Blog Updates

I am still in the process of updating this blog. I would like it to read from top to bottom, starting with the beginning of our trip at the top and ending at the bottom with the conclusion of our voyage. For now it starts were the last postings left off and it will read chronologically top to bottom starting with Thursday, May 14th. Some pictures have been added to the new postings. All of us from BrainWaves thank those of you that followed our journey and supported us in every manner along the way!

May 14, 2009 - Thursday
Today Ken and I went to the beach at Tobacco Bay. While he swam and set in the sun, I found a place in the rocks to paint. I spent an hour or so doing a gouache study of some rocks with a little sky and seascape. We came back to the boat and finished off the lunch meat of turkey. Just as we finished Deb and Don drove in on the scooter and asked if we wanted lunch. I decided to head over to Deb’s and finish the painting I had started yesterday. I forgot a hat and it was quite hot in the sun and I did a lot of serious squinting. I think I spent about three hours working on the painting and then headed back to the boat about 5:30 pm. Everyone was there and we decided to grill the rest of the venison hamburger for dinner. We had a good meal and a good time. The Johns went back to their place for the evening. Before Deb and Don left he wondered if we wanted to go over to their place and watch the Red Wings plan in their final game of the series. Don took Tom on his bike and then I took Ken on mine. I came back to get Deb only to realize just before I got here that I didn’t have an extra helmet, Ken still had it! I called Don and he said he would bring it over. In the meantime Deb was cleaning out the lower storage lockers. The cans were rusting, some food was spoiled and an boxes were wet and soggy. It looked like there was mold in the area and in some bags. While Deb re-bagged and re-tagged instructions on the boxed stuff, I took out the cans and cleaned them. We left everything out to dry. Don dropped off the helmet and headed back to watch the game. When Deb and I were done, I took her back to her place. The guys watched the game, ate some cookies and popcorn and enjoyed the drama of the playoffs. It was a good close game and the Wings won. In the meantime Don told me his headlight on his bike went out on the way home. So I took Ken to the boat first as he had just said goodbye to Deb and Don. Then I went back and got Tom and brought him back to the boat. I was glad I had my legs zipped on to the shorts and I was wearing my Browning coat. The wind was really howling and it was cool! I went to bed and read until about 12:30 am.

Outbound Ken - We're Leaving Too

May 15, 2009 - Friday
Ken was up at 6:30 and when I got up just before seven Tom was already up too. I took Ken on the scooter to the airport and he was able to check in right away and had to go. Hard to believe he will be in Michigan today! I went back to the boat and Tom was busy cleaning. He cleaned out the storage lockers and the head. We then stored the food that Deb and I had out back in the compartments. I threw out the last few packages of venison chops and then cleaned out the freezer from the mess they made. When we had everything done I took the scooter into town and did my laundry. When I got back Tom was cleaning again. I had to turn my scooter in, so I took Tom to Tobacco Bay and then I went up the hill and returned the scooter. It was a slow and painful walk back with my heel and Achilles’ tendon problem. It sucks! I’m stuck with walking the rest of the day and that just isn’t fun right now. As soon as I got the boat unlocked and inside, Don showed up with groceries for the trip, so I stowed these as he made another run for milk and to check on ice blocks. John and John showed up while Don was gone and had some more goods for the trip to put away. Tom came back and checked on the steering assembly while John was repairing some things in starboard cockpit locker. They rolled up the dingy and we put it in the V berth for the voyage. Don came and dropped off the milk and then headed back to his place. John and John walked into town to the visitors center to use the internet. Tom is taking a nap and I’m writing this, but seriously considering the nap idea!

We still plan to leave tomorrow and expect light north, northeast winds, so we will probably be motoring for a day or two. The trip back begins!

Tom was almost asleep and I was just ready to put down my book and go to sleep myself when we heard someone calling out in French. After four or five calls the hailing switched to English and called out “BrainWaves.” A boat was coming in, so Tom and I hurried to get dressed and get on deck. Tom got their bow line ready and in came Welcome III with Donna Turley, her brother and a friend. I had contacted Donna through an older blog of hers regarding our trip to Bermuda. She was very helpful and later we determined that she would be in Bermuda about the time we were leaving. She had suggested going to Captain Smokes, which Don was aware of and we did end up here for the duration of our stay in Bermuda. I think this place worked out great for us. I went ashore and talked to Donna and her brother a little bit about our trip and theirs. I went back to the boat to read and let them get settled in for the night. They have a crew member going out tomorrow and another coming in to replace her. The will set sail again on Sunday, heading to Newport I believe.

May 16, 2009 – Saturday
I was having a nice sleep in the cool and amazingly dry air when I heard a rat scampering about the deck. “I don’t know who you are but I want you off my boat” I called out. The rat had on gray shorts and merely laughed at me. Evidently Tom was able to get free of the duct tape I applied while he was sleeping last night! He had warned me that he always gets up at 5:30 am. I noticed he wore ear plugs, so I thought I’d duct tape him to the berth. He filled up both water tanks and we did a few other minor things to get the boat ready to leave. Don showed up with more food from his place and then left to turn in his scooter. John and John showed up and we all pitched in to finish getting ready to leave. As soon as we secured the jack lines and with some help from some of the people on the other boats, we casted off and were on our way. The sun was bright and the winds were very light as we motored through the cut and out to the south of Bermuda. We are currently in light rolling seas with waves 1-3 feet and following the southern coast of Bermuda. We have one more waypoint to clear and then we can set our direct course straight for Norfolk.

The winds died down about 10 pm and we had to turn the engine on to maintain speed. Without it we were traveling at less than 4 knots. The seas were very calm with waves under two feet although we still had some large swells around 8-10 feet with large long gaps in between them. During the night watches we saw two ships but both were quite a ways off and could not be identified. Our best guess was the first ship was another sailboat and the second a larger ship. We motored all night. I took some photos and short videos of Bermuda as we sailed along the edge of the islands.

May 17, 2009 – Sunday
The seas are still calm and the winds very light. We continued to motor along and maintain a good speed. There are still large swells and the clouds are beginning to build, yet it remains sunny at times and the temperatures are starting to rise. There are lots of Portuguese man-o-wars floating by, some large and some as small as your thumbnail. I saw a dolphin roll at the surface about 40-50 yards off the port side this morning just a few minutes after six am. Don sat in the stern and soaked his scooter road rash. We figured he would make good shark bait. We had pancakes for breakfast as cooking is relatively easy with the current conditions. The grill is acting up so Don took it apart and cleaned it thoroughly. It seems to work better so we hoping to be able to continue grilling some meals. We’ve seen very little life, including birds, which is surprising to me. Two tern-looking birds went by at a distance and a moderate size soaring bird came by close, but it was not big enough to be an albatross. A Bermuda long-tail followed by some other darker bird flew low and right over us. It’s 9:30 am now and everything is very calm, just rolling swells and the hum of the engine. Don, “Doc” John and Tom are all reading, John starts his watch in 20 minutes, so he is just up and making himself some eggs. We left out all the makings for the pancakes, but he woke up with eggs on his mind - so he made himself some eggs. A good breakfast for all and a good start for the day.

Don organized a game of Euchre and because Tom doesn’t play, he took the helm. And because Tom doesn’t play he made lunch, grilling hot dogs and making sauerkraut. And because Tom doesn’t play and we had to do a rubber match, he also did the dishes. Go Tom! During lunch Tom thought he saw “a whale or something” and we all jumped up and watched over the port side. Soon a dolphin rolled at the surface and then for the next five minutes we saw three and maybe four of them. They appeared to have found something and circled an area out away from the boat and then they were gone. After lunch and our close game of Euchre (the Halls were victorious) we all decided to take a swim. We slowed the boat to a craw and prepared to jump in. Apparently a million Portuguese man-o-wars decided to swim with us. They were everywhere, big and tiny. So, we motored ahead and watch them drift pass in groups. Finally there seemed to be a break and into the ocean we went. It was a cool refreshing plunge at first and then it felt just great. Obviously one of us always stayed on board. We washed our hair and enjoy jumping and diving in the water. John spotted a small turtle swimming nearby. Tom gave chase but he’s just a tad bit slower than a turtle underwater. (On land he might have had a better chance.) After the swim we used the “sun deck” shower to rinse the salt water off us. We had to lay on the edge of the boat to get the gravity feed to work as we had no way of getting the bag off the top of the deck. The water was very warm and it worked quite well. Don and young John stripped down for their final rinse. Don looked like he’d been in bad fight and lost with all his bruises and abrasions from the scooter crash. The swim was a refreshing break and something that would have been inconceivable during our first leg of the trip going to Bermuda.

It’s now just after 5 pm and the winds continue to be light. We are still motoring and expect to do so tonight as well. Don and I added 8 gallons of diesel fuel to top off the tank. We have been motoring about 20 hours total so far on the trip since we left Bermuda. The winds are expected to shift, but remain light tonight. Tom is planning on tacos for supper, so that will be a nice change to our menu.

As Tom slept, John and Doc made a great hardy soup for supper. It was delicious and nearly everyone had seconds. Tom got up in time to eat with us – but he still owes us a taco dinner and we won’t forget it!

May 18, 2009 – Monday
I knew it was going to happen and I even warned Don about it yesterday. Today was the day we paid in full for the calm nice sunny times of yesterday. The winds kicked in and the sky turned gray. Early in the morning I heard a faint call on the radio. Don and I were on watch, but he was below making some hot chocolate. By the time I got the volume turned up, the call had come in three times and I only caught part of the position called out, which seemed it might be our location. I could see no boat in sight and did no respond. Don thought I should have replied even if it wasn’t for us. After a few minutes I thought duh, who else was out here in the middle of the ocean! Then I wondered if someone was trying to warn us about approaching weather. Thirty minutes later a ship appear on the horizon to our stern and hailed us. It was a British merchant ship following up on a Coast Guard report that a sailboat was overdue and missing. Our reply and name confirmed we were not the missing boat and we thank them for their concern. It was good to know other ships were looking out for each other in situations like this. Soon the waves and swells grew and it made for a miserable day. Meals were skipped and sleeping was nearly impossible. John was feeling terrible and suffered the most. Don got sick as well. The head started acting up just to add to our problems. Instead of flushing it reversed course and began doing great impressions of a volcano! Oh joy! We entered our own little small gray world of rock and roll, wet and wild, sleep depravation and starvation. The winds were strong and resumed the heeling position. The humidity was not as bad as our trip going to Bermuda, but still it added to our misery. At night it was cold and keeping both warm and dry was hopeless. After my watch I would change into dry clothes to try and catch some sleep only to get up at the next watch and get soaked all over again. The only time we saw the sun was just before sunset when it dropped under the line of dark clouds, shinned on us very briefly and then it was gone. Bright orange and looking hot, John made a sizzling sound at it sank in the ocean. It was just a quick tease but at least we knew it still existed!

Carrier 77

May 19, 2009 – Tuesday
The winds died down toward morning and things begin to look a little better. I was on the night watch with Don and right at sunrise I thought I saw a fin slice through the water right beside me. A few minutes later I thought I saw another one. I was sure I was mistaken. Ten minutes later I saw the back of a dolphin arch out of the water and then for the next 15 minutes we had a least four dolphins riding our bow wave and swimming along side the boat. After that excitement died down we were hailed by carrier 77 and off to our starboard stern we saw the silhouette of an aircraft carrier approaching us. He asked if it would be OK for him to pass safely behind us. Don and I decided that would be fine with us! I wanted to ask for a fly-by, but settled for safe passage behind us! Boat actively got really hectic after that and there seemed to be boats coming from every which way as we approached the shipping lanes. Some fighter jets appeared and flew by us quite close and then off in the distance they did some dogfights and we enjoyed the show. The sun came out brightly and although the winds were not as strong they had changed and we were making good time. The day was much more comfortable and we were able to eat some meals as well. The head unfortunately gave up working entirely and we had to resort to empty cut-off pop bottle and a bucket.

Land Ho!

May 20, 2009 – Wednesday
The weather continued getting better on Wednesday and the temperatures rose quickly. We knew we were going to get into Norfolk that evening which certainly makes your spirits soar a bit. We continued to motor-sail so that we could make good time and get to port before dark. Once again the boat traffic around us picked up and especially as we were crossing the shipping channel. We heard on the radio that the Navy was conducting live firing and the coordinates seem to be in our area. Don called a Coast Guard ship and asked if our course was safe and we were assured it was. We were all keeping tabs on the various ships and at one point I spotted four square looking ships on the horizon which I pointed out to Don. Then Tom noticed that there were six of them. Soon the number grew to over a dozen - all still looking rather square. The binoculars reveled they were buildings. These were tops of the tallest buildings at Virgina beach - Land Ho! We slipped by a few more ships including a Coast Guard vessel at close range. Don contacted customs to tell them we were coming in and they requested we contact them when we were 30 minutes from docking. A customs officer was waiting for us on the dock. She was very pleasant and had been waiting quite awhile for us. She said she only lived 10 minutes away but didn’t know of this particular marina. We had papers to fill out and had to show our passports. She went through things in the cabin and examined our food. We got to keep nearly everything but had to throw out some grapes that came from Chile. She called in an agricultural specialist for further checking. His stay was brief and they both left us to settle in for the night. We arrived in Norfolk about 6:30 pm. Andy Walls brought over John’s PT cruiser and Don, Rod and Tom loaded into that while John Jr. stayed behind at the dock. John drove us over to Andy and Stephanie’s were they serve us a great dinner of grilled asparagus and chicken with an Oreo cookie type pie (Andy’s favorite) – it was very, very good! John went back to get his son and the two of them ate out and stayed at a motel for the night. The three of us took Don’s van and headed back to the marina. Thanks to three ocean-soaked brains and a good memory on Tom’s part, we found our way to the dock and we spent a good night on the boat. I had hoped to sleep in the cockpit so I could stretch out, but even with the canvas up, the dew was too heavy so I stayed below.

Morning in Norfolk

May 21, 2009 – Thursday
Thursday dawned with bright sun and warmer temperatures again. There were very light winds and it was a perfect day for decommissioning the boat. We removed the sails first and laid them out in the parking lot to dry. We washed down the entire boat, cleaned the cockpit covers inside and out and when they were dry took them off and put them away. We removed the boom vang and boom and what we could of the canvas framework. We took out all the perishable food, cleaned out the storage lockers and washed all the areas we could, including the cockpit cushions. We finished in about 5 ½ hours and by 12:30 we hit the showers to clean up, change clothes and then hit the road for home. We all decided we would prefer to drive straight through instead of spending a night on the road. The closer we got to Michigan the worse the weather became and we drove through a fair amount of rain toward the end of the trip.

Home is the sailor, home from the sea.

May 22, 2009 - Friday
I arrived home about 5 am, my wife Susan's birthday and just 45 minutes before she had to get up for work. Surprise! Don and Tom still had another hour to drive to get to Petoskey. I slept for about thirty minutes and then got with Sue so we could talk while she got ready for work. I crashed later in the day, but even then only slept about three hours. I guess I was waiting for my watch to start! It’s good to be home!

I heard from John via email and he reported “John and I made it to his house in Novi about 8PM on Thursday and I drove back to Charlevoix on Friday. We arrived about 1PM. No speeding tickets. I'm back working 3 days a week and putting up with the cold, rainy weather. Sure was nice in Bermuda.” Indeed it was!

More Rough Writings

Tuesday - Today Ken and I rode the scooters to Deb and Don’s. We decided to make a long day of it on the scooters and drive out to the Royal Naval Dockyards. I called John to let him know our plans and told him we would call if anything changed. While Deb was getting ready I tried to post the notes I’ve been writing each night to the blog. I had planned take them home and rewrite them, but as long as we had Internet access I decided to just go ahead and post them. I had quite a bit of trouble as part of the html was not the way the blog wanted it and I kept getting error messages. Eventually it worked out. I had brought a jump drive with me but left it in my shorts. When we washed clothes the first day in Bermuda it went through the wash and a very hot dryer but it still works fine. I transferred the document from my laptop on the boat to the computer at Deb and Don’s.

We took off down Middle Road and headed into the edge of Hamilton and then jogged over to South Shore Road. We made a few stops to see some things of interest and then stopped at a small little shop for lunch. Their price of $4.50 a burger was better than the two nicer places just down the road on either side where a burger was $10.50. We ate across the street on the grass at the edge of a bay. The view was beautiful and the sun was hot. After we ate, Don took a quick swim and then we headed off to the Dockyards.

We spent about 90 minutes exploring the Dockyards on our own, meeting back at the scooters at 4 pm. Then we left and head back along South Shore Road. We stopped at Gibb’s Hill Lighthouse which was built in 1846. We climbed the 186 steps and then out through a small door that you had to stoop to get through. This put us at the top of the lighthouse on a narrow ledge with a heavy metal railing. The wind was howling and it was a long way up with a spectacular view of the island and bays. Afterwards we headed back down the road and stopped at the south shore beaches. The sand is very light colored and extremely fine, almost more like powder than sand. As we left the beaches there was a woman down on the ground that had taken a spill on a scooter. We stopped and Don walked over by just when he got to her she stood up and said she was fine, thanking everyone that had gathered to help her. We continued on and angled up to hit Middle Road again and headed back toward the direction of Deb and Don’s. We passed a scooter lying off the side of the road that was showed quite a bit of damage on one side from a collision. It started to rain about then and the roads get very slippery when wet, so we were concerned about our speed and cornering as we went. At one point when I was in the lead a car in front of me put on the right turn blinker and turned into a road. I slowed down and as it turned I accelerated to go by and it suddenly came back across both lanes right in front of me. I thought I was going to “T-Bone” it right in the side and I slammed on both brakes and made a quick move to the left to avoid it. Maybe it was a good thing the road was wet as the big skidded a bit and without losing control I missed the car as it swerved and continued on in my lane. By then I was stopped on the side of the road with Ken, as he was right behind me when this happened. It was a close call!

We got to Deb and Don’s and because of the rain decided to have a pizza delivered. I called John to invite him over and he had already left and decided to have a meal in town. We ordered the pizza but it couldn’t be delivered, so I took Don’s jacket and rode the scooter to the pizza place. I strapped the jumbo pizza box to the scooter basket behind me and drove back. (Of course I missed the pizza place on the way there and drove too far, so I had to double back. Then I missed the drive for Don’s place and turned around. It’s always interesting on the scooter when it’s dark and raining!) Deb made a fresh batch of brownies that we ate a few minutes too soon. They were like brownies with hot chocolate pudding in the middle – delicious! Ken and I visited for an hour or two and then headed home for BrainWaves about 9 pm. John’s son will fly here tomorrow so we will have a new crewmember to tell our tales to – until he get’s his own on the sail back! Stay tuned.

Wednesday – At about 5:30 am I had to shut the hatches this morning as I woke up to feel the rain coming in above me. I tried to be quiet and Ken slept through it. His hatch would only have let the moisture fall on his blanket at his waist. The boat next to us pulled out about 6:30 am headed back to Boston. They were relatively quiet and the three on board managed to ease out and slip away. Another boat smaller than ours took that spot beside us about half an hour later. I never heard them come in. A large old fashion multi-mast boat came in about the same time and tied up at the old wharf just about 60 yards from us. The crew next door was quite rowdy and cussing so Ken stepped out and told them some folks were still sleeping and there was a young family next to us. A little while later we heard a splash. One of them fell off their gang plank and apparently lost his cell phone. It feels almost cool in the boat, yet still damp and muggy. Outside it is warmer but still the high humidity. It’s almost noon and we still have no plans today. Ken and I have been reading and he just left for the shower. I expect the two Johns to come down to the boat this afternoon, but not sure what they are planning. I need to do some laundry and maybe it’s a good day to do that. Hopefully the sun will come out later. In any case, it’s time to get out and do something. After all, our days here are numbered!

The rain finally stopped about 1:00 pm, so Ken and I headed out to the Cut (the passageway into St. George Bay) on the scooters. We checked out the small fort right at the cut called Alexandra’s Battery and the narrow beach area nearby. The beach was covered with broken glass fragments, all polished smooth by the waves and sand. It looked to me exactly like the jewelry I saw at the Royal Naval Dockyards in the crafts sections which was advertised as Bermuda glass. The exposed rocky area (low tide) was covered with this glass including worn bits of plates and mugs. I don’t know how long it takes to wear the glass down so I have no way of knowing how old this glass is. We saw more of the blue fish in the beach area shallows and half a dozen dark “fish” with what looked like wavy side flaps and a pointed tail. One rose to the surface and almost immediately changed from dark brown to a speckled light gray and blue, sort of like gravel. It dropped back down with the others and turned dark brown again. I’ll have to look these up when I can get Internet access again. John called while we were at the glass beach area and told us he and his son were on the boat. We went on to the next larger fort which is called Fort St. Catherine. Farther down the road we saw a nice larger beach area which in the busy season has a concession stand. I believe this is Tobacco Bay. There were only about 15 – 20 people there. After that the road brought us to the St. George golf course where we had walked on our first day. We dropped back into town and turned in Ken’s scooter. We walked the town square area and the nearby shops and then hopped on my scooter and went back to the boat. By the time we ate a lunch of leftovers it was about 3:30. Don called about 4:00 asking about dinner plans. We passed on the idea as we had just eaten. Deb was unable to connect to the Internet, so I offered to come over and take a look. The sun had come out while we were in town so I thought maybe I could at least start a painting while I was at Deb’s. We got online and got about an hour of painting in before the light faded. Deb and Don came back with steak instead of going out as they had originally planned. Deb had eaten while Don was cooking his steak so I reluctantly stayed to share the meal with Don. As Skipper, he threatened me with the worst watches on the return trip if I didn’t stay to eat! The scooter ride back was quite cool; I guess it was cold with the wind whipping and me going as fast as I could safely go to get back to the boat. I think tomorrow morning Ken and I will scooter to the second beach we saw today in Tobacco Bay. Ken wants to relax on the beach his last day here and I think I will do some painting in that area. After lunch I plan to head to Deb and Don’s to complete the painting I started tonight. All this is naturally dependant on good weather, which is in the forecast.

Don checked the winds for our return trip and at this point it appears they will be light for the first few days. The prediction is for an easterly wind which is a following wind for us, so we may be motoring the first few days. The winds are expected to shift the closer we get to Virginia and pick up in speed as well. This might be the reverse order of our trip out here which may be good for everyone to get ready for the rougher weather. However the following wind can produce a motion that makes people sick as well. What will be will be.

Thursday – Today Ken and I went to the beach at Tobacco Bay. While he swam and set in the sun, I found a place in the rocks to paint. I spent an hour or so doing a gouache study of some rocks with a little sky and seascape. We came back to the boat and finished off the lunch meat of turkey. Just as we finished Deb and Don drove in on the scooter and asked if we wanted lunch. I decided to head over to Deb’s and finish the painting I had started yesterday. I forgot a hat and it was quite hot in the sun and I did a lot of serious squinting. I think I spent about three hours working on the painting and then headed back to the boat about 5:30 pm. Everyone was there and we decided to grill the rest of the venison hamburger for dinner. We had a good meal and a good time. The Johns went back to their place for the evening. Before Deb and Don left he wondered if we wanted to go over to their place and watch the Red Wings plan in their final game of the series. Don took Tom on his bike and then I took Ken on mine. I came back to get Deb only to realize just before I got here that I didn’t have an extra helmet, Ken still had it! I called Don and he said he would bring it over. In the meantime Deb was cleaning out the lower storage lockers. The cans were rusting, some food was spoiled and all the boxes were wet and soggy. It looked like there was mold in the area and in some bags. While Deb re-bagged and re-tagged instructions on the boxed stuff, I took out the cans and cleaned them. We left everything out to dry. Don dropped off the helmet and head back to watch the game. When Deb and I were done, I took her back to her place. The guys watched the game, ate some cookies and popcorn and enjoyed the drama of the playoffs. It was a good close game and the Wings won. In the meantime Don told me his headlight on his bike went out on the way home. So I took Ken to the boat first as he had just said goodbye to Deb and Don. Then I went back and got Tom and brought him back to the boat. I was glad I had my legs zipped on to the shorts and I was wearing my Browning coat. The wind was really howling and it was cool! I went to bed and read until about 12:30 am.

Friday – Ken was up at 6:30 and when I got up just before seven Tom was already up too. I took Ken on the scooter to the airport and he was able to check in right away and had to go. Hard to believe he will be in Michigan today! I went back to the boat and Tom was busy cleaning. He cleaned out the storage lockers and the head. We then stored the food that Deb and I had out back in the compartments. I threw out the last few packages of venison chops and then cleaned out the freezer from the mess they made. When we had everything done I took the scooter into town and did my laundry. When I got back Tom was cleaning again. I had to turn my scooter in, so I took Tom to Tobacco Bay and then I went up the hill and returned the scooter. It was a slow and painful walk back with my heel and Achilles’ tendon problem. It sucks! I’m stuck with walking the rest of the day and that just isn’t fun right now. As soon as I got the boat unlock and inside, Don showed up with groceries for the trip, so I stowed these as he made another run for milk and to check on ice blocks. John and John showed up while Don was gone and had some more goods for the trip to put away. Tom came back and checked on the steering assembly while John was repairing some things in starboard cockpit locker. They rolled up the dingy and we put it in the V berth for the voyage. Don came and dropped off the milk and then headed back to his place. John and John walked into town to the visitor’s center to use the internet. Tom is taking a nap and I’m writing this, but seriously considering the nap idea!

We still plan to leave tomorrow and expect light north, northeast winds, so we will probably be motoring for a day or two. The trip back begins

Rough Writings - The Trip So Far

SAILING - DAY ONE

We survived! It’s been twenty-four hours exactly since we left Norfolk bound for Bermuda. We started with good winds and sunshine and sailed with out any problems past Cape Hatterus. The weather began to turn before lunch and we encountered squall after squall with consistent winds of 20-24 knots. It was too rough for lunch and we were heeling at a pretty good angle. Rod who has never been air sick or sea sick can no longer make that claim. Don who has never been airsick or seasick can no longer make that claim. I don’t know about Ken’s claim, but either way he joined the Chum Crew and paid the most to be a member. He may be still paying this morning, but he’s not up yet for assessment. John is the only one of us that weathered the storm. We had lots of lightning around us in the distance but nothing too close. We heard warnings on the radio for tornados and waterspouts, but the main trouble spot seem to be north of us. A huge ship was doing zigzag maneuvers in front of us. Don thought that looked interesting and was wondering how we were going to avoid them. It turned out to be Navy warship and they hailed us warning of an approaching thunderstorm and asked if we needed assistance. We thanked them and sailed on. At one point it rained so hard you could only see a boat length in front of us. We hit the Gulf Stream around midnight and the water temperature jumped from around 65 to 81. On my watch from 8-12 we saw one boat closing on us fairly quickly and Don and I started to heave-to to make sure of their direction. They passed us port side to portside and we resumed course. A half-hour later we spotted three more ships but they stay way off to our port side. At my 4 am shift I got my first look at the phosphorescent “things” in the water splashes along the side of the boat. It was quite a sight to see, like a splash of the Milky Way with bigger stars.

At dawn things calmed down but the skies were still cloudy. It’ 9:30 am now and the rain is falling and the winds have kicked in. We missed dinner last night due to weather (and who felt like eating anyway) and today we had some coffee, cookies, and fruit, but not much to speak of. The boat is heeling pretty good again, so it’s time to stop for now. We figured we have sailed 140 miles in our first 24 hours – not bad.

The following days are recounted from memory once we made it to Bermuda.

Day Two – Another day of heeling and feeling bad! Ken and Don were sick again and John had a scare of it as well. I felt just totally wore out and listless. The rain squalls continued and it was not a pleasant day. The only good part was the strong consistent winds helped push us at a good rate. We ate no meals again today, no one felt like eating. The sticky humidity is everywhere and makes things miserable. Don commented that dehydration and starvation would probably kill us all – it felt like it!

Day Three – We all seemed to turn the corner and began feeling partially human again. The weather improved, the sun came out and hope was renewed! It was just what we needed. Unfortunately John slipped in the galley and took a bad fall backwards crashing into the table with his back. He hit right on his spine and has a nasty bruise but seems to be handling it very well. Everything is still sticky, wet and the boat continues to heel, but a little less today. We grilled steaks tonight and enjoyed a good meal. Rod spent a little too much time below and by suppertime wasn’t quite feeling the best, so took it a little easy at dinner. Still, today was our first day to eat and feel better.

Day Four – The sun continues to shine and despite the constant heeling of 15-25 and even 30 degrees, the sail is much more enjoyable. I did not sleep well at all, the wet, damp cabin is just too much for me and I sleep best in the cockpit when I can grab a spot on the bench for an hour or so. I feel more rundown today than yesterday as a result. No one feels sick anymore, but we careful not too stay below too long. The head is a constant problem with the backing up of fluids, spitting when we try to flush it and of course the smell. It’s been a problem the entire trip. We are making such good time that we expect to bee in Bermuda Friday night, which we did not anticipate happening at the start of this trip.

BERMUDA! We reached Bermuda before dark on Friday. The winds were strong and consistent so we made remarkable time. Most of the time it was close reach sailing and we were heeling quite a bit, but not as much as the previous days. As we skirted the shoals on the north side of Bermuda twilight set in and we concentrated on spotting the buoys by location and their flashing light patterns to make sure we were on the right course. As we neared the final turn to begin our sail into “the cut” leading into the harbor at St. George the full moon came out and lit up the sky and water. We made a cautious approach to the narrow passage and finally cruised into the customs docks. Our first steps on the dock were a little awkward, but not bad at all. Standing at customs I could feel a little sway a few times and then it was fine. I was very surprised how little the effect was and how quickly it passed. The custom gal was very friendly and everything went smoothly. We motored off to the northeast side of the harbor and dropped anchor for the night. We had a late supper, sort of a celebration of our arrival and then went to bed. It would be our first night since leaving Norfolk that we could open the portholes for ventilation and sleep with a level boat and no watches. There was a great breeze and we were all so glad to have reached Bermuda.

Saturday, the first day in Bermuda started with a nice sunrise and a good breeze. We got up and ate pancakes for breakfast. We were busy for the first few hours hanging out clothes to dry, cleaning the boat, wiping the salt off the plastic curtains and basically getting our gear and boat squared away. John stepped through a porthole and fell down to his crotch. He had a bad gash on his heel that bled quite a bit, but he was otherwise ok. We did a bit of clean up from this and John treated himself. As I did dishes, the others put the dingy together. We pulled it out through the V-berth and assembled the parts. John manned the foot pump while Don and Ken assembled the boat. Once all was ready and the dingy in the water, we motored backed over to the shore near the custom docks and tied up the dingy to explore the area a bit. We located a grocery store, a Laundromat and a cycle rental shop. We bought a few needed items and two big bags of ice – at $10.00 a bag. Don took these items back to the boat while the rest of us did a bit more exploring. John found a place to stay and after a little bartering got a nice place overlooking the harbor at a reasonable price for this area. After Don came back we all met and did some looking around, checking out some other stores. Don rented a scooter for the week while John was getting his accommodations. Ken and Rod just walked around. We all met Don again on shore and then decided to head back to the boat for lunch. The dingy ride was a real wet one, with Ken taking the brunt of the water as the point man in the boat. We dried off and had a good lunch on board. After lunch we moved the boat and started looking for a new place to anchor the boat closer to shore. After getting yelled at by one fellow that 100’ of anchor line out (in 15’ of water) we finally called Captain Smokes and headed down to his little area to anchor the boat. The anchorage is European style, with the stern at the wall and the bow hooked to line anchored out in front. It was a very challenging event and we finally got situated after some good help and patience from two other boaters there. They have boardwalks that go off the wall to the boat, so no more wet dingy trips! It sure makes it so much quicker and easier to go to shore and get things done.

After we have everything secured, Ken and Rod took the clothes into town so we could wash them. Don took the scooter to go find the place he and Deb will be staying and also checked out he airport so he could go get Deb tonight at 9:30. As I write this, we have finished a supper of grilled venison burgers and fell pretty content with things now. Don has left to meet Deb and head over to their place about five miles from here. Ken and John are talking in the galley. We have power and water here along with one shower and bathroom. Things are good!

Sunday – Deb arrived last night with some interesting tales of travel from the airport to her room. She may want to fill everyone in on the trials and tribulations of traveling by taxi in Bermuda. Eventually they found their new digs and Don eventually found his way back on the scooter.

Ken, John and I stayed overnight on the boat. There was a fair breeze coming in the cabin and despite come clanging halyards, we seemed to sleep pretty good. John was up first and reading a book in the cockpit. Ken and I slept in a bit later and rose to a warm day of stiff winds and sunshine.

The closest boat to us was leaving this morning. I went over and talked to him a little while. He is from England and was a home builder that was sailing as a hobby. He delivered a few boats for people and just through word of mouth sound found he was so busy that he quit his building three years ago and has been doing this ever since. He was delivering a boat for someone that had sailed it in the ARC race last year. They had to make a 300 mile diversion to Bermuda because their auto pilot wasn’t working. By chance his son, who he hadn’t seen in a year, was bringing in a boat to Bermuda next week, but he couldn’t stay here long enough to see him. His next stop was the Azures, 1800 miles away and nothing in-between! He said they only carried enough fuel for about 300 miles, so they had a lot of sailing ahead of them. The wind direction was perfect for them to just cast off and sail right out into the harbor. I wished them well and off they went.

I also talked to the other boat owner who is from Boston. I think he said he had some kind of a computer data management company that he had recently sold and was not sure what his next business was going to be, so he was sailing for now. He commented that his clients ranged from General Motors to Joe’s Pizza. I told Joe’s Pizza was probably bigger than GM at this point. He laughed and said the sale certainly went through at the right time. David is his name and Don thought his boat was about 45 long. It seems quite wide and it has a huge wheel that nearly extends across the entire cockpit. It is interesting to see that there are gauges above the entrance to the cabin and a large set of LCD gauges on the mast itself. There’s a huge US flag low on the stern.

I wanted to walk over to Mullet Park and Ken decided to join me. John was going to take some of his gear to his rented room so we offered to detour that way and give him a hand, plus it gave us a chance to check out his accommodations. I called my parents to wish my mother a happy Mother’s Day. Their furnace was out and it was only 40 degrees at home. Her dinner plans for company had fizzled from 13 to 3, so it wasn’t looking to be quite the day she had planned. John’s room was very nice and located on the second floor of a bed and breakfast. There is a nice view of the harbor from the veranda, some shade and some wind, so it was a very nice place to sit. His room is actually two rooms, one a sort of sitting room with a fireplace and then the bedroom with a rattan like canopy and a bathroom off that. He got the “sailor discount” and the price was $170 a night. There is a nice front yard with some trees and bushes and it is located just up the hill a few blocks off the main street. After a brief tour and rest John decided to go with us on our walk.

We had to take some side streets and alleys and we hit a few dead ends, but eventually made our way over and up to the golf course. The view on top was really beautiful. We wandered toward the park (we hoped) and eventually found the road we wanted, Suffering Lane. We found the old railroad walking trail and continued our walk. The cliff side to our right dropped off a hundred feet or more and in places it was almost a sheer drop. Ken joked that John was like a guy walking two puppies. Ken and I would run off and climb out or down the cliff to the water below to check things out. We saw three fishermen at the bottom of one cliff but no one else on the rest of that trail. The views were spectacular and the bright cerulean blue of the ocean is incredible. I found several places that I would like to set up at and paint. They are quite remote and I don’t know if that is good or bad as Deb said there has been a rash of assaults on tourist lately. We found someone had carved in the rocks “Love you Mom” so we took some pictures of Ken and I pointing at it. Quite appropriate for the day! If I had been thinking I would have taken a photo with my cell phone and emailed it to Mom. We finally hit the dead end of the trail, turned around and backtracked a little and then headed down toward the main street. We stopped along the way for some much need fluids and Ken and I each got a burger (five dollars each.) The trip back to the boat was much quicker. My blisters were definitely worse at the end even though I had bandaged them and wore socks. After a break at the boat, John left for his room on the hill and Ken and I stayed on the boat. Don and Deb had stopped at the boat and left us a note about coming back for dinner. Our plan was that Ken was going to relax at the boat and I wanted to go somewhere else and explore a bit more. First I decided to look at the port navigation light as Don had dropped off a new unit that Deb brought. I found out the bulb was good but one wire had corroded off the spade attachment. Don has lots of supplies so I found a new spade end, stripped the wire and reattached it. It worked fine and I put the cover from the new unit on it. In the meantime Ken was fixing straps on the cockpit top and made a new one for the main halyard to secure it to the mast. We had just got the boat ready to spray down when Ben and Jerry (actually Bernie and his cousin who maybe Captain Smokes) came down to tell us we had to move the boat. Our neighbor from England had left and there was a gap between us and the only other boat. The wind was blowing so hard from the other side, they wanted us to move over to the empty spot and leave a space on the downwind side for a boat that was approaching from 30 miles out. At that point Deb and Don showed up. Don and Deb had plans and didn’t have the time, nor want to fool with things, so he left it up to Ken and I as to if we wanted to try it. They left and with the help and instructions from the two cousins we moved the boat and secured it. We then washed the entire boat down to get the saltwater off it while the brothers drove off. By now we were feeling pretty grubby and sweaty, so I called John to tell him about dinner plans and we hit the showers. The inbound boat arrived coming in from the harbor just after Bernie and his cousin arrived. After several failed attempts to back in, we yelled to them to come in head first and swing by us as we had to do. I took the mooring line out at the end of our boat and extended it on a boat hook. The first pass they made was too far away but they were able to grab it on the second pass. The entire docking was a little confusing and there were a few mistakes, but it all worked out and they are now right tight to us. They are a Canadian family that has been sailing for the past 13 months. Originally it looked like a husband, wife and young teenage girl as the crew but after they docked two more children, a girl and boy appeared. The man said they had been to Europe and were supposed to be finished in twelve months. The deal with his partner was that he would sail for twelve months and then his partner would get to sail for twelve months. With a smile he said now he will have to let his partner go on a thirteen month sail. I believe he said they had some kind of a small publishing or printing company. They appear to be on a 36 foot boat as well that is rig with a small wind generator and small solar panel.

Ken and I were dressed in our light blue BrainWaves Bermuda shirts so we could stand at the edge of the gangplank and sauté Deb and Don as they arrived. Those plans were dashed by the arrival of the new boat and Deb and Don came in on the scooter as we finished tying off the Canadian boat. Deb cooked us a great meal of spaghetti using the venison hamburger and we ate in the cockpit of the boat. We had some laughs and enjoyed the meal and a bottle of wine they brought. After cleaning up and doing dishes, we went below and visited some more. Just before dark, Don and Deb drove off and John walked back to his B & B. Ken’s reading a book now while I write this and we each have a cup full of M&M peanuts. It was a good day. The wind is still howling and the temperature has dropped a bit. It will be a bit noisier tonight as we can hear something in the boom humming, the halyard slapping from the Boston boat and the waves splashing on the dingy which we put right behind us between the boat and the wall. I think we will sleep well anyway. I plan to rent a scooter tomorrow morning, maybe from the place up by the golf course as they had some nicer, newer bikes. It’s a longer walk, but I think I’ll go there. Tomorrow night we plan to go to Deb and Don’s and grill the rest of the venison steaks and chops.

Ken and I have a trip planned with the dingy for one day that will take us around the harbor and out to some small island in a park assessable only by boat. Right now the strong winds and the direction make that impossible. Even now at 10 pm the winds seem as strong or stronger. We also plan to rent another scooter and make some longer tours of the island.

Monday -It was a little muggy last night and not as much breeze. Today was much more calm and cloudy most of the day. I walked up to the bike shop on the hill and rented a bike for the rest of the week. While I was gone, Ken did some repair work on the door in the V berth. I got back to the boat and talked to Ken, then took off on the scooter to get used to the whole scooter and left hand lane driving experience. It’s a bit weird and your natural instincts kick in when faced with a sudden decision. I went out past Baileys Bay and then out to the end of Ferry Road. The views were not as nice as what we saw on our walk yesterday. I drove a few other roads and then headed back to the boat. John was there when I arrived and we all had lunch on the boat, using up some of the lunch meat we brought on the trip. John bought some round foam to pad the boat rails for the return trip and attached them with zip ties. We were surprised to see a huge Norwegian cruise ship coming up behind our boat in the harbor. It was huge and turned around right in front of us. I slowly went back toward the town square area and slide sideways up to the wharf. After lunch John went back to his place and Ken decided to check on a scooter for the next two days. With the cruise ship in port, he decided he needed to get the scooter now, so he did. So, we decided to hit the road and see some sights. We went north and west along North Shore Road and through the Flatts Village. Then we cut over to Middle Road and down to South Shore Road. We stopped at an interesting spot with some long reefs out in front along John Smith’s Bay. Then we cut back across on Devil’s Hole Hill and back to the boat. Little did we know that Deb and Don were on this same course and had an accident right at the turn on Devil’s Hole Hill.

Our plan was to meet up John and go to Deb & Don’s place for supper. We were having a hard time making connections with them but finally heard from them through the boat radio. Our call signs were Big Brain and Little Brain. We were going to bring all the food and cook it there and we planned on venison steaks, baked beans and fried potatoes. Just as we signed off the boat skipper next to us said he was panning a BBQ for everyone, bring you own stuff to grill. We called Little Brain back and changed plans to meet at the boat for the BBQ.

Don and Deb rode in on their scooter and Don’s lower leg was covered with an ugly bloody scrape, road rash from a bike accident! He and Deb rounded the corner at Devils’ Hole Hill and the bike went down. Several people stopped to help them and fortunately, and luckily, they were not hurt bad. Deb has a very stiff shoulder from where she put her arm out on the fall and Don has several scrapes, the worse being the entire side of one calf. He said it was the most painful when he took a shower to clean up. It will be very sore and difficult to sleep with the open scrape. He’s still knot sure just what caused the scooter to go out from under them.

After getting everything but the meat hot and ready I checked with the guy for a better time on the BBQ fire. It was already 5:30 and we were all very hungry. He told me the fire would start around 7:00 and last to maybe 8:00. So we put the food on hold, got out the wine John brought and some of us had a little snack. Right when the fire was started the rain began to fall and we scrambled to shut the hatches and keep the inside of the boat dry. It finally let up enough to cook the steaks and we had a great meal. After much laughing and talking, John went back to his place and Deb and Don got ready to leave. Ken and I decided to make a night ride and follow them back to their place so we would know where it is located. They have a really nice place that overlooks the water and the Rail Road Trail runs right below them. We stayed there for about an hour and talked some more before heading back to the boat. Captain Smokes if full now and another large boat pulled in to the side to make some repairs for most of the afternoon.

Tomorrow Don is going to check with us and we may make a scooter excursion to the end of the island, out to the Royal Navel Dockyard. John doesn’t want to ride a scooter, so he will stay back in town. There is another chance of rain tonight, so we will see what tomorrow brings in the form of moisture and decide what to do.

What It Was Supposed to Be Like!

This evening's briefing with Don reveals the crew had a great day. Everything wet has completely dried, the sun was shining, winds were 15-20 knots out of the South and seas 4-6 feet. One envisions Brain Waves gliding down a glittering hillside of saltwater towards Bermuda.

With 170 miles left to go, the team is in excellent spirits. They are eating regular hot meals now, sleeping easily when off watch, and savoring these days that more closely resemble the way they had imagined the whole trip would be.

The replacement boom vang is on it's way from California, to arrive early next week. The people at Garhauer were very helpful. I'll try to get it on the plane Thursday as carry-on baggage but we'll see....

According to my calculations, Brain Waves arrive at the outer breakers sometime between late Friday night and early Saturday Morning. If they arrive at night, they'll likely anchor at 5 Fathom Hole outside St. Georges "Town Cut" and head in at daybreak the next morning. The weather forecast is for continued good sailing conditions up to Sunday when a frontal system will pass through the area.

Tom T.

Half Way

Good News Friends!

My SatPhone check-in with Don revealed a much more upbeat captain and crew. After a rough 48 hours, everyone has settled into a more pleasant routine of eat, sleep, sail--(repeat).

Today our crew experienced moderating winds and seas and a much-appreciated absence of rain. Still speeding toward the destination at around 6 knots average speed (the theoretical hull speed is about 7.2 knots), Brain Waves continues to fare well. At this speed her ETA in Bermuda is 7:30 PM Friday.

I spoke today with Mark Garhauer, the owner of the company that manufactured the now-mangled boom vang on Brain Waves from his office in California. He correctly guessed the mechanism responsible for the boom vang's demise and has offered to Fed Ex a new one to me in time to pack it in my luggage for Bermuda next week. It turns out his father owns "Hull #1" of the same 2006 model Catalina 350 from which Brain Waves was cast (i.e. BW's sister ship). He promises the replacement will work flawlessly.

I hope everyone is following their SPOT reports at: http://share.findmespot.com/shared/faces/viewspots.jsp?glId=0RT03ouxA51qMgqZQ77WgedJMa8HoDmFl . This is a really fun way to monitor the progress of this adventure.

More soon, so stay tuned!

Tom T.

One Quarter of the Way!

Hello Fans! I was glad to receive a SPOT "OK" message last night at 7:22 EDT after having waited in vain for the Skipper's 7:00 PM weather update/progress report via SATPhone. I deduced that they were either too preocuppied to make the call or had problems with the phone. As it turns out, it was both.

Yesterday's departure from Norfolk was uneventful under cloudy skies and brisk South winds. A thunderstorm struck sometime in the afternoon that brought heavy gusts, a heeling boat, and confused seas. It also brought all hands to the rail at least once for the time-honored, first-day ritualistic fish feeding. Sleep was hard to come by as the waves (of water or nausea, I'm not sure) continued into the evening.

By tonight the one thing Don could say about the winds was that they were consistent: 15-25 knots out of the South. They're sailing on a close reach most of the time (not the most comfortable point of sail, but not terrible, either), making an average 5.8 knots over the past 36 hours. At this rate, they'll be in Bermuda at sunset on Friday.

There have been some minor mechanical problems (broken boom vang, broken lens on a navigation light), but nothing they can't handle. The crew has slept intermittently, but nobody is too interested in eating just yet, preferring instead to enjoy the view above above decks.

The only excitement so far in the trip was a surprise visit from a navy picket boat shortly after the aformentioned thunderstorm. They hailed Brain Waves to ask if everything was okay. Since there were no outward sign of distress according to the skipper, I am left to believe the schools of well-fed sea creatures trailing the boat must have tipped off the navy boys.

With each contact, we're keeping a list of supplies to bring to Bermuda when we go there next week. The weather is for continued brisk southerly winds and seas of 6-8 feet with general improvement as they sail further East. I'll keep you posted.

Tom T.

Ready, Set, Go!

Well, we made it Norfolk last night about 10:40 pm, right on schedule. Despite a minor delay in Pennsylvania when the Skipper had to introduce himself to the Keystone’s State, State Police. That’s right; Don was stopped by a Keystone Kop! We didn’t think the clocked speed could possibly be right but what can you do? Not exactly a fair ticket, but we decided to go as fast as we can when we hit the water! No speed limits there and we can turn the lead-footed skipper loose!

Today was warm and bright. The forecast was for lower temperatures, but it was easily 80 or above today and very little wind in the marina. We sorted out some gear, changed a few things in storage, flushed out a water tank, and just generally worked on a number of things to get ship-shape and ready. John has been on the boat for two days and did a lot to get things ready including flushing the other tanks. The life raft was still in Annapolis instead of Norfolk and John made a trip to meet the raft halfway to Norfolk. John’s trip took 6 hours due to traffic. At one tunnel the line of cars was backed up 7 miles! We were glad John was there early to get things rolling and rescue our raft. Rod filled the dozen 5 gallon cans with diesel fuel and checked them for leaks. Don stored them in the stern lockers and they seemed to fit well there. Ken worked in the small space in the head hooking up the wiring the mast electronics. We don’t have a wind speed indicator reading and don’t know why. We double checked it and the reading we do have now is way off. It is very low and at times a negative number. (Don went out later and bought a hand held unit at a local West Marine that was still open despite it being a Sunday. We also hoisted Ken up the mast to put on the spreader protector tips that had been left off and also to rig a few flag halyards. We finished most of the chores right at noon.

Stephanie & Andy Walls brought us a great lunch from Subway. We sat in the cockpit and ate while we talked. I was very warm in the sunshine, but a good change for those of us from Michigan. We had good visit and both Stephanie & Andy told us about their work for the Navy here in Norfolk. There is a couple of huge Navy ships right near here that we pass as we go out of the bay. The size of these is unbelievable! After lunch we all went out for a quick sail to test the boat and make sure everything works – including the crew! The wind shifted constantly and then died. Then the rain started. We didn’t have the rain fly up and Don got drenched. We put up the storm jib just for practice. It’s hard to imagine putting that up in heaving seas with strong wings! Very hard to imagine! We decided to turn back due to rain, no wind and a baby that was casting a vote for a nap. On the way back the rain really hit hard right as we came into the marina. Don was concerned about even being able to see as we came in, but it quit just in time and there was no wind by then to contend with. The Walls left us with their good wishes and took John’s car with them to store it. Don and I went to the store for groceries for our departure tomorrow. I used the laptop while we were out to connect to a few weather sites and the virtual buoy site. It looks like we can explain rain and possible thunderstorms for the next few days. The winds are predicted to range from 10 – 25 with seas under 10 feet. The virtual buoy shows waves 10 – 11 on Tuesday and Wednesday at the ¼ point of the trip.

We plan to leave tomorrow at slack water which is sometime after 8:30 I think. Don’s run through the checklist several times and will probably do it many times again in his head tonight while trying to sleep! He just said we will probably leave around 9 – 9:30 am. I think we are all ready to get this adventure underway. There will probably be a flurry of last minute phone calls to loved ones tomorrow and then we will be off!

Norfolk Bound!

Saturday, May 02, 2009, 1900 EDT

Hello Friends!

I met with our skipper last evening at his house for some last-minute instructions on weather and communications. He informed me John Sr. arrived in Norfolk on Thursday night and found Brain Waves fully rigged and tied to the pier awaiting us.
Don seemed a little taken aback that everything had gone so perfectly to plan: the sat phone arrived on time (and worked), the EPIRB arrived (on time), Brain Waves was hauled up, loaded, transported, unloaded, put in the water, and rigged exactly on schedule with no damage or problems… It would be nice if something minor went wrong, just to break the spell before we left, he mused.

As if on cue, we received a call from John Sr. that the life raft wasn’t in Norfolk…it was in Annapolis. This error was actually made several months ago when ordering a 6-man instead of 4-man boat. The leasing company misunderstood from where we were embarking. A few phone calls and we knew what had happened. John, Sr. volunteered to drive ½ way to Annapolis and the apologetic manager of the leasing company met him ½ way. Problem solved.

Now the rest of the team is well on their way to Norfolk. The Skipper left this morning. He was to pick up Rod and Ken as he passed through Detroit. They passed through Toledo around Noon, and are now probably just Southwest of Washington DC. I’ve been following them with the SPOT.

Fort those of you who don’t know about SPOT yet, it’s a device very similar to the “tethers” used by law enforcement for house arrest. It sends out a satellite “ping” every time a button is pressed, indicating its current latitude and longitude and time. No, I didn’t attach it to Rod’s ankle or anything. It’ll be on the boat all the way to Bermuda and back. If you want to follow along, check out this link: http://share.findmespot.com/shared/faces/viewspots.jsp?glId=0RT03ouxA51qMgqZQ77WgedJMa8HoDmFl

I’ll keep you updated on the news as it becomes available.

Tom Tietjen

On the Road

Skipper Don reported that BrainWaves has started her trip without us. His email last night says “. . . I saw them load up Brainwaves Monday a.m.. She hit the road at 9 a.m. and is due in Norfolk Wednesday a.m." We will meet up with her on Saturday in Norfolk. Don will drive down Saturday morning to pick up Rod and then the two of them will pick up Ken in the Detroit. From there all three will drive straight through to Norfolk and meet with John at the harbor. The SPOT until should track us all the way. Two days ago it was 90 in Norfolk and those warm temperatures are falling off now. We may chase the cooler weather and rain only to catch it when we get to the boat.

For those of you that may have caught my earlier long and humorous (to me) posting consider yourself lucky, or not. After my own First Mate read it through without even a smile and her only comment was "Well, somebody might think its funny" I decided to pull it in an effort to protect the innocent and save face! Where is that Harbor Bastard when I need his support?

The Dream

Hi, I'm Don, for purposes of this, a.k.a. skipper.

As I'm looking at the open water forecast off Virginia which today shows 21-28 ft seas and 35 knot winds I'm wondering, why did I want to do this?

Since childhood when I read about Columbus crossing the ocean in a 65 foot Caravelle, I dreamed of voyages of exploration. Give me a nautical chart I haven't seen before and I'm like a kid in a candy store. Together my family and I have sailed Lake Michigan and Lake Huron for years. We've chartered in the Caribbean and in Greece but we've never done a blue water crossing.

Since I'm still working, the thought of taking off months to years for an ocean crossing was out of the question. But what if I could cross part of an ocean? Since we had visited Bermuda in 1985, I knew of a beautiful sub-tropical destination that happened to be about 1/4 of an ocean off the East Coast.---The dream was born.

It incubated in my mind for some time. To charter or to transport? How to get the boat to the coast, by water or by land? What about the expense? And then the big roadblock. My family; my crew doesn't share my dream. They don't want to go out there in the big water. Then on a 2007 Labor Day cruise to Beaver Island I discuss my dream with Rod and Eric (affectionately known as the HarborBastard). Eric says, "We've got to do this thing"...The dream has a crew.

20 months later the myriad of details have been solved (mostly). The boat is loaded (mostly) and it's going to happen. This trip will be a pleasure, a trial, an adventure and an accomplishment. Friendships already forged will be tempered and burnished. We will see bigger seas than most of us have ever seen and will experience motion we may wish never to experience again. But we will survive and be wiser and richer for it. That's the dream.

Hi! I’m Tom Tietjen, the weather, safety and “20th century navigation” guy for this trip. Please don’t judge me because I’m only going to participate on the return leg of this cruise. It’s only because a one month vacation would finally give my partners the motivation they needed to replace me with a younger, harder-working model. Sorry Heidi, Frank, and Jim, unless the sharks get me I’ll be around a little bit longer!

It’s such a privilege to be included on this crew. My sailing resume is a little thin. Nevertheless, I’m hoping to marry my newfound love for sailing with the knowledge I’ve gained over the past three years crewing for Chuck Johnson and the classes I’ve taken with the Tip-O-The-Mitt Power Squadron. To that end, I’ll supply logistics and offshore weather forecasts to the outbound crew via satellite phone and celestial navigation for the inbound leg (yes, you can still find your way using the stars!).

I hope to use my skills at piloting to help get the boat out of Bermuda and into Norfolk (maybe at night for one of them… ). As one of three physicians on this trip (a neurologist, urologist, gastroenterologist), I’ve been assigned the duty of putting together a first aid kit, too. The kit is as big as an airline carry-on bag and weighs over 20 pounds. I think we’re ready for everything from sea snake bites to kidney biopsies to fibromyalgia attacks!

Sailing at night by the stars will be a treat. So little of that here on the Great Lakes, you know. In case any family members are panicking about now, please let me assure you we’ll have several (three I think) operable GPS units on board! I’m going to ask Don to allow me to navigate by the stars so long as I keep within 10 miles of our intended course. We’ll see how that works out…

More later!

Countdown

Two weeks and counting! The launch date is fast approaching and there are lots of little details that seem to pop up. I'm sure Don is busier than all of us with all the planning for shipping the boat and getting us underway. The plan is to pack the boat this Saturday with as much food and essentials as we can prior to transporting the boat to Norfolk. Don, Ken and I will probably be involved in the packing process so that maybe one of us can remember where things are stowed. I will be bringing a laptop so Tom can install a program to calculate our positioning based on our sextant readings. We are hoping that this will strictly be used for fun and not because of a failure of all the GPS units we will have on board. Tom just mentioned in his last email that he will be renting a SPOT unit which will allow tracking of our progress via the internet by family and friends. I'm slowly gathering the odds and ends to take on the trip and tomorrow I have to get it organized and packed to take with me to Petoskey on Saturday. I'm sure packing the boat will make this more "real". Don has found a website (weatherbouy.com) for placing a virtual buoy in our proposed sailing route to check for temperatures, wind and waves. We checked it out on Easter at his home and I was amazed at the wind speed and wave heights for most of the current week. Nearly every day was red flagged and several days showed waves of 20 feet plus! Hopefully we will not run into those conditions. While sailing with Don on Lake Michigan we have encountered 10' seas on several occasions and it is hard for me to imagine waves twice that height. However, we fully expect to run into both calm boring days and windy challenging situations. We would like to place an order for more of the former and less of the latter! - Rod

Bermuda Bound - An Overview of the Trip

The Big Day is only a month away! It's hard to believe that when the ground here is covered with white stuff and I don't mean beach sand. For those of you that are new to this planned escapade here is a brief overview of our trip. BrainWaves is a 36' Catalina owned by Don & Deb Roth of northern Michigan. Don has been planning this trip to Bermuda for quite some time. To avoid the potential bad weather of the hurricane season, he wanted to start this trip in early spring. He decided to have his boat shipped to Norfolk, Virginia as the base to start and end this adventure. The crew will meet in Norfolk on May 2, 2009. We will take a day to commission the boat, obtain the rest of our provisions and do sea trials. If all goes well, we will then leave port at high tide the next morning. Our crew has changed a little as the trip draws near, but for now there are four of us for certain that are going on the first leg to Bermuda. Don is our skipper with John, Ken and Rod serving as crew. We plan to stay several days in Bermuda and then start our return trip somewhat based on optimal weather. We will lose Ken as he will be flying back home and two new crew members (Tom and John) will be flying into Bermuda to complete the return trip. We hope for good weather, good times and a safe trip all the way from home and back! We will try to update this blog as often as we can, which may be difficult because of the destination and lack of anything between Norfolk and Bermuda - except lots of salt water!