Getting Ready to Depart for Atlantic Crossing

Lone Star has been in Las Palmas, Gran Canaria since November 2nd while the crew has been preparing for the Atlantic crossing.  We have joined the Atlantic Rally for Cruisers (ARC) for the adventure and the fleet of 250 boats will leave Las Palmas around noon on November 20th for the crossing which should take between 16 and 21 days.

During the opening day celebration we got a picture of three of the crew on the left (Ron Horton, Craig and Ed Robeau) along with a few other Americans that participated in the parade.  We are now ready to go and hope you will follow our progress via the ARC website or our blog.  

One of the items provided by the ARC is a tracking devise on each boat that reports our position every 4 hours.  If you go to this link ARC Fleet Viewer  you will be able to find Lone Star.  On the left hand side of the Fleet Viewer is a tab titled Teams.  Click on that tab and scroll down till you see Lone Star.  Click on Lone Star and you will be able to follow our progress.  Also, we will be (hopefully) making daily log entries.  Above the Fleet Viewer and below the ARC 2011 Banner is a group of drop down tabs.  Click on Daily Log and scroll down till you see Lone Star.  Click on Lone Star and you'll get an inside view of what it's like to cross the pond. 

Gibraltar to Gran Canaria

The delivery crew consisting of Craig, Mike and Ed arrived in Gibraltar on October 26th and proceeded to bring Lone Star back to life after she sat unattended at Alcaidesa Marina in La Linea, Spain for 60 days. La Linea is right next to the Gibraltar airport on the Spanish side. After getting Lone Star hooked back to shore power and bringing the systems up we walked into La Linea and had a late lunch.

On the 27th we motored from Spain to Gibraltar and checked into Marina Bay Gibraltar so we would be closer to stores for provisioning. We focused on provisioning that day so we would have time for a tour of the rock before we left. On Friday Mike and Craig toured the rock. Ran into one of Mike's cousins on the mountain before going into Saint Michael's cave.  Took a couple of pictures of the part that had a theater in it.  It is still used today.

We used a favorable weather window to begin the passage from Gibraltar to Las Palmas on 29 October. After spending the morning doing some last minute provisioning we slipped our lines to begin the voyage to Las Palmas, Canaries. We had winds off our stern the entire way along with an Atlantic swell that made Lone Star roll about 20 degrees on each crest. That made it uncomfortable to sleep until we got the hang of wedging ourselves in the bunks.

We used the motor to stay ahead of a weather system in the mid Atlantic. After four nights at sea Lone Star was motoring into Gan Canaria on 1 November and Ed was preparing to raise our Texas flag along with the ARC flag. I am glad we were able to leave when we did because several boats that left a day or two later encountered larger waves and had very uncomfortable passages.

Back to the Rock

After leaving Mahon we spent several days exploring the calas on the the southern coast of Menorca. At first the calas appeared to be delightful anchorages but because of the wind direction we ended up spending several rolly and uncomfortable nights on the hook. We finally decided to abandon Menorca and made a quick trip of thirty two miles to the northern shore of Mallorca where the anchorages were much more comfortable. On August 20 we sailed into familiar surroundings – the harbor of Palma to await the arrival of our last guests of the season. In 2009 we spent the month of June in Mallorca using Palma as our base. This time we set up “shop” at Port Mallorca Marina, a great marina in the heart of the harbor.

On August 24 Alicen Swift and Tiffany Tarrant joined us for several days cruising. Alicen is the assistant director of our favorite charity, Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation, and Tiffany, an Ob/Gyn Doc is her good friend and partner in crime. We spent 3 nights on the hook in three interesting anchorages. Our first stop was Port Soller where we took the tram to the interior town of Soller on of the many places reported to be the birthplace of Christopher Columbus. The second evening we anchored in Santa Ponsa Bay which has one of the best and largest beaches on Mallorca. The girls enjoyed some much needed beach time while Captain Craig enjoyed some solitude on board Lone Star. Our final night we dropped the hook at Portal Vells Cala where we explored an ancient sea cave and enjoyed the best snorkeling of our entire three years in the Med. Back in Palma we spent our final day with Alicen and Tiffany exploring the old city and enjoying a wonderful dinner out. A & T jumped ship on August 28 and on the 29th we left Palma for the last time and pointed Lone Star toward Gibraltar.

We spent the next week retracing our 2009 route as we headed west toward the Rock. As in 2009, we anchored off the island of Ispalmador which is off the coast of Ibiza and also like 2009 we waited out a storm in the Puerto Genoves anchorage. Our final night before arriving GIB was spent in the Benalmadena Marina which we renamed “Wally World” back in ’09. On September 6 at 1640 hours we arrived in Gibraltar, the western gateway to the Med. Our home was the Alcadesa Marina, Spain, just across the Gibraltar border. From our slip we had an excellent view of the Rock from our cockpit. We spent the next few days “buttoning up” the boat and hanging out in GIB enjoying pub grub. On September 13 we said goodbye to Lone Star and started the trek home after traveling 3,243 nautical miles this summer.

June, July and Mahon

According to the pilot books, conventional wisdom and local lore there are three good harbors in the Mediterranean – June, July and Mahon. As we sit in the cockpit on Lone Star in the beautiful and historic harbor of Mahon, Menorca we heartily agree – Mahon is a damn fine harbor!

We arrived in Mahon on Wednesday, August 3 after a two night sail from the island of Marretimo in the Egadi Islands off the western coast of Sicily. It was an uneventful 50 hours at sea. The first 24 were spent under motor while the second half was a beautiful downwind sail with following seas. We used the jib and mizzen ballooner for the majority of the second day and averaged just over 7 knots. Under cloudy skies we motored into Port Mahon in the morning and were med moored by noon on the Isla Clementina pontoon.

Menorca is the most easterly of the Balearic Islands. Because of its strategic location in the Med, it has been ruled over by all sorts of folks including Vandals, Byzantines, Moors, Turks, French, and the British before finally coming under Spanish rule in 1802. Puerto de Mahon is an attractive and very interesting port up a deep long cala (bay) with a reputation for great all round protection. We were really excited to get to Menorca. In 2009 we bypassed the island when we were in the Balearics and were anxious to see what we missed. The whole area is steeped in history and Craig has just been beside himself the whole time we have been here wondering if Jack Aubrey walked the streets we walked or saw the sites we saw. Now this is a real problem and perhaps Mr. Scott has been at sea just a little too long. You see Jack Aubrey is the main character in the Master and Commander series; the Russell Crowe role in the movie. The problem with this is that Jack Aubrey is a totally fictional character – made up, not real. But did that deter or discourage Captain Craig? Nope, not one bit.

Mahon has a beautiful harbor walk lined with boats and small marinas on one side and shops, cafes and restaurants in historic buildings on the other. There are ample places to find a slip – even in August. Our choice was a bit unusual. We were moored on one of two “floating islands” in the middle of the harbor complete with electricity, and a swimming hole for the kiddos. There was even a Westie on one of the boats which Jan made quick friends with and of course started up the isn’t it about time to get a dog conversation. It’s just a quick dingy ride from the island to the dingy dock. Above the harbor is the historic city center with fish and fresh food markets, churches, plazas, pedestrian walk ways and old historic homes.

We spent three days on our floating island then motored just two miles out to Cala Taulera located beneath La Mola at the entrance of the harbor. La Mola is the site of the Spanish Fort Isabella completed in 1850 and now a tourist site. Interestingly Fort Isabella was obsolete by the time it was completed due to improvements in artillery technology.

We kept a close eye on the weather and confirmed that a Tramontona (a strong northerly gale) was headed our way with winds of over 30 knots predicted. While our anchorage was completely protected, it was rapidly filling up to the point of being overcrowded and quite frankly unsafe. By Monday morning boats were swinging into each other as more boats were trying to crowd in for protection. Using our sometimes good judgment we decided to abandon the anchorage and came back into the main harbor and tied up securely once again on our Isla Clementina. As we waited out the winds for the last two days we have voiced on more than one occasion “June, July and Mahon – a damn fine harbor!”

On the Hard in Trapani, Sicily

So here we are Saturday, 23 July, on the hard in Trapani on the west coast of Sicily. No nothing tragic has happened. However about two weeks ago Craig started noticing a change in the Amel Drive unit oil when he checked it. Instead of a nice pure black color, the oil was beginning to change to a chocolate milk color. This meant that sea water was starting to get into the drive unit. This occurs when the seals start to leak and requires a haul out to correct. We were originally planning to pull the boat in Gibraltar to do all those maintenance items that can’t be attended to when the boat is in the water. Also this would insure that Lone Star would be ready for the ARC. With this new hiccup, we began discussing our options. All this while we continued to cruise up the up the east coast of Sicily, where we once again crossed paths with Royal Clipper, and out to the Aeolian Islands for a quick spin and then down to the west coast of Sicily. While enjoying our stops on the islands of Vulcano, Lipari, Salina and Filicudi, we considered other places we could pull Lone Star. We ultimately found Boat Services Trapani, requested and received a quote and were assured all the work we wanted done could be handled in a timely fashion. In addition to replacing the seals and oil in the Amel drive unit, Lone Star needed a new bottom job, engine and generator oil changes and a transmission fluid change.

We pulled into Boat Services Trapani on 19 July at 1700 thinking we would have a berth. Well there were definitely communication problems due to the language but we were able to sort things out and were soon tied up in the slip way with electricity which allowed us to have air conditioning. We were then off to meet with Pietro Zichichi, the boat yard manager and our email contact. Pietro does speak reasonable English which was a relief; however things are done a bit differently in Italy. His thoughts were we should be on the hard for a couple of weeks while we were insisting on no more than seven days. We left the meeting agreeing to meet again at 9AM the next morning and not quite sure how things were going to work out or if they were going to work out. That evening, over adult beverages, we decided that we would do only what was absolutely necessary and then move on. We wanted to be in the Balearic Islands the first part of August.

Sure enough the next morning at 9AM Pietro was at the boat. He wanted us to move to another slipway where a new state of the art 80ton boat lift would haul us out. We gladly obliged and what a kewl boat lift. The operator did all the maneuvering with remote controls! Not once did he actually get on the lift and drive it. Bet he’s pretty good at video games. Also the shape of the lift frame was specifically designed for sailboats. Things were looking up. That is until Craig asked to see the Boat Yard insurance policy. Apparently Italians don’t take too kindly to this request and Pietro became quite agitated. He did produce the policy and then demanded Craig produce our insurance policy, which he did. Craig then further explained that in America suing folks is quite common so producing insurance policies is quite common. Well whether Pietro understood or not he gave us a bottle of Sicilian olive oil as a gift, he and Craig shook hands and we were back on track.

Lone Star was lifted, her bottom power washed and then she was moved to her home for the next week – we hope! Pietro then informed us that a gentleman would be by to discuss our paint and oil needs and we would buy directly from him and get a 30% discount. Well the gentleman did show but his English was not good at all. However, he got someone from his shop to come over who spoke excellent English and paint options were discussed and orders placed. In the mean time I went to check out the hotel recommended by the boat yard. It was just across the street and as it turned out was one of the ones I had found on the internet that looked like a possibility. After checking it out it was a go. Clean, AC, Wi-Fi, daily breakfast, a boat yard discount and Sky TV with Fox News! Things were definitely looking good. I was having good feelings about how this was going to turn out.

We have had a hit a few speed bumps so far but have been able to work things out. When Craig went to the shop to pick up the SAE 20-30W oil needed for the propeller/seal job that he had ordered, he was informed they didn’t have any. So we were off on a search for the oil. We were sent several places without any results then as luck would have it we stumbled upon a marine engine equipment store which carried the oil in 25 liter drums. The job only required 10 but they gladly filled 5 2 liter water bottles full of the stuff and we were back in action. The bottom has been sanded, the first coat of bottom paint is being applied and the boat is being detailed. Craig has successfully removed the propeller and replaced the seals. This time the job was much easier with a gadget he fashioned from a water filter cartridge that helps him to evenly press the new seals into place. He also completed a bonus job by replacing the port aft bumper that had been damaged in Turkey last year.

Today Craig was informed that no work will be performed on Saturday or Sunday. Then he went over to the supplier and was informed they did not have the synthetic motor oil he requested. So . . . he went to another shop that was able to provide the oil for the Amel drive unit and found the synthetic oil he wanted plus regular oil for the generator. Now he plans to change the oil and filters this weekend and we will try to get splashed on Monday afternoon.

Now if you think I’m just sitting back taking it easy – you are mistaken. I’ve been busy updating our blog and photos plus watching Sky TV – there’s even a horse channel and sometimes it’s even in English! More later.

Heading Back to Sicily

We made quick work of putting the Italian Adriatic Coast in our rear view mirror. After the stunning beauty of Croatia and Montenegro just across the water, we found this side disappointing. The Italian Adriatic Coast is truly uninspiring and uninteresting with no natural wonders to be wowed by and as far as we were concerned, very few ports worth visiting. We definitely got the feeling that the boats we passed coming and going felt the same – we were all just trying to get from Point A to Point B and as quickly as possible. For us Point B was Siracusa on the east coast of Sicily. We pushed hard and managed to cover 335nm in just 2 days. We sailed into Siracusa’s Grand Harbor at 1215 on 10 July and took a slip for one night at the marina. We used the convenience of the marina to easily provision the boat and then quickly headed out to the Grand Harbor where we anchored for another two nights. (150 Euros/night for a slip was all the encouragement we needed to get our provisioning done quickly. Welcome back to Italian prices!)

Siracusa is a beautiful blend of old and older. The old town Ortiga was originally settled in 734BC by folks from Corinth and grew to be the largest walled city of ancient Greece. Today it is filled with palazzos, narrow alleyways, a Temple of Apollo and of course a domo. From the harbor the view is stunning. Built in the 5th century BC, Siracusa also contains one of the most significant examples of ancient theatres in the world. Siracusa has one of the best markets we’ve seen in the Med. We had a great time wandering thru the stalls of fresh fruit, vegetables and cheeses and listening to the fish mongers shout back and forth to one another and to potential customers. We couldn’t resist the fresh tuna and had to take some back to the boat. (Once again – our kind of fishing!) That evening dinner was fresh sesame seed crusted seared tuna over wasabi mash potatoes – dining at its finest and all prepared by Chef Craig.

In addition to the sights of Siracusa we were entertained with two attractions while at anchor in the harbor. First was the treat of seeing the Rising Sun, the 6th largest yacht in the world. Rising Sun was originally built for Larry Ellison founder of Oracle and is now owned by David Geffen, one of the founders of DreamWorks and a music industry mogul. We looked up the stats on the yacht and she’s 454 ft and accommodates 16 with a crew of 45. If you’re one of the lucky guests on board you can watch movies in the cinema, relax in the gymnasium/spa/sauna or play basketball on a court which also doubles a landing pad for the yacht’s helicopter. Life is just rough for those on board!

We also had front row seats as two Italian fire fighting airplanes put on a show. These planes are used all over the Italian coast to aide in fighting wildfires which are common in the summer – sounds like Texas. For over an hour we watched these planes swoop down into the harbor, quickly open their tanks which are located in the planes’ pontoons and fill with water while still moving. The planes then flew off to drop the water on an out of site fire and were back in 10 minutes for another round. What really impressed us was the pilots’ amazing ability to do all this while maneuvering between over 30 boats anchored in the harbor without mishap. Truly impressive.

Bari

We arrived in Bari, Italy the morning of 6 July after an uneventful 125nm run from Kotor, Montenegro. The seas were calm, the skies were filled with a crescent moon and a thousand stars and boat traffic was extremely light. We motored the majority of the way but as dawn was breaking the winds picked up to 12 knots and we enjoyed sailing the rest of the way. Bari, located on the Adriatic coast, is a major transportation and shipping hub. Bari has two ports, Porto Nuovo, which is the commercial harbor, and Porto Vecchio, the old harbor, filled with small fishing boats and private yachts. We elected to pull into Porto Vecchio and tied up on the harbor wall. Once secured we were quickly off the boat and headed for the local yacht club to see if there was an available berth we could use for two days. Folks at the yacht club spoke little English, our Italian was even less but with hand gestures and broken phrases we were able to make our request and they were happy to accommodate us for two nights. At 50 Euros a night including water, electricity and Wi-Fi, it was a true bargain! We quickly walked back around the harbor to Lone Star and moved her into our slip at the yacht club. Then it was off the boat again and a hike to the commercial harbor to officially clear into Italy and the EU. We were directed to several locations and never did make it to the correct window. However at the last stop the officials contacted the correct personnel who drove to us and stamped us in with no problems.

With berthing and immigration taken care of it was time to do what we came to Bari for and it wasn’t seeing the sites. We were here for repairs on our second freezer. This unit has given us problems since day one. We have had it serviced several times and always Amel treated it as a warranty issue. While in Dubrovnik the freezer compressor quit working completely which was going to be a costly repair because it was now out of warranty. However, because of the freezer’s track record and with Amel’s help, VECO the freezer manufacturer, agreed to replace the compressor for no charge. Once replaced, the freezer was chilling like a champ and we completed our business in Bari with the purchase of Italy Vodafone sim cards for our phone and computer. After two days it was time to get moving again.

Off to Italy

We are heading to Bari, Italy today. Plan to get there safe and sound on the morning of 6 July.

Happy 4th of July from Montenegro

Greetings to all from Kortor, Montenegro on this the birthday of our country. As coincidence would have it, this is also Montenegro’s National Holiday. Our journey to Montenegro began with a 35nm sail (ok make that motor) from Cavtat, Croatia on 1 July. Our destination was the Boka Kotorska (Gulf of Kotor) which is just passed the Croatian border. The Gulf of Kotor consists of three large bays – Hercegnovski Zalje, Tivatske Zaljev and Kotorski Zaljev – surrounded by mountains and connected by narrow channels. As we entered the Gulf we hoisted the Montenegran courtesy flag and the Q flag and made our way to Zelenika where we cleared customs. Once that piece of business was taken care of we continued on our way deeper into the Gulf.

The deeper we went the higher and higher the peaks grew, soaring to over 1,000m. The Gulf is ringed with quaint storybook towns with similar architecture to Croatia’s; terra cotta roofs and beige stone facades without the sparkling finishes but with a grittier, exotic feel. Crossing from Hercegnovski Bay into the two deeper bays we had to pass thru the Verigie Strait which is a tight bottleneck of a passage and the key to the Bay of Kotor’s success; invaders had to pass thru here to reach the port towns inside and the narrowness of the strait made them easy pickings. At the opposite end of the strait is the town of Perast which from its strategic location guarded the strait.

In its heyday Perast was a wealthy Venetian town which fell on hard times after Napoleon conquered the region. We tied up alongside the town harbor and enjoyed a leisurely stroll along the harbor enjoying the Venetian architecture and taking a peek inside St. Nicholas Church, dedicated to the patron saint of fishermen. Wanting to support the local economy, we took a water taxi instead of our dingy to the two small islands off Perast, St. George and Our Lady of the Rocks. St. George is a small, rocky island with a monastery and closed to the public. Legend has it that two fishermen found an icon of Mary on the island and when they repeatedly tried to take it to the mainland the icon was washed overboard to her original site. Apparently the fishermen finally got the message and left the icon in her original place. Since that time returning seamen would visit the site and drop rocks in the same place as an offering. Eventually more than 100 old ships were filled with stones and intentionally sunk in the same spot creating a much larger island. We docked at Our Lady of the Rocks home to a 17th century Catholic Church and filled with symbols of thanks and prayers. The walls are lined with Baroque paintings and a huge collection of wedding bouquets, given by brides who marry there, cover the alter.

We continued on our way toward the town of Kotor located at the deepest point of Kotorski Bay. As we neared the town we passed an old friend anchored out in the bay, Royal Clipper, who we cruised on in 2005. There has been a town at this site since the time of Christ. The Old Town is a crazy, mixed up walled village which obviously didn’t see the need of a city planner. While Dubrovnik’s streets are laid out in an easy to navigate grid, Kotor’s streets run every which way with no rhyme or reason. The protective walls cross the waterfront and then zigzag up the sheer cliff face behind the town. To make it to the top you have to climb over 1,500 steps gaining over 700 feet in elevation. Exercising extreme intelligence, we elected to go as far as the Church of Our Lady of Health, a third of the way up and enjoy the views down below of the old town.

We spent three days in Kotor anchoring out in the bay or med moored to the town wall. We had a great time visiting the market, wandering the streets, visiting the Catholic Cathedral of St. Tryphon and the Orthodox St. Nicholas’ Church, checking out the large mega yachts and enjoying people watching from our cockpit or one of many town cafes.

We celebrated the 4th with a traditional meal of chili dogs, beer and watermelon – love that Carni Food and enjoyed Kotor’s own version of fireworks. At night the town walls are lit, ringing the city with a beautiful glow.