharthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08981248440494359738noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8290059571427331765.post-53973141315373494342016-01-29T15:38:00.001-08:002016-01-29T15:38:06.623-08:00We are actually on our way!<br />
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We are currently anchored out at the Cape Lookout Bight (34* 37.483 N, 076* 32.880 W) and we'll be on our way south on Saturday morning. If you are interested in tracking us on our upcoming 10-14 day passage to the Caribbean, here is the link to <a href="http://share.findmespot.com/shared/faces/viewspots.jsp?glId=0zkfK4iHexrN4hjGkdTxZUeYo8oZhnKF8" target="_blank">Rockhopper’s Spot page</a>. Another way to check us out is by using a marine traffic tracking program to see our AIS signal, like <a href="http://marinetraffic.com/">marinetraffic.com</a>. </div>
</div>
Mindy and Reinharthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08981248440494359738noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8290059571427331765.post-87929160942295070912016-01-17T12:15:00.000-08:002016-01-17T12:15:35.773-08:00Finally, ready to go south…<div class="MsoNormal">
…whenever the weather cooperates. If you are interested in tracking us on our upcoming passage
to the Caribbean, here is the link to <a href="http://share.findmespot.com/shared/faces/viewspots.jsp?glId=0zkfK4iHexrN4hjGkdTxZUeYo8oZhnKF8" target="_blank">Rockhopper’s Spot page</a>. We’ll also send a daily preprogrammed location email to
folks using the spot (generously donated by Chuck Spencer!), and if you want to receive those emails, let us know and we’ll put you on the list. Another way to check us out is by using
a marine traffic tracking program to see our AIS signal, like
<a href="http://marinetraffic.com/">marinetraffic.com</a>.</div>
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<br /></div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHWyMkNFGF12jGN4AaUdC9sWh76POefS_wX4FJ91vElSDZ-GtkllYeLU4hTDcUFxgOFAc-T2M-qbInbsgL1vCPAqTg2sYafGkwRC7gDfpDton5cxbgio5SZWdBob4POUTo0NRKw8PnFt5T/s1600/IMG_1225-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHWyMkNFGF12jGN4AaUdC9sWh76POefS_wX4FJ91vElSDZ-GtkllYeLU4hTDcUFxgOFAc-T2M-qbInbsgL1vCPAqTg2sYafGkwRC7gDfpDton5cxbgio5SZWdBob4POUTo0NRKw8PnFt5T/s200/IMG_1225-1.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">heading into St. Michael's anchorage</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
We got terribly busy at the end of the year, so I’ll do a
quick summary of what happened.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We
visited St Michaels, MD and met up with Nicola and Marc of Averi and had a
lovely time visiting the fantastic Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum and having
margaritas at eclectic Gina’s Cafe.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>We spent a couple of nights in Solomons, MD on our way down the
Chesapeake.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We sailed overnight back
to NC via the busy Virginia cut and stayed overnight at a couple of lovely anchorages
on the ICW.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Our broker, John, had
a slip in Beaufort for us to leave the boat for a while, and Rockhopper has
been here since early November.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
We spent a week in Beaufort installing and fixing a few more
items (a new battery charger/remote control, pretty new LED lights).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We planned a big trip to Austria in
November and December and we ordered some parts to install once we got back (companionway
doors, upgraded solar panels).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Now
that we are back, we planned to spend a week getting those items installed, but
the weather offshore has been a bear, so we have some extra time to get things
together.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Just like our time in
Florida, the more time we have, the more stuff we buy.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We really need the weather to get
agreeable, so we can get out of here and save some money.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Oh, we had our first overnight guest,
Andreas.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He gave us a ride to Beaufort
from Charlotte…thanks Andreas!</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtHy70QAa4aIYwPpLpDMOy-_iAlHg88xN8pcFKa4FyKhe8aOxXmd724ljq8H2C8_Fje1Bpu55YbolJba0G_qooiObWfUnM3BjS7VS6addMTf68WjmuJn0rjVXZNhFW_UgHze63ti3m_W88/s1600/DSC05072-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="306" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtHy70QAa4aIYwPpLpDMOy-_iAlHg88xN8pcFKa4FyKhe8aOxXmd724ljq8H2C8_Fje1Bpu55YbolJba0G_qooiObWfUnM3BjS7VS6addMTf68WjmuJn0rjVXZNhFW_UgHze63ti3m_W88/s400/DSC05072-1.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Lago Maggiore, Ascona waterfront</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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By the way, Austria was wonderful.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We got to spend lots of time with Eva and the whole family,
celebrating some birthdays and Christmas.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>We made our first trip to Berlin to see Andreas and Karen while they
were visiting, and Andreas gave us the 2-day Berlin tour!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Of course, we made another trip with
Beth to visit one of our favorite places:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Ronco sopra Ascona on Lago Maggiore in southern Switzerland.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
So, we are sitting here in Beaufort and listening to the
wind howl. We think we'll go ahead and leave
the dock tomorrow (Monday, Jan 18) and visit Oriental, and maybe New Bern. By the looks of the current forecast,
we think we’ll be able to set off on our 14-day passage (~10-15 days) on
Wednesday 20Jan; however, we won’t really know until the forecast gets
closer. We hope to leave this week, but maybe it will be later, and maybe we'll decide to do something else entirely. We’ll turn on the spot
tracker when head out the inlet and into the Atlantic, and you can see what we are up to. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<u>Rockhopper Anchorages: </u></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
38°46.343N 076°13.827W; St. Michaels, MD, San Domingo Creek;
26-30Oct15</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
38°19.877N 076°27.531W; Solomons; 31Oct15 – 01Nov15</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
36°12.257N 075°57.781W; Little Broad Creek off the North
River; 03Nov15</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
36°12.257N 075°57.781W; Little Pungo Creek off the Pungo
River; 04Nov15</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
34°46.063N 076°40.288W; MBYC private slip, Beaufort, NC; 05Nov15-17Jan16</div>
Mindy and Reinharthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08981248440494359738noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8290059571427331765.post-84853574307885962782015-10-27T12:20:00.001-07:002015-10-27T12:20:37.220-07:00The circus comes to townWe spent several weeks docked at lovely Woodsback in
Annapolis. It was nice to watch autumn
set in. For me, nothing says
autumn like the US boat shows. We
were pretty busy with them this year, taking part in the two shows along with
their setup, changeover, and take down. It continues to amaze me how the waterfront is transformed for the
shows.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFudza9KgZS3O7oHmIeCBEToeZ3nv_4FpWEgdyHttFtkR591fKJ76II2mUuWkTl94GX1-1zSOJhqrW5OhHGCkkTUqYq5RYjk89se3xCalWlsHdzwhDktIJ_fWaLSoWYaNkapmomW8lKBK7/s1600/_RPM9496.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFudza9KgZS3O7oHmIeCBEToeZ3nv_4FpWEgdyHttFtkR591fKJ76II2mUuWkTl94GX1-1zSOJhqrW5OhHGCkkTUqYq5RYjk89se3xCalWlsHdzwhDktIJ_fWaLSoWYaNkapmomW8lKBK7/s400/_RPM9496.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
It truly is a circus atmosphere as the large tents are
hoisted in the waterfront parks and parking lots. I’m sure the land crew resembles clowns as we zip around in gangs
with forklifts and golf carts, descending on different areas and transforming
them into hubs of marine gear shopping paradise. The water crew brings in the floating
docks that connect all of the land areas and create the largest in-water shows. We met lots of folks with
whom we worked in 2006-08. It was wonderful seeing them and spending time with them again, and we made lots of new friends as well. Hopefully, we’ll see them further south
this winter and spring.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiC9dwN53UObJcjyg304iWW8Csb5mfZq2ZIcdARIRiKNZF1r_jgLHv9KxHoXXgKb2SKaAblPCuAgVa_mFumEyrz7fyp9_qmlpuScb20Ec-qdtrOzWcvzVOexT8nqgSS81F2Cz_t8UebCgM1/s1600/M%2526RMtVernon.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiC9dwN53UObJcjyg304iWW8Csb5mfZq2ZIcdARIRiKNZF1r_jgLHv9KxHoXXgKb2SKaAblPCuAgVa_mFumEyrz7fyp9_qmlpuScb20Ec-qdtrOzWcvzVOexT8nqgSS81F2Cz_t8UebCgM1/s320/M%2526RMtVernon.jpg" width="320" /></a>It gets pretty hectic during the shows and we don’t have time
for much other than working, eating, and sleeping, so it was very nice to have
a couple of visits from the DC contingent. Esther and Bob came over during the show to check out
Rockhopper and take us to dinner. Cara came down during the sail show and we had a great time as she
watched us work one of our more cushy assignments of line-handling for the classroom
boats. She returned once we were
finished working to take us up to DC and see Mt. Vernon for the first
time. We had perfect weather and
it was great to take a scenic drive again. </div>
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<br /></div>
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We spent a few extra days at the dock installing all of the gadgets we acquired during the shows, but we finally got around to
leaving on Monday. We are
currently anchored in quaint St. Michaels while Reinhart fixes our
seized windlass. If you’ve
ever heard anyone describe cruising as performing boat repairs in beautiful
locations, that is pretty accurate. Still, it is nice to be on our way again. </div>
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<br /></div>
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<u style="text-underline: #262626;"><span style="color: #262626; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-size: 15.0pt;">Rockhopper Anchorages: </span></u><span style="color: #262626; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-size: 15.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #262626; mso-bidi-font-family: Cambria; mso-bidi-font-size: 16.0pt;">37°57.985N 076°29.015W; Woodsback Marina, Eastport;
28Sep15-25Oct15<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #262626; mso-bidi-font-family: Cambria; mso-bidi-font-size: 16.0pt;">38°46.343N 076°13.827W; St. Michaels, MD, San Domingo
Creek; 26Oct15</span></div>
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Mindy and Reinharthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08981248440494359738noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8290059571427331765.post-31438425410812946282015-10-01T13:40:00.000-07:002015-10-01T13:40:42.169-07:00The calm before the storm<div class="MsoNormal">
The September Nor’easters just kept coming, so we stayed at
our anchorage and enjoyed our time in Deltaville, and let the near gale winds
and high choppy water rage out in the bay.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>A calm period between systems was finally forecasted, so we
made a break for it and headed straight to Annapolis for an overnight
sail.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The winds were forecasted to
be pretty light, so we weren’t expecting much, but we ended up having a dreamy
sail.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We kept up 4.5-6 knots of
boat speed all night long under a full moon – what a treat!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHpw5T5hdnax_iH9lbKSV2zOdr65f1Hu6dNODrdtj-Y4fshkQjQphRv2VbFzdUqc2bOt1rMKzQQOtGzGusXuKdceAPgVdLzEoXXC_l6HugnD6MCUxj2A8OdinxNw7Mrhr2YfdT-_8Qie9M/s1600/_RPM9492.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="214" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHpw5T5hdnax_iH9lbKSV2zOdr65f1Hu6dNODrdtj-Y4fshkQjQphRv2VbFzdUqc2bOt1rMKzQQOtGzGusXuKdceAPgVdLzEoXXC_l6HugnD6MCUxj2A8OdinxNw7Mrhr2YfdT-_8Qie9M/s320/_RPM9492.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Thomas Point Light welcomes us to Annapolis</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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We came into our slip at the tiny Woodsback Marina on
Tuesday morning.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It was the same
slip we had the first time we worked the show back in 2006. Woodsback isn’t a marina in a
traditional sense.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It is a 10 slip
dock behind a home in Eastport. It was originally the home of the Annapolis
Sailing Center owned by Kathy and Jerry Woods, the founders of the Annapolis
boat shows.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Now, it is owned by
our friend John, former Caliber owner and photographer/businessman/professor
extraordinaire, who generously allowed us to tie up for the show.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Now our nor’easters have returned with oodles of rain and
cool temps, so we are happy to be snug in this little cove off Back Creek.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Those storms appear to be here for several
days whether or not Joaquin shows up. We are keeping a close eye on the
weather forecast though, for news of Joaquin and other tropical disturbances. We are spending a few days getting caught up with
laundry/groceries/cleaning/maintenance before we are too busy with the boat
shows – we start work on Sunday, Oct 4.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<u>Rockhopper Anchorages:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></u></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Cambria, serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 22px;">37°32.722N 076°20.306W; Deltaville, VA, Jackson Creek south; 23-27Sep15</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Cambria; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Cambria; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">37°57.985N 076°29.015W;
Woodsback Marina, Eastport; 28Sep15-present</span>Mindy and Reinharthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08981248440494359738noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8290059571427331765.post-67164176001735221862015-09-25T12:56:00.003-07:002015-09-25T12:56:50.077-07:00The Enchanted Canal to the Bodacious Bay<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYIhs0REVXUcuMlETYUmPgwxNN1MtOg8HaZ8fbgEegs1fYZvZP6ljusnl59DgZi22aZqvjcCkXDlkAeY5aiQbkhWM1U7JgbEDG9vzeaB8uPVMsvZB1BJNOahkBvyM6q0J94Jty_ag6-B-5/s1600/DSC04768.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYIhs0REVXUcuMlETYUmPgwxNN1MtOg8HaZ8fbgEegs1fYZvZP6ljusnl59DgZi22aZqvjcCkXDlkAeY5aiQbkhWM1U7JgbEDG9vzeaB8uPVMsvZB1BJNOahkBvyM6q0J94Jty_ag6-B-5/s320/DSC04768.jpg" width="212" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdVGa2MuDGgM4vh18itW6EINoGui9DiVtoRNqaTtmNAwxkH-eFdRs5R6dS7Q-GMO11iSHilmKs53pR9n_VsP7oYWKjzQDlXIcZ_1yTK4HDaPPkIYV-ncPFXgIhiTQGEW3kBQ2L2mD2w5Sw/s1600/DSC04752.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdVGa2MuDGgM4vh18itW6EINoGui9DiVtoRNqaTtmNAwxkH-eFdRs5R6dS7Q-GMO11iSHilmKs53pR9n_VsP7oYWKjzQDlXIcZ_1yTK4HDaPPkIYV-ncPFXgIhiTQGEW3kBQ2L2mD2w5Sw/s320/DSC04752.jpg" width="212" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Cambria;">We’ve been meaning to visit the Dismal Swamp for years. The
name conjures images of fire spurts and R.O.U.Ss of Princess Bride lore. It turns out it is an enchanted canal full of
mystery and whimsy. I’ve never experienced anything like it. The clear water was as black as I have ever
seen, obsidian with a mirror like surface, and a luminous green blanket of duck
weed.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Rather than dolphins, we were
escorted through the canal by all manner of winged creatures, dragon flies and
butterflies of all colors; I’m fairly sure most were fairies.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Cambria;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"></span></span><br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgL_okhhi9EAR7Zlwm9P0p3lPHQ_u7zFni7x0C0hGFNb2vB76uo4-chKbJ38hAfBT23mtxaAPJXauYiWlyUG12GlfrHWcC3YP2rMe0eHis_xYHSKwS82wvn9tFvIDHkH3a9xZDFQYtT9Qlv/s1600/DSC04754.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgL_okhhi9EAR7Zlwm9P0p3lPHQ_u7zFni7x0C0hGFNb2vB76uo4-chKbJ38hAfBT23mtxaAPJXauYiWlyUG12GlfrHWcC3YP2rMe0eHis_xYHSKwS82wvn9tFvIDHkH3a9xZDFQYtT9Qlv/s320/DSC04754.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Waiting to "lock through" the South Mills Lock</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: Cambria;">In reality, it is a beautiful canal and I’m so pleased we
finally traversed it. The color of the water
is actually more like scotch, and just like a lot of scotch, some of that color comes from
peat. The water interacts with a
sediment layer of peat, filtering and acidifying the water. That tannic acid is good for keeping a boat
and a body clean, although neither of us braved jumping in or taking a
drink. We transited the southern lock (raising
us 8’) and tied up to the NC Welcome Center dock for Saturday night.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We visited the friendly staff at the welcome
center and took a walk on the state park trail. We were absolutely thrilled to
receive a visit from Paul and Joyce (“Time”) that evening, who saw us pass by
their house earlier in the day. The next
morning, we left at 8am for a long day of transiting one more lock (lowering us
10’), completing the canal and the ICW, and passing through Norfolk and into
the Chesapeake Bay.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Cambria;">We listened to the VHF weather several times a day, and we
knew we’d be coming into a small craft warning in the Chesapeake. We’d heard the predicted winds (NE 20-25) and
waves (4-5’) and thought, “meh, we can do that”. </span><br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-qFqCAJTVpEgoZrHNXBCX80bTugwP7fc7emGvyCEfkGqEqkmWTqy8bZq_HIwXD3dNZZA9NxU6e7c3lP3sRzDpBp-4o9ZkgKNPy6-bMRcus1J_tohi-ffdTs9hYmLiL9anRs4Awm4lU84w/s1600/DSC04793.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="163" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-qFqCAJTVpEgoZrHNXBCX80bTugwP7fc7emGvyCEfkGqEqkmWTqy8bZq_HIwXD3dNZZA9NxU6e7c3lP3sRzDpBp-4o9ZkgKNPy6-bMRcus1J_tohi-ffdTs9hYmLiL9anRs4Awm4lU84w/s320/DSC04793.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Aircraft carrier in port in Norfolk</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIc04S2umHT5BPdMk0hjujlCHSQtKDNOWB1AhmSGSBOJmwFmjMJ35c_nvh56XqExqKCSUoQYIPWB7-gJPN-l13K9olA-gr6ZEx1eTePpG6bjf5Z2fFkdQojDNDi-2IlWRteWtwoDb4FWSh/s1600/DSC04799.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="155" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIc04S2umHT5BPdMk0hjujlCHSQtKDNOWB1AhmSGSBOJmwFmjMJ35c_nvh56XqExqKCSUoQYIPWB7-gJPN-l13K9olA-gr6ZEx1eTePpG6bjf5Z2fFkdQojDNDi-2IlWRteWtwoDb4FWSh/s320/DSC04799.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Containership CMA CGM Melisande</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: Cambria;">When we came through Norfolk, it was looking
like the trip would be pretty comfortable. We were entertained by Norfolk’s usual fare: giant container ships,
battle ships, aircraft carriers, and the weekend pleasure craft, either lazing
or zipping about. Once we passed into the Chesapeake Bay proper, the winds and
waves hit us. What we underestimated was the wave “period” (the waves were very
close together), making for an extremely rough ride. We beat into the wind and
crashed headlong into those waves for hours, sometimes coming to a complete stop. We dropped anchor in a very protected
anchorage on Chisman Creek at 7:45pm. The
forecast was looking dismal for days, so we stayed tucked in our sleepy little
spot for a while.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span><div style="text-align: right;">
<br /></div>
<span style="font-family: Cambria;">The bad weather out on the bay continued and we finally got
tired of relaxing on Chisman Creek, so we pulled up anchor and braved the same
winds. Actually, the waves were at their
most daunting when we were exiting the Poquoson River to get back in the
Bay. After that, we took a pretty
standard beating as we motored our way up to Deltaville, VA. We are currently anchored in Jackson
Creek. We were thrilled to get the
dinghy out and motor to a town dock (!) and take a walk (!) to a hardware store
(!) and have lunch out (!) and drop by the library(!). Deltaville is a tiny town, but it has
everything a cruiser likes to see, so we are thrilled to be here. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Cambria;">Our original plans were to make our way up to Solomons, MD
sometime this weekend for a few days, and then to Annapolis mid-week. But the weather predictions get worse and worse,
and we may end up waiting out the storm for a few extra days here in
Deltaville, and just hop up to Annapolis in one 20 hour trip. By that time, maybe we can even sail!</span><br />
<br />
<u><span style="font-family: Cambria;">RockHopper Anchorages:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span><o:p></o:p></span></u><br />
<span style="font-family: Cambria;">36°30.340N 076°21.320W; Dismal Swamp Canal, NC Welcome Center; 19Sep15</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Cambria;">37°10.979N 076°24.817W; Seaford, VA, Chisman Creek; 20-22Sep15</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif"; font-size: 12pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Cambria; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">37°32.722N 076°20.306W; Deltaville, VA, Jackson Creek south; 23-27Sep15</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif"; font-size: 12pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Cambria; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"></span>Mindy and Reinharthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08981248440494359738noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8290059571427331765.post-27464625415525638742015-09-18T16:04:00.000-07:002015-09-18T16:14:54.234-07:00Rockhopper is on the move<div class="MsoNormal">
When last we updated you, we were sweltering in Florida and growing
tired of sitting in one place.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Since then we’ve been on the move north and cooling off.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhu9PeScSVDk771Sh9un85kmlunSb9vCMLrersJ3Sw6Xcy2vFoNg86G9MIO9umesA_eWc8QKKl-J-OXVA6nuIk1rJZRySHo_RFkbmElkP1vFa9kF-aXr1e_vN7oleUG9VRg4C5ee4eqw6oG/s1600/DSC04662.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhu9PeScSVDk771Sh9un85kmlunSb9vCMLrersJ3Sw6Xcy2vFoNg86G9MIO9umesA_eWc8QKKl-J-OXVA6nuIk1rJZRySHo_RFkbmElkP1vFa9kF-aXr1e_vN7oleUG9VRg4C5ee4eqw6oG/s320/DSC04662.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
We left St. Pete and the Tampa Bay area and started heading
south on the Gulf Intracoastal Waterway (GIWW). This section of the GIWW is pretty shallow, narrow, and
full of drawbridges, so it was motoring most of the way with our dolphin
escorts.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We anchored the first
night in a lovely residential spot south of Sarasota, and the next off a large
wildlife preserve on Sanibel Island.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It was nice watching the passing thunderstorms every evening, and we
started to understand why Florida is considered the lightning capital of the
US.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
We headed out into the Gulf just south of Sanibel and finally got to
turn off the engine and become a sailboat.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We even hoisted the spinnaker for the first time, although it has gotten a lot of use since that first day.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This leg was a longer trip to dip our toes back into night
sailing, so we continued through the stormy night to the Florida Keys.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This time the thunderstorms were a
little too close for comfort and it made for a stressful and sleepless first
night back on watch, at least for Mindy. We anchored at Marathon Key the next day.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It was a hot day but we got a little relief going for a swim
off the boat in the 88° water. Reinhart realized we are acting as reverse RO (reverse osmosis) machines, drinking the RO water and producing salt water in the form of sweat. The
heat was getting to be too much for us, so we got back on the move the next
morning with a planned overnight trip to Miami.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjKkTHkiKcZvRyrF8ntDHhwNNHepw2LADRhItwnG015F-bSqsR7YdDRdnKT6ls4Vi0aB0ydzetrucD5tYW9R8k2YNE9boQM_Mx2lNyp-wteiKQyw_c28C07XlAAGgmGl0fHE-m4V5bIfD0/s1600/DSC04693.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjKkTHkiKcZvRyrF8ntDHhwNNHepw2LADRhItwnG015F-bSqsR7YdDRdnKT6ls4Vi0aB0ydzetrucD5tYW9R8k2YNE9boQM_Mx2lNyp-wteiKQyw_c28C07XlAAGgmGl0fHE-m4V5bIfD0/s320/DSC04693.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Once we got out into the gulf stream the conditions were so
perfect and the forecast was favorable, so we decided to bypass Miami and start our
big offshore passage to North Carolina.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It was a pretty good trip overall with calm seas and
excellent winds most of the time, and just a few of those pesky thunderstorms
to make things lively. We had a
stowaway, a little finch, who joined us very far out at sea for several
hours. He even spent some
time inside Rockhopper, checking out the cabins. Just as we were naming him and planning our future with him,
he flew away. We stuck to our old 3 hours on & 3 hours
off schedule we used in 2006/7. We
were happy with our instrumentation, particularly our Furuno Radar. I had two productive radio
conversations with large working vessels, which is two more than I’ve had in
the past. The second to the last day brought stronger winds and wavier seas
with sharp bratty 8’ waves that sprayed us in the cockpit. Our nice new weather cloths were stowed
away, so we’ll have them mounted or handy next time to keep us dry. We loved all of our new canvas and had
a nice shady and dry cockpit.
Still, it all gets monotonous after a while, so we were thrilled to pull
into our old stomping ground of Cape Lookout after 664 nm and 107 hours. We anchored just before midnight and
went to SLEEP!</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
What timing - we woke to a pleasant morning in Cape Lookout,
which quickly turned into near gale force winds with 24 hours of 25-35 knot
winds.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It was so nice to be tucked
away in the bight instead of out at sea, and it gave us a day to recover from
our passage.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Our new wind turbine
was in its element, and we made our RO water with wind power. Those winds
were the passing of a cold pressure system, and the temps have been heavenly
ever since!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The next day we headed
north up the Atlantic Intracoastal Waterway (ICW) to Oriental, NC, one of our
favorite places.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Oriental hasn’t
changed <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">much</i>, but now there is a
grocery store to run to (in the form of a Walmart Express…the horror, or the
convenience, hard to decide).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We
spent lots of time with friends D and Don (Southern Cross), who had generously arranged
a dock for us, and Bev and Arne (Scandia) came down from New Bern to visit and
reminisce about days at Grass America, Annapolis, and Georgetown.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgxNxH2wSlXHKG5alOGOtl884kpkCdOcn4psYTq4-BgBNvRn_1O6NCZx-Unrx9bdP4S5CJt5ptqjeHoyNyw_GOaPm45UVyyY4wQ96TS2hyphenhyphenuqqifC8O2UWZPIpKGbyP0Rjm1EfKZIxqmWEm/s1600/IMG_20150916_192913711.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="179" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgxNxH2wSlXHKG5alOGOtl884kpkCdOcn4psYTq4-BgBNvRn_1O6NCZx-Unrx9bdP4S5CJt5ptqjeHoyNyw_GOaPm45UVyyY4wQ96TS2hyphenhyphenuqqifC8O2UWZPIpKGbyP0Rjm1EfKZIxqmWEm/s320/IMG_20150916_192913711.jpg" width="320" /></a>We left Oriental and continued our ICW trip north to the
Chesapeake.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Once again, it is
mostly a motorsail on the narrow canal with a few sailing opportunities as we
cross over the sounds.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The sailing vessel Dreadnought kept us company on the way up and we anchored together on the Pungo River.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They sent
a photo of us at anchor in the sunset and we were thrilled with one of the
technological advances since our 2006/7 trip…smartphones!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyeQQNw8QegHuYUTQCq4PLuqiwe7x5D8AJEaPV01eaE5xCjcK4AeGlcEXghkZSxIsWLYbDA-iVIyiZWgjkTr8v_85QEpmQPUvPqXRtruDoAPzi5KzKDRU9GG8RwqAw1uvRa2WJRlaGeZ-t/s1600/DSC04726.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="131" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyeQQNw8QegHuYUTQCq4PLuqiwe7x5D8AJEaPV01eaE5xCjcK4AeGlcEXghkZSxIsWLYbDA-iVIyiZWgjkTr8v_85QEpmQPUvPqXRtruDoAPzi5KzKDRU9GG8RwqAw1uvRa2WJRlaGeZ-t/s200/DSC04726.JPG" width="200" /></a>The next day we made it to Elizabeth City, NC, which means
we have been convinced by D and Don to take the infamous Dismal Swamp
route.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We are currently enjoying
the lovely Elizabeth City hospitality (free docks, free wifi) before continuing
our trip up that picturesque and historic, albeit shallow (6’), canal. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<u>Rockhopper anchorages: </u></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
27°14.759N 082°31.492W; Sarasota, FL “White Beach”; 03Sep15</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
26°28.124N 082°05.349W; Sanibel Island, FL “Ding Darling”; 04Sep15</div>
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24°41.599N 081°07.074W; Marathon Key, FL “Outer Boot Key; 06Sep15</div>
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34°37.392N 076°32.852W; Cape Lookout Bight, NC; 11-12Sep15</div>
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35°01.406N 076°41.934W; Oriental, NC “Oriental Harbor
Marina”; 13-15Sep15</div>
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35°33.085N 076°28.178W; Pungo River, NC; 16Sep15</div>
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36°17.901N 076°13.102W; Elizabeth City, NC “Mariner’s Wharf”; 17-18Sep15</div>
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Mindy and Reinharthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08981248440494359738noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8290059571427331765.post-773196914309482532015-09-02T19:12:00.000-07:002015-09-02T19:12:46.550-07:00We are outta here!<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9A6idElu_9Z77Atu2RuprJiEMsz6ovNkDJla_JuX2GzfDhm0n9vV1I1plS_HJ9ClpUhKJzXvF7Exbtjlk8Jv-K5oNoazxhlv25AHZ_Q2Df437et_pJWz58KLnJ_ZGrP3YwPUyH_HYTO-y/s1600/DSC04652+copy.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9A6idElu_9Z77Atu2RuprJiEMsz6ovNkDJla_JuX2GzfDhm0n9vV1I1plS_HJ9ClpUhKJzXvF7Exbtjlk8Jv-K5oNoazxhlv25AHZ_Q2Df437et_pJWz58KLnJ_ZGrP3YwPUyH_HYTO-y/s320/DSC04652+copy.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Rockhopper, the last evening in St. Petersburg</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Okay folks, everything is done, and we'll be on our way Thursday morning September 3. Goodbye to all the helpful folks at Lippincott Marine Canvas, Caliber Brokers, Suncoast Specialties, Elite Marine, and Harborage Marina (N27° 45’33.1848” W82° 38’12.3792”). <br />
<br />
We'll be heading down the gulf coast of Florida and then making our way up the east coast. Currently, we think that will mean a couple of overnight anchorages the first nights on our way down, and then we might just hightail it offshore up to the Chesapeake after we round Florida. We've got 4 weeks to make it to Annapolis, so we have some leeway to change our minds and stop every night and keep it close to the coast or ICW the whole way, but we'll decide as we go. I'm not sure how our connectivity will be as we are on the way up, but if you are interested in knowing if we are stopping overnight in GA/SC/NC/VA, just text us and we'll get back to you if we are close enough for a signal. We'll try to grab internet while we can, but I think we might have more luck with cellular.<br />
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<br /></div>
<div>
Here are a couple of photos of Rockhopper. You might have a hard time seeing some of the work that has been completed in that low evening light, but let me assure you that is it is some gorgeous stainless and canvas work. Here is a photo of the new interior as well. <table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNea1Tbt2gvZ7qpnQdNu9W5jREzLiBY4aHTu5gcSK0ccNxFpsMnaLEYc9U6JocU_H0CGr38_PJeHZi6WzOE7ZRlDt64z9ElM2UX4D0nFtn73dqWOGeoTWMLkLMsLFRD-BFQuPTVExURpH-/s1600/DSC04640+copy.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNea1Tbt2gvZ7qpnQdNu9W5jREzLiBY4aHTu5gcSK0ccNxFpsMnaLEYc9U6JocU_H0CGr38_PJeHZi6WzOE7ZRlDt64z9ElM2UX4D0nFtn73dqWOGeoTWMLkLMsLFRD-BFQuPTVExURpH-/s320/DSC04640+copy.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</div>
Mindy and Reinharthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08981248440494359738noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8290059571427331765.post-2494866643355913912015-08-25T16:14:00.001-07:002015-08-25T16:14:16.154-07:00At least the delays are more fun when you live on a boat<div class="MsoNormal">
Where to start? I guess with an apology for the long pause. But, really, you haven’t missed much. We moved onto Rockhopper in late July
and have been in a St. Petersburg marina for almost 4 weeks now. </div>
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Although many of you knew how disappointed we were with the
delays that kept us from moving onto the boat in the spring, we are thankful
about them at this point, because they gave us extra time to spend with Dad in
his last days. We saw lots of our family
and friends May-July, and we were grateful to have that time with
everyone. It is never enough
though, and we hope to get some good quality visits in later this year. </div>
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUI4AfL7UnDiT-29hCXGM4XLZ8tePmxS1rHp2kiHgJGWGFTnv0dSakxIQr3qibtXuh1wkXMkW65uLjdOGINMQj4Uvg_ICS4vuTLWsFr365VWXaNvO1d4v7ZXyh2Ur8RJkJ5OYhA6E9wEaS/s1600/DSC04560+copy.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="" border="0" height="168" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUI4AfL7UnDiT-29hCXGM4XLZ8tePmxS1rHp2kiHgJGWGFTnv0dSakxIQr3qibtXuh1wkXMkW65uLjdOGINMQj4Uvg_ICS4vuTLWsFr365VWXaNvO1d4v7ZXyh2Ur8RJkJ5OYhA6E9wEaS/s200/DSC04560+copy.JPG" title="" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Tree of Death</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
The folks in Florida finished up with all of the work in
late July, and we had Rockhopper transported her from the manufacturing facility to a
nearby boat yard on July 28. Unfortunately,
the poor girl was damaged in that short transit. The tree (pictured) and the really nice driver (not pictured) are ultimately to blame. We moved onto her the next day, and started going
through the process of having the custom stainless structure rebuilt.<br />
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxdLg4jm-sD_tTngnQBivSAFxrDQOgiC2GrQr2c3_v9qf6MP7oHZK3G9UpRr5aup5o7VOkjWUGGVp1Rskhu2lNAuyqSHnqJVvT2klo8HIZPFV_7Y6GJvx0qL6cF9fSgLdAwulBjqI_gnhp/s1600/DSC04542+copy.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="156" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxdLg4jm-sD_tTngnQBivSAFxrDQOgiC2GrQr2c3_v9qf6MP7oHZK3G9UpRr5aup5o7VOkjWUGGVp1Rskhu2lNAuyqSHnqJVvT2klo8HIZPFV_7Y6GJvx0qL6cF9fSgLdAwulBjqI_gnhp/s200/DSC04542+copy.JPG" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Resulting damage<br /></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The owner of Caliber Yacht has been incredibly helpful with
all of the arrangements, and the transit company is picking up the bill. The
new structure was completed about 2 weeks after the original damage, and we
moved back over to a boatyard to have the welding done.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Our latest bad news is that the elaborate canvas bimini,
connector, and enclosure that was made for the boat in early July will not work
with the new structure. They are currently
rebuilding the bimini and will see if the rest of the canvas will work
from there. </div>
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We thought we might have some time to get out on the town
and visit beautiful St. Petersburg, but we are staying busy with boat projects, and the suffocating heat zaps any extracurricular energy
right out of us. We are so
thankful to Simon and Kristi for lending us their portable AC unit; without it,
we aren’t sure we’d be able to stand the heat. <i>W</i><i>ith the unit</i>, we can get our berth down to about
80 degrees at night, which doesn’t sound too bad until you remember that I
slept with the window open in Antarctica every once in a while. </div>
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We spent almost a whole week just putting stuff away. Trying to get everything we brought
down in the cargo van to fit in a logical place took days longer than we
imagined. For the most part,
everything has found its place.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>There are a few items we are disappointed haven’t found a home on
Rockhopper (like our precious iMac); those things will be making their way back
to our remaining storage unit in Charlotte. </div>
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaVlPgt7ZF8L-7O5sBpLohIJnT6-zwi7sbNwd-SSZPwqAHyrOQInGkPSDqSaSIIZmGX4X8rxWIpU0lh2Xx3zRif_NAaOUvxBFBYSQimmOhvlbPYW2kzOrluBkGdVyzUQlbC84N1ehy8zeW/s1600/DSC04587+copy.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaVlPgt7ZF8L-7O5sBpLohIJnT6-zwi7sbNwd-SSZPwqAHyrOQInGkPSDqSaSIIZmGX4X8rxWIpU0lh2Xx3zRif_NAaOUvxBFBYSQimmOhvlbPYW2kzOrluBkGdVyzUQlbC84N1ehy8zeW/s320/DSC04587+copy.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Rockhopper on 8/15/15 in the midst of repairs</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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Reinhart has been commissioning the boat systems, although
many had to wait until the new structure was built. He has worked on antennas, instruments, wiring, lighting, network,
entertainment, the RO unit (reverse osmosis system or fresh water maker), and the
fancy-pants hydronic heating system. He is in the process of putting up the wind turbine and solar panels
today. I’ve spent a lot of time
“detailing” the interior of the boat. Every nook and cranny (and fan blade and light bulb) was grimy and
filthy from sitting unused since last summer, not to mention the wood work and
insulation that added a lot of dust to the area. Oh, and we finally finished those curtains we’ve been making
on two continents for the last 8 months.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
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We were hoping to be out of here by September 1, but maybe
we should just aim for sometime that week. It is getting pretty late, so now our only plan is to get up
to Annapolis by late September so we can get to work with the US Boat Shows in
October.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
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Mindy and Reinharthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08981248440494359738noreply@blogger.com0