I can't believe that it is Christmas week already, time flies when you are having fun! The weather here in the Virgin Islands has been awesome, lots of wind for sailing and sun to keep us warm and make the snorkelling spectacular.
First mate Ray is wearing his wet suit top again, seems like the water is cooling off to around 78 or 80 degrees, doesn't seem to bother the turtles at Scot Beach or the batch of remora that were hanging out under the boat in Hawksnest, just waiting for someone to drop a slice of garlic bread!
Today we were sailing home, jib and mizzen eased out and doing about 5 knots, half the gang was napping on the bow when we spied Larry Ellisons mega yacht Rising Sun headed right for us and, even more important, a pair of dolphins. They all missed us and I think the dolphins were teenagers, more interested in speed and the big boat then us, and they haired off after the mega yacht.
It woke everyone up though and in time to see a whole flock of long tailed tropic birds. There is never a dull moment on a daysail on Independence!
Happy holidays and all the best for 2009 and lets go sailing!
Pat from Independence
Monday, December 22, 2008
Saturday, December 13, 2008
November 2008
Independence is back on her mooring in St.Thomas after a wonderful and very productive summer in St.Vincent. We had a lot of work done on the boat when she was in the boat yard, a new boot stripe, bottom paint and interior and exterior varnish. The work was done well and to our great pleasure it was done on time and on budget. If you need a good boatyard next time you are in the Windward Islands check out Ottley Hall in St.Vincent!
Pieter and I flew back to St.Vincent on October 2nd and were able to launch and move back aboard the next day. Our old friend and crew, Lorraine Ross, was at the yard waiting for us and helped with all the myriad of jobs that need to be done before and right after hitting the water. There was a bit of a surge running when we splashed and it was more then a little exciting as Independence careered around the slipway until the yard guys could get the slings from the Travelift off the boat and we could back out and get clear. Kudos to the yard crew and manager Paul Cyrus for brilliant line handling, our hearts got a good cardiac workout but no damage, and once we had the rig set up we motored up to the Young Island anchorage.
Friends had given us the use of a mooring there and we spent several days putting on sails and awnings and unpacking. The refrigeration gave up the ghost so we went on the hunt for an expert to fix our old system. There is a technical college in St.Vincent and we were lucky enough to find two recent graduates of the marine refrigeration class who were available to help us. They were ably assisted by their teacher who came out late on a Sunday night to solve the final problem and now we not only have refrigeration that works really well but it has been switched from R12 which is bad for the ozone layer to the more environmentally friendly R134 (Ithink that's what it's called!). It was a great experience and thanks to all our many friends, new and old, who made our stay in St.Vincent so much fun and so productive, we will definitely be back!
Hurricane Omar raised his ugly head just as we were thinking we could go sailing, maybe spend a little time turtle watching in the Tobago Cays. He was headed right to St.Thomas so Pieter jumped on a LIAT flight and went home to secure the house. I stayed and dealt with the huge swells that came down and blasted a lot of the islands in the lower Caribbean. Independence was on the Sunsail Dock and facing into the swells, so all I had to do was move us off the dock a bit, which was easily done. Portsmouth is a wide open bay, protected from seas from the east which is where they usually come from. Omar came from the west so the damage was quite extensive, several little freighters were washed ashore and all the dinghy docks were washed away. St.Vincent, Bequia and Mustique all had considerable beach erosion and dock damage but everyone was out making repairs as soon as things calmed down so they will be ready for the upcoming season.
St.Thomas was very lucky, no damage to speak of; the storm tracked away from us at the last minute so there was just lots of rain and a few gusts. Pieter flew back to the boat as soon as he had the storm shutters raised. We spent a few days in Bequia and then cast off for a 30-hour motoring passage to Portsmouth on the north end of Dominica. Our good friends Pat and Stacy Kosick, ex Ike Witt Red Hook day sailors, have settled up in the mountains of Dominica and are busy building a small eco-friendly resort complete with river, waterfall and small swimming hole. The web site is up, so check it out www.rootsjungleretreat.com.
We haven't been in Dominica in decades; we stopped in Roseau, the capitol which is on the southern tip of the island. We were adopted by Lawrence of Arabia, as he and his crew are known. They took us ashore to clear customs and ended up being our water taxi for the 3 days we stayed. Lawrence is a licensed boat host, has reasonable prices, and offers great service. Knowledge of the island is a requirement of the Dominican Tourist Board to be a licensed host and the system is working well. Pat and Stacey gave us an awesome tour of their property and as much of Dominica as we could see in 2 days.
We all did the Wacky Roller Tour on the Layou River. If you are ever in Dominica on a cruise or if you are lucky enough to spend a few days, try it out. We had a ball, clambering over shaky suspension bridges and zip lining over the river, harnessed and helmeted we were safe but it was exciting and so much fun. Trafalgar Falls and the Emerald Pool are famous attractions on Dominica but we will have to go back to see them. Dominica is a very big island and if you like hiking, rivers, waterfalls, wonderful fresh fruits and vegetables organically grown, and beautiful scenery and great snorkelling just a bit off the beaten path you will love it in Dominica!
We had a great passage home, only two days and we saw a whale between Dominica and the Saints (they have 7 huge windmills making electricity there-come on Virgin Islands!). The whale breached and blew for us, which was very exciting and then we had a pod of dolphins dance around the bow for almost half an hour. The wind didn't cooperate very well; we only got to sail for about 6 hours but the engine chugged along and the auto pilot steered so it was an easy trip. If you are going on a cruise remember to look out and look down at the sea, maybe you will see Independence or some other small boat(compared to your huge ship) bound for your same port! Trust me, we will see you! There must have been 4 big cruise liners between St.Thomas and St.Maarten the night we were headed in; they light up the night sky and are very pretty as they drift slowly to time their arrival with the sunrise. We don't get close enough to hear the music and laughter but have done a few cruises ourselves so know the sounds!
We arrived in Red Hook, our home port on St. Thomas, at about 5:30 a.m., just on daybreak. The fuel dock at our marina was open so we tied up, home safe and sound on October 29th, 2008. We have local boater cards so just had to call and check in with Customs and Border Protection; that is an amazing innovation and saves so much time, aggravation and paper work!
The last week or ten days have been busy. The boat has been emptied of all cruising equipment and the rest of the charter gear - snorkle gear, life jackets, etc. - is back on board. The new back awning - the one I made in September and have been praying would fit - is on and looks great, the decks are painted and the sails have been checked and bent on. Independence is ready for guests and we would love to take you sailing!
Hope to see you this season, and great news! ... First Mate Ray Whittemore is back so we can look forward to more awesome snorkle tours!
All the best from Independence and Captains Pat and Pieter
Pieter and I flew back to St.Vincent on October 2nd and were able to launch and move back aboard the next day. Our old friend and crew, Lorraine Ross, was at the yard waiting for us and helped with all the myriad of jobs that need to be done before and right after hitting the water. There was a bit of a surge running when we splashed and it was more then a little exciting as Independence careered around the slipway until the yard guys could get the slings from the Travelift off the boat and we could back out and get clear. Kudos to the yard crew and manager Paul Cyrus for brilliant line handling, our hearts got a good cardiac workout but no damage, and once we had the rig set up we motored up to the Young Island anchorage.
Friends had given us the use of a mooring there and we spent several days putting on sails and awnings and unpacking. The refrigeration gave up the ghost so we went on the hunt for an expert to fix our old system. There is a technical college in St.Vincent and we were lucky enough to find two recent graduates of the marine refrigeration class who were available to help us. They were ably assisted by their teacher who came out late on a Sunday night to solve the final problem and now we not only have refrigeration that works really well but it has been switched from R12 which is bad for the ozone layer to the more environmentally friendly R134 (Ithink that's what it's called!). It was a great experience and thanks to all our many friends, new and old, who made our stay in St.Vincent so much fun and so productive, we will definitely be back!
Hurricane Omar raised his ugly head just as we were thinking we could go sailing, maybe spend a little time turtle watching in the Tobago Cays. He was headed right to St.Thomas so Pieter jumped on a LIAT flight and went home to secure the house. I stayed and dealt with the huge swells that came down and blasted a lot of the islands in the lower Caribbean. Independence was on the Sunsail Dock and facing into the swells, so all I had to do was move us off the dock a bit, which was easily done. Portsmouth is a wide open bay, protected from seas from the east which is where they usually come from. Omar came from the west so the damage was quite extensive, several little freighters were washed ashore and all the dinghy docks were washed away. St.Vincent, Bequia and Mustique all had considerable beach erosion and dock damage but everyone was out making repairs as soon as things calmed down so they will be ready for the upcoming season.
St.Thomas was very lucky, no damage to speak of; the storm tracked away from us at the last minute so there was just lots of rain and a few gusts. Pieter flew back to the boat as soon as he had the storm shutters raised. We spent a few days in Bequia and then cast off for a 30-hour motoring passage to Portsmouth on the north end of Dominica. Our good friends Pat and Stacy Kosick, ex Ike Witt Red Hook day sailors, have settled up in the mountains of Dominica and are busy building a small eco-friendly resort complete with river, waterfall and small swimming hole. The web site is up, so check it out www.rootsjungleretreat.com.
We haven't been in Dominica in decades; we stopped in Roseau, the capitol which is on the southern tip of the island. We were adopted by Lawrence of Arabia, as he and his crew are known. They took us ashore to clear customs and ended up being our water taxi for the 3 days we stayed. Lawrence is a licensed boat host, has reasonable prices, and offers great service. Knowledge of the island is a requirement of the Dominican Tourist Board to be a licensed host and the system is working well. Pat and Stacey gave us an awesome tour of their property and as much of Dominica as we could see in 2 days.
We all did the Wacky Roller Tour on the Layou River. If you are ever in Dominica on a cruise or if you are lucky enough to spend a few days, try it out. We had a ball, clambering over shaky suspension bridges and zip lining over the river, harnessed and helmeted we were safe but it was exciting and so much fun. Trafalgar Falls and the Emerald Pool are famous attractions on Dominica but we will have to go back to see them. Dominica is a very big island and if you like hiking, rivers, waterfalls, wonderful fresh fruits and vegetables organically grown, and beautiful scenery and great snorkelling just a bit off the beaten path you will love it in Dominica!
We had a great passage home, only two days and we saw a whale between Dominica and the Saints (they have 7 huge windmills making electricity there-come on Virgin Islands!). The whale breached and blew for us, which was very exciting and then we had a pod of dolphins dance around the bow for almost half an hour. The wind didn't cooperate very well; we only got to sail for about 6 hours but the engine chugged along and the auto pilot steered so it was an easy trip. If you are going on a cruise remember to look out and look down at the sea, maybe you will see Independence or some other small boat(compared to your huge ship) bound for your same port! Trust me, we will see you! There must have been 4 big cruise liners between St.Thomas and St.Maarten the night we were headed in; they light up the night sky and are very pretty as they drift slowly to time their arrival with the sunrise. We don't get close enough to hear the music and laughter but have done a few cruises ourselves so know the sounds!
We arrived in Red Hook, our home port on St. Thomas, at about 5:30 a.m., just on daybreak. The fuel dock at our marina was open so we tied up, home safe and sound on October 29th, 2008. We have local boater cards so just had to call and check in with Customs and Border Protection; that is an amazing innovation and saves so much time, aggravation and paper work!
The last week or ten days have been busy. The boat has been emptied of all cruising equipment and the rest of the charter gear - snorkle gear, life jackets, etc. - is back on board. The new back awning - the one I made in September and have been praying would fit - is on and looks great, the decks are painted and the sails have been checked and bent on. Independence is ready for guests and we would love to take you sailing!
Hope to see you this season, and great news! ... First Mate Ray Whittemore is back so we can look forward to more awesome snorkle tours!
All the best from Independence and Captains Pat and Pieter
September 9, 2008
Independence had a fabulous passage south. We left from Norman Island in the BVI on Thursday, July 10th headed for Carriacou, a small island about 350 miles south southeast of us and just north of Grenada. It is one of our favourite places and if you have read the rest of the log you will remember that we rode out Hurricane Emily there a few years ago. The weather was benign, just enough wind to drive us at about 5 or 6 knots, easy seas and the Aries self steering gear at the wheel. We had a visit from a pod of dolphins, the first group we have seen in years, and they stayed with us for over an hour doing the dolphin dance around the bow, jumping up to check us out and putting on quite a show for Pieter and me.
Everything was perfect until early Sunday morning when a line chafed through on the Aries and suddenly we weren't going the right way. I was on watch and it took a few minutes to figure it out but it was a lovely night so I took a turn at the helm for an hour or two until Pieter came up and we set up the auto pilot. It works really well, too, but uses a lot of electricity. The wind was being blanketed by St.Vincent anyway so we rolled up the jib and cranked up the engine and proceeded on our way. Diesel has gone through the roof here in the Caribbean too, so we were happy to only have to use the engine for a few hours. We arrived in Carriacou around 4 o'clock in the afternoon, we missed all but one of the heavy rain squalls surrounding us but at least we got all the salt washed off Independence (Pieter too!) before we dropped the hook!
As always it was lovely to be at anchor, to be able to put my cup down without it flying off the table and to enjoy an uninterrupted nights sleep. I never think about those things until I don't have them. I love going to sea too, maybe it is like banging your head against the wall because it feels so good when you stop! On Monday we cleared in with customs and immigration in Carriacou, always an adventure and sometimes very frustrating but once we were done with all the paperwork we were free to re acquaint ourselves with Hillboro. It is a step back in time and really reminds us of the Caribbean of the 60's. That said, cyber cafes are everywhere, everyone is skyping and cell phones and satellite dishes are very popular. It was easy to check in with our kids and get all the news from home. We had no problem getting fresh produce and for everyone who likes our rum punch, nutmegs were readily available! After a morning of dealing with officialdom, e-mailing and shopping it was great to get back to the peace and quiet of Independence.
One of the highlights of the cruising life is meeting other cruisers. First to show up was Gypsy Queen; Bob and Mary are part of the Red Hook coffee klatch and it was great to have them aboard and hear about their adventures. Their trip south will make a much better novel then ours but they were enjoying the Grenadines on their way to haul out in Grenada and encouraged us to visit the Tobago Cays. We have stopped there many times and it is a lovely reef surrounding a group of small sandy cays. The St.Vincent government has recently declared it a marine park and it is being monitored much like our own National Park in St. John. We had a wonderful visit, the rangers are controlling traffic speed and making sure that anchors are only dropped in sand. I saw several turtles (just like our Scot Beach) grazing in a buoyed off area plus lots of colourful fish and one spotted moray eel.
We visited a friend in Mustique and heard all about the big 40th Mustique Company birthday party, later read in People that Mick Jagger and Prince William and his girlfriend were there, timing is everything! In Bequia we came across Sinbad, last seen in St. John circa 1996. Doug and Bethanne, and toddlers Antares and Azzura, were planning to circumnavigate. Sinbad is a gorgeous old iron freighter about 85 feet long. They fitted her with masts and sails to help push and to stabilize her, rebuilt the interior with comfortable accommodations and a very complete metal and woodworking shop. Then they disappeared from our view, but, July 26th, my birthday, there they were anchored in the middle of Admiralty Bay. We had a great visit and caught up on some of their adventures. Antares is off running a large yacht in the Mediterranean and Azzura is off to university in Paris. Doug does beautiful sculptures in bronze and Bethanne is translating while they wander the Caribbean. We also met up with Gallivanter and crew, Kirk, young son Stuart and Catherine (she was Peter's secretary at the boat yard) who are sailing slowly west with the idea of settling for a bit in Australia!
It was hard to tear ourselves away from Bequia but we had a date with the boat yard in Ottley Hall and good friends Angela and Joe Browne waiting to help us so we headed across the Bequia channel and back to our old home island of St.Vincent. I daysailed out of St.Vincent in the early 70's with our old schooner, Evoe, and my mate was Lorrain Ross, he is a captain now but a good friend and he agreed to do a bunch of work for us on Independence while we were in the States. Joe is a marine surveyor as well as a good friend so she is in good and qualified hands. The haul out was uneventful, Ottley Hall is a great yard and we were able to get everything stored and put away properly in case of a storm in a day. I'm not sure how we would have done it without the hospitality and help of the Brownes, not to mention Angela's washing machine!
We flew home to St. Thomas in early August for a couple of days. Hillary and Brian and our grand daughter Marisa had moved up to Greensboro, NC, on July 11th and we were anxious to get up there to see them and help with house hunting and resettling. Son Paul had everything under control at home so we flew out on August 7th. It has been a great trip and we are wowed at all that our daughter and son-in-law have accomplished in less than 2 months. Both have jobs, NC drivers licenses, cars, and they will have closed on their house and moved in by mid-September. They have had tremendous help from Brian's family. We will really miss having them here but they have all the support they need from the Murphy's and are making a great life for themselves in America! We now have 2 credit cards with frequent flier miles to get us to Greensboro, so we will be visiting!!
September will be spent in St.Thomas doing house projects, getting caught up on boat paperwork and trying to keep up with the jungle growth in the garden. We have been lucky so far with all the storms but it has been raining, a lot, and I have swapped the varnish brush for gardening gloves!
We fly back to St.Vincent on October 2nd and hope to launch quickly and get back aboard Independence. It will take a day or two to get her back in sailing order, but she will be looking very smart with a new boot stripe, bottom paint and shiny varnish. Our plan is to spend a week or so in the Grenadines and then head to Dominica. We hope to catch up with former Red Hook day sailors, Pat and Stacey of Ike Witt (now on Soon Come) who, rumour has it, have decided to settle in Dominica and build a small cottage hotel. From there it will be - maybe - two days of down wind sailing home.
We'll be back in time to vote in early November and will start daysailing as soon as we can after that. Ray is still planning to sail with me this season and we look forward to having another great season of sailing and exploring aboard Independence.
Come on down and let's go sailing! - Pieter and Pat
Everything was perfect until early Sunday morning when a line chafed through on the Aries and suddenly we weren't going the right way. I was on watch and it took a few minutes to figure it out but it was a lovely night so I took a turn at the helm for an hour or two until Pieter came up and we set up the auto pilot. It works really well, too, but uses a lot of electricity. The wind was being blanketed by St.Vincent anyway so we rolled up the jib and cranked up the engine and proceeded on our way. Diesel has gone through the roof here in the Caribbean too, so we were happy to only have to use the engine for a few hours. We arrived in Carriacou around 4 o'clock in the afternoon, we missed all but one of the heavy rain squalls surrounding us but at least we got all the salt washed off Independence (Pieter too!) before we dropped the hook!
As always it was lovely to be at anchor, to be able to put my cup down without it flying off the table and to enjoy an uninterrupted nights sleep. I never think about those things until I don't have them. I love going to sea too, maybe it is like banging your head against the wall because it feels so good when you stop! On Monday we cleared in with customs and immigration in Carriacou, always an adventure and sometimes very frustrating but once we were done with all the paperwork we were free to re acquaint ourselves with Hillboro. It is a step back in time and really reminds us of the Caribbean of the 60's. That said, cyber cafes are everywhere, everyone is skyping and cell phones and satellite dishes are very popular. It was easy to check in with our kids and get all the news from home. We had no problem getting fresh produce and for everyone who likes our rum punch, nutmegs were readily available! After a morning of dealing with officialdom, e-mailing and shopping it was great to get back to the peace and quiet of Independence.
One of the highlights of the cruising life is meeting other cruisers. First to show up was Gypsy Queen; Bob and Mary are part of the Red Hook coffee klatch and it was great to have them aboard and hear about their adventures. Their trip south will make a much better novel then ours but they were enjoying the Grenadines on their way to haul out in Grenada and encouraged us to visit the Tobago Cays. We have stopped there many times and it is a lovely reef surrounding a group of small sandy cays. The St.Vincent government has recently declared it a marine park and it is being monitored much like our own National Park in St. John. We had a wonderful visit, the rangers are controlling traffic speed and making sure that anchors are only dropped in sand. I saw several turtles (just like our Scot Beach) grazing in a buoyed off area plus lots of colourful fish and one spotted moray eel.
We visited a friend in Mustique and heard all about the big 40th Mustique Company birthday party, later read in People that Mick Jagger and Prince William and his girlfriend were there, timing is everything! In Bequia we came across Sinbad, last seen in St. John circa 1996. Doug and Bethanne, and toddlers Antares and Azzura, were planning to circumnavigate. Sinbad is a gorgeous old iron freighter about 85 feet long. They fitted her with masts and sails to help push and to stabilize her, rebuilt the interior with comfortable accommodations and a very complete metal and woodworking shop. Then they disappeared from our view, but, July 26th, my birthday, there they were anchored in the middle of Admiralty Bay. We had a great visit and caught up on some of their adventures. Antares is off running a large yacht in the Mediterranean and Azzura is off to university in Paris. Doug does beautiful sculptures in bronze and Bethanne is translating while they wander the Caribbean. We also met up with Gallivanter and crew, Kirk, young son Stuart and Catherine (she was Peter's secretary at the boat yard) who are sailing slowly west with the idea of settling for a bit in Australia!
It was hard to tear ourselves away from Bequia but we had a date with the boat yard in Ottley Hall and good friends Angela and Joe Browne waiting to help us so we headed across the Bequia channel and back to our old home island of St.Vincent. I daysailed out of St.Vincent in the early 70's with our old schooner, Evoe, and my mate was Lorrain Ross, he is a captain now but a good friend and he agreed to do a bunch of work for us on Independence while we were in the States. Joe is a marine surveyor as well as a good friend so she is in good and qualified hands. The haul out was uneventful, Ottley Hall is a great yard and we were able to get everything stored and put away properly in case of a storm in a day. I'm not sure how we would have done it without the hospitality and help of the Brownes, not to mention Angela's washing machine!
We flew home to St. Thomas in early August for a couple of days. Hillary and Brian and our grand daughter Marisa had moved up to Greensboro, NC, on July 11th and we were anxious to get up there to see them and help with house hunting and resettling. Son Paul had everything under control at home so we flew out on August 7th. It has been a great trip and we are wowed at all that our daughter and son-in-law have accomplished in less than 2 months. Both have jobs, NC drivers licenses, cars, and they will have closed on their house and moved in by mid-September. They have had tremendous help from Brian's family. We will really miss having them here but they have all the support they need from the Murphy's and are making a great life for themselves in America! We now have 2 credit cards with frequent flier miles to get us to Greensboro, so we will be visiting!!
September will be spent in St.Thomas doing house projects, getting caught up on boat paperwork and trying to keep up with the jungle growth in the garden. We have been lucky so far with all the storms but it has been raining, a lot, and I have swapped the varnish brush for gardening gloves!
We fly back to St.Vincent on October 2nd and hope to launch quickly and get back aboard Independence. It will take a day or two to get her back in sailing order, but she will be looking very smart with a new boot stripe, bottom paint and shiny varnish. Our plan is to spend a week or so in the Grenadines and then head to Dominica. We hope to catch up with former Red Hook day sailors, Pat and Stacey of Ike Witt (now on Soon Come) who, rumour has it, have decided to settle in Dominica and build a small cottage hotel. From there it will be - maybe - two days of down wind sailing home.
We'll be back in time to vote in early November and will start daysailing as soon as we can after that. Ray is still planning to sail with me this season and we look forward to having another great season of sailing and exploring aboard Independence.
Come on down and let's go sailing! - Pieter and Pat
July 10, 2008
Independence has finished another wonderful year of daysailing and we are off for the summer. This year we are heading south to St.Vincent and the Grenadines. We will have a few weeks to enjoy some of our favourite anchorages in Cariacou, Mayero, Tobago Cays and Bequia before going to the boatyard at Ottley Hall in St.Vincent.
Independence will spend August and September out of the water in dry storage, hopefully no storms will come our way but she will be safe there and good friends will keep an eye on her. The yard will give her bottom a good sanding and a couple of coats of anti-fouling paint. We got some bad paint last year in Rhode Island and have been battling barnacles and grass all winter, it will be good to have that behind us!
While Independence is enjoying her down time Pieter and I will be in North Carolina for the month of August and then back in St. Thomas for September. It will be very odd to be in Red Hook with no boat and I suppose that will mean house projects instead of varnishing and stainless polishing on Independence.
Hurricane season starts winding down in October so we will fly back on the 3rd to launch and start ambling home. Our plan is to be back in St.Thomas before election day and we will be looking forward to daysailing again. First Mate, Ray Whittemore, has promised to sail with me for another season so we expect that more great snorkel tours, r.p's, island stories and philosophizing will be there for all our guests next season.
Thanks to everyone who sailed with us this year; it was one of our best seasons and so much fun. We look forward to next year, I will be checking my email as often as I can so if you are thinking of a Caribbean cruise or a Virgin Islands vacation, plan on a day aboard Independence!
Have a great summer! - Pieter and Pat
Independence will spend August and September out of the water in dry storage, hopefully no storms will come our way but she will be safe there and good friends will keep an eye on her. The yard will give her bottom a good sanding and a couple of coats of anti-fouling paint. We got some bad paint last year in Rhode Island and have been battling barnacles and grass all winter, it will be good to have that behind us!
While Independence is enjoying her down time Pieter and I will be in North Carolina for the month of August and then back in St. Thomas for September. It will be very odd to be in Red Hook with no boat and I suppose that will mean house projects instead of varnishing and stainless polishing on Independence.
Hurricane season starts winding down in October so we will fly back on the 3rd to launch and start ambling home. Our plan is to be back in St.Thomas before election day and we will be looking forward to daysailing again. First Mate, Ray Whittemore, has promised to sail with me for another season so we expect that more great snorkel tours, r.p's, island stories and philosophizing will be there for all our guests next season.
Thanks to everyone who sailed with us this year; it was one of our best seasons and so much fun. We look forward to next year, I will be checking my email as often as I can so if you are thinking of a Caribbean cruise or a Virgin Islands vacation, plan on a day aboard Independence!
Have a great summer! - Pieter and Pat
November 26, 2007
Independence is back home on her mooring in Red Hook! We arrived in St. John on November 2nd and picked up our favorite mooring by Caneel Bay at 10 p.m. The new chart plotter made navigating between Jost Van Dyke and Tortola in the dark very straightforward and even though Independence knows her way through the Durloe Cays by heart it's a narrow pass and it was nice to watch our progress on the screen. We left Bermuda on Sunday, October 28th and cleared the Town Cut about 11 a.m. The plan was to go south and get out of the way of Noel, maybe a tropical storm but, maybe a hurricane, so we had no wish to meet up with him!
I will try and give you an idea of life at sea on Independence with just Pieter and me on board. Instead of television we have the single side band radio for entertainment when we are on a passage and we spend a lot of time listening to weather reports. We talk to Chris Parker in the morning at about 6:30. Of course the channel he uses gets interference from our auto pilot, so I drive the boat and Pieter listens. He tapes it, too, so I can hear the news; lots of boats check in and it is fun to hear what is going on in Venezuela, Panama or off the fishing grounds in the Bahamas.
After the weather I make coffee, always an exciting adventure if the seas are up because I am a coffee snob and have to grind the beans; that means using the inverter for 110 electricity. It's in the aft cabin, so “don't spill the beans” takes on a whole new meaning! Once that is done I very carefully pour the boiling water over the beans (hoping the boat doesn't lurch) and then, finally, my reward … the best cup of coffee ever! If it is dry on deck we sit in the cockpit and enjoy the breeze and the view.
Pieter goes for a nap; he takes the watch the second half of the night so has earned his rest. I clean up the galley, keep an eye out for any passing ships and on the weather. Our auto pilot steers if we are motor sailing; the wind vane takes over if we are just under sail. They do a better job hour after hour then any human could and make it possible for us to enjoy a short handed passage without being tied to the helm. One of the wonderful things about being at sea is no distractions … no computer, at least for low tech Independence … no phones … no one but ourselves to see to. The routine is pretty set but there is lots of time for reading – and I love to read! – Sudoku, crosswords or whatever your pleasure.
When Pieter comes up from his morning siesta we check our position, every hour we log the latitude and longitude from the GPS. He puts it on the chart at noon and we find out how far we have come in 24 hours and how far still to go. This was a very fast trip so every noon-time was a celebration - a hundred and fifty plus fewer miles to go until we are home! Lunch is usually just a sandwich and then it is my turn for a nap.
Pieter calls me about 4, we always have tea about 4 and being at sea doesn't change that, but by 4:15 we have the radio on to listen for Herb and I am back on the helm steering and drinking tea. Herb is Southbound 11, a wonderful man who does weather routing for yachts, tugs and fishing boats all over the Atlantic. We have heard vessels check in from the English Channel to Hudson’s Bay, and the Caribbean to South Africa. The check in can take up to 45 minutes because there are so many boats. We don't talk to him because there is always a boat close to us that does so we piggy back on their forecast, but it is fun to listen to everyone and hear who has caught a fish and who is having too much or not enough wind. Herb does not mince words. He works hard to provide a good forecast and woe betide the mariner who doesn't follow his advice and gets caught by bad weather … They have to deal with a storm and a tongue lashing from Herb! It is better than Survivor and everyone wins with a good passage and a safe arrival!
You are going to think that all we do is eat, sleep, read and listen to weather! We mostly do but every now and then we have to change or reef a sail, switch from the auto pilot to the wind vane or fix something. This passage was fast as we were going south as quickly as we could and so it was rough … Big seas from Noel with lots of spray and motion, the wind was gusty and not from a steady direction. We were busy with sail changes, but the only repair was to prime the pump for the refrigeration. Despite the wild ride, the only repair needed on arrival was to a leaky window. Of course, the leak was over the electric panel so that caused a few problems but nothing Pieter couldn't handle. We both sustained a few bruises from going left when the boat was leaping to the right but nothing serious.
Cooking can be a challenge in a big sea. I love my pressure cooker and always have a few meals in the freezer for the first night out and those rough nights. I even managed to bake some bread on this passage. Seems that cakes fall if you bang them around in the oven but bread doesn't, it smelled great and was a real treat! The cook gets lots of kudos, especially when it is rough!
I get the first half of the night for my watch. Before Pieter goes to bed the radar goes on so I can see shipping long before it gets too close and also any squalls that might be trying to sneak up on us. Every ten or fifteen minutes I go up on deck to have a good look around, check the course and, even though the radar is on, I check for any shipping traffic. This trip was pretty wet so I didn't spend much time in the cockpit but if it is a clear night with a moon it is really nice to be out in the air. The rule on board is no one is on deck without a harness on and clipped on to the boat, the best man overboard drill is prevention!
We didn't see too many ships this time. One bright orange tanker came over to have a look at us; we had seen them in Bermuda on our way to the Dockyard so it was like meeting an old friend … lots of waving and they took pictures. I fried my camera with a bad battery so no shots from me. Pieter usually wakes up about midnight, we have a cup of tea and then I retire to my bunk after a nice hot shower, love that little bathtub in the after head!
Five nights of that routine and lo and behold, Anegada showed up on the radar! We were very glad we left when we did; boats were being told to go back to the east coast to hide from Noel, and Bermuda geared up for a blow. It wasn't too bad there but we got ahead of it and after 5 days 11 hours - very fast for us - we were on the mooring in St. John. There is no feeling quite so wonderful as the end of a passage, everything is still, no rocking and rolling, the engine is off, a glass of wine, a hot shower and the prospect of a whole nights sleep, awesome!
The last two weeks have been busy getting the boat cleaned up, the cruising equipment off and the chartering gear on. We have done our first two charters, a half day last Wednesday - thanks Mary Courtenay and Tim for being our practice run - and a full day sail with a delightful group from Denmark and Sweden on Sunday. The only thing I forgot was the parmesan cheese for lunch on Sunday … Not too bad after 5 months off and we had a great time any way!
Hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving.
Come on down and let’s go sailing! - Pieter and Pat
I will try and give you an idea of life at sea on Independence with just Pieter and me on board. Instead of television we have the single side band radio for entertainment when we are on a passage and we spend a lot of time listening to weather reports. We talk to Chris Parker in the morning at about 6:30. Of course the channel he uses gets interference from our auto pilot, so I drive the boat and Pieter listens. He tapes it, too, so I can hear the news; lots of boats check in and it is fun to hear what is going on in Venezuela, Panama or off the fishing grounds in the Bahamas.
After the weather I make coffee, always an exciting adventure if the seas are up because I am a coffee snob and have to grind the beans; that means using the inverter for 110 electricity. It's in the aft cabin, so “don't spill the beans” takes on a whole new meaning! Once that is done I very carefully pour the boiling water over the beans (hoping the boat doesn't lurch) and then, finally, my reward … the best cup of coffee ever! If it is dry on deck we sit in the cockpit and enjoy the breeze and the view.
Pieter goes for a nap; he takes the watch the second half of the night so has earned his rest. I clean up the galley, keep an eye out for any passing ships and on the weather. Our auto pilot steers if we are motor sailing; the wind vane takes over if we are just under sail. They do a better job hour after hour then any human could and make it possible for us to enjoy a short handed passage without being tied to the helm. One of the wonderful things about being at sea is no distractions … no computer, at least for low tech Independence … no phones … no one but ourselves to see to. The routine is pretty set but there is lots of time for reading – and I love to read! – Sudoku, crosswords or whatever your pleasure.
When Pieter comes up from his morning siesta we check our position, every hour we log the latitude and longitude from the GPS. He puts it on the chart at noon and we find out how far we have come in 24 hours and how far still to go. This was a very fast trip so every noon-time was a celebration - a hundred and fifty plus fewer miles to go until we are home! Lunch is usually just a sandwich and then it is my turn for a nap.
Pieter calls me about 4, we always have tea about 4 and being at sea doesn't change that, but by 4:15 we have the radio on to listen for Herb and I am back on the helm steering and drinking tea. Herb is Southbound 11, a wonderful man who does weather routing for yachts, tugs and fishing boats all over the Atlantic. We have heard vessels check in from the English Channel to Hudson’s Bay, and the Caribbean to South Africa. The check in can take up to 45 minutes because there are so many boats. We don't talk to him because there is always a boat close to us that does so we piggy back on their forecast, but it is fun to listen to everyone and hear who has caught a fish and who is having too much or not enough wind. Herb does not mince words. He works hard to provide a good forecast and woe betide the mariner who doesn't follow his advice and gets caught by bad weather … They have to deal with a storm and a tongue lashing from Herb! It is better than Survivor and everyone wins with a good passage and a safe arrival!
You are going to think that all we do is eat, sleep, read and listen to weather! We mostly do but every now and then we have to change or reef a sail, switch from the auto pilot to the wind vane or fix something. This passage was fast as we were going south as quickly as we could and so it was rough … Big seas from Noel with lots of spray and motion, the wind was gusty and not from a steady direction. We were busy with sail changes, but the only repair was to prime the pump for the refrigeration. Despite the wild ride, the only repair needed on arrival was to a leaky window. Of course, the leak was over the electric panel so that caused a few problems but nothing Pieter couldn't handle. We both sustained a few bruises from going left when the boat was leaping to the right but nothing serious.
Cooking can be a challenge in a big sea. I love my pressure cooker and always have a few meals in the freezer for the first night out and those rough nights. I even managed to bake some bread on this passage. Seems that cakes fall if you bang them around in the oven but bread doesn't, it smelled great and was a real treat! The cook gets lots of kudos, especially when it is rough!
I get the first half of the night for my watch. Before Pieter goes to bed the radar goes on so I can see shipping long before it gets too close and also any squalls that might be trying to sneak up on us. Every ten or fifteen minutes I go up on deck to have a good look around, check the course and, even though the radar is on, I check for any shipping traffic. This trip was pretty wet so I didn't spend much time in the cockpit but if it is a clear night with a moon it is really nice to be out in the air. The rule on board is no one is on deck without a harness on and clipped on to the boat, the best man overboard drill is prevention!
We didn't see too many ships this time. One bright orange tanker came over to have a look at us; we had seen them in Bermuda on our way to the Dockyard so it was like meeting an old friend … lots of waving and they took pictures. I fried my camera with a bad battery so no shots from me. Pieter usually wakes up about midnight, we have a cup of tea and then I retire to my bunk after a nice hot shower, love that little bathtub in the after head!
Five nights of that routine and lo and behold, Anegada showed up on the radar! We were very glad we left when we did; boats were being told to go back to the east coast to hide from Noel, and Bermuda geared up for a blow. It wasn't too bad there but we got ahead of it and after 5 days 11 hours - very fast for us - we were on the mooring in St. John. There is no feeling quite so wonderful as the end of a passage, everything is still, no rocking and rolling, the engine is off, a glass of wine, a hot shower and the prospect of a whole nights sleep, awesome!
The last two weeks have been busy getting the boat cleaned up, the cruising equipment off and the chartering gear on. We have done our first two charters, a half day last Wednesday - thanks Mary Courtenay and Tim for being our practice run - and a full day sail with a delightful group from Denmark and Sweden on Sunday. The only thing I forgot was the parmesan cheese for lunch on Sunday … Not too bad after 5 months off and we had a great time any way!
Hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving.
Come on down and let’s go sailing! - Pieter and Pat
October 26, 2007
We have been in Bermuda for about 2 weeks now and are really getting antsy to start sailing home. Nobody has much sympathy for us though, stuck in Bermuda ... how bad can it be? Actually, it is pretty wonderful and we will be back. We are just feeling the lure of the grandbaby (see her picture in the Photo Album), and it will be good to be back in home waters.
Our trip from Newport to Bermuda was fast - only four and a half days - but very wet and we had a few repairs to make and a lot of drying out to do once we got in. Our new toy, the chart plotter, allowed us to enter at night by showing where the navigational markers we wanted were in relationship to Independence ... Amazing and I don't know how we managed this long without it. Probably would have stood outside off the island until dawn, it was very rough so it would have been a very long night. We did have company on our trip: a woman single-handing a 43 foot Swan left with us. It was nice to have someone to compare notes with on the radio. She has deck leaks, so was even wetter than we were.
Along withdrying out and fixing hatches, our refrigeration quit. We carry lots of ice so no food went bad, but at $9 a bag ice is an expensive solution in Bermuda. Pieter diagnosed the problem as a bad bearing in the clutch and our good friends at Bermuda Yacht Services (see dragging incident in an earlier log!!) came to the rescue by ordering the part and giving us a discount on ice!
It took a while but the part finally came: the right part the first time too! It went in with a minimum of fuss and is now working like a charm. We have been doing some maintenance chores as well, the varnish is looking very shiny, the stainless is all polished, the oil and filters are changed and lots of other little chores have been crossed off the list. The hatches have been re gasketed and better not leak; all the Christmas goodies are stowed in the focsle!
This trip hasn't been all work. We ferried up to the old Dockyard and in to Hamilton for some shopping and exploring. One of the other jobs to be done was replacing our red and green navigation lights and they actually had the same ones at the chandlery. Also got parts for the Aries windvane; we are leaving Bermuda in very good shape. We connected with several old friends from past visits and have had a very pleasant social schedule. Boats come and go, most from the northeast and heading to the Caribbean so there is always someone to meet and talk with about the next passage. Just now it is all about weather, some boats have left and are having fast but rough trips, the tropical system by Puerto Rico is causing us to hesitate a bit but the consensus seems to be that tomorrow - the 27 of October - is our day. One more weather guru to listen to on the single side band, the much-loved Herb from Southbound 11, will give his opinion tonight, so keep your fingers crossed for us! It is about 850 miles and we hope to be home in about a week and I promise an update once we are in and reconnected. Independence is gleaming and will be ready and available for full-day and half-day charters after the 15th of November so come on down to St.Thomas and lets go sailing!
We'll see you soon! - Pieter and Pat
Our trip from Newport to Bermuda was fast - only four and a half days - but very wet and we had a few repairs to make and a lot of drying out to do once we got in. Our new toy, the chart plotter, allowed us to enter at night by showing where the navigational markers we wanted were in relationship to Independence ... Amazing and I don't know how we managed this long without it. Probably would have stood outside off the island until dawn, it was very rough so it would have been a very long night. We did have company on our trip: a woman single-handing a 43 foot Swan left with us. It was nice to have someone to compare notes with on the radio. She has deck leaks, so was even wetter than we were.
Along withdrying out and fixing hatches, our refrigeration quit. We carry lots of ice so no food went bad, but at $9 a bag ice is an expensive solution in Bermuda. Pieter diagnosed the problem as a bad bearing in the clutch and our good friends at Bermuda Yacht Services (see dragging incident in an earlier log!!) came to the rescue by ordering the part and giving us a discount on ice!
It took a while but the part finally came: the right part the first time too! It went in with a minimum of fuss and is now working like a charm. We have been doing some maintenance chores as well, the varnish is looking very shiny, the stainless is all polished, the oil and filters are changed and lots of other little chores have been crossed off the list. The hatches have been re gasketed and better not leak; all the Christmas goodies are stowed in the focsle!
This trip hasn't been all work. We ferried up to the old Dockyard and in to Hamilton for some shopping and exploring. One of the other jobs to be done was replacing our red and green navigation lights and they actually had the same ones at the chandlery. Also got parts for the Aries windvane; we are leaving Bermuda in very good shape. We connected with several old friends from past visits and have had a very pleasant social schedule. Boats come and go, most from the northeast and heading to the Caribbean so there is always someone to meet and talk with about the next passage. Just now it is all about weather, some boats have left and are having fast but rough trips, the tropical system by Puerto Rico is causing us to hesitate a bit but the consensus seems to be that tomorrow - the 27 of October - is our day. One more weather guru to listen to on the single side band, the much-loved Herb from Southbound 11, will give his opinion tonight, so keep your fingers crossed for us! It is about 850 miles and we hope to be home in about a week and I promise an update once we are in and reconnected. Independence is gleaming and will be ready and available for full-day and half-day charters after the 15th of November so come on down to St.Thomas and lets go sailing!
We'll see you soon! - Pieter and Pat
October 2, 2007
Independence is sitting at anchor in sunny - chilly but sunny - Newport. We are waiting for the right weather window to head for Bermuda and our best advice is not until next Monday!! Keep your fingers crossed for us that the lovely Indian summer we are enjoying now to last for another week or two!
The summer has been wonderful. We got a great deal from Avis so while Independence was hauled out at Pirates Cove Marina in Rhodej Island, Pieter and I took a month to visit old friends, explore new territory and spend time with our grand daughter, Marisa, and our daughter, son-in-law and his whole family in Greensboro,NC. I won't be a boring grandma ... However, Marisa is the best, brightest and cutest baby in the world, to us, and I will post some pictures soon, enough said!!
We had a great time with Pieter's family in Ontario and arrived in Pickering hours after the birth of niece Leslie's son, Troy, so got to share in their joy.
Williamsburg was another stop and we loved it! We would definitely like to go back and share it with Marisa when she is old enough, maybe staying at one of the old inns. We got together with dear old friend, Dee Carstarphen Hopkins, for lunch and she brought us a copy of her book, Narrow Waters. It is a beautiful book full of lovely sketches, history, anecdotes and information about cruising the Intra Coastal Waterway. I highly recommend it to anyone who is interested in doing that trip or is just interested in canals and waterways.
Independence was painted and ready for launching when we returned to Portsmouth on August 24th, so after some provisioning and scrubbing we left to do a little cruising. Our old friend, Greg, whom we met on our last cruise north, found us a mooring in New Bedford and introduced us to THE local diesel mechanic. Our exhaust system, repaired after the melt-down it had on our way in to Newport, was still smoking into the main cabin and that was worrisome. Fortunately, it turned out to be a bad gasket, which was easily fixed. New Bedford is a lovely old town and we explored the cobble-stoned streets, Whaling Museum and waterfront. Picture us having 50-pound chunks of ice lowered down to our little dinghy while a huge fishing vessel loaded tons of crushed ice right next to us. When you travel on your own boat local color takes on a whole new meaning!
We left Independence on the mooring in New Bedford and drove with friends to Maine for the Labor Day weekend. Camden was a visit with friend, Benet, who gave us the royal tour of the schooner rendezvous, shipyards where lovely old yachts were being restored, and a tour of the Owls Head Transportation Museum, which was full of antique cars (Pieter's new passion). Our last night in Maine was spent at the home of former V.I.ers Sandy and Sherry. They live on Pemaquid Point, right on the water and we were lucky to have a calm and sunny day to go out on their boat and hunt for Puffins. Double lucky that we found 2 pair, but we couldn't get close enough for a good picture, better luck next time!
Back aboard and with all systems in working order we decided to head for Onset and Marc Antony's, home of the best pizza and scallops - it has been too long since last time we were there. It's right next to the Cape Cod Canal; no time to transit this year as we had spent too much time on road travel. We did get a trip up to Sandwich on Cape Cod with friends who took us to the Heritage Plantation. It is a lovely place with manicured gardens, a century-old carousel for me and a round barn full of antique cars for Pieter.
Newport for the boat show was next. It was a great weekend, with plenty of new gear and boats on display, and we bumped into lots of friends. We now have a chart plotter - a screen that shows the boat on a moving chart so we know where the buoys and the rocks are ... Amazing!
We spent a lovely day at the Mystic Seaport annual Antique Car Show ... What could be better then old cars and old boats?! Last weekend we went up to Providence to see Water Fire. Hundreds, maybe even thousands, of people came out to listen to music and watch as the fire pits in the river were lit, a gondola was giving tours complete with gondolier and hat with ribbons!
Now, projects are wrapped up, provisions are aboard and all we need is a good weather forecast and we will be off for Bermuda. I think we will head to Block Island and leave, hopefully on Monday, from there.
Starting the journey home - Pieter and Pat
The summer has been wonderful. We got a great deal from Avis so while Independence was hauled out at Pirates Cove Marina in Rhodej Island, Pieter and I took a month to visit old friends, explore new territory and spend time with our grand daughter, Marisa, and our daughter, son-in-law and his whole family in Greensboro,NC. I won't be a boring grandma ... However, Marisa is the best, brightest and cutest baby in the world, to us, and I will post some pictures soon, enough said!!
We had a great time with Pieter's family in Ontario and arrived in Pickering hours after the birth of niece Leslie's son, Troy, so got to share in their joy.
Williamsburg was another stop and we loved it! We would definitely like to go back and share it with Marisa when she is old enough, maybe staying at one of the old inns. We got together with dear old friend, Dee Carstarphen Hopkins, for lunch and she brought us a copy of her book, Narrow Waters. It is a beautiful book full of lovely sketches, history, anecdotes and information about cruising the Intra Coastal Waterway. I highly recommend it to anyone who is interested in doing that trip or is just interested in canals and waterways.
Independence was painted and ready for launching when we returned to Portsmouth on August 24th, so after some provisioning and scrubbing we left to do a little cruising. Our old friend, Greg, whom we met on our last cruise north, found us a mooring in New Bedford and introduced us to THE local diesel mechanic. Our exhaust system, repaired after the melt-down it had on our way in to Newport, was still smoking into the main cabin and that was worrisome. Fortunately, it turned out to be a bad gasket, which was easily fixed. New Bedford is a lovely old town and we explored the cobble-stoned streets, Whaling Museum and waterfront. Picture us having 50-pound chunks of ice lowered down to our little dinghy while a huge fishing vessel loaded tons of crushed ice right next to us. When you travel on your own boat local color takes on a whole new meaning!
We left Independence on the mooring in New Bedford and drove with friends to Maine for the Labor Day weekend. Camden was a visit with friend, Benet, who gave us the royal tour of the schooner rendezvous, shipyards where lovely old yachts were being restored, and a tour of the Owls Head Transportation Museum, which was full of antique cars (Pieter's new passion). Our last night in Maine was spent at the home of former V.I.ers Sandy and Sherry. They live on Pemaquid Point, right on the water and we were lucky to have a calm and sunny day to go out on their boat and hunt for Puffins. Double lucky that we found 2 pair, but we couldn't get close enough for a good picture, better luck next time!
Back aboard and with all systems in working order we decided to head for Onset and Marc Antony's, home of the best pizza and scallops - it has been too long since last time we were there. It's right next to the Cape Cod Canal; no time to transit this year as we had spent too much time on road travel. We did get a trip up to Sandwich on Cape Cod with friends who took us to the Heritage Plantation. It is a lovely place with manicured gardens, a century-old carousel for me and a round barn full of antique cars for Pieter.
Newport for the boat show was next. It was a great weekend, with plenty of new gear and boats on display, and we bumped into lots of friends. We now have a chart plotter - a screen that shows the boat on a moving chart so we know where the buoys and the rocks are ... Amazing!
We spent a lovely day at the Mystic Seaport annual Antique Car Show ... What could be better then old cars and old boats?! Last weekend we went up to Providence to see Water Fire. Hundreds, maybe even thousands, of people came out to listen to music and watch as the fire pits in the river were lit, a gondola was giving tours complete with gondolier and hat with ribbons!
Now, projects are wrapped up, provisions are aboard and all we need is a good weather forecast and we will be off for Bermuda. I think we will head to Block Island and leave, hopefully on Monday, from there.
Starting the journey home - Pieter and Pat
July 2007
I promised an update from Bermuda and here we are a week into our stay in Newport, Rhode Island. You would think I'd have plenty of time to write now that we are cruising, but we have been very busy!
The trip from St. Thomas was idyllic. Five and a half days of wind on the beam and not much in the way of seas so it was great sailing and very comfortable. Pieter has not had much time on Independence in the last year, so once we were cleared by Bermuda Customs and Immigration we headed to the anchorage in St .Georges harbour and he started on a list. Our main problems were refrigeration and hot water. Both easily fixed once the causes were diagnosed and both very important. It gets cold in Bermuda in June and cold showers are not an option for these warm weather sailors! It turned out that Pieter had disconnected the hot water heater when a hose started leaking, bought the new hose and put it behind the heater to put on later! Twenty minutes in the bilge with a screw driver and some hose clamps got me a hot shower. The fridge needed a little more ingenuity, but Pieter remounted the cooling pump and so far, so good - cold drinks and frozen chicken! While he was in the engine room I was busy polishing stainless and sanding and varnishing teak on deck. Everything works, for the moment, and we look pretty good too!!
It wasn't all work though, we had a visit from sister Ann and her husband. Peter so took them for a boat tour of Bermuda. We went through the swing bridge into the very quiet and lovely waters of Ferry Reach past some lovely old homes ... A step back in time except for the roar of aircraft landing at the main airport!
We exited through the pilings of an old bridge that was destroyed by a hurricane years ago. The next leg of our trip was to the old Dockyard; on our way there it was off the wind and calm and fast. We tied up at the big ship dock to take on some duty free diesel and then to the yacht marina for water and some time ashore to explore the beautiful old buildings. Bermuda has a very British history so we went to a pub, the Frog and Onion, for a lunch of Cornish Pasties and a draught beer before heading back to St .Georges. Upwind, now, against the choppy little waves, it wasn't so quick or so dry a passage and we were very happy to escape back in to Ferry Reach.
We spent two weeks in Bermuda and are looking forward to going back in October. St. Thomas is our home and the Virgin Islands will always be our favorite place, but Bermuda is very special. If you get a chance to go grab it!
After waving goodbye we did the last minute provisioning and laundry, cleared out of Bermuda and made ready to head off-shore to Newport. We left with three other boats who were all bound for Maine so we set up a radio schedule with them and chatted every evening after Herb's weather net. Herb is a Canadian, former Bermudian resident and cruising sailor, he is a very knowledgeable meteorologist and talks to yachts every afternoon. He gives each one a personalized forecast wherever they are in the Atlantic region, Trinidad to Greenland or Halifax to the English Channel. Sometimes he is on the air for hours and for us it is better then television for information and entertainment.
The trip to Newport was fast, we did it in just under five days. We had about 12 hours of 25+ knot winds and pretty rough seas; I was glad of my Bermuda-bought sea sick remedy, Stugeron. If the FDA ever approved it for use in the USA it would put Dramamine out of business! It was a spectacular night with lots of thunder and lightning, so we had lots to talk about on our radio chat session. One of the boats recorded 40 knots; all of us were happy to see sunshine and calming seas in the morning. The Gulf Stream, the big obstacle to cross en route to the east coast, was a mill pond. We have never seen it so calm and - thanks to Herb and our other weather guru, Chris Parker - we crossed at a very narrow point. We were through, with little adverse current, in about six hours.
We had thick pea soup fog for most of the rest of the way. Thank goodness for radar, but I guess that guy 'Murphy" thought we were having too easy a trip so he threw a monkey wrench at our exhaust system. Lots of hissing noises alerted us to the problem so off with the engine - that means no charging of batteries so limited use of radar and no auto pilot. Fortunately we had a light but steady breeze so we rigged up the Aries Wind Vane, which steers us by wind power, and started sailing. The eddies off the Gulf Stream were pushing us briskly in the right direction so apart from not having the radar always on to watch for shipping, we were fine. Pieter had a very close call with a big ship and after that he got creative. The exhaust elbow had rusted through where it goes into a big hose, he splinted it with most of a roll of duct tape and about ten hose clamps and it worked! Radar on (thank God!!) and as the wind died we were able to use the autopilot again. The repair got us in to Newport and was actually still working fine a week later when we made the proper repair! The sun came out and burned off the fog so coming in was easy. Homeland Security met us at Goat Island Marina a few minutes after we tied up it was a very pleasant entry. They didn't even come aboard, just checked passports and ships papers and wished us a nice stay. We got fuel and water and did a quick fresh water wash down - free water in Newport which is a real treat for us islanders!
Newport is a sailors town, there is plenty of room to anchor, lots of dinghy docks and places for trash, and a constant parade of boats to watch. We loved our time here 3 years ago and it almost feels like a second home now. We have made some repairs and done some more varnishing, eaten some lobster and lots of cherries, and generally reacquainted ourselves with the joys of Newport.
Our plans are to haul Independence on July 23rd for about a month and go land cruising. Our first trip will be south for a family reunion with daughter Hillary's in-laws and,of course, our amazing grandbaby, Marisa.
All the fog, tides and lobster pots have us planning to drive to drive rather then sail to Maine! September is boat show month in Newport and then we will be planning our return to Bermuda and on home to St. Thomas in early November.
We have had quite a few e mails requesting charters for next season so we are excited about that and looking forward to lots of sailing. Sometimes it takes a while to find a computer when we are cruising so please be patient with me if it takes a few days for me to answer an inquiry. My cell phone works up here so if you would like to call for information the number is 340-513-2897. I hope everyone has a great summer and we hope to see you in the Virgin Islands next season.
All our best! - Pieter and Pat
The trip from St. Thomas was idyllic. Five and a half days of wind on the beam and not much in the way of seas so it was great sailing and very comfortable. Pieter has not had much time on Independence in the last year, so once we were cleared by Bermuda Customs and Immigration we headed to the anchorage in St .Georges harbour and he started on a list. Our main problems were refrigeration and hot water. Both easily fixed once the causes were diagnosed and both very important. It gets cold in Bermuda in June and cold showers are not an option for these warm weather sailors! It turned out that Pieter had disconnected the hot water heater when a hose started leaking, bought the new hose and put it behind the heater to put on later! Twenty minutes in the bilge with a screw driver and some hose clamps got me a hot shower. The fridge needed a little more ingenuity, but Pieter remounted the cooling pump and so far, so good - cold drinks and frozen chicken! While he was in the engine room I was busy polishing stainless and sanding and varnishing teak on deck. Everything works, for the moment, and we look pretty good too!!
It wasn't all work though, we had a visit from sister Ann and her husband. Peter so took them for a boat tour of Bermuda. We went through the swing bridge into the very quiet and lovely waters of Ferry Reach past some lovely old homes ... A step back in time except for the roar of aircraft landing at the main airport!
We exited through the pilings of an old bridge that was destroyed by a hurricane years ago. The next leg of our trip was to the old Dockyard; on our way there it was off the wind and calm and fast. We tied up at the big ship dock to take on some duty free diesel and then to the yacht marina for water and some time ashore to explore the beautiful old buildings. Bermuda has a very British history so we went to a pub, the Frog and Onion, for a lunch of Cornish Pasties and a draught beer before heading back to St .Georges. Upwind, now, against the choppy little waves, it wasn't so quick or so dry a passage and we were very happy to escape back in to Ferry Reach.
We spent two weeks in Bermuda and are looking forward to going back in October. St. Thomas is our home and the Virgin Islands will always be our favorite place, but Bermuda is very special. If you get a chance to go grab it!
After waving goodbye we did the last minute provisioning and laundry, cleared out of Bermuda and made ready to head off-shore to Newport. We left with three other boats who were all bound for Maine so we set up a radio schedule with them and chatted every evening after Herb's weather net. Herb is a Canadian, former Bermudian resident and cruising sailor, he is a very knowledgeable meteorologist and talks to yachts every afternoon. He gives each one a personalized forecast wherever they are in the Atlantic region, Trinidad to Greenland or Halifax to the English Channel. Sometimes he is on the air for hours and for us it is better then television for information and entertainment.
The trip to Newport was fast, we did it in just under five days. We had about 12 hours of 25+ knot winds and pretty rough seas; I was glad of my Bermuda-bought sea sick remedy, Stugeron. If the FDA ever approved it for use in the USA it would put Dramamine out of business! It was a spectacular night with lots of thunder and lightning, so we had lots to talk about on our radio chat session. One of the boats recorded 40 knots; all of us were happy to see sunshine and calming seas in the morning. The Gulf Stream, the big obstacle to cross en route to the east coast, was a mill pond. We have never seen it so calm and - thanks to Herb and our other weather guru, Chris Parker - we crossed at a very narrow point. We were through, with little adverse current, in about six hours.
We had thick pea soup fog for most of the rest of the way. Thank goodness for radar, but I guess that guy 'Murphy" thought we were having too easy a trip so he threw a monkey wrench at our exhaust system. Lots of hissing noises alerted us to the problem so off with the engine - that means no charging of batteries so limited use of radar and no auto pilot. Fortunately we had a light but steady breeze so we rigged up the Aries Wind Vane, which steers us by wind power, and started sailing. The eddies off the Gulf Stream were pushing us briskly in the right direction so apart from not having the radar always on to watch for shipping, we were fine. Pieter had a very close call with a big ship and after that he got creative. The exhaust elbow had rusted through where it goes into a big hose, he splinted it with most of a roll of duct tape and about ten hose clamps and it worked! Radar on (thank God!!) and as the wind died we were able to use the autopilot again. The repair got us in to Newport and was actually still working fine a week later when we made the proper repair! The sun came out and burned off the fog so coming in was easy. Homeland Security met us at Goat Island Marina a few minutes after we tied up it was a very pleasant entry. They didn't even come aboard, just checked passports and ships papers and wished us a nice stay. We got fuel and water and did a quick fresh water wash down - free water in Newport which is a real treat for us islanders!
Newport is a sailors town, there is plenty of room to anchor, lots of dinghy docks and places for trash, and a constant parade of boats to watch. We loved our time here 3 years ago and it almost feels like a second home now. We have made some repairs and done some more varnishing, eaten some lobster and lots of cherries, and generally reacquainted ourselves with the joys of Newport.
Our plans are to haul Independence on July 23rd for about a month and go land cruising. Our first trip will be south for a family reunion with daughter Hillary's in-laws and,of course, our amazing grandbaby, Marisa.
All the fog, tides and lobster pots have us planning to drive to drive rather then sail to Maine! September is boat show month in Newport and then we will be planning our return to Bermuda and on home to St. Thomas in early November.
We have had quite a few e mails requesting charters for next season so we are excited about that and looking forward to lots of sailing. Sometimes it takes a while to find a computer when we are cruising so please be patient with me if it takes a few days for me to answer an inquiry. My cell phone works up here so if you would like to call for information the number is 340-513-2897. I hope everyone has a great summer and we hope to see you in the Virgin Islands next season.
All our best! - Pieter and Pat
June 2007
The charter season is over for Independence and we are madly getting ready for our passage north to Bermuda and then Newport, Rhode Island. Our last charter was on June 2nd. It was the perfect way to end the season, sunshine, ten to fifteen knots of breeze so great sailing, crystal clear waters and no swells in our favorite anchorages for awesome snorkeling and repeat guests who were up for the adventure.
We ended the day at the boat yard in the Lagoon, the adventure was running aground in the channel a hundred yards from the dock! Not to worry ... A cell phone call to Pieter who was waiting for us, and all was well. He directed us to back off and go around the unmarked shallow spot and after a little engine maneuvering we were off and proceeded to the dock! We waved good bye to the Hollidays - they have promised to come back soon - and started on the transformation from day sailor to offshore cruising boat. Snorkel gear off, Aries steering vane on - not to mention rigging checks, oil changes - and let's not forget provisioning ... It will all get done!
Ray, first rate mate for the season, has lots of plans for the summer including getting his captain's license but has promised to keep in touch and just maybe he will be back aboard Independence when we start chartering again in November.
Our plan is to leave here on June 12th or 14th (never start a voyage on the 13th!!) and it will take us about a week to get to Bermuda. I will update the log from there and again once we reach Newport. Keep your fingers crossed for a gentle and quiet hurricane season for everyone.
Have a great summer! - Pat and Pieter
We ended the day at the boat yard in the Lagoon, the adventure was running aground in the channel a hundred yards from the dock! Not to worry ... A cell phone call to Pieter who was waiting for us, and all was well. He directed us to back off and go around the unmarked shallow spot and after a little engine maneuvering we were off and proceeded to the dock! We waved good bye to the Hollidays - they have promised to come back soon - and started on the transformation from day sailor to offshore cruising boat. Snorkel gear off, Aries steering vane on - not to mention rigging checks, oil changes - and let's not forget provisioning ... It will all get done!
Ray, first rate mate for the season, has lots of plans for the summer including getting his captain's license but has promised to keep in touch and just maybe he will be back aboard Independence when we start chartering again in November.
Our plan is to leave here on June 12th or 14th (never start a voyage on the 13th!!) and it will take us about a week to get to Bermuda. I will update the log from there and again once we reach Newport. Keep your fingers crossed for a gentle and quiet hurricane season for everyone.
Have a great summer! - Pat and Pieter
April 2007
It has been a wonderful season and we still have another six weeks to go before we shut down the charter side of sailing Independence and start getting her ready for some offshore cruising and a summer exploring the New England coast.
We have had many wonderful families aboard this season ... Take heart - our future is safe in the hands of the next generation!! Ray, son of Al from last season, has been my right hand this year, and the kids have been following him on the snorkel trail and helping with sail handling … we call it Ray Care and I am not sure who has been enjoying it the most – Ray, the kids, or their parents. I have been day sailing Independence on and off since 1980 and we are now sailing with grandchildren - kids of kids I took sailing 20 years ago. It's amazing and so much fun! And while we are on the subject of grandchildren …
Pieter and I are now proud grandparents! Daughter Hillary delivered Marisa (7lbs., 4oz.) on February 20th; mother, daughter, and Daddy Brian are doing just great and Marisa has already been on her first sail! She is a St. Thomian born and bred and loves the water, whether at Hull Bay, Magen’s Bay, Honeymoon on St. John, or in her own bathtub. They are all planning to be in North Carolina with Brian's family in early August and I think we will really be ready for a grand baby fix by then so are contemplating a road trip south from our Rhode Island base.
One of the questions we are asked frequently is, "Do you ever have really awful guests aboard?" I have been chartering forever and certainly there have been one or two groups that, shall we say, made for some great stories but I always tell people that we remember problem passengers because we have so few of them.
Well, we had a day this winter that we will probably never forget – but not because our guests were awful – they were great (as usual!). It was a pair of special visitors that made this day stand out. Our charter group requested a long sail up to Water Lemon Cay on the north side of St. John; we don't often have time to get up that far but the wind was good and it was an easy sail so off we went. It was the second day that week on Independence for the family of four that we had aboard and the daughter really wanted to see a dolphin, not a common occurrence in shore in the Virgin Islands … But, just as we picked up the mooring a snorkeler popped up next to us and said he saw dolphins right under the boat! Within minutes everyone was geared up and in the water to see the two dolphins. They looked like a mother and baby, and they hung out with us for about an hour. They seemed totally unafraid and curious; the baby got close enough to Ray to allow a plastic bag to be peeled off of his back – no telling how long it had been stuck there. What an unforgettable experience for all of us. In forty years of sailing in the Virgin Islands that is only the second time that has happened. We didn't see any whales this year but those dolphins more than made up for the lack.
We had another slightly unusual charter: a couple from Holland who just wanted to sail, no stops, no snorkeling, no lunch, just sailing. I am always up for a good bash to windward so on day one we circumnavigated Jost Van Dyke. We looked for whales but no luck; no dolphins either, but the sailing was terrific. Day two we got really ambitious and circumnavigated St. Thomas, we had to motor some but it was fun to see the south side of the island and the airport and all the cruise ships. The last leg was a sunset sail but we made it home by dark. Day three, our last day, of course we had to sail around St. John. Pieter came along for that leg - a good thing too as it was quite windy beating up between Tortola and St. John and his mechanical expertise was needed to repair a recalcitrant bilge pump. We were sorry to see our Dutch guests go but we have hopes of meeting them at the boat show in Newport, they want a sail boat!
Our regular day or half day is more than just okay with us. What's not to love about a day of snorkeling and sailing? Your destination is where the seas are calmest and the winds take you. You have time to stretch out and relax, turn off the cell phone, and have a few hours with no worries! We will be sailing from St. Thomas until the end of May and will be back and available around Thanksgiving for the 2007/2008 season.
I hope you will join us this winter!!! - Pat and Pieter
We have had many wonderful families aboard this season ... Take heart - our future is safe in the hands of the next generation!! Ray, son of Al from last season, has been my right hand this year, and the kids have been following him on the snorkel trail and helping with sail handling … we call it Ray Care and I am not sure who has been enjoying it the most – Ray, the kids, or their parents. I have been day sailing Independence on and off since 1980 and we are now sailing with grandchildren - kids of kids I took sailing 20 years ago. It's amazing and so much fun! And while we are on the subject of grandchildren …
Pieter and I are now proud grandparents! Daughter Hillary delivered Marisa (7lbs., 4oz.) on February 20th; mother, daughter, and Daddy Brian are doing just great and Marisa has already been on her first sail! She is a St. Thomian born and bred and loves the water, whether at Hull Bay, Magen’s Bay, Honeymoon on St. John, or in her own bathtub. They are all planning to be in North Carolina with Brian's family in early August and I think we will really be ready for a grand baby fix by then so are contemplating a road trip south from our Rhode Island base.
One of the questions we are asked frequently is, "Do you ever have really awful guests aboard?" I have been chartering forever and certainly there have been one or two groups that, shall we say, made for some great stories but I always tell people that we remember problem passengers because we have so few of them.
Well, we had a day this winter that we will probably never forget – but not because our guests were awful – they were great (as usual!). It was a pair of special visitors that made this day stand out. Our charter group requested a long sail up to Water Lemon Cay on the north side of St. John; we don't often have time to get up that far but the wind was good and it was an easy sail so off we went. It was the second day that week on Independence for the family of four that we had aboard and the daughter really wanted to see a dolphin, not a common occurrence in shore in the Virgin Islands … But, just as we picked up the mooring a snorkeler popped up next to us and said he saw dolphins right under the boat! Within minutes everyone was geared up and in the water to see the two dolphins. They looked like a mother and baby, and they hung out with us for about an hour. They seemed totally unafraid and curious; the baby got close enough to Ray to allow a plastic bag to be peeled off of his back – no telling how long it had been stuck there. What an unforgettable experience for all of us. In forty years of sailing in the Virgin Islands that is only the second time that has happened. We didn't see any whales this year but those dolphins more than made up for the lack.
We had another slightly unusual charter: a couple from Holland who just wanted to sail, no stops, no snorkeling, no lunch, just sailing. I am always up for a good bash to windward so on day one we circumnavigated Jost Van Dyke. We looked for whales but no luck; no dolphins either, but the sailing was terrific. Day two we got really ambitious and circumnavigated St. Thomas, we had to motor some but it was fun to see the south side of the island and the airport and all the cruise ships. The last leg was a sunset sail but we made it home by dark. Day three, our last day, of course we had to sail around St. John. Pieter came along for that leg - a good thing too as it was quite windy beating up between Tortola and St. John and his mechanical expertise was needed to repair a recalcitrant bilge pump. We were sorry to see our Dutch guests go but we have hopes of meeting them at the boat show in Newport, they want a sail boat!
Our regular day or half day is more than just okay with us. What's not to love about a day of snorkeling and sailing? Your destination is where the seas are calmest and the winds take you. You have time to stretch out and relax, turn off the cell phone, and have a few hours with no worries! We will be sailing from St. Thomas until the end of May and will be back and available around Thanksgiving for the 2007/2008 season.
I hope you will join us this winter!!! - Pat and Pieter
March, 2006
Time has a way of getting away from me, I can't believe that it is March and I haven't written since August! Independence is looking pretty good these days. After our run-in with hurricane Emily and the adventures in Bermuda we were in need of some cosmetic help so it was into the boatyard for the month of November. Lucky for us, son Paul stepped up to the plate and while Pieter and I were off playing in Florida he did the lion's share of the work. He sanded and faired and filled and got the boat ready for an awlgrip job(like getting your car spray-painted). He also replaced the epoxy that was ground off the keel during the hurricane and then we (I helped!) gave the deck a new non-slip coating; it looks good and is much easier to walk on, especially when wet.
While Paul was beavering away we went on a cruise - on a real cruise ship - no driving or navigating required. The food and the cabins were amazing. Everything all our guests have raved about was all true and we are glad that we went. The Jewel of the Seas was our home for a week and we had lots of family along to show us the ropes so we gambled and ate, played silly games and ate, went to the gym so we could eat some more, even the coffee was great, if you have sailed with us you may remember how important that is to me!
It was hard for us to look at the damage wrought by hurricane Wilma, south Florida was recovering quickly but it was wild looking at all the high rises with blown out windows, the Mexicans in Cozumel were hard at work rebuilding and I am sure they are glad for all the visitors that come and spend money, no FEMA there! St. Thomas has been so lucky with hurricane season in recent years but all their damage brought back memories of Hugo and Marilyn, fingers crossed for a quiet year so everyone can recover.
Independence was launched and ready for season by mid December. Friends from our South Pacific cruising days, circa mid '80s, showed up in time for Christmas. They sailed all the way from New Zealand over the course of several years so had lots of stories to tell and it was great to catch up. Our kids played together and explored around places like Bora Bora in their small sailing dinghies, they were pretty young, Hillary 6 and Paul 8 and their boys the same, but they still have good memories of a pretty amazing way to grow up.
My first mate this season is Al Whittemore. He loves to sail, lives on his boat in Red Hook, and is an avid snorkeler and student of our underwater life. His son is mate on another day sail boat here and I might even convince his wife,Irene, to fill in occasionally - St. Thomas has another sailing family! If you are thinking of a day on Independence with your children, Al has had great success getting the kids in to enjoy the water, even snorkeling!
We are doing more half day sails this year, I guess the idea is to get in some shopping and still get to go sailing and snorkeling. The wind has been cooperating and we have had some great sails. The baby pelicans are getting big and very visible over on Congo Cay and the tropical birds are back. We keep our eyes peeled for those elusive humpback whales. We got lucky last year and saw a mother and her baby in Pillsbury Sound off Thatch Cay, so we keep hoping for another encounter.
I hope we can plan a day aboard Independence for you ... Remember, we take only 6 guests onboard, so we can tailor the day to your group. We do have a standard menu but that doesn't mean we can't discuss changing the food to suit your taste or diet, and it is never a problem to get your favorite drink or brand of beer or soda ... as long as it is available on island!
Pieter has a building project that is just getting started at his old boatyard so it looks like Independence will be here and available for summer charters. Cruising is fun but somehow it is hard to be unhappy stuck in this little corner of paradise! Get in touch with me if I can answer any questions you have.
Come on down and let's go sailing! - Pat and Pieter
While Paul was beavering away we went on a cruise - on a real cruise ship - no driving or navigating required. The food and the cabins were amazing. Everything all our guests have raved about was all true and we are glad that we went. The Jewel of the Seas was our home for a week and we had lots of family along to show us the ropes so we gambled and ate, played silly games and ate, went to the gym so we could eat some more, even the coffee was great, if you have sailed with us you may remember how important that is to me!
It was hard for us to look at the damage wrought by hurricane Wilma, south Florida was recovering quickly but it was wild looking at all the high rises with blown out windows, the Mexicans in Cozumel were hard at work rebuilding and I am sure they are glad for all the visitors that come and spend money, no FEMA there! St. Thomas has been so lucky with hurricane season in recent years but all their damage brought back memories of Hugo and Marilyn, fingers crossed for a quiet year so everyone can recover.
Independence was launched and ready for season by mid December. Friends from our South Pacific cruising days, circa mid '80s, showed up in time for Christmas. They sailed all the way from New Zealand over the course of several years so had lots of stories to tell and it was great to catch up. Our kids played together and explored around places like Bora Bora in their small sailing dinghies, they were pretty young, Hillary 6 and Paul 8 and their boys the same, but they still have good memories of a pretty amazing way to grow up.
My first mate this season is Al Whittemore. He loves to sail, lives on his boat in Red Hook, and is an avid snorkeler and student of our underwater life. His son is mate on another day sail boat here and I might even convince his wife,Irene, to fill in occasionally - St. Thomas has another sailing family! If you are thinking of a day on Independence with your children, Al has had great success getting the kids in to enjoy the water, even snorkeling!
We are doing more half day sails this year, I guess the idea is to get in some shopping and still get to go sailing and snorkeling. The wind has been cooperating and we have had some great sails. The baby pelicans are getting big and very visible over on Congo Cay and the tropical birds are back. We keep our eyes peeled for those elusive humpback whales. We got lucky last year and saw a mother and her baby in Pillsbury Sound off Thatch Cay, so we keep hoping for another encounter.
I hope we can plan a day aboard Independence for you ... Remember, we take only 6 guests onboard, so we can tailor the day to your group. We do have a standard menu but that doesn't mean we can't discuss changing the food to suit your taste or diet, and it is never a problem to get your favorite drink or brand of beer or soda ... as long as it is available on island!
Pieter has a building project that is just getting started at his old boatyard so it looks like Independence will be here and available for summer charters. Cruising is fun but somehow it is hard to be unhappy stuck in this little corner of paradise! Get in touch with me if I can answer any questions you have.
Come on down and let's go sailing! - Pat and Pieter
August 21, 2005
So much for a quiet and relaxing break from the rigors of wedding planning! We did have have a few nice days in Bequia and the Tobago Cays and had a wonderful reunion with old friends in Union Island while dealing with what would become Hurricane Dennis. It was good practice for Emily - we got to know her well in Carriacou! We started hearing about Emily several days before her arrival. No one, not even the weather gurus seemed to know where she would hit, but most thought Trinidad or even Venezuela and others between St. Lucia and Martinique. Carriacou wasn't mentioned so we decided to hang out in Tyrrel Bay right next to the best hurricane hidey-hole in the Grenadines.
We had plenty of company. On Tuesday - the day before she was due and when it became apparent that she was going to keep coming west and straight for us - we joined a line of boats heading in to the Canash, as the hurricane hole is known. It is a big mangrove lagoon and a rabbit warren of protected bays. We need 7 feet of water at least, so could only get in to the first bay - but that was good enough.
Dawn finally came and the wind died down. Everyone in the Canash was fine ... A few blown out sails and a bunch of us were hard aground but no serious damage. Again, everyone helped with untangling anchors and lines and we finally, after hours of winching and heaving to no avail, got yanked out of the mud by a big ferry. It was wonderful to anchor out in the clean water and the breeze of Tyrrel Bay but our hearts went out to the people of Carriacou. Many had damage to their homes and businesses, no electricity or phone service - and this less then a year after they had to deal with Hurricane Ivan.
No phone service meant no communication with St. Thomas and our kids, so we decided to head straight back and left Carriacou on the Saturday following the storm. The trip was very fast and, apart from being thoroughly doused with ash as we passed 50 miles to leeward of the Montserrat volcano, was uneventful. We checked in to the British Virgin Islands, checked in with the kids and gave ourselves a few days to relax and clean up the boat before heading back to Red Hook. Summer is wonderful here, gentle breezes and the crowds are gone. The islands are lush and green and the flamboyant trees are in bloom.
We had plenty of company. On Tuesday - the day before she was due and when it became apparent that she was going to keep coming west and straight for us - we joined a line of boats heading in to the Canash, as the hurricane hole is known. It is a big mangrove lagoon and a rabbit warren of protected bays. We need 7 feet of water at least, so could only get in to the first bay - but that was good enough.Wednesday was a very long night: rain, wind to 100 miles per hour (we heard later), and not much to do but keep our fingers crossed and pray. At the height of it we heard a distress call on the radio - a singlehander on a 40 foot trawler had opted to stay in Tyrell Bay and his boat was holed and sinking. There was nothing we or anyone could do for him and it was the most awful feeling. He went overboard in his life jacket with an emergency beacon and was rescued by a passing freighter, definitely a very lucky man and we have heard that his boat has been raised and is under going repairs!! I can't wait to read his story in Cruising World!
Dawn finally came and the wind died down. Everyone in the Canash was fine ... A few blown out sails and a bunch of us were hard aground but no serious damage. Again, everyone helped with untangling anchors and lines and we finally, after hours of winching and heaving to no avail, got yanked out of the mud by a big ferry. It was wonderful to anchor out in the clean water and the breeze of Tyrrel Bay but our hearts went out to the people of Carriacou. Many had damage to their homes and businesses, no electricity or phone service - and this less then a year after they had to deal with Hurricane Ivan.No phone service meant no communication with St. Thomas and our kids, so we decided to head straight back and left Carriacou on the Saturday following the storm. The trip was very fast and, apart from being thoroughly doused with ash as we passed 50 miles to leeward of the Montserrat volcano, was uneventful. We checked in to the British Virgin Islands, checked in with the kids and gave ourselves a few days to relax and clean up the boat before heading back to Red Hook. Summer is wonderful here, gentle breezes and the crowds are gone. The islands are lush and green and the flamboyant trees are in bloom.
Come on down and let's go sailing! - Pat and Pieter
July 2, 2005
Independence is on vacation! Actually, she is being our own personal cruise ship as Pieter and I are enjoying a few weeks of vacation exploring the Grenadines and catching up with some old friends.
The winter season of day sailing was busy and showed us the power of the Internet. We booked more charters through our website and referrals from our much more computer literate friends in the Red Hook day sail fleet than ever before. Cruise ship passengers visiting St. Thomas have found their way to us this way as well and we have had great fun hearing about big ships, and sharing our love of sailing, snorkeling and the islands with them.
The big event in our life this year was the wedding of our daughter, Hillary, to Brian Murphy on June 17th. It was a bringing together of twp wonderful families and a great time was had by all. When I figure out how to send pictures, or more probably just carry the discs to Summer, our long suffering website designer, we will share them. Suffice it to say, Hillary was a beautiful and very happy bride, only a few minutes late so no worries in the runaway department! Coral World was the site of the big event, with the actual ceremony taking place in the signal flag decorated dome out over the water. The dining and dancing and toasting was under the stars in the pavilion, surrounded by small ponds of various kinds of fish and marine life. The tables were decorated with model boats all named for vessels that have meant a lot to us including Independence, One Love - son Paul's little racing sloop, Danger Mouse - named for our beloved cat Mouse, and True Love - where the bride and groom were seated, of course!
Friends and family came from all over the States and Canada. The party started days before the wedding and went on for days after. The rehearsal dinner was a pig roast on the beach at Bonnie's By The Sea. The Murphy family chartered our friend's big catamaran Daydreamer and Independence tagged along for a fun filled afternoon sail. That was the day after the bachelor party ... we heard something about hack sawing the groom out of a ball and chain barely in time to make the sail!! I know they didn't get much sleep that whole week, ahh youth!
The day of the wedding saw a raiding party in a bright red rental car denuding the east end of the island of bougainvillea - thanks Charlie and Peter - the flowers were essential to the table decorations and we would have bailed you out ... really! So many friends helped us make this a day to remember. It was supposed to be a potluck wedding on the beach but it grew too big for that! A small-wedding spirit pervaded the reception and, in keeping with the potluck tradition, we had a small, traditional wedding cake on the top tier of a 3 tiered table. Friends brought delicious, home made cakes, petit fours and truffles, cheese cakes and flowers to fill up the lower part of the table. The whole thing was gorgeous and there were nothing but crumbs left at the end of the evening!
We have pictures, digital ones on CD, and prints and video all thanks to our friends, especially Stacey. She specializes in underwater photography but her dry land stuff is amazing too ... Thanks to her we have the 'getting dressed' shots of our Hillary in makeup and a fancy hairdo! As you can tell this was a very big deal for the Stoeken family, we had a ball and are so glad to add a wonderful son-in-law and his family to ours!
A week after the festivities were over, Independence left St. Thomas bound for Bequia and a few weeks of rest and relaxation. Thanks go to son Paul for rushing to the rescue by delivering a few forgotten necessities ... like the rudder for the self steering gear, for example. Oh well, I guess we really do need that break! The passage down was easy, three and a half days with fairly pleasant weather and a dawn arrival in Bequia. We will spend a few weeks here and in the Grenadines just exploring and pottering on the boat, there are always projects to do on a boat! Our plan is to leave from St. Vincent around the 18th of July and be back in St. Thomas ready for our July 26th charter. Sending and receiving emails until we get back to St. thomas will be hit or miss but we'd love to hear from you and if you are interested in sailing with us I promise quick response once we return to home base.
Fair winds and following seas - Pat and Pieter
The winter season of day sailing was busy and showed us the power of the Internet. We booked more charters through our website and referrals from our much more computer literate friends in the Red Hook day sail fleet than ever before. Cruise ship passengers visiting St. Thomas have found their way to us this way as well and we have had great fun hearing about big ships, and sharing our love of sailing, snorkeling and the islands with them.
The big event in our life this year was the wedding of our daughter, Hillary, to Brian Murphy on June 17th. It was a bringing together of twp wonderful families and a great time was had by all. When I figure out how to send pictures, or more probably just carry the discs to Summer, our long suffering website designer, we will share them. Suffice it to say, Hillary was a beautiful and very happy bride, only a few minutes late so no worries in the runaway department! Coral World was the site of the big event, with the actual ceremony taking place in the signal flag decorated dome out over the water. The dining and dancing and toasting was under the stars in the pavilion, surrounded by small ponds of various kinds of fish and marine life. The tables were decorated with model boats all named for vessels that have meant a lot to us including Independence, One Love - son Paul's little racing sloop, Danger Mouse - named for our beloved cat Mouse, and True Love - where the bride and groom were seated, of course!Friends and family came from all over the States and Canada. The party started days before the wedding and went on for days after. The rehearsal dinner was a pig roast on the beach at Bonnie's By The Sea. The Murphy family chartered our friend's big catamaran Daydreamer and Independence tagged along for a fun filled afternoon sail. That was the day after the bachelor party ... we heard something about hack sawing the groom out of a ball and chain barely in time to make the sail!! I know they didn't get much sleep that whole week, ahh youth!
The day of the wedding saw a raiding party in a bright red rental car denuding the east end of the island of bougainvillea - thanks Charlie and Peter - the flowers were essential to the table decorations and we would have bailed you out ... really! So many friends helped us make this a day to remember. It was supposed to be a potluck wedding on the beach but it grew too big for that! A small-wedding spirit pervaded the reception and, in keeping with the potluck tradition, we had a small, traditional wedding cake on the top tier of a 3 tiered table. Friends brought delicious, home made cakes, petit fours and truffles, cheese cakes and flowers to fill up the lower part of the table. The whole thing was gorgeous and there were nothing but crumbs left at the end of the evening!
We have pictures, digital ones on CD, and prints and video all thanks to our friends, especially Stacey. She specializes in underwater photography but her dry land stuff is amazing too ... Thanks to her we have the 'getting dressed' shots of our Hillary in makeup and a fancy hairdo! As you can tell this was a very big deal for the Stoeken family, we had a ball and are so glad to add a wonderful son-in-law and his family to ours!A week after the festivities were over, Independence left St. Thomas bound for Bequia and a few weeks of rest and relaxation. Thanks go to son Paul for rushing to the rescue by delivering a few forgotten necessities ... like the rudder for the self steering gear, for example. Oh well, I guess we really do need that break! The passage down was easy, three and a half days with fairly pleasant weather and a dawn arrival in Bequia. We will spend a few weeks here and in the Grenadines just exploring and pottering on the boat, there are always projects to do on a boat! Our plan is to leave from St. Vincent around the 18th of July and be back in St. Thomas ready for our July 26th charter. Sending and receiving emails until we get back to St. thomas will be hit or miss but we'd love to hear from you and if you are interested in sailing with us I promise quick response once we return to home base.
Fair winds and following seas - Pat and Pieter
November 18, 2004
Independence is home in St. Thomas. We arrived after an uneventful six day passage from Bermuda. The previous month was much more exciting … let me bring you up to date!
We left Newport on October 6th with a great weather forecast, it was freezing (to us) but the sun was shining and it was time for the warm-weather sailors to head south. There was a funny little low sitting near Bermuda but we were sure it would go away before we got there. Well, it didn't, did anyone hear about Tropical Storm Nicole? We got to know her well; fortunately it was after our crossing of the Gulf Stream. Seas tend to be high there at the best of times! We were warned to head west and wait for the storm to pass; it is very hard to give up hard earned easting, (remember … we travel at about 7 or 8 miles an hour!) but we hove to (like jogging in place) for about 12 hours as Nicole slowly moved by. Although, we had about 20 foot seas and winds between 30 and 40 knots, Independence rode it out like the lady she is; she always takes such good care of us.
We were very glad to arrive in Bermuda after about three and a half days of big seas and shifting winds. Nothing broke and the crew was fine so we got some good stories out of our experience. Even though it was a rough trip we are so glad we left when we did … it only got colder and windier and the boats that left after us all had stories to tell as well!
Bermuda was wonderful; we cruised the small islands around the harbour of Hamilton this time. We spent a week in Paradise Lake on a borrowed storm mooring - winds to 50 miles per hour this time! It has been an amazing summer and fall for weather. If we had to be stuck somewhere for a week at least we were in the perfect spot. Paradise Lake is almost landlocked by 3 small islands; there are a few lovely Bermudian cottages, birds, tons of fish and turtles to watch and no matter how hard it blows there is no sea and we got protection from the islands from most of the wind. Our only concern was when the owner of the mooring would change his mind and want his mooring for his own boat! We got caught up on our reading, played cards and built a canvas dodger that will keep water from finding its way down our main hatch. After a week of being marooned on board we were glad to move on to the old Royal Naval Dockyard. It is now a marina, cruise ship dock, museum and shopping mall. We took on fuel (almost $5 a gal!!!) and water, and spent several days exploring.
Bermuda has a terrific ferry and bus system so it is easy to get around. We ferried into Hamilton for shopping and flu shots, no shortage there so we took advantage! Our friends and fellow Red Hook day-sailors on High Pockets have been our mentors in Bermuda; they have been coming for years and know it well. They took us dinghy touring to tiny hidden harbours and miniature beaches, and showed us the short cut between St. Georges and Hamilton. I am glad we had a leader because some of the passages are NARROW and just barely deep enough! I think we could go back a dozen times and still find another beach or island to explore. Bermuda is a lovely pocket-sized paradise with very friendly inhabitants. We stayed for three weeks this trip … next time longer!
Our weather window to leave came much too quickly - time flies when we are having fun. We had just enough time for one last delicious dinner ashore at the Carriage House in St. George, and last farewells to friends. We completed clearance formalities and received permission to go through Town Cut - granted by Bermuda Harbour Radio. No more excuses, so we left - bound for home - at noon on November 2nd … Election Day!
High Pockets was right behind us and we both enjoyed good weather for this leg of our journey. We arrived the following Monday in time for a week of rain, the cistern at the house is nice and full! We are back on our mooring and once again available for full and half day charters. We've done several trips this week and it is great to be out in our home waters. It is warm, the sun has been shining, the water is gorgeous, our wonderful trade winds are blowing and the sailing has been great. If you are headed our way we'd love for you to join us.
Fair winds - Pat and Pieter
We left Newport on October 6th with a great weather forecast, it was freezing (to us) but the sun was shining and it was time for the warm-weather sailors to head south. There was a funny little low sitting near Bermuda but we were sure it would go away before we got there. Well, it didn't, did anyone hear about Tropical Storm Nicole? We got to know her well; fortunately it was after our crossing of the Gulf Stream. Seas tend to be high there at the best of times! We were warned to head west and wait for the storm to pass; it is very hard to give up hard earned easting, (remember … we travel at about 7 or 8 miles an hour!) but we hove to (like jogging in place) for about 12 hours as Nicole slowly moved by. Although, we had about 20 foot seas and winds between 30 and 40 knots, Independence rode it out like the lady she is; she always takes such good care of us.We were very glad to arrive in Bermuda after about three and a half days of big seas and shifting winds. Nothing broke and the crew was fine so we got some good stories out of our experience. Even though it was a rough trip we are so glad we left when we did … it only got colder and windier and the boats that left after us all had stories to tell as well!
Bermuda was wonderful; we cruised the small islands around the harbour of Hamilton this time. We spent a week in Paradise Lake on a borrowed storm mooring - winds to 50 miles per hour this time! It has been an amazing summer and fall for weather. If we had to be stuck somewhere for a week at least we were in the perfect spot. Paradise Lake is almost landlocked by 3 small islands; there are a few lovely Bermudian cottages, birds, tons of fish and turtles to watch and no matter how hard it blows there is no sea and we got protection from the islands from most of the wind. Our only concern was when the owner of the mooring would change his mind and want his mooring for his own boat! We got caught up on our reading, played cards and built a canvas dodger that will keep water from finding its way down our main hatch. After a week of being marooned on board we were glad to move on to the old Royal Naval Dockyard. It is now a marina, cruise ship dock, museum and shopping mall. We took on fuel (almost $5 a gal!!!) and water, and spent several days exploring.Bermuda has a terrific ferry and bus system so it is easy to get around. We ferried into Hamilton for shopping and flu shots, no shortage there so we took advantage! Our friends and fellow Red Hook day-sailors on High Pockets have been our mentors in Bermuda; they have been coming for years and know it well. They took us dinghy touring to tiny hidden harbours and miniature beaches, and showed us the short cut between St. Georges and Hamilton. I am glad we had a leader because some of the passages are NARROW and just barely deep enough! I think we could go back a dozen times and still find another beach or island to explore. Bermuda is a lovely pocket-sized paradise with very friendly inhabitants. We stayed for three weeks this trip … next time longer!
Our weather window to leave came much too quickly - time flies when we are having fun. We had just enough time for one last delicious dinner ashore at the Carriage House in St. George, and last farewells to friends. We completed clearance formalities and received permission to go through Town Cut - granted by Bermuda Harbour Radio. No more excuses, so we left - bound for home - at noon on November 2nd … Election Day!
High Pockets was right behind us and we both enjoyed good weather for this leg of our journey. We arrived the following Monday in time for a week of rain, the cistern at the house is nice and full! We are back on our mooring and once again available for full and half day charters. We've done several trips this week and it is great to be out in our home waters. It is warm, the sun has been shining, the water is gorgeous, our wonderful trade winds are blowing and the sailing has been great. If you are headed our way we'd love for you to join us.
Fair winds - Pat and Pieter
Friday, December 12, 2008
October 5, 2004
We have had a wonderful summer cruising in Rhode Island and Massachusetts. We managed to do some land cruising as well, exploring the Grand Canyon, Hoover Dam and Las Vegas. We had no luck with the slot machines, but we did have fun exploring the fantastic hotels and taking in a Cirque de Soleil performance. Nothing, however, awed us like the grandeur of the Grand Canyon. We flew over the Canyon and walked the rim ... we have to go back!
Our sailing adventures started with these Caribbean sailors learning how to deal with fog and tides; radar helps with the former and the tide bible, we learned, is Eldritch. Armed with both - radar and Eldritch - we se out to explore! Harbors we had only read about are now almost as familiar as our Caribbean bays. Independence has been through the Cape Cod Canal - twice - and to Provincetown.
We saw whales and a funny looking coconut floating in the water. Suspecting that we were too far north for coconuts, we went over to investigate - the coconut had whiskers! It was a seal - very exotic to those of us from so far south.
We loved Onset, MA - very friendly people in the town and the best pizza for miles! Hadley Harbour near Wood's Hole has been in the news because of a visiting great white shark. We were there, but missed seeing the shark. Cutty Hunk was our next stop. I think we hit it on the last weekend of the summer. There were more boats out than we had seen all summer ... and fireworks and a bonfire on the beach! Our boat-neighbors were very close, but there was no wind so no worries about swinging around to much in the middle of the night - midnight anchor dances are no fun! Next stop: the boat show at Newport and the we prepare to head home.
We spent a lovely weekend in Jamestown with friends Julie, Rob and Danielle. They sailed with us in February and offered us the use of her father's mooring ... so of course we had to take them up on it! They came sailing with us again - this time with her dad - and we got to see all the old America's Cup 12 meters out racing. After sailing we retired to the house for dinner, a magnificent sunset and to wash a load of laundry. We made other stops: Bristol; Pirate Cove Marina - a wonderful haul out spot; Padanaram, where we were wined and dined by cruisers we met in Bermuda; Scituate, where we hooked up with dear friends and even drove up to Maine - next time we'll have to sail there ... so much to see and so little time!
The trouble is ... we are Caribbean sailors and it is COLD up here - and getting colder - so now it is time to head south. We have a great forecast; we have been so fortunate to miss all the horrible hurricanes. The dinghy comes up on deck tonight and we will leave for Bermuda in the morning.
See you in the Caribbean - Pat and Pieter
Our sailing adventures started with these Caribbean sailors learning how to deal with fog and tides; radar helps with the former and the tide bible, we learned, is Eldritch. Armed with both - radar and Eldritch - we se out to explore! Harbors we had only read about are now almost as familiar as our Caribbean bays. Independence has been through the Cape Cod Canal - twice - and to Provincetown.
We saw whales and a funny looking coconut floating in the water. Suspecting that we were too far north for coconuts, we went over to investigate - the coconut had whiskers! It was a seal - very exotic to those of us from so far south.
We loved Onset, MA - very friendly people in the town and the best pizza for miles! Hadley Harbour near Wood's Hole has been in the news because of a visiting great white shark. We were there, but missed seeing the shark. Cutty Hunk was our next stop. I think we hit it on the last weekend of the summer. There were more boats out than we had seen all summer ... and fireworks and a bonfire on the beach! Our boat-neighbors were very close, but there was no wind so no worries about swinging around to much in the middle of the night - midnight anchor dances are no fun! Next stop: the boat show at Newport and the we prepare to head home.We spent a lovely weekend in Jamestown with friends Julie, Rob and Danielle. They sailed with us in February and offered us the use of her father's mooring ... so of course we had to take them up on it! They came sailing with us again - this time with her dad - and we got to see all the old America's Cup 12 meters out racing. After sailing we retired to the house for dinner, a magnificent sunset and to wash a load of laundry. We made other stops: Bristol; Pirate Cove Marina - a wonderful haul out spot; Padanaram, where we were wined and dined by cruisers we met in Bermuda; Scituate, where we hooked up with dear friends and even drove up to Maine - next time we'll have to sail there ... so much to see and so little time!
The trouble is ... we are Caribbean sailors and it is COLD up here - and getting colder - so now it is time to head south. We have a great forecast; we have been so fortunate to miss all the horrible hurricanes. The dinghy comes up on deck tonight and we will leave for Bermuda in the morning.
See you in the Caribbean - Pat and Pieter
July 31, 2004
We are in Block Island waiting for the rain to clear so that we can get to shore. The good news is that the bakery boat came alongside this morning - fresh muffins for breakfast! It is foggy and a chilly 62 degrees but that doesn't seem to slow down anyone here - if it got that cold in St. Thomas, we'd never put our noses out of doors! The weather has been a little hard for us to get used to - the highs are around 75 and the lows are in the 50s and 60s. We are used to 80 degrees and sunny almost all of the time - a BIG change for us.
We have talked to lots of Virgin Islanders who are here for the summer. We have even caught up with some of our charter guests from last season - what fun to see them again! If you see us anchored in your town, keep your eyes peeled for our new, bright yellow, dinghy - we are easy to spot and we'd love to see you.
Plans are made to be changed but we think we will haul the boat for a few weeks and do a land trip out west to see Las Vegas and the Grand Canyon (and warm up!). The Cape Cod Canal, Plymouth and, maybe, a road trip to Maine are on the list for the second half of August. We'll be in Newport for the boat show in September, when we will start preparations for the trip home to the islands. We've promised to be back for Thanksgiving and will be ready to start chartering in mid-December.
Fair winds - Pat and Pieter
July 15, 2004
We made it to Newport! The passage was almost magic. We had a few small problems to solve - nothing major, and all was fixed before we got to the Gulf Stream. Although this was supposed to be the roughest part of the trip, Neptune was kind and we eased through with very few squalls and pretty calm seas. We slowed down so that we would arrive in Newport in daylight - there are lots of fish markers and lobster pots in the area and they are impossible to see at night.
Our arrival was exciting. Newport is a yachting Mecca and on this sunny Sunday afternoon the fleet was out in force. We saw 12 Meters, topsail schooners, modern race boats and lovely old ketches and sloops gleaming with varnish. We managed to pick our way through them all and meet the harbor master, who let us to a mooring. He then went off to get the Customs and Immigration folks for us. The formalities were very pleasantly handled by two young women and then we were free to explore.
Traditionally, our first night in port is dinner ashore. Former First Mate, Jenessa, manages the restaurant at the Hyatt on Goat Island in Newport, so that's where we headed. We had lobster dinners followed by a dessert of fresh blueberries, strawberries and raspberries. Yumm! Jenessa is a senior at Johnson and Wales and is majoring in hotel and restaurant management. I guess the next time we see her in St. Thomas, she will be running Frenchman's Reef!
We will spend the summer exploring this area. It would be easy to stay in Newport - there is so much going on here. The visit of the Tall Ships kept us in port the first weekend. We got aboard a few of them: Picton Castle was our favorite. She does round-the-world sail training trips and is the brainchild of former Virgin Islands sailor, Dan Moreland. We went up to Bristol for a few days to visit the Herreshoff Museum and then came back for the Wooden Boat Show.
All our best - Pat and Pieter
Our arrival was exciting. Newport is a yachting Mecca and on this sunny Sunday afternoon the fleet was out in force. We saw 12 Meters, topsail schooners, modern race boats and lovely old ketches and sloops gleaming with varnish. We managed to pick our way through them all and meet the harbor master, who let us to a mooring. He then went off to get the Customs and Immigration folks for us. The formalities were very pleasantly handled by two young women and then we were free to explore.Traditionally, our first night in port is dinner ashore. Former First Mate, Jenessa, manages the restaurant at the Hyatt on Goat Island in Newport, so that's where we headed. We had lobster dinners followed by a dessert of fresh blueberries, strawberries and raspberries. Yumm! Jenessa is a senior at Johnson and Wales and is majoring in hotel and restaurant management. I guess the next time we see her in St. Thomas, she will be running Frenchman's Reef!
We will spend the summer exploring this area. It would be easy to stay in Newport - there is so much going on here. The visit of the Tall Ships kept us in port the first weekend. We got aboard a few of them: Picton Castle was our favorite. She does round-the-world sail training trips and is the brainchild of former Virgin Islands sailor, Dan Moreland. We went up to Bristol for a few days to visit the Herreshoff Museum and then came back for the Wooden Boat Show.All our best - Pat and Pieter
July 5, 2004
Knowing we will return made it easier to cast of our mooring line today and say goodbye, after two wonderful weeks, to Bermuda. We look forward to our next visit to this lovely place with her friendly people.
Fair winds - Pat and Pieter
Fair winds - Pat and Pieter
June 29, 2004
We have had a wonderful stay in Bermuda! We've enjoyed it so much that we plan to return in October. Highlights of our stay included ...
Dragging our anchor! Fortunately, Pieter saw it happen. We were ashore making phone calls. We dropped the phone and bolted for the dinghy, making it back to Independence as she fetched up alongside the only other CSY in the harbor! Somehow, during her drift she avoided a large, rusty steel wreck - the damage was only a few scratches. Several Bermudans came to help us and pulled us off the CSY that Independence had cozied up to - a boat called Island Woman. (Turns out that the anchor had picked up a big piece of dead coral wrapped in a line. It wasn't a problem until a squall passed through.) Later, when we went back to thank our helpers, we found out they were from Bermuda Tug and Salvage. They would not accept any money from us - even the owner of Island Woman insisted he had no damage. Not so amazing, really, as we found Bermudans to be very friendly and helpful people.
The finish of the Newport to Bermuda Race happened during our stay - very exciting to see. Several hundred yachts compete every other year in this prestigious event that is hosted by the Royal Bermuda Yacht Club. Our neighbor on our mooring in St. Thomas, Ruth Miller, was of of the race judges. We met her at the yacht club and got a good look at some of the top race boats in the world.
We had a visit from Pieter's sister, Anne, and niece, Lesley. There is nothing like visitors to get you out sight-seeing. Bermuda has a great ferry and bus service - we went everywhere! We wandered the the narrow streets of St. Georges and loved the Dockyard. We took the boat to Hamilton and visited cruising friends (who found a mooring for us) who have a lovely home on Hinton's Island. We did more exploring and toured the Bermuda Historical Society, where we learned a lot about our ties with Bermuda during the Civil War. There is so much to see here - I'm happy that we're planning to be back soon.
Fair winds - Pat and Pieter
June 14, 2004
Departed St. Thomas bound for Bermuda. The passage was pretty easy; no wind for 2 days, pleasant breeze for 2 days and a little more wind than necessary for 2 days! The last made for an exciting entrance into Bermuda, with lots of buoys and markers to sort out, but we made it to the Custom's Dock in St. Georges without mishap and were tied alongside by 10:30 a.m. on Father's Day. We made the 935 mile passage in just under 6 days - not too bad. The officials here are SO NICE!
Fair winds - Pat and Pieter
Fair winds - Pat and Pieter
June 12, 2004
We really are leaving. Our new, revised departure date is June 14th. Several things have conspired to keep us in port. The best and happiest reason is ... our daughter Hillary has announced her engagement! We just had to stick around for the party! She is going to marry Brian Murphy, a wonderful young man ... we are very happy for them. The wedding will be after we get back from cruising - maybe next May.
Independence is full of fuel and water, we are provisioned and the weather is looking good. With any luck we'll be in Bermuda for Father's Day.
Fair winds - Pat and Pieter
Independence is full of fuel and water, we are provisioned and the weather is looking good. With any luck we'll be in Bermuda for Father's Day.
Fair winds - Pat and Pieter
May 18, 2004
Independence is closing down for the summer; we'll be back in December with a fresh load of sea stories from our adventures in Bermuda and New England. Our last charter of the season is booked for Thursday, May 20. Along for our farewell to the season trip will be some new friends and some old-faithful sailors who have been with us for about 15 years - a great way to sign off!
It has been a pretty good season, windier than some ... but Independence likes that! Sometimes it is a good thing to be big and heavy! Daughter Hillary stepped into the breach when my first mate, Tiah, decided to go back to being a nanny - I guess we didn't have enough kids aboard this year. Nothing could have made me happier than to have Hillary on board - we have had a ball. She grew up on-board and loves Independence as much as I do. Her presence makes it really easy to show our guests a good day. Hillary plans to go back to teaching next fall, but has promised to fill in on the odd Saturday or holiday. I plan to hold her to that promise!
Our focus is shifting from day sailing to preparations for our passages to Bermuda and then to Newport. Suddenly, the thought of being cold is entering our minds. I know it is summer up there ... but 60 degrees on the water is way too cold for these Caribbean sailors. We are buying fleece shirts, caps, gloves and blankets - better too hot than too cold - oh! and I'd better put woolly socks on the list ... and boots, too!
Independence has to be un-stocked for chartering and re-stocked for cruising. That means that the self-steering gear goes on and all the floats and snorkel gear come off and go into storage - along with lots of other things. The most fun is shopping for charts and guides for the areas we plan to visit. Provisioning will be lots easier this year - I'm looking forward to all those supermarkets and produce stands in the States!
Bermuda will be our first stop. We hope to leave St. Thomas in early June ... weather permitting, of course ... and it shouldn't take much more than a week to get there. We have been badgering friends who have been to Bermuda to tell us everything they know - plus we have been pouring over our charts. I think it sounds like a wonderful place to visit; we will probably stay for a couple of weeks.
Our next stop will be Newport, maybe in time for July 4th. We will be traveling with our guestbook, so if your name is in it don't be surprised if you get a call from us. Remember all that loose talk about using your washing machine?
This is a whole new adventure for Peter and me. We are excited ... and a little nervous (they have tides and fog way up north) .. but we can't wait to get started. I'll keep you posted and let you know if we see the Flying Dutchman in the Bermuda Triangle. My e-mail address will be working ... so keep in touch and have a great summer.
All our best - Pat and Pieter
It has been a pretty good season, windier than some ... but Independence likes that! Sometimes it is a good thing to be big and heavy! Daughter Hillary stepped into the breach when my first mate, Tiah, decided to go back to being a nanny - I guess we didn't have enough kids aboard this year. Nothing could have made me happier than to have Hillary on board - we have had a ball. She grew up on-board and loves Independence as much as I do. Her presence makes it really easy to show our guests a good day. Hillary plans to go back to teaching next fall, but has promised to fill in on the odd Saturday or holiday. I plan to hold her to that promise!
Our focus is shifting from day sailing to preparations for our passages to Bermuda and then to Newport. Suddenly, the thought of being cold is entering our minds. I know it is summer up there ... but 60 degrees on the water is way too cold for these Caribbean sailors. We are buying fleece shirts, caps, gloves and blankets - better too hot than too cold - oh! and I'd better put woolly socks on the list ... and boots, too!
Independence has to be un-stocked for chartering and re-stocked for cruising. That means that the self-steering gear goes on and all the floats and snorkel gear come off and go into storage - along with lots of other things. The most fun is shopping for charts and guides for the areas we plan to visit. Provisioning will be lots easier this year - I'm looking forward to all those supermarkets and produce stands in the States!
Bermuda will be our first stop. We hope to leave St. Thomas in early June ... weather permitting, of course ... and it shouldn't take much more than a week to get there. We have been badgering friends who have been to Bermuda to tell us everything they know - plus we have been pouring over our charts. I think it sounds like a wonderful place to visit; we will probably stay for a couple of weeks.
Our next stop will be Newport, maybe in time for July 4th. We will be traveling with our guestbook, so if your name is in it don't be surprised if you get a call from us. Remember all that loose talk about using your washing machine?
This is a whole new adventure for Peter and me. We are excited ... and a little nervous (they have tides and fog way up north) .. but we can't wait to get started. I'll keep you posted and let you know if we see the Flying Dutchman in the Bermuda Triangle. My e-mail address will be working ... so keep in touch and have a great summer.
All our best - Pat and Pieter
January 14, 2004
We thought we would ease gently back into day sailing but ... Christmas arrived and we dove in head-first - two weeks straight with a brand new mate!! Tiah, who is no longer quite so new, survived and so did I; it was great fun and so good to be back at work. The Christmas winds kicked in so we had some great sailing and got to the south side of St. John a few times - not our usual destination this time of year. Our guests had some wonderful snorkeling and there have been quite a few turtle sightings!
Our weather channel says it is COLD up there in the frozen north; we are expecting a cold front this weekend - should get down to 84 degrees. We don't want to rub it in or anything! If you want to get warm, just come on down to the islands. You know where to find us.
Fair winds - Pat and Pieter
Our weather channel says it is COLD up there in the frozen north; we are expecting a cold front this weekend - should get down to 84 degrees. We don't want to rub it in or anything! If you want to get warm, just come on down to the islands. You know where to find us.
Fair winds - Pat and Pieter
November 13, 2003
We are now in Montserrat after a lovely stay in St. Lucia. The local market in Castries is the most amazing place: endless fresh produce, little one-table restaurants that serve local food, and a wonderful selection spices, baskets, dolls, fabrics, t-shirts and pottery. It is overwhelming. The people are very friendly, even though they deal with cruise ship crowds almost every day!
The trip from St. Lucia to Montserrat was our most exciting so far this summer. We watched the lunar eclipse in the lee of Martinique and then got caught up in some powerful squalls - winds at 35 knots at times and lots of rain! Independence came through it all just fine; we love our radar and auto-pilot.
We have been waiting for the past few days, along with the rest of the Caribbean, for the weather to clear up. The sun is peeking out from behind the clouds today, so we will go on a tour of the Volcano Observatory and try to see some of this island before we leave early tomorrow for Nevis.
We hope to stop at a few more islands before we head for St. Thomas, arriving home in time for Thanksgiving. We plan to have Independence cleaned up and ready for charters by the middle of December. The bookings are starting to come in for Christmas; we look forward to a good season!
Fair winds - Pat and Pieter
The trip from St. Lucia to Montserrat was our most exciting so far this summer. We watched the lunar eclipse in the lee of Martinique and then got caught up in some powerful squalls - winds at 35 knots at times and lots of rain! Independence came through it all just fine; we love our radar and auto-pilot.
We have been waiting for the past few days, along with the rest of the Caribbean, for the weather to clear up. The sun is peeking out from behind the clouds today, so we will go on a tour of the Volcano Observatory and try to see some of this island before we leave early tomorrow for Nevis.We hope to stop at a few more islands before we head for St. Thomas, arriving home in time for Thanksgiving. We plan to have Independence cleaned up and ready for charters by the middle of December. The bookings are starting to come in for Christmas; we look forward to a good season!
Fair winds - Pat and Pieter
August 11, 2003
Finally, departure day! I know, just a little late but the weather was kind and circumstances got in the way. Our last weeks were filled with projects on the boat and retirement paperwork and parties for Pieter. He has retired from the Independent Boatyard after 15 years, lots of great memories and good friends but lots of seas to cross in our future! He plans to be part of the day sail business too, it seems he wants to sail the boat - not just fix her when I bring her home with a problem!
Our cruise from St. Thomas, broken only by short stop in Tortola for a clearance, to Bequia was storybook perfect. We had a full moon, the best view of Mars when it was so close to earth, calm seas and time to check out all the new toys-radar, auto pilot and the single side band radio. We love them all, we can see ships and squalls so easily with the radar, SSB tells us about the weather and the autopilot never complains and always steers a perfect course, doesn't eat anything either - a great crew! The passage took two and a half days and we sailed into Admiralty Bay, Bequia in time for breakfast. We lived in St. Vincent for 6 years in the early '70's, I started my day sail career on our old schooner there and Bequia was the favorite destination, like St. John is to St . Thomas. It was great to be back, some changes but enough familiar landmarks that we found our way easily.
Our plan was to spend a few weeks exploring our old stomping grounds down as far as Grenada and then head back to St . Vincent and start the work part of this cruise. The cruising part was so much fun. We snorkeled in the Tobago Cays, amazing, had a reunion with St. Thomas friends in Carriacou and a wonderful week in Grenada with old friends from our days in St. Vincent. Grenada is a beautiful island, we rented a car and drove all the way around, found 2 waterfalls and countless old stone churches and forts to explore. Although we were anxious to get up to St. Vincent and see our old friends, we knew that when we got there the lazy cruising days would come to a screeching halt.
We didn't go straight to work, we stopped at Salt Whistle Bay on Mayreau for a night. Last time we were there son Paul was a baby and now he is 28! It is still gorgeous and we hiked up to the town and the lovely little stone church is still there and the view of the Grenadines is still breathtaking. A last night in Bequia, Friendship Bay this time, and off to St. Vincent, friends and work. Our friends have been so supportive and the work is going well. Independence will have a new forward cabin, a small office, a new galley and countertop in the head and we will finally have non leaking windows in the main cabin. Huge projects, funnily enough the windows are being the biggest headache, but we have help, my old crew from Evoe is here and a very good varnisher, our friends son is a carpenter and he has a friend who does windows and so it goes. We are staying ashore for the worst of it and really looking forward to getting back to the lazy cruising life. More on that in the next edition of the log.
We have been watching the weather and sweated out Fabian and Isabel, no problem for the Caribbean, yet, but so much destruction in Bermuda and the east coast of the U.S.A. It was our plan to be out of the main track of storms this summer and so far the hurricanes have stayed north, hope we have seen the last of them this year.
We'll be back on our mooring in Red Hook, St. Thomas in time for Thanksgiving, give us a call if you will be in the area, we'd love to take you sailing and show off all our projects!
Fair winds - Pat and Pieter
July, 2003
Independence had a great season,lots of new faces and old friends, some really good sailing and it was fun to have daughter Hillary aboard as crew. My other mate was Kathleen Nelson, she and I have sailed together for years and she has finally decided to start day sailing herself on their boat "High Pockets", check them out at www.sailhighpockets.com. I'll miss sailing with Kathleen but wish her all the best.
We stopped day chartering on June 1st and headed to the boatyard to start getting ready for the next adventure! The boat is a disaster, masts out, hatches up and a million projects underway. We leave in 3 weeks, yikes! The good news is . . . we are getting there!! The mizzen mast goes in tomorrow with the radar dome, the bottom is prepped and gets painted tomorrow, the deck is mostly painted, non-skid and stripes to come and so it goes. We will be ready, I think! Pieter has retired, the boatyard threw an amazing surprise party for him, and he is working more and more on the boat and less and less at the boatyard (the main reason I think we WILL be ready).
I will start the fun job of provisioning next week, grocery shopping for all the necessities for the next few months, everything from paper towels and Cheerios to aspirin and band-aids. The good thing is that if I forget something we can probably find it at the next island. Our itinerary is extremely loose and depends largely on the weather. The plan is to head south out of the hurricane belt as quickly as possible. We are leaving late so will probably do a 4 or 5 day passage straight to Carriacou or Grenada. When we get there and get settled in, I will update the log again with some sea stories and let you know how all the new toys, radar, SSB, auto-pilot and the old crew are doing!
Fair winds - Pat and Pieter
Saturday, December 6, 2008
November 6, 2002
Cast off date for Independence is July 1, 2003! Our plan is to head south down the island chain and out of the hurricane belt. Our itinerary is not etched in anything, but we are talking about Tobago, Grenada, Marie Gallant, St. Maarten and every place in between! We lived on St. Vincent for six years in the early seventies and we have good friends who still live there. We'll definitely linger for a while once we reach our old home. We rebuilt our old schooner, Evoe, down there and have plans to do some interior remodeling of Independence while docked at the marina in Blue Lagoon. Ahh, the romance of the cruising life!
Before we can leave we must complete the FEW little things on our To Do list. Just little details like hooking up the generator we are installing to provide power for all the new toys that have become essential since the last time we went cruising. We just don't want to live without our auto pilot, radar, single side band radio, computer for e-mail access, TV, VCR and sound system (we're holding off on the DVD until next year). What a tough life we have chosen for ourselves! Of course, we also have to make certain that the boat hull, rig and hatches are up to the rigors of passage-making. In addition to adding 'toys', this year we installed a new engine, replaced the chain plates on the mizzen, dropped the rudder and inspected the steering system.
Cruising in the Caribbean is a sailors' dream. The islands are so close together that a four or five day passage is the exception, rather than the rule. Usually, we day sail from place to place - perhaps spending only one night at sea to reach a far shore. On this trip we will be visiting Dutch, French, English and Spanish islands. Almost all of these islands are now independent countries but the old languages and customs persist. Each island is unique, having its own ambiance, smells and flavors - the croissants and French bread in Martinique taste as good as those in Paris! Provisioning for this trip will be pretty easy. We will stock up on our familiar things in the USA: paper goods, favorite cereal, coffee, peanut butter, etc. I am already making my list and figuring out where I am going to store everything. However, we will leave lots of room for local purchases of fresh food at each island - especially bread in Martinique!
This winter I will be day sailing, as usual, out of Red Hook and Pieter will be in the boatyard. We will have a few days off in November to have the new autopilot tuned. We will then test it out in and around the British Virgin Islands. I'm looking forward to a great season. I enjoy day sailing with visitors to the U.S. Virgin Islands so, although we are looking forward to our cruise, we will be back in St. Thomas in November of 2003. We hope to see you this season or next! Fair winds - Pat and Pieter
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